Temple Trials [P] [Mission]

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Spoiler:

It is rather hard to keep oneself from flying out of their bed when a courier ninja appears in their window early in the morning shoving a letter in your face. Alas, this was the situation Meiko found herself waking to. First she was deep asleep having some kind of pleasant dream, the next something was irritating her, pulling her back to the waking world. The next moment, she caught the image of someone standing in her window, hand by her face with something in it. Instincts kicking in, she threw herself from her bed across the room to her wardrobe where her weapons were kept. Just as she opened the door, the figure flicked something at her, striking the back of her hand just as she grabbed a kunai. Expecting it to be a weapon that pierced her hand, she yelp and pulled her hand to her chest. Once she realized there was no injury, she looked to the figure in the window. Her eyes and mind now clearing she recognized the design of the courier nin's uniform. "Oh, sorry about that..." The nin took no offense, simply nodding and waving his hand before leaping back out to the rooftop across the way and out of sight.

Peering back into the wardrobe, a single letter sat upon her half-open Chunin kit. It was a mission assignment, she could tell that from a single glance at the envelope's paper. It's seal however, wasn't the emergency red so whatever it was, at least it wasn't urgent. Cracking the seal, she removed the contents and began reading it over. They were summons to the Fire Temple located just outside the gates, she was to arrive by the early afternoon. The monks residing there took pride in their martial abilities and often wished to test their training against the shinobi of the village. This time, Meiko had been selected to participate. According to the letter, anything was fair game. Ninjutsu, genjutsu, weapons, anything. The only restriction was simply to not kill the monks and to minimize injuries if possible. Yawning loudly, Meiko got to her feet and tossed the paper onto her bed. Early afternoon was still a few hours off, she had plenty of time to get ready.

As Meiko went about dressing herself, she reread the letter to herself from memory. There was one last part that stood out to her, she was not the only shinobi summoned to these trials. Four others had been summoned, but as she recalled the names, none were matched to faces. Four strangers would accompany her to the temple where they would participate in a sort of mini tournament. There was no prize at stake beyond personal pride and glory. Even so, this was assigned as a mission and Meiko was determined to see it through to the full extent of her abilities.

The rest of the morning was a blur to her. Meiko was vaguely able to recall making an early lunch before heading out to the gates. Beyond that there was nothing but flashes of memory. As she reached the gates of the village, the other four shinobi called to the temple were already there and waiting. Some more impatient than others. The four had a wide range of ages, from a kid who looked to be fresh out of the academy, nervous yet eager, to an older man who must have been Jonin. Of them, Meiko was the only girl which only made her feel more awkward as they looked her over. The Jonin appeared indifferent while a gray-blonde boy huffed at her before turning away. The kid kept glancing nervously between her, the group and the gates while the last, a black haired boy about two years her senior simply glared daggers. But once she fell in line, she then noticed the monk standing before them. He wore thick red flowing robes that must have him sweating buckets underneath. They looked more like blankets than clothing but not a drop of sweat shined on his bald head. Draped over his neck were large beads, each about the size of a tennis ball.

"I see everyone has arrived now. Let us be on our way" The monk was old and his voice trembled as he spoke, but his stride was that of a man in his prime. Most of the group was able to keep pace with him, save the kid. Meiko allowed herself to fall back so he wouldn't feel alone. "Are you okay? You seem pretty jumpy" She said, trying to find a way to comfort him. The boy only shook his head and pushed himself to move faster. Meiko could only shrug and follow along. The temple was quite a ways from the village, hidden at the base of a waterfall and surrounded by walls only surpassed by the Leaf Village itself. The gates were great iron doors with the symbol of the leaf embroidered proudly on their front. The monk approached the gates and offered a prayer before them. A moment later, the doors slowly began to slide open revealing a great courtyard. The temple itself sat at the opposite end of the field, built into the stone of the mountain itself. The waterfall falling to the right of the building into a river that made it's way south.

Around the plaza, various monks were all tending to their duties or training in pairs. Once the group entered however, everything stopped and they all bowed in welcome. The old monk leading them halted once they reached the center and turned to the shinobi. "Welcome to the Temple of Fire, we are honoured to have you here as our guests. The organizers of this little event shall be here momentarily. I shall bid you farewell here. These old bones need more rest these days I'm afraid". The monk bowed and made his way inside the temple.

