[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

Having been beaten by the moves of the strange spear user in charge of that martial arts sect Yakitsukeru was still rather sour about the experience. It had ended quite well for the two sage apprentices in terms of satisfying their obligations, but not so well if you counted their bruises which were just finishing healing. It had been roughly a week since those events and since they decided to travel to a country that got Yakitsukeru rather eager to travel more then usual. Snake Country, Hebi no Kuni, was a wonderland of both deadly and friendly snakes as far as she was concerned and she was excited to see what she could learn while there. Where better to study the nature of snakes and become one with the form of them then the country known for the reptiles? She was beyond the moon, and she was lucky that this aligned with something that Mairasu and her had been trying to do anyways. Finalizing their learnings in sage mode while overseas gave the young viper a genuinely wonderful flood of emotions as she thought over what they really needed. They had learned meditation, they had practiced gathering, but they needed to finalize their training in a practical way. There was no better place to finalize their first real in-road of proof to their ascension then with their first full step being in the land of snakes. Having crossed the border some time before the girl had checked they were heading the right way, a smile under her scarf growing over her normally reserved facial expressions. They were close to a rather common landmark, Mount Python, a large mountain that was known to house a rather insane number of snakes and incredibly poison-resilient animals amount its plant life. A flourishing ecosystem that beckoned to them, Yaki could barely contain her excitement. "We should be arriving sssoon to the bassse of the mountain. Do you think we should ssstart climbing immediately though Mairasssu-Kun?" Yaki would ask, her eagerness apparent in her tone. TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

AI ♥

[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

With each step in this foreign land the boy could feel his bruises pulse in pain, whether they came from the weapons beating against his form or his backside hitting the unforgiving ground they hurt all the same. Still, they had gotten their obligation done with that group and were now free to do what the two actually wanted: meet up with their sensei to hopefully take that next step in their training. They had done the work in meditation, even practiced harnessing natural chakra with varying results but it would take someone with experience to help them achieve sage mode; even if it was just the base form.

Normally it would have been a simple task to recognize when the border of one country ended and another began whether that was due to changes in landscape or signage, but in this rural wilderness it all looked the same. However, the visage of a large mountain looming in the distance was a marker that at some point the two had crossed into Snake Country and were quickly coming upon the base of Mt. Python. Mairusu's head titled slightly as he was expecting to see something that would have made the name made sense, though with nothing in the rock formation showing such that meant it came from what most likely resided in and around the mountain: snakes. The genin remembered like it was yesterday surviving against that behemoth of a reptile and could only hope that none other that size made their home here.

His attention would turn to Yaki who almost sounded giddy at having reached their destination, or at least the base of it. "Well, I doubt there will be a welcome wagon for us and I have a feeling our goal lies at the summit, so yeah, best to get to it." The boy replied with a small sigh. There was always some fight to survive or ridiculous challenge that he was needing to survive and boy did he hope the end result was worth it.

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WORDS ● Tateyama Yakitsukeru ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Kameosa]

The air was warm and sticky. The mountain infested with vines, moss, and towering tropical trees that blanketed the ascent with all manner of nook and cranny. Near the base of a weathered overgrown trail, a massive anaconda’s body wrapped around a sea of trees. His tongue flickered lazily roughly once an hour, but in his check, his body wriggled to life and his head perked up with curiosity.

What he was waiting for had arrived. Or would arrive, soon. Waving his tongue around and then biting it to draw blood, the anaconda brought his mouth to the ground and a black circle formed where he planted a kiss on the earth.

In a cloud of smoke, a horned woman in a plum kimono sat cross-legged with her eyes closed.

"Kameossa. A pair of humanss are approaching the mountain. I believe they are the one’s Mitsuda sspoke of.”

"...”

"Hey! Are you awake?” the snake asked.

"...Huh?” Kameosa replied, wiping sleep from her eyes and staring at the serpent. "Aoda? Erm. What did you bring me here for?”

"Apprentices. Did you forget?”

Kameosa blinked as she searched her memories. Before the position was turned over to her, she was told that she’d be responsible for two apprentices who sought to earn their place in the dragon cave and to understand sage mode. Sages of old had set this place up as a proving ground, and one of the previous sages had left Aoda here to await the next hopefuls.

