Temple Training

[Nishito Ryi]

Seikouhou (Frontal Attack)
Rank: "D"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: The swordsman uses a horizontal-diagonal sword combination.
Special: ---
Drawback: Can be dodged/evaded relatively easily if not timed correctly.
Description: Seikouhou is a Taijutsu technique where the attacker moves towards an enemy with a left-right horizontal slash followed by a 1:00-7:00 diagonal cleave.
Limit: Gyakusatsu

[0/10]

The temple's dojo was rather spartan for a temple. Glossed oak panels lined the floor in a continuous vertical fashion. All the walls but one were made of a darker wood that Nishito could not recognize. Then there was the last wall, the one he came in through. It was made of translucent paper, just like the majority of the temple. The paper was filled of various designs based upon trees and other kinds of vegetation. Wooden boards could be seen sitting behind the paper wall, providing support. 

The paper sliding door opened with a creak that broke Nishito's concentration. He had been sitting on the floor in lotus position meditating. Nishito always found that meditating before training always helped to relax the muscles. With a slow motion, Nishito slowly stood up to face the newcomer. It was O-ishi Kuranosuke, the master he was training under. He wore his temple garments: a white kimono with a blue flower pattern. He definitely followed his legend; he had a very relaxed face and demeanor, but he had a sense of seriousness about him.

"Good morning, Nishito. I have thought it over last night, and I have agreed to take you on as my student. Today, we are going to go through some basic strikes."

Nishito nodded, the man was for sure going to accept him as a student. He had no doubt that he was going to accept. He looked like he was currently bored with his current job at the temple, and needed something to do. This was it. O-ishi stepped to the middle of the room to address Nishito. In preperation for his training, Nishito stood up to face O-ishi, and slowly pulled out his katana from it's resting place in it's sheath on his back, and held it in front of him ready to begin.

"We are going to start with Seikouhou. This is a very basic strike, and one of the fundamentals of the art. You will start by swinging your blade from left to right, both hands mind you, with the blade facing to the right in a cutting motion. As soon as you hit the stopping point of your swing, quickly strike from upper right, to lower left. It keeps your opponent off balance so may swing again."

Nishito heeded his words, and tried it out. He put his hands together on the sword, and his left leg back into fighting position. He set his blade on his left side and prepared to swing. With a slight grunt, he stepped forward and swung the blade from left to right, stopping slightly when the blade reached to his left side. Wasting no time, he set his blade vertical, and cleaved with power diagonally striking an imaginary opponent of air. Finished, he looked over to O-ishi, who was watching with interest and critique. O-ishi stepped to Nishito and adjusted Nishito's elbow position as they did the practice again. This time, Nishito ran through the drill a multitude of times with O-ishi holding onto his elbow.

"Your striking power is improving Nishito. We will try another kind of drill next."

[KoKoKo]

+10

[----]

Now inside the city gates of Aokusa, Tsugahara sought out his old sensei, the man who had first taught him the way of The Sword Which Takes Life. As he rushed up the stairs of the temple, he would find the old Badger training another one of his many pupils; from Tsuga's point of view, it appeared that the male had been learning one of the fundamentals of the Body Art style, and he would stand back as he finished his training. Kuranosuke's gaze turned towards the door as he heard the patter of footsteps.

"Greetings, O-ishi-sensei.." he said, bowing before the elder as his unsheathed his black blade known as Makkura. The man had been surprised to see so familiar a face as his. Who could forget the albicant haired, female-looking Tsugahara?! He then turned to the other Shogakusha and nodded towards him. 

"Hello! I am Ochi Tsugahara," a smile spread across his face. Perhaps these two could train together as their Bake' Yoroi watched over them. 

SPOILER: Click to show

-- maybe we could train stances, techs. i dont care, its been a while for me.

[Nishito Ryi]

Nishito sheathed his katana back on the straps on the back of his tactical vest. He wasn't expecting a new voice to emerge from behind him. With a turn, he faced the newcomer. Nishito gave him a good look up and down, making a few quick mental notes. When he was done, Nishito put on the friendly smile that was characteristic of him. This time though, the smile penetrated deep within himself; it was truly genuine. With a quick bow, Nishito stepped closer to the man.

"Good morning! I am Nishito, Genin of Sunagakure. Are you a student here also?"

