ShadowSword

The soft hum of the night settled over the village as the scattered trainees slowly . After the final announcements, a few of the last to return were now standing awkwardly in the narrow corridor just outside the lodging quarters.

Akito blinked, spotting a familiar figure.

"Oh, you came back," he said, arms crossed. "Took you long enough, didn't you?"

Sumiyoshi scratched his head and chuckled lightly.

"Yeah... That damn sword," he muttered.

Before he could finish his sentence, two more voices joined in — one soft, one loud.

"Oh, we're all in the same team?" said Yuzuki, her voice a bit sarcastic but amused.

"I guess this is fate," added Rukito, beaming cluelessly.

Rukito was hard to miss — not because of his looks, but because he heard everything way too loudly.

"HELLO! I AM RUKITO!" he shouted unnecessarily, making everyone flinch slightly.

Yuzuki rolled her eyes and introduced herself in a more normal tone, "I'm Yuzuki. Nice to meet you, I guess. We're all slowpokes, huh?"

Sumiyoshi gave a small bow. "Sumiyoshi... just Sumiyoshi."

That's when Captain Rikuya appeared from the shadows, arms behind his back and a stern look on his face.

"You all took your sweet time," he said dryly. "So this team is formed based on one factor — the number of days you took to complete your training."

Everyone stared in silence.

"Rukito — 31 days.

Yuzuki — 35 days.

Akito — 36 days.

And Sumiyoshi..." he paused, "42 days."

Sumiyoshi internally winced. It was only because I spent three days just trying to find the village again... But he stayed silent. There was no way he was going to say that out loud.

Captain Rikuya continued, "Tomorrow morning — before sunrise — report at the training ground behind the small graveyard. Don't be late."

He turned away, and without giving them a chance to react, added, "Eat well. Sleep early. You'll need it."

The captain disappeared into the darkness like a ghost.

A long silence followed.

"...Did he just say 'graveyard'?" Yuzuki muttered, her eyes wide.

"This can't be real," groaned Akito. "We're the first ones to go on a mission? Has Mr. Kuroda gone mad?"

"He's lost his mind, clearly," said Yuzuki.

Rukito, who only heard half of it, tilted his head. "Who died?"

"NO ONE DIED!" Yuzuki and Akito yelled together, exasperated.

Scene: The Bonfire Chat

Later that night, the group gathered outside near a small clearing. A crackling bonfire lit their tired faces as they sipped steaming soup from wooden bowls. The stars above blinked silently.

Yuzuki stirred her soup absentmindedly before looking at Sumiyoshi.

"So... your parents?" she asked gently.

Sumiyoshi stared into the flames. "I don't know exactly how they died... But I know one thing for sure — it was that damn spirit."

A pause. The flames flickered in the silence.

Akito looked up at the sky. "My mom's alive... barely. Her condition's really bad."

Rukito, slurping loudly, turned to him and asked innocently, "Oh? How did she die then? Do you know?"

Akito spilled some of his soup. "You idiot! I said she's alive!"

"Oh," Rukito blinked, genuinely confused. "My bad."

Sumiyoshi rubbed his temples. "This is going to be a long mission..."

They all laughed — not because it was funny, but because it was the only way to make the night feel lighter. The fire crackled, the warmth fighting off the night chill.

And beneath the stars, Team C — the misfit team of the slowest trainees — unknowingly began a journey that would test them more than anyone else.

The night grew quiet.

Tomorrow, the graveyard awaited.

The sun had yet to peek over the hills when the chill of dawn wrapped the village in silence. A gentle wind swayed the leaves near the old graveyard. The air smelled of dew, smoke, and something else... doom.

Team C—Sumiyoshi, Akito, Yuzuki, and Rukito—dragged themselves toward the training ground like condemned prisoners. Their eyes were still half-closed. Their feet? Barely lifting.

Yuzuki yawned, barely able to form words.

"I think... I forgot how to walk," she mumbled.

Sumiyoshi blinked slowly. "I forgot why I joined this in the first place."

Akito groaned, "Can I just sleep right here?"

Suddenly—

"You're late," a deep voice echoed through the quiet. All heads jerked up.

Standing tall—already drenched in sweat, hair tied, arms crossed, and jaw clenched—was Captain Rikuya. His sleeveless uniform clung to his muscular frame. He had clearly been training before the sun even rose.

"Y-you're already sweating?" Yuzuki muttered under her breath.

"Is he... human?" Sumiyoshi blinked in disbelief.

"Warm-up," the Captain announced.

They expected jumping jacks. Maybe stretches. But what followed made their souls cry.

"100 push-ups. 100 sit-ups. 2 km dash around the graveyard's perimeter. Then 50 squats with logs. That's just warm-up. Start now."

The four stared blankly at him.

Akito squinted. "Warm-up for what? Death?"

"NOW!" Rikuya barked.

They jumped.

0:00 – Push-Ups Begin

They dropped to the grass.

1... 2... 3...

