“Senior Baihe, I want that person from this country dead!” Maniwa Koken gritted her teeth, a cold light gleaming in her beautiful eyes. Even her grandfather, Koken Ichi’fu, a legendary figure, had never struck her. Now, to be bested by someone from this country-her pride couldn’t accept it.
“Yanze, this matter seems to hold deeper implications. Perhaps this is the moment for our Koken family’s great rise,” Yuriko Yamaguchi’s eyes sparkled with determination.
“What do you mean?” Maniwa Koken looked at Yuriko Yamaguchi.
“Senior Baihe, are you suggesting that the person from this country might be…” Sakai Kina’s eyes flashed with insight.
“That person from this country is very likely the successor of the Yin-Yang Master of this country!” Yuriko Yamaguchi nodded, her sharp eyes glinting.
“The Yin-Yang Master of this country?” Maniwa Koken and Sakai Kina exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious.
“Miss, although I am reluctant to admit it, you should be aware that our ninja arts in the Great Empire were not solely our creation but were derived from the Five Elements of the Yin-Yang Master of this country during ancient times,” Yuriko Yamaguchi spoke solemnly.
Maniwa Koken bit her lip, her expression slightly troubled. This matter had been mentioned by her grandfather, Koken Ichi’fu. The fact that her cherished ninja arts were actually inherited from a place she deemed inferior made her deeply uncomfortable. However, it seemed to be an unalterable truth.
“Even though our ninja arts originated from the Yin-Yang Master of this country, after the innovations and creations of our predecessors, we have developed numerous new techniques, making them incredibly powerful. Just like you, Senior Baihe, with assassination, you can eliminate martial experts of the highest level from this country,” Maniwa Koken proclaimed.
“They are ignorant, failing to understand the importance of preserving and carrying forward their national heritage. They are like those who forget that go, tea ceremony, and flower arrangement all originated from this country. They only remember them as our go, tea ceremony, and flower arrangement!” Maniwa Koken’s voice carried a deep-seated pride and confidence. She believed that the Great Empire’s people were the most adept at learning, and eventually, those precious things would be claimed by their nation.
“I believe that our ninja arts are no different. Through the inheritance and development by our Great Empire, they have surpassed the Yin-Yang arts of this country,” Maniwa Koken’s voice resonated with pride and conviction.
However, Yuriko Yamaguchi slowly shook her head, her gaze becoming solemn. “No, Miss, you are mistaken.”
“Senior Baihe, where have I erred?” Maniwa Koken’s expression shifted to surprise.
“Miss, while what you say about go, tea ceremony, and flower arrangement is true, the people of this country lack the drive for progress and fail to understand the value of their national heritage. Therefore, our nation has glorified these arts. However, ninja arts are different,” Yuriko Yamaguchi explained.
“Ninja arts originated from the Five Elements of the Yin-Yang Master of this country, namely metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.”
“The Yin-Yang Master of this country believed that these five elements constituted the essence of the world. When the Yin-Yang arts were passed to our country, our predecessors established five types of ninjas: metal ninja, wood ninja, water ninja, fire ninja, and earth ninja.”
“Later, through the efforts of the Iga and Koka clans, we developed lightning ninjas, wind ninjas, medical ninjas, and so on.”
“Finally, after continuous learning and creation by our predecessors, we incorporated some Daoist spells, sealing techniques, and esoteric Buddhism, resulting in the ninja arts of our Great Empire today,” Yuriko Yamaguchi explained.
“Senior Baihe, I know all this. Our nation is adept at learning and creating, and our ninja arts are profound,” Maniwa Koken nodded.
“Miss, what you don’t realize is that our ninja arts are actually just…” Yuriko Yamaguchi paused, then gritted her teeth, her expression turning sour.
“Senior Baihe, just what are they?” Maniwa Koken looked at Yuriko Yamaguchi.
Yuriko Yamaguchi glanced at both Maniwa Koken and Sakai Kina, took a deep breath, and said in a grave tone, “Just some superficial aspects of the Yin-Yang arts of this country.”
“What? This…” Both Maniwa Koken and Sakai Kina’s faces displayed shock simultaneously.
Maniwa Koken had always taken pride in her individuality and prowessas a person and had always believed that their ninja arts were unparalleled in the world. However, now Yuriko Yamaguchi was claiming that their formidable ninja arts were merely superficial knowledge borrowed from the Yin-Yang Master of this country!
This reality was something Maniwa Koken simply couldn’t accept.
“Senior Baihe, is it true that our formidable ninja arts are merely superficial knowledge borrowed from the Yin-Yang arts of this country? I refuse to believe it!” Maniwa Koken raised her voice, stubbornly arguing.
Yuriko Yamaguchi sighed, her expression dim, and said, “Miss Koken, although I also find it hard to accept, this is an undeniable reality.”
“No, our ninja arts are profound and powerful. How could they be mere superficial knowledge borrowed from the people of this country? You must be mistaken!” Maniwa Koken weakly protested.
“Miss Koken, from what I know, when the Yin-Yang arts of this country were introduced, they were not complete and lacked many essential aspects. Our ninja arts are just a part of the Yin-Yang arts,” Yuriko Yamaguchi explained. “Even though our ninja arts have been innovated and improved by our predecessors, their foundation is still in the Yin-Yang arts of this country. Therefore, when faced with a true master of the Yin-Yang arts of this country, our ninjas are still no match.”
At this, a deeply repressed feeling of frustration began to swell within Maniwa Koken.
Even if their ninja arts originated from this country, after more than a thousand years of development and evolution, for Yuriko Yamaguchi to claim that they were still not a match for the Yin-Yang Master of this country seemed exaggerated to Maniwa Koken.
She had never been one to accept diminishing her own prestige for the sake of uplifting others.
“Senior Baihe, even if what you say is true and our ninja arts originated from this country, after countless years of innovation and improvement by our predecessors, our ninja arts are incomparable to the arts of the Yin-Yang Master of this country.” Maniwa Koken bit her lip, speaking with determination.
Yuriko Yamaguchi understood Maniwa Koken’s stubbornness and pride. She sighed once more and said, “Miss, to be honest, twenty years ago, I held the same beliefs as you, but now…”
“Senior Baihe, what happened twenty years ago?” Sakai Kina couldn’t help but ask.
Like Maniwa Koken, Sakai Kina didn’t agree with Yuriko Yamaguchi’s assertion that the ninja arts were inferior to the arts of the Yin-Yang Master of this country.