[Honō Kojirou]

Winds howling.



Kojirou wanted to become a super-duper-awesome swordsman. That meant he’d have to compete against other super-duper-awesome swordsmen, and one of these super-duper-awesome swordsmen happened to be Kumori, and Kumori happened to be one of his most frequent sparring partners.



That meant Kojirou wasn’t on edge, because Kumori was a dear friend of his and really sweet. Watching him rock his head from side to side strolling across the street, nobody would think that he was on his way to be executed… nah, it’s all jokes. Kumori wouldn’t kill him, for Kojirou had trained a really ton of lot, and he could do new things now!



… Which begged the question – how did things end last time they sparred? That must’ve been before he travelled to the Land of Wind- ohhhh…



"… NO! I’m not a small bean! Just you wait, Kumori – I’ll show you just how skilled and serious I’ve become…!” he declared with a clenched fist and eyes on fire, tilting the heads of a few people he passed by. Kojirou didn't have a complex about being shorter than both Saya and Kumori… no…


…



Kojirou was mentally hyping himself up with clenched fists thrusting in the air, waiting for Kumori to surprise him as usual. He was in his own world, at the moment, and this training field was likely going to be renovated after their duel. If she wanted to test out her clan's secret swordsmanship thingies that they sure kept a tight secret from him (HMPF), then he'd overcome anything she hurled his way! You can win! You feel great! You! Can! Do! This! HAH!

[Futago Kumori]

Kumori stands in the practice field, only a short distance away from the sparring ring of packed sand that was often used for training, and she hears some kind of yelling nearby. It makes her turn her head, whipping that long black ponytail about behind her as she turns to face the commotion. That kind of shouting... is definitely coming from Kojirou, possibly trying to make him ready for their short training spar. Was he really that much of a loudmouth? She didn't have to ask herself this at all, the answer was yes. It brought a rare smile to her face, when she was usually quite serious. Kojirou might have seemed like a goofball to most people, and perhaps he was, but he was a friendly sort, and he kept Kumori from getting too serious and becoming harsh. She had needed his levity even when she had been in the Academy with him and Saya.

She still worries about the upcoming Chuunin Exams. Saya will do well, of course, but she might get hurt. Who knows what those people in the larger shinobi villages trained? But now she can actually see Kojirou coming, so she wipes the smile from her face in a flash. Her sword arm was still holding tightly to the heavy wooden training sword, though it was starting to deteriorate from her constant use of it. Still, she could feel herself starting to become accustomed to its weight, and once she had become strong enough, she would be able to switch off to use the real thing, and to great effect. Kumori was even able to swiftly pass the handle of the blade back and forth between her hands without completely losing control of it, which she did now, displaying her readiness for their training to begin.

"So! Ready to show me just how much you've improved?"

She does give him a little smile, then, because he does deserve some praise from her. She'd focused almost exclusively on swordsmanship, but Kojirou had improved in other ways since their days as Genin friends, before he'd gone to the Land of Wind and she'd been stuck with a Genin squad that hadn't really meshed all that well.

"The rubber and the tar stuff is actually pretty interesting, you know. I only really see you Hono clan ninja doing anything like that. It looks like it's a really versatile kind of ninjutsu."

She actually considered the two of them to be a good match in terms of teammates. She was singular in her abilities, while Kojirou was more flexible. It could really make them a terror, which might be why they were both granted the gate guard positions they had now.

[Honō Kojirou]

That was a very big wooden sword. Kojirou came prepared as well – instead of a lethal, sharp blade, he instead carried a sakabatō, an reverse-edged katana that wouldn’t leave nasty wounds on his fellow guard. That way, he could give into muscle memory without worrying about accidently mortally wounding a friend. If only there was a more efficient approach, though.

"Yup! I’m ready!” Kojirou declared, from his back a shadowy figure leaping out and running up one of the training logs to reveal himself – Hanatarō, the lion cub with an attitude, flashed his small fangs in anticipation, wanting to see blood and guts fall off the two shinobi, with enough spite, fury, and battlecries to uplift the entirety of the Land of Fields from its earthen roots and create a skyward battle to be remembered for ages.

Or something like that.

… Oh, his Rubber stuff? Yōton, Lava Release, was extremely versatile – he betted that it was the most versatile of the Kekkei Genkai present in the world yet.

