As Horitake ascended Peach Mountain, the rhythmic, metallic clatter of blades and the scuffling of feet reached his ears before he had even reached the halfway point.
He knew that sound well. It was coming from the usual training grounds. Based on the intensity, it wasn't just a standard drill; it was a full-contact sparring session.
His curiosity piqued, Horitake's silhouette flickered. In a series of silent, rapid leaps, he blurred through the trees toward the source of the commotion.
He arrived at the edge of the clearing and, without making a sound, manifested directly behind Jigoro Kuwajima. He kept his presence masked, his gaze fixed on the duel unfolding before them.
There were only two disciples on Peach Mountain: Yae and Zenitsu. Naturally, they were each other's only sparring partners.
Zenitsu's performance was exactly what one would expect—mediocre and panicked—but Yae's progress was truly beyond Horitake's expectations.
Gripping her katana, Yae looked every bit the valiant warrior. Her presence was sharp and high-spirited, and her strikes were delivered with a fierce, piercing momentum. If Horitake hadn't known any better, he would never have guessed that she had only been training for a single year.
Indeed, in just twelve months, Yae's combat prowess had reached a level where she was essentially hounding Zenitsu across the field, making his life a living misery.
Zenitsu, you really are a bit pathetic, Horitake thought.
Although Yae was technically Zenitsu's "senior sister" in terms of age and respect, she had joined the school much later than him. Zenitsu had been training for two years, yet the one with two years of experience was being utterly dominated by the one with only one.
Horitake watched in silence for a few moments before finally speaking up.
"Gramps, Yae's strength is growing incredibly fast. She's already at the point where she can pin Zenitsu to the ground and have her way with him."
Jigoro jumped, nearly leaping out of his skin at the sudden voice. The old man spun around, and when he saw it was his eldest disciple, he let out a long, ragged sigh of relief.
He scowled, grumbling, "When did you get back? You could have at least made a sound. Creeping up behind me like a ghost and then shouting... you nearly gave me a heart attack."
Horitake let out a hearty laugh. "It's not my fault, Gramps. It just means your senses have dulled lately. You didn't even notice me standing there. You're getting slack in your old age."
Jigoro looked Horitake up and down, eventually shaking his head. "It's not that I'm getting slower; it's that you're steadily becoming a monster. I used to be able to sense you when you were nearby, but now? I can't feel a thing."
The old man sighed, turning his gaze back to the sparring duo with a look of profound contemplation. "I wonder if your junior brother and sister will ever reach your level."
Horitake shook his head with shameless honesty. "Hah, reaching my level? That's a tall order. Yae has a sliver of hope, but Zenitsu... I wouldn't hold my breath. Still, Yae is impressive. To think she can suppress Zenitsu like this after only a year."
Jigoro watched his disciples, his voice steadying. "Yes. To go from a complete novice to this level in a single year... Yae is truly a rare talent. But as for Zenitsu... sigh. It's complicated."
He paused, leaning on his cane. "You know how weak-willed that boy is. Facing such a dominant senior sister, he doesn't even dare to strike back properly. That's why he's being suppressed. However, if Zenitsu were to fall asleep and enter that semi-awakened state... Yae would likely be no match for him."
Horitake nodded in agreement as he analyzed the exchange. "True. Zenitsu has two years of foundation built into his body. The power he erupts with in that state is quite terrifying."
But as he continued to watch, Horitake couldn't help but chuckle wryly.
"The problem is, Zenitsu isn't going to pass out under these circumstances. And even if he did, he probably wouldn't have the heart to hit Yae anyway. So, it looks like he's destined to be under her thumb. Maybe Yae is just his natural nemesis? Actually, that might not be a bad thing..."
As they spoke, the "sparring" grew more intense. Or, more accurately, Yae's pursuit of Zenitsu became more aggressive.
Yae unleashed a sharp, horizontal slash. Zenitsu shrieked, ducking his head in a blind panic. There was a silver flash, and several tufts of yellow hair were shorn clean off by Yae's blade.
Feeling the sudden chill on his scalp, Zenitsu's heart went even colder.
Without a second thought, the boy turned tail and bolted. In his desperate flight, he unconsciously channeled the Breath of Thunder, moving with startling speed.
However, Yae was now equally adept in the style. She gave chase, her speed matching his.
Amidst the lush peach trees, it became a frantic game of cat and mouse. Zenitsu fled for his life while Yae pursued him relentlessly, their movement kicking up clouds of dust and fallen petals.
Yae brandished her sword, shouting as she sprinted, "Zenitsu! Stop running! This is a sparring match, not a chase! Stop right now and fight back, or I won't be polite anymore!"
Zenitsu, running as if his life depended on it, wailed over his shoulder, "I'm not stopping! That last swing almost killed me! I'm done! I want to rest! I'm going to die if we keep this up! I'll literally die!"
Yae's brow furrowed, a flash of genuine anger crossing her pretty face. "Zenitsu, there you go again! That kind of talk makes Master angry, and now it's making me angry too! If you don't stop, I'm really going to get serious!"
"Do whatever you want, Senior Sister! I am not stopping just to get sliced!"
Seeing that he truly had no intention of stopping, Yae decided to end it. She settled into a rhythmic, calculated breathing pattern.
"Thunder Breathing, Fourth Form: Distant Thunder!"
Blue sparks of electricity crackled around her body. In an instant, she transformed into a bolt of lightning, surging forward with blinding speed toward Zenitsu's back.
She closed the gap in a heartbeat, her katana blurring as she unleashed a series of high-speed, multi-angled slashes aimed at his retreating form. The strikes were relentless and airtight.
Watching from afar, Horitake's eyebrows shot up. "Gramps, Yae has already mastered the Fourth Form? That's incredibly fast!"
Jigoro shook his head slightly, though a hint of pride lingered in his eyes. "Not just the Fourth Form. She has technically memorized all six forms of the Breath of Thunder. She just hasn't fully polished the last two yet."
"She's grasped all six in a single year!?" Horitake looked at Yae with newfound respect. "Impressive. I knew she was a good find when I brought her back, but I didn't expect her to flourish this much."
While the master and his eldest disciple discussed her genius, the drama on the field reached its climax.
Zenitsu glanced back, and when he saw his sister-disciple actually using a Breathing Style technique to hunt him down—specifically those rapid-fire slashes closing in on his back—his soul nearly departed his body from pure terror.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"