Chapter 52: Inheriting Kenjutsu

The courtyard echoed with the clack of wood striking wood. Leaves rustled in the breeze, and the golden hue of late afternoon bathed the training ground in warm light.

"Shin, you're doing it all wrong," Hiroshi—his stance solid, breath even—parried Shin's downward swing with almost no effort. His voice was calm, but firm. "Your footing is off. You're putting too much strength into your swings, and you're too repetitive. Have some fantasy. Don't just swing the same way over and over—if you do, your enemy will predict your next move every time."

"Okay, Father," Shin said, exhaling as he stepped back and adjusted his footing. He widened his stance just a little, spread his weight more evenly.

"Is this better?"

"Yeah…" Hiroshi nodded, just before sidestepping Shin's next strike. The teen's momentum carried him forward too much, and with a grunt, he fell face-first onto the grass.

"But still not enough." Hiroshi looked down at him, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "You have to always stay balanced. And more than that—you need to move the center of your body outside your body. Between you and the sword."

As Shin pushed himself up, brushing dirt from his face, he frowned. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

Hiroshi held up his wooden sword and rested it on his shoulder. "Just feel it," he said. "It's not something you can explain with words. It's a feeling."

"Alright…" Shin muttered, taking his stance again. He closed his eyes, breathing slowly, trying to picture it.

The center of my body? he thought. What does that even mean?

He considered chakra at first—but that didn't make sense. Chakra flowed everywhere, not centered anywhere specific. That wasn't it.

Center of gravity? That felt more likely. It was the point where all forces on the body meet—the body's balance point. Usually around the belly button.

So if that's the center… what does it mean to move it outside my body?

He inhaled deeply, trying to visualize it. Maybe it's like moving chakra through hand signs. Not literal—but guided. An extension of yourself, of your intent.

He tightened his grip on the wooden sword and tried again, this time stepping forward with more flow, less stiffness. The strike wasn't faster—but it felt smoother. Like the sword and his body weren't two separate things.

Hiroshi raised a brow and parried again—but this time, his stance shifted a little.

"Huh," he said. "That's… better."

Shin opened his eyes. "Really?"

Hiroshi didn't smile, but there was a flicker of something in his expression. Approval.

"You're starting to get it," he said. "Now again. And this time, try not to eat the grass."

Shin smirked. "No promises."

The wooden swords clashed again, their sharp rhythm echoing beneath the painted sky.

...

The sun dipped lower in the sky, shadows stretching long over the courtyard as the clack of wooden swords echoed again and again. Shin's body was slick with sweat, his breath heavy, but he didn't stop. Neither did Hiroshi.

Again. And again. And again.

Each strike of Shin's was a downward slash—simple, fundamental, and limited—but Hiroshi had made it clear: No flourishes. No fancy techniques. Master the basics first.

And so Shin obeyed, swinging again with more control, adjusting his footing with each failed strike, listening closely to every word his father offered him.

"You're doing great, Shin," Hiroshi said as he deflected another blow, his expression calm but attentive. "I see that you're starting to understand how to put those feet of yours."

Shin nodded, focused. His legs adjusted subtly with every step now—less forced, more fluid.

"You're even getting used to constantly shifting the center of your body based on the movement you perform," Hiroshi added, his voice carrying a rare note of praise. "That's not bad for a beginner."

"Thanks, Father," Shin said between breaths, gritting his teeth as he swung once more. It missed—like always—but this time he recovered faster, his posture more solid.

"I think we can now start with thrusting," Hiroshi began, lowering his guard slightly. "What do you thi—"

But before he could finish, Shin moved.

His stance didn't change. His grip was the same. But something shifted. His strike should've been slower—his weight was in the wrong place, his arms not quite ready—yet it wasn't. The slash came down faster than it had any right to.

Hiroshi's eyes widened slightly. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

This… this is… the Rooted Flow Principle.

His talent is better than I thought, Hiroshi thought as he continued parrying, still with ease but now with sharpened attention. And with his super chakra control...

He smirked.

Kenjutsu isn't just swordplay—it's also chakra control. And his chakra control was already much better than most ninjas.

He'll be quite the terryfing ninja if he continues to grow at this rate...

And then, without warning, Hiroshi moved.

A single swing—fluid, clean, and controlled—struck Shin's wooden sword at just the right angle. With a sharp crack, the sword flew out of Shin's hands and landed several meters away in the grass.

"What did I say about using chakra?" Hiroshi asked, raising a brow.

Shin blinked, startled. "E-Ehm… I just wanted to hit you once," he admitted, scratching the back of his head, his cheeks tinged red.

For a moment, Hiroshi was silent.

Then he chuckled—a short, genuine sound. "Not a bad reason," he said, stepping forward to pat Shin lightly on the shoulder. "But don't rely on it yet. You need to properly master the basics first. If you had maintained your balance naturally, the Root Flow Principle you just used would have been much more effective."

"I used the Root Flow Principle?" Shin asked, eyes wide with confusion.

"Yes…" Hiroshi said, resting his wooden sword against his shoulder as he stepped back. "It's one of the Three Hidden Pillars of Kenjutsu—and probably the easiest one to understand for someone like you."

Shin blinked. "Like me?"

"Someone with exceptional chakra control," Hiroshi clarified. "The Root Flow Principle is about anchoring motion through balance—not by brute force, but by keeping your body and chakra aligned with every step. It sharpens your footwork, makes your transitions cleaner, and keeps you from slipping or stumbling when you're under pressure."

He pointed at Shin's feet with his chin. "The way you moved just now—your balance shouldn't have let that strike come out so smoothly. But it did. Your body didn't know what it was doing, but your chakra did. That's why it worked. Not because of your sword technique, but because your chakra kept your form grounded while you moved."

"What did you think of when trying this?" Hiroshi asked.

"Well..." Shin began slowly. "I just thought about how ninjas use chakra to walk on trees, water, walls, even ceilings. They should fall, but they don't—because their chakra forms a link between themselves and the surface. So, I figured… maybe I could use that same link to stay more balanced. I gave it a try. I didn't expect it to turn into something so complex, though..."

Hiroshi's eyes widened slightly, genuine surprise crossing his face. "I've never thought of the Rooted Flow Principle that way before. That… actually makes it much simpler to explain."

Shin's talent is terrifying, Hiroshi thought. I always believed his aptitude for kenjutsu couldn't compare to mine. He never showed much promise when I trained him before. Could it be... he just wasn't motivated enough?

"And what are the other two Hidden Pillars of Kenjutsu?" Shin asked, pulling Hiroshi out of his thoughts.

"Ah, they're called the Breath Alignment and the Blade Extension," Hiroshi replied immediately, then ruffled Shin's emerald hair with a fond smile. "But those are far more complicated than the Rooted Flow Principle. No need to worry about them just yet."

He stepped back, raising his own wooden sword once more. "Why don't we resume training now? And this time—no chakra."

"Okay, Father," Shin said with a determined nod, lifting his sword again.

The sky had turned completely dark, but neither of them had noticed. Not yet.

To be continued...

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