"*cough*… Ready? Set? … HAJIMEEEEEEE!!!” Hanatarō roared, initiating the battle’s beginning! Kojirou immediately started out with a charge to the side, his legs carrying him away without waste of movement, leaping towards one of the other training logs and using it as a trampoline to launch himself towards Kumori like a missile. Incoming, a crescent-shaped slash from his sakabatō, traveling upwards as he did for a moment see the world upside down.

Kojirou was wild like that.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Subakage-ryū: Hohō [New Shadow Style: Step Method]

RANK: D

CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low

CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu

ELEMENT: N/A

HANDSEALS: N/A

DESCRIPTION:
The Step Method is the basis of all the Murahira's Subakage-ryū movement techniques. A human can walk, run, jump, and any other number of motions, but to truly achieve high speed they must learn to move properly. The Step Method is the isolation of technique, the removal of excess, and the refinement of action. It allows the user to move at speeds that exceed that which a shinobi would normally achieve, thereby improving the likelihood they will be able to run down a target or escape a blast radius.

It is not without its costs, though. The Step Method may be an idealized method of movement, but it is not the way a human will naturally try to move. It requires mental focus and extra physical exertion, though this basic form is less taxing than others.

[Futago Kumori]

Kumori jumps a bit at the sudden interruption by a lion cub, one she doesn't recognize at first, but after a quick glance, she can see that the lion cub is none other than Hanataro, another thing the Hono clan have going for them. The Futago don't have their own summoning contract or an advanced elemental release, only their own specialized hidden techniques, and those are typically reserved for real danger. Although, one had to train for real danger as one would if they were in real danger. Although she only used a wooden weapon, its iron core meant that the training tool was still capable of being used like a real club, though it was wielded like a sword instead.

As Hanataro starts counting down, Kumori raises her own wooden blade, watching Kojirou carefully as he begins moving with a rapidity that she had rarely seen from him. She activates her clan's Hijutsu, giving her the clarity and reaction time needed to keep track of her fellow gate guard as he uses a training log like a platform to increase his own speed and launching himself towards her. Kumori leaps directly upwards to avoid the crescent slash, putting herself above Kojirou with the weighted wooden blade held above her head, gazing down at him with a dangerous glint in her eye before she brings the sword down in a hard vertical slash, though if Kojirou doesn't make a move to deflect it or dodge it, she'd be forced to stop the swing above his head without actually landing the blow. Such a halted attack would doubtless cause Kumori some strife from trying to catch herself and the heavy weapon from causing damage to Kojirou, and so she decides that perhaps she should hold back on the combat techniques with her wooden weapon a little more, regardless of whether or not her friend can avoid the strikes.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Bureibā [Braver]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: N/A
HANDSEALS: N/A
REQUIREMENT: Giant sword

DESCRIPTION:
The wielder jumps high in the air and brings their giant sword down on their target with immense force

[Honō Kojirou]

Wha- she was able to launch herself that far up in the air? Even with such a giant sword? That spoke volumes of her martial skill and physical prowess, so Kojirou wasn’t confident to brace the next attack – he had to evade!

Luckily, her sword was a big sign of danger, but he didn’t merely try to evade – too close for comfort, he aimed his sakabatō in an angle that let her giant sword glide across its flat edge, likely providing the smallest amount of counter-force to Kumori’s descent. Ow, ow, ow, that’s HEAVY! How’s a wooden sword that heavy?! he speculated, his hands ringing from a miscalculation, … Or maybe it’s just me?

He had to figure out if that was a fluke, so Kojirou proceeded to launch 3 swift, horizontal strikes towards Kumori’s center. However, being that close to her also meant that she also had every chance to counter and respond in full despite wielding a much larger, heavier blade.

Despite both being swordsmen, there was a stark divide in their skillsets – Kumori was fast, but it looked like she desired to spec into heavy weaponry and fully evolve her physical prowess. Kojirou was on the lighter side; swift and hasty, even if he couldn’t cause nearly as much destruction.

[Futago Kumori]

Kumori smiles when she can see that Kojirou is a bit surprised by the weight of her weapon, but she's glad he was able to block it, at least. With her feet now firmly on the ground, she feels a lot more maneuverable again, her eyes watching her fellow gate guard carefully as he pulls back a bit in order to launch a trio of horizontal slashes towards her. With her training, Kumori is able to bring the flat of her wooden greatsword up, using the flat of it to catch and deflect each of the three strikes, though the blunted edge meant that a miscalculation would only result in pain, not death. Thanks to the fact that her sword is heavier than the sakabato, she barely even feels each strike on the wood, though the metal is able to expose the heavy iron core at the center of the training weapon.

