As Bōei awoke from the rays of sun gleaming on his face through his window, he wondered just how he had gotten back to his apartment. The last thing he remembered was collapsing in the middle of the courtyard of the Sword Saint compound. "Maybe they brought me here?" he questioned himself. He looked at his body and was surprised by the fact he no longer had any of the wounds, burns, and bruises he had suffered during the mission. "I guess they did heal me up..." he muttered to himself as he sat up in bed. He shuffled himself out of the bed and began to get himself ready for the day and head back to the compound to find out what happens next. He hopped into the shower to wash off the sleep from his body and brushed his teeth before eating a bit of breakfast in the kitchen. After finishing his breakfast, he grabbed his all black outfit and put in his black contacts. He got dressed and made his way out the door to the Market District where the compound was.

As he walked, he wondered just what Rippā would have in store for him when he got back to the compound. Since he won the competition, he figured he would get to go to the ceremony with him at least to watch. It was a beautiful day outside and Bōei certainly enjoyed the nice weather and the cool breeze blowing throughout the district. He watched as his fellow villagers walked by him handling their shopping at the various shops surrounding him. It didn't take long before he was at the door step of the Sword Saint compound. He walked into the compound and was greeted by one of Rippā's assistants he had seen the last time he was at the compound. "Hey kid, welcome back. You did a good job on the mission. Rippā has requested you wait in the courtyard by the horses. Go over there and wait for him to arrive. He should be there shortly" the assistant spoke to Bōei. Bōei followed the instructions and made his way out to the courtyard where there were two horses packed with supplies. He assumed he and Rippā would be riding out to the ceremony site on the horses. From what he knew, the ceremony site was a decent distance away from the village and horses would certainly make the trek quite bit easier considering they would probably be out there for a few days. He found himself standing next to the horse on the right and began to wait for his new mentor to arrive so that they could set off on their journey together.

WC: 426

Rippa stood within his room as the day began. His shower was finished some time ago but he still stood studying the map in just his pants. The place he was to go was secluded on the borders of the country. He was unsure as of yet about if the ancient turtles would even be there. It was away from any road or scout outpost. He was unsure why he had been invited beyond his station. Still the young Nara would be arriving soon. The two were to travel alone and arrive alone it seemed. His blue eyes shifted from the map to the clothes prepared on a post. Shifting over to the bed next to it to begin by putting on his socks and belt. A black wrapped shirt going over his shoulders and wrapping into his pants. Short sleeved as it was the sleeves were wide and comfortably flexible. His belt was tight as he placed in eight bolts and loaded the other twelve into his weapons. Sheathing them on either side of his waist. His necklace he slipped on before grabbing a fur overcoat and slipping into it as well. The coat hanging loosely down to his waist. Thick white wolf fur on the shoulders. Matching his hair.

He would finally slip into his boots and tie them on before moving out of his room and locking the door behind him. The men were to prepare two horses loaded with camping supplies and rations. So when he arrived the horses were probably already to be saddled and ready. He wasn't sure the Nara boy would know how to ride a horse but they had plenty of travel time to learn if need be. Still a couple of men fell in behind him with the last of the supplies and a gift in tow. The finest prepared greens in the nation. Seaweed and fish all prepped with care. He would round into the courtyard and his eyes would instantly note the boy waiting before he would wave the men to finish preparing the horses to ride. The gift strapping to his own saddle. Rippa himself would move along the grass to the young man before stopping next to him and checking the straps on his own horse. Pulling them tight and double checking the clasps. He would remove his swords from his belt and carefully strap them to his horse as he spoke without much of a glance to Boei.

"We have some distance to cover and the ceremony requires we arrive alone. Not everywhere outside these walls is secure so be prepared if need be. Check your saddle as anything breaking will result in either riding bareback or walking and I doubt you would want to do either."

He finished tying his weapons down and lastly a scroll into the saddle bag with a medical symbol on it. His eyes shifted to the boy now as he turned to face him and see if he did as told. One hand resting on his own saddle and the other on his hip as he spoke again. This time with a smile on his face and eyes eager to meet the young mans. "Boei was it? The only Nara to arrive and the victor. You must be proud and your clan proud too. Are you looking forward to this? Please call me Rippa."

