"There's no way I'm allowing that, Miyamoto-san!"

"We have already talked about this, Tsukuyomi-san. I thought you have already given me your blessing so that I can teach Kamijou-kun the way of the samurai…"

"I thought you're going to teach him here. I didn't know that you plan to take him outside of Academy City," Tsukuyomi Komoe retorted as he points an accusing finger against the older Miyamoto Mokichi, "Anything other than teaching him here would basically mean kidnapping him! Do you know that Yomikawa-chan is an Anti-Skill member and that I can have her arrest you on grounds on kidnapping?!"

The great-grandson of the great Miyamoto Musashi began to massage his forehead, feeling the effects of a coming headache as he stood in front of the desk of the fuming pinkette. In all honestly, he didn't expect that a simple request—at least, in his own view—like this would turn out to be a bit of a hassle and even a threat to apply the force of the law against him, who simply wanted what was the best for his student, who is currently on his regular classes. Although he does understand Komoe's helicopter-parenting style, considering the harsh upbringing Kamijou Touma endured in his early days in Academy City. After all, it's very unheard of for some random stranger to suddenly request one of her underlings to be pulled out in their second year in middle school so that he can focus entirely on their swordsmanship training. If Mokichi's facing someone whose instinct of overprotectiveness is as sharp as his katana and wakizashi, he'll have to double his efforts to goad the pinkette.

"Look, I understand that you were just looking after the safety of the boy," Mokichi argued bravely despite the threats of getting imprisonment coming from Komoe, "However, in order to fully prepare Kamijou-kun for the harsh reality of becoming a swordsman and a worthy successor of mine, he has to step outside his comfort zone here in Academy City. This place is too confortable for someone who is aiming to be the master of the heavenly swords of Masamune. In other words, I needed him to fully face his fears—the same fears he had felt back when he was younger."

"You're simply putting him in the doors of death, Miyamoto-san," Komoe argued, not backing down against the master swordsman, "I promised Kamijou-chan's parents that I will take care of him! And if that means I have to physically fight you, then I'll gladly do it."

If it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation, Mokichi would have laughed his ass off at the outrageous declaration of the teacher, who looked like he can easily decapitate off within ten seconds, "First of all, I'm not here to fight with someone who had authority in this school like you. Second, it isn't illegal to homeschool that kid. Besides, it's just one year and despite his appearance, he is competent enough to catch up when he returns here for his third year."

"Look, Miyamoto-san," Komoe was exasperated, "I also know that you really care so much for Kamijou-chan since you would go this far to teach him your so-called way of the warrior stuff but at the same time, he's still technically a part of the Power Curriculum Program. That means that he is a student here and most importantly, an Esper by technicality even if he's a Level 0. In fact, you shouldn't be hindering him from helping him develop his Esper abilities."

"Tsukuyomi-san…it was Kamijou-kun who accepted the choice to become my apprentice. He had the choice to turn it down but as you can see, he was ready to become my successor in our samurai arts. Besides…" Mokichi then pointed to a certain application paper that was on the desk of the pinkette, "The person who came before me also asked to be homeschooled for two years, 12 months more than what I'm practically begging from you. In fact, depending on how Kamijou-kun would be able to grasp my swords style, it might not even take more than six months…"

Komoe nearly spitted her drink she was gulping currently before she violently coughed and said, "Are you a stalker, Miyamoto-san?! That's it! I might also add "Stalking" into the list of your criminal charges."

"I just happen to hear that person from behind the door before I take my turn to meet you," the old man explained calmly, "That's one of the perks of samurai training; having a sharper sense for everything."

"Still, that doesn't mean that I will allow Kamijou-chan to just go out since I barely know you at all," Komoe was practically merciless, "And besides, how am I supposed to explain to the parents of Kamijou-chan about this little training of yours? I'm the de facto designated guardian of this poor boy, in contrast to you, who is a mere stranger?"

As Mokichi wanted to argue more about the training of a certain spiky haired boy, the doors of the teacher's lounge where the two have been arguing non-stop suddenly opened rather brusquely and Komoe first thought that it was none other than her colleague Yomikawa and that she had been prepared to ask for back-up but when she looked up past the shoulders of the old man, she was surprised to see that instead of her close friend, it was another random stranger.

Based from the dark uniform and the helmet of the unexpected guest, Komoe could guess that she must have been an authorized personnel coming from an organization similar to Anti-Skill.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your little business here but…" the man, who seemed to be in his late 20s, took a glance at Mokichi while holding his Tavor rifle, "Miyamoto Mokichi-san, your presence is needed immediately at the building of the General Chairman."

"The General Chairman? What does he want with Miyamoto-san?" Now, there is a part in Komoe where she was jumping in joy, thinking that the old man would get reprimanded for trying to put down her Kamijou-chan's Esper development but at the same time, she was a bit curious as to why it took someone like the executive of this city to summon someone like the old samurai when Anti-Skill could have been enough to take disciplinary actions against the samurai.

"Hmmm. I see…" the old man simply nodded as he then bows to the man, who was taken aback by the politeness shown, and said, "Lead the way then, sir."

