Guidance [P]

[Big Black Fish]

SPOILER: Click to show

Gentle rays emanated from the rising sun; a succulent orange blossoming against the horizon, growing over the training grounds. It will be a good day, he thought, or so he hoped. Yosh had a particular tendency to predict how the day would perform according to the weather. That is not to say dark clouds forebode tragedy, as he often preferred the rain, for his soul drank from the tranquility of the rain. Nonetheless, the sun was present and the clouds were not, and on this day he expected a good day (to his own surprise). For today had brought upon him circumstances against his own volition. By the authority of his Father's command - of which Yosh respected perhaps over his own - Yosh was to train a becoming Samurai of 13 years. He had seldom taught any thing to any one besides everything he taught himself, and the idea of having to guide a young boy in the arts of the blade troubled him, yet he still presumed a good day.

The Samurai's steps were tame for he wanted to arrive exactly when he did. A calculated mind, rarely was Yosh ever doing something he had not meticulously planned in advanced. The young man surveyed the contours of the promontory and he annotated the disheveled landscape about him; and he was satisfied. He was satisfied for one of two reasons, one: it was a peaceful environment; and two: he had always been concerned when training within a Dojo as he always troubled himself with thinking that no battlefield would ever be so perfectly level. True training would be better performed outside on uneven ground so as to simulate the most natural form of warfare. A sure foot on solid ground would soon easily be tripped up by the unbalanced terrain of a war zone. A dojo was a false representation of combat, outside among the imperfections of the Earth's face was reality. And thus was his satisfaction.

All he could do now was await the arrival of his pupil. I wonder what I will be teaching him, for Yosh would have planned ahead had he known the talents this boy acquired. Though unbeknownst to him was what he had already been taught and his capabilities, and so he would have to ascertain that knowledge and conduct his lesson accordingly once he indeed had arrived. Until then, he would stare blankly into the horizon appreciating the beauty of the natural world. No buildings nor roads, no invasion of mankind had yet reached the land he stood on. With his fingers tapping upon the hilt of his blade, his other hand would fumble around with a kunai restlessly while his gaze was solid stone, fixated upon the scenery that lay before him. A mind lost in a world of divinity.

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[Big Black Fish]

"It's a good morning." Turning, he laid eyes upon his pupil for the first time. Uncritical in judgement, he did not assume anything of the boy at first glance, did not size him up or formulate an opinion based upon appearance. It was not in his character to appropriate someone based off their look, but would rather subject judgment where judgement had its place; and in this case its place would be within the sword. He was young, that was unavoidable, and short, also impossible to ignore, but he did not draw any conclusions of the boy besides the apparent detail that this boy was nervous (observed by the trembling of his hands). An eyebrow raised in a grand arc, confused at his shaking. "You're nervous. There is no need for that, kid. You have the easy part: take the lessons I provide for you and learn from them. Simple. So relax."

Smoothing his hand over the hilt of his blade, he snapped tight his grip over the handle like a steel trap. He had deceived the boy in his words, all premeditated of course. He instructed the boy to relax so he would do just that, letting his guard down. Herein lied the first lesson he would ever teach the boy. Yosh's hand would drag the blade from its sheath planting the hilt of his blade directly on the boys head stamping the symbol of the hilt on his forehead and knocking him back if it landed. Rotating the blade outwards over the child's head he would rest it on his shoulder opposite to the boy's sheath where he would be most vulnerable. Upon the hilt slapping him in the face, he would justify the rude welcoming with words. "Your first lesson is simple: never let your guard down." A mocking smile would span from ear to ear, but he meant no disrespect in truth. Tough love was the famous saying.

"We all have eyes, but some choose not to see. Do not be blind to detail; first lesson."

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SPOILER: Click to show

Sumasshu (Smash and Defend)
Rank: C
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m)
Type: Defensive
Handseals: --
Chakra Consumption: Mid
Commencing from any position, the practitioner strikes with the hilt at a frontal opponent's face, forcing him to stumble back, which allows them to follow up with a quick slash or cut. Following the mindset of 'the best defense is a great offense', the user will seek to stop an opponent from throwing an attack out in the first place, leaving them on the defensive and unable to fully utilize their offense.

[Chillbro Baggins]

Yosh's hand was resting on the hilt of his blade but the boy did not think much of it; and he brushed the thought of it aside thinking against drawing his blade against his own instructor. Unfortunately, his courtesy was insult to injury. The hilt struck, a snakes fang biting superficially, abruptly retracted and swung over his shoulder. The boy was completely unaware. He stumbled back, a blunt force echoed within his head, but drew his sword intuitively while opening his eyes. Though his actions were null and void for a wooden training blade would be resting upon his neck. His sword was drawn, but had this been a true life or death he would have been slashed down in two, like a pig in the slaughter house, well before his hand was equipped with a solid form of defense. He thought it considerate that his instructor stayed his blade.

