It wasn't often that Ryota left the village so far behind. His love of teaching others kept him close at hand for the majority of the time. But recently, he'd started to take a more keen notice as to how he was still struggling with the way he used his own skills. Particularly when it came to the use of Nightfall.
A more well adjusted--or less stubborn--individual wouldn't have had any problem with simply seeking out someone to assist in the matter of learning the way of the sword better. But Ryota's passion for teaching had been known to blind him towards his own faults when it came to practicing. He had the unfortunate habit of assuming that his ability to teach would be questioned by those who had given him his position if he was found learning from someone else. A complete falsehood, truly. But it was a falsehood that he couldn't shake.
For all his love of teaching, all of his passion and determination, he continued to make the one biggest mistake. He assumed he could teach himself how to make something out of nothing. That was why he had left the village so early in the morning, a cart loaded down with all kinds of supplies, like rope, sandbags, wooden posts. In the wee hours of the morning, he had set up all kinds of targets using the woods around him. Heavy sandbags swung from side to side, the thick, healthy limbs of the larger trees supporting the weight.
Interspersed seemingly randomly throughout the small clearing he had decided to work in, there were several generic standing targets. They were mostly logs that had been cut too roughly to be proper for firewood, allowing for wooden shields and swords to be strapped to them due to some thicker protrusions remaining on either side. By this point, several of the swinging targets were merely dangling, the light breeze occasionally causing the empty, sliced bags to flutter in the breeze.
As for the standing targets, many of them had dozens of narrow lacerations going along both the logs themselves, and the weapons that they carried. But for as impressive of a view as this scene would seem to an outsider, there was one problem. Even with the hours of practice he had been putting in, there was little to no sign of improvement in the little things.
His stance was still off, his reaction time just the slightest bit too slow. As he took a step towards another standing target, he let out three quick slashes. The movements were solid, and the intent was there. He could make his blade change directions easily, due to its light weight. But it was still off. The slashes connected, but didn't cut deep enough to be more than a cursory wound on a real opponent. After his flurry of attacks, the young chunin frowned.
"Come on.." he muttered as he ran a hand upwards, across his face and through his hair, wiping away the accumulated sweat as he slipped the cutlass he carried back into its scabbard, promptly plopping down onto one of the standing targets that had been knocked over behind him. He didn't want to admit it. But he could feel it.
Something wasn't clicking the way it should. He should have known what it was. But for some reason, the answer was escaping him. He sighed as he reached down to his waist, fingers wrapping around the canteen he had been carrying. With an all too casual movement, he popped the top off of the vessel, taking a long, slow swig of water, his gaze remaining turned towards the sky when he finished taking his drink.
For a few moments, he allowed that feeling of frustration to creep in, before suddenly quashing it. He got back up. This time, he moved towards one of the swinging targets. One more go. He had to be close to a breakthrough, right?
[attr="class","pwfbody"] "You'll never get anywhere if you just keep swinging that thing around, you know!" A sprightly voice called out from the sidelines, as Ryota got ready to go for another round. Yousei had been watching him for a while now, having stumbled upon his little training session during her own morning regimen, at which point she'd promptly seated herself on the branch of a tall tree near the edge of the clearing, and begun observing the boy with keen interest. It wasn't often she found someone so seemingly passionate about learning the ways of the blade, even if he was pretty rough around the edges still; but hey, everyone's got to start somewhere![break][break]
Hopping down from her arboreal perch, Yousei made a smooth landing before walking over to meet Ryota face to face (or at least, as close as she could get standing at an impressive five foot nothing). "Your heart's in the right place, though!" She began, thumping her chest a few times to illustrate her point. "How'd you like some advice? On the house even; free of charge!" Not that she normally charged, mind you, but it was a pretty cool thing to say, right?[break][break]
From Ryota's point of view, this was all no doubt a fairly dubious sales pitch (like seriously, how old was this girl anyway? was she a chuuni or something?), but she certainly did have an energy about her, and that katana on her hip looked like the real deal for sure. Maybe she really was legit? It was hard to say, but at this point did he really have much to lose either way? [break][break]
"So, how about it?" She piped up again, eagerly awaiting his response. "There's no way I can just leave a fellow sword enthusiast stuck in a rut like this, after all. I'm sure I can get you on the right track in no time!" That was yet to be seen, of course, but her demeanor was practically oozing confidence. [break][break]
"I'm Yousei, by the way! Nice to meet you, sword-loving individual whose name I am presently unfamiliar with!"[break][break]
For most people, a sudden voice coming out of nowhere might have made them jump. But for Ryota, it just served as a realization that he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings. That made him feel a bit bad, as that was something that they had drilled into every student over and over again during their time at the academy. But he wasn't about to beat himself up over it. Instead, he twirled Nightfall in his hand, the back of the blade coming up to rest on his shoulder as he turned his head around, scanning the edge of the clearing for the source of that initial quip, eventually having to shift upwards towards the lowest parts of the treeline.
