Climb this Peak Real Quick? [Holiday Mission/Open]

He liked the fact that the group was getting along just fine, which meant as they climbed no harm or issues would befall them. It was always odd being put with people you didn't know. You would always be unsure whether or not of their intentions or even if they had the best interest for you. None of that really mattered to him in the sense that he was just here to complete the mission and maybe make a new friend or two. With his position among the group, he could see how quick they were elevating and the change in scenery as they did. He had to admit that the Land of Iron was quite beautiful considering its snowy exterior and tall mountains. He honestly wondered what kind of people live out here. He heard tales of Samurai and nomads living here, but he had seen nothing of the sort yet...maybe he never will. A question was posed to him which caused him to pull out of his thought process as he turned to face Asahi," I'm doing alright though mountains aren't exactly my area of expertise to traverse. The scenery here is definitely different though...I wonder if its like this all year round? Luckily I have the almighty power of warming my body with chakra to get me through this," hopefully the Suna nin's words were true because this was going to be a long trip. The question aimed at Raian caught Ishi's attention as his ears perked up to see what he would say. It was definitely interesting to see if it was apart of his clan or just a unique effect of his body. Besides his eyes, nothing really stood out about Ishi so seeing someone with horns was amazing, although he didn't say anything about it because it might have been rude. Whatever the answer might have been, he would nod and add it to his memory so that if the two ever met again, it wouldn't be something he'd ask. Looking up he could see the peak and through the clouds he could see their destination. With the group finally reaching the peak, Ishi would exclaim in happiness," Finally we made it!!! I am not sure if I approved of high heights but the view here is just...," and there he saw it. The asteroid that they were sent to find. Moving over to it he would begin to try and get a modest amount of the asteroid and when the others were ready he'd head back down.

WC: 424
TWC: 1,055
Rewards:
5000 Ryo, B Rank Jutsu Ticket
10 stats
1,055 words toward Meigan Stage 2
10 AP

"well, I'm going to get started." Fu would announce as she made her way through the circle and directly towards their destination, bent on leading the group there. "Well, you're a lively one aren't you?" Raian would think to himself as he followed behind her and the other two who made up their little group of four. Their initial accent wouldn't prove too challenging as the slop of the mountain didn't get steep until near the peak. The girls bright green checkered attire was easy to follow especially amidst the white snow and with the sun it's highest point on the sky providing exceptional light to boot.

After a few moments of the travel Fu hung back from the front of the pack coming to Raians side and matching his stride. It was clear she wished to speak with him as she addressed him just a second after. "How did you get those horns?" She would ask. Raian chuckled at first in response, he was surprised at how forthcoming she was towards him given his appearance, seemed like it didn't bother anyone anymore these days. "Born like that I guess, nasty side effect of The Devil. I've gotten used to the look though, pull it off quite well don't I." Raian was joking of course while also being entirely truthful, he really had been born like that looked that way ever since he could remember at least.

His answer probably hadn't satisfied whatever Fu had been hoping to hear so Raian chose to tempt her inquisitive nature further. "Ya know.. most people usually ask about the eyes first." Raian would halt his speech for a moment as he leaned closer to her face, in a manner that made his eyes the center of attention and nearly impossible to miss. He would then return to normal posture as they continued walking.

[WC: 312]
[TWC: 943]
[Nature Energy Stacks: 2->3]

The four shinobi gradually separated into two groups. Ishimaru, the other Leaf shinobi here, and Asahi, the Sand shinobi, had grouped up and engaged each other in conversation. On the other hand, Fu found herself next to the man with the horns protruding from his forehead. Fu’s inquiry was rather blunt, but that was her nature.
 
Compared to Raian, Fu was tiny. It would be a rather funny site to see the two walking next to each other. He eventually would respond to Fu, informing her that his horns must have been a side effect of the Devil. “The Devil?” Fu thought to herself. What did that even mean? He would then go on to explain that most people often questioned his solid black eyes as opposed to his horns. He would stop abruptly, causing Fu to stop. Once their pace was halted, he would lean closer to her, the two locking eyes with the devil man. Fu had large reddish-orange eyes and they would reflect off his that were pitch black. “So, you’re like the ‘Real Devil?” She inquired, not flinching by the sudden stoppage and stare down. After a moment they would continue their journey, Fu hoping that he would answer more of her questions.
 
As the group made their way up the Peak, the incline steepened, making it much more difficult than when they had started. Fu focused a large amount of chakra into her feet, causing them to glow a bright color that was reflective of her chakra. Her feet would slice through the snow and her chakra would prove to be a rather strong adhesive to the ground beneath the snow. This made her hike much more manageable and provided a decent workout.
 
It was not long before the group would reach the top of the peak to discover what they were sent here to harvest- the asteroid. “Okay- let’s get this over with quickly, the wind up here is horrible!” Fu would exclaim to the group, the wind causing her cape fly all over the place. Fu was strong, much stronger than the average human. She would approach the asteroid and remove a large portion of it. Afterwards, she would create a shadow clone so that she would not have to carry her portion down the peak herself and head back down the peak to complete their mission.

