Temple Trials [Mission]

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Mission Title: Temple Trials
Mission Type: Generic
Mission Location: The Fire Country
Shinobi Requirement: Chuunin+
Mission Rank: B
Mission Objective: The monks who reside in their secluded monastery near your village like take a certain martial pride in their abilities and like to test themselves against Nin every so often even on occasion hiring Nin out. You have been hired for just such a job.
Min Post Count: 4.

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

The day started out quiet for Yoroi, waking up in a real bed in the house of Kimiko, his new sister. He could not help but reminisce on his old bed back in the forest, though this was a lot better for him. For the first time in years, Yoroi managed to get a good night of sleep and waking up well rested. Going through his routine, he got dressed and made himself something simple to eat, going with some slices of bread for simplicity's sake. When he walked through the apartment, he saw a scroll located on the doormat, probably left by one of Konohagakure's Courier Nin. At first, he believed that this was something for Kimiko as he picked it up off of the floor and taking it with him to the table. To his surprise, he saw that the scroll was for him, not for his sister. To think that the village already knew that he was living here was quite funny, though it did not really matter to him. At least now people would know where to send his things, rather then having them all get lost in the Courier department.

Even though he himself knew very little about it, he recognized that the additional stamp on the scroll was that of the Fire temple. All in all, he was wondering what the temple wanted with him, figuring it was important if they had reached out to the village like this. Without saying a word, Yoroi disappeared through the window of the apartment, taking the sealed scroll with him. He did not want to trouble Kimiko with the details, figuring she had enough to do besides worrying about him. Leaving everything at home, Yoroi knew that all he was going to need was inside of him, all the weaponry he could wish for being present in his skeletal structure. Walking down the street at a somewhat slow pace, he held the scroll clutched in his hand, just in case someone was out to snatch what he had. It was a silly gesture, though Yoroi wanted to be prepared for anything that might happen. Times were changing and things that were once normal could now be far fetched.

Even something along the lines of saying hello, a simple and kind gesture in itself could be hard to get. It was because of the vibe everyone was getting from the Shinobi that were working hard to prepare for a potential war between the great villages. During his last mission, he had seen first hand what the mere thought of war could do to someone. Villagers raiding the high class in their town for the sole endeavors of a mad man that promised them sanctuary if they did as he told them. Obviously, no such thing was extended to these people at all, leaving them behind or killing them if they tried to resist or demand to receive what they had been promised. To push it even further, this man just went to kill and revive the people that came back with their loot, creating a small party of undead puppets to be played by the monster of a human being. It went without saying that Yoroi could not forgive him for his actions.

When Yoroi engaged him, outside of the mission that he had been given, the man beat him to a pulp with relative ease, even breaking Shakreido's skull and leaving him in an unconscious state. As a result of luck, Yoroi had managed to penetrate the man's chest with lightning enhanced bone bullets launched from the tips of his finger. If he had not done so, chances were that both Shakreido and himself would be the man's minions too. Luckily, the counter assault had forced the man into an early retreat, leaving the youth and his snake companion behind in the otherwise abandoned cavern, filled with rubble and corpses. Thinking back at that day sent chills down his spine, though it was also for that same reason that he had tripled his training, just in case of him running into this guy again.

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

Setting his thoughts on the matter aside, he had reached the road leading up to the large monastery building in which the Ninja Monks of the fire country resided. Even though he had never seen it before, the people in town sometimes spoke about how it had massive golden gates that were said to be impenetrable. Yoroi knew that there was no such thing as being completely impenetrable, knowing that every structure had it's weakness. Some of the Kaguya that had gone down into history as the bloodiest butchers of their kind were also said to be impenetrable in battle, though they had eventually died when fighting, disproving the theory of being impenetrable. Continuing with what he had heard, there were supposedly statues of Yamabushi and Tengu on either side of the gate as well, these being higher then the walls themselves, making the place that much easier for Yoroi to find.

