A fork in the road (hunter)

He couldn't know, could he?  His tears were still hot and heavy as he felt both spirits erased from this world.  Not only because of his sensory abilities, but also because of his connection with lost and broken things.  He'd long served the other side; he'd seen and comforted those that had been unable to move on.  Though his speech may have been big in regard to exorcism, it was not something he enjoyed doing.  Each being deserved to move on at their pace, when they felt they were ready.  However, that didn't entitle them to do unto others what they cannot do for themselves.  All techniques released as the two spirits returned to the wheel of reincanation....or wherever they were meant to go.  He was not one to judge, and no ill will was shared between them.  As he stood, the rain beating down on him hiding away his tears Ivy Bluemoon trotted over to stand by him.  Leaning against her for a moment, he placed his head in her mane, letting the scratchy hair wipe his face clean.  In an uncharacteristically sweet gesture her head bent towards him for a moment of comfort.  "This is not one of my favorite days you know...."  He would say trailing off.  As he did the area around seemed to come alite.  

The purple flames seemed to erupt around them, each building cast in the glow except one.  A deep breath, and he released it.  Kneeling down, he clasped his hands.  His lips moved soundlessly as he prayed for the spirits that had been vanquished, and he prayed for whatever he was about to find.  The Kami had long been his friends, they were his companions, and they were who he sought wisdom from.  Reaching into his robes, he tore at the linen wraps that covered his torso.  They came away easy, and he lay them on the ground.  Taking a kunai from one of the pockets on Ivy Bluemoon's saddle he stabbed it in so they would stay in place.  Each of the linen wraps he wore contained prayers of varying types.  His skin was stained with the black ink as it left their mark as he was accustomed to doing.  There was only one thing left to do now, one last bit of business to settle.  Standing up, he'd scratch behind his horse's ear.  "Well come on then."  He would say.

Moving across the temple grounds he would find himself approaching the building.  Should nothing occur or stop him, he would press the door open, stepping inside.  In his right hand the Onimaru, held outright prepared to parry, in his left the Bashosen, the handle wresting on his shoulder as the palm fan trailed behind the nape of his neck.  As he entered, he kept his wits about him, searching for what was to come, and taking in the building.  Ivy would stop at the doorway half in half out while Asahi took a few steps inside unless there was anything that made him stop.  His senses attuned to connect with whatever came.  Should they the ninshu would once again activate.  A scene of him playing Go against the entity that had lived in a haunted house, him besting it and it returning to wherever it came from.  It had not been a spirit aligned with anything as far as he knew.  He showed the memory so as to keep a sense of neutrality but to show his unafraidness in dealing with such monsters.  While he doubted any sort of peace was possible, he hadn't ruled out talking his way into an advantage.  No doubt the deaths of its subordinates would not have pleased it.....such creatures often sought stronger pawns.  By showcasing such strength, maybe he'd get at least the first move when it wasn't looking.


TWC - 6659

AP - 1185 + 20 heavenly body = 1205 new total

With the attendants finally disposed of the final seals were lifted in the area and as seen before the area was like the eye of a squall…a final test was all that was left for the exorcist kage. As he prepared, the ink stained his torso and he looked like the protagonist of a very long and brutal story…for all intents and purposes though…in this moment he was. The foul beast that was his roadblock lay behind the doors of the main building and it was time that the two parties finally meet…

The wooden doors were heavy, as if sealed shut and made with iron…yes Asahi stepped forward and into the room without worry. The smell was the first to hit his nostrils. It was a musky odor, earthy, but yet overwhelming in that it smelled of cucumber and decay. This was the den of a venomous creature…something that should have remained sealed…

