As Swift As A Coursing River(Rio/Nanashi)

A good meal and shopping for new clothing always did the spirit good. Rio was satisfied with the meal she had consumed and the clothing she decided to buy. With a quick trip to the Shihoin estate, placing her new articles of clothing into the closet, Rio would set course for the academy. It had been, perhaps, at least an hour or so since they spoke to one another. Knowing Nanashi, she was likely already present at the courtyard and training on her own. An act representative of her exuberant nature, no doubt.

Rio chuckled to herself as she imagined what her student was getting up to as she used shunpo to stride towards the academy's courtyard at a quick pace. What was she practicing, she wondered? Honing her vizard skills? Hakuda? Zanjutsu, perhaps? Floating curiosities of a teacher, she mused... until she actually arrived on the tail end of Nanashi's training, setting foot onto the courtyard as she blinked ever so slightly. Eh? The courtyard seemed relatively unscathed but it would seem as though her predictions had been correct, Nanashi had indeed participated in her own form of training.

A sheepish chuckle escaped the shihoin's lips as she approached her and gazed at the woman's appearance. A missing piece of her eyebrow and some leftover soot from engaging in what she could only assume to either be Cero practice or Kido - or, if she dared to imagine, considering who the pink-haired woman was - both. Rio would pull a napkin from her pocket and hand it to Nanashi as she patted the woman on the shoulder.

She had a sort of playful "I left you alone for this long" sort of expression on her face, like a mother gazing on in disbelief after walking in on their child up to one form of mischief or another. Still, it was training. She just wanted her student to do it in a way that didn't equal her harming herself.

"Training without me, eh? Judging from your appearance, you seemed to have worked up a sweat... and then some," Rio would note, gazing at the easily discernable eyebrow before sighing softly. Her predictions were correct, after all...

"Though I excel at Hakuda, perhaps it would be beneficial to one day find you an instructor who can help you channel and use your energy more properly. Can't blame you for the effort, though. It is always good to continue brushing up on your other skills. Complacency is a bane for a warrior who aims to rise to the top."

Rio chuckled at Nanashi's reaction towards her wiping away the rest of the remnants of soot and any other small pieces of debris that ended up on her skin. It reminded her of the days when she had to play the role of a mother to the other shihoin family members. Momentarily reminiscing on the past, Rio would nod her head as she quickly threw the napkin away.

"There is nothing wrong with testing the waters or attempting to see how one skill meshes with the other. I suppose my only form of advice is just to be more careful next time. Durability is a boon among boons in battle but avoiding too much damage, be it in training with yourself or against the opponent, is something you should always aim to be aware of. In other words, outlasting the enemy is every bit as sufficient as withstanding their attacks but I digress..."

Rio would ruffle Nanashi's hair before taking a few meters backward. What could she teach the woman today? Hakuda, much like any of the other skills a Shinigami learned - held its fair share of nuances.

There were those who focused on attacking pressure points, attacking the enemy at their most vital area. There were those who prided themselves on speed and versatility, executing a wave of strikes within a few steps.

At the apex, there were those like her aunt who could seamlessly meld speed and versatility together, standing at the precipe of martial prowess Rio could only dream of reaching. In any case, her own skills were secondary. Nanashi was a priority today.

"Today's first lesson will be the application of technique, namely hitting at a weak point. Any warrior has a fighting style with which they pride themselves and have a plethora of techniques to show for it. Hakuda has its fair share of nuance. There are those who strike quick and fast, constantly rushing down the enemy without even allowing them to move. Some strike with precision, hitting at the points of the body that can end the battle within a single strike. And then there are those, like my aunt, who can move so imperceptibly fast and strike devastatingly hard that you wouldn't know what hit you, even if you tried."

Rio would draw her zanpakuto, Tetsumaru, and set a few training dummies up, one by one, lining them a few meters apart from the other. Preparation one complete, Rio would tap each training dummy with her sheathe. Each dummy would be covered within a shell of iron, increasing its overall density, yet leaving a weak spot in each, located on different parts of the dummy's body. Turning to Nanashi with a grin, she'd stand off to the side.

"You are an unpredictable fighter and that will serve you will on the battlefield but there is always room for improvement, such as focusing on the strength and momentum of your attacks. I'd like to see you strike at these dummies that I've coated within iron. Each of these has a weak point where I didn't quite apply as much durability as I could have. Focus and strike each one, find that weak point, and exploit it until you've left a dent or even brought them down."

Another spar could've perhaps been the strategy but, then, there was a clear gap in power between them, and Rio had to guide her up first. If she could affect stuff like this, she'd be one step closer to besting the master in a future bout. This is far easier a task to achieve. All she had to do was grasp the basic nuance and Rio was confident she would be able to do just that. She was her student, after all!

