[Hōzuki Mizuki]

Mizuki had arrived at the designated outdoor training area; normally the Administration office would have reserved something like a training room at the academy for such a request, but their request for advanced bukijutsu training was explicitly placed away from any important village structures due to the water damage that had been inflicted upon the academy training hall. Mizuki didn’t particularly mind though, because they enjoyed training outside much more than being sequestered in a private training room.

With the sun shining brightly above, Mizuki found a comfortable spot on the grass, their body transforming into a blob of water as they settled in. Looking up at the vast expanse of the sky, Mizuki's eyes fixated on the fluffy white clouds drifting lazily above. They let out a contented sigh, feeling at peace in this serene setting. The sound of a gentle breeze rustling through the trees added a soothing soundtrack to their contemplative moment.

As they lay there, Mizuki allowed their thoughts to wander, observing the various shapes the clouds formed, their ability to take different shapes, reminding them a lot of their own transformation capabilities. Wisps resembling animals, mythical creatures, and even familiar faces danced across the sky. It was like a living painting, ever-changing and a good distraction as Mizuki waited for Minami to arrive.

The soft bubbling sound of water emanated from Mizuki's blobby form, a sign of their relaxed state. The world around them seemed to fade away as they lost themselves in the beauty of the sky, finding solace and tranquility in the simple act of cloud-watching. Time passed slowly, but Mizuki didn't mind. They had intentionally arrived early to get a few minutes to relax, they always performed better when they had cleared their mind. Sora Minami would definitely arrive soon, and hopefully they would be able to spot the little blob lazing about.

As the minutes ticked by, Mizuki's anticipation grew as the anointed hour came ever closer. They knew that soon they would shift gears and engage in rigorous bukijutsu training. With a final glance at the sky, Mizuki let out a contented sigh. They were ready—ready to meet their instructor, ready to train, and ready to embrace the challenges that lay ahead. The cloud-watching session had provided a necessary respite, and Mizuki felt invigorated, both in mind and spirit.

Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Sora when another Shinobi requested her help in improving their Bukijutsu, but it was. She had been minding her own business, for once not training the team or out on some god-forsaken mission, when the message had come from the Mizukage’s office, all neat and proper and bearing the official obliviousness of "I have decided to volunteer you for this task” that only authority could provide. Part of her had hoped to avoid being used like this, had even argued for ignoring the order outright- but, in the end, she had a duty to perform, and that outweighed her personal desires.

The orders had detailed where she was to train (after the disaster of Gamatatsu’s water jutsu, the Academy was now off limits for non-Genin training), delegating a small clearing just outside the village proper. It was a wide space, with few trees and a lot of room for horizontal maneuvering. A good place to practice Kenjutsu away from prying eyes… and not ruin anything important in the process.

Sora arrived ten minutes ahead of schedule, Samidare on her hip, Kirigakure uniform crisp and pressed for the occasion. A quick glance around the clearing revealed her student, in water form, relaxing by a nearby tree… and at once she understood what the report had meant by "blobbing.” She had never met her prospective student, Houzuki Mizuki, but word through the grapevine was that they were something of an infiltration specialist. That usually meant swordplay was a secondary piece of their arsenal, something to use when they had to rather than their go-to method of dealing with a threat, which would limit what they could realistically learn.Best get this started, then.

"Houzuki-san. Apologies for my tardiness. Did I keep you waiting long?"
Hōzuki Mizuki

[Hōzuki Mizuki]

As Sora Minami's footsteps lightly tread upon the grass, Mizuki's acute senses sharpened, picking up on and focusing on the approaching presence. Without any hesitation, they transformed their watery blob form with a sprightly leap, defying gravity for a brief moment before their feet touched the ground with elegant grace. In the air, droplets of water scattered, only to swiftly reform into their diminutive human form. Mizuki's expression lit up with anticipation, and a warm smile stretched across their face.

"Not at all!" Mizuki exclaimed, their voice infused with a hint of cheerfulness. "Actually, I think you might still be early. I just arrived a little ahead of schedule to soak up the serenity of the surroundings and clear my mind. It's a pleasure to meet you." Mizuki offered a slight bow in reverence of their esteemed teacher, their eyes never leaving Sora's. Attentiveness had not only been ingrained in their demeanor, but some teachers were eager to start training as soon as they locked eyes with their pupil.