"Just call me Crow Seven, Miyamoto-san," The man in the tight bodysuit was impressed with how Mokichi conducts himself, "Well then, let's go in School District Seven."

If the old man wasn't impressed before with the technological advancements mankind has done when it comes to technology and architecture, he would admit that in the building that he was walking in, he would have to give some credit to those who had been instrumental in revolutionizing the digital world of today.

Miyamoto Mokichi walked through the dark, central room of the Windowless Building in the center of Academy City. After coming to a certain high school to discuss, or rather argue, the terms and conditions in bringing out Kamijou Touma for a one-year training, he was apparently summoned here by a certain Crow Seven, who then left him before the agent quickly left and the old man was teleported inside by a certain Esper.

The only sources of light in the room which the samurai is entering were the faint, yellow glow of the circuits on ground and the tube they fed into. Inside the said tube was something that could only be described as a human, but a peculiar one at that. The person floated inside the tube, upside down and wore a hospital gown.

"Welcome to my humble abode, Miyamoto Mokichi-san." The person inside the glass tube greeted. "For someone who is expected to uphold the etiquette of the bushi, you are no different from the others. Every person that comes here has the same reaction to my rather unusual appearance. But it makes sense to me. If machines can sustain my life, why make my body do it?"

"I believe you had the same reaction when I entered here since I'm in the dusk of my time here on Earth and yet, I still walk with the same manner I have when I was in my youth..." Mokichi replied, now irritated. "…General Superintendent Aleister Crowley..."

Now, if the man identified as Aleister Crowley was surprised that someone knows his true identity, he didn't show it. "Now, that is an unexpected but not really surprising development in my part although if there is anything to expect, it would be the fact that you are no ordinary samurai. You're from the famed Miyamoto clan of the blood hunters and puzzle masters and you are a descendant of the famous Miyamoto Musashi and the son of Miyamoto Mutsuki. As such, one of your clan's distinguishing features aside from kenjutsu is the ability to distinguish and track chi signatures, even from afar."

"Not really surprised to see that you know me or my clan in general since I suspect that you have met my father a long time ago when this world wasn't even as advanced as of now," Mokichi nodded calmly, "In fact, I wouldn't even have recognized your face if it wasn't for the fact that my father had travelled around the world and as such, he recognized you both from personal meetings and the fact that your face was always plastered on the old broadsheets, which was still kept in my old home. But other than finding your chi signature matched with the blood stained in my father's haori, your face awfully looks familiar with the ones in the newspapers I mentioned. As such, you can tell that I simply guessed who you are though I won't tell you if I did that or not."

"As expected from the Miyamoto clan that I have come to respect for its prowess both in the battlefield and in life but…" Aleister still had the same, stoic reaction, "Normally, I would have killed you now for knowing a lot of things that shouldn't be known."

"If you really intend to do that, you should have done that by now and the moment I saw you, connecting the dots is easier than said," Mokichi shrugged, "Besides, I'm in my old age already and if this secrecy of yours made you lock yourself inside a glass tube while wearing a hospital gown, I don't know if I should be amused or not."

"Hmmm…interesting…" The man inside the glass tube merely said, "This would have been a perfect chance to strike you to your death but I believe that would be a waste. I don't plan to kill you…yet…"

"Well, get to the point, Aleister. I'm getting impatient here…"

"I believe you are already aware of the reason I have summoned you here before you can come and take the boy out of Academy City." the person identified as Aleister deadpanned. "It seemed that at the very least, you are aware of the great burden of the boy you have come to train."

"I was only aware of it but even I don't know what fully entails of the right hand of his," Mokichi explained, "What I do know is that, at some point, one of our ancestors who existed before Musashi-sama came to his prime used to have a similar power. And since it has come to that point, I take it that you're the only one who truly understands his right hand."

"Perceptive as ever, Miyamoto-san," Aleister replied, "Of course, I have already reached the pinnacle of the magic world which gives me the knowledge of that boy's right hand, the vessel of the Imagine Breaker. Do tell me, Mokichi-san, what do you intend to teach to that boy? If I'm not mistaken, you intend to bring him to Mimasaka, the home of your clan and one of the few places where a number of samurai villages still thrives and survives up to this date. Aside from the Miyamoto clan which you hail from, there is the Sarutobi Clan of the Thousand Craft or in other words, the Sarutobi of the Rugged Forest and the Tall Mountains. The Sarutobi Clan is really known for their skills in warfare and it is said that it's better to run away from them rather than to engage them in combat. One of their patriarchs is the great Sarutobi Hageshi, who fought and lived to tell the tale of the Great Warring States. From Hageshi's line came Sarutobi Butsuma, the current head of the clan, Sarutobi Ashina, a colleague of yours and skilled in using a nodachi. In turn, he had a son named Sasuke, who is seven years older than the wielder of the Imagine Breaker and who was poised to become the next clan head."

