"Shinobu, Itsuki doesn't even have a Nichirin blade yet."
Kanae stepped in before the spar could start. She wasn't trying to stop them, but she clearly didn't want her sister to accidentally mess the guy up too badly. Itsuki had only been practicing Breathing Techniques for a few months.
"Don't worry, Big Sis. I'll hold back."
Itsuki didn't take offense. He could tell she didn't take him seriously, but that was fine. He just calmly walked over to the courtyard's practice weapon rack and grabbed two dull iron training swords.
The dojo always had extras.
"Here. How about we use these?" he asked, handing one to Shinobu. "No one gets stabbed this way."
"Fine by me. And just call me Shinobu," she said, gripping the sword with one hand.
Kanae backed off, pulling Kanao along with her to the edge of the yard. She was ready to step in if things got out of hand.
And just like that, the two of them squared off—no real ceremony, no big buildup. But the tension was still there. Even without a crowd, the air around them felt heavy.
Itsuki stood still, both hands on the practice sword. He watched Shinobu closely, trying to remember everything he knew about her.
She wasn't a full Pillar yet. Her technique, Insect Breathing, came from Flower Breathing, but it was weird compared to most other styles. Fast, tricky, sharp. Not much in terms of brute strength. She didn't usually go for clean kills through decapitation—she used poison. That's what made her dangerous.
But this wasn't a life-or-death fight, so the poison was out of the picture.
That made this spar a lot more balanced.
He just had to be careful of those quick thrusts she was known for. As long as he could handle that, he had a shot.
"Itsuki, ready?"
"Anytime."
The words barely left his mouth before she came at him. Fast.
Guess she wasn't into long speeches.
Her strike was clean, but slow—at least to him. It felt more like a test.
The blades clashed with a sharp clang, echoing in the courtyard. They moved quickly, back and forth, neither going all-out yet.
They were feeling each other out, testing moves, timing, footwork.
She was quick, that much was obvious. But he wasn't a beginner either.
Still, Shinobu's eyes narrowed. She could tell that regular swordplay wasn't enough.
Time to step it up.
Her expression changed. A slight grin curved her lips, and Itsuki's instincts kicked in.
"Bee Sting Dance: True Flutter!"
She moved suddenly, her whole body shifting in a weird angle, her blade aimed right at his chest. Fast and sharp, like a flash of silver light.
Itsuki barely had time to react.
He felt a prick of pain near his chest—not from the blade, but from the sudden jolt of fear. His sword was still mid-swing. He couldn't block in time.
"Shinobu!" Kanae called sharply, raising her hand toward her sword.
Too late.
Bang!
Itsuki dropped into a full backbend, practically horizontal to the ground, and shot out a kick at the same time. His left foot slammed into Shinobu's stomach.
He'd been working out nonstop for years. Moves like that? Easy.
Shinobu stumbled back, eyes wide in surprise. She hadn't expected that.
They'd been fencing. And suddenly he went hand-to-hand?
That kick wasn't strong enough to do real damage, but it definitely knocked the wind out of her for a second.
She gritted her teeth and rushed in again.
She wasn't going to be thrown off twice.
"Butterfly Dance: Caprice!"
Her sword blurred as she lunged forward again, but this time the strikes didn't stop. The blade cut through the air again and again, rapid thrusts that left glowing trails in the air. The movements were so fast they almost didn't look real.
Itsuki's eyes couldn't keep up. He knew that.
He also knew Kanao would've been able to follow every motion.
But he wasn't Kanao.
He was just a guy who trained until his body hurt every night.
Shinjuro never went all out with him like this
His vision couldn't keep up—but he didn't panic.
Instead, he smiled.
If I can't see the strike… just move out of range.
"First Form: Unknowing Fire!"
Hot air filled his chest, then surged down into his legs. His body moved without thinking, muscles responding automatically to his breathing.
Boom!
He launched backward like a rocket, dodging the incoming strikes by a hair. The wind roared in his ears, and the flashes of Shinobu's sword turned smaller and smaller.
He landed several feet away, crouched and steady.
Shinobu froze mid-motion, blinking.
"…Seriously?"
That wasn't how you were supposed to use Unknowing Fire. It was for surprise attacks, sudden charges—not retreats.
This guy just used a flame technique… to run away.
It should've looked cowardly.
But honestly? It worked and kind of looked cool.
And that pissed her off.
"Oh, you're gonna regret that."
Shinobu's smile twitched. She canceled her technique and charged again, all restraint gone now.
At that moment, all she cared about was landing a hit.
The blade in her hand might've been blunt, but her eyes were sharp and focused.
Itsuki dropped into stance again.
If she was faster, then he just needed to take the hit and strike back harder.
"Centipede Dance: Hundred-Legged Zigzag!"
Shinobu suddenly slammed her foot down and kicked off at full speed. She zig-zagged across the ground like a blur, bouncing off her toes, almost gliding across the dirt.
He tracked her as best he could. Left—right—closer—closer—
Gone.
His eyes widened.
She had disappeared.
He looked up just in time to see her coming down at him from the sky.
She wasn't charging straight in—she was above him now.
Her body arched in midair, sword pointed down. A graceful shape, fluttering like a butterfly.
Beautiful but also terrifying.
He didn't know what to do.
Should he try to block with Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun? That'd mean catching the attack mid-fall.
But that meant guessing where it was going to hit.
He hesitated.
And in a real fight, even a half-second of hesitation was enough.
{Shinobu has been training since she was 9, so I'd expect her to be pretty strong. The fight seems pretty accurate so far to me. Still, we all know the MC will get stronger}