As they straightened, Mizuki casually closed the distance between them and Sora, moving with a fluidity that mirrored the water within them. They did their best to temper their excitement, considering the fact the village had assigned them a rather magnificent teacher. "Forgive me if I seem presumptuous, but I hope 'Minami-sensei' is appropriate," Mizuki continued, their voice laced with both genuine admiration and a touch of worry. "I am truly grateful for the opportunity to learn from someone of such renowned skill, but I can't help but feel a tad overwhelmed by your expertise. Perhaps I'm not deserving of such a capable teacher."

Mizuki offered a nervous laugh at their obvious attempt at flattery, their hand instinctively finding its way to the back of their neck. The gentle breeze rustled their scarf, accentuating their youthful demeanor as they continued. "I was originally just hoping to improve my swordsmanship in general, but maybe you might have a better idea of what to focus on," they confessed humbly, their gaze unwavering.

A pause hung in the air, carried by the wind's gentle whispers and the rustling of leaves. Mizuki awaited Sora's guidance, recognizing the vast gap in raw swordsmanship between them. It made sense that Sora would be better equipped to determine the areas that would truly enhance Mizuki's skills. All that Mizuki could do in the current moment was try to be a good student and do what was asked of them.

Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

"Right." Sora said as the blob of water coalesced into a person before her, bowing. Despite six years as an Instructor, she’d never really gotten used to the whole bowing thing- every time someone did it it made her feel weird, like the storm within had been thrown off kilter by an obstacle it hadn’t expected. "Well, I suppose it's good we’re both early. Gives us more time to focus on the training."

The Jounin didn’t say anything else until after Mizuki had finished, her sky-blue gaze almost thoughtful as she worked through what the Tokubetsu Jounin had said. Be the way they spoke, the excitement bleeding through their formality in a quivering note of anticipation, she could tell that the… blob-person? Held a genuine interest in Kenjutsu. Not born out of a desire for strength, but of appreciation. It was a guess of course, she could be entirely wrong, but her guesses had a habit of being right more often than not, particularly when it came to this. Alright. Let’s see where we’re at.

"It depends on what you mean by ‘improve,’ Houzuki-san." Sora said, crossing her left arm beneath her chest as she brought her right up, holding her chin with her thumb and forefinger. A classic teacher’s pose, one of puzzled thought and curiosity- it invited people to think with you, even if only subtly. "Are you looking to enhance your fundamentals? Are you trying to add versatility to your arsenal? Or are you looking to learn something powerful, a technique that can defeat an enemy quickly?"

She had ideas and methods for all of those, but the path they took depended on Mizuki’s choice. That was the key, she’d found, to teaching someone who wasn’t a child; they usually had an idea of what they wanted to learn already, so if you tailored your lessons to that rather than trying to force a predetermined curriculum down their throat, it tended to work better. People learned faster that way, with all the extraneous fluff pulled out.

Hōzuki Mizuki

[Hōzuki Mizuki]

Despite their brief interaction, Mizuki was quick to take note of the slight shift in their teacher’s facial expression when they bowed. They weren’t exactly sure why their teacher disliked such a formal gesture when Sora seemed like a pretty formal individual, but they would use this information to shift to a slightly more casual interaction and stop bowing.

When Sora Minami talked about the possible training options Mizuki listened attentively, their golden amber eyes focused on the Jounin. They appreciated the thoughtful approach and the genuine interest Sora showed in teaching Mizuki exactly what they wanted to learn, especially considering the fact that their teacher would probably prefer to be doing a swath of other things like working on their own already impressive swordsmanship. Their simple question left Mizuki thinking for a brief moment about what exactly they wanted to learn from this training session.

"I think that everyone wishes they had a jutsu that ended every fight quickly," Mizuki replied, almost talking through their thought processes out loud as if they were pondering the nature of the question. "But that might be an unrealistic expectation for me at my current level. I think it makes more sense to focus on the fundamentals, Minami-sensei."

As Mizuki spoke, their demeanor mirrored their words, displaying a genuine passion for swordsmanship as they tried to surmise the best use of this training session. Maybe they had gotten a bit ahead of themselves, requesting an instructor when they weren’t entirely sure what they wanted to learn; however, they had always believed that a strong foundation paved the way for greater mastery in any discipline, and swordsmanship was no exception.

