Disclaimer: Dragon Ball/Z/GT is owned by Funimation and Akira Toriyama. I own the original characters of Jesse and Zarvon, and that's it.
To be perfectly honest, I never thought of writing this until I rewatched The Mask of Zorro and watched The Legend of Zorro, and then I felt I just had to do it.
- -
"Well, you've trained with Goku for the last year, young Uub," Jesse says as he leads his new apprentice to the training area he had developed, in a nearby cave system, "what have you learned from him?"
"Well, I've learned how to manipulate my ki to fly and use energy blasts," Uub begins, "I've also learned to sense power levels and compare their strength to my own, though I'm still learning how to detect hidden power levels and masked power levels. And I've learned the Kamesennin Style of Martial Arts. "
"You know that I've absorbed the knowledge of that style from Goku's future counterpart," Jesse says as he lights one of the torches with a weak ki blast, "do you know why I didn't train you myself?"
"No sir," Uub admits.
"Because for all the skill I've acquired as a hand-to-hand fighter, I am a swordsman first and foremost," Jesse explains, "and I did not acquire most of my skill in hand-to-hand honestly. Goku, however, is the epitome of a hand-to-hand combatant. His skills in that area are unmatched, even by Vegeta and Zarvon. No one, living or dead, is his equal in skill in that area. You needed to learn from the best, and that's just who Goku was."
"He used all of his skill to train you like he wanted to train Gohan, how he was able to train Goten before Goten became more interested in girls and his social life," Jesse continues, "he taught you to be the next Heir of the Kamesennin Style, just as Master Roshi trained him and his adoptive grandfather Gohan to be in their day. You are not there yet, but Goku has done what he can for you. The rest of the journey to become the next Master of the Kamesennin Style is up to you. But, you have far more potential to merely fight with your fists. Tell me, why do you wish to learn to fight?"
"Because you said you would teach me," Uub replies, confused.
"Wrong!" Jesse snaps, "why do you wish to learn to fight?"
Uub is silent for a few moments, then he answers in a soft voice. "To fight Demons, like those who killed my parents. To destroy them all."
Jesse studies Uub for a moment, his gaze serious. "That is not a good reason, Uub."
"What!" Uub stares at his new teacher. How could he say that revenge wasn't a good reason to learn how to fight?
"Uub, revenge is a fool's game," Jesse says seriously, "I've seen firsthand what it can do to a person, experienced it myself and seen what I might have become on the face of my future counterpart. It cost him his life and only incredible circumstances brought him back and saved him from Hell. But, I am not saying that it is a bad thing, only that you control your desire for revenge, to not let it rule you. Those who slew your parents are dead, but I can teach you to destroy those like them. I can teach you to take your revenge with pride, with skill, and, most importantly, with honor."
"Without honor, one who wields a sword is nothing more than a common thug," Jesse continues, "trash who does not deserve to be taught the finer points of kenjutsu. You have potential, Uub, potential even greater than mine. I have pretty much reached the limits of my skill; I've had six thousand years to do it, after all. But you, my boy, have the potential to become the greatest Warrior the universe has ever seen. You have the potential to become even more powerful than the Saiyans, both of the present and of legend. You have the potential to become the greatest swordsman to ever live, potential you can only reach by training with me, because only I know the most powerful styles to ever exist. If you only learn hand-to-hand, you only use a small fraction of your true potential. I can help bring out the rest. So tell me, Uub, why do you truly wish to learn what only I can teach you?"
Uub swallows, extremely nervous under Jesse's intense gaze, but he manages to control his voice enough to answer evenly. "I want to make sure that what happened to me happens to no one else."
Jesse studies Uub again, then smiles faintly. "And that is the answer I was looking for."
Small spheres of weak ki form around Jesse's hands before scattering across the cavern, hitting the torches spread throughout the cavern, lighting them. The light reveals a huge cavern, subtly reinforced with specially treated beams of the same material used for the gravity room. The beams would absorb the excess energy emitted by those within the room, keeping them stronger and more durable than almost anything else in the universe, save for katchin and a few other metals.