"Oh. No, thank you. Uh, good work! I’ll take it from here!” Kameosa said.

The snake shifted its eyes to the left and right. "I’m going home then, it’s about time.” Soon after, his body became covered in smoke and Kameosa was left to her devices.

-

As the two apprentices finished speaking, the ground in front of them would start to give way in a small area. Kameosa emerged with a straight face, yellow eyes glancing at each of them and collecting the details of their appearance. Each carried a fair amount of equipment on them, and they looked well prepared for their journey, and perhaps a bit weary already from their travels to get here. She’d leave out her own method of arrival.

"Hello. You two are a long way from home, aren’t you?— This isn’t the best place for picnics.”

She likely wouldn’t be who they expected, given the rather sudden appointment of her position by an elder sage eager to retire. The truth was, this was as much a trial for her as it was for the students. She’d stumbled upon the dragon cave by luck and her behavior endeared her to the White Snake Sage, but Manda wouldn’t truly respect her until she completed the initiation rights and proved her own worth. There was no need for the students to know that she was new to this too though. Everything would be just fine.

🗡️

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

An interesting figure appeared before the two as naturally as a fish swam in water, though to say that was more literal Yakitsukeru was sure she would have needed to have been able to actually see the woman appear. Immediately though Yakitsukeru found herself maintaining a level of eye contact with the woman before her. A hand already on a fire scroll shifted to not be in full view from the woman before the two apprentices. Yaki had not been expecting anyone and the sudden apparation had her on edge to say the least. Kameosa looked like a woman who had just woken up, but beyond the lethargy she looked potent as venom. A vixen in disguise possibly? "We did not come here to picnic, we came to ssscale the mountain. Isss there an isssue with that?" Yaki would state with a very openly hostile demeanor, one her body language had already made clear. Glancing over to Mairasu for his reaction Yaki looked to see if he had any more gauge on the woman. She didn't seem outright hostile, but the young viperess did not trust that to hold true in a situation just as this. TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

AI ♥

[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

Nearly as soon as the words left his mouth the boy was made to eat them as the very ground in front of them opened up and out came a funky looking woman -- at least Mairusu thought it was a woman but the yellow eyes gave him pause-- causing the genin to stop dead in his tracks. "Woah woah woah." His hand was halfway to his munitions pouch as the lady started to speak about picnics and being far from home. Yaki, in her usual matter-of-fact thinking, didn't sound pleased at all that their progress was being impeded.

"Yes we are, and we still have a whole mountain to climb so unless you know a short cut you mind letting us get past ya right quick?" Mairusu asked. He was hoping that a nicer tone would keep tempers from flaring but then again what were the odds that scaling a mountain named after a snake to meet a snake sage was going to go smoothly? For all they knew this was some protector of the mountain or something that would try its hardest to prevent them from even reaching the damn thing. The apprentice had survived a tussle with a giant snake so how hard could it be to get past someone who could split the very ground open and pop up at will?

Troublesome.

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WORDS ● Tateyama Yakitsukeru Kameosa ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Kameosa]

There appeared to be some reservations about her. She was not a well known shinobi of Konohagakure, so it was only natural that the two wouldn’t know who she was. Her immediate thought was to clarify things for them, but before she spoke a perfectly lazy idea came to mind. She’d trail them and let them do most of the work. There were no rules about how one completed the trial, after all.

"My apologies. Many have perished on the mountain, and I only meant to give warning should you be unaware of its reputation,” she said. "Good luck on your journey.”

After speaking, Kameosa began sinking into the ground without weaving any hand seals. The only evidence that she hadn’t been an apparition was the disturbed soil she left in her wake.

A trail was before them that led on a gradual incline that wrapped around the mountain in a coil. The canopy of trees made it difficult to measure progress. Alternatively, to the winding path, the apprentices could try to take a direct route through the dense vegetation and scale a steeper incline, but the naked eye could find signs of breaks in the foliage that suggested animal activity.

