Today, was a special day. For the current day, was a special field trip for the graduating class of the academy, the young ninja that would be going out into sqauds the next year. The ninja that would bear the brunt of the upcoming wars.. “Ordis, how many years until I’m legally allowed to drink again?” I said as I walked past the Hokage’s office, “Kisei, you could go inside and talk to him-” I sighed and pulled out B-Ordis’ Opera House and shook it violently. While I appreciate Ordis taking over the C.O.R.E during, that, bothering Takao with something as meaningless as a morning chat was unforgivable. Both of us had busy schedules. “Takao is the Hokage, I can’t go bothering him for a morning talk.” Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t just barge in- “Oh my god I don’t have time for this.” Shaking my head I thumped past the office, cluching my umbrella tightly as I slipped Ordis back into a pocket.

“You currently have one year, and two hundred fifty eight days until you are of legal drinking age within the legal boundaries of the Konohagakure.”

“Thanks B-Ordis.”

---

Deep within the base of the Hokage mountain were a number of large caves which were originally for the old jounin combat examination. Upon my instating however I had them converted into training grounds, giving each a personalized biome. Right now the teachers were on their way from organizing the students, that left me about an thirty minutes to brief the chuunins. Outside of the entrance I looked out to a good number of nine chuunins.

“Thank you all for your presence today, I know some of you were particularly unhappy to have to spend your Saturday beating up children, however understand that the Konohagakure appreciates the service.” I flipped my umbrella open, shading me from the hot shade of the Hokage Mountain. “Now.” I formed a half ram self, unleashing a loud pop as nine spherical silver bells fell from the sky and into the palms of the chuunin. “Within your designated biomes you will be guarding the fake bells we have already set up. It is up to you to guard both bells to the best of your ability, be wary however, for the bells I’ve just given you are the ones that will allow the students to pass this training exercise. Any questions so far?” I posed to the group, a single person raised their hand, “Yes?”

“Ha. Thank you director, I just had one question; Why guard both bells, if these are the real goal?”

“Good question Hidokai-san-”

“Diana.” Ah yes, “Very well, Diana. You see, “A ninja must see through deception.” how many higher ranked missions have you completed that were as simple as they seemed? No, our enemies and conspirators often have clever tricks up their sleeve, this is just a little taste of that.”
Diana seemed satisfied with the answer and so I looked around to see if there were other questions, if there were none then I’d prompted continue. “Moving on, here are the guidelines for you all. One, you are not allowed to kill any of the genin, obviously, nor maim, dismembe, or cause permanent mental trauma or damage; let’s try not to scar them too early in life eh? Two, you are not allowed to cast any jutsu ranked higher than C-rank. Three, unless previously approved you are restricted to only using basic ninja weaponry, kunai and shuriken. The rest is up to you to handle. Whether you openly guard the bell, or wait for an ambush, it is up to you. Keep in mind that I’ll be watching the progress of each test and will intervene if things on either side get out of hand. Are we clear?”

“Now, if there are no more questions, please get to your designated areas.”

Once everyone was gone I let out a sigh, “I’d rather not put too much expectations on these students but better to prepare them for these escalating conflict. Or drop them entirely from the program.” While this test was a first in a number of strenous exams, the results of this alone were not serious. Just whether or not they met with a jounin for further instruction. As much as I hated to admit this, peace had made us too lax, and with the destruction of two Hidden villages, I fear for the worst.

“Please let this help them.”


765

The instructions had been delivered, and Akaneya had no questions or queries. Nothing to delay the process. She eyed the skilled shinobi giving out orders, a man seemingly not too different in age than she, but certainly of higher rank. What is rank, though? Not a measure of experience, or power, but of utility - rank is determined by where one's superiors think that one would be most useful and most productive in any given task. For this man, it was evidently proctoring, at least for now. She'd had her own experiences proctoring with that strange Zhi. It wasn't an especially fulfilling task, but it was a necessary one. She began to wonder what he would do when he wasn't proctoring, what other tasks fell to him. It did not matter, she had work to do.

