Shiori was tired. The climb up the mountain was nothing like she had imagined. At first, there was a steep path made of loose rubbles. She had to be careful where she stepped, or she would slide down.
Her initial excitement at the prospect of exploring the mountain had dimmed slightly as the reality of the problematic terrain set in. With each step, she felt the strain in her muscles, a reminder of the physical exertion required to conquer the ascent. Yet, despite the weariness creeping into her bones, Shiori remained determined to press on, her curiosity driving her forward.
It took her some time to get used to it. It required conscious effort and concentration. She couldn't focus much on the world around her, only on the task at hand. Before taking each step, she had to carefully put her foot on the ground without putting weight on it, then send a small amount of chakra to test the firmness of the hold. Based on the answer, she might have needed to move the foot and try again.
As she navigated the treacherous terrain, Shiori found herself immersed in the rhythm of her movements. Each step became a deliberate dance, a delicate balance between strength and precision. Despite the challenges, there was a sense of exhilaration in the act of overcoming each obstacle, a feeling of triumph with every successful foothold.
When she was sure of the hold, she could put her weight on it, move forward, and repeat the same for the next foot. This made her progress very slow.
At first, she wanted to use a technique similar to water walking, but the problem was that the whole mountain had a unique property: It absorbed any chakra outside the body.
The realization that her usual techniques were ineffective in this environment brought a sense of unease to Shiori's mind. She had to adapt quickly, relying on her instincts and ingenuity to find alternative methods of navigating the mountain's unforgiving landscape. Despite the setback, she refused to let frustration cloud her determination, channeling her energy into finding a solution to the challenge before her.
She had read about this before. In a loose sense, it was the opposite of chakra conductivity. While chakra-conductive minerals had the ability to pass chakra through them, some minerals had the ability to absorb chakra.
It may seem very useful to make armor or even weapons that could absorb chakra, but the problem was the nature of these minerals.
These stones absorbed the chakra in the air and, in turn, would turn into ordinary rocks. So when someone cuts them into shape just after a few D rank jutsu, the absorbency is gone unless they can somehow extract the absorbed chakra from it.
Of course, having a layer of stone thin enough to function as armor or a weapon would mean it would be very brittle. Now, one might wonder how an entire mountain can exist solely made from such stone and still be absorbent after thousands of years.
The answer was the cycle of nature. The existence of chakra-rich stones has led to a natural opposite. Plants that can absorb chakra. These plants, which were mostly trees, had profound roots in the ground. There is not much water in the area for them to survive, so they use their roots to absorb the chakra stored in the stones to sustain themselves.
As she contemplated the intricate balance of nature, Shiori marveled at the interconnectedness of all living things. The mountain's ecosystem was a delicate tapestry of life and energy, each element dependent on the other for survival. In a world driven by conflict and chaos, it was a comforting reminder of the inherent harmony that existed within the natural world.
Unfortunately, these trees didn't have any unique properties. They were even more brittle than regular trees, and because they tended to be a bit drier due to so little water in their structure, people didn't have much use for them.
If anything, the deep roots of the trees prevented floods from happening in the rainy seasons by firmly keeping the gravel under them intact. So, in many areas, it was illegal to damage these trees.
However, Shiori knew of a few rare plants that can actually grow in these conditions, especially a flower bush. The roots of this plant were used to make a tea that could help with frequent headaches.
The mention of the rare flower bush sparked a glimmer of excitement in Shiori's eyes, a fleeting reminder of the simple joys that awaited her beyond the mountain's rugged peaks. She imagined the sweet aroma of the tea, its soothing warmth chasing away the cares of the world with each sip.
She really wanted to get her hands on one, but she focused back on the road ahead. Her leg muscles already hurt from the three-hour walk on the steep path, but she had to move forward.
When she was finally done with the steep walk, she encountered the next obstacle: climbing. The mountain went up vertically, and there were barely any places to grip, but it seemed like the only way. For the whole walk uphill, she tried to follow a path that had signs of human interruptions so she would not get lost.
And the path brought her here. Tsunade sensei had already told her the general gist of the way. She said she wouldn't give her all the details since it would be her challenge to face, but anyone who did a little research could gather this much.