"Why torches?" Uub asks.
"Too troublesome to set up a self-sufficient electric generator," Jesse replies, "not to mention it could get damaged later on in your training. And you have to learn how to fight with little, uneven, or no light. You can train your eyes and your ki sense all you want, but your real power will be in using ALL of your senses. Goku can detect the subtle vibrations in the air and fight in total, absolute darkness, as can I though it took me nearly three hundred years to reach the level Goku's at with it. You might reach that level after about five, maybe ten years. It took Goku two."
"You're saying I'm not as good as Goku," Uub pouts.
"Uub, no one's as good as Goku," Jesse grins, "that guy may not be the most powerful, or the smartest fighter, or even the most skilled, but he adapts. He adapts faster than anyone I've ever met or heard of. Even the greatest practitioner of my primary katana kenjutsu style could not adapt as quickly as Goku. If he were born of any species other than Saiyan, he would be an even more powerful Warrior than I am, or ever could be. He has a true, noble heart. He's made some bad decisions, to be sure. Like staying dead after Cell's defeat or staying away from Earth after defeating Frieza, or even not taking care of the Evil Buu himself when he was more than powerful enough, but his heart has never wavered from doing what he believed was best for his friends and family. Actually, things might have turned out better if Gohan's mother hadn't forced him to give up training for studying to be a scholar, but that's the past."
"But Uub, Goku is something to aspire to. He has the natural talent, but so do you. I had to train for six thousand years and I'm still not as good as Goku in my own way of fighting. "
Jesse claps his hands and goes over to a stand that held many different kinds of swords and other bladed weapons, all of them obviously dulled for training use. "All right. Now, it is time for your training to begin. You, Uub, are built for speed, which is the embodiment of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style of kenjutsu. Originally, this style was sealed by height and speed. When you die, hopefully you will meet the man who taught me, the 13th Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi School, Seijuro Hiko the 13th. Then you will meet the true embodiment of this school. Even now, in a contest of pure kenjutsu skill, I doubt I could defeat him unless he let me. But speed is what enables this style to truly be as feared as it once was. The two most feared swordsmen to ever live were the Hitokiri Battousai and the Blade of Death. The Hitokiri Battousai was the first student of Hiko-Shishou(1). His name was Kenshin Himura, so named by Hiko-Shishou himself when he took him in and taught him kenjutsu. He left at the age of fourteen, with not even a decade of teaching behind him and the final techniques unlearned, and he changed the world as the greatest manslayer of the Bakumatsu revolution in ancient Japan. But then he set aside his katana and took up a reverse-bladed sword to atone for his sins. He has long since gone on to be with his family and friends in Heaven, despite all of the evil he believes himself to have done. His handiwork, though forgotten by the world now, still shaped it into what it is."
"And the Blade of Death?" Uub asks tentatively. Jesse's smile turns sad.
"The Blade of Death was the most heartless killing machine to ever exist. You've been told of Kid Buu, how he was created to be the ultimate engine of destruction? Well, the Blade of Death wasn't created to be a destroyer, he chose to become one of his own free will. He cut a swath of destruction across the entire planet, creating such a reputation that his name lives on to this name as a nightmare to tell children about to scare them into behaving across the entire universe! The Blade of Death lived up to his name, killing hundreds if not thousands of people over the course of only two years. And then, he just ceased to be."
"It's speculated by some, no matter how incredulous the theory may be, that the Blade of death is still alive somewhere, and is just waiting for an opportune time to return and restart a wave of slaughter and terror."
"Is the rumor true?" Uub asks as Jesse hands him a blunted rapier.
"Who can say?" Jesse half-smiles, "now, what do you know of how to use that?"
Uub frowns and points at the tip of the sword. "Pointy end goes in the other man?"
