[PB] Land of Monkeys

[Zao]

PB Link After activating the space transfer array within the depths mountain the four shinobi found themselves being transported through space once more but this trip was more turbulent and violent to the point that it caused the group to black out. Then after some unknown amount of time the group would start to awaken to find themselves within a large meadow filled with shin high grass. It was almost like laying in a soft bed as when one opened their eyes they would see a beautiful blue sky that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a complete one eighty from the previous realm the shinobi had just escaped from, the war torn realm of Minotaur to this almost peaceful place that seemed to be untouched by war.

As the white haired man opened his eyes he had to push the hair from his face, he was unsure how long they had been here or hold long he'd been unconcious during the space-time travel the group had been through but he found that his hair was about three inches longer then it had been. While strange he couldn't help but immediately set up, though his body was a bit sluggilsh as if it hadn't been used in some time as it took a few moments to make it set up. To his surprise this place was completely not like the previous spirit realm and it looked more like a few places he had traveled trhough when moving through the country of Grass.

But as he looked around he could tell that this was something strange about the place, the plants beneath their bodes was indeed some type of grass but it was one he had never seen and the trees were oddly huge in the distance standing at least a hundred meters in height as the young man made an assumption based on their long distance away from the group. The former shinobi's bright blue gaze looked down at his hands and clothing that were still dirty and bloody from the battles before and their time within the mountain looking for an exit. Though what surprised him the most was that the wound on his should had healed, as their were gaps through the former bandaging as only a large scar was there to remind him of the terrible memory of how he recieved that wound; from behind to weak.

The faint sigh that slipped through the young man's thin lips was hardily audible to anyone not right next to Zao but it contained a sorrowful tone as the man lifted his eyes to the sky. His thoughts had temporarily drifted back to that moment when he was unable to save the young medic chuunin from her terrible fate that day on the battlefiield. Shaking his head he then cast his gaze over to his surroundings to check on the three shinobi who were still alive and with him at this point in time...

[WrightJustice]

Nori had remained silent throughout the entire venture through the cave in the bullmen's mountain, simply sighing with displeasure and angst once they finally found the familiar pedestal which he had cautiously poured his chakra into once again before being whisked away to the new world.

Once the black clothed man finally awoke, truly unsure how long it had been, he became filled with even more dismay for the tall grass and alienating surroundings meant they where clearly not back in the human world like he hoped and so he couldn't help but sit and stair in silence for a good moment as he tried to stifle his frustration if only for a little bit.
"Its not Zao's fault" he solemnly thought to himself over and over having had time to mull things over a bit in the cave, though it still felt somewhat untrue since it was his idea to research these things and yet the man could've never have known they would be brought to these spirit worlds and Nori did agree, plus things went wrong on missions all the time.

In the end the frustrated man let out a grumbling moan and a deep sigh and finally stood up and got a proper look around, though it was difficult to see anything but grassy fields but at least the team was easy enough to spot as each one of them stood up one by one... just that it was one short compared to... No he had to try and forget that, at least until they figured a true way home but when they did they would have to explain... Explain something so sad... Something he knew all too well...
"Ughh..." he grumbled once more before facing his white clothed friend who actually looked somewhat better himself since transporting.

With a slow, solemn walk the black clothed youth approached the man he tried to maintain as a friend, after all the man couldn't have known what would happen and it was his own lack of skill that also failed to save the young medic and without friends he would get nowhere which he had to also remember from when his mother died; there would be no pushing away close ones this time.
Once he reached his comrades he gave a kind of awkward smile as a sign he was starting to move passed what had occurred, though he was still clearly upset and it was just that they needed to push on and hopefully find a way back and with luck this new land would be much more friendly for that was the feeling it seemed to give at the very least.

[Zao]

'My strength was lacking to much...' Zao silently shook his head as he could catch the movements of his three remaining companions now starting to gain their bearing and slowly stand up to take in the strange new world that held some similarities to their own home world. Shifting the long locks of snow white hair from in front of his face the man was able to realize that a long gap of time had passed between when they stepped into the teleporter and when they had arrived here in what ever realm they were currently within. Reaching across with the right hand he rubbed the left shoulder were only a scar remained from the encounter in the land of Minotaur and slowly rolled the shoulder backwards and forwards a few times as he finally stood up now.

Tidying himself up a bit the man reached down with the now healed left hand and grabbed hold of the rough looking pack and slung it lightly up onto the left shoulder before exhaling slowly and turning around to once more face the trio of men who had made the journey here. It was as if he wanted to say something to the men, something that he wasn't able to due within the depths of the mountain, some sort of consoling words or anything really but nothing would come out of his mouth at that moment. Shaking his head the man's normally bright blue eyes appeared a bit dim in their hue as he simply waved his hand after seeing that they appeared to be fine and turned his back to them.

He was staring off towards the closet tree line from their position in this meadow where they had 'landed', seeing as their wasn't any type of marking or directions for them to follow the only thing one could do at this point was to pick a single direction and walk. Shrugging the back onto his right should as well at this point the man was still filled with thoughts of weakness and uncertainty and lastly a sense of how overconfident he had been to bring chuunin along with him on this adventure of his that had quickly turned into a nightmare for the group.

Biting at the left corner of his lips the man turned his head to look over his shoulder now and took in the three young men behind him, making a silent promise to himself at that moment that he would use all of his power to make sure each and every one of them made it back to the sandy soil of their proud village: Suna. "My friends, I must apologize for my weakness in not being able to save your friend. But I can promise that if it is within my power I will make sure that I bring all of you three back home." With those lightly spoken words the man began to walk forward one step at a time through the thick grass toward the enormous trees in the distance.

His plan going forward was that they needed to build some situational awareness of where they were and what the terrain was like around them in order to allow for them to make smart decisions on where to travel to next. The large trees were a prime opportunity to move into a high position that would allow for the group to hopefully be able to see for quite a long distance in every direction. Hopefully at that point they would at least be able to put together a goal for themselves....

[WrightJustice]

Nori moved toward the man he tried to maintain as friend and it clearly started to dawn on him how much better the man looked; the wounds were not only no longer bloodied but complete scars began to peer through the bandages, plus there was the fact that Zao's hair was clearly longer and he had some amount of stubble that clearly did not suit him at all.

As the Special Jounin noticed these things he couldn't help but slide his hand through what should've been short and wavy hair only to find it was more of a mess with his sides and back more grown, which was very surprising indeed and caused the young male to truly wonder how long it had taken them to arrive in this place and how long they had been lying on the ground.

Once he got a feel of his head the black clothed man also glanced around at the remaining chuunin to try and glean how they may have changed, though as he looked he filled with horror as his hand slid down to his face and felt his own very uneven stubble also starting to come in which he completely hated and wished gone as soon as possible.
However his horror only seemed to expand as he then started to wonder if his makeup was even intact and if his face resembled anything it would normally to everyone else in the world, as such he truly began to feel like hiding away until it was fixed but there was nothing he could do but move on and head toward the trees just like his companions.

Taking his first steps toward the trees as that seemed to be Zao's intended destination, the solemn, black clothed man already felt himself moving beyond the medics death thanks to the odd distractions but distractions where all they where and so he couldn't forget her completely until a good amount of time had passed and so he simply gave a quiet nod at his friend's comment and followed onward.

[Zao]

Turning once more to glance at his friend and the other two shinobi behind him the man gave a half, forced, smile and then with a simple nod allowed for his hands to reach up and adjust the straps on the worn looking pack. Moving at a speed that was only a bit faster than traditional walking speed the group had underestimated the distance to the trees having thought only twenty or thirty minutes would be needed to traverse the meadow region only to find out that it took nearly double that time to do so. The reason become rather obvious upon actually arriving at the base of the tree line to see that these trees were monster size that it was even to the point that Zao was taken back without a word to say after seeing them despite all his adventuring.

