A Test of Tensora (training/open)

[geninjames]

James looked at the dummy a bit shocked. He had been training hard, but he didn't expect the steps he was taking to coalesce into a complete technique as easily as they did. He swung his sword to the side and examined the splintered fragments of the dummy. The two prongs of the katana caused there to be a standing middle piece about an inch thick.

"Hey, you got it." A familiar voice boomed from behind him. "You are a lot closer to being able to catch a bird now. That technique you are using is good for breaking through defenses." James' teacher had a matter of fact tone in her voice, "There is still one last step before I will let you leave." She continued.

"Oh, okay." James was happy that he was nearing completion of the lesson, but also worried about what could be more difficult than the bone crushing strike he had just learned. He was supposed to cut a bird in half without using ninjutsu, but that was a tall order that seemed impossible. The last bit worried him, was she going to stop him if he couldn't kill the swallow and not let him leave? Only time could tell.

[Christoff]

+50 TP Learned

[geninjames]

Heaven Dragonfly: Sasaki Kojiro's Tsubame Geishi (Swallow Cut)
Rank: "A"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: User slashes 3 times against the opponent with each capable of dismembering the opponent.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: This is the famous move known to Sasaki Kojiro: "To kill a swallow in 3 moves." This technique involves a series of 2 slashes which are meant to trap the swallow while the final reversal attack is meant to kill it. Using pure speed and strength the user will raise the sword slightly higher than the shoulder. The user slashes diagonally down to one side (forces the "swallow" to move to the other), slashes diagonally down to the other side (forces the "swallow" to fly behind the user), and slashes upward in a swift motion (to cut the "swallow" in half). Each slash uses the principle of Heaven Dragonfly: Dismemberment (Air and Ground) so each slash is capable of dismembering an opponent. Since this technique is meant to trap the opponent each slash takes up 1 movement making this a 3 movement technique.
Limit: Must learn from a Master of Tensora (天空 Heavenly Sky), Must know Heaven Dragonfly: Dismemberment (Air and Ground).


James wasn't going to wait all day for his teacher to give him instructions. He planned to use his new technique, and end his training as quickly as possible. He was getting tired after all. He moved with haste as he ran through the doors of the dojo to search for his target outside. James' eyes quickly scanned up and down looking for a suitable bird to prove his blade upon.

There weren't any birds in his immediate vicinity so he spread out with bubble clones to help widen his search. James bee-lined for the forest, it was only natural to assume that is where the birds would be, so that's where he went first. His clones would separate out and move thirty degrees away in opposite directions. If any of them encountered a bird they would yell for the real James.

It didn't take long for James to hear the familiar sound of chirping birds. The closest one that he detected was ten meters away. Using that knowledge James leaped into the air cleaving at the source of the chirping. Leaves fell of the branch cut clean in two. James looked through the wreckage to see if he hit anything, but couldn't find a body.

[geninjames]

Chirping erupted from a minuscule bird as it flew around him in a taunting manner. He definitely needed to work on his speed as the bird dodged his attack with ease. Angrily, James swiped at the bird with his sword trying to end it. The bird just tweeted in amusement doing complex aerial maneuvers around the blade like it was nothing.

James almost yelled with anger. Here he was, so close, yet so far away. He flailed his arms in frustration as the bird continued to taunt him. He sighed to collect himself. Anger wasn't a good emotion to have in a battle; it clouds judgement, and makes people make rash decisions. To counteract the troubling emotions he was feeling James decided to meditate.

James sat in silence for a couple of minutes bringing no thought into his mind. The chirping bird became nothing to him. When that happened he knew he was ready. James got into his wide stance, sank real low, and the swung with all his might at the bird. To his surprise the bird just dived down, and flew diagonally to escape the path of the blade.

[󠀐󠀐󠀐󠀐Y]

+14

[geninjames]

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "I can't hit him in the air, but..." A thought occurred to him as he spoke aloud. He was onto something, he just needed to think a little harder. "Maybe I will just have to wait for you to land little birdy." He told the bird his new plan knowing that it would be unable to understand him or change its own fate.

He waited patiently for the bird to tire itself out. Like a hunter stalking his prey. The bird taunted a bit more before becoming bored now that it was no longer eliciting a response. The bird flew down in the direction of the dojo. James followed a bit behind, but walked slow enough as not to scare it. He gripped his katana waiting for the opportunity to strike.

The bird flew all the way down to a post a mere meters away from the dojo. James felt like he knew that was a good sign as he continued to stalk his prey. He waited for the bird to turn its gaze away from him before closing in. The strike that he brought down upon the bird came with such haste that it surprised even James himself. His body wanted that bird dead with every fiber of its being.

