The Ways of the Ninja [PRIVATE/Henrex]

It had been a long time since he had last performed this exercise, and Henrex was most certainly out of practice. It was certainly hard to adjust from a normal sword back to a wooden one, especially when it came to the challenge that he hadn't reattempted since he had began his training in the way of the sword. Now, he was regretting that choice of not practicing. While the stutters in his arms were not as frequent as they could have been, he still was struggling.

However, as his eyes slid open, he could see something that Henrex found quite humorous, due to how relatable the situation that the young Quincy was facing. He could hear the shaking of wood, yes, but that was not what he found as humorous. He could see her arms twitching, clearly being bothered by some sort of muscle spasm, itch, or something that would cause jolting in the arms. It was a result of the wood most likely being chipped, or something of that nature.

Either way, it was still something that was something Henrex was soon finding himself to be suffering from. While his was a bit less irritating, Henrex could feel that his arms were beginning to itch as well. However, similarly to Ritsuko, he was ignoring it. There was an important lesson to learn through this challenge, and he was going to make sure that he would both relive it, as well as teach it. His eye twitched ever so slightly at random intervals as the itching began to get worse.

He knew that he had to get his mind off it, or it would soon ruin his focus, and cause him to drop the sword. So, he drifted back to an old mental technique that he had been taught and trained with in his younger days -- Mushin. The concept of being free from anger, fear, or ego during combat, or everyday life. It wasn't that they were becoming emotionless through this time, far from it. It was simply that they didn't have the need for those emotions with this mental state.

So, he let it all go.

All of those thoughts and emotions slowly dripped away, allowing his mind to blank, making his thought process a simple nothing. His mind briefly drifted towards the words that his master repeated to him from the lips of Takuan Soho, but these were soon deleted as well. The feeling was something that felt incredibly nostalgic. It felt as if he were just drifting through space itself. But, there was something that he was hoping that would change...but didn't.

The itch was still there.

In fact, it was immensely worse.

Henrex's eye twitched even more often as a result of this, his arms performing the same notion. With his mind now open to much more, he could feel the full extent of the itch, something that would potentially lead to Henrex's downfall in this challenge. However, Henrex had his determination. He knew that he would be able to last, as long as he continued to push himself.