"You really did your research, Aleister and frankly speaking, I thought you have gone senile ever since I realized today that you have faked your death," Mokichi replied calmly, "But if it isn't too much to ask, can you get to the point of this unnecessary meeting between us? I have a lot of things more important things to do than this…unnecessary audience with you…"

"Fine then. If you're going to train the wielder of the Imagine Breaker, I might have to put some conditions," Aleister replied, "First of all, if you're going to train the boy, train him to the fullest capacity that you can for in the future, we might not know what could happen."

"I'm surprised that you're in for training the boy when your subordinates would have go through great lengths to have me get questioned for trying to "discourage" Kamijou-kun from stunting his Esper growth," Mokichi didn't bother to hide his surprise.

"Let's just say that there are tradeoffs involved," Aleister replied, "I have some…plans for the future and it looks like one way or another, I have something to gain from this."

"Are you saying that the boy is merely a personal tool of yours?" Mokichi said, feeling a bit offended at that statement.

"I never said anything like that," the magician replied without any emotions.

"But you implied it," the old samurai retorted.

Aleister merely smiled eerily at the slight outburst of the old man, "Think what you will but you said it yourself that it was for the boy's sake, right?"

The two then stared for the moment before Mokichi sighed, "I don't know what's running on your mind but fine then. I'll humor you with this game of yours. Allow me and the boy one year off from Academy City so that I whip Kamijou-kun into shape."

"Permission granted but…" The magician trailed off, "As I said, I'll have to lay some conditions in order for the status quo to remain balanced. First things first, you are to ensure that you will return with the boy after that one year had elapsed. I'm pretty sure that I have every means to track the boy in the event that you decided to deviate from our conditions. Second, I believe that as an added measure, I will have to tell you that what you see and hear, you must leave it here or there will be regretful consequences though I do look forward to the day that I can pickle your head—which is something I actually prefer to speaking with you right now."

"I have no complaints with the conditions you laid down although to be honest with you, I don't really care about your secrets since unlike you or those who may have grudge against you, I'm not in a quest for immortality or whatever plans you have in mind. Nor do I have the intention on becoming the greatest magic user here on planet." Mokichi sighed, "But if you insist, then I'll have to uphold this agreement, if only to allow us to go outside of Academy City."

"Of course. Samurais don't turn back on their word, don't they?" Aleister felt like he had won the lottery again, "And the third and final condition is that in order for the boy to not repeat his grade as well as be assured that his formal education is still being sustained, I will ask three people to accompany you two on your year-long absence from Academy City so that they can cover all of the subjects that the boy is likely to miss in his second-year absence. I believe I have some people in mind already."

Now, that last condition caused the Samurai to frown deeply as he said in a very deep voice, "Some people in mind? Don't tell me I'm thinking what you're thinking?"

"Truly, I really like your intelligence," Aleister playfully replied, "Of course, you're right. As much as I know you didn't like them interfering with your training sessions, someone else must be with the boy since formally, you are not the designated guardian of the boy and as such, it would avoid such complications if someone should accompany you three. Rest assured, they won't interfere with your training sessions if this means that the boy will become strong enough for this city's incoming future."

"A future filled with conflict," Mokichi corrected, "But nevertheless, you have a point that I'm not the boy's legal guardian in this place so I'll agree with the three conditions you have set, as long as no harm will be done to the boy by your hand. I promise that he'll come back here after a year and even then, I will still train him to polish up his fighting skills, especially the more practical taijutsu since this place is a very competitive, if not outright harsh, place."

"So be it. I take it that you needed to go?" Aleister asked, receiving a quick nod from the old samurai. "Then meeting adjourned. Perhaps, if we were in our youths, we could have been friends, Miyamoto-san?"

Mokichi turned to face him for one last time before he said, "I doubt it. We have far too different beliefs, after all. I'm a fan of truth…even if it's painfully hard to accept it…" He then walked away, not even caring about the next reply of the General Chairman.

What a blessing in disguise. Aleister sinisterly thought. If it means having to adjust some of my plans, then so be it for as long as my greatest war implement would be molded perfectly by that senile old swordsman.

The rest of the year went normally (and that means, with the usual doses of bad luck) for the boy and before he knew it, the first year in middle school had just finished and he found himself already packing up for a journey to a certain village far south of Academy City.

"Okay, so I have already packed some toiletries, extra clothes, extra money, my phone…" Kamijou Touma wanted to cry in despair as yesterday, he accidentally stepped and broke his phone while trying to find the frying pan in his kitchen, "Oh well, I can't control it anymore. At the very least, I still have some money left on my credit card to be able to buy a new one. Better shut my mouth now…"

As he was busy zipping up his travelling bag, Kamijou then heard his phone suddenly rang and vibrate loudly. Quickly stopping to answer the call, the facial expression of the boy turned sour as the caller turned out to be someone he least expected.

"Nya, Kami-yan!" The voice of Aogami was loud enough that it can be heard from outside, "I heard that you won't be coming back for a year in our school! At least, bring me some souvenirs that you promised!"

"Souvenirs?" Kamijou replied, not liking the direction of this conversation, "What the hell are you saying? I never said a word about souvenirs…"

"Argh, curse your hip attitude, Kami-yan!" Aogami cursed aloud that the spiky-haired boy had to cover his ears to tune out the deadly assault in his ear drums, "Are you saying that you are forgetting all the friendships and fights that we've been through?!"

