[Ken] Training with the wandering samurai
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Kenshin continues to wander around, seemingly lost until he stumbles upon someone with a strange looking sword. Upon a closer look, it appeared to be Sado... but with Trunk's sword? Was it Present day Future trunks or was it Tapion's sword that future kid Trunks somehow had in the one timeline. All these questions without answers only served to confused Kenshin.
Oro?... Was all Kenhin could initially mutter before returning to his senses. Sado-san, I guess you finally felt the need to round out your abilities and take up the sword... albeit not your own sword but at least you have one.
Another pause as Kenshin pondered how to train Sado, someone already adept in taijutsu; someone Kenshin was not accustomed to teaching. Would this make the process faster, or would it just prove to be as frustrating as filling an already filled cup.
Before we get to into this... how about you show me what you can do? Attack that training dummy that with whatever combination of sword strikes you can think of. Kenshin gestured to a training dummy mid-range of Sado's left, his instructions came across in a calm and gentle tone.
Oro?... Was all Kenhin could initially mutter before returning to his senses. Sado-san, I guess you finally felt the need to round out your abilities and take up the sword... albeit not your own sword but at least you have one.
Another pause as Kenshin pondered how to train Sado, someone already adept in taijutsu; someone Kenshin was not accustomed to teaching. Would this make the process faster, or would it just prove to be as frustrating as filling an already filled cup.
Before we get to into this... how about you show me what you can do? Attack that training dummy that with whatever combination of sword strikes you can think of. Kenshin gestured to a training dummy mid-range of Sado's left, his instructions came across in a calm and gentle tone.
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Sado stood waiting until Kenshin wandered onto the field he held the sword in his right hand trying to get a feel for actually using it. It felt odd, he used weapons before but in no way could call himself a swordsman or a samurai, or even a practitioner. He had never felt the need for it, but he was running out of things to learn, new styles to absorb so he decided upon giving it a shot. As Kenshin paused, Sado got a sense that he was trying to figure out how best to train him. During this time he decided to explain why he had someone else's sword. Well, you see, I never invested in learning swordsmanship. I favored taijutsu through and through, so not having a sword of my own, I just took Trunks when he wasn't paying attention as he's one of the only individuals I've seen that walks around carrying a sword. Well besides yourself however, I wasn't exactly going to try and take your sword.
Sado looked towards Kenshin than the tree before speaking-...
Well, I believe I could swing it extremely hard but that's really all. I doubt I'll have any real tact with the sword.
As he said that he slowly walked toward the tree, before stopping roughly two feet away from it. He took on a stance he was accustomed to, one oriented best for hand to hand combat the Jeet Kune do stance. He placed both hands on the sword's hilt gripping tightly, but leaving enough slack as to not be uncomfortable. He slowly lifted the sword high into the air while taking time to imagine the stance in his mind and factor in efficient motion.
The sword was roughly head height on his right side parallel to his neck and head in what would look like to anyone skilled with a sword Hassō-no-kamae Sado was however oblivious to this. He swung it downward and to the left with all his might slamming it into the side of the tree splintering the wood and burying the sword roughly two or three feet into the large tree. Even if he didn't know it, this action heavily mimicked the Jigen-ryū sword style.
Sado pulled the sword from the tree, and looked towards Kenshin laughing briefly then speaking.
See, I can swing it really hard. That's about all I got going for me.
Sado looked towards Kenshin than the tree before speaking-...
Well, I believe I could swing it extremely hard but that's really all. I doubt I'll have any real tact with the sword.
As he said that he slowly walked toward the tree, before stopping roughly two feet away from it. He took on a stance he was accustomed to, one oriented best for hand to hand combat the Jeet Kune do stance. He placed both hands on the sword's hilt gripping tightly, but leaving enough slack as to not be uncomfortable. He slowly lifted the sword high into the air while taking time to imagine the stance in his mind and factor in efficient motion.
The sword was roughly head height on his right side parallel to his neck and head in what would look like to anyone skilled with a sword Hassō-no-kamae Sado was however oblivious to this. He swung it downward and to the left with all his might slamming it into the side of the tree splintering the wood and burying the sword roughly two or three feet into the large tree. Even if he didn't know it, this action heavily mimicked the Jigen-ryū sword style.