OOC Note: While I didn't originally intend for someone else to be here, I am perfectly fine with us training together. It definitely adds some RP depth! Now if you try anything funny, the Suna crew is very close-knit; they won't let you forget it!

[----]

Tsugahara smiled. With his lethal extension known as Total Darkness within his grasp, the non-ninja would swing the black bladed weapon a few times, getting used to it from having neglected it to follow spiritual endeavors.

"I was a student of O-shi-sensei," he said, taking a stance that he had remembered from his time here. "But, I guess you could say that one never stops being a student if they are not a Bake' Yori like the Badger." The man, who held this ranking, would laugh heartily as his once prized student made this comment. Tsugahara's long flowing white hair blew in the wind as he spun around, further testing his blade.

"Is there a particular stance that you know of, Nishito-kun? Perhaps one that I know not.. you could teach me it!" Tsugahara began to move into the positions that he knew:

He would move his sword toward his back, with his body crouched a bit, further cloaking the full length of his katana--Hitoshirenu no Shisei.

Tsuga would then grow defensive, and move his blade toward his front; held low, the longsword stretched out towards Nishito, who had been about three meters away--Hikui no Shisei.

"Haha, these are the only two I know, sadly.. but make no mistake: I am a capable fighter with Makkura..." His gaze turned distant as he thought on older times, when he trained at the temple with Naganori.

SPOILER: Click to show

-- Tsugahara has no reason to attack you, unless provoked. Someone failed to read up on this character before making ooc statements.. this saddens me.

[Nishito Ryi]

Nishito grew inexplicably solemn and awed as he watched the swordsman practically twirl his sword with such grace and precision. Nishito decided that he has practiced a lot longer that he ever has. That was to be expected, the man did say he studied under his master here.

With decision, Nishito turned to the two men that stood before him and nodded.

"I really appreciate your efforts, but I believe that my stances are sufficient. Perhaps some other learnings in blade techniques?"

Nishito stopped at the end of his question with a thoughtful face. On his way out here, he saw some other temple-goers drilling this interesting combination of sword strikes in the green across from his quarters.

"I believe I saw something I'd like to learn earlier in the temple greens. Gyakufunsha, was it?"

Gyakufunsha (Reversed Killing Thrust)
Rank: "D"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: The swordsman parries an enemy's attack and counter-attacks.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Gyakufunsha is a Taijutsu technique where a swordsman is on the defending end of an enemy attack. The user will parry the attack to the side and immediately pivot around in order to follow through with a reverse thrust at the enemy's chest or abdomen. From there the user has the option of simply pulling the sword out of the enemy or ripping it out for additional damage.
Limit: Gyakusatsu

OOC: Oh no, I read your bio. I was merely making a jest. Your bio is a lot better out together than mine. ;_;

[----]

The elder Grand Master of Gyakusatsu had removed himself from the area once Tsugahara and Nishito began to converse. He had other students to tend to, and felt that the Genin of the Hidden Sand had been placed with a more than promising teacher given the circumstances. Apparently the younger boy had not wished to train stances with Tsugahara.. he frowned a bit, before the boy inquired about training a parrying counter technique. This made Tsugahara smile, but he had to resheath his sword. Quickly, he ran to fetch two bokken--wooden swords--and tossed one towards Nishito.

"There we go!--So we won't end up killing each other in our kenjutsu training," he said, smiling once more.  When Nishito appeared ready, Tsugahara would lunge at the boy in a quick movement, aided by Shunshin. This hadn't been to show him up, but rather prepare him for any opponent. With a quick pull upward, Tsugahara lifted the wooden blade over his head before yanking it down upon his training partner. He said that he wished to learn a technique, so what better way than to do so on a live opponent? Still keeping most of his swordsmenship prowess hidden from the boy, Tsugahara's attack had been aimed slowly for the sole purpose of Nishito being able to properly parry and counter his attack.

SPOILER: Click to show

-- haha, no worries. ive been rping for nearly ten years man.. it all comes with time. nice character, though.