The sound of scales slithering along the tile, gliding along wood filled Asahi’s ears as the creature moved at the boundary…seemingly negating the use of ninshu in this perplexing situation. Then that is when he heard the voice…it was as smooth as silk, yet carried with it a tone of danger. ”Well, well, well…looks like the attendants' losses were nothing worth of note…and now I expect you are here to what? Slay me…is that it? Perhaps you are here to seal me deeper into the prison of this mountain? Or is it because you an out wandering around for…” the slithering turned to subtle padding of footsteps as a beautiful, scantily clad woman appeared in the moonlight, her pupils were slits just like a predator and her figure, illuminated…looked tantalizing to say the least. “Are you looking for greater power that the spirits are in fear of even to defend your people?” she spoke with a smile across her face. She didn’t move any closer than the moonlit hole in the roof…dripping water like a constant metronome. There was proper preparation on the temple master’s part but she did not make any of it yet known as she stared at Asahi.

WC:361
TWC:4,304

The smell....when....or should he say if, he was able to look back on this moment later....that would be the first thing he would recollect.  Musty yet not overwhelming, like that of a well kept tomb.  The doors had moved with effort, and now he stood as described before.  Barely a moment to get his baring's before the sounds of...something accosted his ears.  The ninshu had failed, no it had been repelled.  As though whatever held its memories refused to give them up.  They kept them...selfishly refusing the kindness that others offered up so regularly.  In many ways, that was a fitting response he assumed.  The slithering and sliding subtly sounded, images of a snake on tile drifted through his mind.  He did not twitch, nor move....his breathing was regular and calm.  Asahi Yagami, son of Yoshi Yagami, may have not been the samurai that Yasahiro was....nor would he possibly ever be.....but what he was.....was more than enough to look down on such a creature without fear.  

At least, that was what he liked to think.  Now however, not a monster but something far more dangerous stepped from the shadows.  Her words offering untold delights, with an aftertaste of venom.  He had to shake his head only mildly, though his eyes did not betray him.  Her questions came and went, probing for some reasoning for him to be here, for his intention.  She needn't have bothered.....He was more than willing to let her know.  "That wasn't my initial plan."  He'd say smiling, his blue eyes following her.  "I always prefer conversation to slayings, but I'm not sure if that will be much of a choice after all this up here."  

As he spoke, his left hand would form a seal while the Bashosen rested on his shoulder, before his hand gripped it once more.  His minds eye opening, he was preparing.  While he wished for conversation and an easy conclusion, he was also no fool.  His time on the surface had shown that.  Any creature that tore the innocent souls from reincarnation was not one who wished to share or give up its tricks.  They were nothing, or at least... they soon would be.  

"Heavy is the head unfortunately."  He would say, his feet spreading slightly, his arms tensing just for a moment as he prepared for the likely confrontation.  Ivy Bluemoon breathed heavily a few paces behind him, still within the door frame.  Her hooves digging grooves in the ground as she stomped with nervous energy.  "Before we begin though, I don't think it's you.  I don't think you are the big bad boogieman that's been around all this time.......Just call it a hunch, but you are a bit too....corporeal for what I'm chasing.  Before it's all over, I do hope you'll monologue me a little insight...call it foreplay to the exorcism."  He'd smile, though behind that smile were nerves, and on his brow sweat.  His life had always come with a certain amount of danger....and monsters lurked well within the hearts of man....but here and now.....never was the danger or monsters more evident.

TWC - 7173

AP and Jutsu

Minds Eye - Power = 90

1205 - 45 = 1160 remaining

His initial answer was just as she predicted that it would be, keeping to talking rather than to bare one’s fangs and finishing what was already approaching. The woman smiled as she watched the mind’s eye of the Kagura open and she already knew that this man…this soon to be husk would need to be taught a lesson before his untimely demise. “You see I have been around for a LONG time, and I have also had the chance to travel…to do as I wish and learn a…GREAT deal of things.” She would immediately say with a wink as her chakra flared quickie and her body at a speed of 150 and the area around her was illuminated as if lightning struck. It was not a blinding movement as the Peacock Spirit Blessing was activated. She would open up the assault at the same time whistling seven distinct sounds before pointing at him and unleashing a blast of chakra energy at where Asahi was standing. A beam of 25m in diameter fired at a speed of 240 with a power of 240 as well. This was the opening volley, and if Asahi was able to dodge the initial attack then she would retreat back at a speed of 130 in an attempt to doge anything that may be coming her way. She was not revealing her biggest trick yet.