Sado pulled the sword from the tree, and looked towards Kenshin laughing briefly then speaking.
See, I can swing it really hard. That's about all I got going for me.
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Shinta
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Kenshin gripped his sword with his left hand after he pondered the idea of Sado trying to take it instead of Trunks' sword. I think you made the right decision, after all it would be difficult for me to teach you if I was the one without a sword. Hehe. Kenshin jested as Sado moved to demonstrate what he could do with a sword in hand.
Sado appeared to have an innate aptitude for wielding the weapon, even if only in form alone; the probably stemmed from his many years of taijutsu training and combat experience, allowing him to subtly pick up on sword usage from both allies and opponents. Very good Sado-san, it seems this will go fairly smoothly. Once you realise a sword is good for more than brute-strength attacks.
Kenshin then walks towards a similarly sized tree, drawing his sword with his right hand holding it with a relaxed grip pointed towards the ground and off to his ride side. As he neared striking distance of the tree, Kenshin would take a tighter grip as he aimed the cutting edge at the tree-trunk. Stepping forward with his left leg, Kenshin would make an upwards-diagonal slash clean through the tree before following up with a horizontal slash from the finishing position of the first strike, shifting his weight from his left foot across to his right as he makes the strike. Following this Kenshin would take a quick step back with his left leg as he made another diagonal strike, this time from the upper right side of the tree-trunk to finish at the lower left. All this was done with Kenshin only holding the blade in his right hand, that is until the final strike; finishing the last diagonal strike, Kenshin would grip the blade with both hands as he took the momentum from his last strike, using it to aid him in arcing the blade up and over-head as he then steps forward with his left foot. All this in a blink of an eye as he Kenshin made a final, powerful, downward strike on the tree before turning to walk away.
Initially, it would appear as no damage had been made to the tree until the point Kenshin sheathed his blade; with the final mettalic clink of the sheathing, the tree would burst into pieces that traced along the path of his strikes, exploding outwards from the final downward strike.
Footwork, conservation of momentum and subtle changes in weight distribution all contribute to making effective strikes with your sword that, in most cases, appear to have more power than simply brute-forcing your weapon. Kenshin then motioned towards another tree. I'm sure your keen eye would have picked up what I did. Try something similar on that tree, maybe two-three quick slashes before a final finishing strike.
Sado appeared to have an innate aptitude for wielding the weapon, even if only in form alone; the probably stemmed from his many years of taijutsu training and combat experience, allowing him to subtly pick up on sword usage from both allies and opponents. Very good Sado-san, it seems this will go fairly smoothly. Once you realise a sword is good for more than brute-strength attacks.
Kenshin then walks towards a similarly sized tree, drawing his sword with his right hand holding it with a relaxed grip pointed towards the ground and off to his ride side. As he neared striking distance of the tree, Kenshin would take a tighter grip as he aimed the cutting edge at the tree-trunk. Stepping forward with his left leg, Kenshin would make an upwards-diagonal slash clean through the tree before following up with a horizontal slash from the finishing position of the first strike, shifting his weight from his left foot across to his right as he makes the strike. Following this Kenshin would take a quick step back with his left leg as he made another diagonal strike, this time from the upper right side of the tree-trunk to finish at the lower left. All this was done with Kenshin only holding the blade in his right hand, that is until the final strike; finishing the last diagonal strike, Kenshin would grip the blade with both hands as he took the momentum from his last strike, using it to aid him in arcing the blade up and over-head as he then steps forward with his left foot. All this in a blink of an eye as he Kenshin made a final, powerful, downward strike on the tree before turning to walk away.
Initially, it would appear as no damage had been made to the tree until the point Kenshin sheathed his blade; with the final mettalic clink of the sheathing, the tree would burst into pieces that traced along the path of his strikes, exploding outwards from the final downward strike.