At first, it was bearable. Akito and Sumiyoshi, both fairly lean, started confidently. Yuzuki tried to match them, gritting her teeth. Rukito, however, trembled on the first push.

15...

Akito: "Okay... not that bad—"

20...

Sumiyoshi: "Just like training... I can do this."

27...

Yuzuki: "This grass is wet. And my arms... are noodles."

32...

Rukito's voice: "Captain... what if I do 20 now and 80 later?"

36...

Akito groaned, shoulders giving out.

Sumiyoshi's arms began to shake.

43... Yuzuki dropped onto the ground.

50... Sumiyoshi collapsed face-first.

51... Akito cursed under his breath.

Captain Rikuya: "If your arms can't hold you up, how will they hold a dying comrade?"

They gritted their teeth. Pride burned more than their shoulders.

Sumiyoshi forced himself up.

"I am... not dying... on push-ups."

6:00 – Sit-Ups Start

Yuzuki dragged herself over, groaning.

Rukito was already lying flat. "Wake me when it's over."

Sumiyoshi held his knees and began.

1... 2...

Akito pulled on his hoodie's collar. "I think my spine is crying."

12...

Yuzuki shouted, "This isn't training, it's war crimes!"

25... 30...

They began to sweat profusely. Breath heaving. Grass stuck to their faces.

Rukito only managed 8 before rolling over.

"I'll just tone my stomach spiritually."

Captain Rikuya walked past. "Only corpses lie down during battle."

Rukito whimpered.

Sumiyoshi reached 55 before groaning in agony.

Akito paused at 60, face red, eyes wild.

Yuzuki was mumbling numbers.

"81... 62... wait... was that 39?"

12:30 – 2 km Graveyard Run

"Go," Rikuya commanded, pointing toward the forest.

Their legs felt like iron rods. But they ran.

Kind of.

Akito sprinted ahead for the first 10 seconds.

Yuzuki followed, then stopped. "Are we supposed to die in the graveyard or just pass by it?"

Sumiyoshi's knees buckled as he reached the first turn.

Sweat dripped from their faces. Their breath turned raspy.

They ran past crow statues, wooden prayer shrines, old spirit graves.

Every step echoed pain.

Akito tripped over a tree root and lay in the dirt.

"Go on... tell my mom I died trying."

Sumiyoshi looked down at him. "I will. And I'll tell her you ran like a hero."

Yuzuki: "Liar! He ran like a chicken!"

Rukito: Why? me? you are running like a chicken

Yuzuki(anger): Not you. 

Halfway through, they stopped. Leaned on trees. Gasped. Vomited. Cursed the gods.

But still—they walked. Jogged. Crawled.

By the time they reached the field again, 25 minutes had passed.

25:00 – 50 Log Squats

Captain pointed at four large logs set nearby.

Each one looked heavier than Rukito's willpower.

"Lift. Squat."

Sumiyoshi blinked at it. "We're supposed to hold this... and bend?"

Rukito muttered, "I'll die. I'll actually die."

Sumiyoshi lifted first. The log pressed down on his shoulders like the weight of fate.

1... 2...

The burn in his thighs was instant.

Yuzuki lifted hers, legs already shaking.

Akito's back cracked loudly.

Rukito's log rolled off his shoulder. "Nope. I'm done."

10 squats in, Sumiyoshi screamed.

20 in, Akito's eyes glazed over.

30... Yuzuki bit her lip so hard it bled.

40... Rukito finally lifted his log.

50...

They fell.

Flat.

Silent.

Dead to the world.

Thirty Minutes Later...

All four were flat on the ground. Panting. Drenched in sweat. Moaning in pain.

Yuzuki lay like a fallen leaf.

"My legs... they've divorced me," she groaned.

Sumiyoshi stared at the sky. "This must be the spirit's curse. No other explanation."

Akito looked ready to cry. Rukito was upside down, legs twitching.

Just then, two members of Team B were walking past, watching the scene.

One of them laughed, nudging the other, "I think Captain Rikuya's gonna kill 'em before the spirit does."

The other chuckled, "Guess that's one way to thin the weak."

Captain Rikuya stood above Team C, frowning.

"You... collapsed after warm-up?" he said in disbelief. "I've had seventy-year-old farmers survive more than this."

Rukito muttered weakly, "Captain... I think I'm not a lean..."

Captain's eyebrow twitched.

Captain Rikuya closed his eyes, breathing in.

And then, very softly:

"...This is the weakest team I've seen in 16 years."

After an hour of complete silence and groaning, the four finally managed to sit up.

"Alright," Rikuya said, folding his arms. "Let's see what you learned from your divine weapon training. Ready your weapons." 

and Rikuya take out his Sai.

They blinked.

"Wait... now?" Sumiyoshi asked.

"Yes," Rikuya snapped.

Rikuya observed quietly. "Your stance. Show me."

They tried to pose. Emphasis on tried.

Sumiyoshi tightened his grip on his blade.

He whispered to himself,

"Forty-two days... that wasn't for nothing."