WC:229
TWC:4,534

Stats of the Temple Master:

Jutsu and AP usage:

Words were the weapons of wise men, not monsters.  He knew that, but still a small part of him had hoped for a different outcome.  Unsure what he thought would happen, it was clearly becoming evident that his words contained now power.  His cleverness and guile wouldn’t do him anymore good.  He’d hoped to steal through their defenses and then make his move, but now that was a pipe dream never to be realized.  The end had come, the bell never to be unrung.  As the woman smoke, he felt a breath exhale as his muscles tensed in anticipation for what was to come next.  Not because of a lack of training, but rather a lack of desire it was rare for him to place any of his skills on display.  In truth many in the village would simply know him as the tea attendant that would be Kage.  Though his mission total was the highest in the village, it wasn’t from strength but rather his quick words and resourcefulness right?  That was what the people would thing, and he was fine with such things.  Never had he wanted to be known as strong, Asahi Yagami, the weakest Kage…..a title he held proudly.  

Sensing the tension Ivy Bluemoon would turn and begin trotting away to a safe distance during the woman’s speech.  She was useful, but it was obvious this was not a scenario where she would be able to do much.  She would bolt to the left putting distance between herself and the building moving back to the safety of the koi pond.  


With the minds eye open, the flaring of chakra would be seen at its start.  At the same time it began, Asahi’s own body underwent a transformation at a rapid pace.  His skin becoming dark like burnt ash, and his hair seemed to ignite with strips of orange.  Black eyes with red irises, and canines elongated.  He’d used the form only in practice now however, he used it in earnest.  He knew that he didn’t have the advantage in a drawn out fight, the creatures energies high enough to likely outlast his own.  In the end, he only had an option to finish this as quickly as possible.  For samurai the Iaigiri was revered, and though this was not the same as that technique the principle of a defining slash remained.  

As she ignited herself with light, he too would have completed his transformation with darkness.  The dichotomy of the situation not lost on him, though the transformation had repressed the majority of his emotions.  He could now see her aura in earnest, feel her intentions as they occurred.  

He could feel her intention to attack, and as she started the first sound of a whistle his ninjato would slash out infront of him, a shredding wind covering his form as he dashed forward at his maximum speed.  Her walk to the moonlit hole had closed distance between them, only around 15 meters difference between the two.  He’d have covered likely half of that by the time she pointed.  As he hit this mark, a wind torn dragon for the second time of the night erupted outwardly from the cloak that covered his body.  It’s shape more cruel than it had been for the attendant.  To the attendant it had been an escape, a creature of mercy, now however it’s wicked fangs sought blood and anguish.  

Her beam would clash with the dragon, and as it did the dragon’s mouth would open wide devouring through and pushing it to the side as it over came it. It would continue forward, he had not dodged instead rushing headlong into the beam, so she would not have moved back.  His intention was for the dragon to move forward to max distance filling the majority of the room leaving now where to hide, it’s speed outstripping relative to her to continue shredding through her body causing as much damage as possible.  

Perhaps she had thought him weak due to his lithe frame and tendency to chat.  His soft feminine features gave him no credit when it came to the art of intimidation, and yet behind all that was something that often surprised the few that truly came into contest with him.  

Around the dragon where it touched the walls they would crumble as it’s power tore through even the stone.  The beam as it was pushed away would also eat into the stone, it’s powers igniting the tapestries and other flammable materials within the temple.  Smoke already beginning to fill the area and nostrils of the combatants.  Now that her initial attack had been repressed, and Asahi had managed the element of surprise his movement would not have stopped, attempting to rush the woman, the wind wall around him pushing her back as he continued to move forward.  (Wind aura is 10m in diameter and is counted as solid for clashing)  His eyes watched her, he watched her intent as to flee or fight the minds eye open and watching, all eyes where on the woman, as the Komekage sought to snuff out the threat.  

