Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of What Defines Us

Konoha's New Great Trapster

Just as the overseer's signal to begin the match echoed through the gym, Kei-J leaped in the air an impressive distance with a jumping spinning dive-kick aimed straight at Erumo. The high-flying genin didn't hit his mark, however, instead, he simply disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke, emanating from a simple smoke bomb that most ninja carried in their arsenal.

From what little the audience could see inside the smoking cloud that the Kumogakure competitor found himself in, it was evident that the young man struggled to read Erumo's future movements. He flailed around, trying to predict where his opponent's next attack would come from and just what kind of an attack it would be. He did not know Erumo's abilities as his team had finished the exam early on, the advantage of having been near the last teams that left the Forest of Death was that there was enough time to know pretty much everyone a little bit better than not at all.

Smoke bombs were not a usually employed strategy. It was easy to understand why Kei-J was so confused and continued to look for a follow-up attack that simply did not come. Very few higher ranking ninja even had enough grasp of strategy in their minds to utilize tools like the smoke bombs, the more tools one had within their reach – the tougher to come up with an efficient way to use them all. That was where patterns came into play, Erumo must have been a very specific kind of ninja, her use of smoke was not random – she needed it for something.

"What is this foolishness"? Kei-J impatiently raised his fist and shook it in thin air. "Referee, disqualify her at once, she isn't engaging me"! He demanded.

"Not fighting isn't against the rules. There is not a time limit to completing a match either. Continue the fight", the overseer grumpily overruled the Kumogakure genin's objection.

If he was not so hot-headed and looking to directly engage his opponent, perhaps Kei-J would have noticed that his opponent had slipped into the Cloak of Invisibility technique, using her green jacket to cover herself up partially. Even from a lower angle, she would have been completely disguised had it not been for Mana's higher than usual degree of perception, given her prowess in weaving illusions herself.

It was tough to say just what exactly the kunoichi was doing, just crawling around the arena, covered up and disguised to appear just like the floor but she was not moving randomly – there were a purpose and planning involved in her movements. Finally, having had enough of his opponent just completely having escaped his perception, Kei-J weaved a handful of hand seals before pulling out a bunch of larger than the normal bunch shuriken from inside his cape, the shuriken were folded as a singular blade but. upon a trigger on them being pressed, they unfolded into a more familiar shape.

"Lightning Style: Minefield Trigger"! Kei-J shouted out as he flung the bunch of large shuriken at random locations around the arena, trying to base them at around each corner of the arena. As the shuriken landed on the floor, they fired out a powerful stream of lightning chakra upwards, the electric discharge around them must've been considerable as well.

After the rumbling lightning streams calmed down, there was nothing to be seen being damaged. Mana tried not to focus her eyes on the location of Erumo too much either, had she done so, an accidental glare at her direction could've betrayed the trapster's location and the magician was already on shaky grounds with Team Fir as it was.

"Hey, calm down, man"! A shout came from where Kei-J's team was standing. Mana could remember the voice, it was Roh-D, the large and broad shouldered teammate of Kei-J. "She's just hiding from you, calm down and start scanning your surroundings".

The overseer glared at the large genin assisting his friend verbally in irritation but he decided not to take any action and just let the fight play out. Kei-J nodded at his friend before breathing in and out and pulling out a little bar of steel from his ninja pouch, upon pressing a trigger on the bar, it extended into a steel staff. The steel must've been high-quality chakra conductive steel as the genin focused his chakra through it and soon crackling blue lightning sparks started running down the weapon as if it was being electrified.