Name: Furui Hijutsu: Heian no Gaika (Ancient Hidden Technique: Victory of the Calm Mind)
Rank: S
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: -
Description:
Heian no Gaika is not a new technique, and it is not certain who first invented it. What is known is that two centuries ago the technique was made legendary by Nooshi Unabara after it was passed to him by his teacher, Sasaki Musashi.
Little is known about Musashi, but Unabara was a public figure. By all accounts an unscrupulous man, Unabara was generally known as a scoundrel. He is known to have confessed to being a "wild and unrefined man" before his sensei took him in.
In his old age, Unabara wrote that his famed success as a duelist, with some 100 wins over skilled opponents, was due to a single technique: The Heian no Gaika, passed down to him by his master.
The stories of Unabara tell of how he became a different man when he dueled, seeming to be the calmest soul alive and shedding his wild tendencies. Unabara never explained this during his career, but in his old age wrote of it in his manual of swordsmanship.
Heian no Gaika is a technique in which ability is heightened through the use of chakra. Unabara described three stages, calling them the perfect incarnations of a warrior.
Heian Shodan: The First State of a Calm Mind
In this incarnation of a warrior the sword exists in the hand. Only a very small number of people can attain this state, as the vast majority of people are unable to quiet their minds enough to reach it. A lesser number still actually surpass it. This is the first step to perfecting the technique.
Unabara writes that the first stage of warrior gains the ability to fell any foe, though he be armed with only a blade of grass. He describes the effects of this jutsu as including the following:
Heightened Sensory Awareness, Faster reaction and thought, enhanced creativity, and enhanced speed and strength.
The User appears outwardly calm, and seemingly all of their troubles drift away. Performing physical and mental tasks becomes as easy as passing a knife through water.
Practical application: The user's physical abilities are increased by 50% and skilled shinobi gain the ability to utilize virtually anything as a weapon, even a simple blade of grass, as their focus and chakra control are increased 10 fold.
Drawbacks: if used for a prolonged time, the user begins to lose the ability to tense their muscles as their body begins to follow their mind into a state of relaxation. (After 10 turns. If used for more than ten turns the user begins to become sluggish.)
Heian Niidan: The Second State of a Calm Mind
In this incarnation of a warrior the sword exists in the heart. Unabara writes that a warrior in the second state of a calm mind can defeat a foe at 50 paces, though he be unarmed. Musashi, Unabara's teacher, is said to have attained this state. Stories describe the physical world calming around the user. The opponents of the practitioner seem to lose their will to fight, and their actions lose their decisive vigor.
Practical application: The practitioner receives all of the benefits of Heian Shodan in addition to the affect of extending a calming aura to the area around him. This damages the fighting focus of any foes, as people who are not practitioners of Heian no Gaika do not experience the heightened focus of the Heian Shodan state. This aura calms wildlife, natural phenomena, and even the wind for an area of 30 meters around the user.
Drawbacks: The calmness of Heian Niidan begins to grasp the body and calm it. Prolonged use will relax the muscles and bodily functions. After long enough the practitioner's heart will stop. (If used for more than 5 turns the user becomes sluggish and begins to enter cardiac arrest.)
Heian Sandan: The Third State of a Calm Mind
In this incarnation of the warrior the user realizes that there is no need for the sword to exist. Unabara wrote of this state only in cryptic phrases shortly before his death. He is believed to have attained this state, as he was found in his bedroom in a meditative position, turned entirely to stone.