"That's sort of the point of coming out here though, innit?"
He responded with a chuckle as he lifted his sword up off of his shoulder and slid it back into its scabbard as this new arrival thumped her chest, giving the stereotypical sales pitch statement of calling the advice 'on the house'. It was certainly an odd pairing to see. Ryota looked young, for sure. But this new arrival looked even younger than he did.
However, Ryota was a bit more keen with noticing the little things about others. He could tell just by the way she carried herself that she wouldn't be making the same mistake he did. She was clearly ready to react to anything. And that sword certainly looked cared for enough that the odds of her not knowing what she was talking about were slim to none.
The confidence she was oozing certainly helped to back up her offer and the things that he noticed, for certain. It was intriguing. If she was oozing confidence, Ryota was all but oozing this air of calm and relaxation. Still, he blinked a bit when she introduced herself as Yousei. That name sounded familiar.
Before she even finished introducing herself, it clicked. Suddenly, Ryota was very glad that he kept an ear out. The vague description he had heard from some of the older Shinobi of the newest jonin matched up pretty handily with the person in front of him.
"Ah, the new Jounin, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Ryota, one of the two Chunin from the First Platoon!"
He chirped back, his relaxed demeanor making it all too easy for him to match the energy she was putting out into the world. It helped that he was naturally a relatively chipper individual. Revealing his position would be the context that Yousei would have been missing. He was having such trouble because he didn't have the experience needed to know what he was missing.
"That being said, I can't exactly turn down an offer from someone willing to help, yeah?" He might not have wanted to admit it, but even he could tell just how disappointing his results were in trying to teach himself, along with how pitiful the attacks he had been practicing against these sandbags and targets were. Sure, some of them had been cut open, but that was a testament to the quality of the cutlass on his hip than it was his own skill.
Sure, he had the speed and a keen eye when it came to edge alignment, but it was the little things that were causing the lack of progress. His inefficient stance, for one. But it wasn't just a problem of stance. There were just so many things he could improve on. Luckily for him, he would be getting the help he would refuse to actively admit he needed, just because he was too polite to turn it down.
[attr="class","pwfbody"] "That's the spirit!" The pint-sized samurai exclaimed energetically as her new acquaintance-turned-student finally relented and acquiesced to her proposal. She'd never really taught anyone before, but how hard could it be, right? This was the sort of thing that jounin were expected to do, after all; and she was a jounin now, even if a lot of people didn't seem to think she deserved to be. [break][break]
"Okay, Ryota! First lesson: you have to stop overthinking things so much." She began to explain, walking over to the target's he'd been practicing on and inspecting them carefully. "Technique is important, but you're getting so fixated on it that it's holding you back. What you really need to do is feel it." [break][break]
Coming across a swinging target that Ryota had yet left untouched, Yousei suddenly shifted her stance with such practiced ease that it looked as natural as breathing, hand resting calmly on the hilt of her blade as she continued. "That sword of yours is more than just an object, you know. It's more than just a tool meant for cutting down your opponent..." [break][break]
Then, without warning, she drew her blade; cold steel tracing a brilliant locus in the morning sunlight as it cleanly bisected the target, before returning to its sheathe in a single fluid motion, habaki already clicking into place before the object had even hit the ground. [break][break]
"Your sword is a part of you." Flowed her words of wisdom soon after, admittedly sounding pretty sage, especially for someone her age. "An extension of your body and mind; just like your arms, your legs, or even your chakra." Turning back to Ryota, Yousei-shisho flashed her student a reassuring grin before concluding. "What you need to do is let go and embrace that connection. If you can do that, then everything else should start coming naturally!" [break][break]
Ouch. Being told that he thought too much stung his pride a lot more than it had any right to. Luckily, he didn't hold so fiercely to his pride that wounding it would offend him. At least, that wouldn't be what rubbed him the wrong way. Rather, her statement about a sword being more than just an object did. He had kept hearing that every time someone mentioned sword fighting. It was certainly something he had internalized.
