Chapter 15: One Year Later
♂ Time passed quietly, unnoticed by anyone, and in the blink of an eye, more than ten months had gone by.
At the Isshin Dojo, a group of junior disciples sat in two rows, hands resting on their knees, staring wide-eyed at the two figures locked in fierce combat in the center of the hall.
Needless to say, the ones dueling were none other than Zoro and Kuina.
Ian sat off to the side, watching their exchange.
Counting the time, Zoro had been at the Isshin Dojo for a year now. Compared to when he first arrived—that wild boar of a brat who only knew brute force—he had transformed into a skilled two-sword swordsman.
No one in the dojo made a sound, only the crackling clatter of their bamboo swords clashing could be heard. Zoro and Kuina had already exchanged over a hundred strikes, both giving their all in the duel.
Having trained alongside Zoro every day, Ian was well aware of his progress. From being defeated by Kuina in just a few moves at the start to now lasting this long without a clear victor, Ian couldn't help but nod in approval at Zoro's growth.
Unfortunately, though Zoro had grown stronger, Kuina had grown even stronger. Just as everyone thought the fight might drag on a while longer, Kuina suddenly lowered her head and thrust her bamboo sword straight at Zoro!
Seeing Kuina's move, Zoro quickly swung his sword to block, but Kuina's straight thrust was nothing but a feint. After baiting Zoro into shifting his stance and leaving an opening, Kuina executed a high overhead sword strike, smashing it hard into Zoro's face!
Another red mark appeared on Zoro's face. Kuina's move was devastating—Zoro had taken this hit to the face from her more than once.
"One point! That's it! Kuina wins!" the instructor, Sasaki, called out. "Two thousand wins, zero losses!"
Seeing the outcome, Ian sighed. Over the past year, Zoro had been challenging Kuina relentlessly. Every time he felt he'd made even a slight improvement after training, he'd come at her again. Two thousand matches in a year—averaging five or six a day—Ian had no idea where he got such stubborn persistence.
If he'd won even a few times, it might be understandable, but he hadn't won a single one. Ian was starting to grasp Zoro's mindset. Losing to a girl was humiliating enough, but losing that many times? Only a blockhead like Zoro could endure it. Anyone else would have been crushed into despair long ago.
"D-Damn it!" Zoro staggered to his feet.
Kuina pointed her bamboo sword at him, a teasing smirk on her face. "You're really weak, Zoro. How can you be so useless? And you're a boy..."
The junior disciples in the dojo murmured among themselves. "Zoro's not weak at all! Aside from Senior Brother Ian, he's the strongest among the boys—he's even beaten adults!"
Maybe they spoke a bit too loudly, because Kuina overheard them. She turned to look at them and said, "But he's still weaker than me, isn't he? Even with two swords, the weak are just weak!"
With that, Kuina left everyone behind and walked out of the dojo.
Ian watched this and smiled faintly. Kuina was still so competitive. Every time she beat Zoro, she had to rub it in like this...
Zoro didn't say anything. He stood up silently, brushing the dust off his clothes.
Master Koushirou approached him and said, "You lost again, Zoro. You really have gotten stronger..."
Before Zoro could respond, Master Koushirou was surrounded by the junior disciples. "Master, are you sure you haven't been secretly training her because she's your daughter?" "Yeah, that's cheating!"
Master Koushirou quickly waved his hands. "No, no, I wouldn't do that. Zoro has indeed grown stronger, but Kuina has been getting stronger too."
At that moment, Zoro, still bearing the red marks on his face, silently headed for the door.
Everyone watched him go. Master Koushirou called out to him, but Zoro calmly replied, "I'm going to wash my face!" and walked straight out.
Koushirou sighed and said to Ian, "Go check on him."
Ian nodded and followed him out. At the well in the yard, he found Zoro cupping water and frantically pouring it over his head.
"Damn it, why can't I beat Kuina?" Zoro muttered to himself, then suddenly shouted, "Why!? Why!? I'm going to be the strongest man in the world—why is this happening!?"