🗡️

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

As quickly as the woman had appeared she was gone and Yaki only slightly relaxed. Reaching to her side for her ration scroll she pulled it open and settled to a knee to pull out two food pills. Her held weapon holstered back to where it had been. The girl was not exactly pleased by the ominous nature of the appearance that still had her hackles raised in caution. Looking to Mairasu she handed him a food pill, "It would ssseem that we are not going to get to ressst. Come eat thisss to tide for the climb, if we are to complete our tasssk it would ssseem that energy is going to have to come firssst thisss time around... feelsss like the whole trip jussst got ruined though." Yaki would huff, her mood obviously ruined by the spooking that was the encounter of the earth-swimming woman. Standing and beginning to stretch her legs and arms, Yaki would release the weight from her haori and check herself for exhaustion from the walk they had made already. She was well thus far, but definitely needed more work. Looking over at Mairasu her glower made her own opinion clear to the boy who had been with her for a while now, they were plunging headfirst and doing so with as much and little caution as needed. "When you are ready let usss begin our assscent on the mountain. Jussst sssay when, we have been walking for a bit too long to really sssay we are fresh I would think. At leassst I am certainly not," She continued while her gaze moved to check her scrolls and then the path ahead. TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

AI ♥

[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

Mairusu wasn't sure what was to come next: a fight? more talking? But thankfully and somewhat anticlimactically the woman apologized for interrupting them and made her exit via sinking into the ground. Had she been some messenger sent by those who ruled this mountain to dissuade curious hikers or something more? Chances were they would never know and it left an odd air around the entire situation. Taking one of the food pills offered by Yaki the young apprentice would eyeball it as the girl spoke on needing to keep their energy up for the climb ahead. "Just one thing after another, I swear things just refuse to be normal." Looking ahead to the dense canopy that surrounded the mountain it would be hard to figure out how much progress they made once they got into the thick of it and chances were there would be few places to safely stop.

Popping the food pill in his mouth he couldn't say it was particularly tasty but the effects were well documented and would help with their ascent. Maybe they wouldn't have needed them had this been the first stop on their journey but it was pretty much the end and the weariness of travel showed. The genin felt as if he had walked across the globe at this point and was really really hoping that something good, no, great would come of all this. Rough seas, pirates and ancient hidden temples were just a few of the things they had encountered and Mairusu needed to return home with more than just stories.

"Nah I could definitely use a vacation but I'll worry about that after we get to the summit. Let's get moving." He replied to Yaki. It felt like the beginning of the final stretch but there was no telling just long of a stretch it would be.

▲

WORDS ● Tateyama Yakitsukeru Exousia ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Exousia]

The path that stretched before Yakitseru and Mairusu was not a traditional one: the mountain was tall and wide, covered in trees and various flora, inhabited by snakes and monstrous beasts, with only a small, narrow trail to follow to the top. The pair had chosen a rather auspicious time to mount their climb, the sun hanging about halfway between its zenith and the horizon, being both the hottest part of the day and the time when daytime predators (those that hadn’t eaten already, anyway) were most active. The pair of Konoha Genin would have to be cautious if they wanted to survive the trek to the top- cautious and a bit lucky, though Kameosa’s presence would help them some. Some.

The trail was, for the most part, an easy to follow path. Made of worn out dirt and packed clay, it was less an official path and more of a well-worn, informal highway, one that had been walked by man and beast alike for many centuries, perhaps even longer. And, at first, it was easy going for the two Genin; they could easily follow the twisting path through the woods, its course following the slope of the mountain ever upward, albeit obliquely. Trees and plant-life lined the path, the sounds of a dense forest echoing through the air… but nothing came at them from the shadows. Yet.

It did not take long, however, for the two children to come to a liberal fork in the road: after perhaps half an hour of walking, the singular path branched into two, one that curved upward quite steeply, while the other curved down, plunging into a thicket of trees that seemed abnormally dark. With two paths before them, the pair of Genin would have to make a choice: head further up, risking steep path and a potential fall, or dive into the depths of the forest, and hope the path would shift back up?

