Head in the Clouds [p]

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

The past week had been hectic to say the least, for some more than for others. Hiruzen was one of the people that had the hardest time since the terrorist attacks on the founding clans. Having targeted shrines and places where the clan buried their fallen or stored their burnt remains in urns as was the case with the Uchiha clan, many of the Clan leaders had been requesting meetings with the Raikage. As far as Hiruzen knew, his grandfather had also been trying to make contact with the Administrative department in order to get the attention of the Raikage. While everyone knew that there was a lot that had to be worked out, the bombings had been placing a lot more strain on him. After all, he had to do his work right or people would get beyond angry. Settling down was already out of the question, that much was known to everyone. Since the bombing, Hiruzen's grandfather, who was usually a very calm and controlled individual had been in overdrive. Working as hard as he could to maintain the shattered relationship with the people living in the slums and the Uchiha, he also had to keep an eye on the other clans such as the Kousen and the Kyokkuo, two of the other founding clans that had been hit. While Hiruzen knew exactly what had happened, very little would take the time to listen to him. Being no more than a Chuunin, all he could really do at this point was to do what he was told by his grandfather and by the village. To say that having to work jobs for the village and the clan all day was putting a massive strain on the young Uchiha was an understatement. Knowing what had happened and not being given the time to be heard about it just added more onto the stress that was already there.

The threats made against him, his family and his last remaining friend made it hard for him to focus his attention on the matter at hand. Three members of the Prajñã were still going around influencing those that were easily manipulated in this time of distress. It was really important for him to find these people and make sure they did not get to finish what they were planning, to start a Civil war in Kumogakure so the place would tear itself up and they could keep themselves from further dirtying their hands. It was for that reason that Hiruzen had followed up on the advice he was given by his grandfather. Believing that he was not in his right mind and could use some council and aid from people that knew what they were doing, Hiruzen had been given the chance to meet with the people of the Lightning Temple. To receive an audience with the monks that spent their days living in the mountains to train and to meditate on the teachings of their god Raijin was quite special. Knowing that his grandfather had most likely been calling in a lot of favors to get him that far, he could not decline the offer so easily and had decided to go and see what the place was all about. Starting to pick his stuff very early in the morning, the young Uchiha did not want to waste the cover of darkness that was still hanging over the land of lightning. Whether there were still people watching the compound or not, he did not want to risk anyone jumping him the moment he left the village behind him. Taking only his shinobi equipment and the essentials for survival, Hiruzen left the compound and headed towards the main exit.

Walking past the guards on the village-side of the crossing that allowed people to leave and enter the village, Hiruzen was now starting a potentially dangerous trip that would help him get in control of the whole situation that surrounded him, at least mentally and maybe even spiritually. Traveling lightly, the young man had hidden most of him under a hooded cloak that would keep most strangers from walking up to him and the people that knew who he was from spotting him. Hiruzen did not want people to ask questions as to where he was going or why he was leaving the village. In fact, he did not want anyone to know that he was leaving the village for a day. Everyone was far too busy with themselves to keep an eye on him, the only good thing about the situation the village was in. Walking across the bridge that connected the village to the mainland, it was not exactly recommended to find another way in. The deep ravine made it hard for someone to just walk across, so unless someone had wings, getting from one side to the other was not going to be easy. Crossing the bridge at a steady pace, he passed yet another group of guards on the other side of the village before he finally left the safety of the village behind him. Avoiding the main road, Hiruzen decided to go straight towards Kyousei Mountain by using the treeline. Not only would this go to provide further cover, it would also take him less time to get there.

