The search for "it"

Musu Uzumaki, the sealing artist of the sand, would once again open up the letter from the hollykage and look at the available tasks that were at hand. He was hoping that the man would be able to see Katsuragi again to figure out more about the stuff they found on their last task together. It was money that was to be made there along with access to some really powerful material. He knew that Katsuragi had seen it before him and they both knew what it was. At the end of the day it would be nice to get his hands on it but he wasn’t sure how he was realistically going to be able to without somebody elses help. Katsuragi appeared to be more than willing to help and perhaps the hollykage was oblivious to these plans.

Musu decided that he was ready to climb the mountain to help search for a crash site. Musu had never climbed a mountain before and thought it might be fun to give it a shot. As soon as Musu thought this he knew what was about to happen. He had developed a system now that should help him feel less with this stomach but he didn’t know for sure. Sure enough a moment after closing his eyes Musu could feel the cool winters breeze and the falling snow. Opening his eyes he would see that he was at the base of a large mountain. The hollykage had fitted the jounin with special clothes that appeared to be equipped to handle this weather. His stomach did start to feel rumbly immediately after landing and this time it appeared as though his plans to hold it in would not work. It must have been the different breakfast that he had today….

As though he was completing a deep bow the jounin would spew acidic bile from his mouth with the contents of his breakfast inside of them. The trip back up to his mouth was extremely unpleasant and caused a burning sensation through his chest. At the moment however it appeared as though there was nobody around to assist him with his task but he knew that the hollykage would probably send help soon like he always did. This made Musu dread it for a second as they could possibly see him in this compromising position.

The mountain peak was majestic, towering above all else in the vicinity. The lesser peaks paled in comparison to the one in focus. Katsuragi, eyes wide with caution. How he got here, was due to the mischief of the Hollykage. A person who's identity was now well known to Katsuragi. It took a while, putting all the pieces together. But what he saw in the factory blew the mystery wide open, his gut also churned while thinking about this. His frame now against the mountain, climbing it with a pair of climbing pick axes.

Katsuragi's attire consisted of a thick black jacket insulated with fur, which underneath he wore multiple solid white shirts. His pants were a pair of thick black jeans. His boots also being solid black with an emblem labeled "EU", it's made of metal stitched to the tongue of the boots. The boots were also fashioned with spikes for easy climbing. His hair, still vivid, was a solid dark purple at ear's length. His tools and such were all assorted evenly along his attire, given no hint to their whereabouts.
as he climbed hesitantly, he was coming up towards lil red, he knew this to be him. who else was suffering from the same fate as himself. Directly below him, he continued his approach. Driving the axe into the sheets of ice with force.

((TWC:227))

Mission:

In a moment of sheer serendipity Musu would be done vomiting just as Katsuragi had come into view. For some reason the Hollykage started him a little ways away from where Musu was teleported to but he for sure had the equipment necessary to complete the task. The snow and the wind from the mountain was starting to pick up and Musu’s pile of disgusting bile was easily covered away from the snow. Musu would take his equipment and quickly get set up for climbing so that he could join Katsuragi and continue the climb. The equipment that the two ninja had for this mission were some of the best climbing gear that Musu had ever seen. Steel picks and plated boots to keep the snow out and to keep himself upright. A large winter coat was given to him as well that blocked out the harsh winds and the frigid cold that accompanied it. Every step upwards from where Musu began was colder than the last. His face could feel the bone chilling temperatures wallop his face that was unguarded from the elements. Thankfully the hollykage had thought about that too. Inside one of the several pockets that his winter coat had was a mask that Musu was able to quickly attach to his face and hood along with a set of goggles that never seemed to fog up even for the second. By the time that Musu had caught up to Katsuragi there was no bare skin, not even his red ponytail, outside the warm clothing that he had. Thankfully his ability to speak was not impeded by the new mask that he wore.

“You… I saw what you saw there at the workshop. How could this be possible?” Musu would immediately ask the man as soon as he got into speaking distance. At this point Musu was pretty sure that he wasn’t be accompanied by another ninja and yet again it was the two of them that had to do all the dirty work. No matter the two worked well together and this time alone could probably give them both a chance to develop a plan about the stuff that they found on their last task.

Regardless of how much or little his travelling companion would talk the two would travel up the mountain in search of this treasure that was near the peak. Something fell from the sky here? Musu was excited to see what kind of product the two were going to find and what the wreckage had done to the area. Before they could do that though they had to climb this mountain peak and it was for sure one the hardest tasks that the two ninja had to do for the hollykage. Every step upwards towards the top seemed to become more steep and there were less obvious choices for the two to mount their picks and climb up from. While this was an inconvenience there was still a long way to go and for the time being the two were able to climb the beginning part of the mountain with relative ease. Their progress was solid and continuous throughout the first half of the mountain climbing until the two had reached their first real challenge.

Though it was steep there was a clear and obvious path upwards towards the mountain that was simple enough to pass through but once they got to the halfway point the two would encounter an almost completely vertical cliff face that was covered with ice but appeared to be mostly rock. It was clear at this point that the two ninja would have to be very careful climbing what appeared to be a 20 meter wall. There were no other paths that went around this challenge and there was no way that Musu was going to go back down the mountain in search of maybe a better pathway up. They had already taken way too much time.