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The wait lasted only about ten minutes, but that was more than long enough for some of the other tourney goers to begin getting antsy. Namely the two who looked to be Chunin level. The older man merely stood in silence, eyes closed while the young boy cowered at a mere glance. Meiko stood calmly, simply gazing around the temple and taking in the sights. It was her first time visiting the place and while many in the village would come here to pray on special occasions, Meiko had never been the most spiritual person. Yet even so, she felt as though this place had power to it. It was tranquil yet foreboding. The courtyard where they stood was peaceful, silent save for the waterfall and occasional clacking of a bow staff. Flowers bloomed brilliantly in the spaces between the stone pathways. A few trees lined the entrance as well as some areas where they stood upon their own private hill. Beyond all that was the temple itself. Built into the very face of the cliff it appeared as though the earth had risen up behind it, determined to devour the building whole. Yet still it stood, a testament of the will of fire.

Finally, the tournament organizers approached. Three monks, all donning the red robes and bald. Their ages ranged from what she suspected was early thirties to mid fifties. Beyond that, each man was rather unremarkable. The man in the center spoke first. "I welcome you to the Fire Temple, humble guests and skilled shinobi. Please follow us inside where we shall begin preparations for the first round." The two Chunin grunted something under their breath but all five followed obediently. Once inside the temple, the light was dim. Lit only by the torches lining the walls. They were led down several halls until finally they emerged into a large circular room. In the center sat a large round table, the center cut out for those wishing to approach the head of the table. "Please take your seats." One of the monks said and all complied. Clearing his throat, the head monk began to speak, his voice booming off the rock walls. "Welcome, gentlemen, and lady, to our temple. Here you will face off against five of our own whom wish to challenge their skill. From here, you shall be escorted to the training room we have designated. Win and you will advance to the next round tomorrow. Lose and you shall be sent home. You are allowed to use anything you wish, fight with all your strength and skill. We just ask that you do not kill. We have people medically trained to deal with any injuries you will suffer. But none can cure death. Any questions before we begin?"

When he received only silence, the monk nodded and several others approached them. The one who came to Meiko was a skinny old man, but his smile was soft and youthful. "I wish you all the best of luck" The head monk said as they were separated and lead down different hallways. Meiko was lead down a spiraling staircase for what she counted to be at least three floors. By now they were certainly far underground. How far these cavernous halls lead was impossible to tell. Minutes passed in the dark, the flickering of the flames the only source of light to illuminate their path. The old monk guided her with sure steps. He had walked these dark halls countless times before. So deftly he moved that Meiko believed he could navigate this temple blind. Finally, he stopped outside of a large oaken door. "Your opponent is beyond this door. Good luck to you. Brother Maxis is a fierce opponent to face in the first round." Meiko bowed and slowly pushed the door open. In this room, four gigantic torches lit the room almost as brightly as the daylight outside. They sat behind bars of iron, likely to prevent someone accidentally flying into them, but could still be accessed should a person need use of them for Ninjutsu.

The arena itself was rather sparse, a circular area, about thirty meters wide, smaller than a training field but considering they were underground, it was quite a feat. The ground was solid stone, a one meter thick ring circled the main area of the floor which sat about ten centimeters deeper. Sitting cross-legged in the center was a gigantic man. The name Maxis fit quite well. He wore the red robes of the monks, but lacked the large sleeves the others had. Without them, the mass of muscles that were his arms were relaxed and unmoving as shadows danced across them. Like the other monks his head was balled but he bore a great brown beard that fell nearly to his waist. As Meiko stepped into the room and within the ring, the monk's eyes opened, a deep brown complimenting his beard. As he got to his feet, he stood at nearly seven feet tall, rippling with muscles. "This is my first opponent? A scrawny girl? I'm insulted." His voice was as gravely as his appearance. Intimidating as his appearance was, Meiko stood strong. If she faltered now, the match was lost before it even began. One thing she could tell for certain was that this man was not one she could engage in close combat. As strong as Meiko was, this man would destroy her. Range would win her the day.

From behind her, the old monk called out "Round one, begin!"

