It was morning, the fog was thick, birds chirping and the wind blowing across the sea played intro to the gentle sound of the paddle hitting the water. Closer we got to the shore I found myself feeling uneasy about setting foot on what used to be enemy territory. Just didn't seem right. Waving to the ferryman as he rowed away I looked around

"Nothing" I thought to myself.

I was beginning to get concerned this could be a trap

"Hmm."

I walk from the beach into the forest with luscious green leaves, towering trees with branches that shake hands with one another. Fog was clearing by now, I felt a breeze whip at the back of my neck the way it does when a bug or a ...!

Ducking I lunged forward rolling to look back at what was behind me, a whistling in the air is what I heard instead. More projectiles

" I knew it !" I yelled.

Running up a tree I hurled my own kunai back in the direction of the attack. Leaping from tree to tree

"You think you've got me, don't you?" I slyly thought to myself.

My enemy revealed himself directly in front I leap faster toward him, only to be blindsided from the side, torn off my path and slammed to the ground,. . . or so he thought. My clone followed shortly behind, sword drawn, as we landed stabbing my opponent in the back. Turned out he was also using a copy

"Figures, it's never that easy" I mumbled.

The clone and I split up before I could get ten feet I was in a sword fight. He was good, dropped silently, almost got me. We exchanged blows, a moment of time I always revel in, the clash of sharpened steel, the adrenaline rush. I got low and foolishly swung at his ankles with all my power,

"He'll jump and counter me with a downward strike" I thought while only looking at what was in front of me.

My adversary made the wise decision, sadly he was met by a double that split off the moment he jumped splitting him in two. All that remained of the enemy was a log chopped in half

"Right" I sighed.

" Who ever these people are. . . they're luring me into something."I thought to myself.

As I again went in a separate direction of my clone. I began to run faster I could feel myself getting enraged as I started barreling down the forest floor.

"Just listen for it" I think to myself.

The sound of clashing steel could be heard from a long way off. My clone was locked in combat, I sped towards it. When I'm in range, I do the hand seals

"FIRE STYLE, FIREBALL JUTSU!"

Which is drowned out by the screams of the burning ball of fire as it rushes through the trees. The clone and it's combatant jump out of the way of the ball of fire, the clone jumped toward the enemy and is met with the business end of his kunai. The clone stabbed, squeezes the enemy tightly as it's skin starts bubbling, it begins to smoke and glow red. Closing the distance I see flames shoot upward

"Gotcha!" I think to myself.

I grin as I hop onto a tree. My opponent lay smoking, writhing in pain, I shoot downward from the branch above for the finish . Big move, leaves me open, just what I want it to look like. The comrade of the smoky ninja, administers a vicious sidekick that I evade. I retreat a few feet gaining some standoff

"It's a woman, with a katana!?" I notice, as I stand ready to attack.

The kunoichi keeps a crouched stance, one hand keeping her katana close to her hip and the other lingers over the hilt.

"I've never seen this stance before, I don't want to be hasty, but. . ."

Thinking, I tighten the grip on my blade. I feint as though I were going to rush her, she takes the bait takes a step forward begins to unsheathe her sword. . . . next thing I remember is a flash and hitting the nearest tree ten feet from my last position. I try to quickly recover, only to see another flash. No good, I fly back again.

"WHAT IS THIS! It can't be her just. . . !"

I'm in awe on my hands and knees. I see another flash

"I see it, . . . I . . It is her drawing the sword, but how!?"

Mid thought i manage to roll away from this one.

"I've got you pegged now."

I look around and my weapon's no where near me. I quickly start moving, she follows, we pass tree after tree til I'm no longer running adjacent to her. She fell for it, I retrieve my sword, or at least, I thought she did. A chill rolls down my spine I can feel her. . . she strikes at the ground disfiguring the surface with a flawless slice.

Only one problem with that kind of move it's to dynamic she won't have time for the next strike if I can catch her in mid-air at the end swing. Spinning like a top, blade in hand, I'm met with "STEEL! There's no way in hell" upon closer inspection I see she is unsheathing and blocking me.

"Who the hell is she!?" I think to myself bewildered.

The kunoichi continues to unsheathe her katana, unluckily I'm spinning in the direction that she's drawing her weapon. This is gonna be bad, REAL BAD.

"Now or never!" I think to myself.

Multiple kunai and shuriken come flying from me as she spins me out, she deflects them all, with incredible swordsmanship We continue to drop she begins her final slash I can already feel the blade cutting into me without it touching. . . "

Too bad" I grin devilishly.

She gives me a baffled look which quickly changes to surprise after she see's the reddish orange glow beneath her. My last clone, was too close, no escape, the kunoichi rides the fireball to the tops of the tree's turning their green leaves a dark brown.

Sheathing my sword, I finally hear her hit the ground. I look behind me and to my surprise she's standing, barely.

"You just don't know when to quit do you?" I say as I look over my shoulder.

Her breathing is heavy, her stance is weak, defeat is absent in her eyes. This annoys me, I draw my weapon.

"Stop looking at me like that." I say as I walk quickly towards her.

A man lands between the two of us.

"That's enough." He says as he turns to aid the girl.