[≈] A Place of Growth | Taki Shrine|

[Mordred Killian]

A place of simple but majestic beauty, the Shrine has taken up new residence beside the waterfall that so defines Kirigakure with its rushing power and silent beauty. The violence of the previous shrine is lost in this new element that inspires tranquility and thoughtfulness in all who come.

Previous Shrine Thread

 

[Libros]

Sid had made his way through the mist and made it to the training grounds. He liked where Sensei had picked for them to train. The sight was particularly beautiful at night under the stars like he was now.

Sid then looked around curiously. "WHere in the hell is Makoto, Dammit!" His frustration over the missing Makoto was exaggerated only because he was bored and wanted to do something.  

[Leprechaun and the Voices]

Vosa "Breath" Sihvat
"Don't think. Breathe."

Breath, while exploring the village, heard a waterfall in the distance. He jogged over to the waterfall, stopped, and sighed in happiness. I love that sound. He shifted a little bit, and slid the backpack over his shoulder. It fell to the ground with a loud thud, as should happen when 100 lbs of metal hits the ground all at once. His staff fell with it, attached to it by the four identical loops pinning it to the bag. He took in a deep breath, breathing in the damp air, then fell to his knees, and began scooping out large drinks from the river. Once his thirst was quenched, he sat at the riverside, and began to meditate. This day had been very active, and he needed to take it all in and process it. Breath dropped into a very relaxed state, nearly unconscious. Then he kept going, and basically passed out at the riverside. His head fell onto his pack, and luckily, some spare clothing put a border between him and the dense metal in the pack. He slept deeply and silently.  

[Leprechaun and the Voices]

Vosa "Breath" Sihvat
"Don't think. Breathe."

Breath began to wake up, slowly at first. After a few moments, he sprang awake. "Woah." I really slept in, eh? He threw his arms up and cycled them about as he puffed out his back, with a satisfying crack! sounding out. Breath sighed in relief, then went over to his pack, and sat down in a meditating position. He pulled out each of the four piece of his staff, first the two middle sections, then each end piece one by one. He snapped the two halves of the middle together, grabbed the center, and closed his eyes. A tiny pulse of chakra sealed it together. He lovingly took one of the ends, twisted it, and pulled out the small dagger within. He examined the handiwork for a minute, then put it back inside, locked it, and screwed it into the staff. He did the same with the other half, then screwed it into the staff. He grabbed the staff by one of the leather grips, grabbed his bag with the other, and stood up. Breath slung his bag over his shoulder, shifted it quickly, then headed off to the school Kiri told him about.  

[Mordred Killian]

Satoshi walked along the tree line just before the forest. He knew the way to the waterfall and was surprised that not many had been through there. There was no sign of constant travel. No dirt path or lack of grass. Grass grew abundantly near the 'streams' that extended from the fall. Like veins running up an arm, they could be seen all. In the distance, Satoshi could see the waterfall. Even from that distance, the sight of the waterfall brought tranquility to Sato's mind.

No one was there except for Siden. Strangely, he would have thought that Makoto would be there as well for he and Siden had left at the same time. Perhaps he had stopped for preparations. "Where is Makoto?" Satoshi asked Siden more casual than usual as he placed the large blag bag down on one of the large rocks at the rim of the water.

 

[Mana_ecl Zetsuya]

xxxxZayr the Iron Monk xxxx

The sopping monk of the six paths had found a jog to be quite the refresher, without truly interceding with his path of movement. The monk had been without true worries, as he had been running down the road, and upstream, to the point where he had found the waterfall. A favored place of play when growing up, Alzayr noted the presence of one person. A blond young man, who seemed to be fuming over the absence of a lover of sorts. Nonetheless, he bit back his friendly urges, the scroll of techniques unfurling, as he readied himself in a guard.

Zay managed to find the focus he yearned for, as he had readied himself for the pivot. Blade set ready, Alzayr made sure to note his positioning. Forward foot, that would be the focal point for the entire technique. Shifting his weight, he banked on one heel, as he spun clumsily, coaxing the young man into a stumble of sorts. It wasn't favorable if there were others watching, but the monk couldn't be sure.