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Not a moment was wasted by Maxis. The moment the old monk called for the match to begin, the giant man raised his head and let out a bestial roar. This was not just any simple battle cry, the roar was too accurate to a beast's own. Specifically, the roar was a spot on impression of a bear. So accurate it was, for just a moment, Meiko imagined the man transform into a great brown bear. Claws and teeth slashing and snapping at her. Yet in the next moment he was a man again, charging forward. Though he was barefoot, each step crashed against the stone floor and echoed through the domed room. If someone were outside, they might imagine a great beast was rampaging in here. His initiative was admirable, from his earlier words Meiko had wondered if the man was offended to have her as an opponent. At the very least he appeared to be taking this seriously now. Readying herself, Meiko leapt to the left and rolled as Maxis came within striking distance. Swinging down his massive hand where where her head had just been, his palm smashed into the raised outer ring of the room. Shattering it practically to dust upon contact, only a few small pebbles remained and clattered harmlessly against the ground.

Stopping her roll and raising to one knee, Meiko reached into the pouch on the right side of her waist. From it, she drew two kunai and immediately threw them, her arms crossing over each other in wide arcs as they released their payload. The kunai did not have far to travel, her roll only took her about two meters from Maxis so accuracy barely needed to factor in here. The kunai struck their target in his left arm. The first piercing his bicep and the second his forearm. Blood trickled out of the fresh wounds but the man barely felt them. Instead he looked to Meiko, eyes practically glowing golden as his beard began to flicker. The edges of it sharpening into points as he cried out again. This time, the roar was of a different beast, feline for certain, but deeper. Twisting his body to face Meiko, he leapt forward again, this time flattening his hands completely, fingers pressed together. Meiko raised her leg off her knee and kicked off the ground into a back flip as the man's fingers pierced the ground. There was no sound this time, no explosion of stone. Instead, his hand had slipped through the floor as easily as a knife cut through butter.

Her back flip kicked her far into the air and away from the man. When she landed, she was crouched two meters up the wall. Chakra focused into her feet to allow her to grip it against the wills of gravity. Maxis looked up to her as he slowly removed his fingers from the floor, leaving a perfect outline of his digits behind. "A slippery one, you are" He said as he raised his arms again, ready to strike. However, this time Meiko also raised her arms, placing her hands together to for a single seal. Maxis barely had time to register what the seal was when the kunai in his arm began to glow and explode. Meiko heard him cry out in surprise and mild pain. There were only two tags fueling that blast so the power would be minimal, especially against a beast like this, but it was enough to distract him. The smoke from the explosion would also temporarily blind him. Using that opportunity, Meiko kicked off the ceiling and soared over Maxis. As she descended, she would land behind the man, but not before leaving her mark. Drawing her ninjato, Meiko twisted her body as she descended behind Maxis and used the opportunity to plant both blades into his back. Allowing the steel to do all the work as it sliced down his back.

The blades only cut skin deep. She did not wish to kill the man, yet there was still a motive behind her actions. Blinded by the smoke still, Maxis instinctively swung an arm back to try and strike Meiko. Unfortunately she had already touched ground and was making her next attack. Crouched down once more, she spread her arms wide and spun on the spot. The ninjato would then slice through the back of his legs. Again, only skin deep but blood flowed all the same. On the move again, Meiko sprung up and ran several meters before turning back to face Maxis. Her ninjato raised, blood dripping from their edges. She had expected Maxis to charge her again, but instead he stood straight and slowly turned. "I must apologize. I underestimated you because of your gender. Truly I have much to learn. However, I shall no longer hold back." A third scream erupted from the man, this time it was avian in nature and was followed by a transformation of its own. Fire erupted from his forearms, creating massive meter long wings. From his bald head, a mane of flame burst forth that stretched to the floor.

"Well these won't be of anymore use." Meiko thought to herself as she sheathed the ninjato. "I'll need to wash them thoroughly afterwards. Don't want them rusting." With those flames of his, attempting anything in close combat anymore would simply be stupid. As her original observations had concluded, range would win her the day now. "The real fight begins now!" Maxis shouted as he leapt into the air. The ceiling was about ten meters high, impressive for being underground, and yet of that ten, Maxis must have jumped a full eight meters before he came down at Meiko. Twisting his body into a flaming spiral, his descent was more like a missile. Faster than he had ever moved before, Meiko had little time to dodge. Focusing chakra into her boots, a small explosion was generated, rocketing her to the left five meters just in time to avoid the attack. Maxis crashed into the floor with a fiery explosion, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris. Reaching to her back, Meiko grabbed two fuuma shuriken and began rapidly spinning them in her hands, throwing them blindly into the cloud.