Wandering off road and into the forest, it was about time for him to figure out what the Monks wanted from him. There must have been a reason as to why these people wanted him out of all the others that were so much closer to the village then he was. Biting his thumb, he held the required seal and performed the Kuchiyose technique, summoning Shakreido from his home. Last they met, the two had gotten a severe beat-down from the undead-puppeteer and his minion, though from the looks of it, Shakreido had recovered just as well as he had. Slithering it's way out of the thin white smoke, it looked at Yoroi, wandering what he wanted from him at this time of the day. Upon showing him the sealed scroll, the snake was notably intrigued by it, wondering like Yoroi what could be written down inside of it. Upon opening the scroll, the amount of text written down was simple, though it explained what Yoroi needed to know.

Greetings Yoroi,

We from the Fire Temple have selected you as representative of the Hidden Leaf Village to act during the trials of the Fire Temple. You are to report in to the gatekeeper as soon as you get this message. Once you arrive, you will face one of our own in a trial of combat. We have been winning for several years, though the last one that came to us was the first to win, taking the victory to the Hidden Leaf for the first time in fifty years. This places a lot on your shoulders, though you should not be afraid, the trials are merely a thing that tie us and the village together.

- Modoroki

After reading the entire letter three times to make sure he had not missed anything, his gaze shifted towards Shakreido, who had also been reading the scrolls. Tossing it towards the large snake after rolling it back up, it swallowed the scroll for safe keeping. Having nothing to really say to one another, they went on their way to the Fire temple, both being completely silent the entire trip. Whether it was because they truly had nothing to say or because they were still ashamed of the way in which they had lost to the puppeteer was not entirely certain, though chances were that it was a mixture of both of these events. Even though the two companions were both quiet, it seemed that the closer they got to the temple, the more lush and noisy nature became. Hearing several different kinds of birds and animals around him, Yoroi was interested in what caused these animals to all have come to this place, knowing that he had never ventured this far away from home before.

Yoroi even considered the possibility of sanctuary, believing that these people knew that the territory around the monastery was a safe haven in which no poaching of any kind was allowed. That was when he saw it, up in the distance, the tall walls of the Fire Temple. Even from a distance he could see the large statues and the golden gate, just like the people from the village had said. Still, the fact that he was supposed to fight some kind of monk bothered him a bit, not being sure at all as to what he was supposed to do. Was he allowed to use his Shikotsumyaku, his Ninjutsu, Shakreido, or was he supposed to fight while relying solely on physical arts. Hoping that the people organizing all of this would provide him with the answers he sought, Yoroi continued his stride towards the Fire Temple to complete his mission.

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

Arriving at the gate, he tapped against it, wondering when someone would come to pick him up. The fact that this gate was closed shut this way proved that these people did not really accept visitors and tourists at all. It was a closed society of people that protected various places in the fire country, just like the Hidden Leaf did, something Yoroi personally respected them for. Shortly after knocking, the golden gate started creaking, making it sound as if it had not opened itself in months. Opening but one side, an old man stepped towards him, figuring that this man was the gatekeeper. Walking through the opened gate, it seemed that the Monks were rather hasty about closing the gate back up as it shut right after he had gone through it. It really showed that these people were a secluded bunch that wanted to remain closed off of any outside influence that might befoul their temple grounds.

"Ah, Yoroi from the Hidden Leaf, we are delighted to make your acquaintance. My name is Modoroki, I am one of the Head Monks of the Fire Temple, one of the men responsible for picking you to participate in our trials" the elder said, showing that he was not the gatekeeper. Yoroi could not help but think that this man was being a bit too forward about his actions, seeing as anyone could just walk in, claiming to be the one they had summoned to the Fire Temple and kill those inside under the guise of Yoroi. Hell, he had not even spoken to a gatekeeper nor shown his scroll, yet people just went ahead and assumed that they had the right guy. As Yoroi opened up his mouth to ask the questions that had been brought up in his mind, the old man held a finger in front of his mouth, making a non-verbal gesture as to make sure that Yoroi remained quite. Following up with turning around and gesturing at him to follow, the man left the entrance, Yoroi following his example.

