[Plotboard] Iron Lords

[Niro]

Tatsuo gasped as he shot upwards from the straw cot. He took several deep breaths and closed his eyes. The young genin slowed his breathing and tried his best to remember.

'The wolves...w-we jumped into the river and then...I hit my head on s-something and lost consciousness in the current...Mi-Mitsuo!' Tatsuo's attention was broken from his thoughts as he whiped around his head in the candlelit room.

His red headed was in another straw cot, the candlelit being strong only to only let him confirm it was his friend. Like himself, Mitsuo was shirtless and covered in a blanket made of furs.

'He's okay...but w-where are we?' Tatsuo thought to himself, looking around the room and not really seeing anything due to the poor lightning. The young genin looked up, hoping to find some sort of clock maybe on the wall to see what time it was.

A glint of metal caught his eye.

Tatsuo squinted a little harder and leaned closer to the metal on the wall, being able to see it was a decoration of metal shaped into a word.

祏

Shrine?

Tatsuo shook his head and thought for a moment before the light bulb went off in his head. Shrine, made of metal. They had made it but under circumstances a bit more urgent than expected.

"Mitsuo..." Tatsuo croaked out for the first time since he had hit his head, his throat was dry. "Hey..." He rasped out as he leaned over and punched his friend in the arm. "Wake up you loser!" He coughed out, slipping a little and falling forward on his cot. He caught himself and started to cough, small flecks of blood landing on his hand.

Great, his throat was really dry.

"I really need some water..." The genin groaned as he leaned back on his cot.

[Yura]

Mitsuo coughed and groaned as he stirred from unconsciousness, feeling an ache in every part of his body. As he awoke, the memories of what had happened before he had passed out quickly returned to him. The bear, the wolves, the river, basically all of nature trying to kill him and his genin partner.

"I should have let you drown." Mitsuo groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. While he was thankful to be alive, his body was telling him that it would rather be asleep. He tried to lift himself up onto his elbow, but as he did so, a sharp pain radiated from his arm. Laying back down with a grunt, he slowly lifted said arm to find that a large, dark bruise had formed near his elbow. After bending the arm back and forth a few times, Mitsuo concluded that it likely wasn't broken, but that bruise was likely going to stick around for a while.

"Are you as banged up as I am?" he asked, his voice hoarse from the lack of water. Mitsuo looked around the room for a moment, though the candlelit was too dim to make out most of the room. From what he could see, the walls were fairly bare except for the occasional decoration. He noticed a small bundle of cloth folded on a chair against the wall to his right and, after a few moments, recognized the topmost garment as his insulated cloak. In that moment, Mitsuo suddenly realized his own partial nudity and his good arm/hand went to his neck as he felt for the necklace that he always wore. As his hands brushed against the metal pendant, he breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the river hadn't taken one of his most prized possessions from him.

"Where are we exactly?" he asked, turning to Tatsuo.

[Niro]

"I honestly have no specific idea of where we are...but if I have to guess from the symbol on the wall I'd have to reckon a guess that we're at the shrine. I guess the river flowed close enough to the place for us to be noticed." Tatsuo rasped out, easing himself down and back into the cot. His voice was still dry and coarse from their predicament. His eyes had adjusted now to the light and he could clearly make out the symbol of metal hanging on the wall above them. The Akari pointed at it for his friend to locate and then dropped his arm down by his side.

"What do yo think we should do? Wait for them to come in and check on us or go out and look for someone?" Tatsuo asked, scrunching his face up in confusion. "Screw it, we've been sitting here long enough and yeah, we're a little bruised but it's honestly nothing we compared to some of our training!" Tatsuo brightened a little, coughing as he moved from laying down into sitting up and hanging off the side of his cot. With a grunt, Tatsuo got up from the bedding and moved over to Mitsuo, offering his friend his hand to help pull him up so they could move from this room and into the hallway.