There was a unique kind of sound when metal cut flesh, a sound she heard that was followed by another cry. In an instant, the smoke was cleared with a wave of flames. Meiko was just far enough away to remain unburned, but the heat she felt was as intense as the forge back home. Fire now not only burned from his head and forearms, but coated him like an aura. The heat distorting his image behind the flames, he looked more a demon now than a monk. She could see the scars left by the shuriken, two deep gashes through his left shoulder and waist. Blood poured profusely from the wounds, yet still Maxis paid them no mind. It was as though he was immune to the sensation of pain. It was then that Maxis began to inhale deeply. His chest expanding as it took in a massive amount of oxygen. The fresh wounds only bled faster from the added pressure and Meiko knew what was coming. Back in the academy, the fireball jutsu was one used as a demonstration. Both simple in its execution and yet powerful, one of the most telling motions was the sudden inhalation of a large amount of air.

The flames came, but not quite how she had expected. There was no form to them, they just burst from the man's mouth in a torrent. Once again, chakra was focused to her feet and an explosion launched her in the air. Above the flames now, Meiko reached into her left kit and drew three curious pieces of paper. Each one had a seal printed on it, but were folded into little caricatures of a person. Throwing the three seals so they would land on the floor about five meters from Maxis, one to his left, right and back. Meiko then drew her remaining fuuma shuriken as the papers hit the ground. Each exploding in a small cloud of smoke and revealing a clone of herself, all spinning two fuuma shuriken of their own. It was time to bring this fight to an end. Simultaneously all four Meikos threw their weapons. Each aimed at a different part of Maxis. The one to his left aimed for his left arm, similarly, the right clone aimed for his right arm. The clone behind him threw her shuriken to the back of his knees while the real Meiko aimed to cut through both sides of his collarbone. The wounds should prove to be non-fatal, but debilitating enough to fall the man, regardless of his strength.

Fast as his earlier attack had been, Maxis had no time to dodge as the cascade of steel shredded his flesh. Biceps were split open, his knees collapsed instantly as the metal embedded itself into bone and finally his arms fell limp as his collar bone was separated. Falling face first, practically helpless, Meiko descended back to the ground with a loud thud and stood several meters before the man. The old monk's voice rang out again through the room "Match set! Winner, Wakizasi, Meiko!" Exhaling in relief, Meiko stepped forward to Maxis who lay bleeding on the floor. His flames had died out, but he was still breathing. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked timidly, worried she might have put him into critical condition. Maxis' response however, was that of a deep, booming laugh. "Bwahaha, you got me good. Meiko was it? I will remember that name. Next time will be different! I promise you! Good luck in the next round." With that, Maxis somehow managed to roll himself over onto his back.

The old monk approached Meiko and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We have medics on standby, he will be fine. Allow me to escort you to your room. You will need rest for tomorrow." Meiko nodded after a moment of silence, moved to gather her discarded weapons and followed the monk out. Tomorrow promised to be an even more difficult match.

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Chakra Remaining:
Experienced Sealer: 15-20%=12, 6-20%=5

1+1+12+5+5= 24
80-24= 56

56/80 CP

Posts : 811

Meiko awoke the next day in an unfamiliar room. Slightly disoriented from her sleep, she reached for the nearest object to use as a weapon before her memory cleared and she could recall where she was. The guest rooms at the Fire Temple were nothing to write home about. Small and cramped, they were about three meters wide and seven meters long. Basically they could fit a bed, chair and desk into the room. There was barely any space to walk around and the ceiling felt slightly too low. At least the mattress was comfortable enough and at the end of the room was a window to allow light through. Stretching out on the bed, Meiko got to her feet and began scrounging around for her things. The next match would begin shortly, judging by the light coming through the window. A few slaps to the face was enough to get her to wake up. She never slept deeply when not in her own bed, a trait that was helpful when out on missions and one needed to be wary. No sooner than she had finished donning her armour that a knock came at the door. Opening it revealed the old monk from the day before.

"Good morning madam, I trust you slept well?" The old monk asked. Meiko nodded and with a smile responded. "Well enough. And good morning to you." The monk bowed in thanks. "I am here to escort you to the meeting hall. There we will serve breakfast and begin the next round." "Alright, I just need a minute to finish getting my things together." With that, Meiko closed the door respectfully and turned back to the room. Her weapons had been stacked atop the desk as there was little space elsewhere beyond the floor to place them. Equipping the weapons was a simpler task than fitting the armour. There were special clips designed specifically to hold her equipment and made it a simple task to secure. Once ready, she opened the door again and followed the monk through the catacomb halls back to the meeting table she was first taken to upon arrival.