Jesse sighs. "This is going to take a lot of work." (2)
"This is called a training circle," Jesse states as he steps into the center of the multi-layered circle that stood in the middle of the cavern, "the Master's Wheel. While you are under my tutelage in the various arts of kenjutsu, this circle will be your world, your whole life. Until I tell you otherwise, nothing else exists. Not Demons, not Goku, no one and nothing. Until I tell you otherwise, there is nothing outside it. As your skill with the sword improves, you will move on to the next level, to a smaller circle. With each new circle your world contracts, further focusing your training to a single point and bringing you that much closer to Mastery. You will travel through the entirety of this circle numerous times before your training is complete. Do you understand?" (3)
"Yes sir!" Uub says clearly, holding his blunted rapier carefully.
Jesse nods. "Good. First, you shall train in the use of the rapier, as the Spanish swordsmen used them in my day. It was one of the more elegant styles of kenjutsu, and perhaps the most flexible depending on the skill of the user. However, to become skilled with this style, you will need to become a lot more flexible."
"I'm ready to learn, sensei," Uub says, brandishing his blunted rapier.
"Good, now follow my movements as best you can," Jesse says as he brandishes his own blunted rapier. He begins to go through a series of straightforward movements, moving through them slowly so as to show Uub how each was properly done. He would should him the way to coordinate the muscles properly to get the most out of the sword dance later.
Uub did indeed show incredible promise. His potential seemed to be infinite. Goku had told him that he had only needed to show Uub how to perform a kata a few times and he would get it. The boy apparently had perfect body memory, and his energy manipulation wasn't far behind. He had a long way to go before he was cunning in battle, but he learned quickly. Apparently the part of Kid Buu's soul that had made him a perfect fighting machine had carried over into Uub. Jesse idly wondered if the boy had what it took to become a full Warrior, like he himself was.
Jesse leans against the cavern wall, unobtrusive in a shadow as he watches Uub practice the latest sword dance. It was the most difficult one left for the rapier, Uub having completely mastered all of the others. If he managed this without nicking himself, then he would be moved into the next level of the Master's Wheel. Jesse already had it planned out, how Uub would go through each level of the Wheel.
The first level was the basic dances and katas. Once he was proficient in them, if not mastered them, he would be moved to the next level: physical training that went with the current blade and style, as well as some actual practice. Plus any special techniques that went with the style. Following that was the next level the advanced sword dances and katas. Following this was the final dances and katas and holding his own against his teacher. The final level was the making of a sword of his own that he would use to face his teacher in. Once he was able to make a sword to Jesse's satisfaction and hold his own for an unspecified amount of time against him then Uub would be considered a Master of whatever style he was learning. He would be allowed to keep each sword he made, and would have to make a new one for each style he learned, even if said style used the exact same blade. And he had to learn how to do all of this with both hands. Luckily for Uub, he was naturally ambidextrous.
Uub had progressed through Spanish swordplay, at least just the rapier alone, with remarkable speed, far faster than Jesse himself had. But it was here that he had developed his training program, and it was one that utilized the best of the student and enabled them to learn effectively. Next he would be introducing how to fight using the rapier with one hand and a dagger with the other. It was a quick, fierce style that Jesse himself loved almost as much as the katana. It was truly more like a dance than a fight, and Jesse deeply regretted the fact that he was the only living practitioner of the style. Of many of the styles he knew, in fact.
But he had made Uub promise to teach as many of the styles that he would learn as he could, even going so far as to open up a school for it. A school that Jesse felt obligated to help with once it was running. But first, Uub had to learn the styles to teach them. And he had a long way to go before he learned them all, much less Mastered them. But he could do it. Jesse wouldn't be bothering to train Uub unless he felt that the boy could truly surpass him. That was the principle of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style when it came to finding your apprentice: find someone who can truly surpass you. Of course, that was why it had taken Hiko-Shishou so long to find his previous apprentice. Jesse knew that the only reason Hiko-Shishou had taken him on was because he had been trained by Master Gemini. Well, he was determined to make Hiko-Shishou proud so that when they next met in Otherworld, which would not be until Jesse himself had passed on naturally, he would be able to look him in the eye (well, look up to him in the eye as Hiko-Shishou was huge) and say that he had done his duty to the School.