Showing Yoroi around the temple grounds, he could see a large amount of Monks repeating a certain kind of Taijutsu kata, performing punches and kicks in place. Watching in silence, Yoroi was amazed at the amount of people that had taken up residence in this place. Even now, Modoroki did not have anything to say to Yoroi, who himself was completely unsure about whether or not he was allowed to say anything yet. It was not until both Yoroi and Modoroki were both behind closed doors that the man said something. "Now that you have seen some of the monastery, I wanted to share something with you. After your parents were killed, we came to their house to pick you up, though you were already gone by the time we arrived. We have been looking for you during the past sixteen years, though you managed to avoid all kinds of detection, at least until you started living in the Hidden Leaf", the old man explained to Yoroi's surprise.

Remaining quiet while the man spoke, Yoroi's mind absorbed what the old Monk told him, remaining vigilant the entire time. If these people had been looking for him all this time, then that meant that they knew who his parents were too. Opening his mouth to ask whether it was true or not, he was silenced yet again when the man spoke up once more. "Yes, your parents were the ones who asked us to take you into the monastery when they died. They knew that danger was coming, which was why they asked me to personally get you safely to the monastery, though the ones responsible for the death of your parents were a lot quicker then we had anticipated. Your parents hid you in the forest at a rendezvous point, though someone else snatched you before we could take you with us. It was a dark day for all of us living in the fire temple, for we had failed to save the life of an infant, at least that was what we believed. You can imagine my surprise when I heard that you were still alive".

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

After sharing a long conversation with one another, the old man was completely up to date on Yoroi's life and times. Knowing everything from the point where Yoroi was picked up by a tiger to the point where he started living with Kimiko in the hidden leaf. Modoroki was very interested in all of it, actively listening to the story Yoroi was telling, absorbing every word of it. "I see that this Kimiko is teaching you well, though I guess that was to be expected of the person ending up raising you. Make sure to do as she tells you, learn the mannerism of the people of the village and pick up on the way they live. Even if you prefer to remain in solitude, it's a good thing to pick up such things, no decent place will want you to stay around. For now though, there is something else you should be focusing on". It was a bit sudden for him to say such things, even though Yoroi knew that he was just being truthful. Learning proper etiquette would help him out wherever he went, just like his survival skills were always useful when not among people. It was certain that Kimiko would be able to teach him about that kind of thing, at least Modoroki believed that she could, proving that he too had heard about her somewhere. It was to be expected from someone like her, who was the closest thing to a Kage there was.

After a long conversation, both of them seemed sufficient with their exchange of words, heading towards the courtyard together for the Trials. In all honesty, Yoroi was rather edgy about all of this, having to take place in some kind of trial that bound the village to the monastery, having the weight of the entire village on his shoulders. There was not a lot of time for him to ponder on what he might have to do before Modoroki had taken him to a makeshift arena. A large red, woven rope was laying in a large circle, a young man standing inside of it. From the looks of him, he was no older then he was, having a shaven head, near emotionless eyes and a stoic expression on his face. In a lot of ways, the kid had a lot of things in common with Yoroi, even though he went solely by his facial expression and his eyes, for they were the windows of the soul after all. "Yoroi, meet Bando, he will be your opponent during the trials. He was brought here around the time you were meant to be taken in, he's also roughly the same age as you are, which should make this a fairly interesting fight for all of us. Please, step into the ring and take off your shirt", the old man said, instructing Yoroi as to what he should do while also giving him a run-down of his opponent.

Doing as Modoroki told him, Yoroi imitated Bando, taking his shirt off and stepping into the ring. While Yoroi did a couple of quick exercises to loosen up his muscles, Bando just sat in a meditative position, closing his eyes and making little to no effort at preparing himself at all. While he prepared, the monks of the monastery started drawing closer, forming a mass around the ring. Among the monks, there were also members from the village, remembering their faces from his time in the village. As the minutes passed, more and more people started filling up the mass of people, even higher ups from the hidden leaf, which made him feel a bit out of place. He knew that he had probably been chosen to fight the guy because of their similarity in terms of age, and because he was once supposed to be a Ninja Monk in training as was claimed by Modoroki. Despite that, he could not help but feel like there was to be someone more deserving of this opportunity then he was. Moments after he had prepared himself, Modoroki brought his hands to his mouth, using a jutsu of some sort to project his voice from every corner of the temple at the same time.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Fire Country, I welcome you to the Fire Temple for this years Temple Trials. As you all know, we hand picked one of our own Monks to fight one of Konohagakure's Shinobi. After some discussion and choosing, we picked Yoroi out of the crowd to represent the pride of the Shinobi. Last year, Konohagakure was the victor, though this year's challenge should prove to be a lot more challenging and worth watching. The rules are simple, everything is allowed except for biting and other dirty means of gaining the upper hand. No jutsu are banned, though we would appreciate the use of Taijutsu over Ninjutsu. So, without further ado, I wish both Yoroi and Bando all the best. Let the fight begin!". Followed by Modoroki's introduction, Bando got up from his meditative seat and stepped into a fighting stance, his eyes lit up like a star in the night sky. Yoroi could tell that this would be a hard battle to win, but that he had a fair chance at winning. Stepping into a fighting stance of his own, he too prepared himself to kick the monk into submission for the sake of the village.

