A Mysterious Challenge (Private, Solo)

Spoiler:

It started out like any other mission for Asahi when the Hollykage was involved. He was relaxing on his couch, reading the latest news in Sunagakure when the voice echoed through his head. He jumped up in shock and dropped the paper on the floor. His temple hurt from the volume but it quickly adjusted to a more comfortable one. One second! he thought in his head, knowing the Hollykage could hear his thoughts. Can't you give me any peace around here? The Genin rose from the chair, retrieved the paper he had dropped on the ground and then went to the table where he ninja tools lay. He started to load his weapon pouch with shuriken and strap the kunai holster to his thigh. He knew he would be teleporting away before long and wanted to be prepared. The Hollykage usually did these things without much warning.

"Alright," Asahi said when he was ready, preferring to speak his answers aloud rather than in his head. "What do you have for me this time?"

"Ho ho ho!" came the annoying phrase the Hollykage was so fond of. "Cheer up, my friend! What I have for you today is a special task. There is a challenge you must complete for me, the details of which will remain secret until you arrive at the proper location. What's more, it'll be our very last mission together."

"That's all you can give me? When do I star-"

Before Asahi could finish responding the flash of white light came and went. He was spirited from his room in Sunagakure and placed down somewhere in the snowy landscape of the Land of Iron.

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273 Asahi WC
273 Asahi Total WC

The light left the Genin alone in the snowy landscape. There were no trees this time where he was placed. All above the sky was dark, save for the moon and a few stars that glimmered. At least I'll have some light out here, he thought to himself. He spun on his heels to get a good look of his surroundings. There was no obvious place to start. The terrain was flat all around and there were no markers or trees or even a hill to make note of. After he had spun he couldn't even figure out which direction it was that he had started from. Lost already. He sighed and put a hand to his hip, wishing the Hollykage could make things simple for once.

His wish was granted almost instantly. Materializing from thin air was a translucent, fist sized sphere. It had a red sheen to it and it bobbed up in down in front of Asahi's face. It was the exact same orb that the Hollykage had used to guide him around in one of their very first missions together. Well, at least this is something. I'm not entirely alone out here and I have a guide of sorts. The sphere moved erratically as if to capture Asahi's attention and start the mission. It swirled all around him, and the Igarashi tried to keep up with it's movements but he was starting to get dizzy. Finally it settled and started slowly hovering towards what he assumed was direction his mission's target was in.

"Over here!" came a high pitched voice from the orb.

"Yeah yeah, I know," Asahi replied. "Lead the way."

He started following the sphere as it led him over the snow terrain lit by moonlight. His feet left impressions of the path his was taking, the only point of reference he had to go on based on the bleak and white landscape. Luckily though the moon was overhead to give him light and the weather wasn't too bad as far as the cold went. He still needed to rub his arms every now and again but it could have been a lot worse if the wind was stronger. The sphere flew forward at a pace that he could keep up with. It appeared to be going nowhere. There was nothing in that direction, or any direction for that matter, nor was there anything appearing on the horizon. Asahi figured he just needed to have faith in the Hollykage and his mysterious guide. Surely he wouldn't send me out here for nothing. The orb has to be going in the right direction.

They walked for hours, or what felt like hours. It was impossible to tell with certainty how long it had been, but the moon was in a different place in the sky and his footprints behind him went on beyond what his eyes could see. A light snow began to fall but it made no matter. It wasn't enough snow to make travel more difficult and in fact it made the journey a rather scenic one. Though I still wish I was back in Sunagakure. Soon enough, on the horizon, something came into view. At first he thought it was a mountain, but then it looked like a hill of some sort. More details appeared as they moved closer to it. When they were within a few hundred meters Asahi could see it for exactly what it was. It's some sort of a cave, he realized. It looked like a hill but there was a large opening on the one side of it that appeared to descend down into some cavern. Looks like this is where the Hollykage wants me to go, he thought. Asahi looked around but there was nothing else in sight save for the cave. He stopped just before it with his guide.

The sphere bobbed up and down in front of the entrance. "In here! In here!" it spoke.

"Got it," Asahi made a move to enter but stopped to look back at the orb. "You're not coming with?"

The orb shook from left to right, signalling a strong "no."

"Ok. Wish me luck, then."

Asahi entered the cave and began to descend into its depths to tackle the challenge that awaited him.