But after the brief moment of shock when they encountered the smaller outer region of trees that were easily fifteen to twenty meters across the young man could only smile before reaching up to brush the abnormally long locks of white hair, for him, out of his bright blue gaze. He had been looking for signs of animals or other inhabitants but didn't see any tracks or old trails. Their main goals in this type of survival situation were to find food, water, and some shelter as it was already around noon time with the sun beginning to reach its apex position in the bright blue sky above them at the moment. Yet, despite that the temperature was rather decent as the former shinobi hadn't even broke a sweat but was starting to feel the effects of hunger as his stomach was quietly rumbling causing him to glance down at it.

"Nori, we should try to get up onto the top of this canopy and try to figure out our next move." Turning to his friend shortly after entering into the shade provided by the unbelievably tall trees that resembled red woods the white haired young man spoke in a calm manner. A friendly smile on his face as he spoke again, "Care to accompany me? The others can rest for a bit here while we work on a plan." As he spoke of the two chuunin with them he shifted his brilliant blue eyes onto each of them, able to tell that the pair had their thoughts still lingering on the loss of their comrade. But he had no comforting words for the pair of men as this was something they would have to work through and learn to deal with as in the life of a shinobi he had lost several good friends, as well.

Only by learning how to deal with these type of emotions would they be able to grow as shinobi and men. A light sigh slipped through his lips as he turned and chakra could be seen faintly emitting from the bottom of each shinobi sandal as the then man seemed to lean from side to side before leaping upwards and using the trees to climb through the use of the basic tree walking skill. Though this journey would be a long one despite the pair of shinobi being experienced ninja, the climb still took several minutes as the trees in this region were a couple hundred meters tall and these were the shorter trees within this forest. Though, as they finally reached the top and broke through the thick canopy and into the almost blinding sunlight they would see a beautiful see of a mountain range on the other side of the forest.

Despite its vast distance a large monastery like structure was build into the mountain with a large bell also build into the mountain side and at this moment a powerful and loud donging of the bell swept past them. It was almost like a wave of pressure had hit them but one had to try and estimate the distance the bell had to be over forty or fifty kilometers away from their current location. Was this some sort of special item? "This place feels truly special, my friend."

[WrightJustice]

Nori also forced a smile of some such as he appeared unusually bashful and shy, still feeling somewhat conscious of his looks given the odd passage of time but also still feeling easy about their situation just as everyone else seemed to do for it was difficult to push out the death of such a young talent from ones thoughts.

The sandy haired man did however become filled with quite a lot of shock and awe as the group inched closer and closer to the majestically tall trees; trees where such a rare site for a Suna citizen to begin with so ones as large as this where a wonderful marvel, thus for a moment they even eased the curious male's mind over the matter of death until he was reminded he was still on a mission and that they had to figure out their surroundings.

"Of course" Nori finally spoke in reply to his friend, feeling a little better after taking in the grandiose before him.
"Lets be off then" he added, though he looked down a little embarrassed as he also felt the rumblings of his own stomach before flowing chakra down into his own feet.
With hunger dawning upon them the pair made haste up the massive tree, dashing their way between the branches until they finally broke through the top and spotted a large mountain off in the distance just like before.
"Huh..." the black clothed man muttered as he took in the sights, though it wasn't long before his ears where booming instead as a powerful sound of ringing bells found its ways all the way from the mountain that appeared to house a shrine of sorts.
"Wow... Indeed so..." he replied in awe as he felt almost as if the chimes where travelling through his body and resonating with him.

[Zao]

'This place doesn't seem as though it has ever experienced war like the land of Minotaur, instead I can only feel a sensation of tranquility...' As the young man peered across the vast amount of massive trees that made up the forest between the two men's current position and the large bell and monastery in the distance Zao couldn't help but have a feeling of peace slowly creep into his heart just by seeing the bell in the distance and hearing its majestic sound enter into his mind. It was somewhat confusing for the man considering the feelings that were still tangled within his mind a few moments earlier as they ascended the giant tree.

The young man felt as though he was day dreaming for a moment and finally shook his head lightly left to right before refocusing his gaze onto the place that was undoubtedly going to become their next destination. Letting out a slow exhale the man managed to shift his gaze away from the bell and then back to Nori finally after the echo of the bell had finally faded away at this point. "My friend, what do you think?" While the man had his own thoughts on the matter he had turned to his friend in order to inquire about what he thought. "Should we make that place our destination?"

He didn't bother with beating around the bush and simply spoke his mind to the man who was one of his close friends at this point, seeing something that appeared to be civilization was a bit surprising but truly welcome after living on the battlefield for months straight before being transported to this place. Zao used his hand to push the long white hair found before his eyes as he looked at Niro for his response at this moment, he was stll trying to calculate how long the group had been trapped in the space-time tunnel for his wounds to have healed and hair to have grown to such a length.

Though their was something else that was on the man's mind as well, after this second trip through the space-time platform their were some mysteries about space and time that had suddenly appeared within his mind. But this was not all. After the two sessions of traveling between realms it was as if the mysterious platform had subconciously passed small bits of information to him during the time he was incontact with the strange item. Currenly the bits of information seemed to be just random bits of information and Zao began to wonder if the more the group was able to use these profound structures would he continue to gain more information about the origins of chakra and space-time...

[WrightJustice]

Nori felt the calm wave over him even after the bell toll ended which definitely helped him feel more at peace with his situation, though they still had to figure out where they where and how to move onward and first guess was same as before; the sacred looking mountain.

The black clothed man turned to his friend to listen to his question and what he thought and it simply cemented what the man was thinking himself, which in turn made him a little wary since it seemed these mountains where just transporting them around different spirit world but then they would never know if going would take them home or not until they tested it for themselves.

With a simple nod the lanky male gave a short sigh before replying in a somewhat solemn fashion "Hmm, I suppose it is our best bet just as the mountain before, plus..." his paused with his words as he looked down and felt his growling stomach.
"...Civilisation could help get us fed" he rounded off his words, sounding a little embarrassed.
His face a little red from appearing so hungry before his companions the sandy haired shinobi tried to get back on track and focused on what was to come, though thinking about travelling to the mountain and hopefully finding some space time back to their own home brought some confusion in the back of the man's mind as gobbledygook pieces of information started to surface.

Nori had zero knowledge on anything space-time related other than what he had experienced with Zao so the strange pieces of data that somehow appeared in his head made no sense to him and as such he was not sure it was anything coherent or meaningful, though Zao would surely be fine in deciphering such knowledge on his own.

[Zao]

“Hahaha.” A smile rapidly grew upon the man’s thin face before he could no longer keep it in and broke out in a short bout of laughter at his companion’s words, but he could not refute that it felt like ages since they had last eaten and even his own stomach grumbled lowly at the thought of real food. The group had little more than scrapes left on them after having to wonder through the underground cavern that was within the mountain that had in the end led them to another teleportation relic that allowed for them to escape in the end. After the bit of laughter was allowed to fill the air around him Zao exhaled slowly and turned his gaze from Nori back to the distance remnants of civilization that was the enormous monastery. “Yes, perhaps we can find some real food there. Let us return and tell the others then and sort through the last of our supplies.”

After confirming with his friend, Zao sweep his bright blue eyes across the horizon in a three hundred and sixty degree view as he surveyed the scene one last time before allowing for that same gaze to linger on the giant bell in the far distance. It was true that to him this place held the complete opposite aura then the world filled with battle they had managed to escape from and one could only hope that it was this way and that the group wouldn’t encounter too much danger within this strange spirit realm. But, whatever the group was to encounter in their future Zao would put his life on the line to protect those that remained and would hold the memory of the junior medic-nin and that moment of weakness on his own part within his heart forever.

It would take a bit less time than it had for the pair to descend from the great height were the two men would work with one another to attempt and explain the group’s current situation and the course of action for the immediate future of the group. Afterwards the four men took out their remaining rations, which were truly slim pickings, finishing those off to help give their bodies some much needed nutrients and energy for the journey head. It was at this point that the group set off not in the direction of their next checkpoint in this unimaginable adventure that had taken then from their own world into two spirit realms. But no one knew just how long they would have to continue traveling through these various realms or even if there was a method to escape back to their own home world, yet none of those shinobi present were willing to just lay down and accept death without trying to fight their way back to their loved ones.

