Promise #6 Your Family Will Receive All The Honor

The darkness encroached around Shizu, leaving a small light beaming down from above onto the three men sitting in large throne-like seats in front of her. Another singular beam focused on her. She shifted, unsure if the report she gave to the masked shinobi made it to the clan before her meeting. She bowed before them as the kitsune instructed her and remained silent.

Shizu stood in front of three men in light-blue sleeveless jackets. The clothing gave their shoulders a broad appearance as it flared out. The jacket folded in on itself over a pair of hakama pants. Underneath they had black long-sleeved shirts.

The three wore straw sakkats with a white cloth that came down that hid their faces. Each cloth had a different symbol in the same writing she couldn’t read. They held no visible weapons on them, but even she was trained in hidden weaponry. They were masters in the craft of ninjutsu, so she never questioned how well-equipped they were. If she said or did anything to displease them, she would be cut down on the spot.

Two of them tapped their fingers rhythmically against the arm of their chairs. The master on the left stood stoically, like a statue incapable of collapsing to anyone’s whim.

“You have trained with the kitsune for four years and proven yourself worthy of their tests,” the master on the left announced.

“Yes, master.” Shizu lifted her head.

The one in the middle leaned forward. “You claim the priest at the shrine attempted to kill you?”

Shizu swayed. “I believe he did. When he learned who I was.”

“And what did you tell him?” the third asked.

“I told him my name was Shizu and I was new to the village.”

“You didn’t tell him about your past?”

Shizu shook her head. “That was all that happened.”

The three nodded and looked at each other. Their voices dropped to a whisper. Behind them was a slight movement like cloth fluttering in the wind. High above stood a multitude of shinobi who wore a mask of some sort to hide their identity from her. A few leaned over the railing that separated them from the room to get a better view of her.

Finally, the three turned and looked at Shizu. They nodded in unison. “You have trained well under the kitsune and survived an assassination attempt. Along with this, you kept our secrets without the knowledge that it would mean death if they were revealed.” The voice echoed across the room, making it impossible to tell who was speaking.

“Tonight, you will be reborn as part of the clan. Tonight, you are no longer just Shizu, but rather Shizuoka No Hikage. For you are the shade of Shizu and a member of our clan.”

The room erupted in claps. Shizu jumped at the sound. Lanterns lit up faces high above her in the lofts. She squinted up in the new brilliance and could no longer count the number of shinobi that stared down at her. Far more than the darkness had led her to believe. Many left immediately without a second glance in her direction, leaving a select few still cheering.

She had survived the training from the kitsune, and now her life as an adult and shinobi would begin. Shizu wanted to be proud, to scream with excitement as the others. Instead, a cold dread dug into her bones. This was her tomb.

The master on the left stood up and walked toward Shizu. He removed his sakkat. Wrinkles creased at his eyes and lines drooped from the corners of his face, putting him in a perpetual frown. His gaze gleamed in delight at her welcoming. Nothing like the kitsune who was unfriendly and cold. His entire essence was a combination of age, wisdom, and rage that never burned away.

“From today on, you will be training with me.”

Shizu bowed to her new master. “Arigatou, sensei. I will continue to honor you and the clan.”

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Good. Come,” he said and glided to the side of the room.

The cacophony of cheering subsided, leaving the sound of footsteps echoing above as the only sign of others still surrounding her. Shizu followed her new master. His footsteps far outreached hers as she kept pace with him. The adrenaline from a moment ago drained from her feet.

She slowed as they reached the far wall. He walked through as if there was an opening, his body disappearing past the bricks. Shizu reached out and touched the wall. The cool bricks passed by her fingertips like ever-flowing water. It rippled as she drew her hand back out.

“Catch up!” the master called out to her.

Shizu blushed at the order, embarrassed at her amazement. She held her breath and stepped forward. Her body slipped through with ease as the rushing sound of water passed through her ears. When she came out the other end she was as dry as when she entered. Shizu looked back at the wall they passed through. Instead of the bricks, it was an open doorway into the large room beyond. She thrust her hand back through. The feeling of water still lingered but the rippling didn’t show itself.

She turned back to the hallway. Her master stood a few paces ahead, illuminated by dimly lit torches dotting the walls. They danced across his face, giving him an air of danger. His eyes glinted with the reflection of the flame. He tilted his head to indicate for her to catch up, turned, and continued down the hall.

“Starting tonight you will take on new duties,” he said, not looking to see if she had gotten close enough to hear or not.

She wondered if that would be how things always would be. If she was there, she would know, but if not, there was nothing that could be done. The kitsune had taught her enough about what happened if she didn’t pay attention to instructions.

“Your first duty is to your room. Keep it clean and organized at all times. You will be sharing it with others.”

“Others?” She had grown accustomed to having a room to herself with the kitsune. She was alone then. Others meant company that perhaps wouldn’t be focused on her training. The thought of the girls from the village flashed into her mind. She smiled, wanting to see who these others were.

He looked down at her with scorn. “The others under my tutelage. Each of them is lower rank just like yourself. You will need to earn your keep. We provided the funding for the kitsune to feed you for four years. Now you must find ways to pay that back along with your current living arrangements.”

Shizu couldn’t imagine how much that would cost. During her training, the kitsune gave her a basic understanding of commerce. To repay all her training, it would take an entire room filled with stacks of coins to compensate for everything. She didn’t fully grasp the worth of each coin yet or the full use. She hoped there would be time to learn from them before she slipped into a mistake in front of her master.

He didn’t pay attention to Shizu’s lack of focus and continued. “Your elders in our family will tell you what chores you will have beyond keeping your space clean. Once those have been dispersed, you will begin training.”

“Sensei, wasn’t I just welcomed into the clan? Didn’t I prove I was trained enough?” She hadn’t expected more of the training to continue now that she was a shinobi.

The master raised an eyebrow. “Do you think you are equal to me in mastering the arts of the shadows?”

Shizu shook her head.

“Then you continue training. Each of the three families excels in different trades. One in assassinations and messages while the other in the battlefield.” Something twinged at the corner of their mouth as he mentioned the other families. “We’re separate from them.”