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“SO... WHEN DO I BEGIN my training?” I asked.
“Your training begins immediately. Go into that small building on the far side of the courtyard. There you will find a uniform. Put it on, then destroy the clothes you are wearing currently. You won't be wearing them anymore. Once you've done that, meet up with me here.”
I did as I was asked. Inside the tiny hut were neat stacks of clothing, tailored in the exact style as the clothes my new acquaintance was wearing. The only difference was that these were a light gray color.
Not quite white, I thought, but close!
When I strolled back into the open area I saw that the old man had been busy. He had set up a few straw dummies that I assumed were for sword practice. There was also a series of tall and short wooden beams assembled into an obstacle course of some kind. The man was standing in the middle of the courtyard, waiting patiently for me, with his wooden katana held firmly in his hand. It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't know his name.
“What should I call you?” I asked casually.
WHAP!!
Like a bolt of lightning, the old ninja suddenly flicked a small piece of wood at me. I didn't have even the slightest chance of dodging it. It bounced violently off my head, hitting the very same spot that I had been struck earlier.
“OW!!”
“My name is not important!” The ninja replied. “You may call me Senpai, and I will call you Kohai. Master and teacher. Do you understand?”
“That really hurt!”
WHAP!!
The second piece of wood struck my head and I howled in pain.
“Lesson number one: the shuriken is a dangerous and useful tool in your arsenal. It allows you to strike your opponent from afar and negate a risk of damage to yourself.” the man, my Senpai, said.
I looked at the object on the ground. It was a four-sided star, perfectly designed for throwing. I shuddered to think how dangerous one of those could be if it was made of metal.
“Okay Senpai, I'm listening.”
“Excellent. For the next few months you will learn about every weapon and skill the ninja has at his disposal. You will learn when to fight, when to run, and when to hide.”
I nodded my head but said nothing. I was still bracing myself for then my teacher decided to launch another shuriken at my head!
“First,” Senpai continued. “You will learn basic swordplay skills, and how to evade an enemy combatant. Based on what I have seen from your time on the streets, this is a skill that you are already quite proficient in. So. Shall we begin?”
“Yes, Senpai, I'm ready to train.”
And train we did. If I had known initially just how intense and strenuous our training would be I may have never consented to join the Yang Clan. Furthermore, if I had known the extent of the difficulties that lay in store for me in the coming weeks, I may have sought to leave the Robojama server altogether!