[1/5]

After regaining his balance, the fiery young man settled himself calmly a moment in meditation, nearly biting his tongue in an attempt to keep himself silent just yet. Again, his form reset, this time however, Shin'en was settled into the soil nearby, maintaining a short distance. The pivot was pretty influential in the entire movement, and if that wasn't right, nothing would be. Once more, the young man attempted to pivot properly, his body rotating resulting in his falling back. Lazily, the monk shook his head, attempting to free his vision of the stars which plagued him.

[2/5]

Zayr's moment of rest had permitted him one thing. He noted the presence of another shinobi, a dark haired one nearby the blond. Was this the infamous Makoto? Were they... Interested in one another? Rolling back a moment, the young man hopped back onto his feet, as he shook his head a bit. That grin on his face noted one thing and one thing alone. The humorous idea of a couple of "playful" shinobi. Readying himself once more, he pivoted freely, the movement more secure than before. He'd achieved the pivot well enough.

[3/5]

"Right... Shin'en, time to get involved," the young man grinned, popping the blade from the soil, as if it had only been suspended in water, rather than stuck in the soil. It was hard to tell where its name had come from... Shin'en meant so many things, but his master... He'd said it was a ravine, where men lost themselves to codes. To human savagery. There had to be more to it than that, right? Shaking his head, the sword rose to the ready stance, and Alzayr worked on the pivot just initially. One rotation, and brought back to the ready stance, he nodded. Balance was still well enough.

[4/5]

The ravine where men lost themselves. In honor? In laws? In Justice? In savagery, as his master had said so many months ago? It was hard to tell, yet there was only resolution in the grasp of Alzayr. So many objectives. Those of his blood. Those of his master. The hands gripped the hilt more tightly, and he rotated upon his foremost leg once more. It was hard to believe it was only his second actual attempt, as the blade proceeded in the usual defensive maneuver. So this was the pivotal block.

[5/5]
[Shunkan no Hagane: Pivotal Block Learn]

"A man's soul wrought in iron!"

"Dance upon the edge of the Blade!"

 

[Mana_ecl Zetsuya]

xxxxZayr the Iron Monk xxxx

The pivotal block had been rather tricky, it had seemed, with its teachings, and as such, the young man had been rather proud to see it done with for learning. In due time, he would deploy it within combat, however... He'd heard that the exams would be held in a short time. A chance to progress in the arts, and a chance to step up in the ladder of power. In truth, the man of the mist was a shameful wretch, compared to his father, one of the true monks, he'd testify. Here he was learning the sword, when he should have been learning the forms of the six paths. A glance at the scroll, revealed another technique, however he skipped over the forward grind for the moment. His goal would be creating an opening of sorts.

"Hello there, mister Makoto!" the monk called daringly, as he readied Shin'en. It seemed that he was starting in the guarding stance, in an attempt to get a feel for the guard. Jerkily, his arm shifted the blade, however it seemed an awkward and uncomfortable motion. To some, it might have appeared almost spaztic. A movement so unrefined didn't sit well with the style, he was certain.

[1/5]

"Stupid fool, the master wouldn't have acted so," Alzayr reprimanded beneath his breath, as he reset his form. The blade was something which required the focus and attention of each user, attempting to shake himself free of impure images, regarding the distant blond and "Mr. Makoto." The laughter he had to swallow already was quite immense, as he readied himself for another motion. Slowly, he moved his weapon in the slightest fashion, assuming it to be the proper motion he would require.

[2/5]

Nodding to himself ever so thoughtfully, he readied the weapon to the standard guard at this point. Working from guard wasn't how it was instructed, however it was the best way to run it at this point. The guard position slid quickly into the sudden motion which called for all. It would have worked well enough for a deflection, however it was too obvious that it would be an attemptable technique, if he were to remain in the guard stance.

