"Yes! Please accept me as your disciple, master Isshin! And teach me swordsmanship!"
Genya Yamagami kowtowed again, his voice carrying from the cold stone slabs.
"Tsk."
Isshin shook his head and clicked his tongue: "You, kid, your eyes are like hooks, stuffed full of things. Your face is just short of having a deep blood feud written across it. One look and it's obvious you're carrying a sea of vengeance."
"Probably mixed in with a whole family destroyed and home ruined storyline too. Ah, this kind of disciple is the most troublesome. It's hard to teach, and there are always a lot of problems afterward."
His words were so blunt they were almost cutting, like a cold dagger that directly pierced through the calm facade that Genya Yamagami had been trying so hard to maintain.
Genya Yamagami trembled, his head drooped even lower, his lips turned white, and the flame of hope that had just risen in his heart seemed to have been doused with a bucket of ice water.
However, just when he thought he would be flatly rejected, Isshin's voice rang out again: "I'll ask you this: are you learning swordsmanship for revenge?"
Genya Yamagami abruptly raised his head, meeting Isshin's still nonchalant eyes, and answered frankly, even with a kind of resigned despair: "To be honest, I wanted to learn swordsmanship for revenge! It's a blood feud, an irreconcilable one!"
He paused for a moment, took a breath, and continued: "But it's not just about revenge. It's also about preventing the tragedy that happened to me from befalling others. I don't want to see more people end up like me, with their families destroyed and no one to turn to for help!"
Isshin didn't say anything, just quietly looked at him.
Genya Yamagami also looked back without flinching, even though his heart was pounding like a drum and his back was soaked with cold sweat.
"Tell me your story first."
Upon hearing this, Genya Yamagami didn't dare to delay. He quickly gathered his thoughts and began to speak as clearly as possible: "My name is Genya Yamagami, and I was born in the Land of Hot Water..."
He began with the hot spring inn his family once ran, spoke of the shadow of war, his father's departure, his mother's decline, the bewitching influence of the Holy Church, the squandering of their property, his elder brother's tragedy, and finally... his sister's ascension to the afterlife.
Huh?
Why does this story sound so familiar?
As he listened intently, the words seemed familiar, as if he had heard them in a past life.
However, he did not delve into it, attributing it to the fact that tragedies in the world are generally similar.
"Therefore, I came to the Land of Iron."
Genya Yamagami finished his narration, bowed his head again, and awaited judgment.
"Alright."
Isshin finally spoke, his tone as casual as deciding what to eat for dinner: "Then you can start learning from me. But let me make this clear: I can teach you, but how much you learn and whether you can endure the hardship depends on your own abilities. If one day you feel you can't continue, or I feel you're not up to it, you can leave anytime."
Coincidentally, after he was promoted to Chunin and Master Swordsman, the job description mentioned that his efficiency in guiding others in swordsmanship (ninja) skills had increased slightly.
His own body is currently busy in Konoha developing Nintaijutsu and preparing for the future Shinobi World War, so he hasn't had a chance to test the effects.
Since this clone, Isshin, had nothing better to do, taking on a disciple to test the waters and see what the slight increase in efficiency was really like.
What if it generates some talents related to teaching?
Although such talents cannot directly enhance his power, they can make his guidance of disciples twice as effective.
Given time, he will naturally gather a group of true masters under his command, becoming his solid wings and foundation.
He also knew that reputation could be amplified by disciples. When a disciple became famous for his exquisite swordsmanship, people would believe that the master's swordsmanship was even more powerful. When a disciple intimidated a region with his strength, people would also think that the master who taught him was more powerful.
Every achievement of his disciples, every bit of amazement and praise they receive, will flow like rivers into the sea, forming an even more powerful torrent of recognition that will lift him to unimaginable heights.
"Greetings, master!"
Genya Yamagami was overjoyed and quickly kowtowed.
"Alright, alright, stand up and talk."
"Thank you, master!"
Genya Yamagami stood up as instructed, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement and gratitude.
He suddenly remembered something and hurriedly turned around to rummage through his tattered bag, frantically trying to find some money or something else that he could barely offer as a token of apprenticeship.
"Alright, stop rummaging around."
Isshin glanced at his embarrassed searching and spoke indifferently, originally intending to say, I don't need your little bit of money.
But his gaze happened to catch a section of rough yet well-polished metal barrel protruding from a gap in the bundle.
He paused, then his eyes lit up slightly.
"Wait!"
He changed his tone and pointed at the barrel. "Let me see that gun of yours."
As a Master Swordsman, how could he not have a gun?
It too was an extension of swordsmanship, one of the instruments worthy of study!
"Gun?"
Genya Yamagami was taken aback, then realized that his teacher was referring to his musket.
He quickly stopped searching, carefully took out the musket with both hands; its structure was somewhat rough, but every part was spotless, and respectfully handed it over while explaining somewhat nervously: "Master, this is... this is something I pieced together and modified myself during my spare time while on duty. It's just some shady, unsophisticated tricks. I will definitely work hard to train in the future, focus on the way of the sword, and not be distracted by these things again..."
"Some shady, unsophisticated tricks?"
Isshin took the musket, feeling its weight in his hand. He examined it with interest, checking the barrel and firing mechanism. Upon hearing this, he shook his head and interrupted him: "Genya, this is not something that can be taken lightly."
He raised his head and looked at Genya Yamagami, whose face still showed confusion and unease, and said seriously, "Our Ashina Style is valued for its continuous absorption of the strengths of all dojos and the convergence of thousands of techniques. Although we are named after the sword, our path is by no means limited to the sword as a weapon."
He weighed the musket in his hand, as if pondering how to use it: "As long as we can win in battle, effectively defeat our opponents, and protect what we want to protect... then any weapon, whether it's a katana, a short knife, a spear, a bow and arrow, or this musket in your hand that can spew flames and metal, or even explosive tags and cannons, can be, and should be, our weapons."
"Remember this, Genya. The precepts of our Ashina style can be summarized in four words: Adapt to any circumstances!"
"The essence is also five words: if it works, it's fine! And the ultimate goal we pursue..."