Lost Texts and Trials (Pageboy)

Page grins as Ak-achi spits fireballs in his direction, he strings handseals as the guardian actives her stone armor and dashes forward. Raleth recognizes the jutsu, Hiding Like a Mole.

Raleth chuckles as smoke drifts from the pipe in his mouth, his student's response to an enhanced opponent makes him smile. He turns his head to the nin-wolf behind him, Sheffield's eyes are locked on the leaping guardian monkey.

I wonder if he's worried about his friend.

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Ak-Achi dashes passed her fireballs and leaps from the ground to a tree. The stone-furred monkey lands and tightens her legs, readying herself to spring to the opposite tree, when the trunk-armed man strings three handseals. She leaps and lands on the tree as Page softens the earth around him and sinks underground. Ak-Achi spies this as she she jumps down and lands on all fours.

The stone-furred monkey's glowing eyes scan her surroundings, she only senses the presence of the Sarutobi and the man's animal. The guardian eyes the nin-wolf and notes the animal's intense gaze. Though the monkey senses chakra in the animal, she sees he bares no immediate threat. As such, she keeps her focus on Page. 

Having sensed no sign of her opponent, Ak-Achi poses, standing on her right leg and placing her left leg on the inside of her knee. She hangs her tail toward her right leg and forms five handseals. She holds the rat handseal and breaths easy, her white fur washes through the stone made armor as her Earth Spear Deactivates.

Sheffield alerts his companion, Page slinks up toward the surface of the earth, his hand bursts through the ground and grabs Ak-Achi's standing leg. He grips and crushes her ankle with his great strength, the monkey wraps her tail around the man's wrist in response. The action opens Ak-Achi's pale eyes, she sighs the crushing pain away and speaks.

"I acknowledge your strength and cunning, " announces the mountain voice of the guardian,"but, your trial is not over."

Benevolent chakra glows from the monkey-foot that rests on her standing knee, it flows to her crushed ankle at 60 speed and mends the lacerated bone and muscle at a power greater than the strength that crushed it. And Ak-Achi uses her tail to grip and crush the man's wrist at 50 strength, breaking the bone and lacerating the muscle. The action would more than likely loosen the man's grip, Ak-achi would jump and flip, reorienting her tail to be to her right and standing on both legs.

Ak-achi constrict her tail around her opponent's wrist, and attempts to pull him up from the ground, she keeps her senses sharp as she does. Once she catches a glimpse of Page's face, she'll pummel him with punches at 30 strength.


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Raleth watches Ak-achi string her handseals and observes how she poses herself, he notes that the guardian waits for her opponent to act, and braces herself for a surprise attack. The smoking Sarutobi looks to the nin-wolf, he sees the gaze of Sheffield burn into the posing monkey.


[[513/3180]]

Ak-Achi:

As Page lifted his hand up to the guardian ape and crippled the right leg, it showed no signs of giving up as it circling around the part of his wrist sticking up from the ground and attempting to crush it, only to be halted by the presence of Page's forearm protector it latched onto, attempting to crush but not possessing enough strength to pierce the armor and do any damage. As they attempted this assault, Page brought down the right leg down at 35 speed with the hand still gripping at 50 strength, pulling both the tail and the right leg 1.25 meters into the earth, winning the tug of war the monkey committed to, before slipping his arm out of the forearm protector, monkey's tail still wrapped around it, solidifying the stone around the leg and the tail of Ak-Achi as Page rose completely out of the ground, ending his jutsu and trapping two of the limbs of this monkey in the stone just as they finished up the hand seals to heal up the broken ankle. 