Tryion's mind was a sponge, absorbent, but with many gaps to fill, and he consumed the proverb of paying attention to detail like water from a flask. "Yes sir.", was all he could muster in response, but the lesson was taught. The boy discerned that training blades would be required and thus drew his, pointing the edge towards Yosh. He was determined not to be humiliated in such a fashion again. The child had a fervent desire to be a Samurai that burned like a flame, but he had yet to begin to kindle the fire. This was his moment, his entrance into the Way of the Samurai, though he found himself disappointing himself and his instructor or so he assumed. He felt as if such a simple tactic made him look foolish and this Yosh Izaki would now belittle his efforts and look down upon him. His goal was to reverse the order of opinion. "Won't happen again!"

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[Big Black Fish]

He had been taught nothing. An inward sigh would be relieved, though it was not of disappointment, but of relief! Old habits die hard, and they would be hard to break. But this pony knew no tricks, only the basic techniques (which was good). Instructions would be grasped without conflict of previous instructions and thus making the Adept's job much less laboring. The boy's sword was extended directly forwards while standing in a defensive Kenjutsu stance expectantly. Yosh would not gift him what he wanted. Instead, he would take this opportunity to yet again speak on behalf of his mistakes.

"Wrong," knocking the boys blade with his own as he spoke, "never sheath your weapon until the moment calls for it. That is the art of Kenjutsu; and revealing your blade for so long allows for the enemy to read you. It remains sheathed, then you draw and slash accordingly. Never before, and ideally never after. Go."

Sheathing their blades in unison, Yosh would be first to strike. He would elucidate upon his recent words, displaying the methodology of sheathed weaponry lashing out like a tiger in a cage and returning to its sheath like a wounded animal. The blade would been drawn, slashed, returned, before the pair of Samurai could blink. The Samurai knew astonishing speeds. Cunning awareness would be required in order to block such a strike, but linear as it was, indubitably possible.

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Dorokendageki (Draw and Strike)
Rank:D
Range:Close (0m ~ 5m)
Type:Offensive
Handseals: --
Chakra Consumption: Low
The battojutsu practitioner subjugates their dominant hand with chakra. This allows the practitioner to commence their attack from any position, this particular technique allows the practitioner to first draw with increased speed, then thrust or slashe with the blade so fast that the effects of the hit are after the user sheathes.

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[Chillbro Baggins]

There was no time to think, really, only to react. Yosh's sword was drawn, and almost in unison so too was the boy's. His blade rose to defend with ample speed and caught the lower end of Yosh's blade dragging it upwards as he parried. Effectively connecting with the blade, mitigating the attack but not in full. Yosh's blade met with Tyrion's, but instead of forcing the sword away in a clash, his delay and placement on the lower half forced the blade upwards taking away the blow to the chest but now driving it across his face. Though the deflection took the majority of the speed and depth from the swing, had it been steel on steel Tyrion may wear a new scar this morning.

CRACK!

The sword clipped his nose sliding across the cheek like a rude smile, and his face would fly outwards from blunt force. Though dull and wooden, the Bokuto will impress great pain on an unfortunate victim. No lethal blow was inflicted, however, blood sprayed away from his face and the boy stumbled with the momentum of the strike. Still clutching his blade, he situated his feet and sheathed his blade awaiting another move; though he was bitter and forlorn at his performance. Two blunders in the course of two minutes was not a boastful standing and he began to think himself digging a hole of failures and offering first impressions that were mediocre at best. Though in reality, unbeknownst to him, he had just swatted the blade of an Adept which was rather impressive for a first training session.

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Kawasu (To Parry)
Rank: D
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m)
Type: Defensive
Handseals: --
Chakra Consumption: Low

Commencing from any position, the practitioner draws their sword and moves to deflect or simply block the strike, then resheathes. As the user becomes more proficient in Iaijutsu, more strikes can be defending against in a fluid movement, before they are overwhelmed by the attacks.

Note: This technique serves as a counter against multi-strike based techniques. A maximum of three techniques can be parried per use at an incredibly fast, almost "simultaneous" rate. It should be noted that these parries must be plausible, and simply because a user can defend relatively quick does not mean the are immune to being struck. As state, this will be widely considered as a multi-strike counter.