“So, who's ready to climb this wall first?” Musu would ask his traveling companion.

[675/1061]

"Yep, that's him", Katsuragi muttered to himself. He listened to the red head go on as he too saw what was in the factory. The story he was told was an old prison bedtime story, who Katusragi thought to be made up. A folklore to allow inmates the pressure gift of passing the time while serving their hefty sentences. Nevertheless, Katsuragi figured it was time he told what he knew while the two climbed. he tightened his grip before practically yelling to Musu what he knew about the infamous Hollykage. Slow but surely, he would reach the same level as Musu, few feet away from him on the left side.

"There's an old prison story about an inmate, whose cell was locked in a super heavy max prison. Sir Hake Golly, leader of the red cane bandits. He ran everything from dope to exotic pleasures. He loved dope... and used strange self imprinting powers.(implying he is an expert in fuinjutsu and spacetime) His hand was basically in everything. Each ryo exchanged in the underworld he got a piece of. Eventually, he gets caught and sentenced to life for bombing a building full of kids. Some daimyo was late with the payments, and Hake knew which school the poor bastard's kid went too. Blah blah blah..., years later they find his body still as a candy cane in his lonely cell. Dead from natural causes. So when the body reaches the morgue, the embalmer goes down to do his thing right... bam!. Hake was gone..., along with all the bodies. See, the prison never buried their inmates..., cremation was a lot easier and green. But old sir Hake beat him to it, where he went nobody knew...

But, despite that bombing...,the real reason why he was so famous, was because.. he had a particular hobby. A hobby you motherfuckin saw...

Human taxidermy..., if you ever ended up on his naught list... be it arrive to a location with the shipment light or didn't pay up on time, he'd saddle up on his demon lookin steeds and ride over to ya with a naughty laugh and snatch you up never to be seen again. He'd slice you open while your still breathing, you get the best results out of anything with fresh material. His favorite piece to work with, were the children. Rumor had it he even stitched on a couple piece onto him of the children he worked with to help keep him nice and young(Also implies..., well you know that one hehe~) . An after he was done with ya, he'd mount you on his murder wall filled with bodies from all over. Suna, hoshi, kumo, you name it. All them boys dead..., perfectly preserved", he stumbles a bit while trying to regain his footing. he couldn't believe the stories, the horrible stories about that mad man being true. Thinking back, everything up on till now started to make sense. the clues coming together only to reveal the one undisputable clue.

"You know him as the hollykage....", he thinks to the storage room in the factory, panning into the letter which was signed by the inmate himself. The two reach the half way point. "What do you think you get, when you rearrange Hake Golly in a certain way", he heart sinks just realizing yet again who they were dealing with. A man with no pity or mercy, who committed such violence that would even shake a thug like Katsuragi to his bones was not a person who should be taken so lightly.

It was all real. Why they were doing such tasks? Finding this, and searching that.., it all seemed trivial, but it was all part of the grand scheme. The two were mere mules. "Maaan, spent basically most of my life in prison, growing up hearing those stories. But from what I've seen, this motherfuka is real...it's all real!", the snow around them blows with haste.

((TWC:885))

"Gawd... this ,man right here", Katsuragi shook his head as he prepared himself for the rest of the journey; ,he felt it was going to be even more difficult since the two were not on the same page. After all he said, dishing out the info he deemed important, the criminal was still rejected. He remembered being told that it would be this way when he got out. But could he blame the uncertainty, the doubt. He was in fact a criminal, big red X in that category. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. would he believe a murderer would kill if they wouldn't have too?

Moving on, he secures himself mind and body and begins the ascent upwards on the wall. The task was treacherous, one mistake one single flaw in the driving of his stakes and down he would go. He keeps a good pace with the red head as he was the lead in this. Katsuragi wasn't really familiar with this kind of activity. Mountain climbing? Not exactly something that was a part of his daily activities in the desert. While the hustler was thinking about the imaginary, a sudden act of misfortune would happen, the wall began to crack.

Katsuragi shoots his head upwards, Musu struggling up above from the looks of it. His heart began to race up site of it all. Was he gonna fall? Was Katsuragi gonna fall? So many questions so little time to react. His grip on the handles of the axes tighten even more when he seemingly hesitated to act. The crack grew bigger, and as he was current looking down in front of him below, he felt somewhat of a breeze. the breeze you got when something passes you at high speeds with great weight. It was fear. The yelled were somewhat deafened to Katsuragi due to his near panic attack, he wasn't focus on him the moment he yelled. "The Fuck!?", he yelled while gritting his teeth.

It was time, for him to act. His body shook from the vibration of the crack. What was he to do? Katsuragi then looked up while removing the axe from the wall in his right and and drove it into a clear unbroken spot on his right side as far as his arms could reach. he was stable due to the spikes on his boots. after that he swings to the right and secures himself steady with the other axe in his left along with the other spikes on his left foot. Lucky for him no shads are rocks of ice fell towards him. His partner was also very fortunate to be well equipped with techniques to assist him in this environment. Something katsuragi was severely lacking. The two eventually made it up past the wall. a he reached the top of the wall, joining Musu, Musu continued to express more doubt. It was understandable now, though sometimes you have to let people drown to learn.