[Yura]

Mitsuo once again tried to sit up from his cot as he attempted to follow the genin's gesture. Squinting, Mitsuo followed the genin's finger before landing on the symbol that hung on the wall. Metal. "I think it's a safe bet that you're right," Mitsuo managed to say aloud, "It would be really weird for someone who wasn't a monk of the Iron Shrines to just randomly hang the symbol for 'metal' up on their wall."

Laying back down, Mitsuo contemplated their options. Obviously, given their current state of care, someone had been tending to the both of them for an undetermined amount of time. With no windows in the room, it was impossible to tell the time of day, and there was no way for them to know how long it had been since they had been in the river. In theory, if someone had been tending to them regularly, it was plausible that someone would be by soon to check in on them as it would be fairly neglectful not to. Then again, while they seemed to have been taken care of fairly well, it would be unwise to trust in the competency of a stranger.

Looking up from his cot, Mitsuo grasped Tatsuo's hand and pulled himself up, throwing his legs over the side and standing up. Almost immediately, a strong, spasming pain began to radiate from hi lower back, causing him to stumble a bit before he was able to steady himself. His body clearly needed more rest and time to heal as it seemed that he had taken more damage during their arctic swim. Nonetheless, Mitsuo began to take slow, shuffling steps towards the only exit in the room, his body tight both from injury and from too much time laying down. He hoped that they wouldn't have to walk too much to find the people who helped them.

"Well, are you coming or not?" Mitsuo asked with a little chuckle as he started out the door.

[Niro]

The boys shuffled out of their room and down the hallway, peering around to try and get a better view of the place. Small windows at the top of the hallway allowed light and a view of the outside world in, if only in a tiny amount.

From what they could see, it was either the middle of the night or early in the morning as the sun was not present outside at all.

"Damn, how long have we been out? It's been more than a day it seems if it's dark out. That means we slept through at least a day because it was dawn as we jumped in the river and got swept away." Tatsuo surmised from the new information given to them. It at least gave them an idea of what time it was.

A gong sounded throughout the building, it's deep ring echoing throughout the entire infrastructure.

"I guess that's the alarm clock..." Tatsuo joked as he looked down the hall to see lights coming on as the place came to life. "Let's get back to the room and just wait for whoever since they're all waking up anyway."

[Yura]

Mitsuo agreed with Tatsuo's assessment: It had likely been a day or longer since they had last been awake. Given the small flecks of light that were slightly visible in the otherwise dark skies, Mitsuo surmised that it was closer to dawn than it was to midnight, making it at least a full day since they had jumped into the river.

"Everybody must be asleep still," Mitsuo said lowly, trying to keep his voice down, "We probably won't find anybody until da-" Mitsuo's statement was cut off by the bellowing sound of a gong being rang somewhere in the building. Given how silent the halls had been previously, the sound of the gong had made him jump slightly out of sheer surprise. "Maybe we won't have to wait long after all." Mitsuo mumbled as he turned to follow Tatsuo back to their room.

Entering their room, Mitsuo walked over to his pile of clothes, folded neatly on a chair near his cot. While he had noticed them earlier, he hadn't thought to pick them up or put them on. Reaching for his jacket, he found the garment to be completely dry with no trace dampness at all. "It's definitely been more than a day." He said aloud, "A thick jacket like this would have taken a while to dry, even if it were sitting in front of a fire." He explained, lifting his jacket to show Tatsuo.

"Oh good, you're both awake." Came a voice from the behind them. In the doorway stood a man wearing what appeared to be a cleanly pressed light gray robe, the symbol for 'metal' stitched into the lapel. "I was afraid that you might not wake up."

[Niro]

The boys shuffled back into the room and Mitsuo's clue only solidified the idea already running through their heads. They had been in the temple for a couple of days after their run in with Mother Nature who seemed to hate them for no reason. Hell, Tatsuo was even active in the harvest this year.

The attendant appeared in their doorway with a friendly smile and a worried word. What he said only made Tatsuo feel even more uneasy about their predicament.

Didn't think they'd wake up? Yeesh.