She approached her designated area. It was certainly cavernous. An astute observation, to be sure. Her eyes scanned the environment, detecting as many hiding places, chokepoints, high grounds, and pools as she could manage to remember. Dominating the field of battle would always be one of the key steps in victory, and by all means, she had little intention of losing to a few snotty, decadent brats, coddled and cuddled, raised with free hands and freer cares. Even if her hands were metaphorically tied and her actions limited, she would hope to teach them a cruel lesson about the real world, something they would be clearly missing in the comfort of the academy. There was no patience or tolerance to spare, and if they couldn't manage that, they would only be a liability on the field.

She held the bells in her hand. They weren't the only bells, of course. The fake bells had been set up already. Akaneya looked to their location, sitting precariously by a pool of water with some steady, rhythmic dripping falling into it every few seconds. That would do. Forming her hands into formation, in a quick movement, she plopped a clone down on the water nearby the bells, sitting down, back-turned. This seemed sufficient, as she climbed a stack of rocks to a ledge overlooking the scene, and sat in a meditative position. Obscured by darkness, she'd be hard to find under usual circumstances, and the decoy her for the decoy bells would lure the fools into an easy trap.

The test began.

A squad of three genin entered into the room, the cavern, to the sound of gentle flute music. Through combining jutsu, Akaneya played her flute, muted her current location, and projected the sound to the clone that sat on the pool of water. Observing from on high, she saw how they seemed to stick to one another, watching each angle. Smart move, but meaningless if their perception would not see through the trick being played before them.

They moved with purpose, trailing the sound of music until, at last, they found her. Well, her clone. One started moving to get it, but the other stopped him. "What are you doing?"

"Going to get the bells, duh. She's not even looking."

"Don't you think it's a little convenient? She's just...sitting there. Not even looking? It's gotta be a trap, right?"

But the clone did not speak. It sat there, playing its flute, ignoring them entirely. The boy went forward anyway, pulling himself out of his squadmate's grip, and moved sneakily. "Maybe she can't hear us?" He grabbed the bell and found, quite clearly, that it did not ring. He frowned, and heard the dripping of the water louder. Louder. It became quickly unbearable, and he moved to cover his ears as the world around him turned black. He was left alone as all sound seemed to slow to a stop and the clone who sat on the lake stood up and looked him in the eye with scorn.

"You were too eager."

"What? What is this?"

"If this were real, you could've been killed by now. You got careless."

"I ju-"

"Your comfort and decadence will see you butchered in the real world. I am obligated to cause you no permanent harm, but on a mission, there will be no holding back."

Of course, to his friends, he just slumped over. His eyes went wide, his legs gave out, and he just slumped. When they bell did not ring, they, too, discovered the deception, and when the clone disappeared all the same. They froze, unsure whether to go forth and try to help him, or if they'd just be caught in the trap too.

She watched this indecision from afar. It was smart to not rush forward, that much should be acknowledged. It was, however, perhaps time to greet them. She threw a senbon, bell attached, near to their location. Then another. These now in place, she climbed down and hid behind a rock. Casting one of her signatures, she made one bell produce a sound like footsteps - this catching their attention. The second continued the pattern, leading them falsely while Akaneya slipped past them to collect their passed-out friend. They saw, she nodded to them, and then faded away.

He was left, loosely bound, and still unconscious, elsewhere in the cavern. Now they were one down in their squad, but in Akaneya's experience that might not necessarily be a bad thing. Some members dragged the others down, he fell for a clear trap as his first action on the field. She wondered which spot on the squad he occupied, which one she'd just knocked out. Perhaps some information could be extracted after all. With a flash of a hand sign, the boy opened his eyes, and saw his captor staring him down with a cold gaze.

"Wha..."

"You're awake."

His eyes went wide and he squirmed, fairly fruitlessly. "What is your specialization?"

He avoided looking her in the eyes. No matter, her cold stare burned into the side of his head. She pulled out a kunai and pressed it to his neck.

"You're not allowed to do that."

"If you shall not tell me, I'll send you back to the void."

He stuck his tongue out.

