Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Games of Body and Soul

A Merchant is Born / Three Years Reloading for a Single Shot /

There were many questions clawing to escape and become vocalized from within Mana's brain but she had to establish some sort of order to it. Before she could do that, the bitter memory of her father resurfaced and all of a sudden everything went black again.

This time Ayushi was not about to just stand and get pummeled again. The ninja who quite possibly surpassed multiple Hokage in the list blocked every kick and punch thrown his way. Once some semblance of consciousness returned to Mana, the magician just growled like a caged animal since she quite literally was like one – her fist was locked in Ayushi's grip, her hand twisted in a discomforting manner behind her back while her foot was also caught and raised up. In a masterful display of knowledge of balance and a feat of strength, Ayushi balanced the subdued magician in mid-air.

"It's because of you that my father will never wake up again!" Mana cried out. It was hardly her best-worded sentiment but she had no time for that. She could no longer kick or punch so soiled with tears bravado was the second option she resorted to.

"Oh... So he's succumbed to the side effects. That's unfortunate." Guru Ayushi lamented while he flicked the magician onward with a shove of his arms, he let Mana go as he did so, letting her complete a frontal flip and land on her feet. It was a show of mercy and that made the furious kunoichi just that much more pissed.

"Yeah well... I'm glad that you've found me. I was having trouble finding you and I wanted this." Mana declared after straightening her back and standing back up. Her hat laid somewhere atop of an erect arm but it would have to wait for a bit. If she went after it just now, she'd be even more obvious of an opponent than she already was.

"This? You mean you wanted to punish me for what you're blaming on me?" Ayushi wondered with confusion in his eyes. "That's not the girl I remember. That is violent, spiteful and illogical, that's how the world we seek to change thinks, Mana."

"I don't want to change the world!" Mana yelled out while she threw her hands out forward "Magical Punishment Jutsu!" she grunted as a wild lightning bolt erupted from her crossed palms and slammed at the area where Ayushi stood the Guru was no longer there, having moved with a quick side-dash.

"I want the world to choose to change all by itself." Mana's voice reached Ayushi from behind him. The man turned around with a shocked expression. He must have immediately realized that one of the two versions of Mana was a clone but he was not sure which one and the magician knew that. Having just witnessed how much Mana had changed since they've last seen each other, Guru Ayushi was no longer certain if the peaceful and kind kunoichi he'd met was still there.

If she was – she'd have sent the clone after Ayushi and stayed back, tried devising some sort of a sophisticated plan of how to subdue the ninja that was the next best thing to being invincible and eventually failing. This new Mana that Guru was just beginning to understand may have come after him herself, refusing to surrender the honors of clawing the Guru's eyes out over and over while they regenerated to anyone and choosing to keep it all to herself.

"Lightning Style: Shadow Clone!" the Mana that launched the Magical Punishment bolt weaved her hand seals, alerting Ayushi as to which one was real. Desperate to outrace the rage of the young woman he once idolized and changing his life to model himself after, the Guru dashed away from the fake with a speed that truly would have outraced lightning itself. Even after the jutsu was set off and the clone dissolved through user's choice, Ayushi packed enough speed in his sprint to escape the clutches of manifested lightning from point-blank range.

The man behind the legend grunted in pain as an overkill of lightning jolts passed down his body, forcing him on his knee. Only after the painful reflex of pain and the complete temporary atrophy of his muscles did Ayushi realize that Mana had faked him out and had him play right into her hand. Instead of having her clone chase after a vastly superior opponent, she had the opponent use their uncanny speed to get to her clone.