"Uhm, excuse me." Tatsuo called from his part of the room. "This is the Kouton Shrine, correctly? We were on a trip to visit here anyway. Although our trip may have been a little too exciting, I'm glad you and yours took care of us. Thank you." He bowed deep before straightening himself out and looking at Mitsuo.

"I'm feeling fine, in all honestly. My friend, however, seems to be a little bit more banged and bruised up. Thank you particularly for making sure he was alright because of my call to jump into the river away from the wolves." Tatsuo finished strapping all of his clothing and gear to his person from the chair.

The shrineman chuckled and shook his head. "My, my. That quite explains why you were found on the side of the lake located downstream from the mountains. There is no worry now, children, we shall take care of you. Is there any part of you which is injured considerably? I am one of the few here who is well versed in taking care of patients."

[Yura]

Mitsuo bowed with Tatsuo, conveying his thanks for what the monks had done for them after they had passed out. He winced a little as he straightened his back, his back muscles giving him a twinge of pain. "Well, if we hadn't jumped into the river, we wouldn't have gotten away from the wolves," Mitsuo said in response to Tatsuo's statement, "A few bumps and bruises are a bit better than being torn apart by wolves."

Mitsuo was hesitant at first when the monk approached him. Though his mother was a nurse, he was never one to admit when he was injured and usually tried to just power through it. Then again, this monk was likely the same monk that had been treating them for the last few days now (or however long they had been there), so there didn't seem much point in pretending that he wasn't injured.

"I think I bruised my elbow up pretty badly when I was in the river," Mitsuo said as he held his arm out to the monk, "And my back seems a little tight, hurts a little when i move too fast. But I can probably cure that with a good stretch or something."

"Nonsense," The monk replied as he looked over Mitsuo's elbow, "There's no point in suffering when something can be done. Here, lay down on your stomach." He said, gesturing to the cot that Mitsuo had been laying on. With a weary side look at Tatsuo, Mitsuo laid down on the cot as instructed.

"Just try and relax," The monk said has he began performing handseals, "You wont feel a thing." As he finished his handseals, several long, thin needles made of metal began to form in his hands. He then began to place each needle in a specific spot on Mitsuo's back, making him wince a little with each prick. Soon, however, the dull pain in his back began to fade, signalling that the monk's technique was working. "There, how's that feel?" The monk asked after placing the last needle.

"A lot better actually." Mitsuo replied, feeling the pain dull, "Thank you." He said, sitting up from the cot.

"Good, now let me see that elbow." He said, once again forming handseals. With the final seal, his hands began to flow and as he grasped Mitsuo's elbow in his hands, the chuunin could feel the monk's chakra begin to effect the bruise on his elbow.

"My name is Michi, by the way." The monk said as he ran his hands along Mitsuo's elbow, "So you two were on your way here when you ended up in that river?" He asked, looking over at Tatsuo, "May I ask what for?"

[Niro]

The monk finished his examination and treatment of Mitsuo, his glowing green palm easing and healing the wounds on his elbow in seconds as chakra flowed into the afflicted area. The damaged skin and muscle regained its normal color and soon the elbow was as good as new. Tatsuo breathed a sigh of relief that his friend was not seriously harmed and would be as good as new going forward.

The monk asked why they had been heading for the temple in the first place and Tatsuo's face grew a little red. "It was the first time either of us were able to link up on our off schedules. We've been trying to visit for years since we've both been interested in Kouton for a while. I know some of the basics taught in Iwagakure but nothing else." Tatsuo admitted with a frown. "We were hoping to be taught something by those who study the element. There's things we wish to do with the element but we have no idea how to shape or mold it by ourselves."

"Ah, that does explain a lot." Michi answered back. He stroked his chin with a free hand as he got up and paced around the room for a moment. "You children have journeyed quite a ways and seemed to have dealt with quite the predicament during those travels. I believe these feats along at least entitle you to attempt our challenge to learn the ways of manipulating Kouton."