"Your resilient spirit is commendable, but you are a fool. You could've warned them of the trap." With this, she pulled out her flute and played a little melody - sending the poor boy back to sleep.  She placed the knife to his neck and held him firm, knowing the music would attract his comrades to a new location.

They came, sure enough. to find her and him together in such a precarious fashion. She did not speak, she only showed the bells jingling in one hand, and their comrade out cold in the other. A stare-down ensued, until one of the little brats threw a kunai in her direction. She moved to dodge, but a ball of fire came her way. Grumbling, she dropped the hostage and jumped to a safety, throwing another senbon at them in response.

When the smoke cleared, the fire-spewing brat smirked as she felt a kick to her back. The other one, she saw, had climbed up to where she'd jump. Clever, that would be the chakra control expert, and the fire-spewer the ninjutsu one. That meant, of course, she'd captured the taijutsuist. No surprise, they were the cocky ones. All the same, she'd made a misstep, and now fell towards the earth.

Gaining her footing, if just barely, she frowned. More than usual. She kicked the unconscious one aside and brandished her knife with a dedicated and determined gaze upon the younglings. Her mind flashed back, to a fight long ago, and the lessons she learned.

She charged. Carefully. Long ago, so did her opponent - she was smaller, and used this to sidestep, he couldn't beat his own momentum and he became vulnerable. Akaneya kept her steps light, but took a swing at the ninjutsuist. Some of his hair got cut, but little else. His eyes went wide, and he perhaps began to realize that things were started to get more real. She elbowed him and threw her knife at the chakra control expert, which he dodged, and she dashed to recover it. Landing a kick, Akaneya threw down a smoke bomb and fled the scene.

The chakra control expert performed the appropriate kai, not that Akaneya was caring much to keep the genjutsu up longer anyway. He awoke, eyes blinking, then to his friends with a smile. She, meanwhile, had returned to the pool where it all began for round two.

The bells were hung where the fakes had been. She sat where her clone had. She sat in the water, pulled out her flute, and began to play once more. The genin traced the sound, as they always seemed to, never learning their lesson. Well, not quite, for they approached with much greater caution this time around. They made certain not to rush into things, knowing that they were probably headed into a trap.

They saw her, and it was all too familiar. They stayed back, which was exactly what Akaneya had hoped for. She heard muttering, those aren't even the real bells probably, it's all a fake, it's a setup, don't get too close. Well, she didn't want them to get too close. Her flute screeched, loud, painfully, and the children were disoriented. In that moment of disorientation, they would witness a cluster of snakes slithering from the water, hissing at them and chasing them away. The group scattered, the snakes driving them in different directions, and trailing them down the dark recesses of the cursed cavern.

That's it. She began the pursuit. One at a time. First, the chakra control. He posed the greatest threat, the biggest capability to pull a sneaky trick by climbing or hiding or going somewhere the others might struggle to. He was isolated, though, and though the snakes had long since disappeared, he had nobody to watch his back. Since he was not exactly a fighter, it was relatively easy to sneak up. She watched, slid into the shadows, and caught him from behind. Knife-to-neck, she quickly coiled rope around his hands and let him call for help once before covering his mouth.

She placed him under a jutsu, leaving him in the void like she'd done to the other. Putting him aside, she saw the ninjutsuist was coming to his aid. Or, rather, he was looking. This one would be a bit more of a fighter, but better at range. That's how ninjutsu worked, right? Well, she made sure to close the gap as fast as she could - and he began to spit fireballs in her direction. She threw two more senbon through the fireballs, using them as cover so he couldn't see them coming. They flew into his arm, painfully digging in, and giving her the opportunity to close distance. One the gap had been closed, it was a trivial matter to repeat what she had done before. Binding the two together, she placed them out in the open, and stood by them, waiting for the taijutsuist to come forth.

He did, of course, eventually. "You are rash."

He did not respond. He just charged. That was it, ultimately. Akaneya was simply better trained and stronger than he was, even if he did specialize in close-range. She could disorient him, and then move in for the finale. That was it. He was put into the void, and bound with the rest.