"Hey, you're pretty good! But are you ready for this?"

Although Kojirou was fast, Kumori's enhanced perception of events allows her to at least mentally keep up with his quick strikes, although she was certain if he mixed it up from the horizontal strikes, she would've probably been in trouble. Instead, she suddenly tilts her wooden sword, bringing it down to a position suggesting that she's ready to swing at him from hip to shoulder, and she charges at him swiftly, her greater speed enhancing the danger of the attack. But before she would have made contact with him, she slips past him, utilizing her skill with weaponry and movement to avoid hitting him at all in order to quickly get behind him. Should she succeed in doing so, she playfully taps her wooden sword on his shoulder, likely surprising him with its weight again as she whispers to him.

"You look like you've seen a ghost..."

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Nise yūrei [False Ghost]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: N/A
HANDSEALS: 0
REQUIREMENT: Above Average Speed, Bukijutsu Spec
DESCRIPTION:
A basic technique compared to the rest, False Ghost consists of a rapid movement towards the enemy, with weapon brandished and open, and then slide past them without doing anything. The idea behind the technique is to make the opponent react to an obvious threat that is not actually there to react to, putting them off balance or causing them to expect something that isn't coming.

[Honō Kojirou]

Upon closer look… there was metal inside of her wooden greatsword! How on earth did she lodge that thing inside?! That explained why her sword was so heavy… but she was still able to swing it around like nothing! How strong was she?! He’d be wise not to underestimate the Futago, just like they’d be wise not to underestimate the Honō.

After she skillfully deflected his attacks, Kojirou thought about mixing it up – get a little more creative with his sword strikes, like Kizumi-sama taught him – but Kumori surprised him with full offense as she came closing in on him with a diagonal slash ready and charged up, about to cleave his damn torso into a pizza slice-

… W-Wha? Kojirou’s eyes had blinked, he didn’t mean to panic, but Kumori’s charge was so rapid and out-of-nowhere that it took him by surprise… and yet, he didn’t feel like having been struck. Oh no, was it one of those super-fast slashes that could only be felt seconds after they’d landed?! Oh no, no, no, please don’t… uh, huh?

"… U-Eh?”

Where’d she… did she pass through him? Wait, that didn’t make any sense – unless she’d learned some sort of ghost jutsu… wait, had she learned a Jutsu that could turn her into a ghost?! No fair! That sounded so epi-

"O r o.”

Frozen and whitened with fright, his paper-doodle of a body was void of life by the surprise of her greatsword resting on his shoulder. She didn’t have to spook him like that, but Kumori had a history of relishing in his moments of timidity. Such a bully. From this angle, I can’t strike her without leaving myself open… wait, yes I can! What, Kojirou, why’d you forget that Jutsu?!

Now, it was his time to spook her – while unnoticeable to non-Sensory shinobi, his chakra rose to the surface of his skin and accelerated his movement, making his form look like the blurry passing of a strong wind… or like a heat haze racing across the plains under the summer sun. His reddish outline was still visible, but he suddenly moved much faster than before. "Try and spook me now!” he dared her before swiping his sakabatō at her form from multiple angles, testing her speed with the greatsword even further.

But his strong, red haori could still be seen, even in the blurring wind that was his movements. A Futago like her, with sharpened eyes, could keep track of that.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Fuippo [Wind Step]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
ELEMENT: None
DESCRIPTION:
The wind step is a maneuver used to dodge many simpler attacks as well as intimidate the opponent. The user will move their body at high speeds while applying a layer of chakra over their body. When performed correctly, it gives their body the appearance of visible wind while also allowing them to attack from multiple directions, allowing them to multiple blows within a few seconds. However, the user still retains some small amount of visibility to the opponent which can cause them to be countered by someone with enough skill in fighting taijutsu users (have to be taijutsu secondary at least).

[Futago Kumori]

Kumori frowns when Kojirou seems to be the one trying to spook her when he accelerates his movement beyond what is easily trackable, but Kumori allows her own clan's hijutsu in order to keep track of his movements, though she has to focus intently on the flashing of his sakabato and the red haori he wears, and she reacts entirely on instinct to block each strike before they can find their target, though her greatsword is deteriorating from the rapid strikes against metal as the wood fibers get crushed between the iron rod at its center and the steel of the sakabato. If Kumori had treated the training tool better, it might have lasted longer, but she didn't seem to feel it was necessary to keep it for long; her training was nearly complete, after all.

