mikazuki smiles when the boy manages to block his strike with his sword without losing balance. heās beginning to learn some things. heās at least guarding himself this time, on request, and then putting some distance between them. mikazuki switches to the defensive, his sword gripped tightly in his hands. sharp blue eyes watch the boy, waiting for his next move, wondering what the boy would do next.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā itās another predictable charge. though, it seems the boy this time tried something different, making a last minute momentum change to throw mikazuki off guard.Ā
still, the move is easy to read, the move is easy to counter. at the last second, he twists his body, sword following him and the wooden blade against clangs against the metal one. more wood ship, but the blade still holds itself against the stronger counterpart. he quickly parries, following through the block with another attack aimed at his shoulder. he moves slower, hoping it will give the boy enough time to execute his own block.
ānice attempt,ā mikazuki compliments, a sly smile on his face.Ā ābut, perhaps a different tactic wouldāve been more effective,ā he suggests. but, with that said, he takes a step back, bows, and sheathes his sword.Ā āi think thatās enough sparring for now,ā he says, clapping his hands together, applauding the boyās effort, even if they were unsuccessful.Ā āyou did well!ā he lies,Ā ābut a few pointers.ā
he raises one finger. āyou must hold your weapon correctly. without proper grip, you will not be able to use your sword properly. it will throw you off balance, it will not aid you in battle.ā
he raises a second finger.Ā āpatience is key, my friend, donāt always rush your enemies. your patience might reward you with your enemies providing you an opening for you to take advantage of.ā
and, then he raises a third.Ā āremember defense is important to any battle.ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā again, the man is slippery-er than most shadows,Ā and minato finds that he has to react fast again, lest his bladeĀ ā were it a real oneĀ ā gouge through his shoulder. he instinctively lifts his own to block, ducking slightly, but itās an awkward one that puts too much strain on his arms at an uncomfortable angle, and heās sure that anyone who was really trying would be able to easily crush through it.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā he has a feeling he knows when someoneās going easy on him, and when the man backs off and puts his sword away, signaling the end of their impromptuĀ ā spar ā ( if that kind of sad ass-kicking could have even been called that ), heās aware thatās exactly what happened. itās no less than heād expectedĀ ā the guy had said he was a seasoned swordsman, after all.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā ... okay.Ā ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā itās a half-hearted, even somewhat skeptical, response, as he eyes the stranger with a furrowed brow. heād never asked for any adviceĀ ā does this guy walk into peopleās yards and just offer sword tips often? heās tempted to askĀ ā why are you telling me all this? ā but figures he probably is just trying to be helpful, thinking the unsolicited pointers are welcome.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā sliding his own sword back into its sheath, minato reaches up to finally rub some of the ache out of his shoulder. eventually, he shrugsĀ ā patience and defense: both old news. and heās not about to spill his life story and reasons for recklessness to someone heās just met.Ā āĀ iām not used to fighting real people,Ā ā he explains instead dismissively. itās a far cry from the trained samurai going to war against legions of other trained samurai ( or is it? ) like this guy looks like he is.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā as for the first point, though...
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā ā what do you mean about... proper grip?Ā ā as far as he knew, he was holding his sword just fine. thereās only so many ways to hold onto a hilt, right?