"Moron, I never said anything like that and even if I bought something for you, I might end up losing it since you know very well how my bad luck bites me most, if not all, the time," Kamijou explained, wanting to finish this conversation quickly, "By the way, what did you call me at this time? I thought that you're supposed to be at the convention center, chasing your fetishes."

"You scroundel! How can I just enjoy cute girls when I suddenly forget my best friend even for the day?" Aogami screeched, "Which reminds me…is it true that Komoe-sensei from a certain high school will be with you?! Goddammit, Kami-yan, you don't know when to stop being a playboy! You…"

Before Aogami Pierce can even finish his sentence, Kamijou decided to abruptly end the call as it was taking too long and it was headed towards a direction which he wouldn't like. And these days, I hate threading the path of unknown factors unless I'm diving straight to it due to misfortunes.

After checking and rechecking his travelling bag nearly ten times because of his paranoia of suffering another case of bad luck on a long trip, Kamijou then went to the bathroom to answer the check if he needs to take another call from nature again to avoid disrupting their peaceful trip towards the city of Mimasaka which, according to Mokichi himself, still had a large tracts of mountains and forestlands that is sustaining one of the last remaining Samurai villages preserved and still thriving in the whole of Japan.

Suddenly, due to his tuned hearing and sense sharpened by their constant training in the forest besides Academy City, Kamijou immediately picked up vibrations of what looked like a group of people gathering in front of his student dormitory unit. Shit, sensei's already here but…who the hell are the other people that are accompanying my sensei? Could it be this Sarutobi Clan members that he said would be training with me?

Now wanting to have his sensei wait for him countless minutes, Kamijou decided to get over what he needed to do in his last-minute preparations and after doing that, he had grabbed his travelling bag, his dormitory key, and documents he will need as his proof of his denizen status in Academy City.

When he got outside, he already found Miyamoto Mokichi already waiting for him as he was silently meditating while sitting cross-legged on the floor. As expected of sensei. Kamijou smiled serenely. Ever since he started training with the old samurai, Mokichi would always tell him to meditate after having done his usual warm-up consisting of sprints, jogs, and push-ups every morning to go to a peaceful part of his dormitory and sat down in silence. Ever since then, the spiky-haired boy had found himself dealing with his bad luck with relative ease more often. In fact, he rarely does his dramatics, at least in front of his sensei.

However, the moment Kamijou saw who are the companions his master, his heart sank immediately as he can only drop his jaws in complete surprise, "Eh? Komoe-san? Yomikawa-san? And…uhm…" He didn't know the name of the other woman, who seemed to be a bit intimidated at such company she was in. Well, no one could blame her. After all, rarely does a person get to go on a trip with a smoking kindergarten-like pinkette, her Anti-Skill superior who is known to have obsession with sake, an old but fierce-looking man who was said to be a formidable swordsman, and the boy, who was partially the reason why they were all here.

"Of course, we're going with you on your one-year training trip!" For someone who was once opposed to his samurai apprenticeship, Komoe looked too much excited, "While me and your master did get into an argument about your one-year absence from school, we agreed to some compromise in the end. You would still be able to have your one-year leave but your alternative homeschooling would be admininstered by me, Yomikawa-chan and our friend here named Tessou Tsuzuri-chan. I hope you get along with her."

"I see…well, it's a better deal, seeing that I don't have to be held back by one school year," Kamijou nodded then turned to his master, who was just starting to get up from his sitting position. "By the way sensei, what's with the black robes and the conical hat?"

"It's good to see you, Kamijou-kun," Mokichi replied as he slowly gets up, "By the way, this is my usual attire when I travel from one place to another place in the whole of Japan, Kamijou-kun. Not too shabby and not too extravagant."

The old man then closed his eyes and snapped his fists, "Originally, I have another set of exercises I want you to do Kamijou-kun but the extra baggage in the person of these three women means that I will have to postpone that extra exercise."

"Who are you calling an extra baggage, Miyamoto-san?!" Komoe shouted indignantly.

Ignoring the cries of his guardian-figure, Kamijou then asked the old man with a mixed feeling of curiosity and horror, "Uhm…sensei…does that exercise involves our trip to Mimasaka?"

"Spot on, Kamijou-kun!" Miyamoto praised the boy, "Originally, I planned for us to take the journey to the traditional ancestral home of our clan simply by foot instead of having to pay for a bus or a train."

There was an uneasy silence that descended upon the three-man group after hearing the words of the old man.

"Nani!" Yomikawa and Tessou immediately recovered from their shock to scream in utter abhorrence at imagining themselves having to walk by foot towards Mimasaka, Okayama Prefecture while dragging and carrying their luggage, which they have filled with various items (aside from the basic things like clothes) like sunscreens, mahjong tiles, bottles of sake, etc.

"So in other words, sensei, you decided that we just take a bus instead?" Kamijou raised his eyebrows although inwardly, he was happy that his two guardians had at least saved him from a potential torture in the roads.

