The teacher and student took wooden Bakken swords and went out to the backyard behind the dojo.
They stood facing each other and, standing still under large snowflakes, began their battle.
Takahashi-sensei held his sword with one hand and delivered quick and powerful attacks toward Yarimato.
Yarimato held his sword with both hands and tried to hit his teacher with at least one blow.
Takahashi delivered powerful blows, but Yarimato blocked them and, waiting for the right moment, parried his teacher’s attack and lunged forward, aiming the tip of his sword directly at his teacher’s stomach.
Takahashi placed the hilt of his sword under Yarimato’s blow and, parrying his attack, he pulled Yarimato’s sword to the side.
Then bringing the sword behind his back, Takahashi struck Yarimato’s legs with it.
Losing his footing, Yarimato leans back toward the ground, but his teacher swings from above and strikes him in the stomach, pinning him to the snow-covered ground.
But Yarimato did not give up so quickly and, getting up, immediately began to attack the teacher, but the teacher easily dodged all his attacks, and when Yarimato opened up, the teacher took advantage of this and struck him on the head.
Turning his back to the teacher after the blow, he found himself face to face with him.
Before he could react, the teacher struck Yarimato’s jaw again with his stick.
Yarimato threw his head back from the blow but managed to stay on his feet.
However, the teacher was already standing directly above Yarimato, and grabbing his sword with both hands, he struck him with all his might.
Yarimato realized that he would not have time to block the blow, so he held his sword in front of him and pointed it at the teacher, as there was a chance that it would touch him before the blow reached his head.
Takahashi-sensei realized that Yarimato would be faster to touch him before his blow, so the teacher attacked, but not Yarimato, but his wooden sword.
Deflecting Yarimato’s sword, the teacher touched the ground and, finding himself close to his student, lunged towards him and rammed his right elbow straight into his chest.
Yarimato did not expect such an attack, as he was only watching the teacher’s sword, and the teacher, knowing this, struck with his elbow instead of his sword.
Takahashi: You must watch not the enemy’s sword, but his gaze and movements.
Only then can you assess the whole situation and understand what your opponent is going to do. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Yarimato got back on his feet and attacked his teacher again, concentrating not on the sword, but on his opponent’s movements.
Yarimato parried all of Takahashi’s blows and, after fending off a series of attacks, Yarimato aimed a thrusting blow and, pushing off toward his teacher.
Yarimato wanted to deliver a lightning-fast strike, but Takahashi strikes the sword from above and, plunging Yarimato’s sword into the ground, swings from his knee straight at Yarimato’s torso, but this time Yarimato anticipates the move and pushes off the ground with his feet.
Yarimato seemed to freeze in the air and swung his sword, aiming to hit his teacher directly in the head, but Takahashi-sensei tried to deliver a thrusting blow, as it would be faster and Yarimato would not be able to do anything.
After striking Yarimato, the teacher thought he had won, but suddenly Yarimato took the blow to his left shoulder, which allowed him to turn around and, finding himself in front of Yarimato’s sword, swung with a powerful blow directly at the teacher.
Takahashi was amazed by this maneuver, as Yarimato took the blow, but thanks to it, he was already to the side of the sword, and therefore Takahashi did not have time to deliver a second blow and had no choice.
But Takahashi did not want to show weakness to his student, so he put all his strength into it.
Takahashi-sensei let go of the sword and placed his left hand in front of it, and when the sword hit his hand, Takahashi felt it and seemed to pull the sword away from himself in the other direction.
Grabbing Yarimato’s right hand, which was holding the sword, he pulls him towards himself and, turning his back to Yarimato, the teacher throws his student over himself and, holding him with all his strength by the arm, drives his back into the snow-covered ground.
Hitting the ground with his back, Yarimato knocks out his lungs and it is as if all the oxygen is leaving them and he cannot breathe.
As a result, having fallen for the third time, the teacher decides to end the fight and, raising his wooden swords, says: “You lost, so you have to pay for ramen with boiled eggs, pineapple, and mango.”
Yarimato, barely breathing, asks in surprise: Where am I going to get pineapple and mango in winter?
Takahashi: That’s clearly not my problem.
Takahashi replied.
Takahashi turned around and walked back to the dojo, while Yarimato remained lying in the snow under large snowflakes that fell gently and softly on his hair and clothes. Find the original chapter at NovelPing.
Yarimato: I was close, but I still have a long way to go to match my teacher’s speed.
But someday, I will definitely become stronger and defeat Takahashi-sensei.
Eight months after their battle, it was already September, and Yarimato was 12 years old.
With each passing year, time flew by faster and faster for Yarimato, and in two years he had already gotten used to such a difficult life.
Yarimato had become much stronger than two years ago, he had also grown a little, and his body could now easily handle light training.
Over the past six months, Takahashi had begun teaching Yarimato to read, as every warrior must be able to read, and he also taught him to write and count.
Yarimato already knew the basics of reading and writing, but that wasn’t enough, so Yarimato read books and copied them onto pieces of paper.
Yarimato was good at math; he understood it perfectly and solved problems without mistakes.
Takahashi realized that Yarimato’s strength lay not in his arms but in his head, because in their battle, Yarimato relied not on strength but on tactics and agility.
Yarimato was already beginning to grow rapidly, his physique was changing quickly, and he was growing noticeably fast, and his old kimono was already too small for him.
Takahashi continued to train Yarimato with various difficult exercises, but he waited for Yarimato to grow up, and then Takahashi would unleash the full force of his training.
Therefore, he only prepared Yarimato for these painful exercises, but Yarimato had no idea what was in store for him.
Three years later, at the age of fifteen, Yarimato grew up, and Takahashi realized that Yarimato was ready for his training.
Yarimato became much taller with a thin build, but his appearance was deceptive because behind such a thin and skinny guy lay great strength, gained through hard and long work.
His face had become narrow with expressive cheekbones, his nose, mouth, and ears were neat and small, his eyes had become serious, dark, and imperturbable, and his gaze was cold-blooded and calm.
Yarimato’s hair was brown, and over the years it had grown long, so he simply tied it back in a ponytail and left two strands in front to cover his eyes and forehead.
Yarimato became cool-headed and calm, he was ready for difficulties and therefore could not wait to start learning the style of Takahashi-sensei.