Footwork, conservation of momentum and subtle changes in weight distribution all contribute to making effective strikes with your sword that, in most cases, appear to have more power than simply brute-forcing your weapon. Kenshin then motioned towards another tree. I'm sure your keen eye would have picked up what I did. Try something similar on that tree, maybe two-three quick slashes before a final finishing strike.
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Sado didn't understand what Kenshin saw, he believed his sword strike to be dull, telegraphed and with poor form from what he had seen from various other skilled individuals. A problem he had was he was seeing everything as he would a taijutsu fight. He also picked apart his stance, and his ability comparing it to master swordsman and samurai.
His fighting style relied heavily on intercepting and counter-attacking with strong precise blows and with his training in medical ninjutsu this even more influenced his style as it allowed him to pick apart an opponent but he couldn't figure out how to transition that to this new style he was unfamiliar with.
He hadn't yet realized the potential a blade had for this that was until Kenshin drew his sword.
Sado watched Kenshin closely, noticing his form, he watched the sword unsheathe. Without thinking he cleared his mind of all thoughts exhaling a long somber breath as Kenshin began his offensive action. His perception of time slowed immensely as he watched Kenshin grip the sword in his right hand. His grip was relaxed, far more relaxed than his own, Sado knew now that he held the sword too tightly with too much force. He mentally noted this and would correct it the next time he had a chance. As Kenshin approached the tree Sado watched his grip tighten he noted this subtle change and compared it to his usual style only tightening his fists upon impact then relaxing them in an instant when he was done. It made sense now, it was the basis of economy of motion. Sado was wasting strength, power and force for no reason.
The first strike was an upward-diagonal strike, Sado realized Kenshin was using his feet and his footwork to carry momentum upward along with the strike. The blade cut through the tree cleanly and quickly, so cleanly in fact that Sado found it hard to see the fault-line from the cut. Without pause, seemingly without thought Kenshin seemed to change his footing throwing his weight and stance from his left foot to his right in unison to this Sado watched him perform the horizontal strike. It mimicked the first in that it was precise, clean and quick. So quick that without his enhanced and specialized senses for combat Sado knew he wouldn't have been able to track it.
Then Kenshin stepped back slightly, using his left leg to pull his entire body back while performing a downward diagonal slice along a similar fault-line as the last finishing at the lower left of the tree itself. Sado took notice of the fact that during this entire onslaught Kenshin held the sword in his right hand, never using both hands as Sado had until this final strike. This all happened at an immense speed, one that would be hard for him to track had he not had significant training in taijutsu and trained his senses to be on par or in some cases better than taijutsu masters
Sado knew that damage had been done, but the bark of the tree and it's trunk didn't seem to react. That was until Kenshin began to re-shethe his blade. The loud 'tink' noise echoed as the sword now rested in the sheath while the tree seemingly exploded with all of the destructive force. If Sado had not seen the blade strikes and the subtle faults in the tree he would have had no idea how it was done. Sado paused momentarily before speaking.
I see, my problem was that I was seeing the blade as a tool. Nothing more than a hammer to strike nails with, from what I just saw I need to see it as an extension of my own body. I have to be able to factor it into my own movements, I hadn't thought of that. I just believed if I treated my body as I would with taijutsu the stance, the fluidity and the force would work like it naturally does. I'll make the corrections to my form, stance, and movements this time.
As he spoke his grip on the sword loosened as his stance did too he took on a relaxed posture again taking on the Bai Jong stance. His muscles became less tense as he realized he was going at this the wrong way. He cracked his neck lightly as he took three steps forward towards the tree. He held the sword low against his left side as one would with a sheathed sword. He then took a fourth step forward as he held the sword in his right hand with a relaxed grip.
He performed an upward-diagonal strike holding the hilt in his right hand the sword traveled from the bottom left of the tree to the top right as his grip tightened upon impact and not a second before.
The blade would slice completely through the tree but left little to no actual visible damage unlike his last strike which had buckled and splintered the wood. Without pause his grip relaxed again as he drove the sword downward through the air and then back up the base of tree in another upward-diagonal strike this time from the bottom right to the top left again only tightening his grip upon impact. This would save energy, and be more efficient and effective than his previous haphazard and rough strike. As he did this he shifted his weight to his left foot using the momentum built up from the previous strike to carry through and continue on increasing the potential of the strike. This created an X like strike at a rapid pace happening in a fraction of a second his arm moved in the blink of an eye as he used his speed and fluidity to drive the blade completely through the tree.