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

For the first couple of kilometers, everything was just an easy hike, but once he got up to the actual mountain, things started getting a whole lot harder for him. The fact that it was an active volcano made it a relatively dangerous place to be around because no one really knew when the thing would end up erupting. Luckily, there was no ash rising up from the mountain and hadn't been doing so for several months. Kumogakure shinobi were stationed at the mountain to make sure people would not get themselves hurt, though they were not the people he was trying to make contact with. Not knowing whether they were on his side or on the side that wanted to see his family perish, Hiruzen decided to avoid all of the posts at which they were stationed. Deciding to climb the mountainside and find his own path up the mountain, the young Uchiha was not about to let some rocks stand in his way. Frequently making use of his earth natured ninjutsu techniques to create more solid footing for himself, he gradually made it up the mountain while staying away from the roads that were filled with the attracted tourists that came from high and low to see a real volcano. While he imagined the place to be fairly pretty, he did not really see the point in travelling the world just to see it. Being able to hear the voices of the people that were carried towards him by the wind, he actually found himself in a favorable position. If the wind blew at him, any sounds he might make would not be taken to the guards, further adding to his somewhat stealthy encroachment on the Temple. Creating his own path, it would take him a long time to get to his destination.

Several hours passed as he climbed further up the mountain, creating a path he could walk on without fear of tumbling down because of loose footing. Pushing his way up towards the top, he eventually stumbled upon a group of monkeys that was living up high in the mountains. While they looked very similar to those living in the forest of sanctuary, he could tell by the way they acted that they were not the same ones. While funny, it appeared that these monkeys were in some way a part of the temple, wearing traditional clothing he imagined would only be worn by a monk, if not a lot smaller. Approaching them in a calm manner, he figured that the narrow passage that was roughly a hundred meters behind them would be the place his grandfather had told him about. While he did not understand the kind of relationship his grandfather had with the people of the temple, he knew enough about the place to make a rather accurate description on how to get there, something very few knew. As he attempted to walk towards the passage, the group of monkeys suddenly let out a deafening scream that echoed throughout the mountains. As if they were acting as some sort of alarm, he could tell that something was coming from the higher reaches of the mountain, sliding it's way down and leaving a trail of dust behind it as it made it's way towards him. With one jump, the shadowy figure landed on the ground in front of him with a loud thump. As it stood up straight, it turned out to be a large ape that stood at a height of roughly two meters. Wearing a rather peculiar costume, Hiruzen could only suspect that trouble would be riding in with the ape.

"Stop right there Human, you are not a part of the Temple of Raijin. Turn around now unless you want to receive a severe beating by the Son of the Soil. I, Gankotsu, protector of the passage, am ordering you to leave this place right away.".

It seemed that his instincts had been correct after all, this ape meant trouble. If he could not convince him that he was allowed to enter the Temple on this rare occasion, he would surely be in for quite a fight. While he did not appear to be particularly fast, he had made a rather agile entrance, his muscular frame telling Hiruzen all he needed to know. He could not take a hit from this thing if he wanted to win a fight. Activating his Sharingan to both help his case and prepare himself for what might happen, he wondered if the ape even knew what an Uchiha was. Regardless of that, if this ape was supposed to be the guardian of this place, he should be aware of it when people would be coming to the temple for a scheduled visit. If he was going to become a nuisance, Hiruzen had to figure out a way of dealing with him that would not draw too much attention to him, otherwise other people might find the hidden passage and put the entire temple in a bad position.

"Listen to me "Ape", I am Hiruzen of the Uchiha. My grandfather made an appointment with someone called Guroda. If you are a part of this temple as you claim, you should let me pass before you get yourself in trouble for delaying me. So, will you stand down or will I have to go through you?".

For a moment, the two remained silent as they kept their eyes locked on those of the other. For Hiruzen, this was a good thing, seeing as it would allow him to activate a Genjutsu and tip the scales in his favor if the ape turned out to become troublesome. As the tension between the two was rising, the smaller monkeys ran away and hid themselves behind some tall rocks, peeking along the sides to see what was going to happen. They had no doubt seen Gankotsu fight someone before and knew what would happen once he did. Going by their response, Hiruzen could do the math himself and figure out that this would not become an easy fight. After a relatively long stare-down, the ape finally relieved the tension by laughing at the Uchiha. Not even trying to hide the fact that he wasn't the least bit intimidated by Hiruzen's attempt at making him stand down and letting him pass.