-- you should begin to train the desired tech in your next post, but be sure to not cause too much harm to tsugahara. ^^

[Nishito Ryi]

Gyakufunsha (Reversed Killing Thrust)
Rank: "D"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: The swordsman parries an enemy's attack and counter-attacks.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Gyakufunsha is a Taijutsu technique where a swordsman is on the defending end of an enemy attack. The user will parry the attack to the side and immediately pivot around in order to follow through with a reverse thrust at the enemy's chest or abdomen. From there the user has the option of simply pulling the sword out of the enemy or ripping it out for additional damage.
Limit: Gyakusatsu

[0/10]

Nishito snatched the bokken from the air with a quick hand motion. He readied his hand grip, and gave it a few quick testing swings and motions. It was quite heavier and unwieldy than his katana, but if he could master some techniques here, he could easily replicate them with his katana. With a quick nod to acknowledge he was ready, Nishito replicated the defensive ready pose that the other students sat in fro the drill.

Suddenly Tsugahara, with what seemed like inhuman speed, lunged after Nishito with his bokken raised high in a would-be killing pose. Nishito quickly calculated the intended target of the swing. He followed in a mental picture the trajectory of the blunt blade. If it followed the same path it was headed, the blunt edge would end in a killing position: his head. With urgency, Nishito raised his blade so it would be perpendicular to Tsugahara's. With a grunt from deep within the chest in effort, Nishito's blade made full bodily contact with the aggressor's blade. Quickly stopping the downward cleaving motion, Nishito tilted his blade and pushed away Tsugahara's.

Satisfied that the danger had been averted, Nishito stepped closer to Tsugahara, closing the distance with an intent to apply the finishing touch that would be fatal with a real blade. He quickly sidestepped around Tsugahara with a rotation in his step as Tsugahara would finish making his continuing motion sideways after the parry. With his back around 2 feet away from Tsugahara's, Nishito brought his blade in a backwards motion, like he was sheathing, towards Tsugahara's back.

"Touch." Nishito said, acknowledging that he had made contact with his blade. That drill was finished, and they would need to reset before running it again. This time, he hoped he would get some positive feedback to let him improve. After all, he was still a student. Maybe he needed to improve his speed?

[----]

While Nishito had successfully parried the blow, Tsugahara had been pushed back by the boy--it came as a shock to the Ochi man that the boy possessed such strength to knock him back. His--Nishito's--movements had been fluid as he moved around Tsugahara, quickly placing his blade to his side and pushing it backwards into the lower spine of his sparring partner.

"Haha, impressive, Ni-kun." Tsugahara said, turning to the boy. He would bow before him after he made the soft attack and then gathered himself in the Hikui no Shisei. From here, he would lunge towards Nishito and swung his blade in an oblique fashion, looking to have his blow parried by the boy yet again had he felt that he needed to further train this Gyakusatsu technique.

The oblique slash performed by Tsuga had come from the lower right, and arced upward toward's Nishito's left shoulder. It presented him with an easier attack to parry than that of the one before.

[Captain M]

Nishito: +10 TP, LEARNED

[Nishito Ryi]

Nishito slumped slightly with his bokken as the pair reset for another drill. They have been drilling for what felt like a couple hours now to get Nishito's finishing touches down. With his partner in front of him, Nishito returned the customary bow, and proceeded to swing perpendicular to the oblique cutting swing that was thrown at him.

"Oomph!" Grunted Nishito as he met the wooden weapon with his own. The swords clacked in a repetitive percussion for a few more minutes as the pair slung bokken at each other. Soon enough, Nishito began to tire, and began to walk over to a rack where other bokken lay. With his back still turned, he prompted a question.

"I never got to ask, what brings someone like you here? I noticed that you haven't sworn an oath to a hidden village. Do you travel much?"

[----]

He hadn't grown weary from his bout with the boy. Tsugahara was still in mental prime. Once he and his partner ceased, from his partner's apparent understanding of the technique, the latter walked towards the bokken rack and asked Tsugahara a question. For Nishito to have been a boy, he asked serious questions, Tsugahara thought. 

Tsugahara's words had been as true and pure as his heart. "I have returned here to seek more training under O-shi-sensei," this first portion had been easy to speak, as he once told Nishito that he had been a student of the Badger's.

His mind wanted to close itself up to strangers, but he felt comfortable around Nishito. He had opened back what knowledge of swordsmanship he possessed from prior endeavors of spiritual manipulation. "I am a Non-Ninja, yes; I seek to travel to every land and grow in mind and essence. It has been a journey long started since I left my homeland of Ishi Kuni." Upon the wind, his white locks would flow; his eye's gaze was now reminiscing on old times... 

