The Path to Power (Training/Private)

[Uchiha Satoshi]

0/5

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Name: 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 apex. 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

Life is becoming stale to Satoshi, having little to do since his sister and lover have both been killed. He has little family remaining and he is becoming restless. Lately there has been some news circulating throughout Kusagakure about an Uchiha woman who uses a truly powerful and deadly style of swordsmanship. Her residence is reported to be not far from his own.

Taking his nodatchi in hand, he sheathes it behind his back and ventures out into the village streets, meandering towards this Uchiha woman's domicile. Based on rumors he believes the woman's name is Setsuna, and she is said to be very aggressive emotionally. It doesn't matter to him. He just wants to learn her sword style.

Fifteen minutes pass and Satoshi wanders up to what appears to be a dojo. The afternoon sun beats down upon the building and inside he hears faint yells and cries from training. This has to be the place. Walking up the steps, he enters the dojo only to be greeted with the shine of a blade at his throat. Luckily, his reflexes are not dull and he stops just millimeters from the cutting edge.

"I take it this is the Gyakusatsu dojo, and I presume you are Uchiha Setsuna?" Satoshi asks the woman clad in sarashi wrappings and laquered forearm protectors.

"I am and this is my dojo. Who are you and why are you here?"

"My name is Uchiha Satoshi and I'm here to learn how to use the Gyakusatsu.." he mutters in return, using his fingers to move the blade away from his throat.

"Uchiha you say? Very well. I see you have what it takes to master this swordsmanship style that kills," she replies, looking Satoshi up and down. "We'll begin with the basic stances that are vital to the style. Come."

The two Uchiha move into the center of the dojo floor where Satoshi takes a wooden bokken from the rack against the wall. Setsuna says nothing as she takes her sword up to a forty-five degree angle with her left hand holding the base of the handle and her right hand holding the handle near the blade guard. Her feet are placed opposit with the left foot taking the lead and the right foot placed in the rear with knees bent slightly and pushed outwards.

Satoshi nods and mimics the movements of his new sensei. He slides his right foot back and stops it at just outside shoulder width so he could lower his bodyweight into the stance. With knees bent and pushed out, Satoshi holds his bokken to bear at the same forty-five degree angle as Setsuna's with his right hand at the upper handle and his left hand at the base.

Such simple movements don't require the activation of the Sharingan to ease the learning process. He stands back at a normal position and repeats the transitioning into the stance several times.

"You're doing well Satoshi..." Setsuna comments.

[|Ayame Unbound|]

Learned- Add it.

[Uchiha Satoshi]

0/5

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Name: Hikui no Shisei (Lower Level Posture)
Rank: "E"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: A stance with a sword held below the waist.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Hikui no Shisei is the most defensive of the six stances of Gyakusatsu and offers the highest peak of defense, deflecting, and creating striking opprotunities. The user brings his/her sword to point at the opponent's lower body, typically around the knee or thigh area. The hands are held with the dominate hand near the apex and the feet match with the dominate foot in the forefront.
Limit: Gyakusatsu, Chuuhan no Shisei

"Let's move on to the next stance. The first one is called Chuuhan no Shisei, and this next one is called Hikui no Shisei. It is a defensive stance while the first is more neutral and balanced. Hikui no Shisei is the same as the Chuuhan no Shisei, but with only one difference. Observe.." Setsuna begins.

She starts moving into the Chuuhan no Shisei by sliding her right foot back and assuming the correct bodyweight ratio, she moves her hands on the sword in the correct position and holds the sword appropriately for the Chuuhan no Shisei.

"Now this is all you have to do," she says as she angles the tip of her nodatchi down to where it would be around her knee or lower thigh region.

"That's it? That's all there is to the stance?" Satoshi asks, mirroring his sensei by moving into the Chuuhan no Shisei. Like Setsuna, Satoshi moves his feet into position and holds his bokken with the left hand at the base and right hand at the apex. He too drops the tip of the sword down to about the same level as that of Setsuna's.

"Yes. In this position your sword is more capable of deflecting or countering oncoming attacks. There is very little that you can do offensively from this position, but it makes a very good defense should you wish to draw your opponent in closer."

Satoshi merely nods, going through the motions of the Chuuhan then transitioning into the Hikui. It is still beyond too easy for him, but all warriors have to start somewhere.

[|Ayame Unbound|]

Add it.

