Open Taijutsu 101: Augmented Armaments [CLASS]

[Sabishii]

...He didnt give up... he didnt quit... but, he did fall solemn. When your entire body was supposed to be the weapon, you didnt have to worry about losing your weapon. Because you were always armed and ready. Sabishii knew this, The Kazekage knew this, Yuka knew this, and to anyone that didnt know that were idiots. They would fall the quickest especially with the subject of war being something presented on the horizons. It was daft to think otherwise when there was so much blood that could be spilled at a moment's notice. At least, so the tired boy would feel, but there was something else brewing from the darkness. Who would know...

Looking up to the blonde woman that moved to his position, 'When... did she get here?' he would blink as she whispered to him, for his ears only. Looking up to her the boy frowned, "Yes Ma'am... Master of the Martial Art. Glory seeker." looking back down he'd huff. The feelings around him would be... odd.

"Tsk~ Silly boy~"
"Our Silly silly boy~"

The ghostly whispers would chime in just as the heat would course through Sabishii's hands causing the boy to leap to his feet waving his hands frantically as he'd look about and see the others struggling with the exact same thing he was going through, but he was the only one having such a reaction which caused him to pause with pink forming on his cheeks with embarrassment taking hold of his stomach. His visage was broken for a moment before he'd calm himself. 'Conceal. Dont feel. Dont let them know.' he'd breath thinking to himself. He simply had to let it go as the ghosts would come up from the ground under his feet. The heat from the technique was some sort of... Genjutsu? 'Is this the....power of mental combat? ....I like it...' a smirk forming for a moment as he felt the pain, he forced down a grimace trying to use the pain as fuel. The ghosts forming slowly coming up from pools under him, would begin to stretch out reaching ghostly hands at the weapons on the table infront of him but they would pass through.

'Gah! I cant... get them to... touch.' he'd frown before his concentration would be broken by Yuka and her stone bullet. This would cause him to reach down for his own polearm and give it a conserted effort unlike what he'd done previously. With hot hands, he'd attempt to twirl the weapon from one hand to the other before jutting it forward. It fumbled in his hands a bit but he was able to save it from completely falling from his grasp and jut it forward imagining hitting his opponents neck... and being spilld with the blood of their fading existence.

"Delightful."

[WC = 1000+/1000]
[Post 3/5]

 

[Kōsa Harikēn]

With each swing, with each snap movement of his wrist to change the orientation of the tonfa, he could feel the fluidity begin to flow into his arms. Though he could tell his movements were sloppy in the presence of a world champion like Kyuji-san. Overall, you are doing well with them. I have no real commentary to offer aside from keep pushing yourself with them if you want to use them in the future and you will see the inexperience quickly disappear." Hariken could feel his bodies movement tighten; the Uzumoreru always pushed themselves to the most calculated point until singularity. He began pushing his body hard, faster, progressively speeding up and up and up; bobbing his head, weaving his foot and body into the air, whilst snapping around his wrists, sending both the tonfa spinning within his hands while striking at the air with his foot and tornado tonfas. The landing was the tricky part; he didn't factor in the spin force of the weapons to create enough force to prevent a clean foot placement, but as Hariken brought his foot down to land, the tonfa hadn't come to a complete stop yet; stumbling slightly with his footing, and losing focus on the rotation of the tonfa; the glorified projectile launched out of his hands, and unfortunately began on direct course towards the blond haired boy, that the other students knew as Suisen, but Hariken missed that introduction, or just couldn't remember the kids name. HEY KID, DUCK!!!!! He would shout towards him as it travelled in the air. Whether it accidently hit or not, Hariken would walk about to him, bending down to pick up the displaced tonfa, Sorry about that, should save the more fancy footwork for later. Hope you're ok. While accident happen it was important to own up to ones mistakes, and take responsibility. He listen to Shin as he spoke, taijutsu was never his specialty so it would appear; subterfuge and illusions, deceit and tricks; those were the skills their instructor implemented in proficiency. Those attributes seemed much more in line with was he wanted to learn. Heat. Burning. Tense. These feelings filled his mind and his body; the weapon in his hand began to burn, even though it wasn't just a moment ago. "So I ask you now, how much dedication are you willing to have? Will you endure what comes and prove you belong here? Or would you prefer the comfortable life of a merchant? A mechanic? There is no shame in choosing safety over the blade." "But if you stay, show me your resolve. Show Kyuji-sensei your resolve. Prove that you can hold your weapon even when everything in your body screams to drop it. Prove that you can still fight when your body is begging for death." So this was a test of resolve and determination, Simple. He knew not of the other history, but Hariken's mind flickers to that night when the ouroboros of the Uzumoreru chose him, saved him, beckoned him to push further to prosper. Breath in. Breath out. That simple four word chant echoed in his head like a lullaby. Hariken gripped the tonfas with intent. He envisioned himself with his parents, he was telling them about how classes are going and becoming a shinobi. With an exhale, and gritted teeth, Hariken would embrace the handicap, and once again attempt to start practicing with the weapons once more; but if any were to look at him he'd appear to be in a state of inner tranquility [MFT] [WC: 594] [POST 3/5 1000+/1000]

 

[Chikamatsu Suisen]

The burning started slowly, like someone had left the training tonfa out in the desert sun too long. Then it got worse. A lot worse.

