Path of Kenjutsu [Private]

[Enatsu]

It was about seven in the morning, the sun was still hiding from the village in the clouds, ironically their name-sake truly showing itself. A dark grey covered the thick clouds above, the ground seeping with mist , the stone wet from the morning rain. While there was no rain at this time, there was no telling if it would start up again and how bad it could get. Enatsu didn't mind this, in fact one could say he prayed for the rain it was his favorite weather condition after-all. Even though he'd rather be in nothing but shorts until the rain came, if at all, he was dressed for his task ahead. The young boy was wearing a black pants, with red leg sleeves. He wore black shinobi sandals, which were common wear. He wore a simple black sleeveless shirt and his Cloud headband was tied around his left arm. He wore the traditional Kumogakure vest, a single shoulder gray body armor. He had a belt pouch on his waist and wore guards on his hands and knees. The Genin's destination was the academy, he was going to meet a fellow shinobi for training. His request was simple, and pretty open;

Dear fellow Kumogakure shinobi I am Chigokai Enatsu a Genin of this village. I seek to train in the ways of the blade, but I have no idea what I'm doing. I humbly ask one who is experienced in the craft to teach me. If you have the time and are willing just take this sign down and meet me at the front of the academy at 8 am, I'll be the boy with blue skin and silver eyes. I'll be there everyday until we meet. - Thanks in advance

He was embarrassed just thinking about how he had wrote the message. It was so lame that he couldn't bear to imagine further, yet after three days his message had finally been taken down. He wasn't quite sure who saw this message but like his sign said Enatsu had been there waiting everyday. He would normally show up 30 minutes to an hour before the start described time, and he'd wait until 10. This gave his potential instructor a 2-3 hour window before Enatsu would leave. He didn't have a sword on him at this time, he assumed his instructor would rather have him use a training blade and he the academy dojos were sure to have a number of training weapons, all different types and sizes. Kumogakure boasted a technological advance so he wouldn't be surprised to see some interesting choices, but Enatsu would be simple in most regard. He was looking to take up a larger blade, something that he could use in a variety of ways, but would pack a punch. Either way, this training session would be up to the lucky instructor, for now he'd simply wait.

[Topic Entered: Calling Rei]
[MFT]

 

[Saitou Rei]

Though no longer a teacher, Rei hadn't been able to stay away from Kumogakure's shinobi academy for very long. First it had been those dreaded cleaning assignments, but more recently she had come as a guest teacher now that several parents were demanding their children learn about the Kaibutsu. It was after one such class that she'd first seen the note on the board. At first, the kunoichi had left it and moved on. Though customs might be different here, being instructed by someone of your same rank wasn't exactly taken kindly in most parts of the world. After seeing that it hadn't been responded to by her next visit, however, the samurai's heart began to ache and could no longer resist the bait. Though she understood the importance of teaching on monsters, it always left her drained and anxious. Kenjutsu and teaching swordsmanship on the other hand, had always given her life.

Donning her usual simple attire - loose ivory button down topped with a tattered red scarf, dark brown pants and boots, brown jacket to shut out the mountain's cold, Kumo headband around her waist, sword at one side and tool pouch on the other - the Nanjirou arrived at the academy ten minutes before the given time. Catching sight of the blue-skinned boy, Rei nearly did a double-take. She had taken note of the writer describing themselves as such, but she still hadn't been quite sure what to expect. 'Kumo you surprise me every day,' the thought brought a smile to her face as she continued on to greet the willing student. "Chigokai Enatsu I presume? I'm Nanjirou Rei." Introducing herself, she gave a customary bow. "I saw your note. I'm not exactly a teacher here, but I am experienced in Kenjutsu. If you'll have me, I'd love to at least help get you started in the right direction."