As Uub goes through the basic ready stances again, Jesse smirks. He had talked to Piccolo and they had ended up talking to Shin to locate a planet suitable to properly train Uub's level of power, Piccolo style. In four months Uub would be collected by Piccolo and Jesse would take them to a planet with no other sentient life and full of savage, though edible, beasts. Piccolo would mask his ki signature so that Uub would not be able to detect it, and would be undergoing some ancient Namekian training that Jesse had helped Girin through. Or more specifically, recover from.
"The kid shows promise," Girin admits as the four former Supreme Kai disciples lounge about on the Grand Kai's planet, watching Uub train under Piccolo's tutelage on a deserted world.
"Plenty of promise, and a drive to succeed," Olibu agrees.
"Not to mention he shows promise to be an excellent battle tactician," Orzin muses, "see how he works to outsmart the Namekian. He's got a quick wit about him, and he absorbs fighting knowledge faster than even a Saiyan it seems. I'd say that by the time you're done training him, Jesse, the only way he'll be beaten is with overwhelming power or overwhelmingly superior experience. And he's good looking, for a human."
"His skill will continue to grow, that is true," Jesse says, "and his power is incredible for his age. I figure within ten years time, he'll have surpassed everyone on Earth BUT those with Saiyan blood. Pan already looks like she could be on the breakthrough to Super Saiyan 2. Within ten years, she could be caught up to her uncle and Trunks."
"Yeah, but those two are slacking off in peacetime," the Grand Kai adds, "they're keeping their skills sharp, but they aren't training to gain more strength, when the two should go hand-in-hand."
"Trunks doesn't have the drive to improve the way his future counterpart did," Jesse agrees, "Gohan didn't even have a drive to fight until he tried returning home during his training with Piccolo, and even then his desire to fight wasn't cemented until he faced Frieza."
"You know, Gohan and Piccolo were the only ones to ever face Frieza on a relatively even footing and not beat him or die themselves," Girin remarks, "though Piccolo had the advantage of Nail's memories from his battle with Frieza and Gohan lost himself in the depths of the Rage."
"It's troubling that a mortal has access to so much of that primordial energy," Orzin murmurs.
"But fortunate," the Grand Kai interjects, "if Gohan could not access the Rage, then Majin Buu might have won ten years ago."
Jesse shudders. "Majin Buu… a direct link to the Rage. His power was exceptional, but without a genuine soul, he could not harness the limitless power he held. To harness the Rage, you must be able to feel emotion, and Majin Buu felt no emotion. He was hollow, empty. Probably flawed."
"How will this affect Uub?" Olibu asks.
"It shouldn't, not much anyway," the Grand Kai answers, "Majin Buu did develop a rudimentary soul after having absorbed Myrgo and the Dai Kaio. Not much, but enough of one for King Yemma to reincarnate. It's fortunate that it didn't have enough time to be tainted by the evil. Uub might get carried away against Demons though."
"Are you going to try and teach him to control that anger, or cultivate it?" Orzin asks mildly, her tone deceptive.
"Haven't decided yet," Jesse admits, "both ways have their advantages and disadvantages. Cultivating the anger will give him a stronger drive to perfect himself, but it could consume him. It will be relatively easy to cultivate, but he may develop tunnel vision when fighting Demons, or things he perceives as Demons. Controlling the anger will be far, far more difficult, but in the long run it might be the better choice. He would have better control over all of his emotions, and even be able to bring out the Warrior potential within him."
"And you're debating not giving him the chance to unlock that potential why?" Orzin demands.