"Oh, that's... ow..! that's definitely not normal!" Suisen's voice cracked slightly as his hands suddenly felt like they were gripping hot coals instead of wood. His crimson eyes went wide, darting between the tonfa and his father's composed face.

Of course it's a genjutsu. Of course Dad would do this.

The logical part of Suisen's brain understood what was happening. The flowers, the pollen, the sudden coordinated pain across all the students, it was textbook illusionary technique. But knowing it was fake didn't make his nerves stop screaming.

"Okay, okay, so this is the real test, Let's go!!" Suisen's voice was higher than usual, strained but still trying to maintain that characteristic enthusiasm. "That whole 'can you hold a weapon when everything hurts' thing! I get it, yup. Message loud and clear dad!"

His fingers trembled. The instinct to drop the tonfa was overwhelming. Every nerve in his hands was shrieking let go, let go, LET GO.

A shout cut through his concentration. "HEY KID, DUCK!!!!!"

Suisen's head snapped up just in time to see a tonfa spinning through the air toward him. His body moved on instinct, dropping into a crouch as the projectile sailed over his head, close enough that he felt the air displacement ruffle his blonde hair. Fortunately for Suisen, he had just finished a class with Kureji-Sensei on how to dodge most effectively, which resulted in the boy getting a sick guitar as a reward.

"Whoa!" He straightened up, heart pounding even harder now. "That was close!"

The older student—Hariken—approached quickly, bending down to retrieve the wayward weapon. "Sorry about that, should save the more fancy footwork for later. Hope you're ok."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good!" Suisen managed a shaky laugh, though his hands were still burning from the genjutsu. "Nice throw though! Well, unintentional throw. Still counts!"

But then his father's words cut through everything else: "Prove that you belong here."

Suisen's jaw clenched. His knuckles went white around the burning handles.

"You know what?" Suisen said through gritted teeth, forcing a grin even though his eyes were watering. "I've been holding onto way heavier stuff than this for months! Emotional baggage! Existential dread! The crushing weight of living up to impossible expectations!"

He was rambling now, using words as a shield against the burning sensation.

"So yeah! Some fake fire hands? That's nothing! Kureji-sensei's class makes this one feel like a cake walk."

It's not nothing. It hurts so much. This was way worse than a game of dodge ball.

Suisen shifted his stance, trying to remember the proper tonfa form despite the agony. His movements were shaky, imprecise, but he kept the weapons in his hands. He forced himself to execute the defensive rotation, even though the motion made the phantom flames feel like they were consuming his entire forearm.

"The weapon is secondary to the wielder," Suisen repeated his father's earlier words, but this time his voice was quieter. Less performative. "Which means... even if I'm not the son you wanted... I can still..."

He took a shaking breath and forced himself into a proper fighting stance. The tonfa felt like they weighed a thousand pounds.

But he didn't drop them.

"I belong here," Suisen whispered, more to himself than anyone else. "I belong here."

[MFT 250+]
[PC: 3/5]

 

[Kyuji]

I would listen to our Kazekage speak to the class in front of him and nod in agreement as nothing that he was explaining was incorrect. While many of them would likely go down the Ninjutsu path for the flashes and flares or the path of illusions to have an advantage, the art of taijutsu was not one that should be completely ignored as it could make the difference between life or death. I, also, had a personal bias towards it since I focused on utilizing weapons when I needed to fight including my bare fists - objects that were around where a fight was engaging were also a strong strategy. But, each one of them would have to find that path that fit them the best as they continued to learn and experience things in life - it was a fun thought experiment though for the educators and current shinobi to gauge how they all were and would be within a short time.

While my former student was speaking, I saw what he was did to them subconsciously as he spoke. He used a similar technique on them as he did on his, Kohana, when they were sparring and I observed them. I could sense this trickery was of a lower level than what he had put his sister through, but he was being considerate of the students and giving them a little taste of the reality of being a shinobi as each one of them would react in their own ways. His technique was a basic Genjutsu that many learned at the age of the students or shortly after graduation to try to make an enemy slip up and present an opening to strike them while they were distracted. However, many of these students were greener than I had experienced before and their reactions all were justified in their own ways even if some felt more traumatic or filled with emotions than others.