[Uchiha Satoshi]

0/5

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Name: 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, Hikui no Shisei

After learning the Hikui no Shisei, Satoshi and Setsuna sat down to enjoy some green tea and form the sacred bond between sensei and student. During this time other aquaintances arrived to socialize but they didn't stay very long.

"And that's the tragedy of my life," Satoshi said, having told Setsuna his lifestory and finishing his tea. They sit there in silence.

"I knew your family for a while. I wasn't one to visit very often, but your father had a reputation of being brash and cold-hearted. You have my sympathy for your losses.." she replied as she set her tea cup down on the table between the two. "Come. It's time to show you the third stance of the Gyakusatsu."

Satoshi nods and the two rise and bow to each other, concluding the tea drinking and returning to the dojo's main floor where Setsuna draws her nodachi and Satoshi wields his bokken. Although he possesses an odachi himself, he is not yet permitted to use it in the dojo as per the restrictions on his ranking in this sword style.

"This stance is called the Kousou no Shisei and it is the most aggressive and arguablly the most offensive stance in the Gyakusatsu. It is best used when you intend to use hard, heavy strikes. Watch how it is performed."

Satoshi nods as he watches Setsuna move her her right foot back and settles it with knees bent and pushed out as if she were going into the Chuudan no Shisei stance. However, instead of holding the sword out in front or below the centerlines, she brings the blade up above her head with her right hand at the top of the handle near the guard and her left hand at the bottom of the handle.

Nodding again, Satoshi assumes the same stance as Setsuna by guiding his right foot back and squaring his body with his shoulders and hips aligned forward. He settles his bodyweight to be distributed evenly, then brings his sword up above his head with his right hand at the top of the handle and his left hand at the bottom. Instictively he angles the tip of his sword back behind his head slightly rather than being perfectly straight up in the air.

Satoshi is given a reassurring nod of approval from his master, so he goes through this process several times, taking time to make small transitions between the other two stances as well.

[hotaru]

+5

[Uchiha Satoshi]

0/5

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Name: Hitoshirenu no Shisei (Rear Hidden Posture)
Rank: "E"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: A stance with a sword held behind the body.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Hitoshirenu no Shisei is the most deceptive of the six stances of Gyakusatsu and offers the highest peak of surprise attacks. The user brings his/her sword down to the waist pointing away to the rear of the body in order to hide the full length of the blade and only show the pommel to the opponent. The hands are held with the dominate hand at the hilt. The user's feet are opposite of the hands with the dominate foot in the rear of the stance.
Limit: Gyakusatsu, Kousou no Shisei

"You're doing excellent Satoshi, but don't get cocky as we're only in the beginning stages. Next I'll show you the Hitoshirenu no Shisei. It's a very deceptive stance used to conceal the length, angle, and location of your blade. However, using this stance limits the number of techniques you are capable of performing so don't overuse it," Setsuna begins with her student simply listening and nodding.

The master shows her student the stance by once again sliding her right foot back to the rear of the stance. Only this time instead of squaring the body forward, the upper torso is angled to the flanking side with most of the body's weight placed on the rear foot. The lead foot is locked out at the knee.

Satoshi matches her movements stroke for stroke with near perfect mirror imaging. Being on his master's left, Satoshi too slips his right foot back and angles his to the rear so he feels the greater bodyweight on the supporting leg. He also makes sure to lock out the lead foot at the knee and mimics Setsuna's rear-leaning action with their upper bodies.

"Now positioning of the sword so it is concealed involves a small optical illusion. When you move your sword to the rear, you do so in a circular fashion and this causes anybody in front of you to see the blade shrink and their depth perception would be flawed in judging the length and possible angle of your blade," Setsuna remarked seeing her student impersonate her actions.

Satoshi once again nods as he matches Setsuna's sword placement movements. The two blades make circular motions that rise up from the floor towards their flanks and rising to about shoulder level where they rest. Each has their right hand at the top of the handle while the left hand is at the base where it can better guide the blade.

[Itsuki v2]

Add 'er.

[Tenkai]

Learned.
Add it.