The head monk was there again, however only two familiar faces looked to her this time. The old man and the young boy were all that remained of Konoha's forces. The two rude chunin must have been eliminated, Meiko would shed no tears over their losses. The old man appeared as distant as ever while the boy still tried to curl himself up into a ball and forget the world. Meiko took her seat as food was brought into the room. Breakfast was not much to write home about. A bowl of soup with some hard bread slices. It would be far from filling for the girl, but she ate it respectfully and made no complaints. It would be quite rude to insult their hospitality. At least the soup itself was quite good, nice and chunky pieces of chicken, carrots and pasta. The broth served well enough to soften up the bread. Once everyone had finished, the bowls were removed and the head monk coughed to clear his throat and get everyone's attention. "I congratulate you all on advancing to the second round. Like the first, you will be escorted from here to your next match. Should you emerge victorious again, the next round will be held this afternoon, so rest well."

With that, their respective escorts approached then and Meiko got to her feet. The three were separated again as each were lead down their own hallway. The walk this time was not as long and Meiko was soon greeted by a familiar oaken door. Inside, the room was identical to the last. The only difference being the monk inside. This one was completely hairless and wore no robe over his torso. Instead, a dragon tattoo spread across his back and looped over to his chest. He wore red baggy pants and was far leaner than her previous opponent, but still had some well defined muscles. Stepping into the room, the old monk behind her declared the match to begin and stepped outside, closing the door.

Unlike Maxis before him, this monk was in no rush to begin the combat. Instead he just glared at Meiko for a moment. "I see, welcome to our temple. I thank you for this opportunity to test my skill." The monk said bowing. Meiko returned the bow. "Thank you for your hospitality. I too enjoy the chance to see my own limits." As both stood again, the monk gave out a little chuckle. "It is good to know now all Konoha shinobi are as unpleasant as your comrade I eliminated yesterday." It did not take much though to know he meant one of the two rude Chunin. "Thankfully no, I am not a fan of those two myself. Thankfully, both are now back in the village. Hopefully this experience humbles them a bit." The monk chuckled again. "Hopefully. My name is Gun Yui, it is a pleasure to meet you." Meiko smiled and gave another half bow. "And you, My name is Wakizashi Meiko." Smiling, the monk shifted his left foot forward, his left hand flattened and sat partially outstretched while the right curled into a fist at his side. "Well met, Wakizashi Meiko. Let us begin."

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No more words needed to be said as the two combatants dashed at one another. Meiko was the first to strike with a thrust with her left ninjato. Gun Yui countered by stepping into the blow and using his right arm to push her thrust harmlessly to the side. In reaction, Meiko raised her right arm to drop it on the monk in a powerful overhead slice. Her blade a blur, Gun Yui spun to her left and around the out thrust blade and into her open side. A quick cry came from him as he punched into Meiko's kidney. The blow was a nasty one, able to lift Meiko off her feet and throw her to the ground. The pain was too much for her to catch herself from the fall, but upon landing, she was able to force herself to roll away as Gun Yui stomped the ground where she had been a moment prior. Pulling herself out of the roll, Meiko stopped herself on one knee. Her right hand over her left side, clutching the area where the blow had struck. For Gun Yui's part, he simply smiled at her and beckoned for her to come again. "This one is going to be a challenge." Getting back to her feet, she spun her blades once before dashing again.

Gun Yui was prepared, from his stance, he could counter just about any attack Meiko threw at him. However, the girl wasn't stupid, she knew that blindly attacking would just get her another punch. Raising both hands to the right side of her head, she could already see Gun Yui shifting to block the blow. Things would be a bit different this time. Just before she entered striking distance, Meiko sent a surge of chakra to her feet. This would activate the seal in her boots and generate a burst of fire chakra. This burst would lift Meiko off the ground, allowing her to jump clear over Gun Yui. Not expecting this maneuver, the monk had stepped forward to catch Meiko's feinted attack. As Meiko soared overtop the monk, She pulled her limbs close and threw her weight to flip her upside down. Now facing the back of the monk, Meiko slashed along the length of his dragon tattoo. Blood flashed in the torchlight as she landed behind her opponent. The red substance dripping off the tips of her blades. Rising up the entire length of Gun Yui's back was a cross shaped scar, bleeding quite profusely but was far from being a fatal wound.