565

Bōei watched as Rippā rounded the corner to enter into the courtyard. He was adorned in the same white fur that he wore during the competition. He walked over to his horse without much of a glance back at Bōei, securing his weapons to his mount with great care and attention to detail. Still not looking at Bōei, he began to speak "We have some distance to cover and the ceremony requires we arrive alone. Not everywhere outside these walls is secure so be prepared if need be. Check your saddle as anything breaking will result in either riding bareback or walking and I doubt you would want to do either." His words rung true as Bōei would prefer not to walk if he didn't have to. "I don't know how to ride a horse but I guess I'll have to learn. How troublesome... beats walking however," he thought to himself as he carefully inspected his saddle to ensure he wouldn't have to walk unnecessarily.

Rippā finished tying his things down onto his mount then quickly turned to Bōei, seemingly to inspect the job that Bōei had done securing his own items to his mount. Rippā began to speak once more, this time looking directly at Bōei, "Boei was it? The only Nara to arrive and the victor. You must be proud and your clan proud too. Are you looking forward to this? Please call me Rippa.". "Yeah, it's pretty cool," he replied in his nonchalant tone as usual, "So Rippā, just how far is this place we are headed to?" As he waited for a response, he figured he would try to mount his steed so that he could get used to being on horseback. As he lifted himself up onto the horse, he found that it was a bit more cumbersome than he had imagined, the saddle not the most comfortable thing in the world but it would suffice. As he sat upon his mount, he thought about what he was about to get himself into. "I wonder how hard this whole ritual thing is going to be...hopefully not too bad. That would certainly be a drag..." he contemplated to himself. "Hey Rippā, those are some pretty cool swords you have, where did you get the from if you don't mind me asking. I've heard quite a bit about them but never seen them up close..." he began to ramble on to pass the time. It wasn't every day he got to hang out with a Sannin.

WC: 456

Rippa would listen to the boys question of distance and smile. The sun was up far enough now to light the village and show the distant terrain. He looked at a moment at the glory of the land before facing north and looking for what he knew would be there. A long time ago a mountain had been slice apart by some impossible force and had left the top of it perfectly flat like a plate. Never in his life would he be able to replicate such a thing. Though he was told it had been done during the fight between Madara and the Kage. He let his blue eyes look to the north before he smiled. The normally flat top of the mountain had a barely noticeable lump on it that only one straining to look for it might notice. If someone had noticed it by accident they might simply think it a trick of the eye. They had already arrived. The floating turtle island had landed upon the mountain. He would wonder at the concept of something so large flying but that was not his to contemplate right now. Instead he would note Boei mounting awkwardly and do so himself with considerably more grace. Finding the groove comfortable to him before speaking as his right hand pointed to the distance. Directly at the mountain.

"Our goal is to reach the base of that mountain by nightfall. We will camp in the shadow of it until sunrise and climb it then. There is a cave at the base for shelter so no need for tents."

With that said he clicked his tongue twice and his horse began to trot. Boei's horse following as trained without Boei having to do much more than remain seated. The gates would open for them as they swung wide and they crossed into the market square. Able to navigate relatively down the center with ease based on the time of day. Boei spoke behind him and he would snap his fingers at his side so Boei's horse would understand the command and move to his side so they moved with Boei on his left. He would pull one of the twin swords out of the saddle and sheath and spin it before handing it handle first to Boei to feel the balance of it. The weapon was very heavy surprisingly. Like a mace in his hands. But it was balanced from front to back fully loaded. A small slide weight within the grip shifting each time a shot was fired to keep it balanced. Rippa spoke as he hoped Boei would admire the weapon.

"I asked a master blacksmith to make me something to utilize for both my fighting styles. Archery and Kenjutsu. He had me swing two katana for countless hours and fire crossbow after crossbow. I remember my arms being unable to move and blisters on my fingers. However he did design these from that information. I dare say the most unique of weapons without a chakra ability. Adam and Eve are a pair of swords I can always rely on."

With that they were nearing the front gate. Commerce suggest the market be close to the front gates to invite new arrivals to do their shopping right away. It was also the point of the sword saints compound being where it was. Close to the gates for rapid response times. Still Rippa would pull on his reigns and both horses would slow to a stop. The gate guard bowed to Rippa and Rippa would bow his head back before providing identification documents for himself and Boei. Having access to them due to his position. The man looked them over before marking them both as heading out and handed the documents back. With that the two of them would begin moving again. Heading out the gates and turning onto the northern road.

