Powerful Guardians + Sage Mode

Reo struggled as he moved downwards due to these issues. He lost track as he moved, taking easily twice as long to go down the mountain as he had going up. Eventually, Reo jumped off the mountain and landed five feet below on blessedly solid ground.

The young monk sprinted forwards and into the crater. He had estimated the size well from above, but it still felt much larger than it really was as he ran through it looking for the body of the armadillo.

When Reo reached the epicenter of the newly formed crater, he stopped and furrowed his brow. There was no armadillo body. There was no blood.

There was nothing.

[Post 19: 113 Words]

Reo glanced around quickly, wondering what was happening. There was no way that the armadillo could have survived that fall – not if it hit with enough force to create as massive of a crater as Reo was standing in. Yet, real life was sometimes filled with the impossible – as Reo knew all too well. The armadillo was clearly not here and the crater Reo stood in was proof that he had not been crazy and dreamt the entire thing.

The only question was what this Armatus was if it could survive such a fall. Reo had to admit that his curiosity was piqued.

[Post 20: 103 Words]
[Training Endurance X 8 (No clones again. Sad Day); Weights; + 6 from Abilities]
[45 Endurance]

The member 'Archaea' has done the following action : Destiny Roll

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'Dice 10' : 6, 2, 2, 2, 5, 4, 5, 8

Reo sighed as he pulled out his map and looked it over. The only plan he could really think of was to head back to town and see if he could uncover any information. He wasn’t sure how this Armatus had survived such a fall – but he wanted to find out. If it was possible for a Shinobi to gain that ability, it would surely come in handy.

Once he plotted his course, Reo began the long and boring walk back to Iwa. The walk was easier than it had been on the way to the mountain. Reo could only surmise this was due to the downhill nature of the rocky area.

[Post 21: 112 Words]

It took him a few hours still before the village came into view.There was the same guardhouse that would likely be filled with Jounin as it had been on Reo’s previous visit. The sun was currently setting, casting an orange glow over the land as Reo approached the guardhouse.

The guard that greeted him was none other than Dwayne – the Jounin who had helped Reo unlock his Doton control a few weeks back on his previous visit to Iwa.

“Well, look who it is. Reo Gojisou. Still hanging around Iwa? I haven’t seen you lately.” The Jounin chatted to the young monk – speaking as friends rather than someone guarding an entrance into a city.

Luckily, Reo was perfectly fine being friends with Iwa and most shinobi.
[Post 22: 126 Words]

“I left the village for a little while. I went back home to visit family. I’ve just come back – though I did take a trip to that shrine you mentioned to me.” Reo said, not sure if he should mention the armadillo. He wanted to, but what if they thought he was crazy.

“Oh yeah? Do you feel like you have a better understanding of Iwa and Doton now that you’ve climbed that mountain?” The Jounin chuckled. He hadn’t told Reo that it would be on top of a mountain, not that he minded overly much. It was good training, after-all.

[Post 23: 101 Words]

“I do. I…I don’t want to sound crazy, but I actually met a strange creature at the shrine.” Reo spoke slowly and cautiously, watching the face of the Jounin for any reaction as he did.

“A strange creature? What was it?” The guard asked – voice rising in a curious manner.

“It called itself an armadillo. It was plated and..it jumped off the mountain. The strangest thing, though, was that there wasn’t a body in the crater at the bottom of the mountain.” Reo felt encouraged to talk – letting everything spill out. Sure, they would think he was crazy but there were worse things in life. Besides, he had already started. Too late to turn around now.

[Post 24: 116 Words]

“It talked and there was no body?” The Jounin asked, though his face was alight with recognition instead of cautiousness, fear, or anger – all of which Reo associated with someone thinking he was crazy.

“Yeah, it also had on sunglasses and smoked a cigar – which I found weird enough.” Reo said as he remembered about that. He had been so focused on the missing body and talking animal that he had forgotten its other anthropomorphized characteristics.

“You met Armatus the Armadillo Sage! That’s amazing Reo! There’s only a spotting every year or so of that creature. Did you sign a blood contract with him?”

[Post 25: 104 Words]

“A blood contract?” Reo asked, puzzled. He didn’t think he signed anything.

“Yeah, for a summoning jutsu. Armatus is the head – and the only one with the blood contract scroll – of the armadillo summoning creatures associated with Iwa. It is very rare for someone to be able to summon them…but, if you didn’t sign one then maybe he decided he didn’t want to be summoned by you for some reason.” The Jounin looked at the setting sun and then sighed as he opened the gate. “Anyway, head on in before it gets too dark.”

Reo did as directed and walked into the village of Iwagakure.

[Post 26: 105 Words]

He couldn’t help but feel like a failure. Armatus was some special summon from Iwa? Why had he revealed himself and not let him sign the blood contract? Reo couldn’t figure it out. He had to have said something that made him not want to work with him.

Reo sighed as he made his way to an inn. He wanted to make sure that he could get whatever rest he would be able to here. Besides that, he wasn’t sure exactly what else he wanted to learn here. There was the issue with Apollo and Ares, of course, but he didn’t know if anyone would have any information here.

[Post 27: 109 Words]

Reo walked into the tavern with the words “The Rock Crab” overhead. Fitting name for this place ,though Reo wasn’t exactly sure what a crab was. He was beginning to think that his zoology knowledge was severely lacking.

Once inside, Reo walked to the barkeep. It was a dusty place, though there were stairs leading upstairs. That implied that there was some sort of housing in the building. It was made completely out of stone. As many shinobi here were Doton users the stone would serve as defense for the building should a shinobi war break out. Reo had to admire the dual practicality.

[Post 28: 104 Words]