At least, that was what he had thought. When he watched Yousei all too easily pull off the kind of fluid movement that he had been purposely trying to capitalize on, it made him wonder if there was more to the statement than people let on. As she turned back to him and explained that being less focused on the rigid step by step method might help everything else fall into place, Ryota nodded, pulling the black face mask that had been straddling his chin ever since he took a gulp from his canteen up to cover his face again. Was there any point in doing it? Not really. But it was a habit he was having difficulty breaking.
"I see."
He said, hand still resting on the pommel of his sword. She had given him something to muddle over as his eyes scanned around for any remaining targets. Most of the standing ones had been knocked over, or needed something replaced. Eventually, he found one. A target that had been meant for swinging, now just hanging there. Without saying another word, he slowly started to walk towards it. It was one of the lighter targets, but since it was hanging dead center between two trees, it obviously hadn't been able to start swinging in any way that would have been useful for his training.
As he walked to his target, his mind was a maelstrom of all sorts of thoughts, running wild in his mind. But with every step, he forced himself to stop thinking about another thought. He wasn't able to rid himself completely of thoughts, as he could still remember the kata that he had been forced to learn back when he was just starting to practice with swords. Along with that, his own internal judgements of his movements still rattled off in the side of his head, even as he gripped the handle of Nightfall...
S L A S H !
Compared to his movements before, there was a marked improvement in this attack, which was notably smoother. His aim had been too high, though. He had missed the bag, and cut the rope that had been holding it to the tree instead. While his face was well hidden by his mask and relatively long hair, he frowned. It was one of the few expressions that could be reliably read through his mask. It had improved, for sure. But he had focused too much on quashing the thoughts to keep his aim from going too high. Seemed there was a sweet spot. If this was any indicator of how hard learning to make the movements more trained was going to be, then he was in for a long day.
[attr="class","pwfbody"] "Look at that, just one try and you're getting better already!" Yousei assured her young ward, trying to bolster his spirits a bit. "Don't worry if it's not perfect on your first try, these things take time. Just keep at it, and you'll definitely get there eventually! Tenacity is one of the most important parts of growth, after all." Thus was the wisdom of the cinnamon roll, profound beyond expectation.
[break][break]
"I could tell you were trying to stop thinking so much about that last strike. That's good! But I'm guessing now the problem is that you're thinking too much about not thinking too much, right?" A nostalgic chuckle escaped her at the thought, and her gaze drifted up to the sky as though she were remembering something from long ago.
[break][break]
"I know because I was the same way when my parents first started teaching me how to use a sword. Learning how to let go and empty my mind was one of my biggest hurdles back then; but as soon as I got over it, it was like everything finally started to click!" Smiling brightly, she turned her attention back to Ryota, prepared to give him some fresh new material to work with as they continued their lesson.
[break][break]
"This time, take a deep breath, center yourself, and try to relax. Relaxation is important no matter what you're doing, but even moreso when it comes to combat. Feel the wind, and the sun...let your tension evaporate, and just move. Gotta get that zen going, you know?" This all probably seemed a little esoteric, but Yousei was clearly speaking from experience; it was just hard to put abstract concepts like this into words, cut her some slack here.
[break][break]
"Trust me! It'll all make sense once you experience it for yourself."
The words of encouragement that Yousei were giving were clearly appreciated, given the way Ryota seemed to lose the tension in his shoulders as she spoke up. He had to chuckle a bit as he turned to face her, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, Nightfall pointed down at the ground in his other hand.
"Yeah, it's a bit difficult. Goes against everything they teach you in the academy, you know?"
He wasn't wrong. At a very young age, every shinobi in training was drilled about the concept of paying attention to everything around them, meaning that it was an almost endless train of thought when they were fighting. Obviously, this seemingly endless train of thought would find itself being replaced by reflexive movements as a shinobi gained more and more experience. That was something he had learned very recently, as he'd found himself getting a bit more smooth in his transitions between hand signs.