1217

As Bōei continued to ramble on, Rippā raised his hand and pointed towards the mountain off in the distance. As his hand drifted toward the mountain, he began to reply "Our goal is to reach the base of that mountain by nightfall. We will camp in the shadow of it until sunrise and climb it then. There is a cave at the base for shelter so no need for tents." As the last word left his lips, he clicked his tongue and both horses began to trot forward. Bōei was surprised that his horse was so well trained that it didn't require him to do anything other than sit and hold on. "That's quite a well trained horse..." Bōei complemented Rippā. His horse was a few paces behind Rippā's steed which caused him to end up speaking into Rippā's back. With a simple snap of his fingers, Rippā commanded Bōei's horse to speed up and match pace with Rippā's on the left side. In a show off effortless mastery, Rippā unsheathed one of the weapons and spun it in a flashy display. He handed the weapon over to Bōei handle first to allow Bōei to feel the balance and quality of the weapon. "This thing is deceptively heavy...much more than I expected," Bōei spoke in a surprised tone, "it's quite a piece of hardware...although incredibly heavy it is perfectly balanced. I bet you paid a significant fortune to get these Rippā".

As Bōei admired the weapon, Rippā began to talk once more. "I asked a master blacksmith to make me something to utilize for both my fighting styles. Archery and Kenjutsu. He had me swing two katana for countless hours and fire crossbow after crossbow. I remember my arms being unable to move and blisters on my fingers. However he did design these from that information. I dare say the most unique of weapons without a chakra ability. Adam and Eve are a pair of swords I can always rely on." "Wow...this guy is something else," Bōei thought to himself. "Maybe one day I'll have a weapon such as this...seems like a lot of work though. How bothersome," Bōei commented back to Rippā as they rode towards the front gate. As they approached the gate, Rippā pulled back on the reigns which brought his horse and subsequently Bōei's to a halt. The guard at the gate bowed to Rippā and Rippā bowed his head in turn. Rippā handed the guard a set of papers which the guard examined for a few moments before handing them back after marking something down on them. With the exchange seemingly complete, the two horses began to trot once more out the front gate and down the path towards the mountain. The two horses began to pick up some speed as Bōei tried to hold on. He had never ridden a horse before so he felt a bit awkward trying to ride, compared to Rippā who was quite calm and collected upon his steed. Luckily the horse was incredibly well trained and required little riding skill other than sitting on Bōei's part. "Would you like your weapon back now?" Bōei asked as he tried his best to ride the horse with some semblance of grace.

WC: 568

Rippa would continue to ride at a significant pace. Wishing to make the camp well before nightfall so they had time to eat and set up before dark. His blue eyes scanning the area around them like a hawk. Keeping eyes out for anyone attempting to attack them or perhaps someone else on the trail. He doubted either but still it was important to him to remain perceptive. The sun was beating down through the tree's and the gallop was loud but still, he found the going rather easy. The comment about how difficult or troublesome it would be to obtain such a weapon brought a smile to his face. Rippa had always set himself into determination and his foolish nature wouldn't allow him to give in. He had struggled repeatedly with everything he did until he was considered one of the best in the fields. Be it swordsmanship or medical. Day in and day out he studied and trained and truthfully it was just as exhausting as it sounded. At this point he knew very little of just relaxing and lazing about. His free time spent practicing forms and studying new medical discoveries. It was the only way to be sure he was prepared.

Still at a comment about him taking his sword back he glanced over his shoulder. Boei's horse was keeping pace and pattern as it was trained to do and yet it appeared Boei wasn't having as much luck remaining with the horse. He was struggling to ride one handed while holding the sword with the other. Rippa smiled as he could tell Boei wasn't trained yet in mounted combat. They were essentially at a half charge, not even a gallop and yet he struggled. Rippa would pull his reigns and slow his own horse down to a slow trot and watched as the other horse followed suit. It was best that Boei hadn't cut himself or shot his horse. With a mirth filled smile Rippa said nothing and plucked his sword from Boei's grasp before spinning it just for show and sheathing it onto his saddle. White hair playing around his face as he reached over and tapped certain things as he spoke.

"We will go slower but for now, hold onto the reigns with on hand but only pull to direct or stop. Its mostly just there for control. Use your other hand to hold onto the pommel of the saddle there at the front for balance and keep your legs tight on the horses sides. When we pick up speed again lean forward nearer the pommel for an easier time."

Rippa would give him time to adjust while they kept a slow pace. If Boei did so he would smile and turn in his own saddle. His legs tight to the horse but both hands on the reigns. For a while they kept a slow pace as he occasionally checked to see how Boei was doing. If Boei was doing well enough they would quicken the pace a little at a time. Before long they were returned to a slower gallop and making good time through the woods on a narrow path. Beaten by feet but never hooves by the looks of it. At times the path would split apart and Rippa would stop to check a map before continuing towards the correct path. Each choice bringing them closer to the mountain until the found a clearing in its shadow. As promised, ahead of them was a cave, large enough for a bear to stand on its hind legs and wide enough for three bears to walk side by side. For now though it appeared to be empty. Rippa would dismount then and land on the ground walking. It was late evening so the sun was still up but it was clear it would start setting soon. Rippa spoke to Boei as he began taking off his own saddle.