Thus, the test was over. Probably. It was certainly hard to keep track of the time in such a dark cavern. Akaneya cleaned off her hands, and her gloves, and waited for the proctor to judge her performance, and that of the little brats sitting all tied up.

“Howdy there students. So far you’ve all proven to be one of the best of your predecessors within the decade, for that I congratulate you. However don’t get yourself floating on clouds with that compliment.” I joked as I took a deep breathe a blew into my umbrella, the strong gust of chakra empowered wind carried me a few inches off the ground. Prompting some laughs from the kids. “Since you all have been doing so well, I’ve decided to bump up the difficulty of your exams this year. Welcome to the first of your final examinations.” A wicked shadow crossed my face, a dark frown shone down on the dozens of students. “From this point on failure to live up to standard will heavily affect your career from this point forward. I advise you take these seriously.”

A deep breath filled my lungs with warm summer air. “Now, your teachers have already divided you up into groups. Groups Alpha, Beta, and Gamma head to Biomes 102, 120, 021. Groups Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta, proceed to Bomes 201, 012, and 210.” I continued to assign the students to their respective chuunins, and after everyone had been assigned there was a breath of silence from all the teachers. Relieved to have be relinquished of their child care duties for a little while. “If you want we have some new snacks for you all in the Teacher’s lounge, you’ve all had a rough week. Take the rest of the day off, I can handle this.” While reluctant, after the promise of apples they slowly filed, separating into their own little groups of friends.

“Kisei, the matches have already started, you really should-”

“Yeah, I know.”

Slinging the open umbrella over my shoulder I casually strode into the cave system. After I was certain that nobody was around I brought B-Ordis and myself into a hidden observation deck. It was a smoothed out stone room with blackened glass, display panels linked to B-Ordis’ Opera house. “Hey, B-Ordis, bring up the the Chuunins of interest.” On the right most screen Akaneya’s red hair and flute took up the glass. On the wall opposite to them a winged chuunin with three bird heads was terrorizing the students. In the screen adjacent to Akaneya a trio of black furred dogs were tying up the academy students, fusing together into a single black haired woman. “Hm. Not too bad. Kazoku Inu, the combined fusion of three certified ninja dogs. Henko Nue, the chuunin chimera, a very unique case.” All the chuunin that were invited were of some unique sort, however these two shown a bit of promise when I met them in person. Then there was them. “Akaneya.” I whispered. They seemed to have everything under control, they were well prepared with their genjutsu and I knew this particular group was ill-prepared for these mind games.

Between one blink and another the screens all flickered to a group of students waiting at the entrance. “Guess we had one group fail early. Alrighty B-Ordis, let’s get them settled.” As I turned to exit the observation desk I completely missed how one of the students stared directly at the hidden screen.

---

This was absurb, but honestly I should have seen this coming. These weren’t ordinary students after all. Hm… How to do this. “Follow me, I know the perfect one to administer a proper test.” I said as I lead them to Akaneya’s biome. Thankfully it was nearby, I don’t think I could handle much conversation right now. “B-Ordis, has the administrator finished their examination?”

A faint rumbling in my pocket affirmed my question, “Perfect. Hold off on judgement, I’ll handle this one.” I turned to the trio of students behind me, “Wait here, I need to reset the field and retrieve your classmates.” I gestured to the elaborate double doors containing Area 201, and opened one of the doors, the hinges squeaking as I slipped into the cavern. Not wasting a breath on the rest of the testing site I headed straight to the bell shrine. Not my lack of surprise, Akaneya was there, tending to their gear while three academy students laid bound at her feet. “Well done Akaneya, I’d say you handled this perfectly. Professional work with the genjutsu by the way.” I complimented with a smile. With a single stroke of my bladed umbrella I sliced the restraints on the young children, sighing lightly, they didn’t stand a chance. Hopefully they’ll be better prepared next time. There’s hundreds of different styles and flavors to combat, introducing these experiences to them early will leave them more open minded and cautious.

