[Iron Banner] Way Of The Samurai

[Gara]

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The sound of drums, low and rhythmic, echoed from within the Iron Banner as a group of younglings each held the exact same stance. They were each training in the Zantou kenjutsu style, measuring their breath against the sound of the drums. For the most part, each student held matching Oodachi. Hatsuyuki, however, did not. He held his katana forward, parallel to the ground, while holding his wakizashi over his head ready to strike. On each third beat of the drum he raised his katana up in a block before twisting his hips and stepping forward, bringing his wakizashi down in an overhead slash. By the time the fourth beat of the drum sounded he was back in his original position.

He breathed in slow and steady, filling his lungs entirely with air before each strike even as the sweat pooled around his feet. He knew that he could regulate his body temperature with his Hyouton techniques, but felt that it would take away from the training. One beat, exhale, two beats, inhale, three beats, strike! Again he “blocked” before slashing his blade down. Despite having trained in Sekisetsu for the entirety of his time as a Genin, this was not easy on Hatsu. Being an entirely different style than he was used to, he had to force himself out of his usual habits.

Over and over again he blocked with his katana and then made an attack with his wakizashi. The lord samurai who was overseeing the training marched back and forth between his students, kicking at their legs to make sure that they held a stable stance. He even got in some of the students faces and screamed at them, attempting to make them falter. When he approached Hatsu, and kicked at the underside of his thigh, Hatsu grimaced in pain but held firm in his stance as he twisted and struck out with his wakizashi again. He saw the samurai nod in approval as he walked away.

They were then divided into pairs and told to take turns blocking and attacking. Hatsu bowed before his fellow trainee before taking up his stance. As the boy struck forward with his Oodachi, Hatsu blocked with his katana, as he had been trained, before twisting forward, getting in closer than the other boy could, and struck out with his smaller wakizashi. He didn’t harm the boy and moved slowly enough to give him time to practice his blocking technique. That was the goal of the training after all. Over and over again they “exchanged blows” as they practiced before, finally, the drums stopped. As though they had practiced it for years, all of the trainees, Hatsuyuki included, bowed respectively to the samurai.

Taijutsu TrainedShow

*[Zantou • Winter Solstice]
D-Rank Taijutsu Stance
The basic Stance of Zantou, the practitioner holds one blade forward, parallel to the ground, and holds the other high over the head, pointing toward the opponent. The low blade grants the practitioner the ability to quickly defend against an opponent's attack while the blade raised overhead allows the practitioner to either quickly attack or counterattack with a powerful downward swing or thrust. This pairing of defense and offense serves as one of the cores of Zantou's swordsmanship. Drawing in a deep breath, the practitioner also gathers up their energy and releases a kiai. This Stance allows the practitioner to ignore non-critical distractions and minor environmental factors, such as small amounts of excess heat, small amounts of excess cold, small amounts of fatigue, and even small amounts of pain, allowing them to focus entirely on their opponents' movements and the tasks at hand. While in this Stance, the practitioner is conferred with a +2 increase to Strength and +1 increase to Will Power but suffers a -2 penalty to Chakra Pool and -1 penalty to Control. The practitioner may end this Stance whenever they so wish.

[Gara]

Hatsuyuki listened to the drums as he watched the lord samurai demonstrate the technique they were going to learn. The elderly warrior executed it flawlessly before slowing down his actions so the students could see everything clearly. Hatsu watched carefully, memorizing everything as best as he could. It was, as these things go, a simple technique in theory, but not so much in practice. The man curved his attacks mid-swing, moving around the blade of his demonstration partner, as the other man tried to block. It took an insane amount of control over the body’s muscles, and an even greater control over the user’s mind to do, and Hatsu was excited to learn it. He could see this technique amplifying not just the current style that he was learning, but his Sekisetsu style as well.

Hatsuyuki moved into position with the others training within the tent and took a deep breath as he drew his wakizashi from its sheath. The drums began again as he took a ready stance and swung his blade down before attempting to curve it mid-swing. The muscles in his arm protested fiercely, refusing to cooperate before cramping up. After rubbing the cramp out of the muscles in his arm, Hatsu took up his striking position again as he steeled his mind. He knew, from the elder samurai’s description, that this would not be something easy to learn. That it required not only a strong body but a strong mind as well.