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[Big Black Fish]

So he's got speed... Yosh was impressed by the swiftness in the boys hand. He had managed to garner enough speed to deflect Yosh's blade, in part. The sword had hit his face, though that did not matter in the glinting eyes of the Adept; for what truly caught his attention was the adroit ability of this young Samurai. As the boy continued to reveal his weaknesses, a lesson was beginning to manifest for Yosh, but now that the boy had shown a strength... everything changed. The discovery was valuable beyond words, and like a precious gem found in the depths of the earths crust, he would cultivate it as soon as he laid his eyes upon it. Yosh Izaki was an austere man, he was gentle and knew when and where to give praise.

"Well done. It is not easy to stay the blade wielded by an Adept. Now if I were a Master you'd be a prodigy to have seen the blade before you fell, let alone graze it with your own." It seemed now was an appropriate time to offer praise; but the hand offers a flower, and strikes. "Don't let that go to your head, boy. Had that been a katana you would be sprawled in two; dead! It was quick, but unfortunately not quick enough and therefore will not suffice." He stood there in silence, toying with the question rolling in his head, is he ready?

"..."

He is ready. "You are young, and green, but I will teach you a technique in the Kenjutsu arts that will carry on in your years as an Adept, as I am, and eventually into your ages as a Master. It is called Shisukate: defending with the sheath." Pay attention, child.

"Like so..."

His weight would shift and almost as if he had teleported, his hands would reach, grab, pull his blade in succession but appearing as if in one solid motion. No fluidity, but almost a skipping of images that project one single movement. Magically, or so it seemed, his sheath was held directly above his head like a shield. A slight dust kicked up from his feet from the velocity, and Yosh wondered and snickered, "Did you catch that, boy?" Offering a slight grin and chuckle knowing the answer already. He was not concerned though, no matter how long it took, he knew the boy acquired the potential to master this technique. He suddenly expected a lot from the boy. A lot more than he expected to expect.

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SPOILER: Click to show

Shisukate (Defending with the Sheath)
Rank: B
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m)
Type: Defensive
Handseals:
Chakra Consumption: High
Commencing from any position, the practitioner holds the blade within the sheath, gathering themselves for a mere moment before preparing to stop an incoming attack. Once the attack is nanoseconds from making contact, the user quickly raises their sheath from it's held position, halting the attack in it's path due to the combined defense of the sword, sheath, and strength combined with it. This prevents the user from being overwhelmed by potential one-hit knockout techniques.

[Chillbro Baggins]

Easier said than done. Tyrion did not quite comprehend the concept of it. How could he have unlatched his sheath so expeditiously, draw it up and place it forward in split seconds. The actions were inhumane to say the least, and the boy was quite concerned about producing yet another failure to add on to the the pile of failures aforementioned. Here goes nothin'. Hands came to life with startling speed, flailing towards his sheath to remove the latch that attached to his hip. He yanked it up and gripped it with both hands for what seemed all of a millisecond when in reality it had taken him an entire second on the contrary. With the sheath and sword in hand, he stared unknowingly into his instructors eyes expecting disappointment realizing that it had taken him far too long to perform the technique.

His gaze broke, stumbling upon words and collecting them into a sentence that was beyond him. "I don't, I want... What is it that? What am I?" And so it went on. The blabbering continued in fear of being struck by Yosh's Bokuto, something he was beginning to become all too familiar with. The first strike was frustrating and played upon his pride, the second was humiliating and won a lingering pain, another would just be shameful. He was unsure the rank of this technique, he was unsure why his instructor was so quick to begin teaching such advanced tactics, but most perplexing was why his instructor refrained from providing instructions. What kind of teacher is this Yosh Izaki? It's bullshit; I can't do this my first try. His frustration was painted upon his face like an open wound. Though deep down, most his frustration derived and was directed towards himself.

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[Big Black Fish]

Yosh cocked his head to the side, studying the boy. He noticed the boys emotions emanating from him like a raging hurricane. "You are flustered and overwhelmed. Continuing to let it control your thoughts and feelings will only make things worse now. I am sorry to announce that the past is beyond our control, but your future is not. There is no want for frustrations on the battlefield, so we will fix it here. Compose yourself and get it right, young man." In truth, he was not disappointed in the results. In slight, he was pleased. The Adept did not expect the boy to procure grand results so soon, but this he would never profess to the boy. If he allowed the boy to believe he was not doing good enough, it would force him to always try harder, always push himself passed his limits, always doing better than before. It was what his Father had taught Yosh and what Yosh would teach the child.

"Oh yes I forgot to mention..."

