Before he could finish the genin rushed into the forest, teams splitting in every direction of the woods. Ai, Batsu and Rai, were among the faster genin at the exam. They quickly shot past most of the other contenders, Rai took lead while leaving a trail of electricity in her wake. The three ripped through the forest at high speeds, bypassing many of the animals that lie in wait to hunt the easily preyed upon teams. Ai surveyed the area around them with her sharingan to ensure they weren't followed to tightly, to her dismay there were more than a few teams trailing less than a hundred meters behind them.
"Rai, they're to close!" Ai yelled to her teammate.
Rai nodded saying "I'm gonna go faster, okay!?
Batsu and Ai nodded as they moved chakra to there legs to give themselves the power needed to keep up with Rai's naturally high velocity. As though breaking a barrier of air, wind scattered all around them, the thick forest trees rocked in submission of there swiftness. Completely focused on making it as close to the mountain as possible before running out of steam, an image caught Rai's attention out the corner of her eye. Her head turned just enough for her to see a person keeping pace with her, or maybe a spirit? It flickered in and out, as it traveled gracefully through the forest, in comparison to Rai's rigid, lance like path. Her mouth opened in awe, but, having stopped paying attention to the obstacles to the front. She missed the oncoming drop-off in the forest floor.
Ai's attention had also been caught by the girl's sudden spectral dash through the woodland, Ai frowned saying through her teeth "Jikokuwa, Kiriei!"
Preoccupied with her anger at seeing a rival, Ai also overlooked the oncoming gully. Before they reached the edge Batsu grabbed both girl's as best he could and attempted to land on the other side. He quickly felt a sharp pain in his legs as he leapt into the air. Realizing that he wouldn't make it, he hugged both Ai and Rai tightly, turning his back to the water below.
"Hold on tight!" yelled Batsu.
As they plummeted toward the rocky riverbed below Rai caught a glimpse of the ghost-like Kiriei once more. Naomi's eye's locked onto Ai's, she waved, watching Ai fall, while wearing a wicked grin across her face.
Batsu groaned in pain as he opened his eyes only to see the angry face of Ai looking down at him.
"Why did you do that?" Ai asked with her arms crossed.
Batsu sat up in a seated position as he rubbed his back, sore from the fall saying "You mean save you? Uhm. . . ,why wouldn't I that's-" Batsu stopped mid-sentence.
Ai was shaking her head as she sighed saying "I didn't need saving, I could have made it across!" Ai said in frustration.
He raised an eyebrow looking around, Rai was nowhere in sight.
"I don't see how you think you could have made it. Unless you were planning to jump to the other side as you were falling?" Batsu said sarcastically.
He stood to his feet rubbing his back once more as he continued to look around the area. The gully was deep, the river water barely rose above there ankles, the walls were wet, muddy and slippery. They wouldn't be climbing out anytime soon.
"Where's Rai at?" Batsu questioned
Still upset over Batsu's actions, she turned and ignored him.
"Ai, where is Sakurai at?" He asked again with a serious tone.
Rather than speak Ai pointed, Batsu stared at the back of Ai's head for a moment before walking off toward Rai. Ai continued to face the muddy wall of the gully. All the while, being watched by eyes from the shadows.
Rai stopped running and surveyed the area of the gully. Sadly she had not come upon a way out of the wet valley, dropping her head in disappointment. A shadow began to creep over the area where Rai stood, looking up to the sky as clouds passed over blocking the sunlight. Determined to find a way out, Her eyes lit up with renewed confidence, but, this time when she looked forward she saw what looked like the entrance to a cave. Looking around, anxious about venturing into the cavern alone, she resolved to merely peek inside for a moment. Inspecting the entry way for spiders she decided it was safe enough to step inside. Then walking deeper inside the black cave, her heart began to pound, the darkness seemed to grasp at her. Skin crawling, Rai panicked and attempted to back out, return the way she came, but, there was no entrance to be found.
"Scared little one?" said a voice that made the hair's on her neck stand.
Rai nearly screamed when she heard the sound, the wind within the cave gave her goosebumps.
"Wh. . Who are you? Where are you!?" asked Rai frantically.
The darkness went silent, a reply was heard off in the distance.
"Sorry dear you won't be alive long enough to need the answer to either of those questions." said the voice from within the shadows.
Realizing that she was dealing with a person and not some spirit. Rai got mad, but, being unable to see her opponent, still made her uneasy.
Ai stood in the same area Batsu had left her, deep in thought. She raised her head slowly dropping her arms to her sides.
"You can come out at anytime, I've known you were there for a while now." said Ai out loud.
The wind blew, Ai's short black hair flowed briskly in the gentle breeze, the river water trickled from east to west in the gully.
