For all of his hesitation before the test, Ieyasu was the first to move. As soon as Kakashi had given the signal to start, he launched forwards. As he reached Kakashi he brought his fist upwards in a tight hook, aiming for the shinobi's stomach. Kakashi jumped backwards, narrowly dodging the blow, but Ieyasu pressed the attack. Kakashi continued to duck and weave, slowly moving backwards as he dodged Ieyasu's punches. This dance continued until Kakashi ducked away from a particularly powerful right hook aimed for his face. Leaping backwards he landed on the river's surface, while Ieyasu stopped short, waiting on the shore.
Ieyasu looked down at the river for a moment before looking back up to to Kakashi. As he did so, he saw that the jonin was now finishing a series of hand seals. The water frothed around his feet as he called out "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!", before a massive jet of water took the form of a dragon, spiraling into the air.
Ieyasu saw his new teammates leaping away on either side of him as he put up his arms to block. The water dragon slammed into him head on, seconds after he had raised his guard fully. His feet dug into the ground as the water pushed him back. The majority of the force dissipated harmlessly on his forearms, splashing out into a cloud of mist as the attack broke on Ieyasu's defenses.
As the cloud fell away, Ieyasu could see Naruto and Sakura on the other side of the shore, engaging with Kakashi. The Jonin was keeping a pair of Narutos at bay, blocking each of their attacks. In a flash he spun around one of the doubles, pinning its arm behind its back before popping the other with a well placed kick to the ribs. Before he could do much more, a third Naruto leapt from behind, diving for the bells. Kakashi just vanished, letting Naruto crash into his own clone.
As he watched the exchange, Ieyasu had been moving to join the rest of the team, leaping over the river with a running jump. However, almost as soon as he landed, the ground shook as a massive shockwave rocked the training ground. A loud "CHA!" rang out from the dust cloud that rose rapidly from the center of the attack. Crouched on a large boulder, Ieyasu tried to steady himself as the ground rocked from the attack. As he did so, he watched the fissures running through the field, waiting for an opening. As soon as he saw a bit of movement in the shadows, he moved to meet it.
Kicking up off of his perch, Ieyasu leapt forwards again, one fist clad in golden light pulled back behind his head. At the apex of the leap, Ieyasu stared straight down into one of the cracks and locked eyes with Kakashi. The jonin's face had a moment to show shock before Ieyasu's fist made contact with the ground above him. As it did so, the field exploded once more. Ieyasu's attack was more concentrated than Sakura's, driving deep into the ground. The already shattered rock bent upwards under the pressure before shooting out in a violent spray of debris. Kakashi himself was thrown up in that spray, arms crossed in front of his face to block as much of the flying stone as he could.
Kakashi quickly took the offensive. With a series of quick hand seals, he was joined in the air by a pair of clones. One of these vanished almost as quickly as it appeared, flying backwards out of sight as Naruto rocketed into it. The two figures each found footing on the largest rock within reach and launched themselves back towards the center of the dust cloud. Using the choking dust as cover, one of the clones drew a kunai and moved in behind Sakura. Metering his breathing, Kakashi struck. The harsh scraping of metal on stone filled the air as he suddenly found himself striking a large rock. Before he could react, Kakashi felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around his waist from behind.
"Gotcha!" Sakura exclaimed, leaning back to lift Kakashi off of his feet. Gaining speed, Sakura dropped the jonin back in a perfect suplex, only for him to explode into a burst of lightning as soon as he touched the ground. Muscles locking, Sakura dropped as well, temporarily disabled by the massive surge of energy.
Ieyasu was experiencing similar difficulties in his own fight. The Kakashi that had moved to face him had begun a steady assault with his own kunai, and the combination of the cramped area of the crater and the poor visibility had locked him into a defensive stance. As Kakashi came in with a strong swipe from the right, Ieyasu saw his chance. He blocked the blow with the back of his armored glove only for Kakashi to draw a second kunai with his free hand. Still holding off the first attack, Ieyasu caught the kunai stabbing towards his stomach by the blade. In the second when both of Kakashi's arms were locked up, Ieyasu reared back and slammed his head forwards. A flare of bright light shot through the crater as the headbutt connected- both from the attack itself and from Kakashi dissolving into a flare of lightning. Under the flash's cover, a hand shot up from the ground and wrapped around Ieyasu's ankle. Seconds later, he found himself looking up at Kakashi's form scaling the wall of the crater while he was buried up to his neck under the ground.
This back and forth continued for hours, Kakashi retreating further and further into the forest. After a particularly draining exchange, the new Team Seven found that he had slipped away completely. Instead of immediately resuming the chase, the trio took a knee.
"Your teacher is certainly exceptional!" Ieyasu said, smiling brightly despite the sweat pouring down his face. "I've never seen someone with that kind of elemental range!"
"Of course he's great! How do you think that I got so good?" Naruto was quick to reply, beaming right back.
"The problem is we can't beat his seals when he makes them that fast… If we could somehow prevent him from using his hands, we might have chance." Sakura said, though it seemed to be directed more at herself than at her team. Shaking her head, she looked up at her teammates. "There has to be some weakness that we can use!"
"You know, I think I have an idea..." Naruto trailed off, a mischievous smile forming. Ieyasu and Sakura shot each other a look, both feeling suddenly nervous about their teammate's plan.
Several hours before Naruto's return, in the center of the Forest of Death, an altogether different test was going on.
"Alright punks, listen up! You all are here because you think that you're the best of the best that we have to offer. I'm here to see just how wrong you are!" Anko Mitarashi was standing at the front of a spacious underground arena, lit only by flickering torches. Anko herself was perched on top of a massive pair of stone hands, carved as if they were forming a hand seal, facing a small group men and women that were gathered in the center of the room.
"I know that this event is a surprise for most of you, but suck it up! After today, you'll either be Jonin, or laughing stocks! So, with that in mind, let's get right to business! As you may have guessed by now, this is your Jonin examination. I'll be watching you as you complete a series of tests. When we are done, I'll forward your results to the Hokage- if you're still alive, that is- along with a recommendation on whether or not you should pass or fail "Anko's speech was interrupted by a shout from below.
"Why are you the proctor? You're not even a full Jonin yourself!" The interruption came from the center of the group, as a somewhat plain looking man yelled up.
"First of all, because fuck you." Anko punctuated her statement by flicking a used dango stick down at the interruption, where it embedded itself into the stone between his legs. "But, you did bring up a good point. The exam is also being watched remotely by a panel of jonin, who will remain anonymous. They will also send in their own recommendations, so that your chances are dependent on a little more than how much I like you. With that said, the first stage of the exam begins… Now!"
As Anko finished her sentence, an almost imperceptible wave of energy passed over the crowd. Seconds later, the gathered shinobi started and began to back away from visions that only they could see.
As Anko said, a group of jonin were gathered in a nondescript building outside of the forest. A pair of Anbu were seated in front of a bank of monitors, studiously taking notes on clipboards while the other jonin lounged about the rest of the room, occasionally taking a look at a screen while otherwise chatting.
"Looks like Kurenai's really making them work for it this time," Asuma said, gesturing towards the screens with his lit cigarette .
"You can say that again. What was that last one, B rank? A?" An Inuzuka man leaning near the door responded. "Also, put out the damn cigarette! I'm going to be smelling it for a month as it is."
"Alright, alright." Asuma extinguished his cigarette, licking his fingers before pinching the tip. Placing the half burnt stick back into a pouch, Asuma started to say something more when he was cut off by a loud knock.
"Tell whoever it is to come back later! They're already too late for the first stage as it is!" One of the jonin that was intently watching the screens yelled back, only for the Inuzuka to wave her off as he began to open the door.
"You do know you're half an hour late-" Opening the door, the Inuzuka began to chide the new arrival in a mocking tone, only to be almost knocked off of his feet as they rushed past him.
"Piss off, Kegawa. We were held up in a meeting, so we're a bit behind." Tsume Inuzuka barreled into the room, not even sparing a glance at her fellow clan member. She quickly made her way to the wall of monitors, where she pulled a chair over to sit behind the ANBU. Her ninken Kuromaru followed her through in the wake of stunned silence that now filled the room. Shibi Aburame accompanied them, stoic as ever.