Michi moved to exit the room and into the hallway, beckoning for the boys to follow after him. Once they joined him outside of the room, the monk led them down the hallways within the shrine and down several flights of steps into a stone basement.

Well, that was an understatement. Michi had taken the boys down to what seemed to be a cavern well-lit by torches lined along the walls. "Are you ready to learn of the task you must complete to gain the knowledge you seek?"

[Yura]

Mitsuo nodded along as Tatsuo explained the reason for their trip to the monk. As Michi ran his hands along his elbow, Mitsuo could feel the pain fadding away and watched as the bruise slowly disappeared from his arm. A few moments later, the pale green glow around Michi's hands faded and Mitsuo's arm felt as good as new.

"That feels so much better," He said, bending his arm several times, "Thank you."

The kouton monk gave him a little smile and a nod of acknowledgement before standing up and exiting the room. Giving his genin partner a quick glance, Mitsuo stood up, grabbing his cloak, and followed Michi down the hall. Silent as they moved through the shrine, Michi led the boys through several hallways and down several flights of stairs before entering a basement room that appeared to be more of a dungeon.

Mitsuo gave Tatsuo a quick glance after the monk posed his question, confirming what he already knew. "We're ready." Mitsuo stated firmly. He wasn't sure what to expect, but whatever it was they would complete it.

With a simple nod, Michi began performing handseals before slamming his foot into the ground. Within moments, three humanoid forms began to rise from the ground before solidifying into the form of three soldiers made entirely out of metal. "This is your task. These three soldiers will test your abilities. Defeat them, and you will be allowed to stand before our grand leaders who will decide if you are worthy of our training."

Mitsuo shot Tatsuo another look before looking back at their opponents. Made entirely of metal, the three jutsu soldiers stood motionless, awaiting an order from their creator. Mitsuo wasn't sure what to expect. Seeing as these creations were jutsu created by Michi, the abilities of these creations could be wide ranging. Regardless, however, he was determined to beat them.

Mitsuo gave Michi a nod, confirming his commitment to the challenge. "I wish you luck." Michi said softly, returning the nod, "Begin!" he bellowed. His soldiers leapt into action, charging straight at the pair of shinobi.

---

Monk JutsuShow

Soldier of Steel: Brawler
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the needed handseals, the user will flood the ground around them with Kouton chakra and summon a creation made of metal. This creation takes the form of a stone humanoid soldier, approximately 6 feet tall, who comes equipped with what appears to be light armor made entirely out of metal. This creation's primary purpose is to attack the target that the user specifies with an array of straight forward taijutsu attacks using its fists. This creation can travel up to a quarter of a mile from the user. The stats for this creation are as follows:
Taijutsu: 6
Stamina: 3
Strength: 9
Speed: 9

[Niro]

Tatsuo shifted into a more combat ready stance as the three metal soldiers spawned from the ground. He nodded to the monk as his symbol of readiness and channeled a minute amount of chakra to the necessary shiin. The purple bio-armor spawned, covering his head and body in seconds as the three soldiers bore down on them.

The opaque purple armor dully reflected the light of the torches off of it. Tatsuo held his ground as the three soldiers came at them and then finally dodged to the left and away from Mitsuo. His dodge placed his to the left of their former position and caused one of the soldiers to miss a punch before following after him. The remaining two soldiers split off and went off Mitsuo.

Tatsuo closed the distance this time, even if he was slower than usual, and launched a punch at the things face. It countered with a punch of its own and Tatsuo grunted as their fists connected. The thing was almost as equal strong as he was, this would be a fun fight. For now, he had to concentrate on his own soldier and not worry about Mitsuo. With a grunt, Tatsuo shot another fist at the beast aimed at its stomach which it did not dodge.

The construct buckled for a moment and Tatsuo disengaged to look over at how Mitsuo was doing with his own set of soldiers.

