Inside the back quarters of the Kazama Dojo, Gekkō Hoshiyomi was seated beside Kazama Morishige, listening to the old man's rambling stories from his youth.
Hoshiyomi had been genuinely curious about the old master's life. Whether it was because he had somehow gained the man's favor thanks to his good looks, or because Morishige had grown sentimental with age and longed to pass on his legacy to a worthy successor—either way, the elder was eager to talk.
Morishige didn't just tell tales—he shared deep insights from his own experience in swordmanship. These weren't just surface-level philosophies, but hard-earned lessons, gained one duel at a time in his younger days, often while defending his dojo from challengers.
Even now, Hoshiyomi found great value in them. They were the kinds of small tricks and battlefield instincts only years of real combat could teach—insights impossible to gain through theory alone.
By any measure, Morishige's life had been quite extraordinary. In his youth, he was hailed as a prodigy in swordmanship. At sixteen, he had defeated his own father during his graduation examination, achieving the rank of Menkyo Kaiden.
At twenty, he entered the Land of Iron's prestigious Five-Year Youth Kenjutsu Tournament and claimed second place overall—a remarkable feat.
But Morishige was dissatisfied. He believed his loss had only come because the first-place winner was older and had trained longer. So, driven by obsession, he threw himself into even harsher training.
He began a long pilgrimage, challenging every dojo across the Land of Iron in pursuit of greater strength. Over five years, he absorbed the strengths of countless styles, eventually developing his own signature technique: the Kazama Style Secret Art: Wind Severing Slash..
Convinced that he had finally surpassed his old rival, he sought him out for a rematch.
But he lost again.
The opponent's Iaijutsu—the art of quick-draw sword strikes—was too fast. Morishige hadn't even had time to fully unleash his new technique before he was defeated.
In truth, his early years were spent in the shadow of that Iaijutsu master. After the second loss, he was forced to admit—however bitterly—that he was still no match.
Determined to bridge the gap, Morishige tried to improve the Wind Severing Slash. But samurai had limited control over chakra, so he left the Land of Iron in search of a better solution—one that lay with the ninja world.
He began dueling shinobi, hoping to find a way to refine his technique through exposure to their abilities.
In that, he partially succeeded. In battle, he learned of something called chakra nature transformation. The moment he heard of it, he knew—that was the missing piece.
He managed to learn the basics of chakra nature transformation from one shinobi. Eagerly, he began experimenting with Wind Release chakra to enhance the Wind Severing Slash.
But then disaster struck.
His lack of familiarity with nature transformation caused the Wind chakra to spiral out of control. It rampaged through his body, wreaking havoc on his chakra pathways. The result: irreversible, permanent damage.
From then on, he could still use the Wind Severing Slash—but improving it became a pipe dream.
At that point in his story, Morishige let out a long sigh:
"I placed all my hopes in my son, Masahiro… but his talent falls far short of mine. He's already in his thirties, and yet the way he uses the Wind Severing Slash… it's a shadow of what it should be."
Hoshiyomi paused, offering a silent three-second moment of sympathy for poor Masahiro. Growing up with a father like this must've been rough. He'd done well just surviving this long under the weight of those expectations.
As Hoshiyomi mused, Morishige suddenly spoke again, his tone surprisingly cheerful—and he no longer called him "young man," but something warmer:
"But the heavens smiled upon me when they brought me you.
Child, the moment I saw you, I knew—you were a gift sent by fate.
Your appearance is no coincidence. It's the gods answering my prayers… granting me one last chance to see the complete Wind Severing Slash before I die.
So tell me, child—are you willing to learn the Kazama Style of swordmanship and help this old man complete the Wind Severing Slash?"
Huh?!
Hoshiyomi was dumbfounded.
So this was why the old man had been so welcoming? If this had happened during his prime, Hoshiyomi would've agreed without hesitation.
But now…
How was he supposed to tell the old man without giving him a heart attack that he currently couldn't use chakra at all?
He hesitated, then carefully began:
"Old Master… I have something to say. Please be mentally prepared…
I was ambushed and cursed by a traitor. Right now, my chakra is completely sealed—
Wait! Old man, don't pass out! Hear me out!"
Panicking, Hoshiyomi pinched his pressure points and frantically reassured him until he brought Morishige back from the brink of collapse.
The old man, pale and trembling, weakly asked:
"So… what you're saying is, you're confident you'll recover your chakra within a few years?
And then… then you'll be able to complete the Wind Severing Slash?"
Hoshiyomi nodded quickly:
"As long as my body recovers to the proper condition, my chakra will return.
Once that happens, fully developing the Wind Severing Slash should be no problem."
Morishige fell silent for a long while, before finally letting out another sigh:
"So be it. You're one-of-a-kind in this world.
A talent like yours won't come again in what time I have left.
Rather than gamble on some distant future, I'll place all my hopes in you.
I only ask… that I may see the completed Wind Severing Slash with my own eyes before I die."
Moved, Hoshiyomi immediately performed the formal tea ceremony of discipleship, presenting tea to Morishige as a gesture of respect.
In truth, helping the old man fulfill his dream was only part of the reason.
More importantly—Hoshiyomi truly respected Morishige as a master of the sword. He could learn countless things from this man that would've taken a lifetime to figure out on his own.
And on a practical level, the Wind Severing Slash was a rare technique: a ranged sword art that produced real blade-force—something virtually unseen in the shinobi world.
As far as he could remember, Naruto canon didn't feature true "sword aura" attacks. At best, characters like Mifune or Sasuke extended their reach with chakra, but even then, it wasn't pure sword aura.
Only a filler character—Hayate's former comrade, Shirakumo—had anything close to it.
Come to think of it, his Vacuum Sword might actually be an evolved version of the Wind Severing Slash…
Could it be that in the anime, this was the man who passed down the Kazama legacy—leading to the creation of the upgraded Vacuum Slash? (insert sarcastic emoji)
Meanwhile, Morishige had come to terms with it all. He had no better choice left. Instead of hesitating, he would take in Hoshiyomi as his disciple and use the last of his strength to help him break free from the curse.
With luck, he might yet live to see the completed Wind Severing Slash. If he waited too long, he feared he'd take that regret to the grave.
With that in mind, Morishige finally spoke:
"Very well. From this day forward, you are my student.
I will spend the next three years passing down every swordmanship technique I know.
In three years' time, the next Kenjutsu Tournament will be held.
Once you've mastered my teachings and tested them in the fires of competition…
your body will surely be strong enough to unleash the full Wind Severing Slash."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin