Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of What Defines Us

Things Pretty Heads Needn't Worry About

After an affirming nod, Usuzoku disappeared in a cloud of smoke, returning to wherever Mana summoned him from. He really was not one for long-winded speeches, sentiments or after-brawl congratulations, knowing that, Mana let him go without anything but a grateful nod back. She knew so little about these ninja rabbits but she was beginning to rely on them more and more. Knowing how every sentiment needed a faked justification of the upkeeping a cool façade variety, as well as Usuzoku's prowess at close range combat, maybe a trip to the ninja rabbit home, masked as training, was due sometime in the future...

Seeing how Mana had trouble comfortably and easily walking downstage, the staff rushed to her aid, helping her get down from the wreckage of the arena. Kiyomi also ran to Mana's aid, congratulating the magician so often and so energetically that the details of each separate congratulation slipped the magician's notice. Given how dizzy and nauseous Mana felt and the innate weakness that would've claimed her if the fight continued ten to fifteen minutes longer, it wasn't something to feel particularly surprised about.

"That was amazing, Mana"! Was one of the calmer congratulations that Mana still managed to hear en route to the infirmary. One of the staff members overseeing the orderly procession of the Chuunin Exams stopped Kiyomi and told her something in a demanding tone that, judging from her face, greatly annoyed the Yamanaka but, with a displeased expression and arms tightly wrapped around her chest, she stayed behind.

"A B-Rank jutsu as well as the Summoning Technique, that's quite advanced for a genin"! One of the assisting staffers helping Mana to get to the infirmary spoke to her. It was just little talk to keep her mind busy and inform the staffers that she was still conscious and that her motor and communication, as well as sensory skills, were intact.

"I may have taken this exam later than most genin. I thought I was overtrained and overqualified, all of us in Team Hokage did", Mana mumbled in return just to calm the staffers down somewhat and help them do their job.

"What was that variation on the Summoning Jutsu though? You pulled your partner out of the hat"? Another staffer expressed surprise and admiration, judging by their tone.

"Leave it to Konoha's Sorceress to make a big show out of it"! The first one replied before Mana could muster up a response and calm her nauseating impulses. She may not have been concussed, comparing to Hisako's violent reaction to concussion all the way back, but something pretty bad must've been going on there.

"I don't like using jutsu I didn't invent, that being said, space-time ninjutsu like the Summoning Jutsu are a bit outside my reach to innovate on. I'd tell you more but a good stage magician never reveals her secrets", Mana tried to smile warmly to the staffers that did their job admirably while still finding kindness within them to take a step or two beyond just the duties of their job. She had no such principles though. She just felt a bit too dizzy to talk about storage seals and combinations of jutsu and chakra control efficiency at that moment.

A different duo of medical ninja greeted Mana in the infirmary. A female senior medical ninja with a young male assistant. The senior medical ninja quickly scanned through Mana's injuries with the Diagnosis Jutsu looking fairly worried about what she saw.

"This one's beyond our capabilities. She is in no danger though, now that the fight is over. I'll give her the basic active battlefield type Mystical Palm treatment, then we'll transfer her to Konoha Hospital", the senior medical kunoichi mentioned to her assistant who wrote it all down into the log of the exam notes. She then started listing a bunch of Mana's injuries to be written down and added to the girl's medical history once she was actually admitted to the Konohagakure Hospital.

"These cuts look fairly careless, did you lose"? The middle aged senior medical kunoichi wondered as she pointed at the lacerations gifted to Mana by Oto-B's scythe contraptions.