"But what of you, Ni-kun? From where do you hail? And what is an aspiration of yours?" Tsugahara posed the question in a friendly manner, as he fought back thoughts of his bitter past. His mind had been too trained against falling victim to past woes, so he sought to lighten the mood with another's story. A smile formed on his mouth before Nishito could turn around.

[Nishito Ryi]

Brushing off a few wooden splinters from his surprisingly calloused hands for his age, Nishito leaned on the dojo wall behind him. Nishito smiled as he recalled his days when he was only a slightly younger. With a chuckle, Nishito responded to the man's stories.

"Wow... Traveling around like that must be fun!" Nishito's smile made him squint a bit.

"Well, I came from a rice farm in Hi no Kuni. I helped my dad grow rice. I grew up on the farm, with my dad teaching me how to use the katana. And ever since that, I've moved to Sunagakure to work as a ninja. Yeah, it's a bit scary by myself, but who else would pay me to use my katana, you know?"

Nishito broke out into a short laugh. The laugh faded as he regained his calm. Realizing he was slightly thirsty, he stepped off the wall and brushed his hands on his pants.

"I think may need to sit down for tea. Would ou like some? I can send a temple aide."

[----]

00 of 05——

SPOILER: Click to show

Chuuhan no Shisei (Middle Level Posture)
Rank: "E"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: A stance with a sword held at the midsection.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Chuuhan no Shisei is the most basic of the six stances of Gyakusatsu and offers the optimal balance between offense and defense. The user brings his/her sword to the midsection held in a forty-five degree angle upwards with the dominate hand held at the top of the handle below the guard. The stance is used to transition easily between offense and defense as well as counters. The feet match the positioning of the hands with the dominate side in the forefront.
Limit: Gyakusatsu

Tsuagahara gave Nishito a brief smile as he shared his own story. It remained him of his own, having worked with the elders in Stone Country to feed their village. He had taught himself how to use a longsword, but the Badger adopted him into the Gyakusatsu style. During the time that it took him to spill the beginning contents of his story, Tsugahara had been practicing a stance.

With cool poise, he brought the bokken to a sturdy hold in front of him. The Chuuhan no Shisei required for one to be at an equal level with their blade; this allowed the Middle Level Posture to be suitable for both offensive and defensive purposes. He spread his feet apart as he lowered his stance, sure to grip the earth with the soles of his footing before he preformed a practice swing. While he had been ambidextrous in terms of swordsmanship, he opted to place his left hand above that of his right, as it felt more comfortable for him this way. Tsuga would return to the stance as several other Shogakusha began to fill in different areas of the temple. Quickly, the Ochi man swung his blade horizontally before arcing his blade obliquely; he would spin and deliver a vertical slash to the air from below as if in the fashion of an uppercut. Indeed, this stance could be used for multiple advantages over one's opponent.

As he ended his adaptation of the Gyakusatsu stance, he replied to Nishito. "I am fine, thank you." The man had barely began to work up an appetite for any liquid, but he did not mind if Ni stayed on the sidelines for a while as he practiced by himself.

[Captain M]

LEARNED @asabovesobelow

[Nishito Ryi]

Kyuu Boufuu (Sudden Gale) [0/10]
Rank: "D"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: The swordsman uses a stunning tactic to throw an enemy.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Kyuu Boufuu is a Taijutsu technique where the swordsman parries an enemy's attack and makes a swift strike at the enemy's face with the flat or blunt side of the sword. With the enemy momentarily blinded by pain, the swordsman would move in and use a side snap kick to the furthest leg with a throwing sweep in order to throw the enemy into the ground.
Limit: Gyakusatsu

Nishito finished drinking a small ceremonia cup's worth of temple herbal tea that an aide had brought him a bit earlier. It definitely served to refresh him, and give him an excuse to rest and watch Tsugahara practice and move through his sword forms. Nishito noticed the elegance and the sheer power the man had. The swings of the sword contained so much controlled power; Nishito internally said a little prayer for whoever is to be on the receiving end.

Nishito quietly sat the ceramic cup down onto the floor where he was previously sitting. With an intention not to distract Tsugahara, Nishito slowly opened the ornamental paper sliding door, and grabbed a wooden practice dummy that was moved outside when Oishi came in previously. Nishito placed the dummy in the opposite corner from Tsugahara so he wouldn't get in his way. Grabbing the wooden practice katana from the wall, Nishito began to stretch and warm up.

