~Moments later, Soutarou POV~
Feeling the swelling on his head, Soutarou clutched his head in annoyance, staring at the damned old fart that thwacked him over the head like a damn whack a mole.
Kosuke with his narrowed near closed eyes stood hunched with his hands behind his back, looking like the generic type of the hidden chinese wuxia grandmaster straight out a cheap play. Though the huge pot and cooking utensils made it seem a bit off.
'Perhaps he's the hidden secret lineage of alchemists…'
Seeing Soutarou space out and daydream Kosuke's brows twitched and his veins formed "#" out of sheer annoyance.
Before Soutarou could even react, the butt of a stick thwacked his forehead, making him look like a cartoon character who'd just been bonked, a swollen bump already rising front and center.
Kosuke sighed and said, "Get serious. To start we'll work on your sword form, which to be blunt is like a child swinging a sword because it looks cool. Worthless."
Soutarou's eyebrows twitched, 'Damn this old man's a menace…'
Soutarou even muttered, "Did you have to be so harsh…?"
Kosuke blandly said, "I did. Now focus."
Before Kosuke glanced and pointed at Soutarou's feet and said, "Error number one, lack of correct pivot. Your footwork makes most of the swordsmanship. You're not here for a beauty pageant, you're here for ruthless blinding speed slashes that tear through opponents. Good footwork reduces your unnecessary movements."
Soutarou nodded before Kosuke unexpectedly grabbed Soutarou's leg and put him into a postured position, framing into a posture or rather a stance, as if he were a puppet. Before Kosuke said, "Watch and then try again."
Kosuke seemed to glide over the grass of the plain area they were in, all while his sword flashed in a simple horizontal strike, before he with grace returned the sword to his back.
Soutarou blinked, before his mental image of swinging a sword to destroy a mountain or send flying slashes, disappeared.
'Damned lucky bastards… Say what you will about their insanity… But Susanoo is so damned cool and what else can create that kind of sword pressure…? Sigh… No flying on swords or being- Wait a second aren't there Samurai Saber Techniques?'
Soutarou's eyes lit up before his eyes turned to the somewhat boring slash that Kosuke had just shown and he deflated again, but knew that this was the basics so some 'lackluster' elements had to exist.
Kosuke stared at Soutarou and said, "You must think this is boring right? But that's all there is to it… A sword is again just another means to an end, don't put much emotion into what the sword looks like, just focus on what a blade can do. It can cut, hack, slash, and kill."
Soutarou nodded before adding one final thought and clearing his mind in seriousness, 'I get that… But style…! Ahh the agonies of trying to look cool… Still I guess style is worthless… What a pity. No matter, let's do this!'
Soutarou's eyes sharpened and he memorized the feeling of this stance, the tug on his lower back, the weight of the oversized sword in his hands, the wind prickling his face and gently tossing his hair. And then he stepped forwards with his backfoot and slashed outwards in a horizontal movement.
Kosuke's eyes widened just a sliver and he smiled,
Kosuke said, "Good, now show it to me again without me setting up your stance."
Soutarou nodded and returned to his previous position and held what he believed was the correct stance, familiarizing himself with the tug of the muscles, the flex, and the almost spring-like nature of his legs at that moment. Kosuke walked around him and said, "What do you think is wrong?"
Soutarou thought for a moment, before pivoting his backfoot and positioning himself into a triangle shape or an L shape with his sword hand foot in the back and his sword held in a two handed grip before he looked to Kosuke nodded and said, "Passable."
Kosuke walked over and corrected his form slightly, before motioning for him to go again. Before he could go again Kosuke slapped some sort of seal onto his wrist and all of a sudden everything felt heavier.
'A training seal? Specifically… It's a resistance seal… Huh.'
And so he swung his sword again after getting back into stance. And repeat. Over. And Over. And Over. Until Soutarou's thighs throb, his calves began to burn,and the muscles along his lower back tightened like coiled wire.
Kosuke's voice rang out, "Stop."
Kosuke walked over and lightly tapped his knee with the frontside of his shinobi sandal, "Locked up joint. Bend more. Always keep yourself ready to lunge or rather coiled like a spring."
Kosuke took a wooden practice sword out of nowhere and tapped his hips and said, "Rotate. Twist more to increase your force and power."
Soutarou followed through without comment as sweat trickled down his forehead. As he breathed heavily and his shoulder sagged in slight exhaustion, Kosuke tapped his back and emotionlessly said, "Straighten your back. You're hunching."
Soutarou gritted his teeth and tightened his back muscles instinctively despite the whole body restrictive feel that the restraint the seal on his wrist gave. Kosuke commented lightly, "Not stiff, straight. There's a difference, young Soutarou. I understand, perhaps Lady Tsunade's teaching style was to beat instinct into you and honestly that style perfectly suits her. However… You aren't her nor do you possess that level of raw unadulterated power. So your path must be technique, perfection, the slightest effort to achieve the results."
"To achieve that you must always keep your body in the middle ground that stays in balance. Not too rigid, not too flexible, just right in the middle."
Soutarou breathed in and out in partial annoyance and also in an attempt to calm and relax his straining body.
'This damned old bastard, speaking in riddles… Who do you think am I? Some greek hero getting a prophecy from Apollo or the Oracle of Delphi (The Greek Oracle dedicated to Apollo)? Just give it to me straight old man! You say straight and rigid, but then you say flexible, then the next you say to the left, before saying to the right! You're like a damn girlfriend trying to choose a restaurant to eat at before finally saying you choose and smacking you for choosing what she didn't want to go!'