"Because it took all of Kamin's patience to train me, and you know how patient he could be," Jesse replies, causing his fellow former Kai disciples to sweatdrop. Kamin had possessed zen-like patience when it came to training, much like the Namekian known as Kami that had Merged with Piccolo, or the Namekian Elder Guru.
"Jesse, you can do it," Orzin says firmly, "correction, you WILL train Uub to control his anger. You're right, he has incredible potential, the potential to become the greatest of his species to ever live!"
Jesse gulps. "H-hey! I'm the one training him. Well, me and Piccolo! And Goku. We're the ones who decide how Uub will be trained!"
Girin and Olibu smack their foreheads with their palms. They knew Jesse hadn't been around Orzin much since getting back, and before then hadn't seen her in six thousand years, but really! You'd think he'd remember a temper like that!
As they all expected, save Jesse, Orzin exploded. "Jesse, you WILL listen TO ME! Uub needs focus and control. He will not become your weapon to destroy Demons! You would be paying Kamin, and any others who taught you, a poor tribute if you gave Uub any training that was less than the best you could give, because that's what they gave you! Are you going to disgrace the training they gave you that way? Dishonor the years they spent honing your skills! Are you-"
Jesse had had enough. At the mention of the word 'dishonor', his eyes narrow dangerously. Olibu and Girin gulp. Jesse was normally very easy-going, but he was very touchy where honor was concerned. His temper had a high threshold, but bringing up his honor lowered it tremendously, and made it a thing to be feared.
"Silence," Jesse hisses, his voice cold and menacing. Orzin stops mid-tirade, frozen in shock and a little fear. "Don't you DARE bring up honor to me, Orzin! I WILL be giving Uub the best training I can give him, because that is what he deserves. He has the potential to become the best. Already his speed is unnaturally good, which will make him perfect for the Hiten Mitsurugi Style. His stamina is also incredible, so he can expect the hardest, most difficult training anyone in the Style has ever experienced. But don't think for a second that I would transform Uub into a weapon, a tool to kill Demons. I may forever bear a grudge against Demons, and slay any I ever meet, and Uub may very well end up following that path as well, but I will not push him to it. In fact, I will try and steer him clear of it!"
"I will teach him to cultivate his anger to focus on becoming better, and teach him to control it, to harness it, to give him even more strength, more drive, honing his ability to a molecular edge. By the time Piccolo and I are done with Uub, the only reason ANYONE will be able to defeat him is overwhelming power. His mind is naturally sharp, particularly in combat situations. He's already learned how to trick his mind into seeing everything as a battle of some sort. Though the different levels of danger of course vary. Piccolo will help him hone his unarmed combat abilities while I aid him in honing his weapons mastery. When we're done with him, Uub will be the single greatest Warrior to ever live, or indeed may ever live!"
Orzin takes a step back, startled at the vehemence in Jesse's voice. She had never faced Jesse's temper before, indeed none of his friends ever had, and now she knew why they had always avoided making him angry firsthand. He was terrifying!
Jesse stares at the speechless Orzin for a few moments before closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. Once he had regains control of himself, he opens his eyes and focuses on Orzin.
"I'm sorry for blowing up like that, Orzin, but you KNOW I will do what is right by Uub. He truly does have incredible potential and I'd be stupid AND dishonorable if I did not do my best to help him achieve it all."
Jesse looks each of his greatest friends in the eye, gauging their reactions. "You each know my past, what I must atone for. Uub will be the only student I ever have, and I must have a student to cleanse the disgrace I gave to the schools I am a part of. To cleanse the taint to their honor, I must carry on their legacy with a student, and atone with my own actions. I am well one my way towards my own atonement, and will finish it as a guard in Hell for several millennia. But with Uub, I can create a lasting legacy, as my own bloodline will not continue. I am the last of my father's bloodline, it never went past from him to me, and it shall not continue."
The five stand in silence for a few moments, before the Grand Kai breaks it. "Jesse, head back to Earth and try to spend some time with your great-niece. She only knows that a high school friend she thought was dead is still alive. You really should go and tell them your story. Pain shared is pain halved and all that."