"You've got guts kid, good for you. I know who you are, Uchiha, I was told not to bother you when you got here, though I couldn't resist the urge to pick on you because, lets be honest, you look like a wimp. In any case, follow me if you want to get in.".

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

Surprised by this turn of events, it seemed that the ape was not kidding when he said that Hiruzen should follow him if he planned on getting into the temple grounds. It was common knowledge that the temple was not a part of the Hidden Cloud, so the shinobi had no power or authority once they entered their terrain. Having never been there himself, Hiruzen knew full well that there was a lot in the place that was not meant to be seen by every living soul. For that reason, many defenses had been put in place, defenses his grandfather had told him about and warned him for. Ranging from stationed guards and earthen traps set in the narrow passage to ensure the death of hostile threats that planned to invade, Hiruzen felt safe enough now that he was being guided through the place. With his Sharingan still activated, he could see several small chakra signatures in the form of tags inside of the earthen walls. While invisible to the naked eye, Hiruzen could tell that they were activated from a distance by whoever was charged with protecting the passage, most likely acting as explosives to collapse the passage in a moment's notice. Wondering why the ape was leading him, he could not help but think that there was still something it wanted from him. When they made it out of the passage, the first thing he saw was a man, a monk that had been waiting around for some time now from the looks of it. When he saw the Uchiha and the ape, Hiruzen deactivated his Sharingan and walked over to the man that had already started greeting him.

"Ah, you have finally arrived. We were starting to think you had gotten lost... Gankotsu? Why are you here? We explicitly told you not to bother our guest. Did he bother you on your way here Hiruzen-san?".

Asking as if he were worried that Gankotsu had been up to something, resulting in Hiruzen arriving late. While the ape had not been offensive in any way, he had been the main reason as to why he had gotten here late when he more or less dared Hiruzen to attack him. While it had only been for a few minutes, he had indeed been delayed by the antics of the ape. Hiruzen did not like being somewhere late, so when the ape slowed him down because he wanted to have some fun, the monk at the temple had to wait for him to arrive.

"He did bother me when I got here, tried to trick me into either leaving or having to fight him, though he showed me how to get here once he was done playing around. He's to be blamed for delaying me, though he did help me get here, so it doesn't matter.".

As he started speaking, he could tell that Gankotsu was not pleased with what he was saying, at least not at first. When Hiruzen explained that after it had finished it's fun and games, the ape had made an attempt at helping him, he seemed to be more comfortable. While he had spoken the truth, it did not seem like the monk was going to go easy on the ape. Raising his voice as he looked with an infuriated expression on his face, Hiruzen knew that the ape was in for quite a scolding, one he had been given very often when he was still a child living with his abusive father.

"Gankotsu! You know better than to go against the wishes of the Temple. What would your father say if he had been able to see what you were up to. I can tell you that he would be far from proud of his successor, in fact, I bet he would be highly disappointed... Go home and think about what you've done. You've shamed us all.".

Finding that Gankotsu was being treated unnecessarily brutal, he had no authority in a place like this. Aside from that, he had been invited as a guest, and as a guest he could not just mingle in affairs that did not concern him. Snorting loudly as opposed to saying anything to retort, the ape turned away from Hiruzen and the monk before disappearing into the narrow passage. Feeling bad for the ape, he had brought it upon himself when he had gone against the temple. As protector, he was supposed to behave in a manner that would seem professional. Shaking the thought for now, he had to focus on what the temple had in store for him. Whenever his grandfather set something up for him, there was often a lot to be learned if he opened himself up to new things. When the monk had calmed himself down, he bent his head as to apologize to Hiruzen for his little outburst. Telling him to follow him inside, it was time for Hiruzen to do what he had come for, whatever that might be. Whatever he was supposed to be doing inside of the temple, he figured that he would find out the answer to that question soon enough. Regardless of not knowing what he was supposed to be doing, that didn't matter. He had made it to the top of Kyousei mountain and found the temple. That alone was worth feeling good about.

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

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