As Page left the earth, determined at this point not to stop until this was well and over, no questions about it, he grabbed the slower and weaker punches of the monkey with a speed of 48 and a strength of 50, crushing both as they were slung by the now lopsided enemy, destroying the knuckle bones, the wrist, the tarsals, the metatarsals and everything in between, wrenching the muscle from the bone and turning them into useless sacks of skin and fur, before leaning to one side, grip still heald, and delivering a swift kick to the left leg that cracked the shin of the monkey, exposing the bone. After each limb had sustained one hit, he would lift his knee to the elbow of the left arm, breaking it, before letting go of his left arm, looping his legs around the monkey guardian's right arm, and riding their body to the ground, locking in an arm bar as he delivered repeated 50 strength kicks to the monkey's head, waiting for them to concede as he similarly increased the torque on the right arm. The monkey's face was shoved into the dirt, the right leg and tail trapped deep within at least a meter stone, their left leg had been effectively and painfully gimped, the left arm broken at the elbow, the right arm locked in an armbar and both hands of Ak-Achi had been shattered, the muscle torn. If these attacks, all done at 50 strength with 48 speed, wouldn't be enough to knock out the monkey, or at least make them concede, the repeated hammering down of kicks to the face would seal the deal on the disabled foe. Should anything have interrupted this flurry of blows, Page would change up his battle plan, especially if there was a concession, but barring that he would be ruthless in his assault, afterwards shouting, "DO YOU GIVE UP!?!" in between each kick.

"The sooner you give up, the sooner I can help heal up all these wounds I'm inflicting," the former farmer would say, and given that the monkey would concede eventually vary his speech once again. "Finally, jesus I didn't know someone could go this long just getting out played over and over again, christ!" There was then an awkward silence as Page quickly realized what he said, having been worked up into a rage. "Er.. I... I mean, sorry for that," he would start, "Ak-Achi, I'm sorry I had to go so far with this, but I have a mission to do and if you aren't going to allow the path of peace, I shall make you give up your violent ways as best I can. I hope that this demonstrates a passing grade in your test of might, now, let's get to healing you up, you're all bits 'n' pieces right now." Page would stop talking and if this really was the end of the conflict, get to using his own forms of medical ninjutsu to heal the damage he had done to the Guardian of the Mountain. He had hoped that despite this conflict being a rocky way to start off a relationship, that Ak-Achi wouldn't hold it against him for too long, but only time could tell if this hope would end up satisfied. Should anything interrupt the process of this chain, he would change his plan.

AP 390-10=380

WC: 742, TWC: 3,083, Total unclaimed WC: 1,483

Ak-Achi holds the ram handseal as she stays posed with her left leg resting on the inside of her right standing leg. She wraps her tail around Page's wrist as an aura of chakra coats her left foot, the damage done by her opponent's crushing grip is healed soon after she finishes speaking.

She squeezes and constricts her tail around the suna-nin's wrist and expects his bone and muscle to break. Instead, she feels cold, unbending steel, the armor Page wore was stronger than the guardian monkey had expected. As such, her opponent's wrist was not broken. And, because Ak-achi is held in place by a strength equal to hers, she does not try to jump and break free. Instead, she focuses on the chakra of her opponent. Because Ak-achi is a sensor, she is able to perceive the aura that cloaks his body, and therefore his movements.

Sensing that he pulls her down at a speed a tick quicker then hers, Ak-achi relaxes her leg and tail: allowing herself to be forced under. She maneuvers herself in her opponent's grip, ensuring that her leg and tail rest in a comfortable position, guaranteeing stability and balance on the surface. As she sinks down, she crosses her leg over and observes the movements of the man who swims up toward the earth's surface.

A shimmering aura flickers around her palms and sharpened nails, she flows chakra to her hands as the suna-genin brings himself up from underground. Feroicty and violence blinds his eyes, Ak-Achi feels his vicious intention.

Ak-Achi thrusts her sharpened nails at her at opponent, Page catches her punch at an equal strength but faster speed, he feels his flesh tear and rip as nails with 50 sharpness shred his hands. The sudden pain would cause him to flinch, Ak-achi would switch her grip and grab the man's hand at an equal strength.
 
Though Page is faster then the monkey, he was not stronger; as such, his attempt to break, mangle, and overpower Ak-Achi would take time, more time than Page expected. And,  as he had no defense against Ak-Achi's sharpened nails, he could not help but flinch and slowing his assault, for a moment.

As soon as Page grabs her hand, the guardian fares the chakra aura around her hands. The shimmering green color that hovers around her palms shifts to a sickly red as her nails dig into her opponent's fesh, she injects her malignant chakra to course through the man's arms, down his spine and into his legs.