Over and over again he performed the same strike until he was able to curve his strike around an imaginary shield. With his first success under his belt, Hatsuyuki began starting the attack with a wide arcing slash before angling it upward mid strike. Once again, he worked through the pain and the muscle cramps as he made the same strike over and over again. How bad had he slacked in his martial training if his body was cramping this badly? Or was it an effect of the Iron Banner?

Hatsuyuki began working through the Sekisetsu strikes that he had learned, altering the angle of the strike as best he could mid attack. As he became more and more proficient with the Zantou technique his body began adjusting to the sudden shift in momentum more easily. After hours of training non-stop he finally held a firm grasp over the technique. His body no longer cramped, and he felt dead on his feet as he finally sheathed his blade.

Taijutsu TrainedShow

*[Zantou • Winter River Flows]
D-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
The physical training and mental focus encouraged by Zantou allows for the practitioner to adapt quickly and take advantage of opportunities to attack when they present themselves in combat. This Discipline represents the practitioner's ability to alter the direction of their blade mid-cut. This can be used to work around a block, or simply to act as a powerful feint and strike all in the same motion without stopping. This Discipline can make a Zantou practitioner’s movements difficult to predict in a fight.

[WrightJustice]

Nishiki moved quietly as he seemed to flutter into the training tent, everything about him full of grace as his movements flowed with the wind so much so even his majestic golden patterned black kimono seemed to flow in streamlined motions along with his nine grand pink tails.
His foxy ears fluttered as he found a place near the back aiming not to disrupt, his eyes scanning each pupil as the sensei tested their will but with one particular student standing out to him from his own village; Hatsuyuki stood out as someone with great potential and his fierce determination in learning even the basics of Zantou seemed to be proof of that.

The Tsukino continued to make no noise or true presence of himself at all, remaining focused on the potential dagger he had heard about as he took in everything he could about the youngun's training process. That being said it did also remind himself of his own Zantou training, though he obviously did not pick it up quite so young but had found his way to it later in life after deciding he should uphold his father's ideals some more.

In any case he was simply there to observe though the nostalgia of his own training prepared himself to aid in the teaching if anyone requested as such, though he also wondered if anyone would take note of his being there not that he was truly a master of stealth or anything like Shinji perhaps but he had made a dutiful effort not to intrude in on the exercise itself.

[Gara]

The drums began again as Hatsuyuki prepared to leave the tent, slow and steady. Just as he resolved himself to finish his training for the evening, the lord samurai began demonstrating the next technique. Hatsu was enraptured by the fluidity of the man. He blocked and attacked simultaneously, and with such power it seemed unreal. The man was graceful to an otherworldly extent as he blocked attacks from his opponent, making attacks of his own in openings he had created by blocking. Hatsu knew that he had to learn this technique, and even though his body was trained to the point where every inch of his body felt like lead, he moved back into his place in line.

After the demonstration, the elder samurai described the process of the technique. It was more complex than simply blocking your opponent’s attack and then attacking while their weapon was occupied. No, you had to attack even as you defended, using your defense as a supplement to your offense. With arms as heavy as lead, Hatsuyuki drew both of his swords and took his ready stance. Once again, his breathing matched the beat of the drums as he began a simple kata. There was an obvious delay between each movement of his swords, one that would easily be exploited in an actual fight, but he was making micro adjustments with each swing of his blades.

In his mind’s eye was his father, the man who had taught him Sekisetsu, drilling him over and over again on how to correct his form. The memory was as lifelike as the day it was made. The stern voice of his father, that steely look in his eye, the cold arrogance of someone who would not accept failure. It was this memory of his father that drove his movements even now when his arms felt like they would fall off. And even though his movements were slower than a snail’s pace, he was visibly making improvements each time he swung his swords. Veins were bulging from the strain, not only on his arms, but on his forehead as well, and blood leaked from the corners of his mouth as he bit down on his lip. Using the pain from his lip to keep his mind clear, Hatsuyuki forced his body into compliance as his offensive and defensive strikes flowed like water, ever changing.

Kenjutsu TrainedShow

*[Zantou • Eyes of the Snow Owl]
D-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite(s): *[Zantou • Ambidexterity].
The practitioner of Zantou must be capable of both defending and attacking within the same movement. This Discipline represents the practitioner's training and capacity to block an attack with one sword while simultaneously attacking with the other while wielding two or more weapons, making it more difficult for opponents to adequately block or counter the practitioner's attacks.