[Uchiha Satoshi]

0/5

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Name: Zengosayuu no Shisei (All Directions Posture)
Rank: "E"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: A stance with a sword held vertical.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Zengosayuu no Shisei is a Gyakusatsu stance that allows the user to rapidly respond offensively to enemies from all eight angles of attack. The user brings his/her sword upright until the hilt is in front of the shoulder matching the dominate hand that is held at the apex. This stance is also used to transition into the Kousou no Shisei when striking by sloping the blade slightly to the rear. The user's feet are positioned opposite of the hands with the dominate foot in the rear and the other foot in the forefront.
Limit: Gyakusatsu, Hitoshirenu no Shisei

"You've done very well today Satoshi, and you are nearly complete with learning the Gyakusatsu stances. I normally don't give so much so quickly but you've proven to be a very capable student and I trust you wouldn't be overburdened. Let's move on to the next stance. It is called the Zengosayuu no Shisei."

Setsuna begins the Zengosayuu no Shisei by moving her right foot just outside shoulder width and moving her shoulders in line with her hips. This causes her body to turn into an off-angle as she brings her sword up to her left shoulder perfectly verticle. She has her left hand at the top of the handle with her right hand at the bottom. This is opposit of the other stances thusfar.

"This stance will allow you to either defend or attack in all eight directions that are possible. With your sword held in this position, it is difficult for your opponent to predict how and where you will be able to strike."

Once again Satoshi would nod to his master and acknowledge her words, letting it all sink in as he too assumes the Zengosayuu no Shisei stance. The Uchiha steps back with his right foot and sets his body at the forty-five degree angle to the right. Instead of bringing his sword up to the left shoulder in the manner Setsuna had, he takes his sword up to the right shoulder with his left hand placed up near the peak of the handle and his right hand at the base. Since he is dominately right handed this feels more comfortable than the other side would, but he changes it up and experiences the Zengosayuu no Shisei on both his left and his right side.

[Kinz]

+5

[Uchiha Satoshi]

0/5

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Name: Satsugai no Shisei (Killing Posture)
Rank: "E"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: A stance with the sword still sheathed at the hip.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Satsugai no Kamae is the most advanced stance of the Gyakusatsu and offers the highest peak of speed when unsheathing the sword. The user holds the sheath with the left hand at the hip and the handle of the sword firmly with the right hand. The shoulders are relaxed and kept even without pivoting the torso. The feet are aligned forward and the lead knee bent with a sixty-forty weight distribution.
Limit: Gyakusatsu, Zengosayuu no Shisei

"Ok Satoshi. This will be your final lesson for today. You've done exceptionally well but this is the most advanced of all the stances and greatly stresses speed during strikes. Consequently it also increases power momentarily, but not near as much as it does your speed. I shall demonstrate," Setsuna says as she walks up to a wall and takes a bokken from the rack, then proceeds to walk to a wooden practice dummy on the other wall.

She begins by sliding her left foot back and turning into the stance slightly so that the bokken is held at her left hip almost horizontally. By bending her knees she lowers her bodyweight as she places her right hand around the handle of the sword, then suddenly 'unsheathes' it and slashes across the dummy's neck. The wooden sword thuds against the wooden dummy with a deafening crack.

"The key to this stance is to use torque within your body to accelerate the blade when unsheathing. You give it a try," Setsuna says to Satoshi as she stands back to a casual position.

Satoshi, wide-eyed at the speed of such a simple stroke, nods and takes his bokken against his left hip as if he were sheathing his blade. He would then move his left foot back and turn both feet at a forty-five degree angle to the left with both feet slightly wider than shoulder width and knees bent to allow his bodyweight to drop. With his left hand on the 'sheath' of the blade he pulls it to the left and back to bear the handle more away from his body, while placing his right hand on the handle.

The feeling of this stance is nothing like that of the others. Satoshi knows that this stance in this position will most likely be his favorite and one he is most prone to be using during combat due to its deadliness and intimidating appearance.

"Good work Satoshi. You've mastered all five of the Gyakusatsu stances so you're dismissed for the afternoon. Until next time.." Satoshi's master remarks as she vanishes from sight, leaving Satoshi to show himself out.


<EXIT>

[|Ayame Unbound|]

Learned.

[Uchiha Satoshi]

0/5

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Name: Kibatsu Genron (Principles For Striking)
Rank: "E", "D", "C", "B", "A", "S"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: Training that strengthens offense with a sword.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Kibatsu Genron is the lesson in which a swordsman learns how to use his/her sword in order to wound an opponent as quickly as possible with as few strikes as possible. With each progression in skill levels, the user becomes able to strike through defensive measures with his/her attacks due to experience and precision training.