"Walking on foot will help you build up stamina and strength naturally without having to go to an expensive gym or a workout trainer these days," Mokichi explained, "But since I'm not even sure if this pinkette we have in our group will last for a day in our long journey, I decided that we will just take the normal mode of transportation and use a public vehicle to save myself the anguish of having to hear the whines and moans coming from these vixens. But don't worry, you will make it all up when we finally manage to reach out destination.

So much for hoping that I can be spared. Such misfortune.

The bus trip towards a certain village in Mimasaka, Okayama Prefecture turned out to be a smooth riding, contrary to what a certain spiky-haired boy had expected.

After riding a bus from a station in Academy City, they had a peaceful conversation with one another, although it's much more of a one-on-one between Mokichi and Kamijou, who was asking a lot of questions as he wanted to get to know more about the background of the clan and place where his sensei hailed. During the past few months, the teachings of the Dokkōdō was drilled into the brain of the spiky haired boy was drilled and that his basic sensing skills was greatly enhanced due to their training in the little forest besides Academy City. By the time December had come, Mokichi then proceeded to teach him the basic skills of self-defense. Mokichi did this by asking the boy to blindfold himself while he proceeded to hit the boy in several points of the boy's body. At first, Kamijou was having a hard time fending off the surprisingly hard punch that his sensei can muster off since he was consciously only using his street fighting skills but as time went fast, he was finally able dodge whatever was coming to his path.

Other than his basic hand-to-hand combat, Kamijou Touma was also given a training regimen at the start of the month of May wherein he will start to run ten laps around the School District 7 as well as 100 pushups. When confronted as to why he needed to immediately run at ten, Mokichi told him that the ten laps is just the basic and that he would have to increase the scope of the territory he had to cover as well as the number of laps every week. While adamant at first, the boy nevertheless followed the regimen his sensei gave to him and while it wasn't apparent at the first few months, he soon noticed as each month passes that he was slowly getting used to the harsh training that was imposed upon him and to add to that, he began to undergone some bodily changes. His normally scrawny frame began to bulk a little and his arms and lower abdomen was beginning to harden like processed leather. In fact, this has been the subject of one of his petty fights with Aogami when the latter accused him of going to the gym just to impress his growing number of fangirls.

Of course, Kamijou Touma denied that.

Now, the boy and his sensei looked to be talking on a serious manner while their extra human baggage were sleeping soundly at the back of the bus, "So sensei, you mean that every samurai clan has what you call a Mon emblem?"

Mokichi nodded, "Yes, my student. As I have explained, Mon crests are emblems that identify an individual, a family, or (more recently) an institution or business entity. In some ways, it's like the eastern counterpart of the Western Coat-of-Arms and heralds."

"So…what is the emblem of your clan, sensei?" Kamijou asked.

"Originally, the Miyamoto Clan was derived from the older Shinmen Clan, which was then branched out from the main Akamatsu Clan, which had the Tomoe (comma-like swirl) as its official Mon." Mokichi explains, "This is why we also used a Tomoe but instead of a single swirl, it has three Tomoe encircled and connected through each points of a triangle. For your information, the Sarutobi Clan that you will meet later uses a Mon consisting of a Vajra weapon since it symbolizes both indestructible and irresistible force—something that perfectly describes the Sarutobis. Another clan named the Kanzaki Clan, which used to reside on Mimasaka hundreds of years ago until they were displaced by the rival Sarutobi, uses a bush clover as their Mon. The Yūhi Clan, which is one of the first clans to establish the village in Mimasaka before the Warring States Period, used a bamboo flute as their Mon crest since they are renowned musicians."

"I see. So what are the other clans that reside in the village that we will stay in for a year?"

"Aside from the ones I mentioned and the Oda and Date clans that I have discussed with you before, there is also the Mononobe Clan, which is descended from the kami Nigihayahi no Mikoto, settled into what is now Mimasaka after losing their lands to the now-extinct Asukabe Clan which hailed from the ancient Baekje kingdom. They are famous for wielding sentient swords such as the tachi called Kogarasu Maru," Mokichi explains, "Finally, there are not only Samurai Clans who are currently living on Mimasaka but there are also ordinary farmers and artisans that continue to live in the village. Alongside the Samurai Clans, there are also Ninja clans who reside peacefully with us."

For someone who has been reading a lot of comics concerning the rivalry between the samurai and the ninja, Mokichi's words had hit his head like a brick flying, "Uhm…sensei…"

"I know what you are thinking about, Kamijou-kun," Mokichi smiled, "What you are seeing in television or in manga is merely a misconception. You think that the ninja formed as a counter culture to the samurai? Absolutely wrong. What many people don't know is that the ninja society is as important to the Japanese military system as the Samurai. In fact, you could say that in the old days, the ninjas are composed of individuals who belong to all social classes, unlike the Samurai, whose kenjutsu arts can only be passed from one individual to another either by blood relations or, in your case, apprenticeship. Though…" the old man stroke his goatee, "…As times passed by, even the Ninjas started to have their own kinsmen as their Ninjutsu has been passed down to their offspring, therefore creating a clan. In fact, in these days, a marriage between a Samurai and a Kunoichi isn't even unusual."

