I Teach Kendo in Tokyo

Chapter 24: Why Is Blood So Thick?

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

After that, the siblings started to attack Nishikiyama Heita together.

They were not unfamiliar with this kind of joint attack strategy.

There was a training method in Japanese kendo called “Moto Tachi,” which was usually used by experts. When an expert had achieved the same level as the assistant coach of the dojo and no one else could defeat them, what could they do to improve themselves besides basic training?

The Japanese kendo masters then came up with an idea. They asked their disciples to surround and attack them one after the other.

The expert being attacked would stand in a fixed position. This person would be called the “Moto Tachi” on whom others would launch an attack from all directions.

Kendo experts in Japan all liked to engage in such tag-team matches. For example, the most famous kendo master, Takano Sasaburō from the 19th century, had once carried out a Moto Tachi training session for one day and one night. Other than going to the washroom and eating porridge at appropriate times, he did not take any breaks at all.

This crazy activity was thus recorded in the Japanese kendo annals. However, it would not be written in the annals how Takano Sasaburō had had blood in his pee after that Moto Tachi session. In the end, he’d had to rest for a few days before he could recover.

Kiryuu Kazuma’s father had also held similar sessions to improve himself. However, there were only Kazuma and his sister at the dojo, so the tag-team fight was also carried out by them.

In order to speed up the pace of the siblings’ joint attacks, Kazuma’s father had even trained them to coordinate with each other.

Tapping on the experiences from those times, the siblings’ attacks were smooth and very well coordinated, not giving Nishikiyama any chance to catch his breath.

In just a few minutes, Nishikiyama’s body had been hit more than ten times by the siblings’ swords. His bare upper body was covered in large bruises.

But he stood stubbornly, refusing to fall.

Kazuma seized the opportunity and knocked away the last weapon in Nishikiyama’s hand, the bamboo sword. Unexpectedly, however, Nishikiyama proceeded to covered his head with his bare hands like a boxer and used his arms to shield his vital body parts from the incoming bamboo strikes.

Through the gaps between his arms and body, Kazuma could see that his expression was still firm and unwavering. His eyes were bright and full of spirit, and there was even an ominous glint in them.

In Kazuma’s eyes, the red light emitted by Nishikiyama Heita was even brighter than before. The Demon Face note above his head had been completely engulfed by the burning flames, making it impossible to see the original appearance of the words.

Kazuma knew that his attacks were definitely not light. He had consistently used all his strength without any intention of holding back, and at this moment, he must have benefited from a number of mental buffs too.

If it were someone else who had received so many bamboo strikes in a row, they would have collapsed to the ground long ago.

Why was Nishikiyama still standing?

Besides, his fighting spirit was obviously even higher than before!

This was a real manifestation of “fire in the heart and light in the eyes.”

Kazuma became anxious.

Chiyoko shouted, “Brother! Why is he still standing?”

Kazuma could not answer.

‘Could a person’s mental state really allow their body to go beyond its limits?’

At this moment, Kazuma was sharp enough to notice that one of the men on the ground had woken up.

He shouted, “Chiyoko, the one behind you is awake!”

Chiyoko turned around abruptly, and the man also jumped up from the ground.

At the same instant that Kazuma was distracted, Nishikiyama, who had been defending, attacked!

He stepped forward and swung his right fist.

Kazuma’s bamboo sword hit Nishikiyama’s shoulder, but it could not stop the punch.

Kazuma took a solid punch to the chest, feeling like his lungs were about to be flattened.

However, Kazuma could also tell that Nishikiyama was not completely unscathed. The speed of his punches had obviously slowed down, and after hitting Kazuma, he did not continue to use his left fist to come after him. It was apparent that his left shoulder had become much less mobile during the high-intensity defense earlier.

Kazuma took advantage and struck continuously while Nishikiyama resumed the posture of using both hands to protect his head.

After Chiyoko knocked out the lackey who had just woken up, she joined the fight again.

“What should we do? By right, he should have collapsed long ago!”

Chiyoko ignored the fact that Nishikiyama was right before her and asked Kazuma this question directly.

Kazuma could not answer.

But he was indeed trying to think of a way out.

‘If he’s relying purely on his willpower, would it be possible to demoralize him through verbal attacks?’

Kazuma recalled the match with Chiyoko yesterday. It was a wave of verbal attacks that shook Chiyoko’s determination, which then allowed Kazuma to crush her easily afterward.

So Kazuma said, “Your ability to resist attacks is beyond my imagination.”

