A warm welcome [Iron Country]

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

The road leading up to the land of Iron had been a fairly peaceful one. Under the cover of his disguise, most of the people he encountered chose to leave him alone, which was the wise thing to do. Though he was not a danger to anyone, he could turn out to become quite troublesome for those that wished to do him harm. Normally, there were always some bandits, highwaymen or other kinds of scum patrolling the long roads that connected the various countries to one another, though they had most likely seen enough when he approached to not show themselves to him. That said, he had only encountered one troublemaker on the way to the large temple that belonged to the Iron Shogun, the leader of the Iron Country Samurai and the right hand of the feudal lord. This Nukenin was rather disrespectful to the deceased and disturbed a grave simply because he needed a place to sit. As a Ninja Monk, he could not just let someone get away with something like that. Since his level of skill was far beneath Hiruzen's own, he took his time to see the kind of person he was dealing with. After finding out that he was both delusional and had a superiority complex, he did his best to let him know just how inferior and foolish he was before he left him behind. For him, making his way to the land of Iron was much more important than teaching some guy he had just met a lesson. It was not every day that someone got to have an audience and a training session with the Iron Shogun. Had it not been for his credentials as a Ninja Monk, he would never have gotten in, not as a shinobi at least.

In a way, the man was similar to the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud and the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. That said, there were plenty of things that made the Shogun quite different from the Kage. For one, the Shogun did not possess any Ninjutsu or other shinobi arts at all as those were considered a disgrace to the way of the Samurai. Instead, he and his fellow Samurai took pride in their abilities as trained swordsmen, possessing a wide array of Kenjutsu techniques that had been designed for two purposes, killing swiftly and countering Ninjutsu. As a shinobi, it was useful to possess the kind of skills that countered other shinobi. In a way, what he was trying to do was bring three worlds together in a flawless combat form. These three worlds were the world of the shinobi, the world of the monk and that of the Samurai. Separately, they have proven to be rather effective. As a Ninja monk, he had managed to get several solid techniques and strategies going as well, but if he managed to tie Kenjutsu into all of that, it would surely become a force to be reckoned with. With his Sharingan to aid him in rapidly mastering new forms of combat, the training he had already received from Meiko and one of the greatest swordsmen in the world ready to train him, very few could go wrong. With the temple on top of the mountain being very close to him, he estimated that it was no more than two kilometers away. Luckily for him, he had not encountered a single blizzard and as such had made quite some distance between himself and the fire country in very little time. What time he had wasted on the Nukenin, that was how much time he had gained by not having to sit through any of the local blizzards.

Marching up the snow covered stone stairs that went all the way from the foot of the mountain up to the temple, the Uchiha almost felt nervous about getting to meet a man so great at swordplay that it made some weaponry users shake in their boots when they heard his name. It was something similar to that that Hiruzen wanted for himself, to make people fear what he was so they would not stand against him in his own pursuit of power and a true goal in life. Right now, the only goal he had was to find an answer to the hidden text he had revealed in several temples and managed to mash together to figure out the meaning to them. The answer to the question posed by the hidden text was, much like his swordsmanship training, to be found in the land of Iron. During his time as a student under the Iron Shogun, Hiruzen hoped that he would be able to find more leads as to where he would be able to find the temple that had been hidden away for centuries and had been forgotten by humanity itself. It was for this same reason that Hiruzen had been having such a hard time figuring all of out because all he could really rely on was what the people of the local temples could tell him and what little information he could find from old scrolls and books. Rapidly closing in on the temple, the time to train and receive new information on his goal would only be among the first things he would do. Currently, getting something good to eat stood at the top of his list of priorities as the road leading up to the temple had been filled with eating certain roots and other edible plants. Not being much of a vegetarian, his stomach growled at him with every step as the temple got closer and closer.

