I appeared in the house and, after a moment, in front of sensei, my gi already on. It had been the first thing I did as I entered the building. Straight to my room to grab my gear, fear had begun to creep into me. Sensei almost never used my last name, and I was genuinely scared why he would do that suddenly.


    I sat on the floor on my knees, my head facing the ground in respect to my master. “Tama has come as requested, sensei,” I said with a calm and reverent tone. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to let my voice shake.


    “Good, I can see you are already in your gi as well. I am so proud of you,” Sensei spoke. His words sounded formal, but there was something in his tone—ever so slight—but I heard it like it was screaming in my ear. He was nervous, and something else… something I couldn’t describe.


    The memory of my mother’s dead face, filled with terror, came back to me, and I pushed it away forcefully. That’s not going to happen, I told myself.


    “My dearest Fuyuki, I…” He trailed off, and I felt my heart freeze. He wasn’t even using my nickname. I began to feel terror grip me. I shook it off internally as I reasoned it was just a coincidence. A lie I didn’t even believe myself.


    Sensei seemed to stand there silently for what felt like an eternity. I didn’t dare look up and show disrespect, but I saw his feet wearing his sandals. He did not move, simply standing in front of me.


    Finally, he seemed to come to a conclusion as I heard him speak. “Fuyuki… no… Tama, my dearest protégé. Three days ago was your sixteenth giving. I am sure you are aware of this.” I felt fear and terror become replaced with confusion and puzzlement.


    “Yes, sensei,” I said in a formal tone, making sure not to slip up.


    “As such, it is with great pride,” Sensei said, and I swear I heard his voice crack slightly. I didn’t know how to feel about any of this. What was going on? “That I graduate you from my student to a full-fledged ninja!”


    I sat there in stunned silence, unmoving as sensei declared me a full-fledged ninja. Words failed me, actions failed me. I simply sat there, unable to comprehend what was just said. Only one thought kept playing in my head: But, I’m not ready.


    “I understand you believe yourself not ready for such a task, my dearest Tama, but you must understand and respect that as your teacher and sensei all this time, I have watched you grow into becoming a very brave, stalwart, skilled, and dangerous ninja… and a mature young woman.” He seemed to pause after that, and my heart began pounding faster. What was he talking about?!


    “It is with a proud feeling and a heavy heart that I bestow upon you the most trusted tool you can have. A gift handcrafted and made with the highest quality materials I could afford, enchanted with the greatest enchantments for your water element.”


    I felt confused and lost. My mind was not working. I just sat there in the submission position as he continued. “Fuyuki Tamaneko, please arise and accept your gift. May it forever serve you as a ninja until the day you die or decide to pass it on.”


    My body jolted, and I jerkily stood, my decorum gone, only the ingrained obedience allowing me to move at all. I slowly moved my head to face sensei. In his hands, he held out to me an ornate box. Long and slightly curved. The wood was clearly enchanted with runes to protect whatever was inside.


    The box alone looked like it cost a fortune. I could not even begin to imagine what was inside. I looked at sensei questioningly, but he did not respond. Simply holding the box closer to me. I shakily accepted the box with my head bowed.


    With a shaky voice, I spoke. “As your protégé and student, F… F… Fuy...” I let out a racking sob before forcefully pulling myself together. “This Fuyuki Tamaneko is ever so grateful for all you have taught her, and accepts this gift and promotion with dignity and grace, as such an honorable position deserves.”


    Despite my words, I felt tears entering my eyes, and my hands shook. Shakily, I undid the clasp on the box. It came free smoothly, and the box opened without a sound. I gasped, and my eyes widened, my pupils dilating as I took in every inch of the treasure in front of me.


    “Tama is not worthy, sensei,” I said, my voice cracking at the absurdity of all this. I wasn’t worthy; I knew I wasn’t. My tail waved back and forth frantically, like a panicked chicken, betraying my emotions. My ears quivered and shook as my legs felt like they were going to give out at any moment.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Inside the box was a long, sleek sword made of a very shiny metal. It gleamed as if glistening water on a sunny day. The enchantments that ran along it were like playful whirlpools of energy. The katana was long and powerful. The depths of its powers were incomprehensible to me.


    “Tama is not worthy, sensei.” The words scraped my throat raw as I repeated myself. My tail lashed behind me, a frantic metronome of panic, while my ears flattened so tight they ached. Ninjas don’t tremble. Ninjas don’t cry. But my knees buckled anyway, the sword’s weight dragging me toward the floor. Its enchantments mesmerizing, its beauty unending.


    Sensei’s hand gripped my shoulder, steadying me. “The blade chooses its master,” he said, too gently. “It knows what you refuse to see.” But all I saw was the lie: the girl who hid from mirrors, who wrestled pigs to outrun nightmares.