“So, how did they do? The result is obvious of course, however I wonder what your thoughts are on these three.” If they had any criticism I’d listen carefully, knowing exactly what to teach next, or where to expand the curriculum. Once they were finished I’d nod, “Thank you for your help today. However, I’ll have to hold you for a few more minutes. One of the other student teams finished their extremely early, and I think you’d provide a much more suitable challenge for them. Once I leave the doors with these three I’ll give you about a minute to prepare before sending the next group in.” sealing my umbrella in a hidden scroll, I slung two students over my shoulders and another in my arms. As I walked away I glanced back at Akaneya, “Don’t underestimate this next group, they’re some of the brightest and skilled students in the history of this academy.”

Kicking open the exit door, I strode past and looked at the Akui, Chikamatsu, and Sumiko students. At this point the kids I was carrying were starting to wake up from the genjutsu so I gently laid them on the floor. Unsealing a timer and my umbrella I set the ringer for the one minute mark and addressed the six students before me. “Whether you pass or fail this exam, as long as you learn, you haven’t lost.” I placed the timer on the floor and gathered up the fully awoken children, leading them out of the cave system. Picking up other finished groups on the way.

---

After a minute had passed and the timer rang, the three would pass through the doors. Unlike the majority of the students at the Konohagakure academy each had already come face to face with evil and the conflict within the world. Aosui Chikamatsu and Hidako Sumiko were once students at the Sunagakure academy when the attack by Lamya, Syekren and another man happened. Dasuki Akui lived in the wilds by himself until rescued by a Konoha patrol. Each had the strength of a fully trained genin, and each were aware enough to not be obvious. As soon as they entered the caverns both the Akui and Sumiko went to work. With Hidako summoning three miniature suns and dipping them into the water pools. Causing thick mist to engulf the area. Meanwhile the Akui wove a living genjutsu in the shape of a blacken cloud, tendrils expanding out at random, and parts breaking off occasionally to float amongst the white mist, both working hide the three of them as they scouted the area.


1239 | 2004

'How did they do?'

That was the question posed, and Akaneya was forced to stand for a moment, contemplating her answer. How had they done, all things considered? The events of the exam had played through her head once again, beat by beat, until she arrived once more at the present - and had her answer. "Their effort should be considered in layers, I believe. One acted quite rashly, but another showed due caution at all times. After their first mistake, they were justly hesitant, and they were able to recover their comrade through deploying a distraction and landing a blow. They fell apart because they were able to become separated, and once separate, became careless and panicked. They worked fine" she said this word with some slight spite, as if it were something entirely subjective she might not agree to "as a unit, but were separated too easily."

She was then informed that a more elite group was coming through in just a single minute. Her eyes widened, slightly, but not enough to seem concerned. She was concerned, though. More elite? Only a minute? She'd used a fair amount of her chakra dealing with those brats, since she was very limited in what she was allowed to do to them - there wasn't really a way to knock one out of the game without knocking out all 3 together. The same rules would now apply to a group that had evidently already passed one test, proving that they had some merit as ninja and perhaps the skills to match. Would they be Chunin-level, though? Or were they just jumped-up Genin who worked well enough in a team? Time would tell.

The proctor left with the kids, and Akaneya was left alone. There was no time to recover, or truly prepare, but there was enough to do one simple thing. It was a repeat, the same exact trap she'd set the first time around, the very first scheme she'd deployed against the previous group. Placing her clone down in the water, leaving the bells clear in view, and climbing to the same ledge she'd used previously, everything was set as it had been prior. She played the lovely song on her flute that she did last time, alluring, mysterious, and dangerous. The doors opened, the students came in, and a mixture of fog and dark clouds swept through the cavern. It seemed they planned to obscure vision, and yet, Akaneya could function well enough without. The real question was - could they?

“Hidako, you hear that?” Dasuki asked amid the darkness. “Yeah.” The blue haired Sumiko responded. The two of them felt two taps on their shoulders, Aosui was thinking the same thing. “Either an music enthusiast, or a sound based ninja. In that case I’ll handle it. Hidako, keep your guard, and Aosui.” The akui paused, “Get the Pincushion ready.” They agreed without hestitation. The Akui raised his right hand forming a quick string of hand seals with his left, recalling the smoky void release smog above his head. Before their cover had completely dissipated both the Chikamatsu and the Sumiko dove into the now empty pools, channeling chakra into their earlobes, deafening their sense of hearing. The dark inky mass coalesced into a monsterous looking skull with vicious red orbs for eyes.