Blade in front of him, his other hand gripping the Bashosen, he was ready for whatever she came up with.  All these actions had occurred quickly and at his maximum capabilities aided by Yamamoto’s gift.  He’d never used the dragon twice on the same opponent, but he could feel this would change soon enough.  

TWC - 8083

Jutsu used 

Minds eye  - power 90
Sky shredding dragon - power 250 / speed 200
Curse mark  - max form - +80/+80 chakra and speed 
Onimaru - 50 ap drain due to senju wood augmentation 


Stats

Health - 300
Vigor - 35
Chakra - 200
Speed - 200
Str - 25

Ap

1160 - 17 (minds eye) - 75 (SSD) + 100 (curse mark activation) - 40 ( curse mark activation) + 50 (Onimaru used to channel a technique) = 1178 new total

Effects to occur

Onimaru drains 50 ap from the temple masters ap pool

250 damage done against temple master for SSD should it come into contact

Due to the effects of the oni kin skill, please feel free to detail what her aura would look and feel like.

Seeing her beam crushed and the assailant still coming after her she was able to roll off to the right side as she knew that the temple was forfeit and that if she did not use her ancestral power then she was doomed to die. As a fragment of her former self she was still beautiful, but now as she shed away her body, becoming the serpentine naga like spirit she had become thanks to heartbreak and curses. She was a monster and she would act as such, and activated her latent ability, further pushing her corporeal body as she was now fully outlined in the temple as more light was present with tapestries and wood on fire. With embracing her pureblood and actual form. The Ninshu would finally receive a fraction of memory. A Senju woman of a wealthy and noble family, fallen in love with a commoner merchant with not much to show for his lifestyle. It showed signs of deep affection, adoration, and even self sacrifice as the senju woman defied her clan to give to this merchant. Then the scene flipped as it was shown that the merchant was nothing more than a flippant bastard with a penchant to create scams to make his actual money…a casanova. She found out and the merchants men, took turns with her until she wan nothing but a shell, and the merchant arrived to make himself look like a hero before a Senju Clan member was seen in her eyes off in the distance. A world of hurt, devastation, and betrayal. Another scene switch and she was now as she showed herself to Asahi moments before…a beautiful maiden with cold eyes. She gave into darker arts and stolen chakra and curses of old shinobi gods and mythical beings tied to the ancient Tanbogakure…she killed the merchant and all the men under him with a curse after luring them with a prospect of another unsuspecting woman. After that though she killed indiscriminately and took on mythical beings even until she was driven out and sealed away. Eternally angered and scheming to gain her freedom. That is when Ninshu was cut off as the serpent Temple Master weaved the thirteen hand signs for the Kanzeon Lotus King…the pinnacle of her power as she let out a laugh with an evil hiss. The Lotus King exploded out of the ground with a speed/power/health of 230 as it rose to its full height, destroying the temple as it did. As it rose up the hundred hands were already moving as it made a move fluently to destroy the remainder of temple with Asahi inside of it. “YOU WILL DIE JUST LIKE THE REST OF THE MEN BEFORE YOU! ALL THAT HAVE EVEN THOUGHT OF SLEIGHTING ME!!! YOU WILL ALL PAY!!!” She screamed as the storm outside picked up once more. The sight of the Lotus King to any that were able to see would be a frightening sight indeed.

WC:497
TWC:5,031

Jutsu/stats/ap:

Though the coming conflict moved forward with blurring speed, there was a moment when everything slowed.  His eyes deadened by the curse mark picked up on the woman's intent.  The intent to kill to never give up, to force her will upon the world and take what was owed.  Deep within his heart, he could feel pity for her.  For the creature she had become, and the pathways she had went down.  So many had suffered for such selfishness, and many more would, should he fail here and now.  In that moment, he knew such things also were impossible.  There are defining moments in our lives, when everything has stacked up.  We can feel the conflict within ourselves and see it in the world around us, and though it is hard.....though it may hurt......we know that there is no choice but to forge ahead and seize victory not only for ourselves, but for the ones around us.    No one within the village of Tanbogakure knew him to be here, and though he doubted he was the strongest.....his cousin surely held such a title......there was no one else suited to exorcise this creature.  