"Unusual, huh? Does the Ninja have any distinct features from us Samurais?" Kamijou asked.

"I think derived is a better term for most of their abilities," Mokichi replied, "For once, their counterpart to our Bushido is the Nindo or the Way of the Ninja. They also had swords in their arsenal although their main purpose is not to fight in the open like the samurai but to serve as a covert agent executing missions such as espionage, assassinations, deception, and intelligence gathering. This is why despite their methods deemed below the Bushido by some samurai, they were nevertheless an important part of the ancient Japanese military system since they do the dirty jobs that the samurai won't normally do. In fact, they were secretly employed by some samurais and that alone already dispels the notion that there is a rivalry between the two." The old man then took a peek in the bus window and said as he suddenly stood up, "Well, it seems that we have reached the place. Kamijou-kun, go and wake up thoese three women from dreamland as we will begin a short trek towards our village."

After they had already stepped down from the bus, Kamijou noticed that they were actually standing on a junction as he looks around his surroundings. A lot of mountains. He mentally thought as he can't help but notice that while the road that they have taken isn't entirely devoid of vehicles, it was significantly fewer and far more leisure since there isn't any sign of an impending traffic. Which actually means that whatever place we will go, it could have been too far away from the main city area of Okayama.

"Looks like the forests in these mountain ranges are well-preserved in the sense that it wasn't touched by illegal loggers," Yomikawa herself observed that the forest, which extend up to the sides of the national road, is planted naturally and the only thing that disturbed the whole ecosystem was the road itself. Currently, the Anti-Skill woman was wearing only a white tank top, jeans, and rubber shoes as her anthletic jacket was tied in her waists. "By the way, Miyamoto-san, since this intersection that splits from the main road looks like it was more of a cobblestone-based pavement, I take that we will walk here? You did say a while back that it's an ancient village that we will stay in."

"You're correct, Yomikawa-san. The village that we will stay is called Yamagakure," Mokichi replied as he picks up his scroll and what little belongings he had with him.

"Yamagakure? As in a village hidden in the mountains?" Komoe asked.

"Yes. The mountains are the natural barriers of the village which is why it is very hard to penetrate the whole region even during the Warring States Period." Mokichi explains as he then began to walk, his wooden geta (traditional Japanese sandals) loudly clicking against the cobble stones. "We should get going right now if we wanted to catch up with them before noon arrives."

In the next forty minutes, the trek, although short by the standards of the samurai, was already sizzling the ladies to the full extent since they were walking under the blazing hot sun. Yomikawa, although not feeling tired, can already feel the sweat on her back and underarms as gulps her bottled water. Komoe had to be literally carried by the older Mokichi when she fainted while they were crossing a small hill and because of that, poor Tessou had to carry their heavy luggages, in addition to her own belongings. Kamijou, meanwhile, can't help but admire the ancient road they were stepping on, thinking that their forefathers must have been good artisans to be able to create infrastructure that could withstand the test of time.

"That's a sturdy old bridge, sensei," the spiky haired boy said, smiling as the fresh air around them was giving him a strange feeling of tranquility.

"The Sarutobis were also good builders. They focus heavily on quality," the old man replied and before the boy can even reply back, they suddenly stopped because the old man halted. Currently, they are standing on a hillside. "Well, it looks like here we are."

"Where, sensei?"

"Guys, look on your right side…and behold, you will see the majestic village of Yamagakure…"

True enough, when the four other people turned their heads 45 degrees to their left, they can't help but stare in awe.

The village named as Yamagakure resides deep within a thick forest while being enclosed by a number of small hills and rugged mountains filled with wild vegetation and possibly a diversity of flora and fauna. Even with the mountains acting as a natural barrier, the oval-like layout of the village had been protected by a layer of fortifications made out of a wall composed of bricks of mud and stone while its doors and parapets have been reinforced with clay-like housing and doors made of cedar wood and bronze. Overall, for an ancient village, this was nothing short of impressive.

"It gained protection status from the national government as it is one of the last remaining ancient villages from the Sengoku Period that is still thriving and flourishing up to modern periods." Mokichi explained, "Well, we need to hurry now since I'm pretty sure that the Sarutobis will return to their grazing lands to feed their flocks of deers."

At once, they picked up their pace as they rushed down from the hill to the lower plains where the cobbled road continued to roll, leading directly to the main bronze gates. From afar, Kamijou can see a lot of farmers who are going in and out of the gates as well as a few local and foreign tourists alike who were busy taking pictures. Komoe noted that despite a lack of police visibility, the place seemed peaceful enough that such groups similar to Skill Outs are not a familiar sight in this place. Plus, they all seemed to be disciplined enough in this place…and also hardworking. Guess they're the most contented people here on Earth. Yomikawa added on her thoughts.

"Mi-Miyamoto-sama?! Is that you?!"

The group twisted their bodies towards the source of the voice and at once, they immediately saw a man who looked to be in his early 40s. The said man was draped in a typical black haori and loose-fitting robes while wearing a conical hat. Mokichi seemed to be familiar enough with the man to have a pleasant and warm greeting to the newcomer.