The abnormal student with six arms would make a wise decision initially by taking the weapons in his hands and covering them up with a natural ability of his body: silk. I was not surprised by seeing the technique based on his appearance and build at a young age, but what I was not expecting was for him to morph the basis wooden weapons into a makeshift weapon and attack me. I could feel myself smirk as I thought to myself "Oh, you are approaching me?" I would allow his wipe to come, but after a split second, he would see the whip split clean down the middle. The weapons morphed into it collapsing to the floor as he would feel cold, steel touching his chin as I looked up at him due to him being a few inches taller than me. A smile on my face and a nod as I spoke to him: "I am impressed, Goro. You actually attacked me and showed me a clever way to combat what your Kazekage was doing to you. Bonus points to you for thinking of how to minimize the pain and use it to your advantage."

As I finished speaking to him, I could see pellets in my peripheral going towards Shin. It was a weaker technique and likely a reaction to the sensation that the young Yuka was experiencing, but this was also a class on Taijutsu, not Ninjutsu. I would take a few steps and stand in front of my former student as the attack came towards us. With a slash, the pellets would split in half like Goro's weapon and I would walk over to the ginger-haired girl. She was still clenching that kunai in her hand which was slightly impressive and she had managed to use one-handed seals which were not something that you usually saw till someone was well past being a student unless they were fortunate to be raised in a family that specialized in them. Once I was standing in front of her, she would see my green eyes glowing as I addressed her directly: "I will give you credit for holding onto your weapon and enduring the pain. However, you need to learn to endure the pain as Shin has not put you under any true danger and attacking your teacher - your elder - your Kazekage - is not a wise decision. You are fortunate that he is forgiving and understandable. Others are not and would have struck you down and ensured you were not breathing. I don't need people coming to the Hospital for sheer acts of stupidity. Do better." As I finished, she would feel a flick on her forehead from me as I walked away. It might have been overboard and over the top, but we didn't have time nor the resources to have people making decisions that could have been avoided if they had used their brains.

Shinda and Sabishii would be the next two that I would see as the first was pushing through the pain while the other seemed to have his sprites conversing with him again from what I could tell. Both of them were experiencing the more severe effects of Shin's technique on them, but I would observe from afar as both of them were not giving up and trying to keep going even though I knew their minds would telling them that it hurt and to let the weapons go. Truly, these two were the most unique of the class aside from Goro having extra arms than the normal civilian. I could not say much about what I was watching from either of them as their reactions were expected from what they were put under by their Kazekage. However, I would speak out to them both: "You are doing well, Shinda and Sabishii. Keep it up."

I would have said more but I saw the weaponry that Hariken was using flying through the air and almost taking out Suisen in the process which caught my immediate attention. My initial reaction was concern, but once I knew they were both okay and they conversed with no hostility, I would breath a sigh of relief - no Hospital visits today. Internally, I was face palming and chuckling to myself as it was not the first nor last time that a student would go through their classes and have a slip up like that. I would catch Suisen mention Kureji's name which made me want to question why a former shinobi of our village was training our students, but this was not the time nor place for that - it was a topic for another day with Shin. I would not have much to say after watching that unfold aside from a nod at them and a simple: "You are both doing good, Hariken and Suisen. Endure the pain and keep pushing."

After I spoke, I would go lean against the wall again and allow them to continue to practice or for Shin to instruct them.

---

OOC:

• WC: 2642/1000
• PC: 3/5

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

"Adequate progress," Shin observed, his pale blue eyes tracking each student's response to the genjutsu with clinical precision. A grin would strretch across his face, he was suprrised to see how well these students reacted to such a sudden sensory explosion.

His gaze settled first on Goro, whose makeshift silk whip had been cleanly bisected by Kyuji's blade. "Tsuchigumo Goro. Your adaptation was resourceful. Using your clan's natural abilities to mitigate a disadvantage, would be clever... However, you've proven my point rather than circumvented it. The moment Kyuji-sensei cut through your improvised weapon, you were left with nothing. A shinobi who relies solely on preparation will fail when circumstances exceed their contingencies."

He paused, then added with the faintest hint of approval, "That said, attacking when presented an opportunity shows proper instinct. You did not freeze. be proud of that."

His attention shifted to Yuka, standing rigid with her kunai still clenched despite Kyuji's reprimand. "Hokkyoku Yuka. Your technique was imprecise, your chakra control undisciplined, and your target selection... questionable." There was no anger in his voice, there was actually a bit of joy as the corner of his mouth lifted to a smirk. "But you held your weapon through the pain and you struck back when wounded. That aggression will serve you well, but only if you learn to temper it with judgment. A blade that cuts indiscriminately is as dangerous to its wielder as its enemies."