His footsteps had not slowed, still charging ahead with his full strength and speed.  The dragon he had sent forward would crush through the beam, she had made no movements backwards, and had chosen to form an alternate technique.  Due to the relative speed in which she could, and that of the dragon, he assumed it would weaken her.... though he was proven that her strength was greater than that of physical pain as she forged through.  

At the sign of the first hand seal 5 little birds would appear around Asahi.  two on each shoulder, one on his head, and one on his sword as he plunged ahead.  Made of his very spirit they were immaterial, yet beautiful.  Their patterned colors that of the dwarf kingfisher, a bird native throughout the Rice Country, as well as the Land of Iron.   A pleasant surprise that he had found them in his new home, a sign it wasn't so different from his old.

The little birds would launch themselves from his body, moving quickly towards the snake woman.  She would finish the seal, as the large wooden statue would begin to immerge.  Though it was fast, Asahi had already closed the majority of the distance with his initial attack.  As it came from the ground, the birds would dive into it, their forms seeming to dive through it as a bird would dive through water.  As they did the wood would lose its lustrous sheen and appear poisoned.  Though still strong, even a casual observer could tell it had been weakened by the attack.  The birds would disrupt its powers, making it an easier target.

Finally, two quick movements both done at his maximum speed.  The first was that of the Bashosen, from its place still on his shoulder he brought it down, its outer fan covered in chakra.  A blast would erupt from the fan straight towards the snake woman.  With a maximum size of 40 meters in diameter and traveling up 40m it would encapsulate her as well as the now slowed wooden structure.  As it hit the wooden structure it's movements would halt completely, the vibrations of the technique severing its bonds with the woman.  The force would soon strike her as well, shredding across her body.  The pain would be for a moment, before a fresh one would strike, however.  A second dragon erupted up, as Asahi's second movement brought the Onimaru was raised.  The wooden structure collapsing, her techniques halted, this dragon would consume her, finishing what he had started.  

As all this transpired, Asahi's own ninshu spoke to the woman.  She had shown him the malice that made her.....he showed her the kindness that created him....

-----------------------------

"But dad.....I'm trying....its Hard"

"Look at Yasahiro, see his arm, watch it it strikes.  No wasted movement, no head in the clouds.  That is what it takes!"

A young boy scolded for day dreaming, wooden katana in hand.  

"You are thinking too much.  Let the Kami guide you, and you will never be wrong."

"I know gran....I just......"

A young boy comforted by a wizened old woman, his blue eyes watching a taller, stronger boy practicing in the distance.

"Spirits, and our dealings with them are not unlike the way of the blade.  The iagiri, draw and strike.  Finishing combat in a single blow, your will and spirit on the line against another.  That is how you must approach the spirits beyond....strike with your very soul as they strike with theirs....then you may understand each other, in the intertwined conflict.  Not to kill....but to know."

An old woman sipping tea, and then....she was gone

-------------------------------------------------------------

His breath was heavy, eyes focused.  If all had gone to plan the woman would have been suspended and trapped by the sheer magnitude of his two strikes.  It had not been a single blow, but he felt that in this moment.....he understood.  She had never been the enemy......but the enemy was here all the same.