SpoilerShow

~Basic Formation: Astrashiin
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Type: Astrashiin
Channeling chakra to their shiin, they cause it to inflate, fully forming into its full glory. Taking the form of a helmet, the astrashiin is perhaps the weakest of the shiin, having only half the Akari's strength and stamina.

~Basic Formation: Lacrishiin
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Type: Lacrishiin
Channeling chakra to their shiin, they cause it to inflate, fully forming into its full glory. Taking the form of an almost opaque glass armor, the lacrishiin almost completely covers the user's body. As a pseudoarmor, the lacrishin has no inherent strength, but has a stamina equal to the Akari's stamina+3, while causing the Akari to move at 3 less speed.

[Yura]

Mitsuo dashed to the right just as Tatsuo dashed to the left, giving the pair ample room to fight their own fights. As one of the metal constructs turned its attention towards Tatsuo, the other two directed themselves towards Mitsuo, effectively making it a 2 on 1. As they closed in on him, Mitsuo tried to decide on the best course of action. Created by the monk, the constructs were essentially mindless drones who wouldn't be effected by any of his techniques designed to inflict pain, and being made of kouton their bodies would not only be durable, but they would also ignore the damaging effects of his youton techniques due to kouton's passive ability. That meant that several of his techniques were essentially useless against these things.

I have to separate them, Mitsuo thought to himself as he formed a few quick handseals, slamming his foot into the ground with the final seal. The ground underneath the feet of one of the constructs suddenly shot up as it ran, catching one of its feet and binding it to the floor, causing the construct to topple over. The binding wouldn't be able to hold the construct for very long, but it had already done what it needed to do: Separate them.

As the remaining construct charged at him, Mitsuo formed several more handseals, causing his hands to suddenly become coated in metal. Having finally closed the distance, metal construct 'A' threw a simple front punch aimed for Mitsuo's face. Leaning back and parrying the punch, Mitsuo threw and uppercut aiming at what would be a normal target's lower ribcage, twisting on the balls of his feet to add strength to the strike. The strike created a large dent in the construct's side and sent it tumbling backwards several feet before it regained its footing and charged at him once again.

As he dodged and parried several more strikes, Mitsuo came to realize that the construct's taijutsu prowess was fairly basic and while its was fast and strong, he was faster and stronger. Parrying another punch, Mitsuo lifted his right leg and brought it down on the construct's left knee with a powerful snap kick. With the construct's joints being similar to a real human's, Mitsuo's kick caused the construct's knee to first crack and then break through completely, severing the leg at the knee. With it's balance lost, the construct tumbled to its 'knees', giving Mitsuo the opportunity to deliver a powerful uppercut to the construct's face, denting it in and causing several large fractures to appear around the dent as the constructs body lifted from the ground, landing lifelessly several feet away.

One down

---

JutsuShow

*Doton • Binding Formation
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After channeling doton chakra into their foot the user will slam the ground within 3 meters of a target's feet with their heel, causing a formation of rock to shoot upwards at a speed of 6 binding the target's feet at a strength of 4.

*Kouton • Steel Fists
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals, the user will coat their hands in a silvery metal. This hardens their hands considerably, allowing them to punch and fight with their fists as if they had +3 strength. The metal causes their fists to become less dextrous, however, and reduces their taijutsu by 3. This is, however, unable to protect the user from attacks as the metal coating is too thin.

*Knee Bender
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: 10 Strength
The user gets up and close with this attack and delivers a powerful snap kick to the opponent's knee hoping to bending it backwards completely dislocating it or breaking the joint all together. This causes their opponent unable to stand on the afflicted leg without having trouble with balance. This also causes immense pain in the opponent's joint area making the injury hard to heal naturally. The user must have 5 higher Strength than the opponent's strength to be successful with this jutsu.

[Niro]

Tatsuo and the metal construct once again clashed together and threw a flurry of punches at each other. Punches landed on both parties but nothing to make the other submit or to stop the fight. The striking continued on until Tatsuo moved past a gap in the soldiers defense and began to grapple with it. They were near identical in strength which caused neither party to truly move or submit. However it seemed Tatsuo had more wind in his sails than the construct. Tatsuo released his hold on the metal soldier and rolled forward to let it stumble past him and to the ground as its center of gravity became unbalanced.