At first, it was the heel, then the climb up the mountains. Then she had to go through a foggy forest. Finally, if she was worthy, she would find the temple.
So, the way forward was to climb the impossible mountain. Shiori took some time to prepare. The top of the mountain was hidden in clouds, so it would be a long climb. She needed to hydrate, eat, and put some snacks at hand in case the climb was even longer than expected.
She had to preserve her chakra in case something happened, so she couldn't use it as much to keep warm. She had to wear extra clothing, which could have restricted her movements.
Shiori looked through her scrolls for something that was light enough to not restrict but warm enough to keep her going. She settled on two layers of skin-tight clothes. It would be better against harsher winds and less restricting than puffy jackets. For shoes she didn't have many options but she had a steel toed ankle boots that could mean better grip for her feet. She also wore fingerless gloves.
She warmed up with some stretches, and it was time to go.
Unlike the last trial, where she had to focus her chakra in an area on the surface of her body to test each step, this trial needed a different approach. The surface of the mountain was made of the same stone as the previous step, so she couldn't use chakra to climb.
With each step, Shiori had to remember to focus on herself as much as the world around her. She felt her muscles strain as she climbed, but she didn't let it discourage her. She knew she had to stay focused, relying on her body's strength and her training to keep going. She focused on the task at hand, pushing aside any doubts or distractions. She knew she had to stay alert and in control, every movement deliberate and precise.
The handholds were also too small to grip effectively without any enhancements. So, she had to enhance her body with chakra. While many shinobi used chakra to improve their attack, this was slightly different. To strengthen physical attacks, shinobi used a burst of chakra.
The burst would either be applied for a few seconds, which could increase speed, or in a sudden burst, which could increase power. Of course, the two approaches could be combined with more advanced techniques.
The point was that enhancing the body for a prolonged time was not something achievable. It could be done for a few minutes at maximum. The chakra used in such a way would overheat the body rapidly. It could cause permanent chakra burns. This climb could take two hours at minimum.
So, Shiori was using the best workaround she could come up with. She would use chakra to enhance a hand and opposite foot to get the most stability while pulling chakra from the other pair.
Circulating the chakra in the pair would allow her to hold herself in position while pulling the chakra from the pair would cool them down. Due to the cold, she also had to circulate the rest of the chakra in her body.
As she climbed, Shiori focused on the rhythm of her breathing, using it to steady herself and maintain her balance. She knew she had to stay calm and composed, even as the climb grew more challenging. With each breath, she felt a sense of calm wash over her, anchoring her to the present moment.
It was not an easy feat by any means, but multitasking was a necessity for a medic. You cannot heal only one specific area, especially during surgeries. Still, it didn't make them superhumans who could do this in their sleep.
It needed conscious effort. Not only did she have to look and feel for the next holds, but she also had to be sure the previous one held until the next one was secure and pull chakra while searching. It was a repetitive cycle, but that was the most dangerous part.
Despite the physical demands of the climb, her mind was clear and alert. She knew she had to stay sharp, relying on her instincts and training to guide her. With each movement, she felt a sense of purpose driving her forward, a quiet determination that pushed her to conquer the challenges ahead.
Just because she successfully performed a movement the previous 100 times didn't mean the next one would be any easier. She couldn't let the familiarity of movements give her a sense of false security. In the past half an hour, there have been seven holds that she at first believed were secure but quickly noticed were too smooth for her to grip.
The climb stretched on longer than she expected. Luckily, the edge was right above the clouds, so she didn't have to climb for much longer. This was the most dangerous part of the climb.
The top edges of mountains like this were usually brittle. Hopeful climbers who could see the end of their torment would get careless, and one wrong move was enough to send them to their deaths.
Despite her burning muscles, Shiori forced herself to slow down, to double-check and even triple-check each hold. Ten more minutes, and she made it safely up. All she wanted to do was lay down and rest, but it was too close to the edge.
She knew that as soon as she let herself, she was going to pass out. She pushed herself to her feet. She could see a safe space close by. With the last few steps, she finally passed out.
Her last thoughts were for her safety, but what type of person would be crazy enough to go through all this path just to rub someone.