“Time to set off my friends, stay close to Nori and I, neither of us are sure what dangers might lurk in this peaceful looking forest. But our destination, that monastery, is definitely not an ordinary place and those who live there will most likely be the same, not ordinary.” With Zao’s soft words spoken aloud to the group of two junior shinobis next to the two older shinobi, Nori and him, a confident smile emerged onto the white haired young man’s thin lips as he began to move. Yet, only after moving for a few hours into the forest as the surrounding area beneath the thick canopy about began to turn almost into night.

While it was not enough to complete obstruct them after all they were shinobi, it was enough to slow down their movement a bit in order to be able to survey their surrounds as they moved. It was at this point that while Zao’s body movements hadn’t changed his eyes were constantly shifting back and forth as his Mind’s Eye had spread out into the nearby area around the traveling group. Someone or something was following them as they moved through the tree line, off to their left about twenty or thirty meters in the dark forest was a robbed figure who concealed his face and body with the brown robe. This stranger only appeared to be observing them with his natural abilities but didn’t emit any sign of hostility or killing intent towards the group of young men, instead only curiosity. Something that was peculiar about this stranger was that a tail could be seen snaking out the back of the robe, a slender, white color fur tail.

[WrightJustice]

Nori couldn't help but form a lighthearted smile as his friend had a little chuckle about their situation which was quite refreshing, though they certainly did need to get a move on for they could not afford to waste anymore time given said situation and so after one more quick look around the area the pair dropped down from the trees and began explaining everything to the other two.

As they where pulling out their remaining rations the young Special Jounin thought about the possibility of scavenging for food along their travels, though they could not be very certain of the safety of the plant life in this realm it could be a good idea to keep an eye out for something at the very least.
"Perhaps we can try and find some berries or other plants to scavenge on our path, though I suppose we could never know how safe they would be and perhaps it would be a waste of time and energy but just finding something to help keep us going would be great so maybe we should be at least a little vigilante as we move" he explained his thought to the others as they began to piece together what scraps they had to eat.

With such thoughts out of the way and a good word from Zao about staying safe the group set off on their journey only to slow down at night, perhaps finding a place they could settle with people taking shifts to guard but that was down to the group since they could make it to civilisation faster if they continued onward.
Whatever they did Nori couldn't shake this feeling like they where possibly being followed, not that he could truly sense anything for it was nothing more than gut instinct and he was certain his friend would tell them if he detected anyone with his sensory techniques.

[Zao]

The pace of the group was neither slow or fast as they began to navigate forwards through the vast and enormous forest of what seemed like ancient trees, the canopy of the forest making it seem almost like night fall as the darkness make the trip a bit difficult within itself. Even after traveling for several hours the group felt as thought they truly hadn't been able to make to much progress as they were still surrounded by the same tall trees. But after about six hours of traveling they managed to come across something that they all truly needed even more so than food, water.

It was a fairly large stream of water that stretched about thirty meters across and could have more accurately been considered a river from their own observations but when compared to the massiveness of the surrounding scenery it almost appeared tiny by comparison. Stopping at the edge of the water, the sunlight was able to breach the thick net of leaves above them and shine down on portions of the water before them allowing for them to see that while it was fairly wide it appeared to only be a few meters in depth at its deepest part at their current location. The water appeared perfectly clear allowing one to easily see the both of the small river and the varying size fish that drifted back and forth within the water. Not only had they found what appeared to be clean drinking water but they had also found a potential source of food for the group.

"It would seem that we have finally encountered some luck my friend." Standing at the edge of the shimmering surface of the water the man had extended his hand outwards to feel the warmth of the sunlight that pierced through the canopy above their heads like individual spot lights as it descended from above onto the constantly moving surface of the body of water. His words were spoken to his friend Nori as he turned with a smile that revealed a feeling of relieve that they would be able to actually gather up something to eat. "Can you guys gather some of the nearby dried up limbs to start a fire while we catch some of these fish?" "Oh course!" Zao then turned to his other side and spoke to the pair of chuunin who instantly responded, the excitement in their voice was unable to be hidden as this would be the first cooked food that they were privileged to enjoy in quite some time.

The white haired man swept a few stray locks of hair from before his bright blue eyes as he couldn't help but hold the same smile on his thin lips for a few seconds after the response of the two younger men before they began to wander a short distance away to start gathering up some timber to use as fire wood and cooking sticks. But it was only a few minutes later that they heard one of the young men call out to them that he had found what looked like barriers from a nearby bush and had brought them back to the two older shinobi, Nori and Zao, who were working on catching fish. Within his right hand was a small number of purple colored berries that were about half an inch in size.

Even with the number of places that the scholarly young man have traveled to he was unable to recognize the berry and could only assume that it was something unique to this realm. Yet, this left him unable to decipher wither or not the small fruit was poisonous or not, despite how much they were looking for quick snacks and stuff that could be brought with them along their current journey towards the massive bell and monastery. "I wouldn't eat that if I was you all...their are rather poisonous little things." It was at that moment that from above them setting on a branch a somewhat deep voice that should belong to an elderly sounding individual descended upon the group.

Though he wore the clothing of a monk his face and hands were covered in grayish fur and a meter long tall could be seen lightly curled around the branch as he leaned forwards and appeared to fall off the branch only to be caught by the tall allowing for him to hand upside down with his hands now placed behind his back. This was not a man but instead a human sized monkey and one who appeared to have some age on him just based on the facial features one was able to make out along with his voice and color of the fur upon the visible portions of the spirit's body. Zao who actually had a fish within his hands at the moment dropped it to the ground as with a movement of his hand with drew a fiery red hue sword from a sheath along the side of his rough looking pack.

This was more an instinctive move than anything as this person had been able to approach them without either Nori or himself realizing it, but he would slowly lower the weapon as he realized that the monkey spirit had not attacked them and had instead offered them a useful piece of information. "Senior, thank you for the words of advice." Feeling as though this stranger wasn't hostile to the group the former jounin began to carefully put away the spirit weapon and allow for his eyes to take in the strange figure before them. It would appear that they had been transported to the realm of primates, perhaps. "It would seem that phenomenon was caused by you four being transported here, it's been a very long time since a human has came to our Realm." The old monkey's words revealed that their had indeed been another who had traveled to their realm before their group, it most likely had been the man who created the space-time platforms that they had used to get here...

[WrightJustice]

The hunger was briefly tamed as the group walked but scraps where only scraps so it soon came back, yet they had to push on and as luck would have it they finally found what appeared to be some kind of large river full of fish no less.

Nori turned and nodded affirmatively toward his friend as the white haired man brought up how lucky they where to find such a wondrous thing in such a large and confusing forest. As he nodded the black clothed man's eyes lit up with delight, breaking his usual stern face thanks to dropping his guard due to hunger.

With said hunger on the Special Jounin's mind he instantly went over to that which appeared to be a river though was likely just a stream in this world, almost taking Zao's words as a command for himself to get busy just as the chuunin had done though he did not have a real clue on how to fish at all since it was not a normal activity for Suna never mind himself.

Nonetheless the lanky man set a plan in motion as he moved toward the water and flowed his hand through it just to feel it before scanning for fish. Once he found some he started channelling some chakra and corralled a bunch of them in a small area with his vectors whereupon his shining bright companion could then capture them with ease.

However the pair turned their attention to the chuunin that seemed to have found some berries, though Nori only turned his head to look and remained focused on the fish until was startled by the sudden appearance of some enigmatic, wise looking monkey.

At first things alarmed in the shinobi's mind and so he let go of all the fish and jumped to his feet with hand on his sheath but then the guru-like appearance of the elder sank in and the group took in its words of wisdom about the berries and all seemed well.
Then again the wise old man also stated something about them being the first humans in a long time that had appeared in this real, though Norio wasn't sure he fully caught or grasped what had been spoken at first but it quickly began to sink in and he wondered if this knowledge would be their ticket back home and so he looked somewhat expectantly toward the monkey hoping for more information, that is until his stomach rumbled once more and turned his face red with embarrassment.