Tatsuo knew few ninjutsu to aid his arsenal of taijutsu. The Raiton he knew would do little to the construct due to its base element, Kouton. Anything he would throw at it would be shrugged off unless it toppled the tin man with overwhelming force. It really only left taijutsu for him to rely on. Tatsuo groaned upon realizing this as he set a stance and concentrated for a moment, a large purple tail and several purple tendrils erupting from his lower back.

The construct came at him again, metal fists ready and waiting to pummel him to paste. Tatsuo sealed quickly and touched the ground, a skin of stone enveloping him and his shiin. Tatsuo wasted no time with his slowed form, reaching high into the sky with his shiin as the construct bore down on him. In a flash, all of his shiin came crashing down on the metal soldier.

They beat the tin man around before finally concentrating on its stomach and comboing into a piercing attack tearing it apart. Tatsuo panted a little bit as he looked over at Mitsuo who was down to only one metal soldier at this point.

SpoilerShow

~Basic Formation: Melashiin
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Type: Melashiin
Channeling chakra to their shiin, they cause it to inflate, fully forming into its full glory. Taking the shape of a long fleshy protrusion, the melashiin is able to recover at double the rate of a normal body part would. The strength and durability of a melashiiin are equal to 3/4ths of the user's strength and stamina.

~Basic Formation: Temershiin
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Type: Temershiin
Channeling chakra to their shiin, they cause it to inflate, fully forming into its full glory. The temershiin takes the shape of a wide and powerful tail. The strength and durability of a temershiin are equal to the user's strength and stamina.]

Multi-Slam
C-rank Maneuver Taijutsu
Tatsuo will ready both his Melashiin and Temershiin as he goes at or allows someone to come at him. Both of his shiin will be raised above his head as he either charges or stands his ground which will turn into a flurry of slams that will rain down on his opponent, forcing them to bend or shortly stun them if they have less strength than he.

Doton - Hardening
D-Ranked Doton Jutsu
Prerequisite: Shiin
After performing the required hand seals, the user will place their hands on the ground and infuse the immediate ground below them with their chakra. The now infused area will rise up and encase itself around the users shiin which will add +3 strength to their blows but also slow them down by -3 speed.

[Yura]

As Mitsuo silently celebrated his victory over the first construct, he was suddenly struck by the fist of the second which had apparently broken away from the doton binding faster than Mitsuo had anticipated. Guess that you teach him to celebrate early. Tumbling to the side, Mitsuo quickly brought himself up into a small crotch just in time to dodge the constructs incoming kick by diving and rolling out of the way.

Like with the first construct, Mitsuo figured that he would likely be stronger, faster, and more skilled than the single metal construct, meaning that he should be able to overpower this one just like he had the last. Lifting himself from a crouch to a strong, stable stance with his arms wide and body slightly turned, Mitsuo suddenly charged at the construct, the metal creation having only just turned to begin charging at him again. Having closed the distance between them, Mitsuo slammed both of his fists hard into the sides of the construct, creating dents where his fists hit before grabbing on. Lifting the construct above his head, Mitsuo forcefully slammed the construct down onto the ground. As the construct's body bounced violently on the ground, Mitsuo lifted his leg and brought his foot down on the constructs face/head with all of his might, causing it to dent and then break off, effectively decapitating it.

Stumbling back a bit, Mitsuo lifted his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow as he looked over for the first time to see if Tatsuo had finished the third one. Finding that his friend had managed to dispatch the final construct, Mitsuo turned his attention to the monk.

"So did we pass?"

---

JutsuShow

*[Totem Style • Bear's Endurance]
D-Ranked Taijutsu Stance
The user takes a stable stance with their arms wide and their legs slightly past their shoulders. They are turned slightly so either shoulder is facing their opponent. This stance emphasizes powerful sweeping blows that are designed to break bones and cause great damage. Defense is resilience and forcing through to cause your own strikes to land through theirs.