As Page begins to win the struggle of the half-burried monkey, a tingling sensation travels down his body The presence of his lowerbody issappears, he would lose the feeling his legs, as the Offensive Mystical Palm would assault his body at a speed and power of 65: more than the strength and reaction speed of his opponent.

Because page went to grab and hold Ak-Achi's hand at his full speed, it would be too late to pull back his attack when he noticed the shift in Ak-Achi's Mystical Palm. Because he committed to grappling and overpowering an opponent of equal strength, the jutsu would have more than enough time take effect as he struggled to crush the hands of the monkey.

As Page's knees began to buckle, Ak-achi would shift her grip around and to his wrist and spring upwards from the chakra altered earth and soil, using the way she placed her leg and tail underground and grip she has on the coma-induced shinobi to "jump" up from the ground. 

As she frees herself, she pulls her opponent forward, brings her legs up and springs off his chest, "kicking" him backwards, so that when he crumbles to the ground he does so safely. His head would bounce off the the earth as he crumpled back,  he would be too numb to feel anything.

The sickly aura that surrounds her hands fades, she winces as her ankle throbs. It had been sometime since I've known injury, thinks the Guardian of the Gate, Ak-Achi. She brushes the dirt off her robe and walks back to the cave's gate, "Well done." She says as she limps with each step.

"Ral-ishki," says the white-furred monkey, "tend to your student."

The pipe-smoking, ashen haired Raleth perks up at the mention of his name, as he was lost in his thoughts concerning the trial of his student. He jumps down down from the Boulder and passes the Gate Guardian. She gives him a look, Page has passed the Trial of the Gate. 

He smiles and turns his attention to his comatose student. The immense Sarutobi forms the handseals he'd seen Ak-Achi forms. Benveolent and green chakra flickers like fire around his hands as he completes the ram handseal, he kneels down and applies his Mystical Palm on Page. 

"You've got a tactile mind, Page," thrums the basso voice of the Sarutobi as he heals the suna-genin, "one that understands how best to utilize one's tools. To have your opponent exhaust their enhenhancement was extraordinary. To ensure that your only your guarded parts were exposed was marvelous." Page would feel the sensation of his body and would be able to sit upright. "I caution you to not underestimate your opponent's power and to take care when committing to an attack. Observe the status of your opponent and the position of their body, where and how they've placed their arms, or the spacing of their legs as they take their stance. As well, intend all your actions. Do not simply pull your opponent down, yank, twist, and ensure that your enemy cannot manipulate themselves while you have them. Take this to heart as you continue on your journey to be a magnificent shinobi."

Raleth extends his hand to helps Page up, he sees that the man before him has the potential to bloom into a mighty force of nature. He turns his head toward the cave, and the Boulder the white-furred monkey rests on. "Do hold your head high, there are few of have matched Ak-Achi like you did."

The aged Sarutobi goes toward the cave. "I'll be back in a minute, wait here and recuperate." Raleth walks in, leaving Page and Sheffield with Ak-Achi.

[[1040/4220]]

Ak-Achi:

**Raleth using Mystical Palm taught to him by Ak-achi, will claim at end of thread**

Page had prepared an all out assault and expected some resistance but in his haste had completely overlooked Ak-Achi shifting from a fist to a speared finger driving through his hand, a great pain that he could overcome if that was all, but then, as he tried to progress his battle plan, he felt his limbs seize up. It started with his hands, a pins and needles sensation overcoming him from the neck down before the monkey delivered a swift kick, one the former farmer would catch but not feel, sending himself over before the gate guardian seemingly ended her aggressive streak and perplexingly congratulated Page, letting him know he had passed.

Even though he was in pain and heavily disoriented, Page couldn't help but laugh at the series of events, watching the monkey leave as he chuckled between breaths. Eventually his teacher, Raleth, came to the sand shinobi, weaving a familiar set of hand signs over him before healing his student of the nervous issues. Page sat up and forced his hands into a similar series of positions, slightly modified because of the pain before healing himself up, also using mystic palm, as Raleth gave Page a lesson he paid great attention to. 