Hiesin Mairusu Tateyama Yakitsukeru

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

Yaki had taken pause as they had come to the point they were at now. Mairasu was right that things just weren't natural here, something felt off and Yaki was not having it. Opening one of the storage scrolls at her hip she would kneel to the ground. In just a moment she would pull out ink and a brush, the ink a deep earthly jade in shade like that of a snake's scales. Dipping the ink onto the brush Yaki placed the last sealed piece of the puzzle in front of her. A piece of paper below her with a simple yet difficlt design, "That isss an assstute obssservation Mairasssu-Kun. I am going to try sssomething real quick then, if you could watch my back while I am painting these sssealsss around my eyesss. If I am right they should help me finally crosss the threshhold to sssage mode and posssibly more?" Yaki didn't really ask if he could, but rather requested it. The concepts she was about to play with were dangerous without the seal on her back They had come this far together, she could show him the kind of trust it took to leave oneself defenseless like this. Taking her time she made sure to take care with the design as she primarily had to go by feel to make sure she was doing it correctly. A feeling of the seals locking into place to do what they were supposed to immediate for her once she was done. If Mairasu was still there she would turn to him. An uncharacteristical glee shining in her crimson eyes around the jade markings, "How doesss it look?" Another uncharacteristically nice move asking his opinion rather then not caring, though it was more apparent to tell why. It at least looked to be working. If Mairasu were to feel for natural energy Yaki's markings were absorbing it, albiet very little of it. That had likely completely reset her mood even if she was, very on edge with all of the seemingly out of place stuff. If Mairasu responded in the positive, Yakitsukeru would do the same. Offering to let him choose their route. On the contrary, Yakitsu would begin marching to the sheer cliff face without listening if his response was anything except positive. TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

AI ♥

[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

So far their trek had given them little more than a nature tour of the base of the mountain as it was filled with the sounds of all kinds of animals and more trees and flowers than he had ever seen at any of the floral shops back in Konoha. It looked beautiful, hell it even sounded beautiful but the boy wasn't naive enough to believe that there wasn't stuff just out of his line of sight that would kill them if given the chance so he was ever vigilant of their surroundings.

After a while the two apprentices would be met by a split in the path and boy the two options couldn't have been more different. His gaze peered upwards at the steep path that would no doubt take them on a more direct route to the summit before shifting his focus to the second path that descended into an oddly dark thicket of trees. Common sense told him that getting up the mountain was of utmost importance and that even the risks associated with such a steep climb were worth it for a shorter journey to the top of the mountain. Yaki it seemed had other ideas on her mind than helping pick a path as she began to paint some seals around her eyes that would somehow help her with sage mode. How, he had no earthly clue, other than it being some odd mixture of fuinjutsu that the girl was fond of.

"Yep, go for it." He replied while trying to peer down each path to see if either held any clues to give them a hint as to which may have been the correct option. Once all was said and done Yaki would surprisingly ask for his opinion on how she looked, to which Mairusu interpreted as to how the seals looked. Were they even? Were they symmetrical? Things like that. A closer look at them --and certainly a closer look at Yaki than he had ever cared to before, revealed a decent attempt from his untrained eye.

"Like you're going to a fashion show or something. For not having a mirror or anything it's pretty good." He replied, a seldom compliment shared between the two. Given the response had been generally positive the onus had fallen to Mairusu to choose their route prompting the boy to bring a hand to his chin in contemplation. "Common sense says to go as straight up as possible, but I got a feeling there's something down there that may help us out."

They'd no doubt have to climb their way up the mountain at some point and as much as the boy wanted to get this over with rushing through this process would do them no favors, so the lower path it would be.

▲

WORDS ● Tateyama Yakitsukeru Exousia ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Exousia]

Yakitsukeru’s seals, while imperfect, did their job; small traces of natural energy began to flow into the the moment the girl finished, the energy miniscule compared to what would be needed to enter even the simplest form of sage mode… but it was a start, one that gave the Konoha girl a surprising revelation, if she were paying attention. Deep in the darkened path to their right, a small light shone, though only Yaki could see it, and that only just. The light was a soft pink, and flickered like fire, shifting and swaying with the gentle wind, almost as if the source was alive, somehow.