[3/5]

The basic idea understood and basic action practiced from an improvised position, the young man readied himself into a morelax combative form. The standard position for him stand, when sparring with another, it seemed a relatively simple stance, much like any samurai would wield. As if an attack were on the way, he shifted his form slightly, an attempt to "deflect" and yet, his body betrayed him. Alzayr shifted off to the left, as if his whole body were put into an attempt to deflect the "attack".

[4/5]

A fierce shake of the head, as a defiance to what he had so foolishly screwed up. His body was not to move. Not one step. The tail of fire whipped about his head, before settling once more in much the same shape it had been before Alzayr had... Become frustrated. In much the same way, he readied himself, the same position as before, the traditional Hakemoto calm settling upon him. Shin'en at the ready, the monk moved in tranquility, as the blade moved subtly to swiftly redirect an incoming "attack". Form remaining where he was, he realized how it was simply an angling and redirection of the opponent's strength.

[5/5]
[Shunkan no Hagane: Deflect One]

"A man's soul wrought in iron!"

"Dance upon the edge of the Blade!"

 

[Mana_ecl Zetsuya]

xxxxZayr the Iron Monk xxxx

The scroll read that this point in time with his learning, it was all heavily focused on defensive measures, however the crimson haired monk had not believed it would be this heavily focused on defense. What followed on the list was for disarmament, which was something which would be largely useful with many a swordsmen he would face, provided they weren't also proficient in the way of shunkan no hagane. Readying himself, he prepped the movement with merely the basic stab.
[1/5]

The basic stabbed stemmed the entire technique, however with it, it was not meant to be a fatal technique, so much as crippling. The form of the technique was subtle to say the least, as he followed through with his stab, the attempt to gently redirect the blade thoroughly, and yet... It faltered. The force was something not to be underestimated, as he fell towards the soft soil, Shin'en settling through without a worry.

[2/5]

Face in the dampened grass, Zay wasn't so discouraged. It was an unexpected factor, perhaps, and yet there wasn't going to be something to fix it, excluding trial and error. Back on his feet, the young man grasped the blade's bound end, it was withdrawn gloriously. Shin'en wasn't an average weapon, and rather was pretty powerful when one looked at it. Made proficiently, it was something to be proud of to own. Form resettled itself, and again, the thrust was followed through, and in this case, Alzayr followed with a grandiose attempt to "disarm".

[3/5]

Satisfied that he hadn't stumbled onto his face much like his primary attempt, and a few following, the sword wielder settled back into stance. Ready and willing, the young man moved. Remaining steadfast in his motions, the blade thrust forth through the air with determination. He had to await its peak of motion, before moving.

[4/5]

Alzayr readied himself at the edge of movement, the thrust itself was running out of steam. Not quite the most proficient manner to go about it, his arm shifted slightly at where he would assume the position would be and the maneuver went over somewhat smoothly. There wasn't any major backlash in his openings that he could tell, however it was simply the primary deflection. The next he'd learn in time would become better, of that he was certain.


[5/5]
[Shunkan no Hagane: Disarm One Learned]

"A man's soul wrought in iron!"

"Dance upon the edge of the Blade!"

 

[chrissy b e a n]

Starting off after her peers had been a little difficult for the young woman. Mi was a poor tracker and the large head start the others had on her was indeed immense. Biting down on her bottom lip, the girl tried her best to read her surroundings, going on instinct when there was a division of paths or when the obvious trail the others had left behind disappeared. Once more, Mi found herself getting caught around her surroundings. Bushes seemed to elongate and snake out, clipping her clothes hear and there and ruining the stitching completely. Nothing tore but it was enough to really ruin an outfit. The darkness did not help, not in the slightest. Once the girl had finally caught the roaring echo, she let out a sigh of relief. She was headed in the right direction. It didn't take her that much longer after hearing the booming echo to finally reach the waterfall itself. Twice she had thought herself to be lost but recalled the fun fact about waterfalls. They could sound as if they were right around the corner but were in fact further away. The trick of the forest. The actual fall was a sight to behold. Especially illuminated in the dark. A little out of breath from her impossible trek up here, she stood there, taking in the view in order to catch her breath. There was a slight chill in the air, one easily ignored with the occupation of tasks. The scent of water and wet rock was pungent, causing Mi to sneeze a few times.