Honestly, it was good hearing that someone else had been having the same struggles. As much as he appreciated his Sensei's teachings as platoon leader, he definitely was a bit on the..harsher side. A lot of sink or swim moments. He nodded along with what she had to say, and eventually even tugged his mask down, revealing the rest of his face in the process. There weren't any more targets standing up, or hanging from the trees. He had cut the last one down. The implication of what that meant as to what was about to happen next would be obvious to even the most amateur of genin. His gaze didn't shift away from the Jonin in front of him. However, the way his eyes almost seemed to start unfocusing, it was clear that he was about to put her words into practice. The loss in focus for his eyes wasn't much. But a trained shinobi such as her would be more than able to pick up on it. Thankfully, experience and skill both weighed heavily in her favor, something that must have seemed obvious to Ryota. After a few moments, he started taking slow, deliberate steps forward.
His intent was made clear by a single word.
"Sorry."
S L A S H !
Once again, the sound of his sword whistling through the air became audible. The decision of what to do was up to Yousei. Parry? Block it entirely? Or maybe just dodge? It wasn't like he was going for some extravagant attack. This was a basic swipe, aimed at the only 'target' left in the area. It was clear that he was starting to get the hang of it. But there was still that trace amount of rigidity in his movements, and a moment of hesitation before he swung his blade. It was getting better, no doubt. But he still had a ways to go. Regardless of what was done in response to his second attempt, the young Chunin's demeanor switched up again, pulling a complete 180 from calm and serious to chipper and relaxed.
"How was that?"
He asked, wearing a broad smile. Clearly, he felt like he had improved.
[attr="class","pwfbody"] Yousei had been expecting this, of course; with no targets left for her young student to practice on, the only real "target" he could turn to was her. An impish grin crossed her face as Ryota began his approach, the samurai not budging an inch as she eagerly awaited his attack, elated to see how much he'd progress this time. But how would she defend? That was an excellent question, wasn't it? She had so many options: dodging at a hair's breadth, drawing her own blade to block or parry... [break][break]
Ah, of course! Yousei's grin grew even wider as it hit her. She could use that technique, dun dun dunnnnn; she'd been looking for an opportunity to test it, after all, and she was out here to train too, right? So why not! Nothing saying this lesson couldn't be productive for both of them. [break][break]
As the chuunin finally loosed his blade, Yousei watched his every movement with pointed interest. He was still tensing up a bit, still hesitating ever so slightly, but it was a marked improvement over his last attempt! She could feel the pride bubbling up in her chest; who knew her student would be such a fast learner? At this rate, he was going to have the basics down in no time. [break][break]
And that's about when his blade stopped moving. [break][break]
Ara? That was weird, wasn't it? Yousei was still standing in the same spot, her sword was still sheathed...so how had she stopped Ryota's attack? Oh, look at that! Her hand was in the way, whoops. Silly Yousei, how had that gotten there? Wait, her hand? Hold on a second. But yes, it was true! Yousei had actually stopped his blade with her bare hand; or at least, bare if you weren't counting the aura of dense, white chakra that she'd moulded around it to absorb the impact. [break][break]
She'd been experimenting a lot with shape transformation lately, and she was beginning to look into other applications of the skill beyond simply combining it with her kenjutsu. This blade intercepting technique had been one such attempt, and much to her delight (and the delight of her not-decapitated hand) it appeared to be a success! It was still a little rough around the edges, mind you, but she felt like she was definitely getting somewhere with this. [break][break]
"You're doing great!" She replied, returning Ryota's smile in kind as she let go of his sword and allowed the chakra around her hand to dissipate. "And just look at that smile! You're totally getting into it now; make sure you remember that feeling. The more you relax, the less you'll hesitate." This whole teaching thing was turning out to be a lot more fun than she'd expected. [break][break]
"Feel like giving it another shot? Don't worry about me, just go for it!" [break][break]
When his blade stopped moving, Ryota felt every nerve in his body firing at once, screaming at him to press his offense, follow through with the slash, pull back, go for a punch with his guarded hand. Do SOMETHING. The things that had happened all the way back in The Land of Earth had stuck with him. It was why he had come out here in the first place.
So, with a slow and deliberate breath inward, he managed to pull his sword back. He still asked how he had done, chipper to a degree. But that bit of panic had done a lot to temper his energy levels. He hadn't been able to do much of anything before, and that one instance still showed that he had a lot to learn when it came to Swordsmanship. He would have to put some time into some other training, too.