[geninjames]

Unfortunately for him the bird flew off quicker than he could bring the sword down. James ran after the bird as it landed a few feet away. With each swing the bird lazily jumped just slightly out of reach. He had begun to chase the bird around the courtyard now in a comical fashion wearing himself out, and getting nowhere.

Peering from inside the dojo, James' teacher watched. She watched for quite a while before becoming frustrated. "You never let me show you the technique!" She yelled from inside the dojo before continuing her rant. "You'll never be able to swing your sword faster than a bird can get away, aren't you ninja supposed to be good at deception and trickery?"

James continued on as if no one had said anything. He was too enthralled in the chase as he sprinted behind the bird, swinging he blade with each step. "Come on birdy." He said. "I really need you to die so that I can leave." James goaded the bird with a high pitched voice to try and throw it of its game. He seemed to not have heard his teacher say anything at all.

[geninjames]

"Hey!" His teacher stormed out of the dojo. "I was talking to you moron!" She grabbed a katana of her own and began chasing after him. "You better listen to me when I say something, don't you people respect you elders anymore!?" She was gaining on him fast. Her speed was that of a master of taijutsu, and her skills with a blade matched.

The first strike is what brought James out of his frenzy. The back of his teacher's blade came down upon his temple. "Ow! Hey, what did ya do that for?" James exclaimed while rubbing his head. He didn't have much time to think while the next blow came. He ducked down under it and then rolled away from the action to put some distance between himself and his teacher.

"If you don't want to listen and learn how to fight that way then I'll just show you what to do myself." His teacher growled out at him while making another strike with her sword. She struck with a quick flurry of blows that James was barely able to defend himself from. The entire encounter he was running backwards to ease the strength of the strikes hitting him.

[geninjames]

James was able to break away long enough to sheathe his katana so his opponent would stop. "You aren't getting out of this that easily." His teacher said to him now sounding more calm. When she approached he brought out the majority of his blad to block, but kept some in the sheathe so that it could brace along a greater surface area than before.

He whipped the blade out returning with his own set of blows. Every time he thought he had got her his teacher simply pivoted diagonally to replace his target with air. She smirked while he tried his best to no avail. James then switched the nature of his strikes to horizontal to catch her off guard, but his blade was caught by hers and pushed down instantly.

"Don't try to lock blades if you don't know how." She told him before spinning James' sword out of his hand. It fell to the ground with a loud thud leaving him defenseless. "Now, are you ready for me to teach you the proper technique, or do you want to play around like you know what you're doing again?" She backed away to give him time to pick up his sword.

[geninjames]

"Yes." James groaned out exasperatedly. "Just show me how to do it, because I can't seem to figure out how to catch a simple freaking bird." He was getting upset with himself over not being able to do something that should be so simple in his eyes. Birds aren't nearly as strong as people, yet he was having so much trouble trying to fight one.

"Your first problem is that you think you can be faster than a bird. This is not the case, in terms of speed a bird will always fly faster than a person can move. A skilled swordsman doesn't rely on being physically superior to the bird. He relies on being more intelligent than the bird. A bird can't predict the tactics of a human. Make them run one way, and then predict where they will be." James' teacher explained the concept of the technique to him.

She then looked at a swallow that had landed not far away while she was giving her speech. "Here is a little lesson in trickery." She calmly walked up to the bird with her sword low by her side. In a quick movement she flicked her sword diagonally one way, diagonally the other way, and then turned her blade upward slashing up through the sparrow. "Now you try."

[geninjames]

His teacher had motioned James to try his hand at the maneuver. He certainly wasn't sure that he could do it, but seeing the technique in action gave him hope. James scanned the area. Now that it was becoming midday more birds were coming out of their nests to graze along the ground. A black raven caught his eye, it was busy digging in the ground for worms not paying any mind to the surroundings.

James slinked over to the bird being careful not to move to suddenly. He crouched down a bit to bring himself down to the level that the bird was operating at and drew his sword. It was over in an instant. James brought down his sword with a diagonally strike one way, a diagonally strike another, and twisted his blade to slice through the now trapped bird.

He looked down at the carcass with a bit of pride. The strikes were so fast that they formed an after image looking like three swords were striking at once. Now that he had finally accomplished the impossible task he was free to leave. His teacher was now beside him smiling with joy, "While you still are no master, you have graduated this course. You have my blessing to travel wherever you shall and call yourself a 'swordsman'."

[󠀐󠀐󠀐󠀐Y]

+66

[geninjames]

-EXIT-