[≈] A Place of Growth | Taki Shrine|

[Mana_ecl Zetsuya]

xxxxZayr the Iron Monk xxxx

Zay only countered the girl's stare, a smile twice as friendly. She didn't seem to add it all up to quickly, but then again, Mi was hardly a social pariah. The girl wasn't really too focused on the idea, as she started to wring her hair dry of water. Why would we do that? Why? Again, the monk laughed. Spacey as ever, she seemed to bypass the entire nature of her training.

"Aren't ya gonna be a medic? Doesn't staying healthy sit at the top of the list of requirements?" Alzayr teased. Absent comments, as her comment about the Suiton element could only bring him to shake his head, all the while, he wondered. It felt as if her passive normality became something else though. A minor bit of body language, but it would be enough over time. Maybe digging would be wisest to do?

"A man's soul wrought in iron!"

"Dance upon the edge of the Blade!"

 

[chrissy b e a n]

Roly Poly brought up a point that would have made most sense if she was aiming to be a medic who remained at the hospital and not on the battle field. Staring past him and at the trees behind him, she spaced out for a fraction of a second, her gaze caught between the bright hues of the canopies and the earthly tones of the tree bark. The usual haze of mist settled onto everything but it was something that she had learned to see past even before realizing she had. Mi was seemingly very distracted by whatever daydream she had drifted off too but she was very alert at the moment. She had to be on her guard around this man. He seemed to catch her at her worst every single time. The anger she had felt against him subsided. In the end, it didn't matter. She had gotten out of her duties to the squad already. All that was left was to resume her training. "Says a man who would not allow me to properly tend to him inside of the hospital setting, even though my training dictates that when a patient is in pain they are cared for until their ails are resolved." Mi finally answered, her fiery red gaze flickered back onto him. Her eyes glittered a little bit, enjoying her comeback. Mi noticed her own reaction and looked away, almost beckoning for the awkward silences that she experienced with her peers to blanket them.  

[Mana_ecl Zetsuya]

xxxxZayr the Iron Monk xxxx

It wasn't much to do, when it came to speaking with Mi. She spent her time looking all about her. Not among the more polite things to try, but nonetheless, he wasn't going to complain. He'd popped in for business and disappeared again. The land was none too important when it came to actual people, after all. When the girl finally spoke again, she tried to turn away the conversation, speaking of the last business visit he'd made.

"I didn't have much of a choice in that instance," the monk answered her calmly, letting the long sword slide from his shoulder, its sheath punching into the soft ground. "Haven't had a chance to report to the Mizukage, but a sword is as good as a man's life, Mi. A promise I had made compelled me to depart, and a hospital stay wasn't going to get it done any quicker, you know?" Rationalizations, to try and beat back the almost seething remark from the girl. He couldn't disclose everything. No... That would require much work. Emerald green met fiery red, only for a moment. Still not enough to inquire of wrath, but sometime soon, he'd likely do so.

"A man's soul wrought in iron!"

"Dance upon the edge of the Blade!"

 

[chrissy b e a n]

Mi did not say anything else after his rebuttal, her curiosity ensnared by the weapon he had let hit the ground a little ways off to his side. There really was no point in arguing with him. Already he was coiling behind his thick shell of things she did not understand. That weapon, his sword, was worth him risking his life for so it was not in her place to say any different. Turning away from him, Mi drew closer to the edge where land met water. Squatting down she placed on hand on her knee and reached out towards the water with her other hand. She dug her fingers into the softened earth and lifted muddy fist loads of it into the air. Slowly, she let earth and liquid trickle between stretched out fingers to once again return to it's source. "Is there a reason you called me over?" Usually by now he had gotten to the point of matters and had departed just as quickly.  

[Mana_ecl Zetsuya]

xxxxZayr the Iron Monk xxxx

Houou Tsume had been put off to the side to a point where it seemed nearly strange to not have the chakra inhaling sword near his person. Breathing deeply, he smiled back to Mi, as she moved back to the riverside and seemed to... Play with the mud from the river. He didn't really have a way to comment on that without nearly (or possibly gravely) insulting the chunnin. Inhaling deeply, he exhaled once more.

"Well, Mi. I just saw you, ya know? A little friendly chat and all that jazz, and among that... I wanted to know something," the monk began simply. She of a purpose, and so... Alzayr invented one. Drawing a scroll from his sash, the monk smiled. "Wanted to see if you'd like to come on a routine mission. Wouldn't take too long. Just an escort to the Mist outpost."

"A man's soul wrought in iron!"

"Dance upon the edge of the Blade!"