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

It was not long after that that Hiruzen arrived at the guard post at the end of the massive stone staircase. The two men that were standing guard were clad in a steel armor complete with a helmet that had protective goggles and a breathing apparatus that covered their entire body. Around their waist, they had several blades. The one on the right was apparently using a pair of Wakizashi while the one on the left had a Katana hanging from his belt. Even though they were mere guards, they seemed like the kind of people that did not fear someone based on looks. Walking up to the gate, the cloaked Uchiha could see the massive temple grounds and the impressive temple itself through the steel bars. As soon as he got close to the gate, he could hear the guards reaching for and gripping tightly to the handle of their weapons. That was when Hiruzen remembered that he had not shown the letter he had received from the Shogun. Reaching for the letter, the men became all the more weary of the stranger that had come to their doorstep. Once he pulled out the letter and handed it to the man with the Katana, he took the time to read the content before looking at his partner and nodding. Believing that this meant that he was allowed to pass, Hiruzen attempted to get closer to the gate as a means of letting himself in. Suddenly, he saw that the Katana was released from it's sheath and came at him in the form of a horizontal cut. Instinctively, his Sharingan activated itself while his body ducked under the blade. Even without the Sharingan, Hiruzen knew what kind of move to make in order to completely evade such an attack.

Once the blade passed overhead, he took out two Kunai and dashed back, allowing his eyes to better read both of his opponents. Wondering what the problem was, he could not help but feel like he might have been sold out to the people who were looking for him. When the Samurai with the two Wakizashi came at him, the Uchiha prepared himself for whatever was coming. Seeing the trajectory of the attack rather clearly, the Uchiha moved to the side as a means of stepping around the attack. When he did, he struck the man against the head with his Kunai, leaving only a minor dent in the armor while the Samurai was knocked back a bit. That was when his sixth sense alerted him to a chakra source coming up from the other side. Turning his head to see that the one with the Katana had decided to help out his friend, Hiruzen barely managed to cross the two Kunai in front of him to catch the downward strike of the Katana. As he did, the force behind the Katana knocked one of the Kunai from his hands while Hiruzen himself fell back. Luckily for him, he was rather capable in close quarters thanks to his acrobat like physical skills, evasive maneuvers and his Sharingan. Falling on his upper back, he instantly set off using his hands to roll a bit before launching himself into the air. As soon as he set off, he reached for two Shuriken and tossed them at the man that was coming at him with his Katana, the one with the Wakizashi being right behind him. Forming a string of seals that was faster than what the human eye could perceive, the single Shuriken rapidly replicated itself, turning into a storm of blades that clashed against the armored men. Leaving deep cuts and dents in their armor, the two had no choice but to break off their attack while Hiruzen landed on his feet.

"You handle yourself well... for a shinobi.".

Looking towards the gate, he saw a man that was probably around the same age as his father would be, had he still been alive. Unlike the guards, he was not wearing any armor, instead wearing a kimono that concealed most of his physical attributes. Aside from his height, Hiruzen could tell that the man was rather muscular too. When he looked at his face, a pair of calm jade eyes stared back at him. Having a shaven head, a short grey beard and mustache as well as a thick pair of eyebrows were giving him a rather masculine look. As soon as the man spoke, the two guard sheathed their weapons and lowered themselves, kneeling before the man while keeping their eyes on Hiruzen. Just like that, all of the signs made it clear to the Uchiha that this man was without a doubt the Shogun of the land of Iron. Putting his weapons away, he bowed his head to show some respect to the man while letting him know that Hiruzen knew whom he was dealing. Nodding back at him, the Shogun ordered the gate to be opened, allowing the guards as well as Hiruzen to enter the temple grounds. Doing what he thought needed to be done, he started walking through the now opened gate along with the men he fought. Once they had all entered, the gate quickly closed behind them. Keeping his eyes on the two guards shortly before shutting down his Sharingan, he noticed them taking off their helmets and armored plating. Showing that there were two young men of roughly Hiruzen's age under all of that armor as opposed to the veteran Samurai he believed he had been dealing with. Watching them walk towards what he believed to be the barracks, the Uchiha could not help but feel like the things he knew about combat applied in a place like this at all. Feeling somewhat discouraged, the Shogun told him to come with him towards the large temple building in the center of the terrain.