---

705 Asahi WC
978 Asahi Total WC

The Genin started his descent into the cavern. It only took him a few steps down before he realized he would not be able to make it very far under the current conditions. It's too dark, he thought to himself. Outside he had the moon and the stars to light his path, but in here he was not afforded such a luxury. He looked around to see if there was anything nearby that could help him. To his left, leaning against a wall, was an old skeleton. The flesh it would have worn had long since rotted away, though the tattered remnants of his clothes yet remain. His skeletal hand was gripped around a long piece of wood with a wrapping around the top. He had a torch, Asahi bent down to look closer, before some horrible fate befell him. There were still some scorch marks on the wood. He shuddered to think what awaited him below.

"I'm sorry to take this from you," he told the corpse. "But I think I need this a little more than you do now."

Asahi pried the torch from his hand. He was surprised at the strength the skeleton had which still gripped the wooden frame. The ninja stood then and held it up in front of his face so that the wrapping portion of the top was directly in front of him. He concentrated within on building up chakra within his chest and then applying his elemental affinity of fire to that chakra. His mouth opened and a small cone of flame expelled outwards from it. The flame streamed outwards, licking the torch and setting it ablaze. The dark tunnel was now illuminated in a flickering light. It was still hard to see very far in front of him, but at least he could find his way now, and not walk in fear that he would be tumbling into a dark hole somewhere.

He turned back to the skeleton. "I'll bring this back to you," he nodded to the torch. "Unless I don't make it back."

With that complete he could finally move forwards. He went down and down beneath the surface of the earth above. By the light of the torch he could see that their were patterns on the walls that began to emerge the deeper he got. At first there were just painted white lines, but then they began to turn into squiggly ones, and then again they changed into waves. There were also depictions of people descending into the depths just as he was doing now. He could see men holding torches and swords going down the steps. The last picture was a burst of several different colors engulfing the person, and then the pictures stopped entirely. Creepy, he thought. I hope that isn't what's in store for me.

Eventually the cavern stopped its descent and he was now moving on flat territory. He was in a tunnel but it soon opened up into a large room, big enough that by the torchlight he could not see anything, the exit or the ceiling, save for the entrance he had come from. Asahi moved forwards into the darkness. He was tensed and on guard after the pictures on the walls from the tunnel before. Though he had the light of the torch it only extended so far and he might as well have had no light with how expansive this portion of the cave was. This is unsettling. One step after the other he moved deeper into the chamber. He moved in so deep that when he looked back to take a glance at the entrance he could no longer see it. This is not good. All around, save for a small area illuminated by the torch, he was in darkness.

Then he heard a rumbling sound from off to the side. He spun and held up the torch towards where the sound was coming but it did nothing. Asahi was holding a matchstick in a dark void. The sound grew and grew and then the cavern began to shake. Dust fell from above and his torch light started to flicker even more. Small rocks began to dance around him and he shielded his head to avoid any damage. In the distance there was a small mote of light that popped into existence. It grew as the sound grew and began rushing towards the ninja. As it sped forwards it expanded into a cascade of color. Asahi dropped his torch in shock and amazement at the spectacle before him. The torch continued to burn and illuminate the area from the ground.

All at once the light exploded around the ninja and he put his hands up in front of his face and closed his eyes to block the kaleidoscope before him.

---

Asahi 795 WC
Asahi 1773 Total WC

Even with his eyes closed the color around him was unavoidable. He opened them anyways and put his hands down, yet his body was still tensed in the event that danger was about. Reds and blues swirled like a tornado around his frame. He looked down to see if the torch was still there but there was only the light show. The red and blue combined into purple and then oranges and greens joined the party. He swung his arms around like a person reaching for something in the dark but they simply cut through the lights as if they were not there. He stumbled forward and tripped over something, landing face first in the dirt of the chamber. Only it was not dirt anymore. What is going on?

His hands touched a marble tiled flooring in the chamber. Asahi looked up and the lights were suddenly gone. Everything in the room was illuminated now. It felt like he was in the same location but only in a different time. The chamber was pristine, perhaps having just finished being built. Huh? What happened? He pushed up and got to his feet to take a look around. The room was ornately designed, clearly no expense was paid. All around for as long as he could see was beautiful tiles and bricks on the walls. There were giant pillars spaced all around the room evenly. Though everything was well lit he couldn't find the source of the light, it seemed like an unnatural one, coming from nowhere yet everywhere all at once.

"Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone there? What's happened?" Asahi yelled out. His voice echoed throughout the chamber but he was met with only silence.

