Sakamoto shares Shifu his Japanese heritage and how proud he is to be one of them.


Chapter 7: Secrets of Motivation

Later that evening, Oogway took Shifu and Sakamoto over to the corners of the Valley of Peace to attend the Moon Festival and this is the first time Sakamoto has ever attended a traditonial event in China and it took a lot to sink in and he's definitely up for an event like this.

Sakamoto turned to Shifu and he asked, "What do you guys normally do at the Moon Festival?"

"We always watch the fireworks, all the prestigious kung-fu masters come in for this celebration for a lot of entertainment. It is also Master Oogway's favorite time because he gets to come and see everyone have a good time and we have moon cakes." Shifu replied.

Sakamoto's eyes widen up from the minute he heard moon cakes, because they were always his favorite type of snacks growing up in Shanghai Secluded Valley and he said, "Did you say moon cakes?"

"Yes. It is a symbol of the moon festival." Oogway added.

Sakamoto was definitely looking forward to this celebraton and as they arrived to the town, everyone showed up for this amazing affair and Oogway smiled at the people who came in and the townsfolk bowed to his presence and both Sakamoto and Shifu stood towards each other as Oogway took the the stage.

He clears his throat and said, "Good evening, everyone. I would especially like to welcome you all to the Moon Festival tonight. Thank you all for coming out on this special night and I hope you will have a great time."

Within no time, everyone did so as they saw massive amounts of talented performers around the stage and everyone munched on some moon cakes, even Sakamoto couldn't get enough of them as he chomped down almost every single one of them. Shifu seemed very surprised that Sakamoto has a very deep love for moon cakes and he said, "You seem to like those, I see."

"Yep. Growing up in Shanghai Secluded Valley, whenever I come home or even wake up to the smell of those delicious moon cakes, it's like I couldn't wait to get some of those. There were times when I snuck out of the kitchen with those when I was a kid. My mom makes the best ones in the whole valley." Sakamoto explains.

"I see. Are you close to your parents?" asked Shifu.

"Very close. We have a very close relationship that's very open and whenever I have a problem or if I need someone to talk to, I just go to both of them or just one of them and they would give me the best advice for anything. Whatever they teach me from childhood, I intend to use them and remember them as I grow older." Sakamoto added.

Shifu nods his head with that and he happened to notice a little mark on his forehead and asked, "What's that on your forehead?"

"Hmm?" asked Sakamoto.

"That sign...on your forehead. Why do you have that?" asked Shifu, pointing at it.

Suddenly, Sakamoto figured out what Shifu meant by why does he have that japanese marking on his forehead and said, "Oh, that? It's my birthmark. I had it after I was born, I think. It's a japanese sign that resembles warrior and strength and to me, us Bushido-Akio's are like warriors in a way, but we never boast or brag about it. We just do what we can to show that we have a heart of gold and that we're considerate of others rather than ourselves. We like to help out others in any situation...not just kung-fu, but we always maintain our family values."

Shifu was speechless as to how Sakamoto described what he mentioned and it's like nothing he's ever heard before and he said, "I've noticed that you've always trained as hard as you could."

"Shifu, the reason why I do that is because what keeps me going is my family. I've been away from them for so long that everytime I look at a picture of them or remember a quote from my father, it gives me the strength to know that I can follow through my training and that I know I'll make not only my dad proud, but I can make myself proud. But I will always keep everything my father taught me and use it as a personal strength rather than just think that I'm entitled to be a hero. It's cool and all, but I don't wanna lose my way." Sakamoto added.

Once Shifu got his answer, he could see that Sakamoto is no ordinary person...he's just one of a kind, very wise and just an all-around lighthearted person and he has the soul of a legendary of kung-fu master...at such a young age. He blinks and said, "I've never met someone like you before."

"What you see is what you get, my friend." Sakamoto added.

Both of them chuckled softly and soon enough, the fireworks started popping out of the sky and all Sakamoto and Shifu did was watch them as they shoot across the sky and it was one of the best moments they've had in a long time and Sakamoto definitely felt like he was gaining a lot more appreciation and being at this festival really made him see things in a different light...a light that he hopes won't fade away.

'I wish you were here to see this, dad.' Sakamoto thought.


Now was that awesome or what? More coming up!