His eyes stinted in the glimmering sun, dropping his head to evade the rays. There was a hidden uneasiness in Yosh's voice, for the Adept did not enjoy making this boy feel miserable, but he discerned the thought that it was only about to get much worse. His apprentice was going to hate him for quite some time after this lesson (if he did not hate him already), but in the long run it would only assist to accelerate his training. With almost assured affliction, he would voice "From now on I will be striking at you with my Bokuto... Obviously if you fail to meet the standard of speed required to block my sword, you will find my blade finding your head which, will be quite painful to say the least." Yosh's hand would find the hilt, clasping it as if it were prey in the jaws of a tiger. Yosh would strike like a bomb out of the sky.

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[Chillbro Baggins]

Damn he can read me like a book. Maybe if he gave me some damn instructions like an instructor is supposed to do I wouldn't be so frustrated in the first place! Tyrion was fuming, and he realized that this would be even more apparent than before, meaning his "instructor" most likely was spectating Tyrion's anger like a tape reel even though he tried to keep it within the confines of his own mind. His emotions were like a heavy rain cloud, forecasting a downpour that would only dampen his mood and weigh his thoughts. He rigidly attached his sheath back upon his hip when more details were given that would stir an already stirred hornets nest.

...

Steaming silence would profuse from his eyes. Now he was to be beaten down to a pulp, with no instructions and no hope in sight. Great, this training certainly turned out to be an ingenious idea after all... Just as the thought came to form, he spotted the hand of his instructor gripping his hilt like murderous hands tightening around a neck. He reacted a moment too late as the sword was already reigning down like a meteor from the sky. Crestfallen at his lack of awareness, he understood the pain that was about to amount on his already stinging head. He reached for his sheath, unlatched it and pressed it up towards the sky but the sharp thwack still became an excruciating reality.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Are you gonna keep beating me until I receive brain damage or are you gonna have some form of instruction for me sometime soon?" His hand went to his head nurturing the bump that was now prevalent, and growing. Eyes gaped open in realizing that he had not thought those words, but spoke them aloud. The Apprentice was suddenly frightened at the silence. He was not sure what would invoke more fear, silence or a lashing. Considering the silence had brought a tension over his body that frightened him beyond the darkest nightmare, he implored a lashing. Peering up at the Adept like a bellowing puppy, he realized his place and the line he just crossed. Refurnishing his sheath back upon his hip he held his breath for the break in silence.

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[Big Black Fish]

Oh? A peculiar eyebrow was raised in a magnificent arc at the vehement words expressed by the boy. Evidently the boy had a temper, and (by the painful expression on his face) enough sense to comprehend the line he had just crossed. No hand would be lifted, no words would be spoken in rebuttal to the boy's defiance, but the Adept would reach for his steel sword replacing the training one. He realized the audacity of his action: utilizing his blade in the midst of training - but this - he thought, would do the trick. Drawing his steel blade as its teeth sang a steel symphony grinding against the sheath. He flashed it, twirled and examined it as if it were a prize he had just laid eyes on for the first time. Speaking of the blades presence, he said

"This will either be your greatest friend, or your worst enemy."

His methodology may appear insane to an outsider, but the Adept was ever vigilant in his training and he had noted this: the boy was quick, but lacked reaction, he responded with a sudden impulse to fear and pain of being hit, therefore the fear of receiving the ultimate cut of a steel blade would surely manifest unprecedented speed by the boy. A solid theory unto the Samurai, potentially irrational to another. "Prepare yourself boy, for if you do not stay my blade you will surely die here. Let this be a warning to you." Yosh would continue to speak as a distraction to consume the boys attention, but would interrupt his own voice with a violent slash of the blade directly down over the boys head. No mercy.

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[Chillbro Baggins]

Tyrion feared the words the man spoke for he was apprehensive of the underlying message that it held. But as if to interject his thoughts and the Adept's own words, his sword would of a sudden be descending over his head like an eagle free-falling to snatch its scampering prey. He had little time to react, but mind of matter seem to control his movements.

Like a hand grasps an object, so too would pure fear and adrenaline grip Tyrion's mind moving him like a manikin through pure instinct. His hands would formulate chakra with divine speeds and a blue aura would emanate from them. He would reach down and obtain the hilt of his blade, unlatch - with precision - the loops, and explode upwards with blinding velocity. The steel sword of Yosh would hopefully smash explosively with an array of sparks against the boy's, and the Apprentice would fight the blade away from his head if and when the connection was made.

Because his strength would be far inferior to the Adept, he would sift his blade from underneath Yosh's and quickly side step to avoid the raining blade. He was optimistic for a confirmed success, but he was unsure if any clandestine tricks were about to be revealed by his instructor.

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