Jesse glowers but nods. Focusing, he uses the Instant Transmission to join Piccolo and Uub before going off to visit Erasa and Sharpner.
"He's had it far too rough," Orzin comments.
'And he'll have it rougher,' the Grand Kai thinks, 'stay cool, Warrior, and don't lose your focus on what's truly important.'
Two years have passed since Uub began his alternating training under the Warrior Jesse and the Namekian Piccolo. In this time, his abilities have skyrocketed. He was still no match for the older demi-Saiyans or the Saiyans, or even Jesse or Piccolo themselves, but he was a cut above any of the other high-powered fighters on Earth with the notable exception of Pan. The young female demi-Saiyan was constantly sparring with her Grandfather Goku, who was anxiously awaiting his time to train with Uub. Jesse and Piccolo had told him that they would alternate training him for the first five years, and then they would allow Goku to start training him. Something about building strong foundations that Goku didn't really understand.
In truth, Jesse wanted to train Uub in all of the kenjutsu styles that he knew before seriously training Uub in unarmed combat. Unarmed combat stances were hard to translate when using kenjutsu, making it difficult to learn if set stances have been drilled into your head, but kenjutsu stances could translate into highly flexible unarmed combat stances, with the proper training applied for the transfer. By Jesse's estimation Uub still had three more years before he would be ready to start training with Goku.
"Uub, you have done well with your training so far," Jesse informs the young teen.
"Thank you, Jesse-shishou," Uub says. The two years of training have been good to Uub. Almost all of the remaining body fat on him has been burned off, and the specific training regimen Jesse had him placed on kept him lean, to keep him swift and agile. His reflexes were good, near-perfect already in fact, with only experience and his majority being able to improve them.
"But you still have a long way to go," Jesse continues, "now we will begin starting your REAL training. Everything up until now was just warm-ups."
Uub gulps. He had nearly DIED several times while training with Piccolo, and Jesse was just as bad a taskmaster, even if he hadn't put him in any life-threatening situations.
"Uub, whether you realize it or not, you have learned every sword art I know, even the one's that my final Master, Kamin, taught me, save for one," Jesse says seriously, "and that one is my principle style: Hiten Mitsurugi."
Uub's eyes widen. He had seen Jesse use a sakabattou(4) in sparring against Zarvon to test the limits of his style. The Hiten Mitsurugi Style was powerful, and fast. Infinitely fast. All ancient samurai kenjutsu was designed to kill the opponent in as few strikes as possible. Hiten Mitsurugi took that to the ultimate level, utilizing god-like speed to strike before the opponent could even draw their blade or mount any sort of defense. And it was the great equalizer that kept Jesse dangerous against foes who were by far his superior. His speed alone almost matched Goku using the Instant Transmission for combat.
"For the next three years Uub, you will only be training with me," Jesse says, "it is time for you to learn the last kenjutsu I can teach you. Once you master this, you will be one of the greatest swordsmen to ever live, surpassing even the Kai's who wield the noble blade. But I warn you, this training will make everything else you have been through seem like a mild warm-up. And there is the possibility that this training will kill you. A very real possibility, in fact."
Uub looks fearful for a moment before his face becomes resolute. "When do we start, Jesse-shishou?"
Jesse smiles. He didn't think he'd ever be as proud of anyone as he was of Uub at this moment. Yes, Uub would make a fine successor as the next Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style.
"Let's get started, kiddo. It took me eight years to Master the Hiten Mitsurugi Style under Hiko-shishou, not counting how long it took me to learn the final technique since Hiko-shishou passed away teaching me the Ku Zu Ryu Sen, and I hold the record, though only by a few days. I intend for you to break it. Let us begin."
