The night is cold, and the air feels freezing with the heaters turned off. Hanzo stands across from me, his posture steady, eyes locked with mine, ready for the final stage, Ryu. After mastering Shu, Ken, and Ko over the past few weeks, he has the fundamentals to understand it, but I've put off training him for the past few days. Now, we see if he can balance offense and defense with the same precision he's already shown.
"Ryu," I begin, watching his every movement as he adjusts his stance, "is the next step. It combines Gyo with the state of Ken, but it's more dynamic. While Ken focuses on an even distribution of aura for defense, and Ko concentrates it all into one part for offense, Ryu allows you to redistribute your aura in real-time shifting between offense and defense depending on the situation."
Hanzo's eyes narrow in focus. He listens intently, absorbing my words.
"Think of it this way," I continue, pacing slowly in front of him. "With Ryu, you're constantly adjusting your aura. You can concentrate more energy on one point for offense while leaving the rest of your body with less aura but still enough for a solid defense. For example, you might focus 70% of your aura into your fist to make a powerful punch, while maintaining 30% to protect your torso. Or you could put 80% into your leg to block an incoming strike while leaving the rest of your body less protected. The key is flexibility moving the aura according to your needs, instead of keeping it static like with Ko or Ken."
I pause for a moment, letting the weight of my words sink in, the tension in the air palpable.
"However, the challenge with Ryu is that it's not just about mastering your own aura; it's about reading your opponent's energy. You have to estimate their aura flow, how much they're using, and adjust your movements accordingly. If your timing's off, you risk leaving yourse..."
"Hey, boss. None of us can get in our rooms the doors are locked." a little girl comes in interrupting me from what I was about to say.
Responding to this interruption I take off at top speed going around and opening every bedroom door except for Hanzo's and my own. "Don't worry I just dealt with it you all can get into your rooms now but don't close the doors or you might be stuck for a while."
The child looks at me in shock, and I honestly can't blame her. If I were a small, almost "Normal" child living in a giant penthouse and I asked somebody to unlock every door, and all I saw was the person flicker, then reappear, and say that it was done, I would be quite surprised, too.
After the small child leaves the room I begin back where I left off, "Okay, I left off with talking about timing. So if your timing is off you risk leaving the wrong amount of aura in one spot of your body like if your opponent goes for a right hook to the head and you put 80% ura in your arm for a block but it was actually a fake shot leading them in the perfect position for a left hook to the body where you only have 20% aura."
Hanzo nods, his expression a mix of understanding and resolve. "So, it's about being fluid. Reacting, adapting in the moment."
"Exactly," I reply, my voice firm with approval. "Now, let's get started."
We begin with the basics of adjusting aura. Hanzo stands still, channeling his Nen into a steady flow. The energy in the air is thick as his aura begins to condense around him. I watch closely, focusing on his movements.
"Start by maintaining the balance of your aura like you did with Ken," I instruct. "But this time, instead of keeping everything even, shift your focus. Place more aura into one spot and leave the rest lighter. It may help a little if you call out the percentage and body part you want before trying the technique at first. Obviously, it would be dumb in battle but we can work up to doing it without words."
Hanzo takes a deep breath, his brow furrowing in concentration before saying, "40% right fist 60% body. His Nen pulses around him, steadily flowing from his core and extending outward. As I observe, I can feel the intensity of his aura increase as he focuses on his right fist.
"Good," I say, stepping forward. "Now, try shifting your focus. Concentrate more aura into your right fist and make it even stronger. Once it's there, redirect the rest of your aura into your legs to maintain protection."
Hanzo tries again, his right fist surging with energy before saying, "70% right fist 30% legs. Slowly, I feel the shift as he redistributes the rest of his excess aura to his legs. The change is subtle but noticeable.
"Better," I say, my voice encouraging. "You're starting to get the feel of it. But remember, Ryu isn't static. It's about real-time adjustments. You can't afford to stay rigid."
"Try this. Focus 45% of your aura into your fist and 55% into your legs. Feel how the balance changes. You need to pack enough power in your strike, but you also need to keep enough energy in reserve for defense. The key is fluidity don't overthink it. In a fight, it is better if you can adjust right before you hit your opponent if I attack you with 70% left fist going for a jab and 30% rest of my body you would try to block or dodge but if I attack you and you don't feel nen but I put 70% in my fist right before it hits your face then you won't be ready and you won't know what's coming."
Hanzo's aura surges into his fist, with a sharp intensity, and I can feel a pulse of energy as he shifts most of it down into his legs. The movement flows more naturally now, and the transition between the two is smooth.
Slowly over the course of the night, Hanzo's mastery of the flow begins to improve. By the morning, his control is sharper and more precise. The aura shifts between his limbs more smoothly now, no longer sluggish or hesitant.
"Good," I praise, "but timing is just as important. If you're too slow or predictable, your opponent will take advantage of your openings."
His expression tightens as he refines his technique, his aura flowing quicker now. The air around him hums with the increasing pressure of his Nen.
"Now let's spar slowly while using it. Judge how much aura is on my fist and how much you need to block it and we will move up in speed over the coming week, but that's it for now. We will only be sparring or training during the night. Thats it go get some rest I'm going to go find some people to hire for cooking today."