Again there was another pause as this time Gun Yui had to lick his wounds. Both turned to face their opponent with the monk having a different kind of smile this time. More amusement this time than the earlier confidence. "You have some tricks." At this, Meiko smirked. "Oh, more than you know." Charging, they were at it again. This time they exchanged blow for blow, when Meiko attempted to cut him, Gun Yui would push her arm away. When he would go in for a punch, a blade would bar his path. High and low the strike came fast and fierce with neither able to gain an upper hand. That is until Meiko spun to her right to avoid a punch to her stomach. Her blades flashed as she brought them in for an attack, however her momentum was suddenly halted. A pad of chakra under her foot had allowed her to grip the floor and stop herself. She then spun back in the opposite direction and slashed Gun Yui across his chest. As his defenses were shifted to his left, he had left himself wide open. Two more scars bled fresh down the monk as he staggered backwards.

This time, Meiko did not give the monk time to breathe, she pressed him and her first attack cut along his bicep. The monk cried out as they once again entered the deadlock. As they fought, deflecting each other's blows, Meiko noticed Gun Yui was beginning to succumb to his wounds, especially the one to his right arm. He was babying it due to the wound and using his left to deflect more. By pressing his left side, she could overwhelm him.

Gun Yui however, did not plan on being simply bowled over. Throwing himself in between Meiko's blades he pushed both arms out of the way before grabbing her wrists and twisting. The twist forced her to release her grasp and the ninjato fell to the floor. A grin came across his face as Gun Yui then jumped up and kicked Meiko square in the chest with both feet. Releasing her hands as he did so, the girl was launched across the room and into the wall behind her. The crash caused her head to bang off the stone and for a moment, everything went black. Meiko awoke on the cold stone ground. Slowly she pushed herself to her knees. That was when the pain hit her. The back of her head pulsed and the pain was so intense that she cried out and nearly fell back on the floor. Reaching her hand to the back of her head, her hair was warm and sticky to the touch. Bringing her hand back revealed it was covered in blood. Its possible the blow had cracked her skull, judging from the pain at least. It was hard to think, everything she did caused it to throb and bleed. Each throb caused the world to spin for a moment.

Looking up, Gun Yui stood across the room, the old monk peering inside to see if it was over. He was raising his hand when Meiko cried out "No!... Not yet... I'm not finished..." The old monk stood, frozen as Meiko forced herself onto her knees, then a foot, then two, and finally pushed herself to stand. Meiko's breathing was heavy now, each breath caused her pain, standing caused her pain, thinking was pain. She just wanted to lay down and sleep. "No, idiot. You can't sleep. Not with this wound." Gun Yui only shook his head. "This is foolishness girl, you are hurt. It's over." Meiko took a single deep breath, she would have shook her head but the action might have caused her to topple over. "Not yet. One more clash. That will end it." The monk shook his head, but readied himself all the same. He could see the determination in Meiko's eyes and knew she would not back down.

Meiko's hands moved behind her back and into the two kits she held there. With her left hand she would draw three explosive senbon clutched between her fingers. Her right would grasp at three pieces of paper. The first to fly was the senbon. Unimpressed, Gun Yui raised his arm to simply swat the projectiles away as Meiko formed the seal to detonate the tags. The senbon exploded just out of range of Gun Yui's arm, enough to cause some burns and disorientation, but nothing more. Next, Meiko charged the papers with her chakra and threw them. Two flew to either side of Gun Yui while the third was thrown above him. When they reached her opponent, the tags exploded in a cloud of smoke, revealing three clones of Meiko. Gun Yui barely had time to register their creation when the clones made their move. The two at his sides were unarmed, save for Meiko's metal boots. They kicked the back of Gun Yui's knees, causing the man to crumple and fall. The third had two daggers and fell on the monk, wrapping her arms around his and planting the dagger points into the soft parts of his elbows.

Meiko now had to act fast, her Shikigami only had a lifespan of six seconds before they returned to simple paper. Chakra flowed into her feet as she leapt forward. Fire exploded from her boots, rocketing her across the room to plant a powerful punch to the monk's face. Her clones vanished as the monk was sent flying back this time, landing on the floor about two meters from her. For a moment, everything was silent. When Gun Yui twitched, Meiko held her breath. The monk tried to force himself up, only reaching a point where Meiko could see the blood rushing down his face from a possibly broken nose, before he fell back down. "That, was a good punch. Wakizashi, Meiko... I concede."

