A Hummingbird's Prey (TLU Book 2)

Chapter Twenty-Three: Training Exercise

Sayori, Moriko and Nobu watched from their hiding spots. None had dared moved or even breathe too hard, since the faintest rustling of the growing summer leaves would give them away. Nobu himself had been flexing his stomach in fear that it'll grumble too loud. Having skipped breakfast he was starving. And sensei's quality noodle bowl that she offered as a reward looked too appetizing to pass off. All he had to do was take a bell from sensei's belt.
If only he could sense where she is.
Sayori had a slightly better sense of using her chakra to locate the others, but Meilani masked hers perfectly. Her keen eyes had barely spotted Nobu's greenish locks against the bushes, it should've been a breeze to find her sensei's dark teal curls.
Moriko grit her teeth, cramping all of her studies of chakra and energy reading in her mind while trying to stretch out her levels just past her limit.

Noon is approaching fast, they all jumped as their sensei's voice whispered inside the wind. You guys must not be so hungry.
Sayori grit her teeth, gathering handfuls of shurikens before she leapt to random trees throwing them. Her eyes scanned everywhere until she heard a sharp inhale of breath.
"Gotcha!"
Moriko and Nobu leapt to Sayori's point, their backs turned to each other as their sensei (and a few shadow clones) leapt around them. Each clone took their turn going after one of the genin, poofing away once one of the team offered a defensive strike. Only to be attacked by two more.
"None of these are the real sensei!" Sayori growled, using earth style to surround her and her team inside a mud dome. "We have maybe 10 seconds before she knocks this down."
"I say we split up and-"

"There are too many clones to split up, Moriko."
Moriko looked at Nobu, her brows scrunching. "You're right... We have to find the real sensei and throw her off. Distract her enough to make them disappear. And then the bells are ours."
The other two nodded. Jumping when a fist punched through the dome.
"Hello," Meilani's clone sang, grunting when the rest of the dome crumbled and slammed against it. Nobu leapt above to a tree branch and protected Sayori's and Moriko's blind spots. Moriko studied every clone, their features and their fight style. She noticed one particular sensei that lingered back, preferring long range attacks. And the birth mark on her left cheekbone...
The other clones had the same mark, just slightly lower.
"She's there!"
Moriko tossed smoke pellets at Meilani, distracting her enough for the two girls to change to offense attacks. Still, Meilani easily swiped their hands away from the bells, darting away from the smoke and relieving her shadow clones for the next round.

"Nice. Keep it up!"
Mei continued to dodge their strikes, and they strayed from the grounds further and further. Eventually leading close to the river near one of the village waterfalls. Her eyes scanned for a sign of Nobu, who seemed to have disappeared along with the smoke.
Mei sensed a presence underground, gasping when a hand extended out from the ground and brushed against one of the bells. Mei leapt away, but the force of Nobu's concentrated chakra led him to shoot up higher into the air than anticipated. Nobu let out a nervous cry, his arms and legs preparing for a hard land after free falling.

And he did land hard, with enough force to roll too close to the harsh, rushing river.
"Nobu, watch out!"
Moriko made a break for Nobu, her fingers brushing against his shirt as he fell back. She gasped in horror, time slowing down and her vision narrowing to his petrified eyes. None of them could even focus their chakra to run up a tree, there's no chance he'd be able to catch himself along a waterfall.

"Fuck," Mei whispered, sprinting for him. While sprinting, she watched Sayori throw a rope attached with a kunai towards Nobu. He caught it, holding tight as she and Moriko pulled with all their strength. She lingered, standing on top of the water and watched him be pulled to shore. Eventually he stabbed the kunai into the ground and used it as a way to pull himself further inland. Until he was close enough for the girls to pull him away from the water completely.