"So, what did we miss?" Without missing a beat, one of the ANBU lifted his notes so that Tsume And Shibi could read them over his shoulder. As they got caught up, the room slowly began to return to its previous atmosphere. Kegawa awkwardly closed the door, only to have a hand catch it at the last second.
Pulling it back open, he found Shikaku standing there, along with the rest of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Shikaku greeted Kegawa with a casual wave, already walking in. "Yo. Hope we aren't disrupting anything."
Dismissing the claim with a shake of his head, Kegawa replied as he stepped out of the trio's way. "Not really. Besides, Tsume beat you to the punch with that."
"Oh, Tsume's here already? I thought she had been delayed longer," Chōza interjected.
Kegawa just shook his head, gesturing over his shoulder at the group clustered around the ANBU. "No, she's here alright." That seemed to be enough for the Trio, as after a few more pleasantries, they all moved to join the other two clan heads. Kegawa took the chance to lean back against the wall, letting out a deep breath, only to jerk back to attention as yet another knock echoed through the room.
"Oh for-" Taking a step to the side, Kegawa threw open the door. "If you're anyone except for the Hokage herself, you can go f-"
"I can go what?" Hiashi Hyūga cut him off, standing calmly outside the door.
Shakily clearing his throat, Kegawa continued. "You can go right in, Hiashi-sama."
With a brief nod, Hiashi did just that, ignoring the rest of the room until he reached the other latecomers on the far wall. As he passed by, Genma raised an eyebrow and leaned over to Asuma on his right. "Okay, what's going on with this? First they announce the test at the last minute, and now the clan heads are all here?"
Asuma just shrugged. "Don't look at me. They didn't tell me any more than you, it looks like."
"They didn't tell me anything either, but I'll bet you anything that this has something to do with those two." Yūgao interrupted, directing Genma and Asuma's attention to one of the screens. That particular monitor displayed a pair of men standing off to the side of the arena, away from the rest of the jonin candidates. "Do you recognize them?"
Asuma leaned in, squinting slightly as he studied the screen. "Now that you mention it, no. I can't say that I do. What about you?"
Doing the same, Genma shook his head. "They don't look familiar. And I would recognize them if I'd seen them in the tower before. Who are they?" he asked, turning back towards Yūgao.
"I don't know either. I was just pointing out something that you really should have noticed already-need I remind you that we are still proctoring this?" Yūgao asked, narrowing her eyes at the men.
Asuma just held up his hands. "Hey, don't look at me. I'm not responsible for the genjutsu portion!"
Genma, however, was distracted, rubbing his chin in thought. "Same here… But still, we should be watching those two. There seems to be something big going on here"
Back in the arena, Hideyoshi and Hanbei both stood in the same spot that they had been standing in since the test had begun, both staring at the latest vision that had sprung into existence around them. "You know, this all is really quite impressive." Hanbei said, words slurring slightly around the razor wire that was wound through the side of his mouth, as well as the rest of his body.
"Illusions are the work of cowards with no true strength." Hideyoshi didn't look at his partner as he replied, a combination of similar wire locking him in place and his current staring contest with the massive, deformed monster that stood across the room.
"Even still, this is leagues past what Rikyuu could do." A violet flare of energy surrounded him for a second, dissipating the genjutsu and returning the arena to its usual drab appearance. Hideyoshi did the same next to him, reality reasserting itself as his crimson energy faded away. As it did so, the "monster" that Hideyoshi had been so intently staring at turned back into a smirking Anko, who was currently walking towards the pair.
Coming to a stop directly in front of them, Anko addressed the pair in a voice that could be heard across the arena. "So, the two of you think that you're hot stuff, eh?"
Hideyoshi remained silent, never breaking his imperious stare as he stood there with arms crossed, while Hanbei chuckled softly before replying. "Well, I would say that we do have some experience with this type of thing."
"Well, let's see how far that experience will take you!" Anko's predatory smirk only grew in response as she turned back towards the rest of the examinees. "Alright, no time for rest! The next trial will start right now! Please follow your guide to the next room!"