The last think Meiko remembered was the old monk declaring her the victor. Then everything went black again.

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Chakra Remaining: 58/80

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Posts : 811

Meiko awoke in a new, unfamiliar room. This one was much larger than the one she had been granted as a guest, that much she could tell by the atmosphere. The next thing that came to her was a constant beeping to her right. A sound she had heard before, a heart rate monitor. "Am... Am I in a hospital?" Meiko moaned as her eyes fell shut again. Her head still throbbed with pain, albeit duller than she remembered, if only slightly. Reaching her hand up to touch it, Meiko found it sore and restrained. Forcing her eyes open again, Meiko carefully turned her head to see. Her arm was tied to the side of the bed with an iv line in her wrist. "Ugh... not again" Rolling her head back, her skull thumped as she tried to remember what had happened. "I won, right?" With that, sleep took the girl once again. A dreamless sleep that left Meiko only in darkness. Unaware of what was transpiring in the world around her, unable to even count the time. When she awoke again, the room was darker than before, lit by artificial lights around the room.

This time, there was an attendant at her side, a nurse. She did not look to be like one of the monks. "Um, excuse me..." Meiko said weakly. The nurse turned and smiled. "Ah good, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Meiko blinked for a second "My head hurts. What happened? Did I win? The next round, I made it, right?" A painful pulse forced Meiko to stop speaking and crunch her face. The nurse put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Shh, don't push yourself. You received a nasty concussion. You've been in and out for the last fourteen hours." That came as a shock, even as disoriented as she was, Meiko knew that fourteen hours would place the time somewhere around midnight. "But, the tournament. My mission." The nurse only patted her shoulder again. "You don't need to worry about that. There is actually someone here for you, if you feel well enough, I'll admit them in to speak with you for a short time."

Meiko could only weakly nod, yet still the nurse understood. She got up and quickly left the room. Sleep was pulling at Meiko again, beckoning her back into the darkness. Yet she had to resist, there was someone here to speak with her, she had to hear them. The nurse was only gone for three minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Alone with her pain and sleep calling, every second was agony. When the nurse finally returned, she had the old monk who would escort her to, and call her matches. The nurse took her leave as the old monk took a seat beside her. "Hello Wakizashi, Meiko. I take it you are curious as to what happened after you had blacked out." The old man's voice was scratchy, but still had a strength to it. Meiko once again, nodded weakly, struggling to keep her eyes open. "Well, I'll start with the good news then. You were victorious in your battle against Gun Yui. He yielded defeat moments before you passed out." Meiko smiled at this. "So, I made it to the next round then?"

At this, the monk shook his head. "I'm sorry, your injury was too severe to permit you to participate. We treated you as best we could before transporting you back here to Konoha. Their medical facilities are far greater than ours. They've informed me that you should be back on your feet within two days. A medical ninja shall be in tomorrow to patch up the wound on your head." This news was quite a disappointment for her. This had been more than a simple tournament, it was a mission. With her loss, she had failed. The news that she would only be here for a couple of days served to soften the blow, but not by much. "That said, I must say, you are quite a determined lass. I've never seen someone force themselves to keep fighting after suffering a blow like that." "It was a mission. If I lost I failed... I... I've never failed a mission yet..." At this, the old monk actually began to chuckle. "W-What's so funny?" The monk took a moment to collect himself before looking Meiko right in her eyes. "You didn't fail, the 'mission' was merely to test the skills of our own people. Win or lose, it was practically impossible to fail. As it is, you did great. You were the only one to pass the second round from your village. You should feel proud."

Meiko was speechless. She had succeeded? Not only that, but she was the only one to pass onto the third round, even if she could not participate herself. "I... I passed?" Was all she could stammer out. The monk then got to his feet. "Yes, now rest well. You've certainly earned it. Wakizashi, Meiko, remember you are welcome at our temple any day you wish. Our gates are not barred to you." With that, the old monk left and the nurse returned to fiddle with the medication bags. Taking the monk's advice, Meiko finally gave into the sleep and let the darkness engulf her again. This time it was warm and comforting, knowing she had not failed her mission Meiko slept like a baby.

[Exit]
[END]