Regardless, she was given a challenge to spook him now, and she takes challenges seriously, even those given by her own friends. Kumori focuses intently on the pattern of Kojirou's own strikes, her eyes flashing to meet his attacks as she's just barely able to keep track of where his next strike will be by judging which direction the red blur is moving towards, and so she turns suddenly to directly face him, bringing what's left of the wooden greatsword to bear with a suddenly quite rapid counter-attack, aiming to smash her blade directly against Kojirou's sakabato blade; after all, although she could have struck his head or his body with the weapon, at such intense speeds it might have actually hurt him. Instead, she was looking to disarm Kojirou with the pure speed and power of her own attack meeting with his in another Futago style weapon technique that is known to instantly end some fights where the opponent is not so lucky.

Regardless of whether or not she disarms him with the attack, she smiles at Kojirou, her golden eyes taking on a playful glint along with her smirk.

"Spooked yet?~"

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Porutāgaisuto dageki [Poltergeist blow]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: N/A
HANDSEALS: 0
REQUIREMENT: Above Average Speed, Bukijutsu Spec
DESCRIPTION:
A blow of incredible speed, with a drawn weapon - most often a sword - against a single target. The attack's speed is considerable, and less skilled opponents will feel like they have been hit by a Poltergeist's blade rather than anything of human origin.

[Honō Kojirou]

Kojirou thought that he had her cornered now – such a large blade would certainly slow her down, and Futagos specialized greatly in all sorts of speeds. Reaction speed, movement speed, striking speed… so by cutting off her angles with increased speed of his own, and the veil of blurry colors brought by the Wind Step, he thought that he could create an opening to swoop her off her feet. Yeah… he imagined it in his head, already – his sakabatō tripping her off her feet, only for him to blend in like the wind, wrap an arm around her waist so she wouldn’t fall, and jokingly ask her ‘Spooked yet?’.

Such a chad move… would never be realized. The stars forbade it, the heavens had other plans in mind.

Instead, it appeared as if Kumori hadn’t exerted her full agility just yet – in a sudden twist, she came face to face with his next strike, and the charging strike from her large wooden sword slapped his sakabatō straight up in the air, causing Kojirou to stumble back a few steps in surprise. Due to the weight of her sword, he was aptly unarmed in a flash.

"O-Oh no, no, my sword! Wait, wait, wait, lemme- wooooh, oro, oro, orororororo…” he panicked, trying to grab the sakabatō as it fell straight down to his hands, but in his panicked state, he had it juggling between his hands until he finally had the end of the pommel balanced on his finger, "T-There, there…”

Safe to say, she spooked him. Just a little bit, though! "Okay, okay! But I’ll spook you next time – Round 2, then! The same trick won’t work twice, Kumori!”

[Futago Kumori]

Kumori can't help but to giggle when Kojirou ends up with his sakabato in the air, and he's really quite lucky that she's not the too terribly aggressive sort that might take this opening as an invitation, even in training, to attack again. Instead, she gets to enjoy Kojirou's antics as he juggles the backwards blade between his hands until he has the pommel balanced on a finger, clearly displaying his surprise at her disarming strike. She twirls her own practice blade around and around in her hands, at least displaying some of her skill with the sword of her own, although she's also starting to get a bit of a headache from having to use her clan's Hijutsu in order to keep track of his movements.

"Sure, sure! But you should teach me how you did those last few techniques, I've never seen them before, and you moved a lot faster than I expected you to!"

It might be an insult to his usual level of personal speed or a compliment on his use of the technique. Possibly both. But Kumori really had meant it to be a compliment. When he states that it's time for Round 2, she stops spinning her blade and takes hold of the handle with both hands, bringing the blade up so that it's level with her golden eyes, pointing directly at Kojirou with her right hand at the pommel and her left hand high up on the handguard, giving her the maximum amount of control over the blade to ensure that she wouldn't hurt him; she could still rely on the heaviness of her own sword to be able to add some strength to her attacks or deflections, if it came down to it, but she was also naturally becoming stronger from her continued use of the practice sword.