“Howl in unrestrained horror: Laref Uh'enyth!” The eyes pulsed in unnatural light, and in a moment it’s inky form solidified into obsidian. Hundreds of teeth vibrated in terrible unison, each chattering adding to the heart stopping howl that echoed throughout the whole cavern. Any who heard it, save for the haunting Akui, would feel a throbbing heartbeat inside their chest, in addition to the edges of their hearing becoming blurred.As long as he maintained this screaming skull their senses would weaken and the true effect of his genjutsu would take effect. It had cost the young Akui quite a bit of chakra, but he knew within a minute their target would be both deaf and curled up on the floor from a heart attack.

Dasuki didn’t want to expend too much more chakra, casting two jutsu, with one of them enhanced, was rather taxing; he needed to find whomever was administering this test fast. An administrator that wasn’t immediately aggressive was probably playing it safe, until either to ambush or to let them fall into a trap. Best way to get them, fall into their hands. Dasuki broke into a run, sprinting deeper into the cavern. The skull floating behind him. He scanned back and around his environment as he ran until his eyes spotted a red haired woman in a pool of unevaporated water; the fake bell resting in the middle of the pool on a small island.

Thrust a fist out in a quick punch towards the red haired lady, discharging an low ranked but efficient burst of Void rooted chakra hurtling towards administrator. If it made contact it would explode, rupturing the side of the pool and hopefully launching the two of them into a proper battle. Meanwhile, trailing roughly thirty meters behind him both Aosui and Hidako were hiding behind a stalagmite. Aosui holding a summoning scroll, ready to pull out whatever was sealed inside, and Hidako armed with kunai. Both ready to intervene in the case of a surprise attack. Through it all the skull was still screeching it’s head off, it’s heart attack inducing scream blasting through the testing area.


496 | 2500

The void energy surged through the air, or perhaps crept. It made its way, violently, toward Akaneya, but passed straight through. In a puff of smoke, she was gone, leaving the Akui alone on the lake. His friends seemed to disappear, the dripping of water into the pond below became slower, louder, almost a metronome for the flute song which seemed to increasingly drown out everything else until a void of pure silence and darkness befell the young ninja. Akaneya's voice was heard behind him, her figure materializing - "I was told you were better. This is the same trap I used on the last group. At least they had the sense to go for the bells. You went for me. I'm not your target, the bells are."

She scoffed, "It is brash, foolish, to conduct yourself in this manner. Imagine yourself on a mission, think of all the blood you might leave behind when your goal is to infiltrate without being noticed? Think of the ruin and shame it would bring upon you to be as conspicuous as possible because you're overeager to kill someone instead of following your mission. That's not the way of a ninja, that's being a fighty brat who has no place in the field of darkness and shadow."

"Most of all, though, you should not only avoid a fight because it would detract from your mission... but because you may get in with someone who overpowers you. Your talent with your jutsu leaves you blind to the fact that, being so reckless, you would get yourself killed. If this were real, this jutsu would leave you agonized as your flesh melted from your bone in your perception as I would quietly walk over and slit your throat. That would be it. Game over."

"The only thing productive you have done is buy your friends a saving grace. Your strange skull persists out there, for a while at any rate, and this gives them an opening to attempt a rescue. Time will tell if they trust that you have cleared the path or not. I am watching, however - and they would do well to remember that."

This was all in relative perception, of course. To the outside world, only a second or two had passed. Akaneya watched from on high, hidden in shadow and all sound to and from deafened by a barrier of sound chakra. She put her hand in her bag, senbon at the ready if his friends made a move. It would compromise her location to throw them, but to extract him and remove such powerful jutsu so early would be an incredible advantage. She could always find a new hiding place, but having a third of their number completely disabled was a rare opportunity.

Plus, with the help of the bells there-attached, she might be able to scare the brats off. Though they would be a last-resort option, she hoped it would suffice.