"Look man, I get it. You wanna get stitched up be my guess son. Not me no sir...", he continues up the path.

((TWC:1408))

Musu and Katsuragi were able to finally get up the ice wall and they were both nearing the final stretch of this journey. With the danger out of the way and Katsuragi being able to climb up the rest of the way himself Musu would put away in chakra chains with the seals on his body starting to dissipate. Katsuragi would be and next to him in no time continuing to press his theory to the uzumaki Jounin. Musu still couldn’t be 100% sure but if Katsuragi was so adamant about this being the truth then Musu was obligated to oblige his concerns.

“There is a bit of truth in every legend, at least that is what my father used to tell me, but I just don't want to believe it. If this is the reality then what do we do?” Musu would ask as the two continued to walk upwards towards the apex.

With this wall probably being the last challenge the two would casually wakl up the rest of the mountain that was pretty easy to do. The ramp of ice and snow was sturdy and the boots that the two were wearing were easily able to create traction on the low incline. They were almost at the top of this incline when Musu spotted something strange.

“Look, there are trees, all the way up here, that must be something” Musu would say. He knew that at this high of an altitude there was no way that any normal tree would be able to grow here with the lack of air being present. This had to have been the way.

Excited, Musu would pick up the pace and run towards this tree leaving Katsuragi in the dust. Once arriving Musu saw what they were looking for. A large glowing rock was nestled in the center of this small forest with trees, branches, and roots surrounding it. Was this stone giving this area life?

“Katsu….” Musu would say right as he got teleported out and back into his apartment.

“Ragi! I found… it.” Musu would say as he realized what had happened. Yet again Musu didn’t get a chance to talk to his travelling companion after the task and he was returned with reward in hand. It appeared to be a chunk of the stone that they were looking for which was cool, plus he also felt a little stronger, but the question still remained...


[Exit 406/2100
Mission Claims: Meteoric Iron, 5000 Ryo
WC Claims: 42 AP (2100 WC Max Stat Bonus) ; Rasengan, A Rank , (396 WC) 2750/2750 Trained here ; Wind Release: Zephyr Blade 1500/1500 ; Shadow Shuriken Technique 204/500

Approved

With the journey nearing the end and the danger averted for now, Katsuragi continued upwards with Musu. The two were pretty strong individuals, climbing such a mountain with no previous training. It was a full body workout what they were doing, not an easy feat. Katsuragi, a criminal doing such a thing could bring quite a new perspective. Perhaps he wasn't just a regular convict, but a lost individual in need of guidance. It happens quite often, lost children with no mentor or role model to look up too. They only end up as either a product of their environment or or dead six feet below in this dog eat dog world. It was all a race to the finish line, with the comfort of living solely being up to themselves.

“There is a bit of truth in every legend, at least that is what my father used to tell me, but I just don't want to believe it. If this is the reality then what do we do?”, Katsuragi grows silent for the first time, he had no more words to give when it came to the Hollykage. He shakes his head in doubtfulness, his words before reached nothing. With all the things that had happened, what was there to challenge Katsuragi on? What else., who else could do all this? No matter, He continued the climb, till Musu's alerts Katsuragi on a new situation. The hustler narrows his eyes upon hearing this, his gaze shifting upwards to see..., trees. Katsuragi figured it to be a sign that they were getting close. Judging from the expression of Musu, it seemed to be the case. Finally, Katsuragi gasped in relief. It would all soon be over. No more of this random nonsense of hide and seek or fetch the apple. Regardless of the cold, he finally felt calm and at ease. The next problem was to be avoided at all cost, for Katsuragi no longer wanted to meet with the hollykage, despite the words exchanged before.

As he saw the red head hasten his steps, he too picks up the pace. He wasn't the only one that wanted to get out of the cold. HE drives his stakes and spiked boots into the ice with rapid succession to keep up with Musu. His chains helped the red head out quite a bit. While he climbed he slipped once again, but managed to regain his balance. From now one he climbs at a normal pace. he eventually reaches the top, but to only find Musu gone. He scans the area but to no success, fails to find him. "Hollykage..", he muttered. But he wasn't alone, he sees a strange piece of ore ahead of him. He slowly approaches it's warm safe glow. He had no clue what this was, but he figured this was probably what the Hollykage wanted him to find. As he got closer, the boulder began to take shape. He sees silver metallic rock in whole. It was small, almost orb size no larger than a lightbulb. "Hmm, what is this shit? steel?", he had no clue. But, he wasn't going to leave here empty hande3d, the ore looked valuable. he was sure he could sell it for a pretty piece if he had a good story to support it. After testing it out to see if it was ok for him to touch it with a few waves of his hand near it, he pockets the orb and immediately gets teleported out of the scene. Finally, he was back inside of his room.

((TWC: 2004))\
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Exit, 20 stats, Lariat V7 for 1500 words and the reamin 504 words towards Earth Shaker V7 . 50 AP, Meteoric Iron.

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