Having access to the power of his bloodline would definitely be useful once he had the skill to properly activate it. He was certainly listening to what Yousei had to say, to be sure. But it was clear that he was also making note of other things while he listened. It wasn't until she let go of his sword and asked him if he wanted to try again that Ryota gave off a little chuckle.
"I mean, sure. But I can't help but feel like this 'one attack at a time' model isn't going to get us much of anywhere now."
As he spoke, his free hand slowly rose up to his face, grabbing the cloth that had been straddling his chin for the past few moments before pulling it up, covering his nose and mouth with it as he took a few steps back, taking up his preferred initial stance. Interestingly enough, it wasn't one of the common ones. Instead of keeping his sword in between his body and the opponent's blade, he seemed to have a preference for the Back Stance, leaving his cutlass pointed behind himself. Interesting.
He didn't start his assault right away. Instead, he gave it a few moments, allowing Yousei to do whatever she was going to do. Once he had a sign that she was ready, he darted forward. For as long as she had been observing him, it had been obvious that he was the dexterous sort. But he was also rather fast. His first attack was a simple upwards diagonal slash, aiming to cleave up from the left side of her hip all the way up to her left shoulder. If it was guarded, blocked, dodged, it would soon be followed by the blade heading in the reverse direction, only to suddenly have the next attack change into a horizontal swipe.
All the while, Ryota was wielding his blade in one hand. The unfortunate truth of the design of Nightfall was that it didn't have enough handle to be used in both hands, unlike Yousei's Katana. That was why his solo training had seemed to be focused on a few unorthodox methods of attack. Wielding a light sword in a single hand had many downfalls, but speed was a true virtue of that method of combat. Ryota would definitely learn what the advantages and disadvantages of the style he had pieced together were today, training against a truly experienced swordswoman, rather than his simple missions against bandits that fought in a rough and tumble way.
But then, that was half the point, wasn't it? Sure, pushing forward into full speed combat after being corrected twice--rightly so--? It was a bit reckless, for certain. But then, he had always had a bit of trouble when it came to risk evaluation while pursuing his own training. A bit odd, considering how careful he was with his platoon's training.
[attr="class","pwfbody"] Yousei grinned deviously as Ryota decided it was time to switch things up, a cool breeze passing through the clearing as the swordsman-in-training prepared to go on the offensive. Yousei fully planned on indulging his recklessness, of course; sometimes that was just the best way for people to learn. "Think you're up to it?" She chuckled mischievously, taking no particular precautions to shore up her defense, even in light of the assault that was soon to follow. "Come on then, let's see what you've got!" [break][break]
Ryota seemed to take that as his sign to begin, for no sooner had the words left her lips than the boy's cutlass was already careening towards her; but the blade would find no purchase, cleaving naught but open air as Yousei effortlessly dodged to the side, her body gliding along like a leaf in the wind. There was no wasted movement, no unnecessary tension...it was another perfect example of the concept of "relaxation" that she'd been trying to convey to him. [break][break]
The next strike wouldn't fair much better, with the fairy easily reading his conversion and intercepting the blade with two fingers, the chakra that surrounded her hand being far less amorphous this time, instead beginning to conform to her hand like a glove. She was getting better at this; just like with kenjutsu, a definite shape made the transformation more efficient while improving its efficacy. [break][break]
"Your speed isn't half bad, but your attacks are too predictable. I can read you like an open book." She stated matter-of-factly, prefacing the subject of their next lesson. "Imagination and creativity are both key elements when it comes to combat; be it taijutsu, ninjutsu, kenjutsu, or genjutsu, being able to improvise and adapt to the situation is essential to victory." [break][break]
Hopping back a few feet to put some distance between them, Yousei smirked at Ryota with barely veiled anticipation, eager to see what would happen next. "Try getting more creative with your approach this time, but don't think too hard about it. Just let your instincts guide you, you might be surprised at what you come up with." [break][break]
While Yousei was indeed speaking, it was beginning to seem like her words were falling on deaf ears. The full speed of combat was something that made it hard to divide his focus properly between learning and trying to find purchase with an attack.
Still, he aimed to keep things moving along. His next strike was rather deceptive. As he recovered from the blocked horizontal slash, he allowed the spine of Nightfall's blade to rest against his shoulder for a moment as he circled towards her left. Eventually, he stepped into his next attack: a slash that moved his blade back off of his shoulder, then upwards from below.