She spotted two shadow lined figures, easily noticeable against the darkish water that ran as background against the two. Picking her way quietly towards them, she immediately took notice of a bag off towards the side of the two. She eyed it suspiciously. "Excuse my tardiness." Was the first line out of her mouth. There was no need to really get into detail why she was as late as she was but her mannerisms urged her to at least acknowledge the fact that she was indeed late.  

[Mordred Killian]

Satoshi looked to his left, away from Siden. Someone had found their way to the waterfall. Thinking that it was Makoto, Sato was surprised to see a stranger. He kept a rare looking blade with him. He looked as if he had chosen this place as his own training ground as well. Perhaps he would be the last part of the incomplete squad that was Sato's team. He was apparently fond of a certain style for his moves shared some kind of common flow. There was a sound behind Satoshi. It caused him to turn and see that Mi had arrived. It meant that she had considered joining. It pleased him to see her and hear her frank words. He smiled and nodded to her. "I am glad you made the decision to come." Satoshi did not feel himself but decided not to stop himself. "Mi, this is Siden." Satoshi said stepping aside and gesturing towards Siden behind him.

 

[Mana_ecl Zetsuya]

xxxxZayr the Iron Monk xxxx

Stride rolling rather efficiently, the monk found himself faced with one last particular skill to cover. Forward grind. That was going to make the world a lot more irritating, as that wasn't a skill for use alone. The darkened area seemed to be an issue, as he turned to look about, the nearest thing he could possibly think of beside "Mr. Makoto" and the blond man, was the nearby tree. Regrettably, Shin'en was the victim as much as the nearby tree as he readied himself a safe distance from the tree, and the blade bit into the bark of the trunk as though he were guarding.

[1/5]

The blade found itself firmly in place, as if it were an enemy weapon it were up against, rather than a tree. Applying force, it was quite intriguing as the blade slide through the cut, and the young monk found himself approaching with relative ease. Was the forward grind so simple? Regrettably, he discovered otherwise, as the darkness masked his approach, as he collided face first with the tree itself. Stumbling back, the monk groaned, his tranquility broken.

[2/5]

Sullenly, the swordsman returned to his work, as he withdrew Shin'en from the tree's trunk, noting the sap mournfully clinging to the blade. A cloth withdrawn from within his sash, he safely wiped the blade down with some rather troublesome resistance. Nonetheless, once it was clean, he began anew. The blade found itself biting into the tree's trunk once more, and he pondered it over, as he pushed forward as quickly as his steps would take him. Sadly, this too had a drawback he'd yet to think over. Roots in his path, and forward he fell, praying dearly that Shin'en would remain within the trunk. Surely enough, he'd sunk the sword in mighty deep, enough to where he wouldn't be breaking his nose on the trunk, but rather Alzayr collided with the tree trunk with his side.

[3/5]

"I can't help but wonder your purpose," the monk groaned in regard to the tree, having probably bruised his side, and likely his nose as well, the man rose once more. He was definitely getting close to the art being done right, which meant one thing alone... More rehearsals. Shin'en was withdrawn, cleaned again, and submerged once more, as he attempted slowly at first. Shifting weight and distributing pressure. It was pretty complex.

[4/5]

Now that he finally had a real inkling as to the purpose, closing the distance and leaving the enemy's weapon locked in place yet, the shinobi worked. An even force to counterbalance that of the "enemy" and a shifting of the blade, the distance closed properly, and it all seemed right. So near, if the tree were a person, it would have been likely that he could have felt the monk breathing down his neck. It was done.

[5/5]
[Shunkan no Hagane: Forward Grind Learn]

Alzayr had no idea how long it had been since he had begun his training back in the hot springs, but already, he felt exhausted. With but two more sets of skills to go, Zay was rather excited, and yet, he couldn't seem to get his muscles to go along with the idea at this point. He noted that there was another person here in the area, a figure far more appealing than the other pair that had been there.

