Bamboo Cutting

[Link with Kibutsuji Muzan and Yoriichi Tsugikuni broken]

[The player will now receive the full details of the following mission]

[Mission Name: Path Of The Supreme

Type: Class Awakening/Swordsman

Grade: S

Time Limit: ∞

Main Requirement: Surpass the swordsman known as 'Yoriichi Tsugikuni' in skill and technique.

Side Requirement: Defeat the demon known as 'Kibutsuji Muzan'

Reward: ???

Tip: In the face of an impossible challenge, the system will do its best to support the player]

Looking at all this Akira didnt know what to say, he was stuck in his own world thinking about what to do.

Luckily, he was brought out from that world with Saki's angry voice.

"Boy who let you into the house?"

He still reeked of alcohol, but somehow he could think straight now.

Realising he has been standing in the same place for some time now, lost in his own mind. Akira responded to the old man.

"Sorry I just wanted to explore abit around the house"

For normal people this would be considered pretty strange, but Akira has known Saki for some time now.

Saki looked at the young boy in front of him, up and down. He then completely ignored him and went back inside the house.

"Seems like you still want to play the same game huh old man"

Even though Akira considered Saki his sword instructor, it wasnt anything official.

So everyday since the incident happened with the demon kidnapping Akira, he has been coming to visit him and...well annoy the living hell out of him.

Saki went back inside and went to his room to clean himself up. He washed his face, changed clothes and had a quick bath near a hot spring bath.

All this time Akira just waited for his 'teacher' to return.

Once Saki did return he headed to the small dining room and prepared his breakfast. He also prepared some for the young boy.

All this time Akira just went along with what was happening.

Then they sat down and ate in silence, however this was when Akira decided to attack.

"Can you teach me how to use the sword?"

"No"

"Please"

"No"

"Please"

"No"

"Please with a cherry on top"

"No"

This went along for eternity, atleast thats what it felt like for Saki.

Saki is a man with a lot of qualities but patience is not one of them. At this point his face was already turning red in anger, and his grip on the table turning stronger each second.

'Just why did I save you from that demon...Why?'

He asked himself...'I should have just let him become a nice meal, who knows maybe I would have actually helped the world become a better place'

Saki had long since been tired of this boys games. Thats when the last straw hit...

"Please"

He had enough of this boy, so he decided to finally test him.

"Follow me"

For the first time ever the old mans answer was different from a simple 'No' that was enough to excite the boy.

They both headed out the residence and deeper into the bamboo forests.

They walked for atleast half an hour, before they finally stopped in front a small plain surrounded by more bamboo trees.

In the middle of this plain, were rows of small manmade bamboo structures comprised of several pegs that strap together about seven bamboo stalks.

Without saying a word, Saki walked upto the bamboo.

He took a stance in a drawing position ready to unsheath his blade. Before Akira could even react Saki unsheathed his azure coloured blade which he brought with himself.

The blade travelled in a beautiful arc and cleanly sliced through four rows of bamboo leaving a smooth surface.

He turned around and instead of sheathing the blade back into its scabbard, he stabbed the blade into the ground right in front of the boy.

"Thats your test.If you can slice through more than two bamboo stalks I'll accept you as my student"

The old man turned to the young boy and finally decided to end these games. He was tired of this long ago.

"However, if you fail...I'll cut off one of your arms!!"

The old man said this with a fully calm expression, as if what he just said could be considered normal.

"You can't be serious can you?"

Akira knew that becoming a swordsman, a real swordsman wont be easy. But he wasnt ready to just sacrifice his arm.

"I'm serious. If you fail, I will make sure you lose atleast one of your arms"

"When swordsman train, they train with wooden blades and fake opponents like this bamboo here"

"But in the real world, swordsman fight with sharp and cold blades that can easily take limbs"

"If you arent ready for that...Well you might as well leave"

"Its your choice, I wont force you"

Saki has been a swordsman ever since he was young, during his days he has met a few swordsman that couldnt handle the pressure of holding a real blade in their arms.

The pressure of holding onto a piece of metal that guides your life through your opponents moves with an iron grip.

In all fairness, he has been looking for a student for some time now. He just wants to make sure Akira has the right mind and will to set on this path.

'Will he actually cut my arm if I fail?, Wait even if he did, Its not like I can fight back'

Thinking back to the reason why he even wanted to learn how to use the sword, its because ever since he saw the azure coloured flash of the blade he became obsessed.

He wanted to be able to do the same exact thing, he wanted to be the same as the man in the red haori...maybe even surpass him.

So he stepped up and pulled the blade out the ground.

'Now that I think about it, I never actually held a sword before'

'Its surprisingly...calmful'

The second he took grip of the sword, a wave of calmness hit his body. Its as if it was all too natural for his body.

He placed the azure coloured blade in a drawing position near his hip, as if it was still sheathed.

He relaxed his body, wrapped his dominant hand around the handle and made sure his grip was strong.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the air spread throughout his body and the darkness infront of him focus his senses even more.

He was waiting for the right moment, the right timing.

'Not yet...Just a bit more..'

"Now!"

He drew the blade with the most strength he could muster up with his body.

The blade was drawn in a incomplete arc, as if missing something. But the blade itself etched itself into the fourth bamboo stalk right before slicing through three of them.

Looking closer, the cuts were smooth and clean showing atleast some skill and technique. It wasnt the slash of a master but nor a complete beginner.

Akira struggled to pull the blade out as it was deeply etched into the stalk, somehow he managed.

Turning back with an excited expression on his face, he expected Saki to praise him.

But when he turned around the old man was already walking back to his residence with his back turned.

"I accept you as my student, Akira Samezaki"

He shouted for the boy to hear...

"Come to the forest near the bottom of the mountain early tomorrow"

'And make sure to get a good night sleep, you'll need it boy'

"I will, thank you Saki, I wont dissapoint you" Akira replied to the old man, before he could change his mind.

"You'll better not boy, if you do I chop your legs off"

"Wait...What!!..Saki...Wait what did you say...Can you just say that again?"

He kept shouting into the distance but the old man was long since gone.

"WAIT!"

"WAIT YOU OLD GEEZER!"

"GOD DAMMIT WAIT!"