"Dismount and stretch a bit. We need to get the saddles off and moved into the cave before dark. Try and find some dry wood and we will have a fire tonight. Tomorrow we will progress up the mountain. Oh and do make sure the horse is tied to a tree securely."

1932

As the two men continued to ride upon the trail, Bōei struggled to ride his steed while carrying Rippā's sword. Rippā turned his head and noticed Bōei struggling upon his horse and quickly tugged upon his reigns to slow his mount down along side of Bōei's. With a smirk, Rippā grabbed his sword from Bōei's grasps and spun it flashily before he sheathed it on the side of his mount. "We will go slower but for now, hold onto the reigns with on hand but only pull to direct or stop. Its mostly just there for control. Use your other hand to hold onto the pommel of the saddle there at the front for balance and keep your legs tight on the horses sides. When we pick up speed again lean forward nearer the pommel for an easier time."

While they continued to ride, Bōei began to get the hang of his mount and became comfortable riding alongside Rippā. Over time he quickened his pace until they were at a slow gallop. The trail was narrow through the woods which appeared to only have been taken by people on foot as opposed to on horseback. From time to time, the two men would come up upon a fork in the path and Rippā would stop the two horses and check his map before continuing on. The trek toward the mountain was quite a long journey, giving Bōei plenty of time to ponder on what he would be coming to face in this ceremony with the turtles. "Hopefully this doesn't require too much effort on my part, that would be quite a bother..." Bōei pondered to himself. "The turtles are probably slow and steady so I could probably get away with not exerting a whole lot of effort". He smirked to himself as they continued on the path, getting closer and closer to the destination.

As the day dragged on, Bōei could tell the sunset would be coming soon from its position. The two men continued to ride until they reached a clearing in the shadow of the mountain. As Rippā had described, there was a cage with a large entrance which appeared to be empty. The two men stopped their journey and Rippā dismounted from his steed and began to speak. "Dismount and stretch a bit. We need to get the saddles off and moved into the cave before dark. Try and find some dry wood and we will have a fire tonight. Tomorrow we will progress up the mountain. Oh and do make sure the horse is tied to a tree securely." Following Rippā's instructions, Bōei dismounted from his horse and began to stretch a bit. "Man i'm sore, this is lame..." Bōei muttered under his breath. "I'll be back in a bit Rippā, i'm gong to get some wood," Bōei yelled back at Rippā who had entered the cave.

Bōei tied his horse securely to a nearby tree before quickly scattered off into the woods looking for loose branches or smaller logs that he could easily carry back to the cave. As he found nearby timber for a fire they would build to keep warm throughout the night until they departed in the morning, he heard a noise rumbling with the bushes. Thinking quickly, Bōei  dropped his logs to the ground and pulled out his kunai to defend himself should he need to. As he waited for whatever was in the bush to show itself, a white streak ran out from the bushes. "Damn rabbit..." Bōei muttered to himself. He quickly picked up his timber and returned to camp so that he and Rippā could finish setting up camp and get some rest as he knew tomorrow would be a true beginning of their quest. As he returned to the cave, Rippā was in the process of setting up a small pit where they would start the fire. "I'm back...here is the firewood," as he dropped it into the pit. "You ready for tomorrow?" he asked curiously. He waited for a response as he sat down and yawned.

WC: 704

Rippa would watch the young man walk away. His blue gaze following him for a time. A smile on his face. Promising young youth even if he did claim he had no drive. It would be a waste if such natural potential were to stop at just what came simple to him. He had witnessed it before though. Someone with amazing natural talent sitting idly by and expecting to remain the best among their piers. Often they were surpassed by the sheer effort and willpower of others like Rippa did. His old squad was merely a memory at this point. He couldn't even recall who their first sensei was supposed to be. Rippa had been the only one with the drive to grow no matter what. A goal of something he had to overcome. Perhaps he would check on them one day. See where they were now. As for Boei though he would simply make the effort to help him grow that matched Boei's willingness to follow. He didn't want to see Boei fail but it would be up to the boy himself to succeed. Still he had his own work to do while Boei was out and about. Setting up camp and all.

