After Kutcher confronted Tuziku and learned the reason why he had been absent during Prīōra's time of need, he realized he had completely misunderstood the situation.
"So, now what do you intend to do, Tuziku?" Kutcher asked.
"What I intend to do...?"
Tuziku scratched his chin.
"For now, I'm going to continue my training out here..."
"I see..." Kutcher replied.
"Oh, that reminds me," said Tuziku.
"Where were you when Nēgus came to the house?" he asked.
"Oh, about that..." Kutcher scratched his head.
"Prīōra told me it'd be best if I stayed out of sight from the villagers..."
"And since you're out here training with old man Ryōkōjū, I thought I couldn't just sit around and do nothing..."
"So I went off to do some training by myself!" Kutcher explained.
"That makes sense..." Tuziku replied.
"I knew the only way that Nēgus could've hurt Prīōra was if you weren't around!"
"Yeah!" Kutcher nodded.
"That bastard used his seniority as the older brother to harm his sister, knowing Prīōra wouldn't fight back!" Kutcher clenched his fist.
"In any case, old man Ryōkōjū left the house to go get medical assistance for her..."
"So I should probably go check on Prīōra and see how she's doing."
"In that case, you definitely shouldn't be here any longer," said Tuziku.
"Yeah..."
"I'm off!" Kutcher waved as he walked away, heading back toward the village.
"And I'll be sure to let Prīōra know your reason for not visiting her as well," he said with a grin.
Tuziku waved him off.
"Now then..." he turned around.
Then—
FWOOOOOO!
"I have to get back to my training!" said Tuziku as he summoned a powerful gust of wind.
And thus, Tuziku continued his training in solitude.
...
One week had passed since Nēgus had been exiled from the Hakashi village for assaulting Prīōra.
During that time, Kutcher continued to hone his swordsmanship in solitude on the other side of the village outskirts.
Meanwhile, Prīōra remained on bed rest as she steadily recovered after being treated by a doctor that Ryōkōjū had found.
As a result, Ryōkōjū had been spending less time training with Tuziku in order to remain by his granddaughter's side and also continue his duties as Chief of the village.
The present morning...
Outside the Hakashi village, near the base of Mount Yakushi...
FWOOOOOOSSH!!
Powerful winds erupted as Tuziku and Ryōkōjū continued their daily sparring routine.
"Focus, boy!"
"You're going about it the wrong way again!" Ryōkōjū scolded him.
Tuziku frantically gasped for air as sweat dripped down his body.
"It's been a week since we've started sparring..."
"And in that time, you haven't been able to use the Hakashi Technique's first form—not even once!" Ryōkōjū shouted as he folded his arms.
"I'm sorry, old man!" Tuziku apologized.
Ryōkōjū sighed.
"You're focusing too much on enhancing your body rather than the wind itself, boy..."
"As a result, when you apply the wind to your muscles, it tends to lose control." He stroked his long grey beard.
Tuziku sat on the floor beside a rock.
"It's true that the first form—Tras—uses the wind to enhance the user's physical abilities..." Ryōkōjū continued.
"However, you're being too rough with it."
"The winds you summon are usually very violent and powerful!" he explained.
"The wind's pressure and intensity can be toned down while still being summoned in vast amounts..."
"Meaning it's possible to summon a large gust of wind that isn't too powerful," he continued, still stroking his beard.
"Try to summon the wind without so much intensity... Once you can do that, you'll be able to use the first form to increase your speed and agility!" the old man explained to Tuziku.
Tuziku lowered his head, still sitting on the floor.
"I understand what you mean, old man..."
"But I just don't know how to control the wind's pressure," he admitted.
Ryōkōjū stroked his beard.
"Well... I don't know what you're going to do, boy..."
"But the first form requires you to reduce the wind's pressure in order to increase your speed and mobility," said Ryōkōjū.
"Because of everything that has happened with Nēgus, I have to spend more time by my granddaughter's side, so I can't spend much time training you."
"Besides... we both have to be prepared in case Nēgus shows up," he added, raising a finger.
He gazed at Tuziku with a proud grin.
"I know you can do this, boy..."
"Now hurry up and learn the first form already!" he shouted.
Tuziku gazed at him in silence as he sat beside the rock.
"I should get back to the house now..." Ryōkōjū said as he walked off toward the village.
"Don't forget what I told you, boy!" he called out, waving as he departed.
As the old man left, Tuziku lay on the floor and gazed up at the morning sky.
The old man is right!
I don't have all year to learn the Hakashi Technique, damn it!
"Even so..."
He let out a huge sigh.
"How the hell do I control the intensity of the wind?" he asked himself.
He sighed once more.
I just don't understand!
Suddenly...
Tweet! Tweet!
A gorgeous blue hummingbird flew above Tuziku's head, its tiny song echoing softly through the morning air.
As Tuziku gazed at the little bird, he thought to himself...
Is that a hummingbird...?
Wow... it's so pretty...
He let out a bright grin as he got up from the floor and stood to his feet.
The hummingbird began displaying a variety of unique flight patterns as it soared through the air above Tuziku's head.
Suddenly—
It began flying in a 360° circular motion.
With its wings spread wide open, it simply used the wind to glide through the air, effortlessly moving in circles.
As Tuziku observed the bird's unique display of flight, he was completely marvelled by its beauty and the strange mechanics behind its unusual movements.
Suddenly...
Tuziku gasped.
"That's it!" he shouted as he gazed up at the bird.
Suddenly, Tuziku stood to his feet.
"The hummingbird can still sustain itself in the air even though it's not flapping its wings..."
"It's because it focuses on controlling the wind pressure rather than fighting it..."
He scratched his chin.
"What if..."
"What I need to do isn't to focus on using the wind to enhance my body... but instead, use my arms to control the pressure of the wind beforehand... similar to how the hummingbird uses its wings to stay afloat despite not constantly flapping them!"
Suddenly, he thought to himself...
Can I even do somethkng like that...?
No—
I have to!
A determined grin spread across Tuziku's face.
"All right!" he shouted.
"I think I just found the solution to my problem!"
Tuziku clenched his fists as he gazed at the sky with a determined expression.
CHAPTER 52 END