"Bring it on!"

[Honō Kojirou]

”Oh, that’s that weird stepping technique I learned in Kumogakure,” he revealed proudly, "Took me a while to get it right, but I’m moving like a mayfly now. Wacha! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa… ratatatatataaa!!!”

Bouncing right and left like the blur he could become, he showcased the technique for a bit longer before taking a breather. Round 2 was Round 2, after all, and Kumori had already taken a solid stance with her new wooden blade. Despite how big and heavy it looked, she appeared to be able to swing it around with ease now… and that was a bit scary. His sakabato wasn’t going to overpower that in any clashes – all he could rely on were partial strikes to parry himself out of the way.

She has really good defense. I couldn’t get a strike in before… I got to distract her! Just like Atagi once taught me!

As Kojirou sheathed his sakabato, seemingly ready to perform a quickdraw strike as many swordsmen were conditioned to, he… swiftly weaved a single Snake handseal, then blew something in between his cupped hands. Some mass was gathered there now, and his swift hands went to work on modeling it into a rubber figurine before throwing it out, watching it land in front of Kumori.

It was a rubber figurine of her! An inhumanly precise full-body portrait, with her uniform and sword, and even her correct curves… but with a larger bust. It had to have a larger bust – it’d surprise her, and for that brief, possible moment, should it show itself as a blitz of a chance, Kojirou would soar into the air like a hawk and descend with an overhead strike.

SURPRISE BREAST DISTRACTION ATTACK! Ponder at the irregular detail, and get bonked in the head!

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Yōton: Gomu Rō [Lava Release: Rubber Wax]
RANK: E
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Yōton
HANDSEALS: 1 - Snake
DESCRIPTION:
The user manifests a hand-sized glob of molten rubber, which quickly hardens in the air. Still malleable enough to form with one's hands, the bearer can draw out their inner artist and model the rubber glob into whatever human being they know. This is especially easy for the user, who can model any person they've seen before immediately, but others in possession of the glob can try giving it form with their bare hands too.

[Futago Kumori]

Kumori watches as Kojirou begins to reach for his sword, and she thinks she recognizes an Iaido stance when she sees one, so she slightly shifts her position, bringing the blade a bit lower, holding it at her waist with the tip of the wooden sword pointed at her own fellow guard's chin; in this position, it grants her a faster method to block the sword swipe before it can reach her, and she can deflect it-

But Kumori is focusing far too much on the swordfight, and not enough on other options that are available to Kojirou that she's only somewhat aware of. The handseal surprises her, as does the forming of something in his hands. She starts to approach him, apparently ready to attack if he's just going to play around, but then he throws whatever was in his hand at her, causing the Futago to stop in her tracks, trying to prepare for some combat trick. She's instead met with a near-mirror image of herself, though it was clearly made of some rubbery material, judging by the way the chest moved. And the chest of the image was much larger than her own. She stops and stares, clearly confused, before tilting her head down a little to look at her own chest for a moment. She's somewhat in shock, and a little perturbed at the comparison Kojirou had made, before she remembers where she is and what she's doing.

Kumori is barely able to bring her sword back up, barely deflecting the sakabato's slash before it makes direct contact with her, so that the slash only causes the black ponytail behind her head to fly wildly around the sword as it swishes past her, dragging along the wooden fibers of her weighted training sword before she pushes against Kojirou in an attempt to shove him backwards into his own statue of her.

[Honō Kojirou]

He didn’t imagine her to react that fast… oh, c’mon! He had her right there! Kumori was too fast, he’d have to distract her otherwise… maybe he accidently made an identical copy of her? The figurine did have her height… wait, oh no, he poured too much chakra into it!!! Why was it her actual height?!

He fumbled, and now Kumori was pushing him back! In a desperate attempt to gather his strength, Kojirou retaliated by trying to step forward, but such a heavy weapon also provided her with a strong grip force and a wider stance, allowing her to overpower him! "O-Oh, backfired, backfired, backfired- HOW STRONG ARE YOU?!” Kojirou panicked, losing his foothold but surprisingly not falling to his back or to his impending defeat.