Finally he lifted his left hand gripping the sword with both hands and brought it directly down through the center of both previous strikes and the tree itself creating a strike that would split the tree in half. He used his upper body by fluidly lifting and lowering his shoulders, which caused his upper arms and forearms to move swiftly and precisely as he used his lower body to force all of his weight into and through the tree. This final motion mimicked an axe-strike, a motion one would use to chop wood. He turned his entire body and took a step toward Kenshin as the tree popped apart it didn't explode as the tree did for Kenshin, but instead just made an audible 'pop' noise and fell to the ground becoming a pile of quarter-section tree pieces like a stack of firewood. It was about knee height.
Sado stood waiting still gripping the sword, with a relaxed posture as he took all of the knowledge he had obtained through years of taijutsu training and applied them to this new fighting style. He seemed to be a bit more confident with it now that he had grasped the basic concepts but knew he still had much more to learn.
Better?
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Shinta
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Kenshin was pleased to see Sado pick up on his errors and correct them so effortlessly. Hehe. Your skill in by far surpasses my own Sado-san. I wasn't holding back with my motion, yet you managed to capture even my most subtle movements and apply them to your own form. Following his words, Kenshin moved over to the tree stump left over from his prior demonstration, proceeding to sit down whilst holding his katana across his lap.
Now, kenjutsu isn not always the sole use of a sword; regardless of size and shape. Combining your kenjutsu with taijutsu will in particular, complement your skills. One could also add in the use of ninjutsu and chakra but we will get to that. Now, you might notice that holding a sword restricts you from certain taijutsu combinations while conversely, keeping your sword sheathed might delay you from delivering a finishing blow with your weapon. It will be up to you to determine the best situation to combine taijutsu and kenjutsu. Kenshin paused for a moment, giving himself a moment to breathe and a chance for Sado to take in what had been said.
Starting with the basics, you might throw several punches to disorient your opponent, before drawing your blade and dealing two crippling slashes; how you do that would be up to you. Finishing, Kenshin picked his katana to readjust it's position; this time leaning it upright against next to him on the tree stump he was seated on.
So we have covered basic incorporation of taijutsu and kenjutsu, at least in theory. I know you are adept enough to combine punches and sword strikes when you need to. Moving on from this, we will consider how to add power to your strikes using several techniques.
Stand between that tight, circular cropping of trees (trees are all within striking distance of your sword) and try the following; perform a single-handed, horizontal slash. Add no footwork or changes in stance, this is just for a baseline. Then, in the same cropping of trees; attempt a similar horizontal slash but this time I want you to propel yourself into a tight spin just before you execute your slash. Try and continue the slash until you make a full rotation on the spot, as if you are attempting to slice through all of the trees.
So what you just learned was the following:
( Ken Rendan no Jutsu ) - Sword Barrage Technique
Type: Offensive
Rank: C
Range: Short
Chakra cost: N/A
Damage points: 30
Description: With this technique, the user will make a sequence of slashes with their sword and finishes with a powerful final slash dealing damage to their enemy.
Type: Offensive
Rank: C
Range: Short
Chakra cost: N/A
Damage points: 30
Description: With this technique, the user will make a sequence of slashes with their sword and finishes with a powerful final slash dealing damage to their enemy.
I also spoke about the following jutsu, if you decide to perform it or not, is up to you. I'll consider you having learned it.
( Ikari Nomikomu no Jutsu ) - Fury Swallow Technique
Type: Offensive
Rank: C
Range: Short
Chakra cost: N/A
Damage points: 30
Description: The user punches the opponent a few times and finishes them with two final slashes with their blade or sword.
Type: Offensive
Rank: C
Range: Short
Chakra cost: N/A
Damage points: 30
Description: The user punches the opponent a few times and finishes them with two final slashes with their blade or sword.