*[Totem Style • Bear's Slam]
C-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: *Totem Style • Bear's Endurance
The user charges forward in a surge of speed for momentum. When able they will bring both arms around in powerful slams to either side of their target's body. From here they will lift them up over their head before coming back down in a powerful slam against the ground. If done right their opponent will most likely have broken ribs and a shattered spine or skull.

[Niro]

Tatsuo released his shiin, the bioweapons receding as they were dismissed. His own construct had been defeated and reduced to rubble, similar to the two soldiers which had been directed at Mitsuo. Speaking of those two, both of the steel golems had been destroyed with their heads being crushed in and dented like tin cans.

"Good work." Tatsuo called to his friend as they approached Michi again, who was bearing a large smile.

"I am glad! We have not had many visitors who could best even this challenge for quite some time. The winter season chases away many." Michi admitted as he clasped his hands together. "Let us go and visit the elder, he shall admit to you the next step."

Michi waved the boys to follow him as he left the dungeon, the kouton constructs crumbling even further as the man's chakra was removed from them. Tatsuo nodded to his friend before following after the priest.

Michi guided the boys through the temple and showing them various different rooms throughout it. The floor they had their exam on was the lower level where many such tests were performed. The second floor housed their infirmary and barracks while the third floor contained the utilities for the temple. On the fourth floor was the Head Priests room where Michi was taking the boys. The fourth floor served as the Head Priests personal space and no one else lived there.

The priest guided them up several flights of stairs, being sure to explain each floor to the boys now that they had passed the exam and everyone else was awake. Finally, the came upon the last floor and Michi knocked quietly on the ornately decorated door leading into the man's office.

"Come in!" A voice called and Michi led them into the room, a smile on his face. "What do you kids want?" The elder man called, his hand resting on the large dog resting at his knee whose attention was on the two boys. He was sitting behind a desk made of wood, several forms and papers strewn across it. His clothing was similar to Michi's yet more decorative to indicate his status as head of the temple.

"They are shinobi from Iwagakure, sir. They come bearing our blessing." Michi replied for them. "I, personally, believe there is no reason for these young men to not receive it. They've come quite a ways."

"Have they now?" The old man answered, resting his chin on his palm.

Michi nodded at Tatsuo to explain and took a step back.

Tatsuo stepped forward in response and began. "Um, hello...what Michi has said is correct. We're shinobo from Iwagakure, we know a little bit of Kouton manipulation and were hoping to receive your help in learning more about how to create and use the element. We, uh, picked a poor time of the year due to our conflicting schedules. It seems we angered both a bear and a pack of wolves on our way through the mountains and we had to deal with them. Thank you and your men for pulling us from the river and helping us, we truly appreciate it." Tatsuo bowed quickly and held it before shooting back up. "Ah, we, uh, also took Michi's test and passed."

The elder raised an eyebrow as he listened to Tatsuo speak of their travel and how they had passed Michi's own combat exam. "That is quite the travel and explains why you were found as you were. And you passed Michi's exam? I am impressed, many people do not realize how strong those little minions can be and allow them to be ganged up on." One last time he looked over at Michi and asked, "Are you sure?" The younger priest nodded in the affirmative which resulted in the elder to get up from his position behind the desk.

He was a short man and it was evident the seat had added much to his perceived height. He grasped a wooden walking stick as he walked over to the two boys. The elder smiled before knocking both boys over the head with his stick and then starting a chant in a language neither of the boys could recognize.

Tatsuo rubbed his head as the man mumbled on and although he felt nothing, he would trust in their process.

"There!" He exclaimed as he finished his chanting, "I expect you boys to come visit during the year and to come help out every once in a while. We shall be teaching you the ways of Kouton manipulation, I have only granted you the ability to shape it as you please. Michi, they are free to go." The elder finished before turning back to his desk and shooing the party from his chamber.