For a moment the world was void of all other humanity again. Like it had been for both times Rippa had retreated to the woods for studying medical and training the sword. Practicing medical and getting his title of doctor had taken years of seclusion. A cabin his family owned restocked by a servant once a week as his only ten minute company. At times it had been maddening but in the end Rippa was the better med nin for it. He had dreamed once to follow his fathers foot steps and join the hospital. Even aimed for captain of the medical division. However someone had been devious enough at the time to poison his father and seek Rippa's life as well. His uncle was still out there somewhere. Waiting for an opportunity. Too many assassins dead having been sent on a suicide mission. At the time Rippa wasn't the sword saint captain. He had been called the blood god of Konoha back then. His Ninjutsu alone was formidable. Still the last Hokage Sousetsu had seen fit to train him in Kenjutsu and a traveler had taught him Kyujutsu. Now he was one of the best in both fields.

Rippa would move the saddles into the cave before pulling out his swords in their sheaths and leaning them against the wall. Setting his quiver belt with them. Then he would move over and pull out his own bed roll and set it up. Tossing a bag of jerky next to Boei's saddle before taking out a kunai and digging up a small fire pit. Placing rocks in a circle around it. When Boei returned he was just finishing with that and cleaning the small blade against his pants. When Boei dropped the wood unceremoniously into the pit Rippa would raise a brow before stacking it into a tent. Pulling out about half of it to toss onto the fire later. Then he held his hand over it. For a second nothing happened and then crimson sparks flew out of his palm. Lighting the wood on fire. However these sparks defied normal Raiton. Instead of providing light they seemed to absorb it. Making the room darker in the cave until the fire lit fully and the sparks stopped. He would hear Boei speak before nodding and moving back to lay on his own bed roll and chew on some jerky. Speaking between bites.

"Tomorrow will be fun I'm sure. You rest first. I'll take first watch. I will wake you in a few hours to take second."

2570
Exit thread
Perception A-2 to A-3 1300/1300

1270 towards Medical SS

As the fire wood fell into the pit, Rippā looked up at him with a a raised brow then proceeded to stack up some of the timber into a tent of sorts before tossing the remaining timber to the side for later. For a few moments, Rippā would place his hand over the fire and it appeared as though nothing was happening. The room began to become dark for some reason, It seemed to be some form of jutsu Bōei  had never seen before. It appeared to somehow steal light from the room to form sparks which would in short time light a fire underneath Rippā's hand. The sparks stopped and Rippā stood up from the fire then proceeded to walk over to his bed roll where he would lay down and begin to chew on some jerky. "Tomorrow will be fun I'm sure. You rest first. I'll take first watch. I will wake you in a few hours to take second." "Ok. Sounds good. I'll head over and lay down here to get to rest...Thanks for setting up camp." Bōei replied.

With that in mind, Bōei walked over to his own bed roll which Rippā had prepared for him while he was out grabbing the firewood. He sat down on top of it and reached for the parcel of jerky which was laid next to it. He picked it up and removed a piece to put into his mouth. It was quite good, much better than he had expected. He looked over to Rippā and nodded his head in approval of the quality of the jerky. He took several pieces into his hand and continued on eating. After he had consumed a few other pieces, he tucked away the remaining jerky into his bag and laid his body down. He was still a bit sore from the horseback ride but doing much better than earlier. The bedroll wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but it was significantly more comfortable than sleeping on the floor. "Could be worse I suppose..." he pondered to himself. With his body finally able to rest a bit, he found it a bit more difficult to rest his mind. Although hew would often appear to be lazy or uninterested, his mind would be constantly racing and thinking up strategies for whatever situation he may find himself in.

"I wonder if Rippā or these turtles happen to know Taijutsu? Maybe I can learn some new moves which will help me be a bit more unpredictable. I guess I'll just have to wait to see...what a drag...". His mind raced with the various possibilities of the day to come. He tried to settle his mind but it proved to be quite futile as a seemingly endless flow of scenarios running through his mind, simulating the potential outcomes which he could end up in during tomorrow's festivities. He chuckled a bit to himself he thought of several interesting scenarios which would arise given the uncertainties of just what they would be walking into. The thoughts began to slow as his body began to prepare itself for the well needed rest it deserved after a long trip from Konoha. As the exhaustion of the day was finally consuming him, Bōei closed his eyes and began to drift to sleep to regain his strength for the test of the coming day.

[~Exit Thread~]

WC: 575
TWC: 2729

Training:
Ninjutsu: B -> A 2033 + 967 = 3000/3000 Words
Reaction Time: C-0 -> C-2 = 1175 Words
Speed: C-0 -> C-1 = 575 Words

Remaining WC: 2729- 967 - 1175 - 575 = 12 Words