Wc: 395
Twc: 2,006

[Exit]
Meteoric Iron
B Rank Jutsu Ticket - B Rank Damage Reduction Shield (No spec/Clanless can learn up to B Rank any spec.) 
2K WC to getting used to EMS, Learning Amaterasu as Slotless S Rank from unlocking EMS 
40 Bonus AP = 122 Total Bonus AP

Approved

Asahi continued his trek up the mountain side with a renewed fervor. The strength and speed granted to him by opening the first of the Eight Inner Gates was allowing him to make good time to the peak. His feet were no longer hampered by the deep snow and trudged through it with relative ease. Though he knew that this boost in power was temporary and that his body would surfer later for what he was putting it through know he tried to put those thoughts deep in the back of his mind. Even the cold was not an issue anymore. It felt like the blood pumping through his veins was moving faster and warming his body better than a coat ever could.

The peak of the mountain was in view now. With each step the ninja took it became clearer. At first it seemed a mirage but now the peak was crystal clear and glistening. He took a look back at how far the party had come and could no longer see the base of the mountain where they had started. His legs moved even faster to reach the summit now that it was so close. He could already imagine himself back in Suna enjoying the rest of the night in peace. Asahi looked over at his companions and could see that they were already close to or hitting the peak. Now it's just time for me to do my part, he thought. I must retrieve a piece of the stone at the top and bring it back down for the Hollykage. Then I can rest.

With a thump his boot hit the top of the mountain. He laid eyes on the large chunk of meteoric ore that capped the peak. The Genin took a moment to savor his surroundings from the top as he watched the rest of the party reach the summit as well. Asahi approached the meteoric stone and laid a hand upon it. It glistened even without direct sunlight on it. He could see why the Hollykage wanted it so much. It was likely worth a fortune, even just a small chunk of it. The ninja circled the deposit, running his hand alongside it as he did so. The Hollykage required a piece of it, and Asahi would need to remove a good sized chunk to bring back down the mountain. Where to start? he thought to himself.

During his encirclement he noticed a section of the ore jutting out, separated from the rest. He judged that this would be the best place to break a piece of. It was separated from the rest enough that he should be able to break it with his enhanced strength from the Eight Inner Gates. He brought his fist up and formed a chopping motion with it. His energy concentrated at that point and then he brought it down hard upon the meteoric ore, hitting it at the base where it began to protrude from the bigger section of stone. He didn't make it all the way through but there was a large crack starting to split the ore off. He yelled and with a final chop broke through the stone. It fell into the snow below and the sound echoed off of the mountain peaks for all around to hear.

"Finally," he said aloud. The ninja could see the others reach the peaking and collecting their own ore. "Looks like we've done it."

With that complete it was time to head back down the mountain and return to the Hollykage. It was much easier going down than up, and his legs weren't nearly as tired in that effort, despite the fact that his Eight Inner Gates ability was beginning to reach capacity. Soon enough he made it to the base of the mountain, handed over the ore, and then found himself face to face with the rest of the party. Asahi thought he should say something before they were all spirited away to wherever they had come from.

"Thank you, everyone. We did it. I hope to see you all again," he said, unaware that when this was all over his mind would be erased and he wouldn't remember a single thing from the day's events. "Until next time."

Then with a flash of light he was back in his room in Sunagakure.

---

720 Asahi WC
2056 Asahi Total WC
6059 Thread Total WC

---

A-Ranked Mission Complete, 2056 WC, +50 AP and a B Rank Jutsu Ticket

Spending B Rank Jutsu Ticket to learn Split Second
Spending 2056/2500 WC towards learning Drunken Fist

+10 Speed and +10 Strength

Approved

"So you're like.. the real devil?" The small girl Fu would ask Raian as he leaned closer to her. Immediately upon her question he would retract laughing and scratching his head. "Who knows maybe I am maybe I'm not. Even I don't really know to be honest with you." Raians claim for lack of knowledge wasn't a lie either as he had only just recently found out from his demon senju friend, the true name of his 'bloodline." He was a Jugo, apparently, and that knowledge had this far, proved usless as Raian has been able to learn very little about it since his introduction to it. Though recently his little "tests" on it's connection to nature energy had yielded some pretty interesting results.

As the group continued to climb they remained in pairs and Raian noticed the incline begining to make their journey harder as they pushed on. The thick snow on the ground was less of a problem than the incline itself and Raian was pretty easily able to push through it. His height, mixed with his above average strength and build made the incline the only real obstacle. To counteract this, Raian simply focused chakra carefully to his feet which provided a sort of, hold, on the mountain surface beneath the snow, and thus he kept climbing.

After a little bit more traveling, a little bit more climbing, they finally reached the peak where they target asset was waiting for them. A strange rock from space, didn't really seem to.. important Raian began to think to himself. Just a hunk of boulder from space. Still, Raians mission was clear and he stepped forward towards the asteroid grabbing a piece of it that was elongated into spike type shape and breaking it off. He wrapped the rock in a cloth he had brought with it and placed it in his weapons pouch. The cloth was not only to ensure that the rock remained intact but also so that it did not poke through Raians new weapons pouch as he made his way back down the mountain behind Fu.

[Nature Energy stacks 3 -> 4]
[WC: 351]
[TWC: 1293]
[Exit - Mission Complete]

Claims:

- Metoric Iron
- B-Rank Jutsu ticket
- 12 Stats
- B-Rank Tank (1500/1500) (previous WC trained here)
- Remaining WC towards A-Rank Tank (32/1000)

Approved