That was when the sound of a gong rang through the Temple ground, echoing between the tall walls, officially starting the Temple Trials.

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

Moments after the gong had gone off, Bando engaged the first strike at Yoroi, kicking him in the shins as a means of loosening his stability, only to feel that Yoroi had already sent a pulse of chakra through his body, hardening his bones and increasing his chances on winning. The first couple of his he took seemed rather weak, though Bando was skilled as a fighter, knowing that he had to strike the same point repeatedly in order to make the opponent defenses weaker in the long run. Aiming at Yoroi's shoulders, chest and shins, his attacks were not all that hard to predict, though he had not yet gotten accustomed to his peculiar fighting style. Twisting and turning every time as a means of gaining momentum, it was as if Bando was constantly bending through his knees and attacking from a low point of gravity, a smart tactic. However, Once Yoroi had gotten used to Bando's routine, he started launching a counter-offensive of his own. Using his hardened bones to counter his punches with his own, Bando's hands quickly got sore as his own bones were as nothing compared to Yoroi's. Using Bando's tactic against him, he weakened the young monk's fists with every strike.

That was when Yoroi started getting into the vibe of combat, using Bando's weakened offensive and aiming towards his head. Taking one hit after the other from Yoroi's hardened knuckles, Bando tried dodging and sidestepping Yoroi's attacks as much as he possibly could, though every hit he took felt like getting beaten over the head with a brick. With one solid punch to the face, Bando started stumbling, almost as if he was ready to collapse. When the boy started spitting blood onto the ground, it seemed as if he had gotten fed up of fighting a losing battle. It was to be expected, his Taijutsu barely did anything to Yoroi, let alone damage or slow him down on his way towards victory. Once he spat out the blood that had accumulated in his mouth, he took a deep breath as his stance changed. Standing up straight, he placed his hands above one another, mirroring the other. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, though it did not require a genius to figure out that the time of Taijutsu had been officially closed.

"Oh no, he can't possibly hope to use that..." Modoroki said quietly, but still loud enough for some of the people around him to hear that something was about to happen. He knew that the technique that was about to be used by Bando was known as the Gift of the Hermit group, summoning a manifestation of their Buddha to fight for them. As a large, golden form was shown behind Bando, Yoroi stopped in his tracks, wondering what this meant. To Yoroi, the form seemed like some form of angel that protected Bando, though Yoroi was not the religious type. As if the angel had somehow picked up on Yoroi's attitude, it's form changed, turning into a red, demonic creature that had it's menacing gaze locked on Yoroi. Sending fists of chakra towards Yoroi, he took quite a beating and was forced back rather quickly, not having anticipated this kind of techniques to be used in a friendly fight. This technique was certainly no Taijutsu technique, even though it was similar to one, if only for the large amount of chakra that crashed into the young Kaguya. To think that the Monk was the first to break protocol and start using Ninjutsu that, while allowed, was frowned upon, was quite strange.

Every hit he took felt like it had righteous fury inside of it, as if the god of this temple was with the boy in this battle. There was not a whole lot Yoroi could do, not having the time to weave any seals as the punches broke his concentration and his seals that were still in the process of being formed. Protruding bones from his shoulders and lower arm areas, he tried to decrease the impact of the chakra fists, an effective strategy, though it was a mere defensive tactic that would only work for so long. That's when he got an idea, noticing that there was a pattern on these chakra fists and when they struck him. Counting the time between every strike, he noticed that there was a two second delay between every striking fist, something he could use quite well. Forming small amounts of chakra in his already hardened fists, he started preparing for the Buddha strikes coming at him. Matching the chakra fists that flew towards him with strikes of his own, he started losing his grip on the earth beneath his feet, pushing spikes of bone through the soles of his feet as a means of providing stability for himself as the barrage of punches continued.

