Shu felt the pressure on his shoulder, and look behind and up at her, from his sitting position. "There you are," he mumbled, and released the technique. The fog fading away quickly. Shu stood up, and jumped lightly down from the tree, his landing careful. "You seem quite intent on killing me today," Shu joked as he caught his breath, and then he suddenly stiffened. He looked at her, and asked, "Are you just trying to see what jutsus I know?"
Unlike the previous times, she did not answer by acting but instead said "the last part of your test begins now." WIth that she unsheathed her katana and ran at him, this test would test his ability to fight up close with a weapon. She swung at him and allowed her arms to relax as the gel like substance of her katana hardened around her hands and swooshed past him, cutting a few stray hairs of his.
The sun glinted off his falling hairs, while Shu stood there, astonished. He came to terms with situation, and jumped back, quickly unsheathing his weapon. The scimitar shone in the restored light, and Shu took the initiative to run at Nazari. He did a quick swing a bit short, not making it all the way to her, but he had planned this. Shu continued the swing after he missed, and spun around to swing again, this time making sure his swing was on target. He silently hope she fell for the feint as his sword fell towards her.
Nazari noted how he reacted to that as well and made another note to praise him for recovering quickly and taking the initiative to attack with no need of assisstance. Allowing herself to be hit by the scimitar before using the hilt of her katana to knock him on his head easily, utilzing every part of her katana instead just one before bringing the blade to the back of his neck, only an inch away from actual contact.
A smile graced Shu's face as his blade made contact, but soon it was gone and replaced by a stunned look. His head spun when he was hit with her hilt, before she put the blade right behind his neck. Shocked by her skill, he went stiff as to not cut himself. "I think you've made your point," He said carefully, not too keen on being cut by her katana.
"And what point would that be?" Nazari asked calmly as she removed the blade from behind his neck. Putting her katana back in its sheath, she looked him over as it appeared that he was at his limits, his breathing heavy and sweat beads rolling down his arms and face. "The test is over" she said before continuing "your reaction time... Will be improved on and so will containing your emotions... This test was not pass or fail... It was simply to observe you and see where you needed more work on. Your recovery time.... was what I expected it to be... quick and swift... thats good." Nazari paused in her thought, deciding if she wanted to part ways now or later, deciding that he needed a break and something to eat, she sighed. "Now, are you hungry?" she asked.
He silently thanked her, glad to be done with the test. His blushed lightly when she called his recovery time swift, and he looked away awkwardly. When she mentioned food, he looked at her and nodded, "Yeah I'm starving. I didn't expect to almost die today, otherwise I'd have taken the time to write my will," he joked. As if to prove his point, his stomach growled loudly, and again Shu looked away, trying to ignore it. He hadn't eaten breakfast, and this seemed to prove it. In retrospect, he should have eaten, because it might have improved his results on Nazari's test. He came to the realization that if he had been fighting an actual enemy, he would be dead. Shu shivered, hoping he would be stronger before that time came.
"Well I cannot have you starving to death, now can I?" Nazari asked with a smirk. Patting him on the back a bit roughly, she began to walk with him towards the nearest resturaunt and asked for a table for two. Being seated near the door, she sat down and flipped through the menu as she tried to decide to what she wanted to eat. "Order what you wish to eat... Its on me" Nazari said as she called the waitress over to their table and ordered what she had decided on. Shu stumbled a bit from the unexpected pat on the back, but followed at her word. When they arrived at the resturaunt, Shu sat down slowly, and nodded when she said he could order what he pleased. After she recited her order, Shu looked up to the waitress, and said politely, "I'd like a Gyūdon," His poise flawless. It was obvious he could be polite when he wanted to be, and it could be almost taken as an insult the stark difference between how he was acting now, and how he had treated Nazari earlier.
Nazari waited for the waitress to leave before asking "what did you learn today, Shu?" Leaning forward a bit in his chair as if she was eager to hear his response and raised a single eye brow as she waited for him. Noticing how he treated the waitress, as well as how he treated her earlier, it seemed politeness was not a foreign concept to him after all. "I assume your attitude will change next time we practice?" Nazari questioned right before the waitress came with thier meals.
At her question, a mock thoughtful look crossed his face as Shu saw Nazari lean forward. "Don't underestimate Nazari-Sensei?" He questioned, almost jokingly. He leaned back, beginning to visibly relax in her prescence. He stared out the window, his eyes watching the small crowd hurrying to their destinations. Shu caught his own eye in the reflection, and a small look of distaste crossed his face as he looked back to Nazari. Upon her second question he sighed, and responded, "Yes, I will treat you with respect from now on, and I wont insult your strength." His voice was almost mechanical, and it was obvious he had said this before. Shu smiled politely at the waitress as she returned, and thanked her for his food. He silently picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.
Upon hearing his response to her first question, a short abrupt laugh escaped her parched lips and people seemed to stop in shock of hearing it. Nazari barely laughed these days, her past a reminder of the hard times she endured before now but that was no matter. " Well we can also work on your answers" Nazari said as she shook her head. Beginning to eat her own her food slowly, not paying him any attention as she did so. In ten minutes, she was done and asked him "how do you know your food was not poisoned?" With a small smile, she stood up and went to pay for the meals, returning shortly. She did not sit back down, instead she looked at him and said "I expect to see you in the same exact spot as you were today." And with that, she took her leave.
At Nazari's question, Shu blinked in surprise. He was about to respond, when she started to walk away. He sighed, and when she returned and told him what she expected of him, he nodded. "I understand sensei," he responded, and slowly walked out the door, heading in the opposite direction that she was, torwards his house. Shu silently studied people as they walked by, wondering about their personal lives, and if he knew them, wondering how recent problems had resolved. He glanced down at the bandage on his arm, and a small smile cut across his face. Shu had a feeling he was going to enjoy having Nazari as a teacher. In the end the cut would fade, bruises heal, and what remained was what truly mattered.
Summary: Nazari gives the third and final part of the test that test his ability to fight up close with a weapon. The test ended with him submitting and her removing her blade, she states her observations and they go out to eat before parting ways.