Rio stroke her chin furtively as she gazed at Nanashi choosing the approach she was most familiar with. She did think it through which was a welcomed sign. However, it had dawned on Rio that perhaps the utilization of training dummies here would not be the most successful measure towards progress. It'd give her a preliminary idea certainly but perhaps Rio would throw her into the lion's den and be her target instead. She really hadn't considered that Nanashi was durable in her own right and even with these dummies coated in iron, she was going to keep punching away until she found a weak spot.

In fact, she was acing the challenge with relative success as each dummy that once stood tall, fell to the ground haplessly before the energetic Shinigami's persistence and strength. A playful pout formed across her lips as she picked each one that fell off of the ground and placed them off to the side. She'd clear them up in due time but now, gazing at Nanashi she would chuckle sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. Training for herself was one thing but training someone else, she wondered if she had made it too easy or if Nanashi's persistence was simply that good.

Rio would watch her for a few moments, waiting until she had went through the entire process. It was clear that she would certainly have to take a more hands-on approach. Still, she'd cheer the woman on, waiting in preparation for Nanashi to ace this course.

"Very good, Nanashi! You're passing with flying colors!" Yeah. She had to play it cool. Make it seem like she hadn't made a rookie mistake as a teacher in not evaluating Nanashi's temperament and how she'd adapt to it, let alone her go all out approach. Yup. Totally thought this through, didn't you, Sensei?

Rio had truly pushed herself into a corner with this one, a humorous grimace kept inward so as to not invite any suspicion. Her plan was for Nanashi to hit at a weak point with one focused strike, where a barrage wasn't even an afterthought. Of course, the fault was entirely her own. Nanashi only worked with what the teacher's instructions were. She never explained things properly enough beforehand and Nanashi hadn't asked but then... Oh, it was better to just to give the young woman praise and go from there. Turning to Nanashi, Rio would listen to the first question. It was a good question to ask, truth be told. How could one strike something that might not have a humanoid body to begin with? Rio supposed the entire focus of striking at weak points in general were a process of trial and error regarding those who didn't have a humanoid physical structure.

"Good question, Nanashi. Very observant of you to ask. It's unfortunate I can't provide an answer as equally interesting but... if I had to say, in the case of enemies whose bodies don't follow the typical humanoid archetype, with arms, legs, throat, eyes, and vice-versa... I'd advise a trial and error approach. At the same time, you have to be smart about it. In battles to death, there are only but so many errors you can make."

Placing all the training dummies off to the side, Rio would walk towards Nanashi before moving onto answering Nanashi's second question. The Shihoin woman smiled sheepishly at her next question, a visible sign of admission to her guilt. How to answer this one...

"Yes and no. How can I explain this... you did hit the weak points by repeatedly striking at every one from multiple angles, with fists that endured my iron as if it was standard-grade steel. Your strength and durability might well reach mine sooner than I think," she'd chuckle before leaning down to pat her shoulders.

"The main purpose is to teach you how to strike at a weak point in such a way that you don't have to attack repeatedly in certain battles. Quality over quantity, if you will. What can you do with five precise strikes instead of ten or so launched in a repetitive wave? There are opponents who might lure you into a game of attrition and wear you down if you strike aimlessly but there are those who aggressive and might not pay much heed to their defense. Those are the ones that you can adapt to and exploit the most, while those with attrition in mind, require precision, strategy and a little bit of on the fly experimentation. I wouldn't say there are any special weak spots and indeed, the fundamentals would probably reap more benefits than trying to think too far outside the box. If you can land a firm and powerful blow once or twice... with the right elements and physical strength, while victory may not be promised, it can certainly bring you closer to the promised land."

With that exposition complete, Rio would walk a few meters backward as her gaze remained on Nanashi. Flexing her arms every now and then, Rio would assume a defensive stance.

"In any case, I feel testing out these methods on a living person will give you a better idea of what I mean. Try and land a good shot or two on me. If you can at least take the air out of me or cause me to stumble, that means the lesson is a success. Don't hold back. Strike me as if you would the dummies."

Rio would smirk softly as Nanashi charged forward, flashing before her with that ever-familiar strategy the shihoin woman had become accustomed to. A chaining sequence of strikes, each aimed at specific part of her body. Those were her instructions, of course. Strike at a specific part of the body to stagger the enemy. To increase the overall potency of her strikes, she added concussive force created from her Bala to achieve her objective. Rio would not remain motionless, however, like the dummies that Nanashi had so effortlessly knocked down.

To simulate a proper fight in accordance with the concepts she explained, Rio would test how well Nanashi could read her movements, eager to see if her student could land a strike and, at the very least, match her pace compared to the last time they sparred. Weaving her arms in a graceful pattern, she would deflect each strike, using the momentum of the young Shinigami's fists against her, throwing her fists off course. However, rather than act on a counterstrike of any kind, a playful smile would form on the woman's lips as she kept her arms upright, settling into a defensive stance.

"Impressive. Swift strikes chained together in rapid succession. You even focused on aiming at specific parts of my body this time, too. You're a quick learner... Let's keep that up, Nanashi!"