Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of What Defines Us

Transistor Mechanics

Kiyomi tumbled through the messy autumn forest area of the training grounds. She wasn't rushing, using her immense ninja speed to cover larger distance faster – she wanted to remain vigilant. Nothing could've surprised her now or else she risked failure. Still, how on Earth were they to succeed now? Was the whole team not scattered across the entire battlefield faster than the nerve signals reached their brains, so fast that even their superhuman perceptions could not pick it up?

Then there was that talk that Hanasaku gave her. It was something that Meiko and Mana probably needed to hear, what if they did hear it? What if that insane woman was just instantaneously moving from one side of the battlefield to another without cracking sweat or leaving a single trace of her movement!? What if she's tracking the future Yamanaka heiress right now without Kiyomi knowing it? The blonde grinded her teeth together in frustration, her anger was beginning to break out.

A hawk scream awakened Kiyomi from her pent up frustration and inability to achieve anything tangible in this hellish test. Still, it was nothing compared to the utter tragedy of the first test her team went through when they first met with Hanasaku but back then they were still genin. While they shouldn't have been dropped from half the heights one of her teammate plummeted from and arms were not supposed to bend the way that Kiyomi's did, they had little to no expectations on them as just out of Academy brats. By the time genin become skilled enough to take the Chuunin Exams they usually can pass elementary mentor tests and survival drills...

"Hawk..." the young lady uttered to herself before raising her hands up and trying to aim her technique perfectly. So far she's been wandering around, trying to be careful as to not hit a metal fence signaling the end of the training ground or any ground hazard. This was her way out. If Mana and Meiko really did get the message they would've went towards the center of the training grounds. That's simply the most logical place to meet, close to where they were when they were scattered, also there are some small resting structures meant to kick back and relax. It was a landmark of sorts...

"Mind Body Switch Jutsu!" Kiyomi chanted as her mind left her own body firing off and heading straight at the hawk at the speed of thought. If she missed it would be no big deal, a minor waste of chakra as well as moments when her body would be exposed to attacks while her mind wandered back into her body. Either way – if Hanasaku wanted to eliminate her she'd have done it long ago. The mad woman wanted something out of the three. That was why they weren't immediately eliminated!

*****

Mana peeked from over a bush and observed an old and overgrown with vegetation arbor. No one was there out in the open. Maybe the others have already reached this point and were waiting in hiding, afraid to come out? They had a time limit to this test. They had no time to waste on this. The magician quickly weaved a couple of hand seals and ran out into the open.

"You fail!" Hanasaku's growl came from behind Mana and the magician felt overwhelmed by numerous copies of the woman attacking with all of her unbelievable speed from various angles from all around. Oddly enough it was like those copies just moved instantaneously, like time stopped around them and watching from aside all of them looked like they had incalculable number of arms for their punches were that fast. Still, Hanasaku pulled her punches, clearly, still, she didn't go for elimination - she wanted to hurt Mana...

The magician's shape burst into rose petals and scattered across the autumnal ground, the illusionary copy exploded from pressure of a dozen Hanasakus striking her an inconceivable number of times with her contained strength. Frantically the woman looked around seeking to locate the real Mana, realizing she's been put into an illusion. As the real shape did not reveal itself the woman placed her hands together and concentrated, overflowing her body with chakra and placing her hands in a hand seal position.