[Yura]

Mitsuo stood silently as Tatsuo spoke to the head monk and bowed with him to convey his thanks for being saved from the river. While one may have found it to be odd that he didn't speak, there really wasn't much for the chuunin to add. Tatsuo had summed it all up fairly nicely.

Mitsuo hadn't expected the thwack over the head from the monk's walking cane. He shot Tatsuo a questioning look as he rubbed the spot that the monk had struck. He questioned whether or not the strike was actually part of some iron monk ritual or if was simply and old man taking a shot and having some fun. It was not a question that he was going to voice, however, as he didn't want to do any damage to their currently beneficial situation. When the monk's chanting stopped, Mitsuo couldn't really say that he felt any different than before it had started, minus the slight throbbing coming from the spot on his head where the monk had hit him. Nonetheless, he accepted what the monk told them to be true and hoped that he had truly granted them the power to freely manipulate kouton.

"Thank you sir," Mitsuo said as he bowed once again, "We will be sure to visit you all regularly for training." With that Mitsuo gave Tatsuo a quick nod and followed Michi out of the room.

---

"Are you sure you boys can't stay?" Michi asked as the boys collected the rest of their few remaining belongings from their room in the infirmary, "We could have the guest quarters set up for you both and begin training you in the true art of Kouton."

"That sounds great," Mitsuo replied as he pulled on his long jacket, "But I'm afraid that if we don't get back the village will probably come looking for us." he reluctantly admitted, "We only scheduled about a week for this trip and since it took us the better part of two days to get here and then we were unconscious for another day or two, we've only got a few days left to make it back to the village."

"Ah, well, I suppose it can't be helped then," Michi replied, clearly disappointed, "I wouldn't want you boys to be labelled as rogues of the village." As Michi spoke, a younger monk, likely around Mitsuo's age, approached the room carrying a pair of what appeared to be travel packs. "I have taken the liberty of having some supplies put together for your journey home." Michi said, taking the packs from the young monk and holding them out to the boys, "You should try not to lose these ones." He said with a little chuckle.

"Wow," Mitsuo managed to get out as he took the pack from Michi, "I don't know what to say other than thank you," he said with a short bow.

"Oh don't mention it." The monk replied, "I've also had two of our travel mules prepared to take you back to the village. whenever you are ready"

"Oh right," Mitsuo said, with a sort of grimace, "We are going to have to explain the loss of our mules to the village."

"Well, if you manage to keep these two alive, you can offer them to the village as repayment for the ones you lost." Michi replied, "You'll just have to make it up to us the next time you are here."

Mitsuo gave the monk yet another bow of gratitude before looking over and giving Tatsuo a short nod. When both boys were ready to leave, Michi would lead them through the complex to where their pack mules awaited.

"Since we won't be able to begin your training here, I expect you both to begin exploring your new abilities in the art of kouton." Michi would say as he led them down the hallways, "I want to see what you both can do the next time you come to visit."

[Niro]

Tatsuo and Mitsuo followed Michi down the hallways of the temple as they were led to where the temple's own mules where located. Michi had done them a great thanks by having some packs and mules prepared for them; their own supplies and mules having been destroyed and well...eaten by the wildlife of Rock Country as they passed through it to the steppes. "Michi, thank you. Truly." Tatsuo told the man as they walked into the stables and hefted the travel pack onto his back rather than holding it in his arms.

Eight stables lined the room and Michi was quick to procure two mules for the boys. They were quickly prepared for two riders and handed over to the boys. "Well then, I shall see you when the winter months end. We look forward to seeing you." Michi smiled and then bowed to the boys before retreating back into the temple.

Tatsuo looked over to his friend and smiled wide. Their trip so far had been a success even if they had a difficult time getting here. "Well, I guess it's time to start on home. This time we can take it slow and not sleep in any dangerous areas." Tatsuo gave a nervous chuckle before digging his heels lightly into the mule and urging it forward and towards Iwagakure.