Asahi walked forward in a random direction. There was so much space that it was hard to tell which way was the right way to go. No markers or separate light sources existed save for the unnatural lighting which seemed to be everywhere. He looked up but despite the light he could still not see the roof above him. His hands ran across one of the pillars as he walked by. He observed that it was warm to the touch, like there was some source of energy and heat inside. He could feel something pulsing inside and he quickly removed his hand at the sensation. There was something not quite right about all of this, but the Genin couldn't put his finger on it at the moment. He was too in awe of the changes that had just happened to be able to think things through properly.

Then the rumbling started again. The tiles beneath his feet shook and he could hear growling coming from the darkness overhead. He looked up then to see a large stream of fire blazing a trail towards his location. Shit! He tumbled to the left just out of the way of the main body of the blast. The residual heat given off by the attack still afflicted him, and his hand quickly tried to pat out the flame forming on his leg while he looked up to see if he could spot his assailant. The roof growled again and another blast erupted towards him. With the position Asahi was in after the first fire attack he was at a disadvantage towards dodging the second one. He realized in that instant that he wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. I've no choice, I have to use it! He quickly activated the Gate of Opening. Chakra poured through the now open barrier and empowered the Genin with speed and strength. He used it to shoot backwards from the ground. The ninja spun around in a back flip and landed on his feet. Asahi deactivated the Gate then, wanting to save his energy for later, in case he needed it, yet he still could feel the effects from that small moment of use.

"Stop! I mean you no harm! I'm here on a quest for the Hollykage." He tried to reason with whatever wanted him dead but he felt his attempt was falling on deaf ears.

The growling stopped and then the beating of wings could be heard. From above descended a large, monstrous lizard creature. No, not a lizard, he realized as he got closer. A dragon. The behemoth landed on all fours, it's wings folded up and maw opened wide. Asahi could see rows of teeth and some sort of acidic liquid leaking from its mouth. The tiles cracked under the pressure and weight of the beast. It started to lumber towards the ninja, growling and hissing at him as it did so. The Genin took some steps backwards slowly, trying not to anger the monster any further than he had already apparently done. It was no use, however. The dragon knew what it wanted, and that was the ninja dead. It lunged forward, deceptively fast, jaw wide open and aiming straight for Asahi's chest.

This is it, he thought. This is how I die. He was confused at everything that had happened and how he had ended up in such a position. The dragon's mouth tore through his stomach. He gasped in shock as he watched it enter and then exit his body. The jaws of the beast were removed from his chest and then he watched as the dragon simply stood before him, liquid dripping from his mouth. But not my blood, Asahi thought. He looked down at his body and could see no damage. I'm not hurt, he realized. His arms touched all over his chest, looking for a wound or an entry point from the dragon's teeth but he could find no such place. What is going on? That was then he realized. The chamber, the lights, the dragon. This isn't real! I'm in some sort of illusion, this is just a trick.

The dragon growled at him in response to the ninja apparently having figured out what was going on. Asahi's hands quickly made the Tiger seal and he started focusing on his chakra within to break the illusion via the Genjutsu Release technique. The illusion he was under was a powerful one, and he had to muster as much chakra as was possible to defeat it. He could feel his body weakening under the strain but he had no choice in the matter. The dragon began to lunge at him one more time. Finally he released the chakra he had been building within using the Genjutsu Release technique. Everything around him flashed in a brilliant cascade. He closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them again the nightmare would be over.

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1105 Asahi WC
2878 Asahi Total WC

All was now calm around him. He could no longer here the growling from the dragon, nor did the chamber shake beneath his feet. It must have worked, he thought, yet he still held his eyes closed tight, just in case it was a ruse. He slowly opened one, and then the other. The lights and the monster were gone. He was now back where he was in the dark chamber, the torch burning slowly at his feet. There was still darkness all around, save for the radius of the torch's light around him, but he much preferred this compared to the horror that he was just put through. That was some powerful Genjutsu placed in this chamber, he thought to himself. I've never experienced anything like that before.

"You got anything else for me?" he asked the chamber. He waited for a few moments but no response came.

I must have finished the Hollykage's challenge. Now to get out of here. He bent down to pick up the torch. Before his hand could touch the wood the flame on the device suddenly started to grow in size and strength. The heat was so strong from this distance he almost burnt his hand on it. Asahi stepped back and watched as the area around him that was lightened began to grow. It spread out rapidly and in the matter of seconds it illuminated nearly three times as much area as it had before. The flame was still incredibly hot and he figured there was no way he could grab it anymore. That's not good, he started to look around. I guess things aren't done here after all. And here I thought the dragon would be the worst of things. The Hollykage always has something worse.