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Sado spoke after Kenshin praised him. His voice seemed sincere, and his tone showed respect.
You praise me too much. All fighters know that to study martial arts, one must always begin with the art of imitation. I applied that same mantra to kenjutsu, my actions and skills are merely a reflection of my sensei. It's been a while since I've learned something from the ground up, from the basics onward, but that doesn't mean I can't learn them from others.
Sado listened to the way Kenshin spoke, playing out in his mind the scenario of how best to build upon the basic principles he had just learned. He visualized a sword at his side, and figured the best way he could efficiency combine taijutsu and kenjutsu at short range would be with his opponent directly in front of him. He could perform a one-inch punch with his non-dominant hand to their chest and with them winded and surprised by the blow unsheathing the sword with his dominant hand and pulling it across their stomach almost in unison to the first action.
As he snapped back to reality he noticed the large clearing surrounded by trees that Kenshin spoke of. He slowly walked towards it as Kenshin finished explained what to do next, Sado held the sword in his right hand. He paused briefly as he took in his surroundings and figured out the best way to perform this next motion. Looking toward one of the trees he performed a quick horizontal strike, it was bi-lateral to the tree dissenting it in two as it fell back from the force not affecting either Sado or Kenshin. As instructed he didn't change his stance during this motion.
He exhaled long and hard as this time his footwork did change he used his right foot lifting the heel of his foot and pushing off of his toes to create a quick burst of speed beginning to propel him in a counter-clockwise spin. A mere second after this motion he used his left foot to push off of the ground lifting him into the air as he threw his right shoulder into the same direction as the momentum he began to build up creating a compounding force that allowed him to seemingly increase the rotational force. As he did this he lifted then extended his right hand hard striking the first tree next to the one he had already cut down. He could feel the strike, he didn't know if he'd have enough force to cut them all, but one after the next the blade cleanly and quickly cut through them. It seemed to him as though all of the rotational force traveled into the sword giving it more than enough energy to propel through each successive tree. Sado ended his motion standing in almost the exact stance he began with facing the same direction.
How was that?
You praise me too much. All fighters know that to study martial arts, one must always begin with the art of imitation. I applied that same mantra to kenjutsu, my actions and skills are merely a reflection of my sensei. It's been a while since I've learned something from the ground up, from the basics onward, but that doesn't mean I can't learn them from others.
Sado listened to the way Kenshin spoke, playing out in his mind the scenario of how best to build upon the basic principles he had just learned. He visualized a sword at his side, and figured the best way he could efficiency combine taijutsu and kenjutsu at short range would be with his opponent directly in front of him. He could perform a one-inch punch with his non-dominant hand to their chest and with them winded and surprised by the blow unsheathing the sword with his dominant hand and pulling it across their stomach almost in unison to the first action.
As he snapped back to reality he noticed the large clearing surrounded by trees that Kenshin spoke of. He slowly walked towards it as Kenshin finished explained what to do next, Sado held the sword in his right hand. He paused briefly as he took in his surroundings and figured out the best way to perform this next motion. Looking toward one of the trees he performed a quick horizontal strike, it was bi-lateral to the tree dissenting it in two as it fell back from the force not affecting either Sado or Kenshin. As instructed he didn't change his stance during this motion.
He exhaled long and hard as this time his footwork did change he used his right foot lifting the heel of his foot and pushing off of his toes to create a quick burst of speed beginning to propel him in a counter-clockwise spin. A mere second after this motion he used his left foot to push off of the ground lifting him into the air as he threw his right shoulder into the same direction as the momentum he began to build up creating a compounding force that allowed him to seemingly increase the rotational force. As he did this he lifted then extended his right hand hard striking the first tree next to the one he had already cut down. He could feel the strike, he didn't know if he'd have enough force to cut them all, but one after the next the blade cleanly and quickly cut through them. It seemed to him as though all of the rotational force traveled into the sword giving it more than enough energy to propel through each successive tree. Sado ended his motion standing in almost the exact stance he began with facing the same direction.
How was that?