As for Mairusu, the boy’s natural sight would grant him little more than it already head; the left path was steep and sheer, the dirt relatively undisturbed, while the right path was wide and dark, the path well worn and agitated, as if something very large had just recently made its way through. The pair of Genin would have to make a choice soon- and they did, albeit in disjointed fashion, as Mairusu chose to head right, with his companion following behind after a moment. It wasn’t long until the two would-be Sages were in the thick of it, the forest pressing in above them and choking out the light, making it hard to see and even harder to navigate the path.

The light remained ahead of them the entire time, flickering and soft, moving at a slow pace through the forest- but never outpacing either Genin, always stopping when they did, yet always remaining at a distance, too far to catch but close enough that Yaki could see it, if she focused.

Tateyama Yakitsukeru Hiesin Mairusu

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

Yaki took no issue with the thought. She had yielded the ability to choose to her fellow apprentice. Especially since this was their trip and while they had certainly trained in conjunction, Yaki was of the opinion still this had very much been her trip which she had dragged Mairasu along on. He had done well to get this far with her, and that was in return being met with her letting him lead the way for once. Instead focusing on the energy that was gathering in the seals around her eyes as she examined it. Seeing it work mostly as intended she returned to the world of the living and watched more actively into their darkened surroundings. A hand reaching for a kunai just to be gripping a weapon before she would squint out at the light ahead trying to make out what it was that she was looking towards. The light only slightly too bright for her eyes to make out on their own, "What isss that out in front of usss there, Mairasssu-kun? I can tell that it isss moving jussst asss much asss we are, but I haven't quite adjusssted to the dark just yet." Yaki would question her fellow apprentice with caution. The strange woman, followed by the sudden prompting that they should likely climb for the peak made the girl keep to her more practical side for the time being. Unlike their fight in spear country though, Yaki was able properly use her skillset of... well varied explosives. TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

AI ♥

[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

Right had been the decision and while it looked like they weren't the first to follow it there wasn't much in the way of obstacles. Mairusu took note of the slightly churned up ground --a good bit, actually-- like something had ran through here not all that long ago but other than that it looked like a normal, dense, jungle. As they walked further down the path their light source became increasingly blocked out and if this kept up any longer they'd be walking by faith more than sight.. especially when the sun actually set. He hoped that they would have reached the summit well before then but things were never that easy.

Yaki would question what was sitting ahead of them prompting the boy to squint his eyes to focus on whatever the mystery object in question was, but to him there was nothing but more of the same empty path they had been walking along this entire time. "What are you talking about? I don't see anything." He replied while sweeping his vision across the area. Maybe whatever Yaki had saw was moving around. If it was in the brush there was no way he'd be able to see it now. "What did it look like?" Mairusu asked. Looking more intently at the ground the boy would search for any possible footprints or some sign of... anything, really.

▲

WORDS ● Tateyama Yakitsukeru Exousia ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Exousia]

Despite Yaki’s attempt to discern what it was she saw, the light ahead remained stubbornly out of focus- no matter how she moved, the light stayed at the same distance, flickering like a windswept candle in the night. It stayed well out of reach, perhaps fifty or so meters away, though the young Sage Apprentice would have no way of determining that in the press of the jungle around them. Mairusu would, unfortunately, find nothing more than he already had when he inspected the ground, the signs that something large had been through the same path present here as before… though they looked, perhaps, a bit more fresh than the ones he had looked at before.

If Yaki had been paying attention, she might have noticed the pair of lights, similar to the one ahead of them but smaller and dimmer, nearing their location… though whether she did notice or not, the decision to take the lower path came with an unforeseen cost, one that manifested itself while they dithered on the path; the sound of a hiss was the only hint of danger they received before a pair of black snakes, each the size of a fully grown man, launched themselves out from the side, mouths opening as they attacked the pair of Apprentices, looking to go for their throats and kill the both of them in a single, brutal strike.

Snake Info!

SPOILER: Click to show

Beeg Sneks
Rank: C
SAs: Abnormal Size, Poisoned Fangs
Attack Info: One snake is attacking each Genin; you may have a moment of forewarning if Yaki notices and correctly interprets the meaning of the light she sees, but otherwise these will be treated as a surprise attack.