Why Wield the Blade

"Zi Xu, Chino, come here..." Tenzo looked wary as he formed a wooden spear in his hand, clearly on guard against the black-and-white samurai across from them.

"Oh? Have you figured something out?" the Black-Clad Samurai sneered, though he showed no intention of attacking.

"That sword on your back... it wouldn't happen to be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist's blades, would it..." Zi Xu and the other two stood behind Tenzo, somewhat unable to understand the exchange between the two men.

"I've been meaning to ask—do samurai use Chakra the same way ninja do? Since Kekkei Genkai are Chakra transformations more associated with ninja, does that mean the White-Clothed Boy is actually a ninja?" Chino raised the question she had wanted to ask for a while. There were simply too many suspicious points about the two of them.

The White-Clothed Boy made a downward gesture at the wary group, signaling for them to calm down.

"Everyone, we truly aren't samurai, but that isn't the important thing, is it? We only need to reach the outskirts of Kirigakure together. There's no need to..."

"If you don't reveal some information, I don't think we can continue cooperating." Tenzo's attitude was equally firm. He could not allow a group of rookies like Zi Xu and the others to get dragged into a mission of unknown difficulty.

"Sir?" The White-Clothed Boy turned back to glance at the Black-Clothed Man. Only after the latter nodded did he continue speaking.

"Everyone, I'm very sorry for deceiving you. She was right—we are indeed ninja, and we're going to Kirigakure to handle something very important. As for the specific reason... I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you..." The boy's tone remained impeccably polite, without a single flaw to pick at.

"For some reason, news of our itinerary was leaked. That's why we'll encounter many attacks like this along the way. While they pose little threat, dealing with them will still waste quite a bit of time..." Moonlight reflected a cold gleam from beneath the White-Clad Samurai's pure white mask as he pointed his sword hilt at the ronin sprawled haphazardly across the ground.

"So when we run into such trouble later, we hope you can handle it." The boy bowed politely.

"That doesn't sound like much of a problem... We'll accept for now. But if I discover you doing anything suspicious, we'll terminate the commission immediately..." Tenzo nodded. If their opponents were only at this level, there would be no issue.

Zi Xu, however, approached the White-Clothed Boy with great interest and pointed at the pure white katana in his hand.

"So you really do know swordsmanship? I'm interested in blade techniques."

"Yes. While I'm not as skilled with the blade as Mr. Zhan, I do know how to use one. Do you want to learn? I wouldn't dare claim to teach you—I can only offer as much help as I can..." The White-Clothed Boy nodded modestly, picked a sword from one of the fallen ronin, and handed it to Zi Xu.

"Do you two want to learn?" The White-Clothed Boy shook the hilt toward Chino and Hatsumi. Chino refused, saying she was not interested, while Hatsumi wanted to go back to sleep because she was tired. Before that, though, they had to deal with the unconscious ronin. After some final discussion, they decided to have Tenzo lock them inside a wooden cage.

Though it was already deep into the night, and even the stars in the sky seemed to blink wearily, Zi Xu grew more energetic the darker it became. So he stayed behind to learn swordsmanship from the White-Clothed Boy.

Tenzo walked over to the Black-Clothed Man and spoke into his ear in a threatening tone.

"One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Though your sword is wrapped in bandages and its shape can't be seen, judging from the faint scent of blood, it should be the Kubikiribōchō... I hope you won't do anything suspicious..." As he spoke, Chakra erupted from his entire body. The other man refused to be outdone, and an aura resembling a bloody mist burst forth around him. The two forces collided head-on.

Not long after Zi Xu and the White-Clothed Boy had walked away, they felt the clash of auras behind them. It seemed as though even their blood froze for an instant, but the confrontation lasted only a moment before calm returned.

"There shouldn't be any problem. Come on." Once Zi Xu saw the two pass each other without incident, he stopped paying attention. Learning swordsmanship was more important right now.

The White-Clothed Boy glanced back worriedly a few times before finally turning around.

"Alright. First, you need to understand why you wield a blade. This is very important." Though Zi Xu could not see the expression behind the White-Clothed Boy's mask, he could sense that he was very serious at this moment.

"Why I wield a blade...?" Honestly, he had never seriously considered it. He only wanted to learn swordsmanship so that if he got lucky and pulled something like "Enma" or "Night" in the future, he would not be unable to use it.

"Exactly. Why wield a blade? To cut away the shackles binding you and become freer than anyone else? So that the friends around you can freely live the lives they long for? To give the ordinary people of the ninja world a chance to freely choose their own destinies?" Zi Xu asked himself. What he wanted was actually very simple: become stronger, until no one could bind him; enjoy the scenery along the path of growing stronger; and eventually become the strongest.

I wield a blade for freedom.

Watching Zi Xu's gaze gradually shift from confusion to determination, the White-Clothed Boy nodded and looked at the blade in his own hand.

"It seems you've found your reason for wielding a blade. I wield mine to protect—to protect Lord Zhan. Only then can I feel that I am someone who is needed..." He rose to his feet and drew the white blade from its sheath.

"Only after understanding this will your training not stray from its path. Remember your original intention. If one who practices the blade forgets it, the blade in their hand will grow dull..."

Zi Xu likewise tossed his sheath aside. After swinging the sword a few times to get a feel for its weight, he looked somewhat puzzled.

"Shouldn't I practice sword-swinging forms first? Or, uh... do some preparations?" Zi Xu felt that if he jumped straight into actual combat with the White-Clothed Boy, he might not learn much swordsmanship.

The White-Clothed Boy shook his head. He had his own understanding of swordsmanship.

"Blade techniques are ultimately nothing more than techniques for killing. No matter why one wields a blade, one cannot escape the subject of slaughter in the end. To be honest, I hate killing, but..." The White-Clothed Boy gripped his hilt tightly with both hands, intending to communicate with Zi Xu through battle.

The White-Clothed Boy struck sideways at Zi Xu's shoulder with the back of his blade. Still unaccustomed to wielding the sword in his hand, Zi Xu could only swing with both hands, forcefully smashing it against the back of the White-Clothed Boy's blade as though he were using a club.

I noticed before that his strength was unusually great. But he really is a complete beginner with the blade—no technique at all. He's better suited to swinging a club. The White-Clothed Boy turned his blade, aligning its edge against Zi Xu's, then pressed upward against the back of his blade with one hand. With some effort, he redirected Zi Xu's strike.

"I don't really know any specific teaching methods either. Let's learn through battle. What you learn from books always feels shallow; in battle, the impression will be much deeper." The White-Clothed Boy spoke again as he swung at Zi Xu once more, ice crystals coating his blade.