"So how should we train?"
Mitsuri looked up at Teiichi.
Seeing that Mitsuri had accepted reality, Teiichi also breathed a sigh of relief and pointed in a direction.
"Let's start with him!"
Mitsuri looked in the direction Teiichi was pointing.
The Yoriichi Type Zero had already been activated, stood there quietly.
"Huh? Can this mechanical puppet be used for Hashira Training?"
Mitsuri was somewhat surprised.
She was already surprised that it could be used for combat.
Surprisingly, Mr. Kato thought that this doll could actually be used to Hashira Battles!
Teiichi firmly. "Although the strength and speed aren't quite there yet, they're perfectly adequate for training sword techniques and combat experience!"
After saying that, Teiichi added:
"When you fight this puppet later, remember not to use too much force. This puppet is old and in disrepair; if you use too much force, you might break it, and I can't afford to pay for it!"
"Mmm!" Mitsuri responded softly, then picked up her training whip and walked over.
Mitsuri gripped her long whip and ran swiftly in circles through the forest.
Her long, pink and green hair danced gently in the air as the oncoming wind blew in her face.
Her head adjusted constantly as she moved, making sure her gaze remained fixed on the center of the open space.
There, Dingyi stood quietly, holding a wooden sword in one hand.
Although being Teiichi Yoriichi caused her some trouble, she still managed to defeat Yoriichi Type Zero in the end.
Although Yoriichi Type Zero was previously Teiichi as no weaker than the average Pillar.
But this year's Zhu is indeed much stronger than in the past.
It seemed that Teiichi's words had touched Mitsuri somewhat.
After defeating Yoriichi Type Zero, Mitsuri proactively sought advice from Teiichi.
That's how we ended up with this side of things.
Ding Yi stood quietly in place, holding a knife in one hand.
It did not adjust its position even though Mitsuri was constantly moving.
Regardless of whether Mitsuri was in front, behind, to the left, or to the right, Teiichi stood quietly, sword in hand.
After waiting for a while, Teiichi relaxed a bit on his own initiative.
There's no other way; if we don't relax now, Mitsuri won't be able to launch an attack, and this will drag on until dawn.
Sure enough, as Teiichi relaxed, Mitsuri quickly noticed the subtle difference between Teiichi's current state and his previous state of alertness.
Despite knowing that what lay before her might be a trap, and despite not being on Mr. Kato's side right now, Mitsuri did not give up the opportunity before her.
His running pace, which had been circling, suddenly stopped. He turned around and aimed directly at Teiichi.
" Love Breathing - Second Form: Love Pangs!"
Mitsuri suddenly pushed off with both feet, leaving two shallow footprints on the solid ground.
Amidst the rising dust, her figure shot towards Teiichi arrow released from a bow.
The long whip in his hand seemed to come alive, lashing out at Teiichi like a nimble snake.
The whistling wind came from the side.
Teiichi finally turned slightly to the side this time.
Seeing Mitsuri charging straight at him, Teiichi hand.
The next moment, their lips parted slightly.
" Fourth Form!"
Whoosh--!
The wooden knife fell.
A whisper rang out as the wooden sword fell.
" Rising Dust Storm!"
A powerful gust of wind blew straight in the direction the wooden sword had struck.
The long whip, which had been charging straight ahead, was quickly blown away by the wind after traveling a few meters.
Mitsuri reacted extremely quickly. She made a decisive move, pulling her wrist holding the whip to her waist. Then, she swiftly shifted her body to the side, like a butterfly in flight, easily dodging the whip that was lashing at her.
After dodging the attack, without the slightest hesitation, he immediately adjusted his posture and charged forward again.
However, before she could run more than a few steps, feeling the oncoming gale, Mitsuri gritted her teeth and quickly leaped to the other side, avoiding the area swept by the gale.
" Love Breathing - Third Form - Catlove Shower!"
Seeing the figure charging at him again as soon as he regained his footing, Teiichi did not use the Wind Breathing to force the opponent away from the attack again.
That would be safer in actual combat, since the opponent wouldn't be able to attack you.
But this is training. If we keep forcing Mitsuri away, the rest of the training will just become Mitsuri constantly trying to attack.
Of course, if it were a real fight, Teiichi would have rushed up and slashed her with one blow.
Crack!
The long whip danced in the air, occasionally making crackling sounds as it struck something.
Teiichi gripped his wooden sword and quickly charged forward.
puff!
The wooden sword landed on the whip with a soft thud.
The whip was bent in the small area where it was struck by the wooden sword.
However, the whip quickly extended towards Teiichi.
Teiichi's steps finally began to move.
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!...
As Mitsuri attacked, she watched the calm figure wielding a sword in one hand, her beautiful brows furrowing slightly.
Although I knew I was far from being as good as Mr. Kato, I only truly felt that gap when we actually fought!
It was as if an insurmountable chasm existed between the two of them.
but...
come on!
Mitsuri!!
Just one hit is enough; I only need to hit Mr. Kato once!
Suddenly, Mitsuri's eyes lit up, and she rolled on the ground, quickly appearing behind Teiichi.
" Love Breathing, Fifth Form, Wavering Love, Chaotic Claws!"
The long whip transformed into countless pink lights and shadows, clawing at Teiichi's back like ferocious cat claws.
As she watched the whip slowly approach Mr. Kato's back, a look of joy slowly welled up in Mitsuri's eyes.
OK!
This time it will definitely work!!
As the victim, Teiichi even managed to spare some of his energy for daydreaming.
Hmm... why are all the sword-shaped names from Love Breathing so long?
In a fight, even if you skip the Breathing Style, you might still be unable to finish shouting!
puff!
The wooden sword struck the long whip once more.
Disappointment Flash across Mitsuri's eyes, and a pink light emanated from her body as she concentrated all her power into her whip.
" Love Breathing - Final Form - Cat-Legged Winds of Love!"
As daylight faded, the setting sun slowly unfolded across the sky like a magnificent painting.
The fiery sunlight dyed half the sky a crimson color.
Below the sky.
The afterglow filtered through layers of clouds, transforming into strands of golden light that gently bathed the winding mountain path.
On the winding mountain road, Teiichi walked forward with fairly steady steps.
Unlike before, the wooden sword that had always been with him was no longer on his person.
Behind Teiichi, Mitsuri followed with some difficulty.
She gripped the wooden knife tightly in her hand, striking the ground repeatedly for support.
Sweat trickled down her fair cheeks, dampening a few strands of hair on her forehead.