[Topic Entered]

 

[Enatsu]

While Enatsu waited he imagined what kind of blade would be most fitting for him. He was attracted to the idea of a sword but had no idea how to use one, nor had he tried. He only ever needed his hands, being proficient in close quarter combat, however there was a point where one combat style simply wasn't enough. In a way he looked at it similar to how Ninjutsu and Genjutsu worked, with Ninjutsu there were elements that could combine to create advanced variations of the elements. Genjutsu had senses that they affected but some Genjutsu could be so advanced that they take up multiple forms of them. For Taijutsu users there was a wall that they couldn't simply overcome with learning a new jutsu or getting stronger. In order for Taijutsu to get on advanced levels such as those, they needed to spice up their skill set and equipment. It was this reason that the young boy was here.

A swordswoman appeared slightly before the assigned time. She was clad in brown clothing and beared a Kumogakure headband on her waist with a sword at her hip. She spoke almost immediately greeting him with a smile on her face. She said her name was Nanjirou Rei, it wasn't a name that he was familiar with but that didn't matter to him. Rei bowed after greeting herself which prompted Enatsu to also bow, albeit he made sure to bow deeper than her, after all he was making the request of her. "Thank you Rei-sama, thank you for taking the time to come here and answer my request. Teacher or not, I am in your care." He already gave her the respect of a sensei, in his mind this woman was now his teacher and he would follow her instruction with focus. "Well Rei-sama, I have no experience with swords but I do know a bit of martial arts. Should we go to one of the dojos and get some training gear?" He'd wait for the woman's response, he didn't wish to overtake her as the ball was in her court now.

 

[Saitou Rei]

While endearing, Enatsu's display of respect in the title he used caused the kunoichi's cheeks to flush red. Placing one hand in the air and scratching the back of her head with the other, she stammered, "T-that's really okay, no need for the formalities here. You said you were a Genin, right? Me too; we're on equal ground here." In truth, it had been quite some time since anyone had addressed her that way. Even when she had been in a higher position, her young age had caught many off guard. And here, when her slight accent did give her away, it wasn't uncommon to see some of the older residents steer the opposite direction into hushed derogatories and malicious side eyeing. Though overwhelming, this Enatsu proved to be quite the breath of fresh air.

"Anway, yes, there's a dojo just a few yards that way that should suite our needs just fine," she gestured to the eastern side of the academy. The Dojo Complex that the Aurora housed had truly impressed the young Nanjirou. "Let's get to it then!" Leading the way toward the Annex, it wouldn't be long before they came to the weapons training wing, just before the obstacle courses. The main room was lined with weapons of every kind imaginable mounted on the walls. Of course, there were also the more rudimentary training weapons - bokken, wooden tanto, shinai, you name it - in barrels and chests along the floor. Peeking into some of the smaller rooms, Rei found some to be barren to allow a space for duels, and some set up with tatami mat targets for training. "Alright, looks like we have no shortage of options here. So tell me, Enatsu-san, did you have a certain type of blade or style in mind that you'd like to explore?"

 

[Enatsu]

A sigh of relief would escape his lips when Rei told him that he could drop the formalities. He was glad that he didn't have to be so extra here. It would seem that Rei was also a Genin, meaning she wasn't much higher in rank than him. Although he assumed everyone around him was more experienced in these affairs, it was out of respect more than anything. However it could be a sign that Enatsu could tone down until he needed to.

Rei stated that there was a dojo nearby they could use, one with an assortment of weapons. Enatsu was getting excited just thinking about it. He was about to learn blade techniques from an actual swordswoman. They made short work of the walk in silence, coming to a large training room lined with weapons on either walls. To be honest it was overwhelming but this is what he asked for. Enatsu began to walk around the room picking up different weapons. He started with a bokken, it was light but imitated the length of a katana, he then picked up a wooden broadsword that knights would battle with. Enatsu swung the blades downward and then to the left. It was a sloppy and slow slash, showing his inexperience. He didn't like the feel of it but there were plenty of other weapons to choose from. He went to short swords, wooden sai, some tonfa, and even a wooden greatsword. As Enatsu went through the weapons he found that he particularly wasn't fond of these weapons. Rather, having to hold them made him feel like uncomfortable. He imagined slashing downward with these swords were like a chop with his hands. It felt much more comfortable to perform that motion with his own body.