"I also think strong fundamentals are probably more important to have before jumping head first into learning some massive fight ending technique, because they'll help me to understand when to best utilize those killer techniques. Also, I think that if I can strengthen my fundamentals of swordsmanship, I can maybe better understand how to apply me and my sword’s ability to liquefy in combat. Right now I kinda just liquefy my sword mid-swing to slip past someone’s guard, but maybe there’s more I can do with that, you know."

Mizuki paused for a moment, their eyes meeting Sora's before extending a sincere apology, "I'm so sorry, I’m rambling. You didn't ask for all that, but hopefully it's helpful.” They wanted to make the most of this training opportunity and when asked a simple question about what to learn they had just practically expounded their whole philosophy about why they wanted to focus on the fundamentals.

The young Hozuki did their best to temper and hold back their excitement as they awaited Sora's response. They weren't normally this talkative, but Mizuki could probably talk about swordsmanship for hours if they didn’t hold themself back. Not to mention, Mizuku had reasoned in their head that someone who dedicated their whole life to swordsmanship would probably prefer an eager student to a casual one with very little interest in swordsmanship.

Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

Sora couldn’t keep her lips from twitching upward in a slight smile as the young Houzuki spoke; their enthusiasm was, it seemed, infectious/ Not that it was a bad thing to enjoy something (far from it), but it was unusual to meet anyone who genuinely enjoyed kenjutsu for its own sake, rather than what it could do for them. It didn’t hurt that the Tokubetsu Jounin was willing to give an honest assessment of their abilities either- she’d lost count of how many times Enyo had asked her to teach him a powerful jutsu rather than go over the fundamentals, as if simply knowing a technique would magically imbue him with the wisdom to use it appropriately.

"Alright." She said once Mizuki was finished, stepping to the side of the Houzuki as she gestured to the open field. "Let’s start with the basics. Show me your draw, then go into your preferred stance."

There were numerous little things that could always be improved on in form and stance, but she wasn’t going to correct most of those today- glaring flaws, certainly, but not minute ones. No, what she needed to see now was how the Tokubetsu Jounin moved, how they fought and, more importantly, how they thought about their actions. Was drawing the blade something they had practiced? Could they do it right, do it quick, without thinking? Or would they be slower, more deliberate but also more predictable? These were the things she looked for. These were the things that mattered, particularly when it came to swordsmanship. Motivation, intent, instinct… those mattered. Oftentimes more than actual skill.

Hōzuki Mizuki

[Hōzuki Mizuki]

Mizuki's eyes lit up as Minami acknowledged their enthusiasm for kenjutsu with a simple smile; maybe their teacher didn’t share their passion with the same exuberance Mizuki did, but it took a relative amount of passion for an art to become as skilled as Minami was. When Minami gestured to the open field, Mizuki would nod and respond pretty succinctly, "Alrighty, Minami-sensei.” Without any hesitation they’d take a few steps away from their teacher so they wouldn’t accidentally get sliced, although they were likely be skilled enough to get out of the way if they needed to.

The anticipation bubbled within them as they prepared to showcase their skills. Taking a moment, Mizuki cleared their mind and took a deep breath to shake off the nerves, hopefully allowing their instincts to guide their movements. They needed to do this as if it was a real battle, so it was important for the motion to be smooth, fluid, and as unhindered as possible from the nerves they had from being observed. With their blade loosely hanging behind them, they needed to hold the scabbard tightly with their left hand first and pull it to their hip in preparation for the draw. Mizuki hesitated for a second considering the exact wording that their teacher had used.

Normally they’d unsheathe their sword utilizing wind chakra to make up for their lacking physique, and when Mizuki finally decided to do it the way they normally would, they pumped wind chakra through their blade allowing them to pull the sword out and slash in front of them at an almost inhuman speed. After the sword was out of its sheath though, Mizuki simply stood there casually with their sword hand just kinda dangling with the sword, it was very nontraditional because you didn’t normally think about guarding when your body could simply turn to water to avoid damage.

