I jolted awake and quickly grabbed my knife. I faced the rest of my bedroom as my heartbeat pulsed within me. I looked around the room as I studied the sunlight coming through the window. I settled my breath as I lowered the knife before making my way to the window. I opened the curtain as the sunlight beamed me in the face. I winced as I dropped the curtain, letting it fall back into place. I rubbed the sleep out of my eye as a patting of footsteps came from down the hall. I quickly whipped around as I threw the knife. "Woah!" a familiar voice said, as a shadow jumped back from the door. My eyes now were wide as my body started to shake. I fisted my hands as the footsteps started back up again, then Toshiiee looked through the doorway. "Nice one Harp," he said, as I gasped and pressed both my hands to my mouth. "Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry," I said, as I started to tear up. Toshiie brought his hand up as he approached. "It's ok Harper, it's just me. There are no more tests," he said, as he wrapped me in a hug. I buried my face in his chest. "I'm sorry," I said, as I tried not to cry. "It's alright Harp. Everyone is safe," he reassured me. I pulled away from him as I whipped my cheek. "I guess you are still shaken up about that test last night. It was impressive," he said, as I walked out of the room. I picked up the knife and put it back on the nightstand. "It really did a lot on my sleep. I felt like I couldn't sleep after," I said, as Toshiiee chuckled. "Harp, you slept great after. Seeing how I carried you back to bed," he said, as I looked up at him. "I felt like I didn't get enough," I said, with a yawn. "That could be because you crashed," he said, as I stretched. I yawned again as Toshiiee put the knife back in its holder. "Did you sleep with it last night?" he asked as I shook my head. "I found it on the nightstand when I woke up," I said, as I rummaged through my closet for a clean set of clothes. Toshiie chuckled. "Still on guard?" he asked, as I shook my head. "Not really. I didn't have trouble after that," I said as I pulled out another hoodie. Toshiie placed the knife back on my nightstand. I pulled out a black teeshirt and found a pair of jeans to go with it. I grabbed a pair of socks as I placed the outfit on the bed. Toshiie watched me for a few moments then started to turn. "Breakfast will be ready shortly. We're eating in the meeting room," he said, as I nodded. "All right. I'll be there once I'm ready," I said, as Toshiiee exited the room.
I sighed as I changed into the fresh clothes that I found, then ran a brush through my hair. I threw on my sneakers as I left the room and followed Toshiie down the hallway. Another set of footsteps approached as Tokuichi came from behind me. The monkey jumped on my shoulder, then wrapped his entire body around me. "Good morning," I said, as I scratched his chin. Tokuichi bent his head towards me when I scratched it, then straightened his back and curled his tail around my neck. I looked from Tokuichi to the window to study the sun again. It seemed brighter than usual with a pinkish-blue sky that turned bluer the higher the sun rose. The yard didn't really change, except for a round target in the middle of it. I took a deep breath as I studied it. It was round with a couple of circles painted in the middle. A filled-in dot was the first one, which was located directly in the center. Around it was an extended ring that was thinner than the circle, but wasn't as thin as the third. The third circle was a ring around the whole thing. The target stood on three small posts, leaning up more towards the sky. I took a deep breath. "That must be the target they were talking about," I said, as I stood and headed more towards the meeting room.
I managed to get to the meeting room quicker than I thought I would, seeing how I was trying to fight the urge to fall back asleep. I heard voices chatter beyond the door which got louder as I approached. Tokuichi sat patiently on my shoulder as he eventually wrapped his tail around my neck to hold himself if he fell. An uproar of laughter burst through the door as I took a yawn. I opened the door and entered the room quietly to not disturb the conversation. It died down a little as I closed the door. "Morning," I said, as I walked over to an empty seat next to dad. "Morning Harp. You sleep better the rest of the night?" Dad asked as I shrugged. "Yeah. I defiantly crashed when I got to bed," I admitted as I started at my plate. "Sorry for the heart attack last night, Harper," Yukimura said from across the room. He was seated on the other end of the table, with the rest of the Sanada army. I shook my head. "No, that's alright. It was a good test," I said, as Dad chuckled. "Now we know where you are at already, which will be helpful with the training. Maybe we should do it every once in a while," he said as I went to my plate. I ate without saying a word due to still trying to wake up. Yukimura looked at dad. "You're going to have to let us know," he said, as dad nodded. "Oh, we'll keep you informed," he said, as I just ignored the conversation.