 

[chrissy b e a n]

Friendly chatter? Coaxing her head to one side she stared out at the water and the countless disturbances on its surface due to it's proximity to the falls. "In order to have 'friendly chatter' we have to be friends...are...we friends?"She asked him, turning to look at him at an angle. Her bangs swept across her face, blocking out one side of her eye. Friends were a liability. Especially when statistics showed that most Nin would not live into mid adulthood. Not really waiting for a response from him she turned her face away, staring back at the water. Mi stayed silent, mulling over her decision. A mission... It wasn't like she had anything better to do other than train. Training was important but so was garnering experience and actual application of Jutsu's learned to form a solid basis for fighting style. Although she was a medic, Mi was not a push over either and had been trying her best to overcome a Medics consciousness in order to prevail in battle. On the field Medics were in just as much danger as those fighting. They had to let their guards down the moment a comrade needed to be tended to. Then once they carried out their tasks it left them with basically no chakra left. Mi did not want to be that weak. Her pride would not let her. Keeping her hand in the water, she let the mud slid off of her hand and wiggled her fingers to dislodge any remaining mud from between them. Once her hand was clean she retracted it, red blotchy marks appeared on her skin where the cold had seeped through. Her fingers felt funny from the numbness. "I would like to come." She was more interested in moving than anything and made a point by standing straight up quickly. Her attention was a little more reigned in now that there was prospect for her to do something.  

[Mana_ecl Zetsuya]

xxxxZayr the Iron Monk xxxx

He found himself simply able to shrug, in response to the woman's question. It seemed that Mi was hardly ever one to make friends, a shame in many cases, but nonetheless...
"I'd like to think we are, Mi," Alzayr answered the girl. His jade eyes seemed to settle upon her hand, letting the muck drift from her fingers peaceably through the running water, he simply could chuckle. There were so many factors to the idea of friendship, and it didn't help the woman he was socializing with was apparently unaware of the entire situation. "I guess the real question would be whether you consider us friends."

It was nearly time to meet up with the transport, and talking with Mi was going to have to wait, yet again, if she was to simply stick around. Hand withdrawn from the running river, she spoke up about the mission. It appeared that she was going to come along with him. He bobbed his head in a general direction.

"We've got to meet up at the gates with the carriage, then we'll be on our way into the countryside," Alzayr explained. Nothing complex. Walk with the carriage, make sure it remains safe. It was nothing more than food supplies. Inexperienced bandits were the most they could expect. I'll meet you there, huh?"

"A man's soul wrought in iron!"

"Dance upon the edge of the Blade!"

 

[chrissy b e a n]

Mi stayed silent about the friendship 'question'. She was not sure how to respond like that. As she had deduced countless times before friendship was only a liability and a crutch. Roly Poly was once a part of her 'team', however brief that moment had been. Many team members became friends but their short time together had not really spurred any moments for that. Since the exams she had seen him a few times here and there but that was all. Logically friendship from circumstances like that was not possible. Mi was getting sidetracked again. She nodded her head indicating she understood him and would head out towards the gates. There really wasn't anything she needed to go and fetch and there certainly wasn't anyone she needed to inform about her whereabouts, other than the Mizukage but seeing him right now was not on her to do list. She was probably going to receive the scolding of her life. Mi would rather work like a slave doing missions than face him on the terms of having ditched her squad. Looking at Roly Poly with a little bit of the same cloudy uncertainty she had when she had tried to dismiss herself from his presence on the hospital grounds she nodded her head again, awkwardly and stalked off, making a bee line for the trees and path that would lead her out of here and towards the gates.


[/exit]  

[TDG Super Kami]

♪ Ashitaka Shishigami ♪
Ash

♪ [Chunnin] ♪ [Katei no Neko] ♪ [Modern Strange Samurai] ♪
"All You Gotta Do Is Believe."

Ash scanned the area. It wasn't much, but the place had a Zen balance unlike anything he'd felt before, minus the Doghouse. It was like the area was blessed. Now, this might have been overkill for a normal person, but due to Ash's training, he was keen to the Virtues, and thus these kinds of feelings. The Old Man knew was he was doing, apparently.

(Current Pact with Ouka: Bond of Eternity)

 

[Mana_ecl Zetsuya]

xxxxZayr the Iron Monk xxxx

Alzayr let the coloration fade, stepping from the state of defense. It was an odd feeling. His own chakra felt inhibited with that one, but the awareness of it all was glorious. He unfurled the scroll once more, and looked at the final name on this list's particular last one. He'd have to speak to his father of the sixth, if there was one. Zama no Yajuu. This one... Well, it wasn't a good one. Not for the monks, but Alzayr saw its uses.

[1/20]

Abandoning teachings was going to be difficult enough, as it meant to just go. As quick as he was, Alzayr usually thought of possible outcomes. Sure, he didn't both to look at stats or something along those lines. Death happened. A man had only his promises, really.

[2/20]

Was he to shun his promises? He couldn't bear to do that. His word was what made him a man, what kept him so. Shin'en and Houou Tsume were set off to the side, and he swaggered to his feet in thought. How was he to do this? Systematically, he began to think.

