Chapter 14: Sakumo's Desire to Train Aoki

Quickly, Aoki prepared two servings of food... one for himself and one for Kuroshiro. However, Kuroshiro's portion was much larger, consisting of eleven fresh fish. One fish was part of their agreement, and ten fish were a token of gratitude for healing his wounds the night before.

After preparing the food and eating heartily, Aoki then cleaned himself up before heading straight to his family's restaurant. This was a morning routine that Aoki never missed. Upon arriving, Aoki carefully checked the state of the restaurant, ensuring everything was running smoothly.

Aoki also took a moment to reprimand Yono, one of the employees known for being lazy. "Yono, if you keep this up, who will maintain the good name of this restaurant?" Aoki advised in a serious tone. Although Yono was a kind-hearted employee, Aoki knew that Yono needed an extra push to work harder.

After ensuring everything was under control at the restaurant, Aoki hurried to the workshop, where he worked forging weapons and various other items.

...

...

...

(Afternoon)

The sun was high in the sky, indicating it was twelve noon. Aoki had just finished his morning work and was now sitting down for a moment to rest. After hours of working and forging, his body felt tired, but his spirit remained high. Aoki then took a sip of refreshing cold water, enjoying the moment of tranquility.

However, the peace was soon disrupted when the workshop door opened, and a man with silver-white hair entered. The man was Sakumo Hatake, a village hero who, unfortunately, had become the subject of ridicule due to a failure in a mission.

Aoki knew Sakumo, just like everyone else in the village, although not everyone treated Sakumo with the respect a hero deserved.

"Oh, Sakumo, what brings you here?" asked Kuzan, Aoki's boss, in a friendly tone upon seeing Sakumo enter the workshop.

"Ah, Kuzan. I want to train one of your workers. Aoki has helped me before, and I want to repay him by training him with a sword. Is that possible, Kuzan?" Sakumo, with a firm yet calm demeanor, got straight to the point.

"Of course, Sakumo." Kuzan nodded, his eyes shifting to Aoki, who now looked surprised.

"You mean Aoki? Of course, that can be arranged, but we should ask him directly," said Kuzan, glancing at the young man. "Hey, Aoki, come here. There's someone who wants to talk to you."

"Okay, Boss," Aoki replied immediately, his voice full of curiosity. Aoki then walked quickly towards Kuzan, trying to guess what was happening.

"What's up, Boss?" Aoki asked, confused to see Kuzan and Sakumo standing together.

Kuzan smiled slightly and explained, "Sakumo here says he wants to train you. Didn't you say before that you wanted to be trained by Sakumo? Well, now he's offering. What do you think? Do you want to?"

Aoki's eyes widened, a mix of surprise and joy. "Huh, really? Of course, I want to! But... what about my job?" Aoki frowned, thinking about his responsibilities at the workshop.

Kuzan was about to answer, but Aoki spoke up first, his eyes sparkling as if he had an idea. "Boss, how about I work at your place for just three hours starting tomorrow? I will have a lot to do, and if I also train, I won't have much time. My salary can be cut according to my working hours, how about that?"

Kuzan paused for a moment, considering Aoki's proposal. Finally, Kuzan nodded in agreement. "Hmm... well, that can be arranged. Starting tomorrow, you can work for just three hours."

Aoki's face lit up. "Alright, Boss. Starting tomorrow, I will work from eleven in the morning until two in the afternoon. After that, I will train in swordsmanship with Uncle Sakumo until six in the evening."

[Note: 60+ latest chapters have been added! For Just 3$ You Get Access To Chapters Way Ahead, 

Now you can access the chapters before Webnovel And Scribblehub by following, 

Just become a patron on Patreon:

Patreon.com/Alex_Fabianoki]