E Rank: At this level of skill the user only understands the mechanics of breaking enemy defenses.
D Rank: At this level of skill the user is capable of penetrating defenses that are E-Rank and lower.
C Rank: At this level of skill the user is capable of penetrating defenses that are D-Rank and lower.
B Rank: At this level of skill the user is capable of penetrating defenses that are C-Rank and lower, as well as knocking the target back up to two meters.
A Rank: At this level of skill the user is capable of penetrating defenses that are B-Rank and lower, as well as knocking the target back up to five meters.
S Rank: At this level of skill the user is capable of penetrating defenses that are A-Rank and lower, as well as knocking the target back up to seven meters.

Limit: Gyakusatsu

The next day Satoshi walks back to his sensei's dojo where he finds a young child training with a wooden dummy similiar to the one used the day before. He knows this kid must be of the Uchiha clan as Setsuna would refuse anybody else not born of their clan. Satoshi would have to introduce himself later as he cares not for the welfare of the child nor his training. The only thing he cares about is his own progress.

"Greetings Setsuna-sama. I've came back to receive more training," Satoshi begins with by bowing to his master.

"I see you've disposed of your nodatchi in exchange for a katana. That was a wise move considering that a larger blade is more difficult to wield in this style, but still manageable..." Setsuna remarks turning her back to Satoshi momentarily. "Today we'll begin with basic striking principles. With these principles you can evolve your swordsmanship to the point where you can break through nearly any defense your enemy may construct."

Satoshi nods and takes his bokken back in hand as Setsuna turns to him with a bokken of her own. She nods at him, silently commanding her student to come at her with an attack that she would defend against. Satoshi's goal is to try and penetrate her defenses and achieve a clean strike zone. He rushes in on Setsuna without assuming a stance and attempts to cut at her with his bokken with a simple right-sided slash. However, Setsuna simply blocks the strike by pushing her bokken up at Satoshi's, stopping it cleanly, then pushes him back by shoving him.

"Assume a stance and try again.." she mutters, glaring at him with a stern look that says she does not like feeble attempts or failures.

Satoshi nods again and slides his right foot back and turns to the right, centering himself sideways and holds his bokken with his right hand at the apex and his left hand at the base. This is the Hitoshirenu no Shisei which would help hide his blade's length and direction of attack. Once again he rushes at Setsuna and pretends to pull his sword down to strike at her legs, but at the last second pulls the bokken up.

Setsuna of course isn't fooled but goes with it and attempts to block the lower attack, only to fall prey to the strike that impacts her against her forearm guard.

"Very well Satoshi. Mediate on what you've learned and maybe we can progress this lesson."

[Leonov]

Learned

[Uchiha Satoshi]

0/10

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Name: Kibatsu Genron (Principles For Striking)
Rank: "E", "D", "C", "B", "A", "S"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: Training that strengthens offense with a sword.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Kibatsu Genron is the lesson in which a swordsman learns how to use his/her sword in order to wound an opponent as quickly as possible with as few strikes as possible. With each progression in skill levels, the user becomes able to strike through defensive measures with his/her attacks due to experience and precision training.

E Rank: At this level of skill the user only understands the mechanics of breaking enemy defenses.
D Rank: At this level of skill the user is capable of penetrating defenses that are E-Rank and lower.
C Rank: At this level of skill the user is capable of penetrating defenses that are D-Rank and lower.
B Rank: At this level of skill the user is capable of penetrating defenses that are C-Rank and lower, as well as knocking the target back up to two meters.
A Rank: At this level of skill the user is capable of penetrating defenses that are B-Rank and lower, as well as knocking the target back up to five meters.
S Rank: At this level of skill the user is capable of penetrating defenses that are A-Rank and lower, as well as knocking the target back up to seven meters.

Limit: Gyakusatsu

"I want you to try another stance and this time don't conceal your attack. I want you to try and force a visible attack through your enemy's resistance," Setsuna says as she assumed the Chuudan no Shisei stance. This is the balanced stance so she can transition better, and leaves her open in a few places. She simply holds her bokken out in front of her, waiting on Satoshi to make his move.

Moving into his own stance, the Kousou no Shisei stance, which offers the highest level of offense and aggression, Satoshi contemplates his attack. Keeping his body aligned forward with his right foot in the background and his left foot in the forefront, Satoshi makes sure his right hand is at the top of the handle and left hand at the bottom. His chosen strike is a simple downward cleave and he intends on dropping all of his bodyweight into the strike.