Mizuki was embarrassed at their lack of a traditional stance, blurting out almost defensively, "I normally just do it this way because I can turn to water, ya know!” As they stood before Sora awaiting some kind of appraisal of their haphazard stance, Mizuki slowly turned pinker and pinker. Maybe they should have taken a more traditional stance with their sword in front of them and in both hands, but that kind of thought usually wasn’t on their mind until somebody started tossing lightning around. There was a small benefit to the fluidity that their casual stance offered, but it definitely wasn’t a stance a normal person could safely take in a fight.


Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

Sora watched as Mizuki stepped back, seemingly outside of her range, and drew their blade. There was a moment of hesitation in the Houzuki’s movements, a pause that might have gotten them killed had it not been so obviously caused by her instructions- and then the blade was moving, flying from its sheath in a one handed draw that the Jounin knew was powered by chakra. Fuuton, if she had to guess, given the Houzuki’s aversion to anything even resembling electricity. Their stance afterwards though… Well. There were definitely things they could work on.

"Not bad..." She said once Mizuki had finished, trailing off as she took in a deep, slow breath. Her right arm crossed her frame beneath her breasts as she took a half step back and rested her hand against Samidare’s hilt. At the same time, the Jounin brought her left up as well, gripping the saya just below her blade’s tsuba and flicking the weapon up with her thumb- and in that moment she moved, chakra surging through her arm and into Samidare as she surged forward, accelerating to top speed and covering the distance between herself and Mizuki in the span of a single step.

Her blade came out the instant her leading foot landed, expelled by the power of her torquing body and the explosion of breath from her lungs for maximum power and speed. Raiton chakra surged through Samidare, enough for it to crackle with energy as it screamed for Mizuki’s neck with such speed that the Tokubetsu Jounin likely wouldn’t even be able to see it coming, let alone react, even with their blade already drawn. So, rather than decapitate the poor kid, Sora stopped her blade against the Houzuki’s neck, allowing a tiny portion of Raiton chakra to surge into their body before she spoke again, voice cold and sharp.

"...But if I were an enemy, you’d be dead." The Jounin paused, allowing the gravity of the moment to sink into the Houzuki’s mind before she withdrew her blade and rested it, now bereft of chakra, on her shoulder. "Rule one of Ittoryu: Always, always keep your blade between you and your enemy. Even if you can turn into water, it only takes a bit of Raiton to negate that advantage, particularly up close." Especially given how prevalent the Super Vibrato technique was amongst swordsmen.

"Understand?"

Hōzuki Mizuki

[Hōzuki Mizuki]

Mizuki's eyes widened in surprise as Sora's strike came with blinding speed. Their lightning reflexes kicked in, turning and attempting to block the strike, but they were a fraction too slow. The crackling energy of Sora's blade, fueled by Raiton chakra, came perilously close to Mizuki's neck, leaving them momentarily frozen in the realization that, in a real combat situation, they would have been more than just defeated. They would have been dead.

The gravity of the moment sank in as Sora spoke, her voice cold and sharp. Mizuki's heart raced, a mix of adrenaline and realization flooding their senses. Excuses for the situation, like not being prepared for the strike, raced through their mind until the small surge of Raiton chakra painfully pulled them out of their own head and almost forced them to take a quick step away from the lightning charged weapon. The pain was a vivid reminder that excuses didn’t change the current situation they were in, and an enemy could equally surprise them with a similar lightning technique.

Taking a deep breath to steady themselves, Mizuki nodded solemnly to confirm that they understood the importance of the lesson. It was important to always keep their blade between themselves and the enemy, because in close-quarters combat their Hijutsu could easily be neutralized if the attack was anything like this one and caught them off guard.

"Yes, Minami-sensei," Mizuki replied, their voice tinged with a bit of humility. "I should always position my sword with the assumption that whoever I’m fighting could pull out some raiton technique."

They glanced down at their drawn blade, realizing the lapse in their focus and the poor positioning that had resulted from it. It was a valuable reminder that they had picked up some poor habits because of their Hijutsu, and they would likely need to retrain a lot of them away to fight properly without relying on their Hydrification technique. Mizuki turned their stance towards Sora, as if they were the enemy in this situation and turned their sword-hand so that their weapon was positioned like a wall between the two of them.

They still weren’t holding it all the way up like a traditional swordsman, still prioritizing the comfort of their casual stance, but from this position they could quickly turn the sword to block a strike from any direction: granted with Minami’s superior speed and skill she could likely get around it with brute force if she really wanted.