"Oh ho hoh hoh…it's been a while, Kurogane-sama," Mokichi solemnly replied as he bows deeply to the man wearing the conical hat, "It's not my intention to surprise you all with my sudden return to Yamagakure but ever since having taken up my first student, I have decided that he would be better of learning here in our samurai arts." Seeing that the man was practically someone of Mokichi's status, Kamijou decided to pay respects to the associate of his sensei, "Good morning, to you…uh…"

"I'm Kurogane Kō, the main head of the ninja clan Kurogane. Despite being an old shinobi, me and your sensei are good friends," Kō managed a light chuckle before he said, "Listen well to your master, young one, for you will learn a lot in life. By the way, Miyamoto-sama, are you going to see Butsuma-sama and Ashina-sama from the Sarutobi Clan? From the direction you are walking and the way your foot is positioned, I came to the conclusion that you're going to the main district of their clan?" As he spoke, his ninjato, which was tied on the left side of his tight, was visible and gleaming, frightening Komoe for the moment as he clutched the arm of Yomikawa.

"Spot on as always, Kurogane-sama the ninpo master," Mokichi nodded in approval, "Well, we wanted to catch up on them so we might as well excuse ourselves and go to their humble abode."

"And I'll go to the forest to bring some chi leaves. Hanabi wanted to find out his elemental affinity so I'll be taking my leave now as well. By the way, Kamijou-kun, if you happen to encounter one of their kinsmen…" Kō trailed off, "Be prepared to get challenged to a Shogi duel."

"Thank you a lot, Kurogane-sama, for the piece of advice…" Kamijou bowed lightly while mentally sweating. For some reasons, his stance alone already intimidates me.

As Kō walked away from the group, Komoe said as they all started following the old man, "Miyamoto-san, is everyone from this village had those kinds of bladed weapons?"

"If you mean weapons of war, only the Samurai and to some extent, the Ninja, had them since they are pricey enough compared to the tools being used by the farmers and peasant here," Mokichi replied.

As the group was following the old man through rows of what looked to be the traditional Japanese houses like the gasshō-zukuri-style minka farm houses and the much larger Honmune-zukuri ones, they can't help but feel as if they are walking during the time of feudal-era Japan. Everyone they encountered, save for a few number of tourists walking around, wore traditional kimono, the usual conical hat, and a traditional Japanese raincoat cape called mino which is made out entirely of straw. Some of the people they passed by were carrying long bamboo rods on their shoulders while two pails of what looked like to be fresh milk were each attached on the two ends of the stick.

It wasn't long before Mokichi stopped just below a red Torii with the Vajra symbol of the Sarutobi being etched perfectly on the middle portion of the kasagi.

"Here we are," Mokich announced as they all looked straight on a large and long Minka compound in view behind the tori. Like most of the traditional houses they have passed by, this house had clay tiled roofing, a genkan (main entrance), a shoji (sliding panel of translucent paper), engawa (outer corridor), amado (storm shutters), and byobu (folding screens). However, this house is particularly larger and had more intricate art drawn on its windows. Kamijou saw what looked like a large electric generator on the far left side of the house and an antenna on the roofing, leading him to wonder if the occupants of the room used television, at the very least.

While they were standing on the Torii, two guards who are both wearing black kimonos with a katana on their backs hurried to meet them, "Miyamoto-sama?"

"The one and only."

"It's a surprise to see you visit our compound but nevertheless, welcome back to our district, Miyamoto-sama." The other guard said with a hint of respect towards the old man, "I take it that you wanted to see Butsuma-sama and Ashina-sama?"

"Yes because I wanted to ask his help for training a potential samurai of the next generation." Mokichi nodded, throwing a glance at Kamijou, who smiled sheepishly.

The guard coughed as he then steps aside and said, "Miyamoto-sama, it would be an honor for someone to have you as a guest. All of you, follow me. I'm going to lead you to Butsuma-sama the clan elder. You're all in good timing as they were just preparing to leave this place to tend to our deer."

The five-man group then followed the two guards through a wide courtyard towards the entrance of the house. Immediately, one of the guards ran ahead of the group to open the hardwood door for everyone to go through. Immediately after reaching the entrance, all of them removed their shoes as they all stepped inside the hiroma (raised platform) and not too long after, they sat in geiza in front of a irori (heart) which had a jizai kagi (kettle) suspended from the ceiling. Immediately, the guard who opened the doors also hurried on one of the rooms of the house and it wasn't long before he came back with two older individuals. The older one, which Kamijou assumed that it was the clan head, had a wrinkled face and long and free-flowing black hair in his back and he was wearing a haori and kimono. The younger and taller one had a muscular build with an olive skin. His short spiky black hair was swept backwards and he also had a beard.

Upon seeing their guests, the two men immediately bowed lowly to them, which Mokichi and the rest bowed likewise.

"It's been a long time since we have fought together, Mokichi," the older man of the two said as he then glances sharply at the spiky haired boy in the right side of the Miyamoto elder, "I take it that the young boy with you is your apprentice?"

