It was a fine morning, the nice breeze enveloped the surrounding, the pine trees
and the bamboos were aligned in a perfect manner. This is due to the discipline
instilled in the students of the Rin Dojo,
which is known as the ninja training facility of the Village of Fire.
The students of Rin Dojo have their schedules which
includes trimming the flowers, planting cherry blossoms to make the environment
beautiful, sharpening and building ranged weapons, etc but today is Thursday
and Thursday mornings are for meditation only. The students along with the
Senseis are only allowed to breathe and meditate in different groups and with
their assigned sensei. The aim of meditation is to connect yourself with the
Earth and the Heavens. Only true Ninjas can perfect it.
Akira, a boy of just 13 years old, was lean
yet strong, with sharp, determined eyes, short messy black hair, and a calm but
intense expression. He often wears traditional dark ninja attire, giving him a
mysterious, disciplined, and quietly commanding presence.
He was among the second
group with his classmates and Sensei, Master Ryoko who is usually referred to
as Ryoko-Sensei. Master Ryoko taught his 28 students the meditation techniques.
"Akira, you're breathing too quickly. You'll definitely get it right if you
slow down" whispered Hana, a beautiful and talented girl, had gentle,
expressive eyes and long flowing brown hair often tied back neatly. Her slim
frame carries a quiet grace, and she wears light ninja robes suited for
movement. Her warm smile softens her determined demeanor, making her both
approachable and resilient and she has been the second best in the class since class 1.
She's second only to Diago and to crown it all, she was just 12 years old.
"What do you mean Hana? I breathe perfectly" said Akira. "Akira, no you're not.
Try breathing calmly and you'll get it right" Ryoko-Sensei added. As they were
still talking, the bell rang. Everyone was so excited and they went outside for
the bell means "THE SHIHAN NEEDS EVERYONE TO ASSEMBLE AT THE SQUARE". The
Shihan is actually the Head teacher of the entire Dojo, usually given to the
best Ninja in the village of fire.
Everyone assembled at the square (known as the Hiroba) waiting for the Shihan to appear.
All the students were in groups of 18 and there were 5 groups in total all
coming from different clans of the village. The 5 groups are classes of the Dojo,
learning a different art in a different class. After 2 minutes of waiting, a
man appeared among them wearing a black robe, an ancient Japanese hat made from
straw and a nice pair of sandals. He has an average height, white beard, about 59-62
years old and his name is Grandmaster Shin also referred to as Shin-Sensei. "Where
did he come from?" shouted Akira in surprise because that was actually the
first time he has ever seen something like that. "Aaahh! Lazy boy, don't you
study at all. All you do is sleep in class and wake up when it's food time. How
can you be asking such stupid question?" Daigo, a taller boy than Akira who's
usually proud of his knowledge and claims to be the best Shinobi-to-be in his
class, he has brown eyes and a little bit too muscular for his age, he shouted.
"Oh Diago, don't be like that. You know he just got here." Ryoko-Sensei said.
"So, 2 years isn't enough for someone to know what this technique is all
about?" said Diago. "May I have your attention please and this is the last time
I'll say it". Immediately Akira and his group's attention turned to Shin-Sensei.
"Grandmaster Shin has been asking for your attention for 2 minutes" Hana said
quietly. Grandmaster Shin gave Hana a long stare for talking which sent shivers
down her spine. Grandmaster Shin cleared his throat and continue "Well, we all
know today is the day the 2nd group which is the second to the youngest class
of the Dojo trained by Ryoko-Sensei and supervised by me, Shin-Sensei will
select their weapons which they will use throughout their lives to fight for
the wellbeing of the Ninja and to protect the Village of Fire." The students
cheered because they had been waiting since Year One to get their weapons. So
far they've been taught only how to meditate, simple hand-to-hand combat and to throw kunai and shuriken (throwing daggers and ninja stars respectively). "Now,
the 2nd group along with Master Ryoko should follow me to the weapons hall.
As they entered the hall, everywhere was
closed. The only place opened was a small window which showed light to a thick
black rock. The rock is known as the Chi Rock. "This Rock has been here for generations.
It determines your weapon and your weapon defines the type of ninja you are.