"I guess I have to get rid of some bad habits, huh," Mizuki added, their voice sincere as they continued, "But something more like this should work better, right?"

Once they were fully repositioned they’d return their eyes back to Minami, just in case they took the same opportunity and attacked again; otherwise they were primarily waiting for an appraisal from Minami and potentially more pointers.

Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

She had to give Muzuki credit: they tried. They reacted to her strike far faster than she had thought possible, bringing their weapon around and nearly intercepting Samidare, but nearly wasn’t nearly good enough. Her blade touched the Houzuki’s neck just as she stopped its path, Raiton jolting through them as they realized, perhaps for the first time in their life, just how quickly death could come in a fight between skilled kenjutsu practitioners.

"Good." Sora said once Mizuki had finished, withdrawing her blade and stepping back in the same motion. Her gaze lingered on the Tokubetsu’s Jounin’s for a moment as they readjusted their stance, shifting their body towards her and raising their blade up in a one-handed half-guard in the low position. Not terrible, but not great either- attacks from above would be harder to deflect, and a clever opponent could use that to their advantage to set up all sorts of feints… but it was better than their first choice, so she’d work with it.

"Yes." The Jounin said as she looked Mizuki’s stance up and down, sky-blue gaze sharp, picking apart the minute flaws in their footing, the way their hand held the sword, the slight flutter of nervousness that beat through their veins. "Your Hijutsu is a powerful tool in your arsenal, but you cannot become reliant on it to save you when you’re in trouble. You have to be capable of fighting without it, even if it puts you at a disadvantage."

Sora moved then, stepping into her student’s space and flicking her blade upwards in a soft, quick thrust at the Tokubetsu Jounin’s face, only to shift her motion mid-thrust and arc the blade down, cutting across Mizuki’s mid-section. The cut wouldn’t hurt if they fell for the feint -she’d intentionally kept her blade devoid of chakra for this- but it would prove another point, should it land. Perhaps even if it didn’t, though that seemed less likely, given the circumstances.

Hōzuki Mizuki

[Hōzuki Mizuki]

Mizuki's eyes widened a little as Sora took a step towards them and began a quick thrust with their blade; had Mizuki’s first instinct been to block, it definitely would have put them in a poor position to actually block the slash that was being set up. Instead of attempting to block the feint, however, Mizuki instinctively bent their knees and crouched down below where the feint was aimed, preferring to dodge this attack. In Mizuki’s mind thrusts were much harder to block, because it wasn’t as simple as placing your sword in their sword’s path: you needed the necessary strength to deflect their blade from its intended path.

The young Tokubetsu Jounin’s lack of faith in their ability to deflect the thrust had unintentionally put them in a better position to block the actual attack, and it’d probably surprise Sora for the simple reason that it probably made more sense to deflect or block the thrust to someone that understood swordsmanship. As Sora's blade changed from a thrust to a slash and arced down towards where Mizuki’s mid-section used to be, Mizuki smoothly transitioned into a block, only having to move their sword up a little bit from its original position. As they brought her own weapon up, intercepting the incoming strike the clash of steel resonated through the training grounds.

Sora's feint had been skillfully executed, and although Mizuki was capable of stopping the attack, they were crouched so low to the ground that it would be impossible to transition into an attack from this position. Minami-sensei's piercing gaze had managed to quickly assess that Mizuki's stance had flaws that could be exploited with downward slashes. Mizuki was happy that they’d been able to stop the current attack, but they quickly realized that without some outside interference to get them out of this situation they were stuck in a terrible position. Not only would it be difficult to attack from this crouching position effectively, but it’d be difficult to move without provoking attacks aimed at other exploitable weak points.

"That’s frustrating," Mizuki spoke, their voice a little annoyed at the outcome before extending a question to their instructor. "Well, was this a stance issue or should I have dodged to the side? Maybe I should have tried to hit away your sword so I had a moment to reposition?" Mizuki was still crouched down, unsure whether Sora was going to press the attack but it didn’t feel appropriate to move from this position, because it highlighted a mistake in their decision making. There were so many nuances to swordsmanship that there were probably multiple mistakes that led Mizuki to their current position.