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

Having followed the man after his short battle against two Samurai of roughly his own age, the two had entered a room at the very top of the temple that was apparently the living room of the Shogun himself. Sitting down on a chair, he rested his arms on the table while waiting for the Shogun to finish what he was doing. Being alone in the room for a while, Hiruzen thought about the two Samurai he had faced and how they had managed to hold out against him to the point where they even forced him back onto the defensive. While he had not used any of his destructive Ninjutsu or Genjutsu and had resorted to just using basic weaponry, Hiruzen did not like it when people caught him off guard and pushed him around this much. Aside from that, he had no intention of using his more powerful Ninjutsu to actually kill someone from the temple he was supposed to train in. During the fight as well as now, he wondered why the two had attacked him so suddenly. When he thought about it, the fighting had started as soon as he had shown them the letter he had received in response from the Shogun. Something about the whole encountered seemed fishy, especially the timely arrival of the Shogun that apparently had nothing better to do than to pop up as soon as Hiruzen pushed back his attackers. Disliking it when people were keeping him in the dark, the Uchiha tried to calm himself down when he heard footsteps headed towards him. Appearing completely calm by the time the Shogun entered the room with two cups and a ceramic kettle filled with tea. While not much of a tea lover, he did not hate it enough to refuse the tea he was given. After all, turning down a friendly offer might rub the man the wrong way.

"When I got a letter from a man of the Uchiha bloodline, I was hesitant to let you into this place. In the past, when the villages had not been founded yet, the Samurai of this place have waged battles against the members of your clan. As you might have seen, we are not the kind of people who are easily beaten or will just roll over and accept defeat. Still, for every one of you we managed to kill, we would lose ten of our own and we eventually had no choice but to surrender.".

Once he was done talking, he took a sip of his tea and looked at Hiruzen with an absent gaze that made the Uchiha feel like the man was looking right through him. While he spoke to him, it seemed like he was lost in thought completely. Deciding that it would be best to just remain quiet and pay attention to the story the man was no doubt trying to tell him, he brought the cup to his mouth and took a sip of his own, finding that the tea was actually quite tasty. Several moments went by before the man's spirit seemed to have returned to his body, took another sip from his tea and continued the story he was telling.

"I was personally still unborn at that time, though many of my ancestors met their end at the hands of yours. There are those in this temple that still carry that monumental defeat with them as it had been passed down for several generations. I however see it as something to humble us and put us back on the ground with both feet. When people believe to be superior to a group of people such as Shinobi or Samurai, they tend to act high and mighty and get sloppy. As for you, the people from your clan are deemed to be elites among the elite that would not hesitate to kill when attacked, which is why I wanted to test you. It is for that reason that I asked two of my students to stand guard at the gate and attack the one that showed them my letter, to see how you would react. Had you made an attempt at killing them with your Ninjutsu, I would not have allowed you to enter these sacred grounds. But since you acted defensively and did not attack in a way that could seriously injure my students, I could tell that some of the teachings of the monks has rubbed off on you, enough for you to overcome the impulses I have witnessed when dealing with people from your clan.".

Continuing to listen to the man, it seemed that the answer to the question that had been eating at him had been given without even having to ask for it. Now that he knew that it was just a test and not some kind of internal trouble in the temple, he felt a bit better. Still, the fact that he had so much trouble fighting against two Samurai students ticked him off quite a bit. During the fight, his Sharingan had been able to pick up several moves that had been used against him and memorized most of it, something that would help him get on his way once he could finally start training. While he had listened to the story the Shogun had been telling, he had finished his tea sooner than he actually realized. Wondering as to whether or not there was something he had to say since he had not exactly been asked any questions, the Uchiha just let the words that had been spoken pass through his mind several times, trying to figure out if there had been anything with a hidden motive. Finding that this was not exactly the case and that the man had been rather honest about his actions, there was nothing for him to be suspicious about.

Age : 32 Posts : 1178

"Now that that is out of the way, there is something I have been meaning to ask you ever since I saw you coming. Someone that is as skilled and well versed in various forms of combat as you should not have to be hiding himself under a layer of cloaks and hoods. Is there someone out there that is not allowed to find you, or did you do something so shameful that you do not want the world to see you for what you are?".