Seeing Zoro so agitated, Ian decided not to approach, instead hiding behind a tree to watch.
After venting for a while, Zoro finally calmed down. Wiping the water from his face, he thought to himself, "Tonight, I'll challenge her to another duel..."
That evening, after dinner, Master Koushirou and his junior brother Sasaki sat in the room drinking tea. Their conversation naturally turned to the day's duel between Zoro and Kuina.
"He's only been here a year, but Zoro's growth is astonishing!" Sasaki said. "His training volume with Ian is unmatched by anyone else. It's only natural, I suppose, but he still can't beat Kuina..."
Koushirou thought for a moment before speaking. "Female swordsmen face a huge obstacle... As things stand, I can't let her inherit the dojo..."
In the past, even if Master Koushirou had regrets, he'd never been so blunt. Perhaps because only he and Sasaki were in the room, he finally voiced his true feelings. But he didn't expect that Kuina, who had come looking for him, overheard everything from outside the door.
"Father!" Kuina slid the door open abruptly.
"Eavesdropping isn't nice, Kuina!" Master Koushirou said, his expression stern.
Struggling to contain her emotions, Kuina said to Koushirou, "Father, I will become the world's greatest swordsman!"
Like Koushirou, this was the first time Kuina had formally expressed her dream in front of her father, hoping to finally earn his recognition.
But to her surprise, after a long silence, Koushirou said quietly, "Kuina... a girl can never become the strongest..."
Kuina stared blankly at her father. She never expected him to be so stubborn. Her efforts had never earned his approval!
Without a word, Kuina turned and left. Only after her figure disappeared into the darkness did her tears begin to fall...
"That... that was too harsh, wasn't it?" Sasaki said in disbelief, looking at Koushirou. "How could you be so ruthless with Kuina?"
Koushirou sighed, lifted his teacup, and took a sip. "You think so too, don't you, Ian?"
Ian stepped out from behind the tree. He had watched the entire scene unfold. He wasn't surprised that Koushirou had noticed him. Reaching the doorway, he sat down and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Master, why are you so insistent that a girl can't become the strongest?"
Koushirou's usual smiling expression vanished, replaced by a look of sorrow. He said, "Do you know? Kuina not only looks like her mother, but she also has the same stubborn personality. I know her dream—to become the world's greatest swordsman—but how can she achieve that? Aside from the physical limitations, she'd have to constantly challenge stronger opponents! If something happened to her, then I..."
"I already lost her mother. I don't want to lose her daughter too..." Koushirou looked up at the ceiling. "I don't need her to become the world's strongest. I just want her to grow up safe and sound..."
Ian saw the glimmer of tears in the corners of Koushirou's eyes. The impact of these words on Ian was profound, because he finally realized that Master Koushirou wasn't the stubborn, old-fashioned person he had imagined. Using the excuse that a girl couldn't become the strongest was, at its core, just his unwillingness to let Kuina leave his side.
This was a father's deepest love for his daughter. No one could say Koushirou was wrong...
In this situation, Ian didn't know what to say. He stood up and said, "Master, I'll go check on Kuina..."
Koushirou didn't respond, silently granting permission. Ian closed the door for them and walked out.
He intended to go find Kuina, but he saw her running toward the storage shed from a distance. Curious, Ian quietly followed.
A moment later, he saw Kuina emerge from the shed, carrying a sword!
A real one! Having been at the dojo for so long, Ian knew exactly what she was holding—the famous sword [Wado Ichimonji]!
The sword was entirely white—the scabbard white, the hilt white. Though stored in the shed, it was said to be a keepsake left to Kuina by her mother. It was Kuina's sword.
Taking a real sword out this late at night, Ian couldn't help but sigh.
He knew what was about to happen. He just felt a sense of inevitability. He had thought his presence might change the course of events, but it seemed the things that were meant to happen would still happen...
Zoro and Kuina were still going to have their 2001st duel...
Well, he might as well follow and watch. It would be a chance to witness the moment they made their vow.