With every step he took, the blades retracted and protruded into the soil, making sure that once he took a step, he would not be hindered with his anchors, while he would also make sure that he would not get knocked off of his feet, timing every step he took rather well. Despite this being a very slow process, it was the most effective thing he could think of, knowing now that Bando had to keep his entire body in this stance to keep the striking fists of chakra coming, this being it's most obvious weakness, aside from the two second long delay. With each step, Yoroi got closer to his final destination, pushing through the punches and biting through the pain of being hit. All of a sudden, the boy released a shout, increasing the amount of punches generated and reducing the delay down to less then a second. Now, there was no way of getting close without getting knocked out as he completely went on the defensive. No longer having the luxury of a pre-meditated strike, Yoroi no longer focused on fighting fair by using Taijutsu.

Channeling his lightning natured chakra into his hands, he released a barrage of bone bullets, along with a loud grunt. Rushing through the air, the bullets sank into his right shoulder, the area above his knees and his upper arm. The trauma from these spots being hit was enough to make the young monk collapse on the spot, breaking formation and causing the apparition of chakra to fade into nothingness. Avoiding any vital points, the blood gushing out of his wounds was enough the end the fight as paramedics rushed to the scene and getting the boy out of the ring. When the sound of a secondary gong was heard, the Temple Trials were over, Yoroi had won.

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

Yoroi Kaguya

Roughly one hour after the fight had ended, the people from the village started draining out of the temple quickly, having nothing left to stay for. Konohagakure had a new victory they could write up in their archives, while Yoroi had done the village proud. After Yoroi got some treatment for his bruises, he too was preparing to go on his way back to the village. He had to tell Kimiko about his victory to see whether she was proud of him now. Approaching the gate of the temple, he heard someone calling out to him. Turning his head to peek over his shoulder, he saw that it was Modoroki that came after him. Stopping in his tracks, he allowed the old man to gain up on him a bit so he no longer had to run with his old bones. Despite his old appearance, Yoroi was pleasantly surprised that such an old guy could still move so quickly. By the time the agile old man reached him, he did not waste a whole lot of time for silence.

"You've made the village and this old man proud today, Yoroi. When I failed to bring you in, we all believed that you had died in the woods. To think that someone we once believed to have died was able to beat one of our most promising student just proves that you never needed our help in the first place. Still, I would like to offer you a home here, just in case things don't work out in the village. And you don't have to worry about not being accepted, you showed everyone just how capable you are, of that there is no question.". It was good to hear that so many possibilities opened themselves up for him, now having the chance of staying in the Fire temple if things turned out badly for him in the hidden leaf village. With Kimiko as his older sister, he doubted that such a thing would ever really happen, though just knowing that he was not tied to one place was a good thing. He had a home of his own in the forests of the fire country, the place where he still had a garden he tended to several times a week so they would not wither.

Next to that, he had a home with Kimiko back in Konohagakure, a place where he was happy, even though he was among other humans the entire time, something he often needed to have a break from. As a wild soul, staying among people was not the way he could live, at least not week after week. As it was now, there was still a lot he could learn from the village, things along the lines of etiquette and the simple adjustment to modern life as a village Shinobi. Taking a glance at the sky, he saw that there was no more then an hour of daylight left. Yoroi did not fear bandits, nor did he fear the dark, though he'd rather avoid having to fight his way through. "Now then, you should be on your way before night falls. In time, we will see one another again. Until then, I bid you farewell.", the old man said. Taking a bow before the man, he just smiled and waved him off as Yoroi went on his way back to the village.

While walking back towards the village, he knew that he had gotten stronger in his time with Kimiko, more so then he had done on his own. He had her to thank for his success, just being around her made him feel like he was stronger, like he had a purpose for the first time. Even Modoroki, a man he had just met seemed convinced that his time with Kimiko had done him good.

Age : 32 Posts : 1912

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