[Zao]

Zao was thinking the same thing as Niro at this point, that being the words about them not being the first human to come to the monkey's spirit realm and if that was the case could it have been the one who created the space-time teleporter? "We are not the first?" The white haired man began to ask the older looking spirit monkey before them about the subject but just as the words had left his own mouth their was a definitive rumbling sound that originated from his friend directly next to him. At first the old monk had a slightly confused look on his face as he glanced in Niro's direction but then a smile and a soft hearted laugh managed to soon emerge from his mouth at that moment. "Haha, it would seem that you all haven't had a proper meal in a while. Since that's the case let talk about such things over something to eat."

It had almost felt like the spirit had dodged the question somewhat by changing the subject to food, perhaps it was something he didn't want to discuss at the moment and for the time being the former jounin dropped the subject as he could feel his own stomach as it felt like it was trying to eat itself at the moment. Within a few minutes the group had built and started a fire and were roasting a handful of fish that were ran through with some sticks as they were slowly cooking. One could almost see the mouths of the Suna shinobi that had ventured with Nori and Zao starting to water a bit at the sight of food that wasn't dried rations. They would come to know over some side chatting back and forth that the monkey's name was Feng and that he was from the monetary that the group had seen on the distant mountain

At the same time the old monkey brought out some food as well to share with the group of weary travelers, some odd looking foots and berries were amongst them, the fruit tasted like a sweet apple while the berries had a taste somewhat similar to that of strawberries. It was truly a refreshing time for the group of ninja as the spirit monkey turned its aged face back to the group seeming to have something he wanted to say. "A few hundred years ago when this monk was quite a bit younger an older looking, grey haired human traveled through our realm. He stayed for several months talking with us and learning about our world and then he built a strange structure and left. Leaving the words that one day other humans would follow in his foot steps." It would appear by the look in the monkey's aged green eyes that he actually remembered the man and perhaps he had managed to leave quite the impression behind.

"Do you remember the senior's name?" Zao couldn't help but quietly ask the older monkey whom this strange but powerful man was who had first traveled to this realm before them, after all the group had already experienced the teleporters that the man had left behind as sort of a legacy for the younger generations of shinobi, like themselves, to find and use. "I can only recall his first name, that was Hao" The name wasn't to familiar to the scholar but their had been some mentions in some of the old documents that he had uncovered that referenced a man by the same name, but a name and some almost legendary actions were all that could be traced back to this unknown figure. But what excited him more was the fact that the monkey spirit had mentioned that Hao had built something to help him leave their realm, it had to be just that what the group was looking for.

"Nori, it seems that we are in luck." A genuine smile formed upon the man's thin lips as he glanced over to his comrade before then shifting his bright blue gaze back onto their new companion as he started to hand out the cooked fish to all those in the group including the monkey spirit that seated with them. "Feng-sama, where is this object that our ancestor built located? We believe it is the only method for us to be able to return to our home." With a smile the spirit lifted its fur covered hand and pointed in the direction of the mountain, "On our sacred mountain, of course."

[WrightJustice]

The wise, old monkey swiftly changed the subject at the sound of the Special Jounin's stomach though not for long and for something worthwhile at that; a nice hearty meal that filled Nori with great delight, especially the strange fruits and berries that really intrigued the young man and made him wish he could somehow take them home and grow them in Suna but then again they did taste like ones they already had themselves and perhaps could simply be said to be this world's own version of apples and strawberries.

As the group ate and finally filled their stomachs they learned a few good tales about the well aged primate which did also kind of intrigue the young, black clothed male who had gotten quite used to learning new facts and information he couldn't really use himself these past few months.
However it was the details about this strange, ancient human from long ago that became the most interesting once Feng finally got round to telling the man's story for it told of a possible way home like the stranded group where hoping for and on a sacred mountain no less.

Nori gave an affirmative smile toward his friend as a light smile spread across his face before turning back to the sage for more details, hoping he may perhaps also help them get to where they needed though he was perfectly comfortable getting up now and setting off with the group on their own if need be.

[Zao]

After being able to fill their stomachs and also top off their water sources with the fresh water from the pristine river the group then prepared to move, Feng had told the group the he would lead them through the confusing forest and to the monastery that was built into the sacred mountain. It seemed that the old man who came before them had left quite an impression upon the spirits of this realm and perhaps it was because this realm, unlike the previous war torn one, was a more peaceful society that was structured around living and working together than conquest and the expansion of territories and kingdoms.

The next portion of their journey through the forest would still take three full days before they would finally break through the thick canopy of the mythical trees and experience the warm rays of the mid day sun that fell down upon them from high above. On the fourth day they had finally escaped the forest and what confronted them was a mountain that appeared to be of similar size to the one that they had fought so hard to enter in the Minotaur realm. As they stood there the young man couldn't help but sigh aloud thinking back about the events of that realm.

Shaking his head lightly the man pushed the long white locks of hair from the left side of his face with the corresponding hand and let his bright blue gaze attempt to take in the mountain in its entirety. It was truly breath taking and even taller than the Heaven Mountains that Zao had once climbed back in their home realm. But what stood closest to them was a bell of unimaginable size that one could only truly understand its proportions after arriving close to its base near the trail that started to ascend up the snow capped mountain. "Come my young friends, I'm sure that my master would like to meet each of you."

"Oh course, please lead the way Feng-sama." The former jounin gave a nod of his head in junction with his own words to the elder monkey spirit that had became their guide more or less at this point before sweeping his gaze over to Nori and his fellow Suna-nin. Their journey had been a rough one but perhaps this was the upward swing of things and just perhaps they would be able to find a path home within this 'sacred mountain'. Though one could only hope that was the case as he began to fall in line behind the old monkey who led them to the trail that passed just underneath the heavenly bell. Just were was their journey taking them next, no one amongst them to include Zao could be sure of that right at this moment.

Their guide continued to chat back and forth with each of them as they could establish that the monkey spirit by the name of Feng had lived for about three centuries and was one of the ten elders who were in charge of the day-to-day tasks of the monastery along with traveling to the other monasteries and schools within the region. In fact, he had just returned from traveling outside the holy ground for the past two months when he encountered the shinobi within the forest on that day. Their trip took a full day, including the rest that night, before they would finally enter the fifty meter tall stone gates that led into the holy temple's outer court yard where they could see hundreds of monkey spirits as they were either training, praying or meditating. Even the appearance of the human's could not seem to distract them from their daily tasks...

[WrightJustice]

Once full and rested the group set out through the forest with Feng as their guide as they walked for three days through such a marvellous and beautiful world, which in a way kind of made Nori wished he lived there or could just stay but in the end he could not and strove to get back home with the others where he could amend his wrongs not only on this journey but past ones.

The long journey actually got the Special Jounin think back to the change of Kages they had not too long before they started down this path, which was in of itself another confusing time and got Norio a little conflicted on the subject of what made a Kage and how they could change so fast but then perhaps that was part of why he said he would help his new friend in coming here since he hoped a pilgrimage would clear those doubts from his mind as well as maybe help him understand spirits some more.

However the lanky ninja never expected the mission would truly be such a long and true pilgrimage with many strange and confusing happenstances, one of which lead to the death of a fellow team member which pilled even more into the man's thoughts but as they travelled he started to see reason and solace in it thanks to the wisdom of the sage that lead them.

After a long journey everyone finally stepped through the giant gates of the monastery they where headed for, revealing even more beauty to the sharp, brown eyes of the young kuuton wielder; the awe and inspiration was grand in such a peaceful and tranquil place that it was difficult to to take it all in at once.