"I can't believe how good she is with only one day of training," Nobuyuki said, as Sasuke turned to him. "I'd say she's more than just good," he said, as I lowered my head in embarrassment. I looked in my lap as Tokuichi jumped in it and examined my plate for a banana. He squinted his face before leaving. "Like I said last night, maybe she should train you," Yukimura said with a laugh. I looked up as I continued to eat. Sasuke jumped a bit before he responded. "No, it's alright," he said, as Saizou chuckled. "We could run the same test on him," he said as he turned to Yukimura. I brought my hand up to my face as I hid the laughter from his response. Dad chuckled. "Harper will be a great warrior someday. And a possible leader too," he said, as he shot me a big grin. I took a deep breath. "I need a lot more training before that happens," I said, as dad chuckled again. "I'm meaning when you're older. You need to be ready for battle before anything," he said, as I looked at my plate. "I'll practice and try to get better," I said, as Tokuichi curled up in my lap. I put down my fork to scratch his ear before eating again. Dad cracked a smile. "We'll train you well, then put you to the test," he said, with a little chuckle.
I cracked a smile. "I'll look forward to it," I said as I took my next bite. Yukimura turned to dad. "Do you have an idea of what fighting style she uses yet?" he asked as dad nodded. "Harp uses reactions," Dad said with a smile. Yukimura took another bite of food. "Kinda figured," he said, as I took a deep breath. "Again, I'm so sorry for that," I said, as Yukimura shook his head. "Don't be. It's a good way to fight. Especially how everything is now," he said, as I looked from him to dad in confusion. I tilted my head as I thought to myself. Yukimura studied me, puzzled himself. I turned to dad. "Is he talking about the fight with the Oda army?" I asked as dad nodded. "Yes. He is," he said, as I went back to eating. Yukimura turned to dad in shock. "She knows?" he asked, as dad looked up. I studied him nervously. "Partly. She knows about the Oda army. But not the others," he explained. I cocked my head in confusion. "There's more than the three?" I asked as dad nodded. "There's six in all," he said, as my eyes grew shocked. "Six?" I asked confused. Dad nodded. "Yes Harp," he said, as Yukimura turned to me. "And their not all friendly like us, so be careful when exploring the world," he said, as chuckling erupted from across the room. "You should be warning others about Harp. She's tough for a teenager," Toshiiee said, as I finished my breakfast. "Thank you for the meal. I think I'm going to try out the target," I said, as I stood and started to head out of the room. "Practice hard," dad said, as I walked out of the room completely.
....
I took a few hours of practicing with the knife. I quickly threw it towards the target as it just fell below the circles. It fell on the ground before the target for the fiftieth time. I huffed as I walked over and picked it up. I studied the target as I walked back to my position and tried again. Same result. I huffed as I crossed my arms in thought. Why can't I get it right? I decided to pick up the knife and tried again. I rubbed my head as I thought to myself. "Maybe I need a target that attacks me," I said to myself as I walked over to grab the knife again. Footsteps approached behind me as I quickly turned and almost threw the knife at Saizo, who jumped out of the way. I jumped. "Sorry," I said, as he shook his head. "No that's fine," he said, picking up the knife. He held the blade as he handed it to me. "Thanks," I said, as I took it by the handle and tried again. The knife flew and then dropped in front of the target. I huffed. "Frustrated?" he asked as I shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'm trying to aim for the middle but I can't get it right," I said while placing my hands on my hips. Saizo looked at the knife. "May I see your knife for a moment?" he asked, as I turned to him. "Sure," I said, as I handed him the knife. He took it by the handle as he examined it carefully, then laughed.
"Why this knife?" he asked, as I shrugged. "I'm not sure. It was the weapon they started me on," I said, as Saizo chuckled. "You aren't going to get far in training with this," he said as he reached in his pocket and pulled out another knife. He examined it himself, putting the blade to the sky and turning it left and right. "Try this. But be careful, the blade is thin and sharp," he said as he handed me the new knife. I took the knife as I examine it. It was a smaller weapon. The handle was as big as a pairing knife, with a blade that was similar to a sword. The blade was thin as paper, discussing the sharper edge. I bent the knife in many directions, then bounced it in my hand. "It's lighter," I said, as he cracked a smile. "It's specifically for throwing like this. You've been using a hunting knife, which is more for cutting branches off trees," he explained as I looked at the knife again.