Four years. For the past four years Uub's body had been beaten and lacerated. Jesse had not used bokkens or sakabattou's for their training, but real katana. His reasoning was that the Hiten Mitsurugi Style had always been taught using a katana and it was one tradition he, at least, would not discard. Using a real katana sharpened the reflexes, made you aware of the actual danger. Using a bokken or shinai forced you to learn later the dangers of fighting with real blades.
Parry. Thrust. Slash. The two swordsmen danced around one another, blades singing the sweet song of battle as they clashed. Slash. Parry. Strike. Slice. Blood dripped down out of the shallow cut that now danced across Jesse's cheek. Uub had gotten good. But Jesse had let him have that opening, a miniscule crack in his defenses, to see if Uub had the eyes to see it, had the reflexes to move on it, and the skill to hit it. He had. And he had even hesitated. He had known he was being set up. Jesse smiled. Uub was ready for the final technique.
Uub had mastered the Ku Zu Ryu Sen two months ago. He could even combine it with the Shukuchi, much to Jesse's pleasure. Uub was a skilled fighter now, one of the best Jesse had ever seen to wield a blade. In a decade or so, he would be untouchable, even by Jesse himself.
Jesse smirks as he disarms Uub with three swift flicks of his katana. The blade soars through the air. Uub is about to dash after it, but he feels the cold kiss of naked steel against his throat.
"I win."
Uub sighs and nods to acknowledge his defeat as he hears his katana clatter on the floor. He walks over and retrieves his blade, a sword he had made himself. Jesse had maintained that forging your own weapon gave you a connection to it, a sense of oneness that made the weapon an extension of yourself. One could be trained to achieve that with any weapon, particularly one that you have used for a while, but it truly did come easier when the weapon you use you forged from the beginning with your own two hands. It had taken Uub a while to become skilled in making his weapons, but now he had a personally made collection. A rapier, a saber, an English broadsword, an Ivanhoe sword, a claymore, a tachi, a pair of kodachi, various daggers and dirks, his own sakabattou, and finally his katana.
"You're ready." Uub stops. What did me mean?
"Jesse-shishou?"
"Uub, you are ready to attempt the final technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style: the Ouki Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki: the Heaven's Soaring Dragon Flash. This is the ultimate succession technique, the one technique that surpasses the Ku Zu Ryu Sen instead of merely equaling it, which few other techniques do."
Uub grins widely. If Jesse-shishou felt that he was ready to learn the final technique, then he had all but mastered the Hiten Mitsurugi Style. And had done it in nearly half the time that Jesse-shishou had!
"Yes Jesse-shishou!" Uub exclaims enthusiastically.
"But, this is the most difficult technique to learn," Jesse states, "because you must figure out what it is by yourself."
Uub's eyes widen in astonishment. Figure it out himself? How was he supposed to do that? He looks at Jesse as he continues his explanation.
"The Ouki Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki is the ultimate defensive technique." Defensive? It wasn't an attack? "It is the only defense possible against the Ku Zu Ryu Sen, and is an invincible defense against any other technique within kenjutsu. Uub, come to me when you feel that you have figured it out. But I warn you, if you fail to produce the Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki, you will die. If you cannot perform it, you will not survive me using the Ku Zu Ryu Sen with the Shukuchi. Likewise, you must have a solid desire to continue living, or you will not have the strength required to do what will have to be done."
Jesse walks away to leave Uub to his thoughts. He had much to think about.
'You can do it, kid,' Jesse thinks, 'your future is a bright star, an eternal light. Do not force me to put it out. Because if you fail, your life will be ended. You will not be brought back with the Dragon Balls, for their magic just may disrupt your soul. But you will be allowed to go to the Grand Kai's planet should you choose to go.'
Over two weeks pass as Jesse waits for Uub to come to him. He knew that when Uub came to test himself for the final technique, that he would be ready. He and Piccolo both had trained in Uub a desire to achieve technical perfection, to know one's techniques perfectly, to know their limits and how to shatter them.