The young blob thought that the issue could be a combination of stance and decision issues, because even if they had dodged to the left or the right Sora's slash could have easily been shifted to a horizontal slash which would have required a lot more sword movement from Mizuki's sword to block. Maybe if they had used their sword to attempt to hit Sora’s sword away they could have used that split second to reposition into a better stance. Needless to say, Mizuki's mind was racing through all the possible issues that might have led to their current position.


Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

Mizuki’s reaction was… adequate. Not great, but terrible either. It put the Houzuki in a bad spot, yes, but not an untenable one, if they knew what to do. Which, of course, they didn’t- the Tokubetsu Jounin stayed crouched, they blade locked against Samidare for a long few seconds before Sora stepped back, disengaging and allowing her student to stand as they spoke. They gave a good assessment of what had happened, again showing a level head and a surprisingly astute mind for swordplay, though there was a flaw in what the Houzuki thought the issue was. Namely, in how they divided the problem into two separate issues that, in truth, were actually one.

"It’s both." She said once Mizuki was finished, forming a single hand seal to summon a Shadow Clone as she spoke. "Your choice to go underneath my thrust wasn’t a bad one, and it let you block my real attack fairly well. The issue, however, is that you remained stationary when you did it." Sora and her clone moved then, mimicking what they had done at a slower speed, the clone feinting a thrust then shifting to a cut while the real Sora ducked, bringing her weapon up to block- and simultaneously pivoted to her right, side-stepping around the clone while maintaining blade contact, throwing her clone off balance with a single, smooth motion that opened the clone up for a swift horizontal cut to the leg that dispersed it.

"You see?" She said once the demonstration was over, rising to her feet. "The most important aspect of any fight is positioning, but in a contest between swordsmen it is doubly essential that every action you take be focused around maintaining control of both your own center-line and that of your opponent. You cannot expect your opponent to over-extend on every strike, but you can make them do it with the proper timing and footwork."

Hōzuki Mizuki

[Hōzuki Mizuki]

The two of them locked blades for a moment before Sora disengaged, and Mizuki took the opportunity to stand and listen to Sora’s expert opinion. They absorbed Sora's words, analyzing the flaw in their approach that had been pointed out. They understood that their reaction to Sora's initial attack had been effective but incomplete. The true issue lay not just in their choice to go underneath the thrust but primarily in their failure to maintain a proper stance during the maneuver.

As Sora summoned a Shadow Clone to demonstrate the concept further, Mizuki focused intently on the movements. The clone feinted a thrust, and Mizuki observed how Sora ducked and blocked the real attack while simultaneously pivoting to her right. The seamless motion allowed Sora to maintain control of both her center-line and that of the clone, disrupting its balance and creating an opening for a successful strike. It was very similar to the thought that Mizuki had after the fact, but wasn’t skilled enough to implement in the moment.

The significance of maintaining one’s position became clearer to Mizuki as they witnessed the demonstration. They realized that every action in a sword fight should revolve around maintaining control and exploiting the opponent's vulnerabilities. It was not enough to rely solely on reactions and blocks; active footwork and precise timing were essential to dictate the flow of the battle.

The young blob let out a sigh as they nodded, acknowledging the crucial lesson before her. "I think I understand, sensei," Mizuki spoke with a little hesitance as they continued. "I basically just have to do what I can to maintain a proper fighting position in a fight." Just having a slightly better understanding of the interconnectedness of positioning, timing, and control would help shape their future training for swordsmanship.

Mizuki made a bit of a face as they thought about the amount of training that’d be required to get rid of their bad habits though. Despite their habit of training a lot they didn’t necessarily enjoy the idea of training alone in a room to undo the poor habits that were there because of their poorly focused training in the first place: it was a big issue with how they trained as a generalist.

"I guess until I get it all figured out I can maybe make up for my lack of skill by using other jutsu when I get myself in a bad spot like that in real combat. Like maybe I can use water spikes to buy me a moment to fix my positioning.” For now that was probably the best solution, until they could put more work into perfecting their Kenjutsu. They were kinda pondering out loud, but they would finally ask the stupid question in hernest, "We probably can’t undo years of bad habits in one training session, can we?” Mizuki would chuckle a little at the rhetorical question as they casually conversed with their superior.