[Zao]

As the group finally passed through large courtyard filled with the monks a flurry of snow began to gently fall as they were almost at the snow line on the massive mountain. They arrived then at the largest building, the main temple of the spirit monks that was over a hundred meters in height and had an ancientfeeling to it when one gazed at its exquisite carvings and decorations. Standing in front of the main doors that stretched up for about thirty meters was a fifteen meter tall monkey with patches of grey on its fire red fur.

Their was a gaze from his dark red eyes that seemed to hold a disappointed look in them as he sized up the four Suna shinobi before now. The old monkey who had led them immediately bowed at the waste to the senior monk and started to introduce the for human behind him but he was cut off after barely getting out Nori's name. "These humans are so weak, simply not even worth to stand in his shadow. If he didn't ask me personally to pass this down to the next humans who came to our realm I'd drive them back down the mountain. " the large monkey's voice was like thunder and even those who had been training stopped complete, it was so quiet that would could hear the snow falling around them.

'This spirit...' Zao wanted to say some to refute but even he knew that who ever their ancestor was that not even he could hold a candle to him in any regard. The old monkey tossed a thick, meter long sroll down to the smaller spirit monk and snorted as he turned heading back into the main temple. Their guide caught the scroll which caused him to slide back a few feet because of the force behind the casual throw from the older and larger moneky. It was just a glimpse into just how powerful the old spirit was. Shaking his head he turned to the group behind him and simply smiled as he knew that the old monkey lost a big to the human who left the scroll behind and held resentment even to this day.

"He isn't as arrogant as he lets on, but this us for you all left by that man for whomever followed his path here. But let me shiw you to our guest area." As he spoke he handed the scroll to Zao and shot a glance at the younger spirit monks who immediately averted their gazes and went back to what they were doing. After a few minutes the group were brought into a warm living area with four mats for sleeping and a table prepared with food and warm drinks. With a smile and nod if his fur covered face he said that he would be back in the morning.

Zao had the scroll laid down on his mat and truly wished to open it but managed to resteain himself and come to eat with his three little brothers now. "Wow! This is the best thing I've tasted in month." The white haired man couldn't help but exclaim outloud as he took his first bite, they had truly been roughing it the past few months but now it was like they were having a gourmet meal despute the meal veing just simple food dishes. "We can finally rest safety tonight." As he ate he looked around the table before stopping on Nori as he spoke to him with a relaxed smile.

[WrightJustice]

The mountain truly was marvellous even when they crossed over into snow, which Nori had only encountered once before when he was also helping Zao in his missions, for it graced the group with a wondrous temple of great magnitude to which they all stood before when a red piercing gaze met them from an equally impressive monkey that stood before its entrance.

Maybe it was the cold but the black clothed shinobi could feel chills from just looking up at the giant primate that seemed to judge them and badly at that, calling the group pathetic, weak and not up to the standards of the one who came before them though he supposed they could not possibly counter such a thing for they did not know who this mysterious human even was.

However the spirit was clearly full of might that easily backed up its words as a simple toss of a scroll caused their guide to skid backwards due to the force behind the throw, clearly sinking in just how powerful the larger monkey was but in the end it might not truly be as bad as it seemed for their guide did explain some reasoning to his attitude once he had left them.

After the confrontation the group where brought in to a guest room and where greeted with a wonderful and delicious meal before being left to rest, a much peaceful rest that left no room for danger for once after such a long and arduous journey.
Though Nori took the time to take in this peaceful feeling and also looked around the table before falling to Zao and in turn returning the man's smile, allowing some time to perhaps talk before they got the rest they well and truly needed.

[Zao]

It didn't take to long before the four shinobi had managed to clear the table of its contents of well cooked food and warm refreshments, with the plates and glasses taken away the group was left alone to themselves for the rest of the night as it was already growing late. Their two younger comrades soon retired to the room next door that was their sleeping area leaving only Nori and Zao now as the white haired young man had already pulled out the large scroll unfurling it partially where it would fit onto the cleaned off table. The words contained within were from a language that the well traveled man wasn't familiar with but at the same time he was somehow able to understand some of its contents. This was due to the random bits of information that had entered not only his mind but even the other three shinobi after each time they had traveled through space time to enter another realm.

Even Nori would be able to get the feeling of familiarity between himself and the words that were painted onto the thick paper of the tall scroll. But it would seem that all one could draw from this right now was fragments that didn't really piece together with one another at the moment. Shaking his head the snow whited hair scholar turned to his friend and spoke forthrite to him about their situation. "Nori, our friend said that it will be about a week before they are able to open the area that our predecessor left for us to find, but I'm not sure what dangers lay ahead within. Do you think it might be best for us to leave our two little friends here?"

Despite some time having passed since the death of the young medic on that battlefield, it was something that was truly always in the back of his mind and would most likely be that way for some time. But the place that they were in now was relatively safe in comparison and who knew where the next platform would take them when they did manage to find it. "You know as well as I do that this next platform might take us home, or it could take us to a place that is even more deadly then the Minotaur realm was. What do you think, my friend?"

[WrightJustice]

Once the two chuunin went off to their room to sleep Nori watched as Zao finally unfurled the scroll he was given, filling his mind with an inkling of understanding as he saw what was written there and seemed to piece together that the text was part of the puzzle to the strange information that had been gained from just transporting through to each new world.
"Ah, I see, this is what that strange information relates to." the black clothed shinobi commented calmly "Though I still don't really understand any of it" he added in his confusion as he glanced over at the strange letters and words or what he assumed where as such.

Once the pair got a good look at the mysterious text it seemed the white haired of the pair had some concerns and brought up a possibility of leaving the chuunin behind, though the sandy haired of the pair looked confused and wondered if his companion meant only until they found the correct path but before he could question it his friend spoke further and suggested he meant entirely.
"Umm... As dangerous as things may be, do you think it would even be possible to leave them behind and sagely come back to get them?" the Special Jounin quizzically asked in his confusion.
"If we dunno how to target our way through these worlds and get home then I fear leaving our other companions behind would leave them stranded as so far we really only hope our path leads home, yet if this past man was successful in his travels then we should eventually make it back right?" he continued to question, concerned that either way could be wrong and that this peaceful world may be the best hope for the younger ones and yet at the same time concerned that they will eventually make it home and would've left them behind for nothing with no way to reach them again.
"Perhaps it is best we see what they think" he then added after a brief pause to think "Though I imagine we will do our utmost to help them either way!" he rounded off with some spirit and courage, not letting the remembrance of their fallen comrade put him down.

[Zao]

"Perhaps you are right my friend." The shaggy white haired man responded back to Nori after a brief moment of hesitation, it would have been easy for the other hand to guess the fear that lingered in the former shinobi's mind at the moment. Not wishing to rule a repeat of the event of their fallen young medic. With no idea what lay ahead on this rollercoaster ride Zao just wanted to find a way to ensure their safety, some what forgetting the fact that they were also shinobi just like the two of them. Exhaling slowly his gaze acros averted towards their sleeping area before turning his bright blue eyes back to Nori.

"We all wish to return home safely and their is always the possibility that we would never be able to return to this place, as well. Maybe the safest choice is to keep them close. After all, we may never make it back ourselves." The young man's time was rather solemn at the momentas he spoke to his fellow Suna nin. It was the truth that neither of them were able to predict the future and anything could happento anyone of them including himself. A somewhat forced smile waspt on the man's fair skinned face. "It would be best to take the risk together in that case, we are Suna shinobi after all."

Zao had almost forgotten that he was once a Sand shinobi and the other of that title, it made him step back and evaluate himself and his current life. The two men would stay up for part of the night discussing the scroll and their companions before also moving to rest. The week time frame passed rather quickly as Zao, with Nori and thre other's assistance, made some more headway on deciphering the contents of the soil left behind for them. Soon the day arrived and the old monkey who guided them to the monastery and had spoken with them almost daily arrived with the massive gorilla that they hadmet upon arriving.