Uub, however, was slowly and methodically reviewing the Ku Zu Ryu Sen, using the Split Form to create a copy and watch it perform the technique, and using the Tri Form technique to test ideas. He had come to the conclusion that he would need to stop the Ku Zu Ryu Sen before it connected, as it was thoroughly unblockable in its entirety and a single blow from it could end his life. He had already decided that the Battou Jutsu would form the foundation of the technique, but he could not figure out how to achieve the speed needed to stop an ordinary Ku Zu Ryu Sen, much less one that was enhanced by the Shukuchi.
'Why can't I reach full speed?' Uub thinks to himself, 'I can feel that I am not achieving the maximum potential of the Battou Jutsu, but what is holding me back.'
Performing the Split Form again, he watches as his copy goes through the Battou Jutsu, analyzing its strengths and weaknesses.
'Wait, if I did that, it would greatly increase the speed and power, but its just too risky. There's a reason why the Battou Jutsu stance uses your dominant hand leg in front rather than the other. But, if one were to twist just right…. I think I'll go see Jesse-shishou now. I'm ready.'
"So, you believe yourself to be ready, my pupil?" Jesse asks.
"Yes, Jesse-shishou," Uub replies, "I believe I am ready."
"Then prepare yourself," Jesse says as he walks several yards away from Uub. Even he needed a bit of distance to properly enter the Ku Zu Ryu Sen. When he reaches what he feels will be the perfect distance to ascertain Uub's ability to defend himself and execute the Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki. Uub, meanwhile, shifts his weight into the classic Battou Jutsu stance.
'So far so good,' Jesse muses as he drops into his own stance, 'he realizes that the Battou Jutsu is the base, but has he discovered the secret to the Heaven's Soaring Dragon Flash?'
"Defend yourself!" Jesse calls out as he vanishes into the god-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style. To the eyes of most, even the Saiyans and Piccolo, they would have to be at their maximum power to witness this speed, if they could even see it at all. Uub, however, was trained to see fast-moving objects. To Uub, Jesse was moving at normal super speed, if super speed could be defined as 'normal' at all.
In less than half a second, Uub takes a step forward with his left foot, drawing his katana in the process. He could see Jesse's attack, see each stroke of the Ku Zu Ryu Sen as it was happening. Only another Ku Zu Ryu Sen could block it, but the Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki was the only technique capable of intercepting it truly. Uub's minds worked at unprecedented speeds as he saw what would inevitably be death coming straight for him if this did not work. Time seemed to slow for Uub as he visualized the barrier between life and death.
'Is this it? Is this the limit of my ability? I was foolish to think that I could match Jesse-shishou already. He has six thousand years of experience, and knows the Hiten Mitsurugi Style better than anyone alive in two timelines! How can I, with not even a decade in this style under my belt, hope to beat him when he's using the ultimate attack of the school!"
Jesse grimaces momentarily as he sees the indecision on Uub's face. 'Dammit Uub, don't doubt yourself! You're on the right track, just move forward! Choose life and live!'
'No, Jesse-shishou believes in me, believes in my abilities. He's trained me and has said that I can become even better than he is.'
Time began to inch forward as Uub teetered on the edge of choosing life or death. With steel resolve, he pushes for life, his sword whipping out and slicing through Jesse, apparently cleaving him in half as Uub executes the Heaven's Soaring Dragon Flash perfectly, twisting his body just so that his katana does not sever his own leg as it makes its way towards, then into, and finally through Jesse.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Style: Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki!"
- -
Sorry for the cliffhanger. This will be the first chapter in a mini-series, or perhaps just a two-part story. Hope you enjoy this.
1. Teacher or Master. At least, that's what Kenshin Himura refers to Hiko in the anime and manga of Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X as, or as far as I know at least.
2. Taken from the movie "The Mask of Zorro". I always laugh at that part!
3. Paraphrased from "The Mask of Zorro".
4. A reverse bladed sword, specifically a katana where the blade is on the side it normally isn't on. The principle weapon of Kenshin Himura in Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X.