Chapter 11: Katori-ryu Training Method

Chapter 11 - 11: Katori-ryu Training Method "Sensei, I'm coming in!" Chijō Kana's voice echoed through the courtyard. Nanatsuki peeked out and saw Kana climbing over the courtyard wall again. "The dojo has a front gate, you know," Nanatsuki reminded her. "Sensei, what are we eating tod—wait, I mean, what are we training today?" Kana asked as she dropped down from the wall, immediately jumping to the most important question on her mind. "You still need to polish your fundamentals. We'll do some targeted training today," Nanatsuki said. "But... I've already learned my stances and footwork! Do I still need more basics?" Kana waved her arms around, mimicking the sword techniques she'd seen Nanatsuki demonstrate in class. "When do I get to learn real sword skills?" "The technique I used in class is called Shun Strike, and I'll teach it to you," Nanatsuki replied. "But your fundamentals still need work. If you try to learn techniques without a solid base, they'll just be for show. You won't be able to unleash their real power." He was actually facing the same problem himself—his Shunpo wasn't yet strong enough to fully bring out the potential of a mastery-level Shunpo Iaido. "So, how do I train?" Kana asked curiously. "You'll need some training tools." Nanatsuki led Kana to the storage shed to get the equipment. The shed was in the room to the left of the kitchen. Nanatsuki slid the door open, and a layer of dust shook loose from the frame. He hadn't been in here for quite a while, having focused entirely on his swordsmanship training. The shed had gathered quite a bit of dust. Inside was a pile of stuff—somewhat chaotic. "It's been a while since I tidied this place up. I need to find the Flagfish ... I think it was over here..." Nanatsuki muttered, feeling a headache coming on just from looking at the mess. Some of the items in this shed were older than the history of the Gotei 13. Organization wasn't its strong point—things were just shoved wherever there was space. Luckily, his memory didn't fail him. He quickly found what he was looking for. "Why are these wooden swords so huge?" Kana asked, startled. An entire row of wooden swords sat before her—broad and thick blades of all sizes, some even taller than she was. "These Flagfish aren't your average wooden swords. Try holding one." Nanatsuki drew one out with a ten-centimeter-wide blade. It looked more like a cleaver than a sword. They were called Flagfish because when laid flat, the shape resembled an actual flagfish. The blade was far larger than the handle, with the hilt shaped like the flagfish's snout and the blade like its body. "What's so special about—woah, it's heavy!!" Kana tried lifting it with one hand but was instantly overwhelmed by the weight. She grabbed it with her other hand, but still couldn't lift it. Then her center of gravity shifted, and she started falling toward Nanatsuki. He reacted quickly, pressing a hand to her forehead and holding her up before she could crash into him. Kana froze in place, arms locked around the heavy sword, her body bent at a 60-degree angle like she was bowing to him. "So heavy!" she groaned. "You can let go, you know," Nanatsuki said, slightly exasperated. This disciple of his could be a little single-minded. "Oh—right!" Kana suddenly realized, letting the sword drop to the wooden floor. Thud— The impact was so heavy, it knocked dust loose from the ceiling. "Cough cough—" Kana rose and covered her nose and mouth. "This is not a wooden sword!" "You're right—it only looks like wood. It's actually made of a special composite material." Nanatsuki picked up the Flagfish one-handed, leaving Kana speechless. "Sensei... how strong are you? You can lift it with one hand?" "The Flagfish is for suburi practice," Nanatsuki said as he gave it a few test swings. "Its special material gets lighter when you channel Spiritual Pressure into it." "Ohh, let me try!" Kana took it again and injected her Spiritual Pressure. Sure enough, it became light enough for her to lift. "Take that Flagfish sword to the dojo. You're going to practice suburi with it for one hour today," Nanatsuki said. "Don't think it'll be easy—you have to maintain your Spiritual Pressure the whole time just to keep swinging it." Many of the Katori-ryu techniques required concentrating and attaching Spiritual Pressure onto the blade. It was a nuanced skill. Simply pouring power into the blade wouldn't cut it. By practicing suburi with the special Flagfish, the user naturally learned how to attach, condense, and compress their Spiritual Pressure onto a blade. Kana hadn't realized what she was in for. She thought it sounded easy—just basic swing drills. What's so hard about that? Besides, once she finished, she could mooch dinner! Her thoughts were already drifting to the delicious food she might be eating later. "Haaah—Sensei—haaah—has it been an hour yet?" Kana panted heavily. Her face was flushed, sweat dripping from her brow. Droplets trailed down her pale, delicate skin and slipped into her collar. Her white uniform was soaked through, clinging to her and faintly revealing the outline of her skin beneath. "Not even close—it's only been twenty minutes~" Nanatsuki said cheerfully. Back when he was laying his own foundation, suburi with the Flagfish had nearly broken him too. Now it was his student's turn. Suburi was simply the repeated, fundamental motion of cutting—repeated swings to ingrain the feeling into the body. Normal suburi practice was nothing for a Shinigami's physique. But doing it with a Flagfish required continuous Spiritual Pressure just to lift and swing it—making it incredibly draining. If you didn't manage your output wisely, you'd burn through your stamina and power before you knew it. That's exactly what had happened to Kana. When she started, she didn't take it seriously—thinking it was just light practice. She failed to pace herself. By the time she realized it, it was already too late. She had to reduce the amount of Spiritual Pressure she was using, which made the Flagfish heavier—but that just meant her physical stamina was being drained instead. "Wh—what??" Kana cried as she squeezed her eyes shut and swung the Flagfish with all her might. "It's only been twenty minutes?! It feels like a whole day!" Her frustration gave her new energy, even making her speech more coherent. "Hang in there. I've already started cooking the rice. Once that's ready, I'll start frying the food," Nanatsuki said with a grin. "But no dinner unless you hit the target~" At the moment, Nanatsuki was wearing a pair of special weighted leg guards—ones he'd found earlier in the shed. Made from a similar material as the Flagfish, they were designed to help train leg control and Spiritual Pressure focus. It was meant to improve his Shunpo. Kana, fired up by the promise of food, tightened her grip and shouted: "I'll do my best!"