Their didn't seem to be any change in the large primates attitude towards the group, not truly bothering to speak or look at them but today he wore a flame red robe and a large staff across his backwhich caused for the scholar to hold the spirit in question. But they where on their holy ground so any questions that he had were suppressed for the time being. It was about a half a day hike up the mountain and it's freezing temperatures before finally comingto a faint stone that had various carvings of battle scenes and writing. Some of the writing matched that which was inside the scroll Zao hadin his possession at the moment, causingthe scholar to face deeply upon them still searching for clues to his questions.

The reason for the giant gorilla became all too apparent as he moved without a word to oneside and utilizing nearly all his godlike strength began to slowly slide the fifty meter tall and wide stone. After about ten meters a large cavern was revealed to the group and the swaeting gorilla spat on the ground shooting a look at the group before entering ahead of them. There were no traps or puzzling mechanisms to work around only a single path carved out to follow as fuuinjutsu added to the walls lit the way ahead. Their wasn't to much said between the group as they walked for nearly a hour before the large tunnel expanded into a gigantic room that was several hundred meters across in each direction and in the center was a faint blue glowing pedestal.

It was the spacetime transporter! It was truly here and even the scholarly young man couldn't help his heart from racing at the moment. But, at that moment the gorilla turned around and with a backhand smacked away the small monkey like a kite without a string. With a wave of it's other arm the flame red cloak was thrown aside to reveal a set of matching color battle armor that had been hidden beneath it. "That old man thought himself better than everyone else and even dared to humiliate me not one but twice. I'm sure that he never expected me to be returning this favour to his human descendants. You four are truly unlucky, but I will make your deaths painful to help me vent this rage!"

As the gorillas words ended the gaint staff was removed from his back being nearly thirty meters in length as it slammed into the ground causing it to tremble under their feet. It was a brief glimpse at the raw strength that the spirit possessed and it also demonstrated the resilience of the cave itself for not being destroyed from the impact. The situation left them only one option, to defeat the spirit or die, Zao didn't understand what had happened between the old man and the gorilla spirit all those years ago but it mist have been something big for the spirit to hold this much resentment towards humanity.

"You two push back and act as support! Nori, we have no other way but forward. " The white haired former shinobi instantly had the pair of chuunin move back, Nori and himself would have to bethre ones to be the front line as ared sword and fan appeared in Zao's hands now and Toge fell off the man's left wrist. They would need to go all out from the beginning... he would not allow hits comrades to die again like the young medic had...

[WrightJustice]

Nori listened as his friend reasoned with himself after hearing what had been said and in the end it seemed they both agreed it was best for the chuunin to come along with the duo, which seemed like the safest course of action given their goal to get home though they where welcome to stay if they truly wanted to.

Once they where done talking the black clothed man nodded firmly toward his friend and went to rest and then from there time would pass as they tried to figure out the strange texts and ventured toward the supposed space distorting pedestal, moving into the unnerving cold where they spotted the large ape from before that simply moved some stone aside before leading the group into a cave where they laid eyes on it at long last.

Norio filled with some delight and relief as they walked into the large open cavern and saw their possible way home, turning with a powerful smile toward his companions only to hear the thumping of the old sage-like monkey across the room; it would seem the large gorilla spirit held a very deep grudge for their ancestor and so threatened to kill them all here and now out of revenge.

The Suna Special Jounin could feel the strength emanating from the enraged beast and had already seen just how power his most simple of movements where when he threw the scroll earlier, then there was the mini earthquake they all felt from him slamming the ground and as such the man knew they could not let it close and that he may have a difficult struggle when it came to his own moves against it.
"To damn our ancestors is one thing but to also damn us along with them..." Nori spoke wearily through gritted teeth "...This will not be an easy task". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4Qu83Wh8F8 Taking in the largeness of their foe the sandy haired male couldn't help but wonder how to actually even take the spirit on but as Zao dished out his commands, he knew he could not hold back and so he instantly pulled out his own sword and surged it full of fuuton chakra that swirled around the blade with quite a bit of power.

It wasn't clear what the best first move was; perhaps they should take it easy and be careful or maybe they just couldn't give the gorilla a chance and pile on him as fast as possible.
Nori couldn't truly know but given the situation and strength the beast gave off he figured should try and strike whilst keeping distance and so thrust forwards and shot out the wind blade toward the spirit's head in an intimidating, killing intent, though he wished not to need to kill more spirits especially those on such a peaceful world he feared he must act as if he must and not hold back given the intensity of rage and unforgiveness pouring from the gorilla.

SpoilerShow

Fuuton • Expert Extending Hurricane Blade
A-Ranked Fuuton Jutsu
The user will channel fuuton chakra into their weapon coating it in a vortex of wind which then shoots out at 20 speed in whatever direction they decided to point their weapon. This thin twister of wind can extend up to 40m or retract back based on the whims of the user and basically acts like a long bladed sword/spear with 30 strength, even being capable of being moved along as it slices through what is in its path. This can be continuously controlled as such for up to 3 posts, however the longer the blade is extended the harder it is to pivot and move in different direction which means retracting the blade first may be a better option.

[Zao]

"Yes! Come at me little humans!" The monstrous thirty meter tall ape seemed to welcome the challenge as Nori started thing off now with one of his signature techniques that allowed for them to keep their distance. The spirit's coice was almost like a clap of thunder within the cave causing it to actually tremble lightly again at the fang line teeth of the giant gorilla were clearly visible in its sinister looking smile now. Nori attack was no small matter event for the ape as he spun his staff with speed and precision smashing the first thrust of to the side with a rather smug looking expression as if it was something that he didn't even have to place in his eyes.

But this attackhad afforded the white haired young man some needed seconds to prepare his own attack which involved channeling chakra into his lava sword. Which he pushed blade first into the hard stone beneath their feet causing a pool of lava to rapidly form. From within that hell pit arose a twenty five meter tall lava construct with a large two handed mace clasped firmly in its claw like hands. This was the same technique Zao had used on the battlefield to help his fellow shinobi to make it to the mountain in the minotaur realm. Unlike then he only created a single one as he began to also charge chakra into the fan in his other hand in that moment.

Having smacked away the attack from Nori its gaze narrowed on the lava construct as it charged at him closing the gap between them in only a moment's time. It was a bit faster than the large ape but as they clashed twice against the construct it would be able to determine that the ape held a slight advantage in pure combat strength and technique. But the disparity wasn't enough to completely overwhelm the creature in a short amount of time either thanks to it being naturally faster than the ape by a decent margin. "Go Toge!" Zao spoke aloud but also mentally to his spirit pet as the creature had been using the covwr of battle and its small size to maneuver around the battlespace up to the point.

The thin vine glowed faintly with forest green chakra before its body expanded rapidly to reach a height of twenty five meters, sprouting two arm like vines off off its main conseas the golden thorns upon its body and vine arms had grown to nearly a meter in length now. Using its arms it landed it from behind the ape landing blows on its armor that caused deep cracks and scars to appear in the armor. As this was happening a thin layer of almost golden looking flames could be seen rising a few inches ofthe surfaceof the fan within the scholar's hand. The situation from his two companions would allow for Nori and himself to breath and think how to continue their attacks.

Looking for any openings left open by the gorilla who was being forced to dance around and defend with god's staff skills, which in their own right were almost flawless and provided a near air right defense onehe was pushed on the defensive. Most likely their sudden show of force by going all out had caught the ape off guard but no one could determine how long this would work...

[WrightJustice]

The enraged gorilla easily batted away Nori's attack causing the wind blade to shoot off to the side and appear to bend and curve as wisps of wind broke off from it, sending a rippling of force all the way down to the man's right shoulder as he span and moved with the flow of movement as not to get too injured.

With such a heavy blow the black clothed male had to step to the side a bit and regain some footing where he then took in his companion's own assault; the lava monster from before formed and sprang forward, actually giving the crazed beast of an ape a bit of a difficult time but then again strength would probably win in the end if not diminished quickly.

The elemental creature was not the only thing to have a go at the beast as the strange plant creature they had made now known as Toge also sprouted all around, unleashing its vines and cracking their foe's armour as they dug in and began to pierce and chip away which would actually help a great deal and create some opportune moments to really strike back.