"Thank you sensei," Page would say, "I appreciate the compliment and for the criticism, I'll take it into account for the future, sorry I was holding back. I will take it forward to in place of striking once, striking many times, especially with these chunin exams coming up soon. Also," and the sand genin would lean in real close for this, whispering it as to avoid further wrath of Ak-Achi, "If you think about it, like really think about it, I won, after all I got through minimizing violence, but keep that on the down low, I would hate to have to eat my words soon." Before cracking a smile and widening his arms, adapting to the restoration of feeling.

As his teacher made his way towards the cave, likely to retrieve the scroll they came to get in the first place, Page would stand up and stretch, thanking Sheffield and giving him some pets for all the hard work he put in that day. He would reach into his bag and pull out some beef jerky, something for Shef gnaw on as a symbol of their growing bond. The quickly learning shinobi would stretch his legs some more, wiggle his fingers around and get used to feeling again before letting out a bit of a laugh over all that had transpired in just the last month. As Raleth returned from the cave, he readied himself for the return home, now a lot more practiced and wise from the experience.

WC: 454, TWC:3,537, Total usable WC:1,937

The guardian monkey, who sat upon the Boulder, would shift her head toward the direction of Page as he attempted to whisper to Raleth about the conclusion of their fight. "Indeed, that is why you've passed the trial, whelp." rings the mountain voice of Ak-Achi. 

The ashen-haired Sarutobi chuckles, agreeing with the sentiment of his student. "Ak-Achi isn't a sore loser, she recognizes true skill." He leaves his student and goes into the cave.

The white-furred monkey observes Page and Sheffield. "You're relationship with that animal reminds me of something. Tell me, is he a mundane wolf?" Ak-Achi would be referring to the chakra she feels stemming from Sheffield and her own knowledge of the clans of fire country. 

After some time, when the two were done conversing, Raleth Sarutobi would walk out of the cave, a large scroll would he tied to his back. The concentric circles, symbol of the Sarutobi, would he stamped on its face, and the visage of a great monkey would be engraved on its sides. AkAk-achi would spy this and tilt her head forward as Raleth walk passed the Boulder she sat on.

"You wish to assume the place of Hiruzen, Sarutobi?"

Raleth would stop and angle his head toward the guardian, his face obscured by his straw hat. Smoke would drift from his pipe as he answered with silence, tension would spark between the two.. After a moment, Ak-Ak-Achi chuckles.

"Ultimately, it is Enma decision. But, you have my blessing."

Raleth shoulders relax as an unknown tension washes off to his expression. He looks to the sky to see the position of the sun, he measures the shadows to gauge the time. He grimaces.

"I didnt expect to be held up by the guardian," he says as he walks up to Page and Sheffield. "We've still the tea shop to tend to, so it looks like you'll get a needed break." Raleth claps his hands, releasing a massive amount of earth chakra in his palm. He places his hands on Page and Sheffield. Earth chakra would flow around their person, they would feel gravity lessen as the air molecules around them are manipulated. They would feel their weight lessen and, without thought, they would begin to float away from the ground. Their first attempts to steady themselves would be fruitless, as they would spin and flail in random directions. Raleth would cross his arms, hovering above with ease, having completed his Ultra-Lightweight Boulder Tetchnique.

"You'll get used to the feeling" thrums Raleth, "just tighten your core and direct yourself with your being." The Sarutobi would concentrate his chakra around his students, to better aid them as they learned to deal with the sensation of weightlessness and prepare them for flight.


"Come, we can make it back in half the time it took to get here."

After Page and Sheffielf get their bearings, Raleth would burst up into the sky with his students in tow, soaring over the desert and toward Sunagakure: in time for another work day at the Monkey's Uncle.