With no further ado, I'll explain how this work" said Shin-Sensei. "Each
student will have to place their right hand on the rock and concentrate their
chi to the rock and then, the rock will build off your weapon from the rock and
it turns to the appropriate material for the weapon for example from rock, a
staff turns to wood, Katana (ninja sword) to steel, etc. Ryoko-Sensei felt a
drag on his ninja robe known as a Shozuko. He looked down and saw Jin, a boy also
13 years old and known as the clown of the class, even though he knew a little,
he was still called "stupid" by Diago. "What's Chi?" Jin asked. "Chi is the power
source of every Ninja, the bedrock of ninjutsu and from it you can master
different techniques. It also helps in superhuman endurance and swimming. Ryoko-Sensei said as he raised a finger, lightning sparked
at the tip. "This..." he said, "...is Chi. It's the flow of energy inside you. Master it, and the rest will follow."
"And now, we'll call upon the first student, Hana Ryo" Master Shin said. With enough courage and at the same time, anxiety, she approached the Chi Rock. The Chi Rock
in the middle of the weapons hall on top of a high platform that requires 4
steps of the stairs to reach. Beside the Rock are three candles each at the
left and the right hand side. The Rock and the candles are surrounded by bowls
of water. Across the room are bells and flutes that usually plays on their own
whenever the weapon tradition is observed. Hana approached the Rock and found a
description "LET YOUR HEART BURN WITH THE ZEAL TO FIGHT FOR THE VILLAGE".
The words surrounded the fire symbol also inscribed in the Rock. "What could
those words mean?" Hana wondered. The place the Rock tests upon is called "The
Chi Sanctuary ".
"Place your right hand on the rock and
concentrate your chi into the rock for your weapon" said Grandmaster Shin. Hana
did as she was told, everywhere became dark and a bright blue light shone from
the rock. Everyone was amazed. "That's my star student" said Master Ryoko. Hana
closed her eyes due to the bright light. After few seconds, the light vanished
and Hana opened her eyes. She saw a Bo Staff in her hand. The staff was giving
out a blue flame residue. Everyone clapped and were so excited that everyone
wants to go next. "A blue Bo Staff? I haven't seen that since Saigo Rin" Master
Ryoko said while smiling. Hana came down from the sanctuary feeling happy. "Did
you see that? That's so cool. Don't you think, Akira?" Hana asked Akira. "Yes.
It's amazing. I'm happy for you" Akira said happily
All 27 students came for their weapons and
they were excited of what they got except Diago. Diago got a pair of Nunchakus
(A weapon which consists of two sticks connected with a short chain or rope)
and when he placed his hand on the rock, a bright red light shone from the
rock. "No, I should've gotten the Katana. This is not fair. This is fake. I'm worthy enough to get the Katana" Diago screamed. "You dare not call the Chi
rock, fake. Do you understand ?" Master Ryoko said to him with a mean face. "Yes
sir" Diago said sadly. Jin got a "Karma" (a weapon that looks like a scythe but
smaller. It's safe to say it's a small scythe). The weapon came up with a dim/dark
yellow light. Jin swung the Karma while
running around saying "I have cool weapons and look Ryoko-Sensei, mine comes in
two parts but yours is just one" Jin says with a very wide smile. "It's not
really about the weapon, it's the person who handles the weapon" Ryoko-Sensei
said.
"Wait, it's Akira's turn" Hana said. Akira marched to the Chi Sanctuary,
placed his hand following Shin-Sensei's instructions. Everywhere became dark as
usual, after three minutes , nothing happened. Akira concentrated really hard
as his hand is on the rock. "You can do it, just concentrate your chi harder"
Hana said in her heart. "I always known he is a worthless person. A person as
worthless as him can't become a ninja" Diago said. Immediately the bells began
to ring louder than normal and so did the flutes. Akira had his eyes closed but
he looked scared, like he had seen a ghost with closed eyes. A very bright,
golden light shone from the rock. It was so bright that everyone in the room
had to close their eyes due to the light's high intensity. "What kind of Chi is
this? What kind of weapon will Akira get?" Diago said astonished. "A golden
light that bright? I've never seen that one before". Master Ryoko said. Then
the light vanished and everyone opened their eyes and found nothing in the
hands of Akira, he didn't get any weapon.
Everyone laughed at him especially Diago. "I knew it. I knew it all
along. That boy can't possibly be a ninja. He can't even get his weapon" Diago
shouted and laughed. Saddened by the incident, Akira ran from the weapon's hall
to his room. Hana followed him, calling his name but Akira didn't answer her. "Everyone, go back to your respective rooms and get some rest because tomorrow will be a busy day for you." Grandmaster
Shin said as the students walk to their rooms.