Asahi started to look around the chamber for some hint as to what would come next. There was still nothing visible beyond the confines of the torch's light. He had done two or three full turns and was at a loss of what to do next. Then a figure stepped out of the shadows and into the circle of lights on the floor. Asahi took a step back in surprise and put his arms up in guard. The person stepping out of the shadows also appeared to be made of the shadow as well. His arms and legs and then his whole body was translucent. The light passed through it yet it also seemed solid at the same time. He scanned the intruder's body from head to toe when it was finished materializing. When he saw its face he was in shock.

It's... me. "What are you doing? Why do you look like me?" he asked the apparition.

"I look like you because I am you," the Shadow Asahi answered. "I am the final challenge the Hollykage has set out for you. Throughout the last month you have completed all of his mission's with hardly any difficulty. Now, you must face the most difficult challenge of all: yourself."

"What am I supposed to do, fight you?" Asahi raised his arms up in front of him. His hands clenched into fists.

"That's right." The apparition took a step forward.

"And if I don't want to fight?" Asahi asked.

"Then you will die!"

The specter lunged at the Genin with incredible speed. Asahi blocked the first punch the shadow threw towards him but was unable to stop the second. He tumbled backwards into the dirt a good ten feet. Damn! He's got my speed and strength. How do I fight myself? He stood up and already the ghost was upon him, giving him not a single moment of reprieve from the assault. They clashed again but this time Asahi was ready for the shadow's attacks. He is me, after all, Asahi thought. I know what he's going to do as much as he knows what I'm going to do. They traded blow after blow with neither of them coming out the victor. Finally they both flung a powered fist at each other which collided and blew them both back across the chamber.

Asahi and the shadow started to rise from the dirt. Lets end him here, I think I can get the jump on him. Asahi made it obvious what he was about to do. He wanted the shadow to copy his moves so he could surprise him. The Genin made a fist and pulled his arm back while concentrating all the chakra he could at that single point. He was happy to see that the specter was doing the same, also charging his own fist. Their techniques would clash together and after that it was anybody's guess as to what would happen. But Asahi was sure he would be the one to come out on top. When the energy was finished charging he threw his fist forward at his opponent, as did the shadow towards him.

From both of their locations erupted a giant blast of pressurized air. They were using the Evening Elephant technique, a powerful Taijutsu attack that could blow opponents back just by the force of their punch. Just as the techniques were about to collide, Asahi quickly activated the Gate of Opening. His body started to shake under the pressure of using the Eight Gates again, but he ignored the pain. I have to do this, it's the only way. The opening of the Gate bolstered his Evening Elephant against his spectral opponent's. The two Taijutsu blasts pushed against each other and for a moment it seemed like they had reached a stalemate. But then his started to overtake the other, bit by bit and then all at once. The blast of pressurized air washed over the shadow and disintegrated him, sending him back to the darkness he had emerged from.

Asahi fell to one knee from the effort. His breath was heavy but a smile was upon his face, knowing he had done the impossible and completed the task. The light from the torch began to die down and return to its normal size. With a huff he picked up the torch and stood, dusting the durt off of himself with his other hand. As his hand was moving back to his side something began materializing within his palm. He almost dropped it from the sudden weight the object had. It was a fist sized sphere of what appeared to be jade, but Asahi wasn't entirely sure if that was correct for he knew little and less of precious gems. This has to be what the Hollykage sent me here for, he thought. I've defeated his challenges and got his treasure. Now time to return home. He looked back and could see the light from the entrance where he had come and began making his way over there.

He ascended the steps that had brought him into the cavern. The pictures and the designs on the walls that were there on his descent were now gone. That's bizarre, he thought, but then, this whole place didn't make any sense. He was just glad the ordeal was done. He snuffed out the torch and placed it back in the skeleton's hand when he reached the top. With a flash of light he was back home in Sunagakure, his missions with the Hollykage all complete.

Finally... it's over.

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1211 Asahi WC
4089 Asahi Total WC

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A-Ranked Mission Complete, 4089 WC, 5000 Ryo + B Rank Jutsu Ticket.

Spending B Rank Jutsu Ticket to learn Lariat (B Rank)
Spending 1000 WC to learn Lariat (A Rank)
Spending 1000 WC to learn Block (A Rank), already know B Rank
Spending 1500 WC to learn Tank (B Rank)
Spending 500 WC to learn Shadow Shuriken

+80 AP (trained, stats are maxed)

Approved.