"Oh you do? Well excuse me if I don't believe you. I think I'll take my chances on you bluffing, Uchiha or not my jutsu is flawless." said a voice from nowhere.
Ai smirked to herself, saying "Suit yourself, it's your funeral."
Bugs buzzed in the air as Ai stood in wait of her enemies next move, one of the bugs flew passed her face. Following it with her eyes, she examined it with her sharingan until it passed, smacking the back of her neck.
"Stupid bugs." Ai said to herself.
Meanwhile Rai was still trapped in the technique of the ninja within the cave shadows, she now bled on the cavern floor. The ninja toyed with her, frequently cutting Rai not leaving a chance for repercussion.
From within, Rai could hear the voice of Fu saying "Your hopeless aren't you? An easy opponent like this should have been ended a long ago."
Rai grew frustrated from the unseen attacker and the words of her doppelganger.
"If you think you can do better, then why don't you come out here!" she yelled.
Laughing could be heard echoing throughout the cave the voice saying "Has the darkness driven you mad and here I thought you would make this more entertaining for me."
The voice continued to laugh mockingly, ignorant to what had been unleashed.
"I can see you." Fu said sharply in her raspy tone.
The laughter stopped.
"You don't seem to know who you're fucking with! You'll learn soon enough though, as I'm slowly peeling your soul from your body and I seal it within my Reigan eye!" Fu said malevolently.
The darkness was silent once more, the only sound heard was from Fu, laughing to herself.
"What's wrong girly? Bat got your tongue!" Fu asked as she continued to laugh. I see through your genjutsu, this whole time there was actually no cave here at all. My counterpart was so scared she couldn't see what was right in front of her." she said with in an uproar of laughter.
The wind in the cave shifted, the voiced moved, saying "There was someone else here, but, when?" the voiced asked.
Fu wiped a tear from her eye after calming from the laughter, saying "Oh yes, there was, but, you've got the right one now." said Fu.
Following those words she shouted "COMBINATION STYLE, HELL QUAKE JUTSU!"
The dark floor began to rumble and split in every direction. A piercing light seeps outward from the cracks, immense heat rose up. The darkness dispersed, as a discharge rock and flame so intense, it disfigured one side of gully. Batsu felt the mass of heat before he saw the eruption. Finally making it to the center of the explosion he saw her for the first time. The stars in her eyes as red as the blood moon, hair black enough to be the shadows themselves.
Giggling to herself saying "She managed to get away. Oh well, you have a way out now."
Fu pointed to the large pile of rubble that created a path from the gully to the forest.
Batsu stood speechless as he stared in awe at Fu. Ai had also heard the explosion from where she was, the person that watched her had vanished.
"Rai, Batsu!" She thought to herself, running in urgency toward the smoke.
Daigo and Jin stood in wait on the branch of a tree in the woods. Asuka appeared next them she fell to her knees saying "I'm sorry, I tried to get rid of her but I couldn't. There was someone else helping and they were to strong for me.
Daigo and Jin looked at one another, they helped Asuka to her feet.
"It's ok, you did your best." Daigo said with a smile.
Kiriei watched from a tree high above the valley, she looked down at Fu with a look of concern.
"What's wrong Kiriei, you look worried." said one of her teammates.
Kiriei looked to her friend an comrade Tsubasa and pointed toward Fu. Kiriei continued to stare at Fu, narrowing her eye in detest.
"It's fated that you two fight, supposedly that is. I'm really sure how likely that is to happen, but, it is a fact that her father fought your father and his sister killed your mother. . . . So I guess we'll just have to wait and see." said Tsubasa
Fu canted her head upward at the tree that Kiriei sat in, saying "I see you."
Kiriei read the lips of Fu, tightening her hand into a fist she vanished along with Tsubasa and her other teammate.
Nori stopped mid-swing, saying "Anyone else hear that explosion?"
Yuri nodded her head, as she was walking away the bruised and unconscious body of another genin.
"Can we move on now I don't these guys are gonna give us anymore trouble? asked Mai.
Nori looked at Mai then turned to Yuri, asking "What do you think made that explosion?"
Yuri raised an eyebrow saying "What makes you think it was an explosion?"
Nori pointed behind them at the plume of smoke that rose to the sky. The three of them looked up at it curiously.
Naomi and continued to run ignoring the sounds of the explosion the bes they could. Toshi had a look of worry on his face since he hadn't located Jun before the test began. He was able to go on without her, having convinced himself that she would be watching over them.
Ai finally caught up to Batsu to find him standing next to Rai, a confused look upon his face.
"What was that Rai?" he asked
She shrugged her shoulder's looking away from him saying "What was, what?