Charging forward, Satoshi raises his bokken higher and times his cleave near perfectly. Immediately upon reaching Setsuna, Satoshi brings his bokken down hard in a perfectly straight cleave at her right shoulder. If this were a real sword stroke, the damage would tear into the nerves and muscle in the shoulder which would render a swordsman useless. Setsuna brings her own bokken up in a diagonal block, meeting Satoshi's attack with expert timing. The two bokken clash with a hard thud, but Satoshi was waiting for this.

Upon impact with Setsuna's bokken, Satoshi drops his bodyweight and pulls his bokken down, causing Setsuna's bokken to push against her body and allow Satoshi's blade to touch the flesh on her right shoulder. However, Setsuna slides into a stance of another fighting style. In this position Setsuna's foot could easily be lodged against Satoshi's temple for a knock-out.

"You managed to get past my blocking defense, but the method you used to do it left you open for counterattack from martial art. We shall try again later. I feel like a drink.." she mutters and slips away to drink some sake.

Satoshi merely narrows his eyes and sits down in the middle of the tatami mat training floor, folding his legs into the lotus position with his bokken on the floor next to him as his own katana is still sheathed at his left hip, leaving no room for the bokken. In this position, he meditates on what his master said and runs through scenarios in his mind as a means of driving his strike to the target without leaving himself vulnerable.

[Kama the Popcorn Kage]

+10

[Uchiha Satoshi]

Name: Kaihi Shuuren (Evasion Training)
Rank: "E", "D", "C", "B", "A", "S"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: Training that increases a swordsman's ability to evade attacks.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Kaihi Shuuren is the lesson in which a swordsman learns how to better dodge and evade both unarmed and weapons attacks. This requires intensive, rigorous resistance training in order to make the muscles stronger and therefore faster. Furthermore, extreme sparring is needed in order to take the raw speed and strength and mold it into solid reflexes.

E Rank: At this level of skill the user only has his/her normal evasion speed.
D Rank: At this level of skill the user's base evasion speed is increased by 5%.
C Rank: At this level of skill the user's base evasion speed is increased by 10%.
B Rank: At this level of skill the user's base evasion speed is increased by 15%.
A Rank: At this level of skill the user's base evasion speed is increased by 20%.
S Rank: At this level of skill the user's base evasion speed is increased by 25%.

Limit: Gyakusatsu

0/5


"To ensure that you survive in combat, one must have three key elements. Offense, defense, and evasion. For now we'll work on evasion. This will sharpen your reflexes and make it more difficult for your enemy to land an attack. Also, in your case, it would help conserve chakra so you wouldn't have to rely on your Sharingan so much," Setsuna says to Satoshi. "We'll begin with me attacking you. I'll take it easy so you can grasp the understanding quicker. Your job is to just dodge, not actually block or deflect."

"Yes Setsuna-sama.." Satoshi responds, assuming a generic martial arts stance not belonging to any specific style. His natural instict would be to activate his Sharingan and use its powers to read and predict his enemy's movements, but as Setsuna said this training would help greatly by not depleting his chakra reserves. Several tense minutes pass as Setsuna contemplates her attack.

Suddenly the woman springs forth with a simple sword thrust with her bokken aimed at Satoshi's abdomen. With somewhat relative ease, Satoshi simply sidesteps the thrust, but is met by a knee to the left thigh. The light force instills a cramp in the muscle, causing Satoshi to limp away slightly.

"You had the right idea to dodge the sword thrust, but you didn't take the split second to check for hidden attacks. My knee could have easily impacted your knee and shattered the platella, forever crippling your leg and ending your career as a shinobi. Let's try again.." Setsuna says, scolding yet instructing Satoshi in his training.

Again Setsuna springs at Satoshi and uses a left-right horizontal slash with her bokken. This time, she aims for his neck for an attempted decapitation as if it were a real sword attack. Instantly Satoshi ducks underneath the bokken, and this time he sees another knee rising up to smash into his midsection. Instead of waiting to be hit again, Satoshi leans to his right and shoulder-rolls away from the knee and rises back into his stance.

"Very good Satoshi. You managed to evade both attacks without hitting or being hit."

Wordlessly, Satoshi nods.

[|Ayame Unbound|]

Add it~

[||Yuuku||]

+5

Learned.