Ap/Jutsu:

[[508/4728]]
[Exit]
Thread  Claims, total WC 4728

• Claming Mission Rewards, 13k ryo, 60 AP
  
• Damage Reduction Shield (A), 1375/1375, 50% Discount from Ak-achi
  
• Mystical Palm, 1250/1250, 50 Max Stat Discount
  
• Sarutobi Style: Breath of the Monkey King, 1653/4000
  

Page would scratch the back of his head in a bashful nature as he would not quite be able to tell exactly how to answer the Mountain Guardian, Ak Achi's question. "Well," he would figure. "I think he is a normal wolf, he doesn't like pork which is a bit odd, but other than that and his exorbitant apatite he is pretty mundane, though I think me and his connection may be something special. We haven't known each other long but there is already a super strong bond, you feel me?" The former farmer would fall into a speech lacking in formality as he slipped deeper into thought on the subject on if Shef was just some dog, falling out of his sense of the conversation. Page would continue to spiral in his speech, going on about how it was strange that they had just met and yet were so close and detailing again the story he had told a million times about how they met, dealing out more punishment in boredom than he ever could have hoped to do physically.

The guardian monkey would very obviously seek an out from the conversation when Raleth would strut by, carrying a large scroll that surprised those standing by the boulder for different reasons. Page would be shocked to see such a large and ornate scroll that they were sent to pick up, he had assumed that it was something simple like a dossier that held information on a local gang of ruffians or something, not something this.... fancy. Sheffield was similarly surprised, or perhaps he was just hungry and knew that the large Sarutobi may have had food, but he eagerly stood up as the man passed the stone, sensing his intent to leave. The Sand genin would listen to his sensei and the monkey he had just fought talking about a name he hadn't heard of before, Hiruzen. That would puzzle the former farmer, but since Ak-Achi would seemingly laugh it off, referring to another name he hadn't heard before, "Enma," Page would just wave it off figuring it was all just monkey business. The comforting adaptation of Raleth would help sooth Page from what was, simply, a very tense situation

"Yeah, suppose it caught us both off guard," Page would respond, again repeating his awkward nervous tick of scratching the back of his head as he still felt weird about having to fight someone that was friendly with his teacher, "Very well Sarutobi Sensei, lets make our way back to the shop, would hate not to be pulling my weight, or to miss the lunch rush." Page would still be a bit on edge as his master, even if he trusted him, would approach his hands packed heavily with earth chakra. The former farmer and his sheep dog would visibly wince as the trusted owner of the tea shop would lay his hand on them, and then all the sudden their weight would seemingly disappear, a disappearing pressure would at first be soothing, but as it failed to return, they would become alarmed as they rose into the sky. Page would try to stabilize himself with his arms and legs, only finding himself flail about in the air as he hopelessly raised in the air without his control while Sheffield seemed to be attempting to race in the the air back to the ground, failing to actually change position as he moved.

"Ral! Could have warned me before you did this!" Page would yell alarmedly as he spun more and more out of his control. Shef would be barking up a storm as he rose, but both would go silent as soon as Raleth spoke again. Page listened patiently, regained his composure and spoke again, noticeably calmer, "Alright, very well, Shef slow your role, we got this," before crossing his legs and, assisted by the caster to an increased extent, strengthening his core and getting, while still flawed, increased control over himself in the air, the wolf quickly following suit. "Sounds good, this may take some getting used to but hell, its pretty fun and I can see how it may end up being quicker avoiding the rocks and such," Page would admit, starting slowly with controlled flying before starting to keep up pace with Raleth.

Eventually, soaring through the crisp and cloudless sky of the desert, they would touch down back in the village hidden in the sand, checking in with the gate guards, human this time, at least assumedly so, and return to the Monkey's Uncle for another day of work. Sheffield would go upstairs as soon as they entered the place, assumedly going directly to bed before an alarmed scream was let out from the direction of the bedrooms, not quite blood curdling, but certainly not one of fun, it was however, followed by laughs. "Who's dog is this?" a voice would call out from above, "Who's voice is that?" Page would ask. It would thereafter be revealed that the voice belonged to no other than Katsuragi, and this would prove to be the first time that Page and his roommate would meet, but certainly not the last time.

WC:863, TWC: 4,400, Total Usable WC: 2,800
[Exit]
Claims:
+28 Stats Page
All of these are halved with Raleth Training Page
Taijutsu Cloak 1.25k/1.25k   continued from earlier
Nukite: The Spear Hand 1.25/1.25k A rank
Tank B rank 750/750, 900/1.25 A rank
[Both Mission Rewards]
12,200 Ryo
60 AP
Intense want to have been earth clan sarutobi this whole time