From their hiding place both Aosui and Hidako saw their squadmate attack the administrator, though it wouldn’t go as either of them expected; the sphere of void energy shot right through her form. It was an illusion. Both of them were then forced to witness their friend frozen in place. Not sure whether or not to rush over and release him, the merely stood guard for the moment, knowing that this wasn’t the first time Dasuki had encountered a genjutsu.

Dasuki was unflinching as he listened to the words his administrator said, everything else drowned out by their words. Belittling, reprimanding. They had already taken this test, and He hated it. More than anything, he hated the way she looked down on him. “Hey lady. You ain’t the only one who knows how to work a genjutsu. Why do you think I charged out here alone?” With a surge of corrupted void chakra through his system he was partially released from the intoxicating music, just aware enough to feel the mouth of the skull engulf him, surrounding his body in darkness. “False Reality Kai - Devouring Hunt.” His voice, now grounded in the real world, held a slight tremor. Not being a genjutsu, this technique was slightly harder on him, but it was worth it. The skull collapsed into a cocoon shaped darkness before rising back up again to form a face. It was Akaneya’s. “I have my skull here devour the chakra of a genjutsu I’m under. Freeing me from the effects, and tracking the chakra of the caster.” Right then the Skull had silenced itself before snapping it’s head toward Aka’s true position atop a rocky ledge, Dasuki grinned wildly. Now completely freed from the entrapping sound and aware of his opponent’s true position he’d lead the assault. The Akui boy wove a continuous string and hand seals and sent the massive skull barreling towards Akaneya’s position. Although he couldn’t proper see her, this construct already had a fragment of her chakra, he just had to let it backtrack to the main body!

He wasn’t alone it seemed. A puff summoning smoke behind him revealed that Aosui had brought out her artillery puppet: Hoshizora. Next to her was a giant metal ball split open at the middle, (like a certain infamous spherical video game character). Inside its mouth, many short pinned rockets pointed in the same direction that the skull was flying toward, and released them all in a widespread explosive firework attack. Either Akaneya succumbed to the fangs of the void attack or the explosions of Aosui’s puppet, and they still had a trump card up their sleeve if she managed to dodge both.

“Surely she couldn’t escape this.” They thought.

“Surely she had to have the bells on her, right?” They hoped.

Still watching over both his friends from safe cover, the Sumiko flanked around, out of sight. Occasionally scratching rocks with his kunai as he ran. Relocating to a position behind some stalagmites a good distance away from his friend’s left side. Meanwhile keeping it so he could see both his allies and the location they had discerned. He needed a new angle to attack from in case she decided to confront them directly, or even to intercept her if she escaped to his side; (Akaneya’s right). As soon as they incapacitated this administrator they could search their body if they had the real bell.


585 | 3085

It was quite a surprise to see the little rat undo her jutsu, doubly to see it then turned against her. Her position was compromised and she failed to gather him up, but at the same time, she forced him to expend even more chakra for a relatively fruitless pursuit. Breaking her barrier, she prepared, with rapid handsigns, a substitution on one of her senbon bells. With a deep breath, she took a flying leap from her position, and threw three senbon at the kids. The sound of scraping metal against rock revealed a hidden one, which she worked to avoid just as well.

The needles flew through the air with pinpoint precision, aiming for the two she could see, with hopes to bury the hit into their joints. Wherever the needles did land, she did a quick seal and cast from the attached bells the sound of a hissing fuse ready to explode. Upon landing where she aimed, behind a few large rocks and with a significant gap between her and the kids, she looked back to find the terrible void still chasing her yet, and took to flight once more. She may have used a fair amount of chakra by now, or put her logic and strategy to work, but if there's one thing she hadn't pushed today, it was her stamina. She could, she hoped, run as long as she had to. After all, her goal wasn't to eliminate the kids - though that'd be a nice positive - but to keep the bells safe. She had a plan once this thing would disappear, as it inevitably would have to. The little brat was probably straining his chakra already trying to keep up with everything, and perhaps her newest trap might have an even better performance than the last.