He looked toward Shinda, noting the tears still tracking down the boy's face even as he maintained his grip and continued his practiced thrusts. "Kyouketsu Shinda. Interesting. You endure through memory rather than resistance. Pain as fuel rather than obstacle. Continue."

To Sabishii, fumbling with his polearm while ghostly wisps swirled around him, Shin's voice carried a trace of curiosity. "Hokkyoku Sabishii. You improved from your first attempt, even in the face of a true challenege. I am glad to see your willingness, but you have quite aways to go. Again."

Hariken received a brief nod. "Uzumoreru Kōsa Harikēn. Your breathing technique suggests mental discipline. Good. Though perhaps save the aerial maneuvers until your grip is more certain."

Finally, his gaze settled on Suisen. The boy was trembling, knuckles white around the tonfa, tears in his eyes but refusing to drop the weapons. Shin's expression remained neutral, revealing nothing.

"Suisen. You chose a weapon outside your comfort zone. You maintained your grip despite the pain. You endured a near-miss from a projectile without losing focus."

There was a long pause.

"You've accomplished what was required of you."

He clasped his hands behind his back and addressed the class as a whole.

"The genjutsu will fade in about twenty seconds. When it does, I want each of you to understand something fundamental about the shinobi path."

The flowers around the room began to wilt, their petals curling inward.

"Taijutsu is the foundation upon which everything else is built. Before you can effectively mold chakra for Ninjutsu, you must understand your body's limitations and capabilities. Before you can weave illusions with Genjutsu, you must know what physical reality feels like so thoroughly that you can convincingly distort it."

He watched as the burning sensation began to fade from their hands, relief visible on their faces.

"If you truly desire to become shinobi, not academy students playing at combat, but actual protectors of this village, you will dedicate yourselves to strengthening your Taijutsu skills first. Master the basics. Make your body a weapon that never fails you."

Shin gestured toward the training implements on the table.

"For the remainder of this class, you will practice. Drills, repetitions, refinement of form. Kyuji-sensei and I will observe and offer corrections, but understand this clearly: practice makes progress, not perfection. Perfection is not a destination we hand to you... it is something you achieve through your own individual dedication to your craft."

His pale blue eyes swept across each student one final time.

"How quickly you progress, how far you advance, when—or if—you achieve mastery... that is entirely in your hands. We can only show you the path. You must walk it yourselves."

A slight pause, then:

"Begin your drills. I will be watching."

[4/5]

 

[Goro]

The whip had felt solid, sturdy, and stable. It tore through the air, guided by his hands, but it never found its mark. The weight vanished as he watched the silk split in two, the seams falling apart against the ground as he looked on in shock. The feeling of cold steel pressing against his skin made his entire body shiver. Even though he hadn't blinked, the woman before him was far faster than anyone he had ever encountered. She made her point with that single slash and offered a compliment on his adaptability.

Goro looked down at his hands. Two of his six limbs were shaking, specifically the ones that had felt the brunt of her strike. Even though she hadn't physically touched him, her blade had sent a wave through his very core. She was a monster. By every account, his senses were screaming at him to run away, but for some reason, a small smile crept onto the corners of his lips. He wasn't sure what the feeling was. It was as if excitement and fear were brewing inside him, churning into a tornado of emotions.

Goro snapped back to reality as the Kazekage called out to him. Shin approved of his methods for adapting against the illusions, even giving bonus points for fighting through the fear and attacking the tournament champion. Goro listened intently as Shin delivered the criticism he needed. Regardless of his ingenuity, he was still too reliant on his tools. He had been raised in the way of his clan, but he couldn't ignore the advice. Goro looked down at his hands and observed the dirt and scratches that covered them, the calluses slowly building from constant work in the tunnels. Just the fact that he was a six-armed human meant he had to build more muscle dexterity and work harder than the average kid to get the same results.

Goro dropped the webs and the remaining weaponry. He decided to show them something different. Rather than hide what he was, he would embrace it. Goro unfurled his extra arms widely, placing the limbs that protruded from his shoulder blades over and under his primary arms. He began by throwing a jab with his left hand and followed up with a straight from his right. He repeated the combo, but during the right straight, he tried to throw in an overhead chop from his middle-left hand.

He stumbled. Goro was inexperienced and moving purely off instinct, but he was attempting to teach himself a system for unarmed combat. He was trying to build a six-armed style that revolved around simultaneous movements and total control. He was sloppy at best when mixing in these extra movements, but there was a raw science starting to take shape.

WC: 1000+/1000
Post Count 4/5