Instead, his neck met the next-softest cushion in the world. Blinking twice, he realized that he’d been cushioned by his own sculpture, but the imagery kind of threw him off a loop. It caused a red flare to rise up his throat, face and result in his hair bristling, before he’d loosen his stance and accidently let Kumori’s sword smash him flat in the face with a-

*BONK!*

Causing his sculpture to melt back into a sizzling substance, with him toppling backwards. "Why do none of my decoys ever wooooooooork?!” He stood in a defensive stance once more, smashing his foot onto the ground to fully solidify his stance, ready to be on the receiving end this time.

[Futago Kumori]

Kumori sighs with relief immediately after the attack misses her and she manages to knock Kojirou back into his own attempted distraction, and she frowns again as he ends up with his head and neck cushioned by the rubbery form of a more buxom version of herself, lightly tapping the training sword she's still holding at the ground. Still, she has to smile a little as he demands to know how she's so strong. She's glad now that she's been working on her strength for so long; she was certain now that she was going to outpace Kojirou's own growth at the rate that she's improving, and she has to admit that his falling backwards into his own rubber statue of her was rather funny, causing her to softly giggle for a moment.

"Oh, your decoy distracted me all right! But even if you distract me, I'm pretty damn fast, Kojirou. Speed is something the Futago are famous for, and some have said I'm one of the fastest for my level..."

She had to wonder at that, sometimes. Did they think she was faster than Raimaa was, back before she'd been exiled for her very strange and almost downright nonsensical calls for peace? Back when Raimaa was a Genin, who would they have said was faster? She wasn't sure if it was true, but they said it like it was, and so Kumori was happy enough with that. Kumori herself doesn't immediately attack him again when she can see that his decoy gradually disappears behind him, and after he topples back, he gets up again quickly, and as soon as his foot smashes into the ground, she begins her assault on him again. This time, however, since he'd wanted to use Ninjutsu in their spar, she decides it's time to stop playing around and give him some chakra to chew on.

She gathers her natural Fuuton chakra along the wooden blade, and she can feel it becoming imperceptibly heavier in her grip; although the blade wasn't made specifically to handle chakra like her other weapon, she can still use this technique to have a longer ranged option. As she swings it, she releases the wind chakra from the blade, causing an arc of sharp, slicing wind to expel from her weapon as it moves through the air. Of course, because the blade of wind is invisible, she actually aims it very low, causing the arc to hit the dirt in front of Kojirou and kick up a fat shower of dirt and dust over him as she closes the distance herself, swinging up from below to once more knock the sakabato from his hands.

NAME

SPOILER: Click to show

: Fuuton: Hakōgeki [Wind Style: Rending Light Attack]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: Fuuton
HANDSEALS: N/A
REQUIREMENT: Sword

DESCRIPTION:
The user gathers fuuton chakra into their blade before slashing to release the chakra in a large cutting arc, the nearly invisible wind blade able to slice through stone, it travels up to 20m and is as wide as the full swing of the sword used for the technique.

[Honō Kojirou]

Truly, the Futagos were a speedy bunch… Kojirou would have to capitalize on Kumori’s own strength to get a hit in. However, since she was really fast… uh, how was he going to do that, again? He could try and sort of trick her into running into his sakabatō, but what prevented her from not just changing course?

However… wait, trickery? Trickery! He had a Jutsu up his sleeve for something like this – he’d spent over a month mastering it, but since Kumori hadn’t seen him training on his own lately, this would definitely be a surprise for her!

Fast as she was, the dirt kicking up like a ravine to blind him came from a long-distance technique. Hien? he assumed, a Bukijutsu that… didn’t actually extend the blade that far? Had she mastered Hien even further?! F-Forget it – he had a new Jutsu to show her as well!

Brief enough, he managed to backflip away from an ascending slash from Kumori’s giant sword, balancing on the tip of his sakabatō for the moment. At this point, he looked open for another attack, but should she glance at his sakabatō just once after his little stunt, then the area around her would suddenly reveal floating blades identical to his sakabatō drawing nearer – closing the path almost like a fence, and drawing in on every angle. A totally unreal Jutsu that Kojirou had never shown before…

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Kenjutsu: Amatsu Ari-na [Sword Art: Heavenly Arena]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium, Low [Continuous Cost]
CLASSIFICATION: Genjutsu
TRIGGER: Visual
DESCRIPTION:
The user stabs their weapon into the ground, and upon seeing the visual act of this being done, an "arena" of the user's weapon will surround the target in a 20x20m sphere. They hover, lightly following the target's movements, that makes it appear that if they try to leave through them, they will be impaled - but not much else than movement actually happens.