"Alright, Harper. Now you hold the knife like this," he said, as he demonstrated with mine. He chucked it up in the air as he caught it by the blade. He held it in between his index finger and his middle finger. Without chucking it, I placed the knife in the same position. "Like this?" I asked as he nodded. Footsteps came up behind us but I was too focused to see who it was. "Perfect. Now, just throw the knife a little like this," he said, as he demonstrated with mine. Mine went up to the bottom of the target and bounced off. "Like that, only aim for the middle," he said, with a laugh. I made sure the knife was in the right position, then I threw it. It zoomed in the air, then stuck right in the middle of the target. "Like that?" I asked as he nodded. "Perfect. I think you're going to be great at this," he said, as laughter grew from behind us. "She might end up better than you, Saizou," Yukimura said, as I turned around. Yukimura was leaning himself over the railing of the wall in front of him. He rested his arms on the front of them to stable himself. I turned to look at Saizo, who returned with the knife. "Alright, try to go a tad bit faster this time," he said as I looked at the target. I took a deep breath as I flew it, getting the same result. I shrugged. "It's not better," I said, as Saizo watched me pick up the knife again.
"Let's try one last time," he said as I let out a low huff. I stood in the same position as I threw it. It was a little better this time, but not perfect. I took a deep breath. "Maybe a throwing knife isn't the right weapon," I said as I walked up to it. I went to turn as Yukimura's voice stopped me. "Wait, Harper. Don't turn around yet," he said, as I studied the target. I started to turn to look. "Wait, Harper. Study the target again," he said, as I gave him a look before doing as he requested. "Alright, what's this about?" I asked as Yukimura sighed. "Alright. Just focus on sounds right now and don't turn," he said, as I held the knife. I did as he said. I stood there quietly as I listened to the still air. It went completely silent. I lifted my head up as I looked at Saizo, who studied me quietly. I didn't hear anything for a few moments. Then a crack was heard from behind.
I jolted my head up as I turned around and threw the knife by the blade. It flew in the air, stabbing itself into a post right next to Yukimura's head. He cracked a smile shortly after. "Perfect," he said, as my eyes went wide. "Are you alright?" I asked as I ran up to him. He nodded. "Perfectly fine. You just need a moving target to practice on. That target over there would be more for a bow," he said, as I studied the target. "Should I try something else with it?" I asked as Yukimura stood more comfortably. "Try focusing more on what your throwing at and less on what your throwing," he said, as I turned to look at the target again. I nodded. "Focus on the target. Got it," I said, as I held the knife. Saizo jumped over the railing as he approached us more. "Try holding it by the smooth edge of the blade. It'll easily slip out of your hand when you throw," he said as I nodded. "Got it," I said, as I looked down. I put the knife the way he suggested. I hesitated for a moment, then ended up getting a better grip. "Alright, try again," Yukimura said as I looked at the target again.
I waited for a moment to get a focus, then threw the knife. It flung in the air and bounced off the target, landing on the ground. I huffed. "Is it always this hard?" I asked calmly as Yukimura sighed. "Maybe if we took you into the woods. Would your dad let you leave the house?" he asked as I shrugged. "I don't really know. I've been doing fine but he hasn't said if I could yet," I said, as Yukimura looked at the target again. "Well, keep up the good work and I'll see if we can take you somewhere. I have an idea that might work," he said, as he started to walk away. I watched him leave before huffing. I heard a slight rubbing sound as I shot my head up. Quickly, I flung the knife as the blade stuck in the dead center. "There we go," Saizo said, as I looked at him. "I could've stabbed you," I said, as he chuckled. "But you hit the target perfectly," he said, pointing to where the knife was at. Dead in the center of it. I cracked a smile. "But it didn't hit you at all?" I asked as he tilted his head to the side. "Well, you almost did. But you got a perfect center," he said, as he rolled the target. I laughed. "I wasn't expecting it to roll," I said as I completely walked up to him. "But it's still in the middle," he said, with a smile. I looked at the target as I pulled the knife out. "Yeah, it was a better shot," I said, as Saizo chuckled. "Would you wanna try me rolling it?" he asked as I looked at the target. "We can try. I don't think it'll be easy," I said, as Saizo laughed. "Training isn't supposed to be easy Harper. That's why we train," he said, as I chuckled. "You got a point there," I said, as I started to walk back to my spot. "You prepare then let me know when to roll it," he said as I nodded. "Alright," I said, as I continued to walk back to my spot.