Sora Minami

[Sora Minami]

"You’ll have to do that, yes." Sora said once the Houzuki had finished, noting how they seemed less enthusiastic for the training now than they had at first. It wasn’t surprising, given the subject material; few people enjoyed going over the basics, especially not when it seemed like you already knew them, but there was an importance to the fundamentals that few Shinobi, particularly those who practiced Kenjutsu, realized. Everything fancy or powerful in Kenjutsu was built on the foundation of the basics; every strike, parry, or jutsu could be traced back to one of the fundamental tenets, however tenuous the link might seem.

"But more than that," she began, gesturing towards her student as she spoke, "-you have to be willing to make a mistake and roll with it. You won’t always react perfectly in combat, no matter how hard you train, so the ability to adapt and work with, rather than against, your own choices and strengths is key." It was, in her view, the deciding factor between a competent swordsman and a great one; anyone could learn the basics, practice them daily, and drill them into their bones until they became instinctual. What separated the competent from the masters was more than just skill- it had to be tempered by experience, directed by instinct and adapted for the moment.

"Take your earlier dodge." Sora said, Samidare held loosely in her right hand as she gestured with her left, acting as if she were holding up a plate or some other flat object for Mizuki to see. "You made a good decision, even with the mistake of not maintaining control of the center-line, but you weren’t able to capitalize on that choice. You hesitated, which cost you a moment- and in that moment, you lost the momentum, forcing you to remain on the defensive." The Jounin paused, allowing what she had relayed to sink in; Mizuki would understand how even a single moment of hesitation in a fight, no matter how small, could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

"More than anything else, I want you to focus on that. Break the hesitation. Don’t overthink, don’t try to analyze and logic your way to the best path. Allow the blade to do the thinking for you and simply act." She moved then, Samidare flowing up in a quiet diagonal arc, right to left, that cut through the air with a smooth, subtle grace that belied its speed- she didn’t hold back, didn’t slow herself to let the Special Jounin see the strike or react. She simply moved, acting without thought on nothing but instinct… and cut with enough speed Mizuki likely wouldn’t even see the swing until after it was finished.

"Does that make sense?"

Hōzuki Mizuki

[Hōzuki Mizuki]

Mizuki nodded attentively as Sora's words resonated with them. The training session had started off with enthusiasm, but as they delved into the basics, the initial excitement waned. It’s not necessarily that their love of the art had changed, it just sucked to relearn something they thought they already understood; however, Mizuki understood the importance of laying a solid foundation, especially in Kenjutsu. They realized that every advanced technique and powerful strike stemmed from mastering the fundamentals.

Listening intently, Mizuki watched as Sora gestured with her sword, explaining the significance of adaptability and embracing mistakes. In fact, it almost felt odd to Mizuki that she’d need to be reminded of the importance of fluidity. They knew that perfection was an elusive goal in combat, and the ability to adjust and capitalize on their own choices and strengths was the more realistic goal. Mizuki understood that true mastery extended beyond skill alone—it required experience, instinct, and the capacity to adapt to each unique situation.

When Sora highlighted Mizuki's earlier dodge and the subsequent hesitation, they couldn't help but feel the weight of that lost moment. The Jounin's guidance served as a powerful reminder that even the smallest hesitation could tip the scales of victory or defeat. Of course, Mizuki felt like they had already known that, but maybe it was important to even apply that to training exercises. If they had rolled with the mistake and repositioned using their hijutsu they might have been able to be in a better position.

As Sora gracefully moved, executing a swift and precise strike, Mizuki's eyes followed the motion. The sheer speed of the swing left them in awe, as they recognized the level of skill and instinct required to execute such a maneuver. Mizuki took a moment to process the question, contemplating Sora's words and their own understanding.

"Yeah, I think that makes sense, Minami-sensei," Mizuki responded with a smile and momentarily holding back a laugh to add. "I think maybe I was treating it too much like a sword training exercise instead of real combat. If it were a life or death situation it wouldn’t feel like cheating to use my hijutsu to reposition." They laughed a little at their own expense, and a little at realizing the disparity in speed and skill between the two of them just based on that single swing.

Mizuki smiled a little bit, but continued after the laugh, "I wanted to get out of it with just regular old kenjutsu though, you know?” Mizuki wanted to utilize raw kenjutsu for when they couldn't freely turn into water, but maybe it was important for them to learn how to best combine the two rather than seeing them as two separate entities.

Sora Minami