Nishito had learned about this technique from watching the students outside sparring. This seemed like a relatively easy technique to learn, but it still needed to be learned if Nishito wanted to go anywhere in his swordsman career. Steadily, Nishito lowered the practice blade in front of him in a ready to strike position. Feeling the weight of the blade in front of him, Nishito swung the blade sideways in a parry off to the side of the dummy's head as if there was a sword there. Stopping the blade to simulate a successful parry, Nishito had the perfect position for his blade to hit the dummy's head to smack some sense into it. He now saw the advantage of this technique: it was efficient. With a loud smack, Nishito smacked the side of the katana against the head of the dummy; it would have hurt anyone who was living. With a quick kick to the simulated kneecaps, Nishito stepped forward to finish off the wooden fiend. With the dummy on the ground, Nishito let out a puff of delighted air, and stooped down to reset the dummy.

[Father 'Suke]

+7

[Nishito Ryi]

Kyuu Boufuu (Sudden Gale) [7/10]
Rank: "D"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: The swordsman uses a stunning tactic to throw an enemy.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Kyuu Boufuu is a Taijutsu technique where the swordsman parries an enemy's attack and makes a swift strike at the enemy's face with the flat or blunt side of the sword. With the enemy momentarily blinded by pain, the swordsman would move in and use a side snap kick to the furthest leg with a throwing sweep in order to throw the enemy into the ground.
Limit: Gyakusatsu

Nishito stopped as he caught his breath. He has been training for the whole day; it's been getting to him physically. Nishito didn't feel like he quite got the technique down pat yet. Something was still... missing. With the dummy reset, he was free to try again, and again, at least until he was tired. Putting the sword in front of him, he redid his attack. A couple quick steps forward, and a swing upwards to his left to block the imaginary sword.Taking a step closer to the dummy, he twisted his wrists to bring the flat side of the blade to bear down on the wooden head. With a grunt as the sword vibrated in his hands on contact, he finished the maneuver by swinging out sideways with his leg in an arcing sweep kick. With a clunk and a clatter, the dummy fell and smashed on the floor, body intact.

Nishito dropped to his knees, huffing. He needed to retire for the day, his training was through. He slowly laid down on the cold wooden tiled floor. He needed a break.

[Captain M]

LEARNED MAH DEAR!

[----]

00 of 05——

SPOILER: Click to show

Kousou no Shisei (Upper Level Posture)
Rank: "E"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: A stance with a sword held above the head.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: JKousou no Shisei is the most aggressive of the six stances of Gyakusatsu and offers the highest peak of offense. The user brings his/her sword above the head held in a double axe-handle position with the dominate hand held near the apex. This stance is used to optimize the user's initial strength and bodyweight for heavier swordstrokes and counters. The feet match the positioning of the hands with the dominate side in the forefront.
Limit: Gyakusatsu

Having chosen to continue his endeavors in training the stances of the Gyakusatu style, Tsugahara hadn't noticed that Nishito had continued his own private training regimen in another section of the temple. The man of Ochi lifted his blade above his head calmly as he shifted his feet; his right hand took to the forefront of the tsuka, as his land hand curled around the end of the hilt in a light grip. This had begun the initial steps into the Upper Level Posture.

Once Tsugahara shifted his feet to match the grasp of the blade---his right foot forward and his left back at an angle---the albicant-haired man would quickly grasp the hilt of Makkura harshly as his muscles tensed. He could feel power coursing through him as he tested the stance with a downward swing of the blade. He had cut the air into two with the sharp and black blade of his longsword. He hadn't been too heavy a person, yet he possessed ridiculous strength. Having been a swordsman for years, he knew how to gauge his abilities with his blade. Assuming the Kousou no Shisei once again, he began to move around the small area in which he trained. While this stance had called for him to become more offensive and aggressive, it lacked true depth for defensive and mobility. This would be a stance in which he would rarely use, as it limited his resources of protection and fluidity. He would swing his blade again in a downward stroke, this time bringing it upward in another quick slash to create a combination of his own. While the first strike had called for him to put weight into its, the second upward slash would prove to be quick and appear effortless. Most of Tsugahara's movements appeared this way, regardless.

"Nishito-kun," he called out as he dropped the stance and moved towards the boy. He had found his friend laying down near a downed dummy and assumed that he had just finished practicing. "What do you plan on doing once you are done here?"