However, the slash itself wasn't what he was aiming for. Right as the tip of his blade was level with Yousei's hip, Ryota lunged forward. It was difficult, but he had managed to use the large wind up as an attempt at subterfuge. The light weight of his weapon certainly helped in his feint.
If that move was deflected or dodged, he wouldn't let up. Instead, it would be followed by something rather unorthodox. A left hook, with the sword still held in hand. The guard of Nightfall featured not just a cup style guard that protected the upper portion of his hand, but a bar sweeping down from the cup that offered protection to his fingers.
Of course, that very protection also gave a great improvised weapon. While her shaped chakra would most certainly defend from any of these attacks, it was very likely that they would still carry enough force to be notable. His movements were still all too easy to read. But the moves themselves were becoming more and more unorthodox for the weapon he was carrying.
Of course, none of this was actively running through his mind. Instead, his mental processes were focused on reading her movements, almost like he was trying to lead his strikes as if he were using a bow. No words were exchanged. Instead, it seemed he was putting his all into trying to push his opponent. Unfortunately, it was unlikely he would succeed in this goal. The gap in skill and experience was simply too vast. He wouldn't be able to keep up his attempted push forever. He would have to settle for doing his best, instead.
[attr="class","pwfbody"] It seemed Ryota wasn't listening anymore, too lost in the focus of battle for Yousei's words to reach him, but that was just fine, wasn't it? He certainly seemed to be following his instincts more now, if nothing else. It was just like she'd told him: the less he thought, the less he'd hesitate. He was caught up in the flow now, coming at her with everything he had, hellbent on trying to grasp even the faintest chance at victory. This kid definitely had promise; a little rough around the edges still, but Yousei was convinced that with a little polish, there might be a diamond waiting just below the surface. [break][break]
As his rising slash aimed to catch her flank, she simply turned to the side, evading its arc entirely, though it seemed he wasn't done yet. Yousei couldn't help but smirk as Ryota followed up by converting his swing into a lunging thrust; now that was more like it! Yet even that clever play ended up missing its mark, as she pivoted back in the opposite direction like a piece of paper dancing in the wind. [break][break]
Oh, but he was relentless! No sooner had Ryota recovered from his thrust, than he decided to go for some swashbuckling action by trying to punch her with his guard of all things. It was certainly an unexpected maneuver, but one that worked well to his strengths, or more pertinently the strengths of his weapon. After all, when you got down to it, the guard of his cutlass wasn't really much different from a pair of brass knuckles. Not bad at all! [break][break]
Almost made Yousei want to get a little serious... [break][break]
There was something different about the hand that caught Ryota's attack this time. Even compared to the last time she'd intercepted his blade, this chakra had a far more definite shape; more condensed, more refined, like a neon outline tracing the silhouette of her hand.
It wrapped around the guard of his sword and held it steady, while Yousei just smiled at her battle drunk student with the sort of dangerous glint in her eye that made it obvious that something was about to happen. That "something" was currently localized in the palm of her other hand, which was now pointing directly at Ryota's stomach, having moved into position as she grappled his punch. [break][break]
Yousei had been trying to perfect a certain technique lately, but she still only the force and rotation down; the problem she kept running into was containment. But that in and of itself had led her to create something of prototype technique, which she still hadn't had a chance to properly test yet. She'd take it easy on Ryota, though. Didn't want to rough him up too bad, just enough to bring him back to his senses a little. [break][break]
That "something", you see, was a swirling vortex of chakra; a white whorl, like a small hurricane that was rapidly accelerating. And then, all at once, it exploded outward as a spiraling shockwave, not particularly destructive as such, but packing enough force to easily blow away anything that wasn't nailed down within its relatively short range, like a pneumatic cannon of pure chakra. [break][break]
She called it Rasen Kaidan (Spiral Staircase). [break][break]
The reflexive switch that Ryota made when he felt his blade stop would have been impressive--if it had been just a bit quicker. As it was, it took a moment after the blade stopped for Ryota to realize that she had gripped the blade in his hand. The chakra that protected her hand was shaped well, it kept him from even moving the blade. Unfortunately, she had caught his blade in such a manner that he couldn't let go and get her in the head. The guard protected her face. The blade kept him from coming in on the right. The handle itself prevented a strike from the left So, he cocked back with his free hand, aiming to throw a swift punch to her sternum. That was when he felt the twisting sensation against his stomach.
