With a shallow nod of recognition and respect to the watching Daimyo (actually bowing with an opponent right there and carrying bare steel would be extremely foolish) you turn your attention back to Matsu Ginwei. You are honestly rather surprised that he is still standing, considering the extent of his injuries - he is holding one arm stiffly by his side over the point where you first cut him, and the constant flow of blood from his gut injury has stained his entire lower half with varying shades of red.
And yet he remains on his feet, slowly advancing towards you, face set in a deathly grimace. It seems the reputation for tenacity of the Matsu Berserkers is well deserved. Still, when it comes down to it, no amount of sheer willpower will compensate for the loss of so much blood. You rather suspect that you could just stand here and wait and the Matsu would eventually perish of his wounds anyway. But that is not the image that you want to present.
With that in mind you step forwards, your feet feather-light upon the stones. You can almost feel the sudden tension in the air as you bring your sword up, for it is clear to everyone that you could slay your enemy now with little trouble. In another time and place it might be worth considering, but here and now you intend to conform to the standards of the tournament. With that in mind, you step rapidly to the side and bring the very point of your katana across Ginwei's other arm, drawing a small trickle of blood and eliciting a pained grunt from his throat. Then you take several large steps backwards, flick your sword to clean it of blood, slide it back into its sheathe and bow to your opponent.
"A fine match, Matsu-san. Thank you."
For a long, drawn out moment, Matsu Ginwei stares at you through eyes that burn with pain and anger. You wonder what it is that he is seeing right now. Certainly there seems to be something driving him, some particular grudge he must hold against you to go to such lengths, but what it might be you do not know. You wonder if he will be able to let go of it long enough to acknowledge his defeat. You can almost feel Matsu Ketsui's searing gaze upon the two of you, and you know without a shadow of a doubt that if Ginwei fails here it will cost him his life.
Eventually, however, your enemy lowers his sword and bows shallowly to you, though whether that is intended as a lack of respect or is a simple consequence of a painful gut wound is ambiguous. His voice is harsh, as though roughened by a great deal of violent shouting, and he is breathing heavily.
"A fine... bout, Soshi-san." He says slowly. "Congratulations... on your victory."
From her position atop the viewing platform, Matsu Ketsui speaks in a voice that carries across the courtyard with the ease of a veteran military officer. "The victor is Soshi Naoto, with three wounds to one. Shugenja, see to their wounds."
-/-
A few minutes later, you are seated on a low bench at the outer edge of the audience, holding your injured arm out in front of you as Yogo Hanzo tends to it. The Shugenja is brisk and businesslike, examining your injury with a professional detachment before murmuring a few words of ritual entreaty that cause the flesh to begin sealing back together.
"It is not serious, Soshi-san." He says to you. "The blade did not sever any muscles, and missed the major blood vessels. Normally, I would encourage you to simply rest it rather than importuning the kami."
"You have my thanks, Yogo-san." You say, relieved to hear that you do not need to fear any long-term complications - injuries to the arm can often make it much more difficult to wield a sword, which would have profound effects on your long-term career. "Normally I would take your advice, but unfortunately circumstances make it impractical. I must be prepared for my next bout."
"Of course, Soshi-san." Hanzo says neutrally. "Who is your opponent?"
Choose your opponent in a match to first blood.
- [ ] Hida Kinra
- [ ] Kakita Sekawa
- [ ] Shiba Danjuro
- [ ] Utaku Seo
-/-
By demonstrating sincere courtesy to an enemy and respecting the rules and sanctity of the duel, Naoto has earned 5 Honour points.
By defeating a trained Matsu Berserker in front of the entire Court, Naoto has established himself as a capable warrior and true samurai. He gains two points of glory.
Make him think himself our arch enemy and nemesis while we, in fact, are barely are aware of his existence at all. 