'Calm down Soutarou… Let's not spiral in our thoughts…'
Soutarou exhaled deeply before tightening his grip on Aonami's handle, slipping into stance exactly as he'd been shown multiple times by now. Finding the familiar strain that coiled his body up like spring he slashed. Only to be met with Kosuke's deep smile and him saying, "Good. Now just show me that exact level of slash… Let's say… One hundred more times..?"
Soutarou choked on air and glared at Kosuke… Only to be met with that deepening smile that sent chills down his spine. Kosuke's eyes seemed to smile as well and a horrifying finishing sentence rang out, "...In a row."
Soutarou closed his eyes and made that expression of giving up.
'This isn't youth! This is fucking torture! Which bastard said going the Might Guy route of endless training was ideal? Bastard!'
Soutarou inhaled sharply through his nose and stepped back into position. Rear foot angled with a small pivot. Front foot grounded. Knees bent ready to shuffle forwards in a glide like manner.
Back straight—but not stiff.
He cut.
His bladearm dragged slightly under the seal's weight, but he forced it through, leveraging the sword's handle by slightly pulling back his front arm, and pushing his back arm. Twisting his body along with his angled back foot, pivoting forwards. The wind whistled and Kosuke raised an eyebrow and said, "One."
Soutarou paused for a moment before resetting and going back into starting position muttering as his eyes twitched.
"Why are you counting you old fart…"
Kosuke responded to musing by saying, "You'll cheat or slack if I don't."
Soutarou looked annoyed and said, "I would not."
Kosuke nodded and said, "You absolutely would. I knew your father."
Soutarou shot back, "You knew my grandfather too. Despite my reluctance, I know what's good for me, old man."
Kosuke shrugged and said, "You also tried to sell his favorite sword, so how do I know where your morals stand?"
Soutarou's gaze darkened and he reset again because he knew he'd fallen out of stance due to the distraction. Step. Twist. Slash.
"Two"
"Three"
"Four"
"Five…"
"Fifteen…"
At fifteen his forearm began to twitch uncontrollably and so he paused for a moment and massaged his arm with his thumb before Kosuke said, "If you continue pausing in between slashes, I'll consider it as a full restart."
Soutarou glared at him before continuing, ignoring the burning sensations all around his body.
"Thirty…"
At the same time Kosuke said thirty, Soutarou's grip began to falter a bit, and he quickly readjusted before forcing himself to continue.
By fifty his breathing had become audible and he was slowing down, before Kosuke once again reminded to maintain his pace or he'd force Soutarou to start over…
"Seventy-Five… Your form is still correct, however your shoulders are beginning to lean forwards. If it happens again I'll reset the counter."
Soutarou's gaze tightened and he heaved before letting out a grunt and posturing himself perfectly and continuing…
"Ninety…"
"Ninety-five…"
Hearing the ticking down counter, Soutarou pulled out every last bit of energy and began a metaphorical mad dash for the finish line.
"Ninety-six."
"Ninety-seven."
"Ninety-eight."
"Ninety-nine-"
Soutarou finished the ninety-ninth strike correctly, but when returning his blade to his side his arm spasmed forcing the blade downwards and into the ground.
Soutarou tugged at the blade trying to wrestle it free from the ground, to no avail. His whole body felt like it was on fire, before Soutarou's heart dropped and Kosuke began counting down from Ten…
"Five…"
"Four…"
"Three.."
"Two…-"
And at that last moment Soutarou's chakra flared unconsciously for a moment and he pulled the blade free and found himself back in his stance again. Before crisply completing the last strike.
Kosuke just said, "Good."
While in reality he was thinking,
Kosuke watched as Soutarou collapsed on his back with Aonami landing in the grass next to him. Kosuke grinned for a moment as a thought flashed in his mind and he crouched down next to Soutarou and said, "Who told you were done? Just horizontal strikes and you're already collapsing? We still have sunlight… About three hours of it and you're here lazing? What is this nap time? Get up."
Soutarou metaphorically coughed blood up and glared at Kosuke and thought, 'Are you the devil?!?! Which bastard told me to collect debt from this petty old man? Damn you!'
Kosuke smiled as he watched Soutarou struggle to get up with him even using Aonami as a crutch, before Kosuke's voice sounded again, "Come. This is much simpler, if you get it right ninety times I'll let you go for the day."
Soutarou's soul felt like it left his body upon hearing those words. He watched as Kosuke demonstrated a downward vertical strike and some tension left his shoulders as there wasn't much stancing involved and so the practice continued…
~Three Hours Later~
"Ninety. Well done, Soutarou," Kosuke said to a now completely exhausted and collapsed Soutarou.
Soutarou barely glanced over before letting out a grunt of acknowledgement.
Kosuke waved his arm in front of Soutarou while crouched down and said, "Watch carefully this part is what you'll be able to learn if you do well."
Kosuke held his sword up with one arm and blue glowing chakra flowed onto it before he formed a thin layer of water across the blade and sent a diagonal slash instantly three trees in the treeline slide off their bases as if cut off.
Soutarou's eyes widened, 'So… I was thinking too much then…?'
Soutarou's eyes looked at the fallen trees and then back at Kosuke's sword and thought, 'So damn cool!'