Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of What Defines Us

Bigger World Ahead

Mana smiled at her target. For once her attempt to shake the foundations beneath the set in stone ninja system and the truths ingrained within the minds of everyone living in it brought some fruit. For once she didn't feel guilty about the way she won in. As she had come to learn previously from many dear people and experiences – fighting in this world was inevitable but, for the first time, Mana felt in control and knew the perfect balance of fighting and peaceful resolution.

"You are a great ninja, Mana..." Junipu-R complimented the magician after she settled down on a larger stone to rest. Inaba shyly walked up to her and handed her the medical supplies. Mana herself probably needed even more treatment of her own injuries. Still a bit dizzy she sat down on the dirt, Kiyomi and Meiko rushed up to her aid.

"I'd like to think I'm not..." the magician mumbled as if only meant for herself to hear. She didn't want to just be "a great ninja" because what most people treated as being a great ninja Mana despised in its entirety. She didn't want to be a sneaky deceitful tool that carried out assignments without a hitch, one who killed and stole just because such was their mission.

Regardless of that – she had her own unique understanding of who ninja were and she wanted to live up to that idea. It may have been childish, it may have been misguided but it was Mana's ninja way. To her ninja were people with responsibility, people entrusted by nature with the power to manipulate its laws and therefore had the weight on their shoulders to protect and live up to their own ninja way.

"We don't have much supplies left. You may need to take the food pill..." Kiyomi groaned after realizing that all the bottoms-up fighting they've been doing had exhausted their supplies almost completely.

"I'll be fine, let's just find a water source and purify some water. I'll wash my wounds and they'll be just fine. I've eliminated my target already, hopefully we'll find ways of eliminating yours without extensive three on three fighting..." the magician gently refused.

Steinck stood up and picked up all of his knocked out teammates. He gave Junipu-R a strict stare. Before he could speak up Meiko's surprised yell interrupted him.

"I completely forgot you guys were here!" she exclaimed before realizing that she actually found it extremely hilarious and laughing it all off.

Steinck cleared his throat before addressing Team Cirrus. "Me and Corot are heading towards the southern exit. We'll take Junipu-R there and protect her. Being honest with the Konoha ninja will be hard knowing that you've already eliminated your target and can just complete the exam by leaving through the door. We'll help you uphold your part of the bargain." The giant suggested.

Having patched up her busted arm and several less grievous injuries Junipu nodded in agreement.

"Wait a second, before we part our ways, can we maybe trade information? It'll be troublesome to go through the whole ordeal for us again just to find our targets and surely you guys may benefit from our end of the bargain as well." Kiyomi suggested. "We have intelligence on Team Stratus, Team Phobos, Team Pyrite, Team Sagitarii. We'd appreciate some intel on Team Maruf and Team Cumulus"

Steinck stopped as he was already lingering on just leaving the battlefield. After hearing out Kiyomi's offer he sighed, thinking it through carefully.

"Well... Our alliance has been eliminated, we've got no use for our gathered information so may as well... We have intel on Team Maruf, also teams: Alto from Kumogakure, Quartz of Iwagakure, Iocaste of Getsugakure, Zumurrud of Sunagakure and Cephei of Hoshigakure." Steinck listed.

"Wow, that's so much information!" Meiko whistled before shouting out in surprise.

"We've pooled our intelligence when we entered the alliance, also we've made it an important goal to gather as much info as we could now. After all, other teams may need information considered worthless to us and, if we passed onto the next exam, we'd have used it during other rounds of the Exams." Corot smiled, realizing now that all of their efforts and strategies were running down the drain, unless they entrust all the knowledge to the others.