Now that the man had finally started becoming more personal, it was now that Hiruzen felt like he could finally talk back to the man. That said, the question itself temporarily made him feel a little bit uncomfortable. Bringing up the fact that he did not want the Hidden Cloud to find him after he had more or less defected from the place after burning his house down might make the man believe that he had just come to the temple as a means of finding shelter while benefiting from the immunity he would find there. Since the Samurai did not affiliate themselves with Shinobi or the villages they hailed from, they had no authority in the land of Iron, making it a rather safe place for people like Hiruzen.

"A year ago, I murdered a lot of people for the sake of the Hidden Cloud and the people living there. It was however a mission that was not approved by the village and I acted on my own. When I confronted and killed the people that had the blood of good men, women and children on their hands, the shinobi that had been tracking me witnessed the massacre and I was marked as a hazard to everyone around me, that I was branded by the name "Mashin Shōdo". After that time, the village wanted to make it so that my goals and dreams would become the same as those of the village, which made me feel like they wanted me around for the sole purpose of becoming a weapon for them to wield whenever they would see fit. It is for that reason that I burned down my own house and defected from the village. I don't want people to recognize me after that since there is no way for me to redeem myself in the eyes of others.".

Being as honest as he could possibly be, the only thing he left out was the fact that he was truly angry with the village for the things the Raikage had told him at the time. Since he had been branded, there was really only so much he could do in the land of Lightning and the places affiliated with it. While Konoha had made it clear that he was allowed to move around under the alias of the Strider, he knew that if the village ever wanted to send people after him and Konoha got in the way of that, conflict might arise between the two villages. This was not something he wanted to have on his conscience, which was exactly why he had started wandering the world in search of a long term goal for himself. Though his quest to find and figure out a well kept and ancient secret temple was still very much in progress, he realized that he would need more in life to sustain him and keep him from just letting the world pass him by and make him obsolete. And just like that, he heard something he had not been expecting to hear at all.

"If your goal has been finding redemption in the eyes of others, you will find that you have no place in this temple. However, if you wish to find redemption in yourself, I might just be able to help you. While we are a place devoted to a form of combat that follows a code of honor, we do honor the gods, just not like your friends in the Temple of Raijin. Through hard work and many hours of training, I believe that O-Jizō-Sama will ease your suffering and allow you to find redemption. As a Ninja monk of the temple, I am sure that you are well aware of the things O-Jizō-Sama offers to those that are willing to earn his praise. For that to happen, you will first need to work hard on controlling that anger inside of you while following the teachings of Bishamonten. As promised, I will show you the way and guide you all the way to the end, If that is still what you want.".

For a moment, everything became quiet. Not because Hiruzen was having second thoughts about all of this, but because the names O-Jizō and Bishamonten had been brought up in the writing he deciphered on the word walls so far. At first, Hiruzen wanted to ask the man about the things he might know that could help the Uchiha find the lost temple, but he no longer felt like doing so anymore. The man had managed to bring up several interesting cases. If the man could help work out some of his mental issues while training him to become stronger in the ways of the sword, he could do his best to pick up as much as possible about the two deities. To Hiruzen, nothing had changed as he was still very determined to increase his level of skill and elevate himself to a new state of being. If this training was as good as he had thought it would be, the Uchiha would finally have the required tools to not only become a more powerful shinobi, it would also help him face the dangers he would no doubt be encountering once he was to finally locate the temple that was supposedly not that far from his current location. For now though, he deemed it to be wisest to focus on his training and skip the gathering of information to a later time. Nodding at the Shogun, the two of them both stood up from their seats.

"Alright, it is settled. Tomorrow morning, we shall begin your first day of training. I will see to it that one of my stewards escorts you to your room and bring you your new attire to make sure you will not be able to hide your identity. When it is time for breakfast, the bell will sound three times. When it does, you need to get dressed and check in at the mess hall where you will start off every new day. Aside from that, there will also be a list of chores and a schedule describing the daily activities present, though I am sure my students will help you get around. For now, I will allow you to use the rest of the day to look around and prepare yourself.".

End of Thread