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Very good Sado-san, we are making fine progress indeed. For this next motion, pay attention to what I do... Finishing his words, Kenshin stood up while he attached his katana once again to his left hip before drawing it with his right hand. Taking aim for a tree-stump left from Sado's previous demonstration, Kenshin leaps into the air where he points the tip of his blade down at the stump; having the hilt of his blade close to his body so as to transfer maximum force into the point of the blade. All this happens just before the peak of Kenshin's leap, leaving only gravity to bring Kenshin and the point of his blade to come crashing down into the tree-stump; shattering what remained of what was once a solid block of wood. Kenshin had landed firmly on his feet with a slight bend in his knees, enough to allow his blade space to stab deep into the stump to transfer the most force possible before he had fully landed.
Standing up straight, Kenshin sheaths his katana and takes a few steps backwards out of the rubble that was the tree-stump. I thought that one would be easier to demonstrate, rather than have you perform it from my explanation, haha. Pausing momentarily to brush off some dust from Kimono, Kenshin would then continue. That technique does not rely on strength so much as it relies on to force of gravity and your ability to transfer your weight down through the blade. Of course, heavier people can strike with more force but overall you can't increase the speed at which you fall... unless you are pulled to the ground by an external force. That aside, I don't recommend using this outright as you would be quite vulnerable to counter-attacks. Clearing his throat, Kenshin moves to sit on another of the rapidly growing number of tree-stumps in the vicinity, before moving forward with Sado's lesson.
So we've covered the basics of Kensjutu, now we'll move onto combining Kenjutsu with our Chakra. I'm sure you already are familiar with channelling lightning chakra into weapons? Well for this, you will need to create a chidori but instead shape it to flow around your blade... to produce obvious effects, mainly a greater cutting potential, but secondary to grant slight numbing capabilities to your strikes. Have a try and then combine it with a few slashes, you should feel the difference in your strikes, even if you're not hitting anything.
You performed the following:
I performed this one and consider you to also have understood and learned it:
Standing up straight, Kenshin sheaths his katana and takes a few steps backwards out of the rubble that was the tree-stump. I thought that one would be easier to demonstrate, rather than have you perform it from my explanation, haha. Pausing momentarily to brush off some dust from Kimono, Kenshin would then continue. That technique does not rely on strength so much as it relies on to force of gravity and your ability to transfer your weight down through the blade. Of course, heavier people can strike with more force but overall you can't increase the speed at which you fall... unless you are pulled to the ground by an external force. That aside, I don't recommend using this outright as you would be quite vulnerable to counter-attacks. Clearing his throat, Kenshin moves to sit on another of the rapidly growing number of tree-stumps in the vicinity, before moving forward with Sado's lesson.
So we've covered the basics of Kensjutu, now we'll move onto combining Kenjutsu with our Chakra. I'm sure you already are familiar with channelling lightning chakra into weapons? Well for this, you will need to create a chidori but instead shape it to flow around your blade... to produce obvious effects, mainly a greater cutting potential, but secondary to grant slight numbing capabilities to your strikes. Have a try and then combine it with a few slashes, you should feel the difference in your strikes, even if you're not hitting anything.
You performed the following:
( Enjin Ranbu ) - Circular Wild Dance
Type: Offensive
Rank: C
Range: Short
Chakra cost: N/A
Damage points: 30
Description: The user spins with his tantō, hitting the target several times.
Type: Offensive
Rank: C
Range: Short
Chakra cost: N/A
Damage points: 30
Description: The user spins with his tantō, hitting the target several times.
I performed this one and consider you to also have understood and learned it:
( Rakkasui ) - Falling Water
Type: Offensive
Rank: C
Range: Short
Chakra cost: N/A
Damage points: 30
Description: The user will drop down upon the opponent from mid air pointing their sword downwards and drilling it down into the opponent.
This picture shows exactly how I've always envisioned this technique xD
Type: Offensive
Rank: C
Range: Short
Chakra cost: N/A
Damage points: 30
Description: The user will drop down upon the opponent from mid air pointing their sword downwards and drilling it down into the opponent.
This picture shows exactly how I've always envisioned this technique xD
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