The hospital smelled like antiseptic and steel, but that didn't stop Ryju's heart from leaping with relief.
A nurse stepped out from a room, clipboard in hand."Ryju, you can see your friends now," she said with a smile. "They've all woken up."
His eyes widened. "Actually?!"
She nodded, still smiling. "Yes, you may."
Without another word, Ryju sprinted down the corridor, heart pounding. They made it…
Inside the recovery room, the atmosphere was bittersweet. His friends were wrapped in bandages, bruised and battered—but alive.
"Hi guys," Ryju greeted them with a weak smile. "How're you feeling?"
Rei groaned. "My whole body hurts…"
"Yeah… same," Goro added, wincing as he adjusted in bed.
"I'm okay. Just sore," said Kuroyami, his voice low.
Ryju nodded. "Good to hear."
"My back hurts a lot," Shun grumbled.
"I'm horrible everywhere," Kenshiro mumbled, pulling the blanket over his head. "I wanna go home."
Ryju chuckled lightly. "Can't blame you on that one."
Just then, the door opened—and in stepped the Spiritual King, his presence commanding and calm.
"Glad to see all of you awake," he said.
Ryju bowed slightly. "Well, yeah. Me too."
The king crossed his arms. "I've pushed the challenges back five days so you all can recover."
"That's… good," Kuroyami said quietly.
Rei nodded. "Yeah…"
Ryju's eyes narrowed. "Are you going to address what happened?"
The Spiritual King's expression remained stoic. "There's nothing to address. The rules do not prohibit fighting. It's a natural part of the challenge."
Ryju clenched his fists. "I understand fighting. But he wasn't trying to fight—he was trying to kill us."
"Still, it was fighting," the king replied calmly. "People die in fights."
Frustration surged in Ryju's voice. "But he hated the weak! He wanted to kill them!"
The Spiritual King looked directly at him. "Don't get mad at me because you rushed into a fight… and you were weak."
That stung.
"But—"
"Accept fate," the king cut him off. "That's not why I came here today. You're all different from the others. If you survive and become full-fledged ninjas, I'll tell you who you really are. That's why you survived in the first place. Until then… next time."
With that, the Spiritual King turned and left the room.
"…'Who we really are?'" Ryju echoed under his breath.
"What's he talking about?" Shun asked.
"No idea," Kuroyami muttered.
"Don't care," Kenshiro grunted. "I'm going back to sleep."
"You're so boring," Rei said with a sigh. She looked at Ryju. "But seriously, don't get heated. We were weak."
"Yeah… I was the weakest," Kuroyami said softly. "I was just a burden…"
A quiet silence fell over the room. Ryju stood.
"I'm going for a walk. I need some air."
The wind was cool outside, the sky painted in soft evening hues. Ryju walked down the empty path, hands in his pockets, thoughts heavy.
Man… I was so weak. Grandpa would've never been this weak. Neither would Dad… or my brother. I've gotta get stronger somehow…
He clenched his fist, looking at his hand.
"…Actually, I need a break."
"You really do."
Ryju froze.
"…No. No way. If I turn around and it's—"
He turned.
Sitting on a branch above, legs lazily swinging, was the boy who had nearly killed them all.
"…You," Ryju breathed. "You came to finish me off?!"
The boy shrugged. "If I wanted to, I could've done it already."
Ryju stepped back, confused. "Then… why are you here?"
"Just wanted to see if your friends were okay."
Ryju's eyes narrowed. "Why would you care?! You did that to them!"
The boy tilted his head. "Because I came to finish them off."
"What?!"
A smirk tugged at the boy's lips. "Joking."
"…Not funny! I'll kill you!"
In the blink of an eye, the boy vanished—only to reappear right behind him.
"We don't want to go that route again… do we?"
So fast…!
Ryju swallowed hard. "Can I ask you something? Your name and age."
"Why?"
"So I know the name of my rival."
The boy laughed. "Funny. You think we're rivals? I could beat you in a second. But sure. I'm ten. Name's Uzuki."
"Ten… years old?" Ryju whispered. He's already that strong?!
"Is that all?"
"…Yeah."
"Good. Hope to see you in the challenges."
And with that, Uzuki vanished into the air, like mist in the wind.
Ryju didn't waste a second. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the Spiritual King's office. Breath ragged, he banged on the door.
"Come in," came the voice from inside.
Ryju burst in. "Spiritual King!"
"Don't ever bang on my door like that again," the king said coldly.
"Sorry—but it's urgent! Also… this is my first time in your office. It's so clean. The past kings' portraits are amazing—wait! Focus! The boy who attacked us—his name is Uzuki!"
The king nodded. "Uzuki Makando. That's his full name. He's from the Makando Clan—the Clan of Swords. A prodigy."
Ryju blinked. "That's insane…"
"He mastered the One Sword Style by age five," the king continued. "By nine, he was called 'The Prodigy of the Sword.'"
Ryju stared at him, shocked.
"His mother died giving birth to him," the king said softly. "Since then, he's been obsessed with being the best. And he may already be. He's mastered the Blinded Sword Style—a technique only two others in his clan have ever achieved."
Ryju leaned forward. "What's that?"
"It's a technique where the user fights without sight. Using only sound and instinct. If he hears you… you're already dead. He's the favorite to win this year's challenges. The strongest."
Ryju stood frozen for a moment.
"…Do I even stand a chance?"
He looked down at his hands. Then, slowly, clenched them into fists.
"…You know what? I do. I'm going to change that. I'll defeat him in the challenges."
The Spiritual King gave a rare smile.
"I'd love to see that."