“Don’t underestimate the yakuza,” Nishikiyama replied softly.

“Underestimate you? Not at all,” Kazuma replied.

This was the truth.

Nishikiyama had hit Kazuma’s chest just now, and it was still aching.

Despite his severe injuries, Nishikiyama was able to fight back fast and hard. Anyone who dared to underestimate someone like him would have been beaten to death long ago.

“Why?” Kazuma asked bluntly. “Why is the flame in your heart burning so fiercely?”

Chiyoko could not help but turn to look at her brother suspiciously.

Kazuma ignored his sister. He stared at Nishikiyama, waiting for an answer.

Nishikiyama sneered. “What’s the point of saying all this? You are giving me a chance by not continuing to attack. I am slowly recovering my strength now. Is that fine with you?”

As he spoke, he suddenly roared, “Come on! Hit me!”

At this moment, Kazuma had doubts about whether he could defeat this man. However, he immediately dismissed this question, afraid that it would affect his sword skill.

He had to win this fight and defeat all the yakuza members. Then, he would wake up a lackey and interrogate him about Fujii’s whereabouts!

He launched a thrust attack toward Nishikiyama with all his might!

At that instant, he saw a crazed smile on Nishikiyama’s face.

***

Nishikiyama Heita was born in an ordinary fishing village in Okinawa.

He had an ordinary pair of parents and an ordinary sister.

Initially, Nishikiyama would have grown up peacefully like any young man from a fishing village and lived off the ocean.

However, all of this changed completely when Nishikiyama was in the second year of junior high school.

Nishikiyama’s elder sister, Nishikiyama Kurage, was still in high school. One day, she went missing after school. She did not return home until nightfall.

Everyone in the fishing village where the Nishikiyama family were living went out to search for Nishikiyama Kurage.

Just a junior high school student back then, Nishikiyama had not been allowed to join the search. After all, at that time, Japan had just recovered from the war, and there was a limited number of flashlights in the Okinawa fishing village. Therefore, no one would allow a junior high school student like him to go out in the middle of the night.

However, Nishikiyama had managed to sneak out. He went to his and his sister’s “secret base.” After all, boys would always want to build a secret base for themselves.

From the secret base, he could see the American military base behind the high walls of the electric fence. From afar, young Heita could see fighter planes and transport planes taking off and landing in the base.

Nishikiyama arrived at the secret base, hoping to find his sister there. However, what he saw was his sister being humiliated by two American soldiers.

One of the American soldiers was overjoyed when he saw the stunned Nishikiyama Heita. He said something in English and stood up to walk toward him.

Nishikiyama Kurage, who was lying motionless on the ground, suddenly hugged that person’s leg and pleaded in English.

Nishikiyama was not good at English. His sister would often frown when helping him with English.

He did not know what the American soldier and his sister were talking about, but he instinctively felt fear.

Suddenly, his sister shouted at him, “Heita! Run! Don’t look back!”

Nishikiyama stood rooted to the ground. He did not understand what had happened.

In the next moment, he saw the American soldiers hit his sister on the head with a Springfield rifle until blood trickled down her face. It was not until he heard her screaming, “Run!” that he turned and ran away in fear.

That was the last time he saw his sister.

The two American soldiers were sent back to the United States for rape, violence, and murder. No, they were not punished.

At his sister’s funeral, Nishikiyama questioned his parents loudly, “How can you just let it go like this? How can this be?”

His father, who was annoyed by his questions, gave Nishikiyama a good beating.

As a fisherman, his father’s strength was terrifying. Nishikiyama still remembered the feeling of his vision going black after being slapped.

“This is life!” Nishikiyama’s father roared at him.

Not long after, Nishikiyama ran away from home.

He did not want to bow down to that bullshit life.

Never.

Therefore, even in this situation, he did not give up the chance to turn defeat into victory.

To be honest, despite the desperate situation they had faced before, the Kiryuu siblings were rather kind-hearted.

If they were members of the yakuza, they would have drawn their blades long ago. Real, sharp blades.

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As long as Nikishiyama could find the opportunity, he would knock Kiryuu Kazuma down and press him to the ground.

There was still a small knife hidden in Nishikiyama’s trousers pocket. Once he managed to suppress Kazuma, he would press the knife against his neck. That way, his sister, who cared a great deal about her brother, would be willingly captured.

Nishikiyama mobilized all his strength to stop himself from collapsing, waiting for the moment when the opportunity would arise.

He had no doubt that that moment would come.