    The beautiful masterpiece suddenly let out a wave of calm, like the ocean breeze, with an intensity like that of the deep ocean. I felt my eyes widen, unable to hide the amazement at its greatness. But above all, the calm it bestowed upon me. The simplicity of it all. My heartbeat steadied as the sword’s aura connected with me on a deep, personal level, and I felt at peace with the world for the first time in a very long time.


    “Every ninja has their blade—a sacred pact between steel and soul. Wield it with the river’s patience and the storm’s fury,” Sensei said, his voice softening. “Name it well, Tama. For a blade’s purpose is shaped by its master.”


    I traced the swirling blue runes, their light rippling like moonlight on water. The hilt warmed beneath my touch, and for a heartbeat, I felt it—the ghost of my mother’s arms around me, her whisper lost to flames: “Live.” Salt stung my tongue. Not from the blade, but from the tears I’d choked back for a decade.


    “Serenity,” I whispered.


    The katana hummed, a sound like rain after a long drought. Its edge shimmered, not with mere enchantments, but with the same liquid courage that had carried me through nightmares. Sensei’s calloused hand tightened on my shoulder as he followed my gaze to the charred timber above the hearth.


    “This blade is your shield now,” he said, too gently. Outside, the wind hissed through pines, carrying a brittle chill that had no place in midsummer. Jiggle’s frantic squeals echoed from the coop. Sensei’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t turn toward the sound. “The world is cruel, Tama. But you…” His thumb brushed the sheath, where the runes dimmed and brightened like a pulse. “You are a flood in a world of drought.”


    I looked up at my sensei, confusion and fear in my eyes. “But I…” I never had a chance to finish as he cut me off.


    “You are worthy, my child, and you are more powerful than you realize. I know one day you will do great things.”


    I was speechless. It was true; sensei had always been kind. But those were by far the kindest words he had ever spoken to me. Maybe it was just the blade enhancing my emotions, but Tama felt a sense of peace once again wash over her as she looked into her sensei’s caring eyes.


    “You must go now, little one. There is a town to the east of here. As your sensei and teacher, I make one last request of you before you go.” I watched as he walked over to a drawer, opening it. He removed a lock box that looked enchanted and heavily sealed. I had seen it a few times, but I was never allowed to so much as go near it.


    He brought it over to me and held it out for me to take. “Tama, I ask that you take this to my friend in the capital city of Trissaile. It is far, and you will need to travel a great distance. But I know you are ready for this task. Keep it safe; do not lose it. For if you do, all is lost.”


    I stared in stunned silence, afraid to touch the lock box. After a moment, he pushed it towards me, and with a meaningful gaze, asked, “Do you understand me, Tama? This box is extremely important. Protect it as if your life depended on it. Let none touch it.”


    I slowly reached out and took the box. The moment I brought it closer, I smelled something horrible coming from it. My body froze as the smell was familiar. They have the village surrounded, I thought.


    “How many?”


    Fear gripped me, and I almost dropped the box. Instead, I gripped it harder until my knuckles turned white. “I won’t fail you, sensei,” I said quietly. My voice filled with determination.


    “I know you will not, little one,” Sensei said to me in a calm and caring voice. “I am proud of all you have done and accomplished. It is time for you to go now. Take nothing and hurry. Every moment longer could bring disaster.”


    I paused at that, looking into his eyes as my tail lashed back and forth. “What do you mean?”


    Sensei sighed. “All will be made clear when you reach my friend. His name is Mariko. He has a sister named Marika. They are twins. Find them, and they will help you.”


    “But, sensei…” I began to say, only to have him immediately cut me off.


    “Enough, Tamaneko. You are a full-fledged ninja. I expect you to follow orders.” His voice raised, and sensei looked upset. After a moment, he took a calming breath as my tail lashed back and forth wildly, while my ears pushed against my skull in fear.


    “Please, Tama, go. Know that everything I do, and everything I have done, is to prepare you for this day. Know that I have always loved you like a daughter.” Tears filled the old man’s eyes as he did something he had never done before. He reached out and grabbed me in a hug.


    I wrapped my arms around him. It felt so… wonderful. I began to sob into his shoulder as he comforted me.


    After what only felt like a few seconds, but I wanted it to never end, sensei gently tapped me and whispered, “It’s time to go, little one.” I nodded with tears in my eyes as I leaned back and looked up at my sensei, into his piercing eyes one last time before nodding once.


    I sheathed the katana onto my back in the sheath it came with, and with tears in my eyes and a sad smile on my face, I vanished from the place I had called home for most of my life up until that point.


    I appeared at the edge of the forest. I looked back to the no-no cage and the hammer still left next to the chicken coop. Jiggle was nowhere to be seen. “Perhaps it’s for the best,” I said with sadness as I turned and vanished into the forest, heading east.