He only had long enough to release his blade before the burst of chakra went off. It didn't knock him that far away. Maybe two feet or so. But that was likely because there was a tree in the way. The sound that was made when the back of his head collided with the bark of the tree was an ugly THUNK, but it was clear that no blood had been drawn. His head was fine. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for his vision and sense of balance. It felt like the entire world was swirling and spinning around him. His eyes struggled to focus as he groaned, hands slowly feeling around for something to grab as he pushed himself up off of his feet. Unfortunately, he stumbled and fell. It took a few long moments, as well as a deep groan as he curled up for a moment, gripping the back of his head. He wouldn't be down for long, however. After a few more seconds, he managed to push himself up into a sitting position.
"Maybe DON'T do that when there's so many things around that could cave my head in."
He said, rubbing his face as his vision refocused. He had been lucky. The hit had only disoriented him. The symptoms he had experienced could easily have been that of a concussion. But with how swiftly he recovered, there was no way that was the case. Of course, Ryota looked very clearly defeated. After all, he no longer had a weapon in hand, and the person he was dueling had sent him flying two feet back, and had even managed to properly disorient him. If this had been true combat, he knew he would be dead by now. That was why he remained where he was, sitting on the ground. The practical training was over.
[attr="class","pwf1body"] "Oh, you'll be fine!" Yousei waved the boy off nonchalantly, as though getting slammed into trees was just a normal, everyday occurance. [break][break]
"That wasn't even the dangerous output level, you shouldn't even have a concussion or any broken bones or anything from that. Besides, nothing builds character like a little blunt force trauma, right?" [break][break]
The chakra around her hand slowly evaporated as she flipped Ryota's cutlass into an icepick grip and walked over to where he was currently seated on the ground getting his bearings. [break][break]
"That technique I just used is actually a pretty good lesson in and of itself, you know. I first came up with the idea for it when I was trying to perfect another technique and failed." [break][break]
A wavering white sphere slowly began taking shape in her free hand as she spoke, spinning like a miniature typhoon as it steadily grew more and more unstable, but before it could explode she clenched her hand around it, causing the energy to disperse harmlessly into the air. [break][break]
So close, but still not quite there. [break][break]
"Just goes to show that no experience is ever worthless. As long as we take what we've learned and continue moving forward and improving ourselves, even failures can lead us to success! So don't be discouraged, it's all just part of becoming a better you." [break][break]
With a heartening smile that told Ryota he could rest assured in the prospect of his continued growth, Yousei offered him back his sword by the hilt. "Now how about we clean up here and go get something to eat? I'm sure you probably worked up an apetite after all that. As a special offer, if you act now, I'll even pick up the tab!" [break][break]
Sasuga, Yousei-sensei! (Yousensei?) Truly the greatest of all senseis: absolutely sensei-tional, if you will. Okay, that's enough of that.[break][break]
The way that Yousei acted so dismissive about what she had just done was a little annoying. But what was perhaps more annoying to Ryota was that he hadn't noticed what she was doing until it was too late. Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't paying attention. The technique she was trying to master seemed simple. But with how much he had been trying to learn to use his secondary Chakra Nature to a degree that wasn't just parlor tricks, he knew that it wasn't as easy as it looked. Of course, looking at that rotating whorl of white did hurt his eyes a bit, mostly from strain, so he was thankful when it dissipated. When his sword was offered back to him, Ryota nodded, taking the blade. He didn't move to sheathe it right away.
Not because he wanted to continue fighting, but because he wasn't at the right angle to do so. Unfortunately, trying to rise to his feet made his head swim a second time. Obviously, Yousei would need to wait another moment before he was able to get up and get moving. Fortunately, it didn't take much longer for Ryota to get up on his feet.
"Yeah..yeah, we probably should head back. It's a little surprising that nobody's stumbled past, really."
He said as he moved to start gathering what he could. It would only take ten or fifteen minutes to gather up the scraps of burlap, ropes, and scatter the sand that had piled up. The wooden dummies were dismantled in just as quick of a time. And just like that, the pair were on their way back to Otogakure, progress having been made for the both of them.