(Claiming death blow of Snake lady)

TWC - 8936

Jutsu Used

Sky Shredding Dragon - 250pwr / 200spd + additional dragon of same stats
Disparity of Heaven and Earth - 250pw / 200spd
Onimaru - ap drain
Bashosen - ap drain / weaponry amp 3rd effect to give Disparity +50 power
Curse Mark - Mastered form
Song Birds - Decreased its power and speed by 30 and health by 10 

ap

1178 + 50 (Onimaru ap drain) + 50 (Bashosen ap drain) - 53 (Song birds) - 75 (disparity heaven and earth) - 38 (SSD maintanence) - 25 (SSD additional dragon) - 20 (Curse Mark) - 50 (bashosen wep amp) = 1017 new total

Dirty deeds of combat explained:

It was just like that, all of her planning, her escape from the seal placed on her by the spirits of Tanbogakure…all of it, all for nothing. That was what life was, and again she was seeing it this way, she never climbed over the mountain that was her great anger that fueled her…and yet here she was blasted away once more, falling and writhing on the ground as the dragon tore into her skin and scales. The attack from the fan finishing its job as the wounds from the previous attacks all just made her weaker…she recalled seeing a memory of somewhere else…something else…not her own memory. This did nothing to placate her feelings of anxiety and sorrow…she was to be sealed again if she got caught, but yet this…human bested her in combat and now she died with what seemed more like a whimper than a bang. Did she miscalculate her opponent, or did she merely not use enough of her actual strength when she should have? These questions were just meaningless drivel now as her eyes that seemed like they held the strong ever burning fire of a woman wronged…was just snuffed out like a candle in the wind. Her body began to deteriorate as if aging a century instantly. There were no other thoughts that left her head, but the feelings she experienced…all of them…would flood Asahi’s senses all at once…but the beast was dead…finally.

WC:239
WC:5,270

Congrats, you beat the temple master and the Hunter thread is now complete. Congrats! Please finish your next post and exit.

A slow breath....his mind on fire with he intensity of the flames of the womans mind.  Falling to his knees, the threat neutralized, the flames of his air and the ash of skin retreated.  The colorations crawling back across his flesh to be sealed within the mark that rested over his heart.  The bashosen and Onimaru clattered as hands shaking released them.  Hot tears hit the ground as he was forced to live through a sad life, the two souls one young and one very old mingling in her final moments.  Forcing to bear witness to the time of her death while having such a connection was inherently unnatural.  Then just like that, the visions stopped, and in that moment he knew the life of the lamia was concluded.  Coughing, he wiped his face....moving over to the creature.  Her corpse had aged nearly beyond recognition.  So much time had gone to finding fulfilment, and yet in the end there was none to be found.  None to remember her, and none to grieve....except for Asahi.  Gathering what supplies he could from the temple, he set up a small pyre and burned her remains.  Lighting an incense stick to clear the area he set about a cleansing ritual.  

As he did so Ivy Bluemoon, walked along with him where she was able.  offering him support in the way of nuzzling his shoulder.  He wasn't sure how long this went on, but just like the life of the woman....it ended.  Not with a bang, but with a fizzle.  He barely remembered the walk back or falling into bed truly exhausted from the endeavor.  

That night, his dreams were painful, a large dark cloud roiling with an anger older than the land itself....it consumed insatiable.  A toddler throwing a fit after losing one of its favorite toys.  Asahi awoke several times, each time looking out into the deserted and quite streets of Tanbogakure.....and though he could see no changes.......he knew something had been set in motion that had not been so days before.  Though he had no proof, he knew that he was now in the view of something monstrous were as before he had simply been on the periphery.  

TWC - 9302


ext
Claims

Asahi

+32k ryo doubled mission reward from beloved precense
+15k ryo for Kage bonus

Of the above putting 20.5k into the Tanbo vault, vilalge new total is 220k
Pocketing the remaining 26.5k, Asahi new total 0 + 26.5k = 26.5k

A rank for Asahi

Ivy Bluemoon

+24 Chakra
+138ap for training bonus max stats
+80ap for mission reward

5000WC to double master Swamp of the underworld for no handseals
1500 to learn Earth walls B rank
1500 to learn Rock pillar spears B rank
500 to master Genjutsu Release
250 for Emotions on sleeve

Claiming my WC to go to my Tanbo nin. Yami Meijin