Back To Basics

Division 8? A bit of versatility, Hono was impressed, Hono pulled her blade back as it was struck by Rei's own Zanpakuto. "2 months? Well if you have any questions feel free to ask..." She spoke letting herself be pushed back a bit, as to keep control over her stance. "My time? I spar with anyone. Most are too scared to ask, so you got some balls~" She smirked.

As Rei went for a swing, Hono attempted to parry herself, blocking Rei's slash with a block, which she would follow up with a feint, aiming for the left before switching to a right strike with her blade.

"Don't put yourself down..."

Hono exhaled as the feint was successful, if this were a real fight that could have ended it all right there would be a real fight. The Shinigami would also step back twirling her blade before looking at Rei, shrugging a bit.

"Well, every fight is just an experience. My advice? If you're fighting a more skilled opponent, try focusing on what you're better at. I'm sure you're better than me in a specific area, so exploit that." Hono wasn't sure what Rei was BEST at, though she was pretty sure Rei would understand the advice given to her.

"Round two eh? I can use my Shikai if you want, but I don't wanna overwhelm you-" That might come across as rude, but truth be told, Hono had a hard time when it came to her Shikai, it was a blade made for cutting. HARD. So when it came to sparring it was hard to pull its punches.

Hono would playfully shake her head. "Oh, you're new to the Gotei, right? Take your time getting your Shikai. I tried and my Zanpakuto shut down on me. She's one big diva, so she took a while to get to speak to me..." She would soon flick the blade of her Zanpakuto with a laugh. "You don't need to be overly strong to be useful! I'm sure of that!" A light chuckle escaped from the Shinigami's mouth as she thought back to what Murasaki told her.

Hono could relate, she felt like she hit a wall until she got her Shikai. "Make sure you focus on every skill you have, not just getting your Shikai. A friend told me that, and it helped. I spent less time working on my Shikai, and more on my Kido" She smiled a bit, gripping her sword once again getting back into her stance.

Rei would learn that Hono was physically stronger than Rei, but this wasn't about who was stronger, it was a way to teach Rei more about fighting, and assessing your opponent was important. Hono took the first slice but would block the next two attacks. Hono stepped back and let out a rather deep chuckle.

"Aw, look at you! You hit me, I'm proud of ya~" Twirling around the weapon, pointing at Rei. As Hono rushed forward with a quick flash step, a sweeping slash was aimed at Rei's legs. Wanting to see how she would react to a simple Shunpo.

Hono whistled as Rei blocked that sudden attack. Hono saw the kick coming and didn't let it hit, leaping back to end the clash. She would start clapping. "Damnnnn nice reflexes! Proud of ya~" She winked.

"Oh! You HEARD it? Damn, you must be close then! Just... please her. Let HER talk to you." Hono laughed pointing her Zanpakuto right at Rei. Me and Kazagumowari are ready to fight like hell~" Hono took a deep breath. "I wanna see how you deal with a Shikai. Remember what I told you"

"Breakthrough. Kazagumowari!" Hono began walking towards Rei, taking her Zanpakuto and dragging it across the ground, causing chunks of the blade to break and change. Soon, Hono held what appeared to be a broken, rusty, and cracked cleaver. It was a lot shorter than her sealed Zanpakuto. Only about 7 inches to be exact.

This was in fact a test of Rei. Hono told her to look for advantages she had over her opponent. So while Hono had the strength and speed advantage, she wanted to see if Rei could pick up on the major drawback of her Zanpakuto. Of course, Hono wasn't gonna allow Kazagumowari to cut Rei holding back enough so the attacks would only hurt, and not cut.

With another attempt, Hono slashed toward Rei, aiming for the left side of her body. Since she released, she got the typical power boost associated with a release, this attack was faster and stronger than her previous ones, but if Rei thought it out, she'd be able to use her current advantage over Hono.

Good for Rei, she figured out the advantage she had, Rei had far better reach than Hono, so she needed to focus on that. Hono twirled her butcher knife a little bit. As Hono thought she landed a hit on Rei, the woman would go for a second strike, though Rei used her advantage, reach. As Hono's right side was tapped, she would nod, smiling and leaping back. Speed was one of Hono's best traits, she liked to strike fast!

"Thanks. I try~" She chuckled, though Hono proved her point with that. "See. You have range, and sometimes all you need is one advantage. You hit me pretty good~ If this were a real fight it might have just sliced my arm off~" She joked. "So hey, don't put yourself down~ Sometimes you just gotta use that little noddle" Hono playfully knocked on her skull.