[3/20]

The description of the state of the beast was troublesome, indeed. Feral instincts in turn for significant strength, speed, reflexes and even beastly senses. The idea itself was a pleasant one, excluding the beastly interruption of cognitive learning. His hands itched to do something else.

[4/20]

It was a wonder what it would be like... Would he be like a feline? A wolf? There were possibilities... Or would he be none? Would he just... He shuddered to think of the possibilities. His focus went inward once more. His world. His world of chakra and his very mind.

[5/20]

Alzayr hadn't wasted a moment, as the world blurred from his vision. The falls went quiet, and the trees occupied the very land seemed to multiply. Yet... There was nothing. It was the most eerie function of his inner lands. There existed little beside himself. Perhaps he had to fix that first?

[6/20]

His eyes closed, sharpening his ears to the world about him, and his chakra was exerted. It had to take a form in one way or another. Why wouldn't it? He felt like divinity. The world shifted as it had in times before when he worked. Chakra and thought melded.

[7/20]

The roar of a beast not too far off was something which snapped the monk out of his thoughts. His world wasn't hollow wilds any longer, and that... The feeling was exalting. Coming into his own world... Well, it had been a troublesome set up. Eerie, even. Something which made the monk tremble, despite his natural neutrality.

[8/20]

The question was strong though. Would this random beast which he had released into his own world be the key to his use of the fifth state of being? It had to. It simply had to be, and so, the monk hurtled his way through the brush. Throughout his mind, the thought echoed. The hunt was on.

[9/20]

Passing through the brush, one step at a time was a troublesome feat. Quickly so, he rolled. Steps falling more quickly, the land seemed to shiver beneath each footfall. Why shouldn't it? Its master roamed, in search of a beast. Even now though, it eluded him.

[10/20]

Again the roar rolled throughout the land, and the vegetation trembled, as if it were his own cry. Thoughts rolled to his sword. It had to be dealt with quickly, and thusly, Shin'en whirled into existence in his very hands. It severed tree limbs, entire trunks fell. Yet they rose again, as he passed by. It was a world in stasis.

[11/20]

It trembled. The monk's cries answered the beast's, as if he were issuing a challenge. It shook. The world seemed to scream in protest of the anguish he forced upon it, but the wilds... The wilds were to be harnessed for Alzayr's own gain. They had to be. For the sake of the Mist.

[12/20]

Through the brush, and into the tree tops, the land bucked. As he came down amidst the trees, Zay could have sworn... He saw something roaming. There was something, running almost as quickly as he. It had to be overtaken, but how? His focus shifted.

[13/20]

Despite closed eyes, he avoided trees. They cowered before their god, and he... Well, he hunted vividly. The land bucked again, sending the monk skyward. This time though, he did not come down. He wasn't just a man. He wasn't just a person. He was the wild.

[14/20]

His eyes saw all, and yet... He just saw a blur. It was a crimson blur. It eluded his gaze, for some odd reason. Was he to simply to catch it somehow? If so... Then what? The world curved and he wished it to be a trap. Walls rose before the blur, and it stopped. The roaring beast stopped, turning to gaze upon its creator.

[15/20]

The creator crashed before the being, it howled again, and the walls that rose about them trembled. There was little he could have imagined, but he never would have thought this possible. The image before him was not a lion, nor a predator of the wilderness. It was a crazed creature. Turning slowly to face its trapper, revealing the monk's own face.

[16/20]

The green eyes he so treasured seemed to be so much bigger, pupils narrowed to slits within the eyes. It-No, he-howled in rage. Freedom was its essence. Life's complications were pointless. Only instinct. It wasted no time, hurtling itself around, flinging the beastly monk atop his more civil half.

[17/20]

It roared over him, his nails dug into his own shoulders. He swore... He could feel his lifeblood flowing, despite the fact that they were in his own self. It ached. Yet, Alzayr didn't waste precious moments. Reaching upward, he grabbed hold of the beastly interpretation of his self, and they rolled.

[18/20]

Teeth plunged into teeth. Fingers dug into flesh. His screams melded with the roars of his beastly self, and they matched wills. He'd never have thought instinct could impose a will as domineering as his own, but that was it... His instinct was his own. Thoughts were winking out, letting his instinct surface more. Eyes narrowed, and he roared in response to the beast atop him. The world winked out.

[19/20]

The sound of the falls came back into existence, and the monk hardly realized how much he had done to himself. He'd battered himself to hell and back it seemed. Even in his own thoughts, he couldn't escape the battle scars of his own enthusiasm. Perhaps it would be wise for him to keep Mi with him at many different training locations. Yet... He wasn't done. He'd return to the academy, for his blood still boiled for his own being.