Nori began to shuffle along the side as he tried to zero in on an opening, focusing on the area where Toge was cracking the ape's armour to which the man spotted some good cracks and so when the timing was right he went and thrust forward once more; the wind that continued to swirl around the blade extended once more as it zoomed towards an open crack, aiming to not only pierce through and crack the lower area of armour but hopefully also dig into the beast's flesh and weaken him if only just a little so that the lava monster had a bigger edge against him.

[Zao]

The combined attacks from the spirit and the lava construct had truly entangled the foe who had been caught by surprise by the action of the human, not believing them to pose any threat to him as he had wanted to unleash all of his pent up rage and despair onto the four of them. But now it was being almost force into a corner as it was smashing back the attacks from the construct that almost had a strength rivaling its own and then the thorny attack from Toge were strong and fast tearing at the arm the large gorilla wore to protect its upper torso and arms. Sure enough number of small cracks had appeared in the armor on the left shoulder, lower abdomen, right arm and right shoulder area through the combined efforts of the two. Zao's bright blue eyes were watching the scene unfold and at his comrade's movement he was a bit surprise.

He had been able to see the young special jounin slowly become more and more proficient with his nintai abilities since the first time that they had met up until now, seeing him take full advantage of the situation at the moment and thrust the wind blade into the created crack in the lower abdomen armor. Though the wind blade was small in comparison to the creature itself that stood at thirty meters, it was precisely the size of the blade that allowed for it to slip through the small crack and plunge several meters into the fur and skin of the creature. While the would itself was nothing that could have been considered fatal it cause a moment of pain and distraction for the flurry of attacks that it was having to defend against in that moment. Something that could truly be detrimental is a high level conflict such as this now as it's guard weakened and it only managed to block part of the giant mace that slammed down on its right shoulder driving the creature down to its left knee from the impact as the shoulder arm it struck directly.

A large portion of the armor was shattered and fell to the ground as the shoulder of the ape was burned by the lava mace causing for it to let out a cry of pain as Toge used this moment to wrap its arm vines around the ape in an attempt to restrain the creature future. Their was a look of bloodlust that suddenly appeared in the eyes of the creature and it let out another powerful shout the reverberated the entire cavern forcing even Zao to step back as the gorilla stood up and threw out its arms snapping off both of the vines that had restrained the gorilla as a berserker style rage seemed to have over taken the creature in that moment. The full strength being unleashed if knocked the construct backwards as it careened into the nearby wall of the cavern momentarily stunned from the impact as the gorilla stood back up from its kneeling position with an angry glare focused on Niro at this moment. How humiliating was it for such a prideful spirit to not only be injured by such a weak human but for it to distract him and cause him to endure such pain?!

This was unacceptable! And now he would repay the favor as he began to tighten his grip on the staff that it had been wielding the whole time, as though it planned to smash the little human into nothing more than meat paste. Yet, Zao's next move had already been prepared though he didn't expect that he would need to use it so soon into the fight having expected for the two, Toge and the lava construct, to be able to whittle down the spirit more than they had. The flame within his right hand flickered with a golden fire as he waved in in front of them while instructing his comrade and the chuunin further behind them to retreat. "Move back quickly!" This was one of the abilities from his phoenix fan that he hadn't had to unleash up to this point, sweat dripped down his face from a mixture of the heat coming off the weapon and the chakra is cost to utilize this ability.

As the weapon swept across in a fiery arch in front of him the flames suddenly leaped off the fan forming rapidly into a thirty meter wide phoenix like construct of golden flames that swept forward towards the gigantic gorilla causing for the rage filled gorilla for the first time during the enter fight to have an expression of fear on its face. It had never seen this kind of flames but had heard about the phoenix realm and how powerful their flames were and it caused him to tremble slightly. He had only one option now as he placed his hand onto his unique chest plate causing it to glow with a soft blue hue of chakra, it was a special protective treasure that he bestowed upon him by the head monk of the temple many years ago; never would he have believed that a simple human would force him to activate such a priceless treasure that could only be used once. As the ninja retreated, Toge retreating the opposite direction, a sixty meter explosion rocked the entire cavern as the powerful flames were thrown in every direction that continue to burn no mater where they landed, giving the cavern the appearance of what hell might have looked like.

Standing within the center of the impact area of the explosion was a badly wounded gorilla that was only able to hold itself up through the use of its hands, its fur was burnt and wounds could be found across its entire body, the armor which had been there to protect it was mostly destroyed and only a few pieces here and there were still clinging to its smoking body. Even though it was badly injured and its armor and protective treasure was gone, as angered and depressed as it was, the spirit was still alive..."You are almost as strong as he was, hehehe...but just because I'm badly injured doesn't mean you'll be able to live past today." The wounded spirit's voice was like thunder as it spoke within the cavern as the words echoed flowing into a chuckling laugh at the end. Zao couldn't help but frown at the creature's unquenchable rage and hatred for them and their kind. Slowly his breathing he assessed the situation, through the flames that were all around the creature he could see something that made his eyes widen. The spirit was actually starting to heal, the healing was extremely slow in its speed but it was happening right before their eyes and if they allowed it to continue then he would return to his previous strength.

"Not good, he's healing." The white haired man spoke aloud, but most likely Nori would have already noticed it do, they needed to deal with the creature before it healed as the lava construct was slowly regaining its senses but its legs had been damaged making its movement slow. As for Toge, the injuries to the arms of his weren't to serious but he would not be able to approach with all the fire that was still burning around the gorilla spirit. "Help assault him, I'll need a bit of time to channel this next technique." Zao had a crazy idea but it would indeed take him a bit to prepare as he created a single chakra string that took out one of his copied True Link kunai and tossed it towards the wounded spirit, guiding it through the burning flames with the chakra thread. He would need the help of Nori and the damaged construct to be able to help pull this off.

SpoilerShow

Name: Flaming Phoenix Fan
Weapon Type: War Fan Tsukumogami
Description: A chakra tempered, two and a half foot long, folding metal war fan that is two inches thick. The fan itself is a bright fiery red color with flakes of a golden hue mixed in with the red, fuuin engravings take a good portion of the surface area on both sides of the fan, the unique color is a side effect that occurred during the sealing process of the fire phoenix spirit, [Miao], who is a Grand Level Soul spirit. The sealing was conducted in order to create the Tsukumogami while giving the fan a natural strength/durability of thirty five.

Ability 1 - Breath of the Phoenix - After imbuing an S-rank (S40) amount of chakra into the fan a large of fierce flames with a hint of gold within them cover the surface of the fan, when swung the fan will release a ninety degree fan of raging red and golden flames at a speed of fifty and strength of forty out to two hundred meters with a height of sixty meters. Dealing forth degree burns on contact and burning most things in its wake to ash. These flames continue to burn the affected area for up to five posts posts.

Ability 2 - Death of the Phoenix - After imbuing an S-rank (S40) amount of chakra into the fan a large of fierce flames with a hint of gold within them cover the surface of the fan, when swung releases a massive thirty meter wide phoenix construct will form from the flames and home in on a single target or target area at a speed of forty five. Then upon impact the flaming bird will explode with tremendous force of forty five strength covering an 60x60x60 meter area in flames that burn for up to four posts before dying out on their own.

[WrightJustice]

Nori smiled a little when his attack actually worked and he saw some blood drip as the wind pulled from the body, though it did not last long as the gorilla became enraged unlike before; swatting away the lava golem like nothing and even tearing apart the vines from Toge who had attempted to restrain him, before then lunging toward the young Special Jounin in retaliation.

However Norio had already began to back off even before hearing his comrades commands for he could see just where things where going due to how mad the spirit had gotten, as such the man was quickly out of the cave once Zao told everyone to retreat and he stood back and watched as a large phoenix formed and set the whole cave ablaze.

The black dressed man was in awe at just how much his more white dressed friend could muster and really considered finding out how to gain control over a spirit of his own, though for now his bread and butter where his fuuton and kuuton and so he had to stick with those and so when most of the fire died down he started to get an idea of what to do next even with said friend's worries over the beast healing.

