Identity Exposed

Natsume entered the main hall and saw a familiar figure. Daichi was knelt over at the side with his head cast downward. She didn't show any reaction on her face other than a curious glance. The head of the dojo stood facing the tapestry on the back wall with his hands behind his back. One hand grasping the other, his figure looked lonely and unapproachable. However, the strength from his aura gave people a sense of security.

"Suzume greets master." She kowtowed to him and remained kneeling. After her greeting, no one spoke. The only sound in the large hall was the crackling of the fires. Natsume patiently knelt until the dojo head finally sighed. He turned around with a tired expression. The passage of time was clearly visible on his face. Natsume was once again reminded of the old Uchiha that sacrificed his eyes to protect his clansmen.

"I understand that you two are already acquainted, so I will skip the introductions. I will give you two options. First, take me as your master and fully dedicate your life to the dojo. Second, leave quietly and never return. You have 2 months to decide. Once the remnants of the Shogun's faction have been eradicated, I hope to either greet my successor or forget that you existed.

In these two months, you will have access to all of our teachings. This is my sincerity. Daichi, you are stripped of your status and will become a servant under Suzume. Her fate and yours are linked. Your new accommodation will be in the west wing. Your seclusion starts today, and your servant will manage the daily necessities."

Once Natsume comprehended the tone of his speech, she lowered her head. During the whole time the dojo master spoke, she did not look up at him. Being discovered was never an issue for her, since she would just flee and move on. However, despite her façade being cracked, the old master still dared to accept her. Natsume understood why the Samurai were such an indominable force in the future. This is a strength of character that few in the shinobi world possessed.

As for dedicating her life to the Samurai? Impossible. Natsume would always choose Uchiha before anything else. Although the old master didn't know how strong her resolve was, he likely suspected it. Despite this, he was still willing to let her learn their techniques for two months. For the average person, this would not be enough time to make any progress, but for her, she could easily step onto the path toward mastery. Natsume had it in her mind to one day repay the old master, and realized this was probably his intention. Either choice would benefit the Samurai.

A white figure appeared in her mind and a tinge of regret formed at the pit of her stomach. Although their time was brief, Natsume unintentionally formed a close bond with Hikari. Perhaps the skills she had taught her these last few days would be enough for them to meet once again in the future. Natsume sighed and stood up. The old master had long since left while Natsume knelt and mulled over her thoughts. Daichi reacted to her standing by jumping up and moving to her side.

"Ojo-sama, forgive me. I got caught trying to pass you a message." Daichi was worried about the punishment they would receive, but it seemed that the dojo master had rewarded them instead. However, he still potentially ruined his master's plans, so he felt tremendous guilt.

Natsume waved her hand as if dismissing his apology. Although the situation was not that severe, she couldn't simply forgive him. Daichi lowered his head and followed Natsume. Although she didn't know where her new accommodation was, it was easy to find, since there was only one residence in the west wing. Seeing the large courtyard with intricate decorations, Natsume complimented the old master's attempt to win her over. She directly walked in and made herself familiar with the layout. It had its own indoor and outdoor training field, a large bath, and finely crafted bed. This was a luxurious suite!

Daichi smacked his lips, "I expected a dilapidated shed…" Seeing her scowl at him, he cleared his throat, "Excuse me, Ojo-sama, I will go fetch some supplies."

Natsume found what looked to be a study. On the wall was a large bookshelf with x-patterned shelving, allowing for several scrolls to be placed in each of its cubbies. She picked one out at random and read through it. After memorizing the contents with Sharingan, she moved onto the next one. Once she repeated this process over a dozen times, she set the scrolls down and took a moment to process the information. Every single scroll was a different technique.

The Itto-ryu dojo focused on mastering the One Sword technique. At first, Natsume thought that it was using a single sword strike to have the same power as a thousand. But after reading these scrolls, she began to realize that the One Sword technique taught by the Itto-ryu dojo was really the combination and simplification of a thousand techniques into one. This was the concept of mastering many moves, and then returning to the origin. The One Sword technique had infinite potential!

Natsume left the study and went straight to the indoor training field. She took a wooden sword and began to practice the Uchiha Kenjutsu. Once she was warmed up, she began to incorporate the unique elements of her clan's kenjutsu with the One Sword technique. Since she had been practicing that kenjutsu nearly all her life, the process was smooth. As for the result, the strength of her One Sword technique increased significantly.

'I see… it's not just combing as many sword techniques as possible. The change in power is determined by the level of mastery of the original technique being derived. The three basic moves are just the simplest foundational techniques to touch the basic level of the One Sword technique.' Natsume was enlightened and began to train each technique she read about one by one. Her daily pattern started with training, eating, reading, training, and resting. Like this, nearly two months passed in the blink of an eye.