Gojūsuke wasn't as prepared as he wanted to be. He still moved backwards as intended, but his opponent reflecting his earlier strategy was not something he had planned for. The young martial artist barely evaded the turn and the hook, the secondary blow only just missing his chest. He was slightly off balance. True, he had the option of doubling back further, but he wasn't exactly the running sort, and realistically, it just meant he would either have to charge back in or deal with being chased.

He planted his feet to the ground to reaffirm his balance, but as a consequence, his guard was sloppy. His head covered, his lower body was wide open, least for a half a second, which would be more than enough time for a moderately swift opponent to take advantage of.