With the Gorilla lying angrily, surrounded by flames, his wounds slowly healing, the wind wielding special jounin stepped back into cave with great gusto and as he did he shot his blade forwards once more but at a slight angle away from the beast; flames seemed to suck in toward the blade as the wind made contact, the two beginning to swirl together as one becoming more and more intense and then they swiped across and down toward the gorilla as even more fire got sucked into the attack and flowed with the sweeping motion.

[Zao]

His younger friends didn't even say a word, only going straight to work as he knew that his wind sword alone was unable to cause any major damage to the creature due mainly to its giant size in comparison to the tiny blade of wind. Yet, with his understanding of the elemental ninjutsu the special jounin was able to think on his feet and swept his wind blade across the still lingering sea of flames that surrounded the ape who was down on his hands and knees slowly regenerating now. It was just the kind of boost that he the golden flames needed, like a breath of life that instantly increased in size and ferocity once more and lashed out at he lower half of the beast causing more burns and injuries to he sustained by the old gorilla. But Nori also had to be careful as the flames had began to quickly devour the wind of the sword and shoot back towards him as well, being such powerful flames his friend definitely did not want to get burnt by them.

Seeing his friend continuing to use the same wind sword technique as before Zao had lifted up his right hand, turning the palm towards the ceiling of the large cavern that the group currently found themselves within at the moment, as maroon chakra had started to cover the entire hand with the chakra waving back and forth almost like a maroon flame now. With the other hand long haired man had been flicking back and forth the fingers of the hand as the kunai being shot through the air via the chakra thread weaved above as it surged forward making a loop around the creature. As the new wave of flames created by Nori injured the creature again he only nodded his head, 'That works...' and under the distraction the single kunai lodged itself into the fur on the back of the creatures head, barely able to make it down to his scalp with how thick the black and gray fur was.

"It's time, hopefully this works..." Under the wails of pain that riddled the gigantic gorilla at the moment a soft voice was directed at the black clothed man as a half smile appeared on the scholar's thin face at the moment, the flames of Tenku chakra within the right hand seemed to be finished forming as he ensured that he pushed the technique to its limit before attempting it on such a strong spirit, but their was a look of confidence within the shinobi's bright blue eyes as they remained locked on the target: the gorilla. As the waves of flames started to subside a bit the white robed man was walking forward with the Tenku flaming hand directly towards the gorilla, almost as though he was going to challenge him despite the vast difference in their physical sizes.

"Old gorilla, you've truly brought this upon yourself as all we wanted to do was try to get home..." Zao's voice was projected out across the slowly dying sea of flames that still lingered after Nori's attack, the gorilla in reply only let out a light laugh at what he considered a little punk human. "Haha, little child you are either extremely brave or foolish to challenge me. I don't believe you can injure me faster than I can heal. Sooner or later you will die..." As the ape's thunderous words seemed to shake the cavern they were suddenly cut off as he saw the glowing maroon hand of the small human before him, it had seen chakra like this before as the mysterious man had used the same color chakra in his attacks to defeat him all those years ago. But even so he didn't feel that this kid before him was anywhere near the level of that frightening man and shook the thought from his mind.

Zao started to shake his head, having caught the brief change in expression of the large primate had upon seeing his hand, it would seem that this was not the first time he'd seen a Tenku technique and most likely it was something the mysterious man they were chasing after who'd come before them. "Never mind, this fight is about to end." With his words the man's slender finger grabbed the True Link Kunai that was a pair to the one no lodged within the beast's fur upon his head, twirling it upon the index finger before firmly grasping it within his palm and pulling it out in front of his body. "Truly you over estimate you capabilities, little brat." Did this guy really look like he was going to use that kunai to fight the wounded ape and pass through the scattered flames still around him, as well. Though it did appear that was what Zao intended to do the old ape laughed lightly again and closed his eyes to focus on healing for a short moment but then opened his eyes a few seconds after feeling something was not right about the scene.

But as it did it could no longer see the man who'd been over forty or fifty meters away from him only a few seconds before, the kid shouldn't have been able to cross that distance is a blink of an eye, especially with the flames making such a powerful obstacle course to reach the ape. Because of the pain it was healing from due to the burns it hadn't even noticed that Zao was now standing on the back  of his head and was looking around side to side attempting to figure out where the human went. It was then that he felt a droning feeling washing over his mind and even penetrating down to his very soul in that moment...it was actually a frightening feeling that caused for panic to wash over him for the first time in decades. What was happening?

"It is to late to resist, you are bound to me now..." A voice felt like it was whispered directly into his left ear now, as the beast's eyes widened to a point that was almost unbelievable as it now began to understand the changes happening to it. The white haired human had somehow managed to get on him and the droning feeling was some type of spirit binding technique and had actually been able to bind such a powerful spirit as himself. His pride that would never allow for a human to make any sort of contract with himself, having vowed never to help a human after his disgraceful defeat all those year ago...broken just like that. Time would pass and the gorilla's wounds would finally heal and the flames that had scorched the cave walls and floor had also burnt out at this point.

At this time the four stood within the transporting preparing to leave, sadly Zao was unable to bring the newly bound gorilla with them through the platform due to its size or else that would have been yet another form of protection for the group. The old gorilla himself was seated outside the platform only watching with an ugly expression as it had been bound to its very soul and was now more akin to a slave master relationship with the white haired shinobi. Yet, after being bound it was not ordered about unfairly or spoken to unkindly by the young man which led the primate to believe that perhaps this human was different than the other. "I'll see you again in the future, Tarou-sama. Nori, lets hope this takes us home." Though he couldn't bring him along at the moment, Zao's voice drifted through the air as the rested and prepared young man smile at him over his right shoulder. If they survived this ordeal than this spirit would become one of his strongest assets in the future.

Flooding the operating mechanism with space-time chakra a blue barrier enveloped the platform and only after a few moments time a brilliant blue flash of light temporarily blinded the ape who was watching intently, its mind in a slight state of confusion as why the man would speak to him with the respect he did after being him. Most would have probably treated him like some form of slave but so far this man acted more so like he would to any of his other companions. As the flash ended the four shinobi were gone and everything had returned back to normal as if nothing had happened leaving only the giant gorilla there alone to think over the events of today...

SpoilerShow

True Link Kunai x1

Spirit Claiming • [Supremacy Over the Beast]
S-rank Tenkujutsu
Prerequisite: 40 Control
After preforming the necessary hand seals, the user places their hand over the spirit as they flood their chakra for an entire post. If the spirit has a control stat higher than the user's, then the spirit will resist the claim. However if they do not, they will be binded to the user like contractual summon/spirit companion, and able to be summoned at any time at the will of the user. And have to obey their every willful command. This jutsu is able to place a claim on spirits up to A-Rank.

[WrightJustice]

Nori stuck the gorilla spreading the flames some more and halting its healing process if only for moment and though he held true with his attack for as long as he could, there really wasn't much time to it as the flames where powerful and quickly ate away at the wind and even began surging up towards the source and therefore himself.

Not wanting to get caught up in the fire and burned to death the Special Jounin released his jutsu last minute and jumped back a little as he watched the flames drop to the floor in a big flare, now looking like some kind of trail of burning fuel that could be mistaken to have started from where the black clothed man had been standing.

With that out of the way Nori was prepared to make another strike of some kind if need be but instead he turned and saw his white clothed companion stepping forward, seemingly ready to make a move as he placed a kunai behind the gorilla with his hand now glowing a very familiar maroon.
"To dominate even this spirit who holds vengeance over humanity" he simply thought to himself in awe, knowing exactly what was about to occur.

There where a few rebuttals based on misjudgements from the spirit's side but soon enough the ape was indeed captured under Zao's spell, bound to him for as long as he lived and in doing so the fight was over and the four shinobi could finally make their way to the pedestal and hopefully back home as the one known as Tarou looked on in confusion.