Far Far Away arc commences

Two days later

September 17th, evening

A village located outside of Oita city was where Fukashi Sugo, the greatest swordsman of all time, and his wife, Himeno, decided to reside after they left their old past to live a peaceful life and raise their child to become one of the strongest swordsmen. The civilians welcomed the former swordsman and made them feel suited in the village as a way to thank the two for protecting the public from killer maniacs. Ever since they’ve moved in, they’ve been undisturbed for 17 years. The Sugo family assisted in bringing a Public Safety in the village to provide training for those who wish to become swordsmen, and happily lived as farmers.

Hashimoto wiped the sweat off his forehead, a job well done for helping as he looked at the boxes of crops he placed right outside of Uncle Ren’s home.

“Hey Uncle, I harvested the crops you needed for tomorrow! Need me to stock them up in your shop?” Hashimoto called out to his uncle, who’s currently in his home.

“Oh no you don’t need to do anything else! No need to exhaust yourself; you still need to recover after that mission.” Uncle Ren responded loudly which made Hashimoto tilt his head to the side.

“C’mon, the job wasn’t that tiring,” he scoffed, shaking his head while wondering how he knew about his mission. “Let me guess, my father told you about the mission?” He knew the answer anyway but wanted to double-check. Uncle Ren is enigmatic after all, since he knows about everyone living in the village.

The uncle nodded, “Yesterday, while I was out of the village, he continuously spammed messages telling me how glorious you were.” The uncle swung the door wide open to invite the boy in. “You should be content to have a father with such enthusiasm towards your future career. It applies to everyone that has met him; he’s a great chap.”

“I’m very grateful to have him as a father, of course, especially being the son of the greatest swordsman! He and my mother helped in leading me on the path to becoming a great swordsman,” Hashimoto said gladly, stretching his arms over his head whilst walking into his Uncle’s home and checking out the well furnished living room. “You really should let me help you out, Uncle, it’s more important for you to relax.”

“Don’t worry about it, trust me. Need any pocket money from your uncle?” he wondered, it seemed like Hashimoto wanted to work for money. The uncle sweeped the dust off the floor with his broom, making sure the place remained clean all the time.

“I’m fine for now, thanks. Besides, there isn’t anything to spend on other than sweets,” Hashimoto acknowledged.

“It’ll be wise to save up for something special in the future. If it were you speaking to your father about it, he would’ve told you to save up for a valuable ring for your future wife,” Uncle Ren chuckled at his own joke. He recollected his memory: a reminder to pass on the message to Hashimoto. “Oh right! I must not hold you back for any longer. I remember your mother asked me to inform you to get back home whenever you can,” the uncle said, simultaneously winking and smirking.

“Oh? What does she need?”

“Now go, shoo! No wasting time by asking questions, thanks again for your help!” He smacked Hashimoto’s bottom with his broom.

“Okay, okay! I’ll see you later!” Hashimoto laughed, as he exited his uncle’s home, speed walking his way to his home.

“You better come back to me tonight!” Uncle Ren waved with a smile, then mumbled out words to himself. “That boy’s gonna be one superb fighter.”

—

Hashimoto wandered through the street surrounded by stores and houses, waving at civilians who acknowledged his presence. He thought to himself: his mother must have some things for him to take care of if she wanted him back home early. He didn’t think it was that urgent. If it were, his father would’ve been dashing through streets calling for him.

Hashimoto saw his group of friends chatting and standing under a shelter. As he approached them, one of them turned their head to face him.

“Oh Hashimoto!” The long white haired female with bangs named Aina waved at him. The other two brightened up with joy: Fumiko, with caramel-coloured tomboy hair, and Hanzo, with long raven black hair tied up in a ponytail.

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“I heard your mission was hard! Tell us everything that happe-” Hanzo’s mouth was cupped by Aina’s hand as she remembered Himeno’s message: “If you see Hashimoto around, tell him his mom needs him back home.” They couldn’t risk wasting a bit of Hashimoto’s time by slipping in a couple chats.

“Oi!” Aina leaned to Hanzo's ear and whispered. “We can’t waste his time right now, his mom wants him back home so we can prepare for the celebration.”

“O-Oh right!” Hanzo whispered back, clearing his throat. “I’d be happy to hear how the mission went, but your mom told us to tell you to get back home early today, she hasn’t told us the reason why but it could be urgent!” Fumiko pulled Hanzo from the back of his collar as they walked away. Aina was left there with Hashimoto, gave him a nice smile and said: “We’ll talk later!” before she made her exit.

“We’ll see you later Hashimoto!” Fumiko waved her hand in the air. Hashimoto was left puzzled after being told the same thing for the second time as the group jogged away. If they conversed with him, one of them might’ve accidentally spoiled the surprise.

“Is it that urgent for my mother wanting me back home early?” He asked himself, wandering through his thoughts conjecturing about what it may be. He set aside his confusion and returned back to his journey. What could his mother want during this time of day?

—

The parents settled in their home with excitement hidden under their plain expressions. Fukashi seemed to have trouble holding the surprise to himself whilst meditating on the couch, even though he’s informed the entire village about their plan. Himeno occupied herself with stacking plates and bowls for tonight, which helped her feel like time was flowing by quickly.