Curiosity was getting the better of him, as he approached with care, the figures becoming more detailed as he approached. Shin'en was finally being sheathed, and then he decided the next best action. "Hello!" the monk managed to eek out, as his head spun about as he finally piqued energetically. Falling back in bliss, he gazed up through the mist at the sky. It seemed rather abrupt, as the shinobi ceased forward movement and tipped back in peace.

"A man's soul wrought in iron!"

"Dance upon the edge of the Blade!"

 

[chrissy b e a n]

Nodding in agreement with Satoshi, Mi decided that she too was in accordance with him. The decision to come here really was a good one. Now she would be able to have a more structured training schedual and with supervision, she would be able to learn at a far quicker rate. With teammates around the chances to practice her medicinal skills was greater as well. What would shinobi be without injuries that needed tending to. As Satoshi intoduced Siden to her, the young woman look at him, her expression a little unreadable as she tried to gather nerve to greet him. "Hajimemashite. Doozo Yoroshiku. Watashi wa Mi desu." Mi bowed, showing her acknowledgement to Siden. She peeped, her voice almost completley drowned out by the noise produced from the water. Call it being a smart a**, but Mi hated self intoductions and she was sure that Siden would not be able to follow along with her conversation. "Hello" That simple word made her flinch. Had he actually understood her and was responding? Looking at Siden quizically she noticed he had not said anything. Turning her head, she looked at the stranger who was approaching them. Her lips pressed into a firm line as she silently observed.  

[Mordred Killian]

As Mi introduced herself to Siden, Satoshi could see the nearby boy apprach them. He was a colorful person, it was a summation of his red hair and his foreign looking clothes that made him stand out from nature's color. Clearly not an opponent who would utilize stealth. He was also young. Most likely a Genin telling by his age although clearly a swordsman. He held a rare looking blade in his left hand. A katana style that he had never seen before. It was also his Kenjutsu that stood out along with is person. Only by watching him briefly, Satoshi could see a shared factor between each move the Genin made with his blade in hand.

The red haired swordsman greeted them before strangely stopping to gaze into the sky. Satoshi narrowed his eyes at the curiosity of the situation. He slowly stepped forward once before speaking, keeping his eyes on the Genin's sword. "Hello. Have you come to enjoy the nature of this place?" Satoshi asked, his mood still calm as the water that flowed nearby.

 

[Mana_ecl Zetsuya]

xxxxZayr the Iron Monk xxxx

The ground seemed to shudder beneath him, as he landed on the ground, looking up at the darkened sky. The monk gazed up, letting the blood which ran through his veins took him into a place where he was soothed, breathing deeply yet. Shin'en was sheathed at this point, however he moved it slightly warily, as he noted the approaching presence. The dark haired man whom he assumed to be Makoto, and yet... The new girl could possibly be the assumed alias. Shaking his head a moment, the man's voice rose in inquiry.

"Sorta there, buddy. Took a jog from the springs after a work out, to run into another work out," the monk laughed joyously, as the dark haired man questioned him, "It's certainly a nice touch, and quite a bit safer than those hot springs. It's a pretty jolly place, ya been there?" Just the vent he'd been bugging for. A chat sounded nice above all.

"A man's soul wrought in iron!"

"Dance upon the edge of the Blade!"

 

[Mordred Killian]

Satoshi frowned at the word 'Buddy'. The red-haired Genin was strangely overly friendly. The boy had obviously finished a large work-out set and if there was anyone who understood the 'High' that came after physical exertion, it was Satoshi. He dismissed the less than formal address as a result of that 'High'. "No. I haven't I prefer secluded training." Satoshi looked to the swordsman's blade once again before speaking. "I am gathereing a team made up of four Genin and myself. We are one short." Then, a slight change in expression took place: the narrowing of the eyes. "Would you be interested?" Satoshi asked, already unsure about his own question. (Short because of a restart.)