[20/20]
[State of the Beast Learned/Feral Spike Obtained]

"A man's soul wrought in iron!"

"Dance upon the edge of the Blade!"

 

[Mana_ecl Zetsuya]

xxxxZayr the Iron Monk xxxx

The monk's wild side beat with great strength. Returning to normal was a bit more difficult in this particular state than in any other state. Yet, he had to do it. His chakra flared wildly, he roared into the wilderness unapologetically. Why couldn't it just sooth itself?

[1/4]

Chakra rolled in force, and thought domineered over it. It was starting to recede to a point, where it was becoming manageable, the beast within noticed what was to come. The slits that were his eyes widened. Not in fear, but more rage. Chakra abating, it was just instinct that ruled, and it was quickly being cornered.

[2/4]

It was reigned in with difficulty, his pupils becoming an indicator of his state of normality returning to him. He was exhausted, but his chakra... It pulsed with strength, yearning to be reinforced yet. He breathed deeply, and the chakra ceased movement altogether for the moment. It was... Bizarre.

[3/4]

His chakra fluxed, as he exhaled. It pulsed with strength, a dam being loosed with care. He could feel it flow wildly, and again, he had to damn it. His fingers flickered over basic techniques, transformation. Even as simple as kai. He was done well, however.

[4/4]
[Chunnin: Meditate Complete]

He wanted to test this once more. Sitting himself beside the flowing water, a short distance from the falls, the monk turned to more complex combinations. First, he rolled through the basic signs. Ox. Dog. Snake. Tiger. The list rolled onward in the most mundane of fashions, but his chakra... Well, it shifted with each sign.

[1/4]

The next step in his process was going to be maddening. His fingers formed the seals necessary for Kaseiken. It flooded for his palm, but he had to fight that. The channel was closed off to coming chakra, and it was damn near jarring for him to stop the flowing crimson and silver.

[2/4]

He repeated the process again, this time, he moved for his blazing clones. Chakra surged. It moved to floor his lungs, as it was commonly done, but again, he ceased the flow abruptly. This though... It forced his very muscles to convulse, brewing up a coughing fit. He was really going to kill himself in one of the damned sessions.

[3/4]

The last time, he formed seals. This was a bit more brief, but he could feel his body pulsate with chakra. It was heating up, screaming in protest. Katon's Shunshin was demanding. It pulsed chakra wildly, an inferno waiting to be let loose, but he denied it so. It beat, and he cut off its fuel, suddenly the world became significantly less vivid, another coughing fit pulsing in chakra's absence of action. Despite this, he felt.. Better.

[4/4]
[Chunnin: Meditation Complete]

"A man's soul wrought in iron!"

"Dance upon the edge of the Blade!"

 

[Mana_ecl Zetsuya]

xxxxZayr the Iron Monk xxxx

Successful in his practice, the monk took a deep breath. Oh... He was feeling mighty grand now. Chakra strengthened, Alzayr determined that he was lacking in unarmed capabilities. He'd neglected his body in turn for his equipment. He'd have to learn Sazanami further. It was... Necessary. Off he sped, to Kiri's dojo.

"A man's soul wrought in iron!"

"Dance upon the edge of the Blade!"

 

[TDG Super Kami]

♪ Ashitaka Shishigami ♪
Ash

♪ [Chunnin] ♪ [Katei no Neko] ♪ [Modern Strange Samurai] ♪
"All You Gotta Do Is Believe."

Ash was laying on the ground, hands behind his head. It seemed like he'd been waiting forever, and there was still no sign of Sato. "What, did the Old Man get lost in his own village?" It had been the Mizukage's idea to come here anyway. No, Ash needed to be patient. He was so close, he wasn't about to ruin things now. Besides, he hadn't had a good nap in a couple days, now was the perfect time.

(Current Pact with Ouka: Bond of Eternity)

 

[Mordred Killian]

Satoshi's clone calmly made his way down the creek that ran down from the waterfall. He followed it up to the source where he spotted Ashitaka. Satoshi held a great scroll on his shoulder that he gently set down on it's side once he had reached Ash. "Ashitaka." Satoshi greeted the Shinobi with a nod. "I have brought you this." Sato gestured to the scroll. "It is an exact replica of the Great Canine's Great Summoning Scroll. It has all the names of the canine summonings."
 

[TDG Super Kami]

♪ Ashitaka Shishigami ♪
Ash

♪ [Chunnin] ♪ [Katei no Neko] ♪ [Modern Strange Samurai] ♪
"All You Gotta Do Is Believe."

Ash eyed it up and down. "Cool deal, and I'm guessing even though it's a replica, it's not just an oversized paperweight." He gripped it. For some reason, he hesitated, then snapped out of said hesitation and unrolled it on the ground before him. "So... what now? Blood ritual, or...?"

(Current Pact with Ouka: Bond of Eternity)