Enatsu continued down the rows of weapons and finally came to something that caught his eye. It was a barrel of lance like weapons, if anything they looked like wooden stakes or needles with the tips rounded. One end was fitted as the handle, separated by a guard much like a kendo stick. However the base of this stick was thick and narrowed out towards the end. It reminded him of his mother's lance, he watched her train with it at home, yet this training weapon was like a rod. He picked it up and began to thrust with it. Each thrust was given a motion that he would have used to punch. In a way it was like having a weapon that could jab and then allow you to go on the defensive. While it was still uncomfortable compared to his bare hands, it did feel good. He'd make his way to Rei who had acquired a room of Tatami mats for them practice on. "Well Rei, I'm not quite sure what I want to learn but I've chosen this needle like weapon. It grooves at the bottom like a lance but is thinner like a rapier or something. I've only done a little research about swords, but nothing like this. He'd pause before speaking up again.

To tell you the truth, I'm at a loss because I feel most comfortable using my own hands as a weapon. I guess I'm trying to learn a style I can implement into that." He'd go to one of the targets and point the needle at it. He'd take a deep breath and thrust out at the target like he was throwing a jab. It was a decently paced attack that struck square on the mat, but his recoil was shoddy. He'd perform two more stabs on the mat knocking it around slightly before drawing back. The motion was off, but it was much better than him trying to swing around the bokken. Enatsu would place the weapon down and square his shoulders. He'd pull his left arm up to his face, and drop his right fist down to his side. He imitated how someone would hold a lance but with his fist being the lance. Enatsu's distributed a minuscule amount of chakra through his body, and then hands started to change. They started to gleam with a sheen like oil, and his skin started to become jagged and his muscles began to flex a bit. Enatsu's right hand snapped out and cut through the air, striking the tatami mat target. It made a loud thwack sound, a much sharper impact than when he'd tried with the needle and when he pulled back there were tears from where his fist struck. He retracted the transformation, his hands returning normal. "I figured action would be better than my jumbled up words. Do you think there are there any blade like weapons that I could implement into those martial arts moves?"

Spoiler

I just swapped to Kyojouran Kensei, so I'm going to learn Piercing Jutsu to use with my hands.

 

[Saitou Rei]

Observing for a few moments as Enastsu sampled the training weapons, Reicheru picked up a wooden bokken herself and began a light warm up routine on one of the mats while he decided what felt right. When he eventually entered the training dojo, she stepped back nodding as the blue-skinned lad brought the weapon he'd chosen. Its style reminded Rei of a secondary weapon she'd used once upon a time, though in truth she was quite out of practice with that style. She was rather quiet as Enatsu transitioned from trying to explain to simply demonstrating - often the best way to get a point across when it came to any kind of taijutsu. His strikes were fair, telling of the fact that he was being honest in his note but also evident of the potential under the surface.

Opening her mouth, ready to comment on his performance, her words were held at bay by the Genin's next actions. Placing the lance-like weapon on the floor, Rei watched in mild wonder as the boy's hands morphed into a weapon all their own. She'd certainly seen some interesting techniques in this wild shinobi world, but body manipulation still seemed rather rare; especially from someone so young, with a seemingly normal chakra signature. These strikes rung truer than before, certainly something he had long been training. Narrowing her eyes and biting her tongue with a small smile, Rei observed the tears in the tatami mat before placing her hands in her pockets and leaning against the mat. Looking the boy in the eye, she realized she had forgotten quite an important step in all of this.

"Very impressive. It looks like I may have jumped into the deep end a little quickly here, my apologies for that. I might be able to help you find what you're looking for, but I'm going to need to know two things first. First, how did you do that? Second, why do you want to learn to fight with a blade?"

[OOC: So sorry for the extensive delay, it's been a hectic few weeks. Should be better going forward!]