"Yes, Butsuma," Mokichi smiled gently as he then continued, "Kamijou-kun, the man who spoke just now is the clan head, Sarutobi Butsuma, and the one besides him is his son, Sarutobi Ashina."

Kamijou then gulped as he then conquers his nervousness and said, "Good morning to you all, I'm Kamijou Touma and I'm here with my sensei to learn the ways of the sword. The three women in my back are my two guardians in Yomikawa Aiho-san and Tsukuyomi Komoe-san while their friend there is Tessou Tsuzuri-san. I hope we have a bountiful one-year stay here in Yamagakure!"

One year! Mentally, Tessou screamed as she didn't know that was how long she will be away from the life she was used to. I wasn't informed of this.

"A pechapai, huh?" Ashina dully noted, looking straight at Komoe.

"Who are you calling a pecha—" Komoe was muffled by the hand of Tessou as Mokichi sighed and said, "Forgive them for this is the first time that they came in our lovely village. Believe me when I say I didn't intend to bring them along here but I have to make a compromise with Academy City's chairman and as a result, they came here to homeschool him, preventing a one-year retention in his school level."

"Compromise, huh? That isn't even your style, Mokichi," Butsuma laughed lightly, "But since it's a time of peace, I'm sure you'd go for negotiation rather than outright force."

"Tell me about it," Mokichi sighed, "By the way, me and Kamijou-kun intended to go to the Forest of Death tomorrow as the start of his training on the basic aspects of the Niten Ichi-ryū. For this day, they can rest and relax while they enjoy the nature around them—a far cry from the messy world of politics in Academy City."

"Sounds good but first, they can have lunch after they have settled in their rooms." Ashina smiled, "I'll immediately butcher one of our finest deers so that you all can have a hearty lunch of roasted venison and Yakimeshi. Guard!"

One of the guard who had earlier welcomed them in the Torii gate came scrambling to their location.

"Hai, Ashina-sama!"

"Lead them to the most specious rooms we have!" The taller Ashina ordered.

"Hai, Ashina-sama!" The guard then motioned for Kamijou and the rest of the group to standup and follows him. "Kamijou-sama, guests, please follow me to your respective rooms."

What's with the honorific? The boy noted as he then asked a question, "A, guard-sama, where is the bathroom? I needed to answer the call of nature and I don't think I can hold it."

"After we are able to put away your baggage, I'll lead you the washroom, Kamijou-sama."

As they watch the guard of the Sarutobis lead the four people to their rooms, Butsuma looked at the spiky haired boy with interest and said, "I'm pretty sure about what you know, Mokichi."

Mokichi saw what Butsuma meant and said, "It popped into my mind the moment I heard that his surname is Kamijou but still, I'm not entirely sure. Whether it could be true or not, we have yet to verify it."

"Verify it, huh? The boy does seemed to resemble him after all," Ashina noted while taking out a cigarette from his pocket, "You know who I'm talking….Kamijou Tobirama of the extinct…or should I say…nearly extinct Kamijou Clan of the Fiery Dragons. Basically, they died out because their rival clans thought they are too powerful and so, every one of their enemies sought to destroy their village."

"Even so, I wouldn't want to give the boy false hopes," Mokichi shook his head, "And besides, this is the perfect time to talk about another matter."

"And that is?" Butsuma raised his eyebrows.

Mokichi sighed and said, "It's his mysterious right hand."

Kamijou Touma felt refreshed as he zips up his pants.

After having been led to their rooms, the guard then escorted the boy to a nearby bathroom which was actually outside the main house and promptly, the boy quickly entered the place while the guard went back to his post. Suddenly, his shoulders relaxed slightly as he stepped outside but stiffened again when he felt a somewhat familiar presence approach him.

"Uhm…Kamijou-san?"

Hearing the sudden voice behind him, Kamijou turned to face a young man who seemed to have been expecting his arrival as he was busy playing with the shogi pieces in his hands. Kamijou maintained an iron control on his expression as he gazed back at the smooth and fair but somewhat hardened features of someone who looked like a young member of the Sarutobi Clan.

The young man had black eyes and spiky black hair swept in the back and with a blue tint. His gaze seemed to indicate a mixed feeling of interest at the newcomer and curiosity. At the moment, it was an unnerving expression for Kamijou.

"May I help you, uh…?" He asked politely while he was stuttering.

The young man only waved a lazy left hand in the air before tucking it back into dark blue pants again. "I'm Sarutobi Sasuke although you may just call me Sasuke. And perhaps you could." Intelligent dark eyes sharpened as the smile widened fractionally.

"Hi, I'm Kamijou Touma and I came here with Miyamoto Mokichi-sensei for samurai training," Kamijou said as he extends his right hand as a gesture. Sasuke pocketed the shogi pieces as before he extended his own right hand and they shook together.

"You look interesting, Kamijou-san," Sasuke noted, "And the fact that your sensei is Miyamoto-sama from the famed Miyamoto Clan is a testament that you're a raw gem."

Kamijou nodded although he can feel his own bile rise in his throat as he saw a custome-made katana in the waist of Sasuke. The latter then took out his shogi pieces again.

"Kamijou-san, would you like to play a game of shogi with me?"