“Ughh, why does it feel so slow today?” Fukashi groaned, finishing with his meditation and moving both arms over the couch. Himeno let out a small laugh before turning to look at her husband.

“Usually when you're waiting for something that’s been on your mind for a while, time feels way slower than usual.” Himeno fed him with a fact.

“Then I’ll forget about the surprise!” Fukashi announced.

“It's not so easy to do so, dear,” her sentence left her mouth right before Hashimoto welcomed himself in.

“There you are, my brave little swordsman!” Himeno left whatever she was doing to rush over to her son to wrap her arms around him. “You took longer than you should’ve!”

“Sorry, Mother. It was pretty recent when Uncle and my friends told me to get back home.” Hashimoto returned a hug back at her.

“What did I tell you about calling us ‘father’ and ‘mother’ the other day? You're growing up, meaning you shouldn’t be very formal,” Fukashi chuckled before he stood from the couch to stretch. “You can also just call us by our name,” he suggested.

“Okay then, Fukashi,” Hashimoto said, following what his father said. Fukashi immediately regretted it; it was odd for his son to call him by his first name.

“Nevermind, I’m not used to you calling me by my first name,” Fukashi said, declining his own request. “Anyways sweetheart, aren’t you gonna tell him?”

Himeno nodded and faced her son, “You’ve got a big day ahead of you tomorrow, why don’t you head to bed early?”

“Do I have another mission to take on?” Hashimoto asked.

“Yes, dear,” she lied, needing to disguise the big surprise they planned to reveal later tonight. “It’ll be a memorable one as well, that’s why you need to sleep in early so you won’t miss a moment of it!” she kissed his forehead before letting him go.

Fukashi went over and pulled the two with each arm around them. “Hey don’t forget about me! Wifey, gimme a kiss toooo?” Fukashi pouted. Himeno slapped him across his face.

“Don’t pout at me, you’re a grown man!” she said, leaning up to kiss the florid cheek she slapped. “Now you better get your ass to sleep as well. You’ve been staying up late which isn’t good for your routine you’ve been following for years.”

“I’ve only stayed up late for a couple days, it hasn’t affected me! Besides, I’ve been doing extra meditation to make up for it,” Fukashi protested before ruffling Hashimoto's hair as he looked at him. “Get some good rest before your mission,” he winked before letting them go. He couldn’t hide his excitement as he cheerfully walked up the stairs. “Goodnight, honey! Goodnight, Hashimoto!” he yelled from the top of the staircase. Both Himeno and Hashimoto rolled their eyes before laughing.

“He always acts childish whenever I’ve got a mission to take,” Hashimoto said after laughing.

“You are his son after all. Anyone would be jumping over the moon when watching their child grow up to be an adventurous swordsman!” Himeno smiled before she returned back to her preparations.

“Tomorrow’s a day you should never forget, so have a good night dear,” she said with a smile, waving at Hashimoto as he walked up the stairs and headed to his bedroom. He was greeted by the sunset illuminating his room, shining a golden glow over the interior. He gazed outside, watching over the village he was raised in with many others that became his close friends. He pulled in the curtains to darken his room, slipped one foot under the blanket before the rest of his body joined in, and moved his body to lay on his side before drooping his eyelids shut.

11:56pm

4 minutes before the ceremony

Civilians were outside decorating the streets with coloured ribbons, setting up homemade cooking on benches, and illuminating every corner of the houses with luminous lanterns. Himeno was near finishing up her cooking while Fukashi and Hashimoto remained in their beds. Everyone in the village had contributed to the ceremony as it was a big moment to reveal Hashimoto’s acceptance from the biggest Public Safety of Japan. Civilians gathered around the Sugo family’s house as the silence grew louder among them.

—

A figure made out of dark mist stood on the Public Safety building located in the center of the village, wielding a katana in each hand. His populous golden eyes surveyed the village. He raised his left hand in the air, the tip of the blade facing the abyssal sky, glowing brighter as lightning ripped through the clouds before striking down on the metal rod. The ground shook, and disturbed the silence with an echoing roar through the atmosphere, signaling danger upon the village. Agonizing screeches filled the sky as civilians dropped dead by unknown swordsmen.

Hashimoto jumped out of his sleep once lightning struck. He pulled the curtains open to witness the massacre out of his window. His eyes widened as he fixated on the shadow man on the Public Safety building before it bolted in thin air. His electric glow returned, seen zapping between houses as he set them ablaze. Hashimoto wasn’t able to process the speed of the enemy, nor was able to understand what the hell was going on. He couldn’t waste anymore time. He grabbed his katana from under the bed and hurled through the glass window, which shattered. The shadowy figure appeared in front of his eyes, slitting several civilians’ throats from a swing, with each katana painted red. His neck twisted to face Hashimoto whilst they're a couple meters away from each other. The unknown enemy squinted and raised his blade to point at the boy in pajamas, finally verbalizing ominously:

“You’re the son of the greatest Hashishin in Japan, right?”