As she had said, a number of ANBU appeared in various places around the room, standing next to each examinee. As they began to direct the crowd, the examinees dispersed out of the arena, each lead to their own door. Hideyoshi and Hanbei were no exception to this, as they were lead to doors on opposing sides of the tower. Without hesitation, the pair each entered their respective door, stepping into the next test.
"Hey, what's the deal with this?" Back in the observation room, a swarthy jonin interrupted his friend's concentration with a hard tap on the arm.
"Hm? Oh, yeah, you got a field promotion, didn't you?" Turning to the cluster at the front of the room, he shouted across the chatter. "Hey Shikaku! Mind explaining this test to Ten'un here?"
"He's too busy to-" Shikaku waved off Tsume's quick retort even as he started to walk back towards Ten'un.
"Don't worry about it. They don't actually need me for a few minutes now. So, what did you want to know?" Shikaku asked, hands casually in his pockets.
"Well, I never had to do all this, so I just wanted to know what they're doing in there," Ten'un said with some hesitation. Shikaku just nodded in response, dropping down into a nearby chair.
"Got it. Well, you see those five scrolls there?" Shikaku pointed at a monitor that showed one of the examinees sitting alone at a small table in the new room, pouring over a series of scrolls. When Ten'un nodded in affirmation, Shikaku continued.
"Well, four of those contain the full records of Team Maru- a team that we made up several years back. The fifth contains the details of the mission that the team is returning from. We give them ten minutes to memorize all of the details of those, and then they are called into the next room. There, they are given the situation." Shikaku leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling for a minute before continuing on.
"They have been made leader of Team Maru for the mission that was just presented to them- an info gathering mission that took them deep within Kumogakure. While exfiltrating, they run afoul of a large patrol of Kumogakure shinobi. One of the team is gravely injured, the others are exhausted, and the patrol is right behind them. How would they complete this mission?" Shikaku finished, staring Ten'un straight in the eye.
Ten'un just stared back at Shikaku, before finally managing to reply. "So, what, the point is just for them to imagine losing their squad?! There's no way out of that!"
Shikaku nodded gravely. "You've almost got the point. If they focus on saving their comrade, they risk losing the intelligence. If they focus on speeding the intelligence back here, they lose part of their squad. If they stay and fight- well, that's the worst of both options. Whatever way you take, you lose something." A shout from Inochi catching his attention, Shikaku turned back towards the front of the room. "Looks like we're getting to the important part. Sorry, but I've got to get back." With that, the jonin commander left Ten'un to contemplate the test.
In the tower, Hanbei had just been escorted into the second room and presented with the test situation. The ANBU that had escorted him in gestured to the large map in the center of the room, troop placements standing out from the terrain in neon colors. "You have fifteen minutes to give your answer. Begin."
Hanbei simply nodded, slowly beginning to circle the map. He stayed silent for several minutes, only giving a small 'hm' of contemplation here and there. After five minutes, he looked up across the table, grabbing the ANBU's attention. "I'm ready."
"Are you sure? You have more time if you need it," The ANBU stated, gesturing to the timer on the wall behind him.
Hanbei just shook his head and chuckled. "No, no, I'm sure." The ANBU nodded, indicating that he should continue.
Taking a pointer that had been left on the side of the table, Hanbei began to circle places, tracing out routes on the map. "I would have the team move north, along these lines."
The ANBU interrupted, holding up a hand. "North? You are aware that Konoha is south from this position, correct?"
Hanbei nodded, continuing without missing a beat. "Yes, I am. The reason to head north is here-" The pointer came down on a small black mark on the map. "Kobayashi village. Konoha is fifty miles away from this point, while Kobayashi is only thirty. That means that even at a faster pace, the injured team member will be able to keep up until the end goal."
The ANBU looked over the map again, eventually pointing to the icon representing the Kumogakure pursuit force. "Even if you do reach the village without incident, the Kumo shinobi will be able to track you there easily. How do you answer for that?"
Again pointing to his proposed escape route, Hanbei answered. "If the squad is split into three teams, there will be enough variation in the paths taken that it will lead to a delay in tracking. It's true that the delay won't be enough to escape them, but we will rendezvous at the village with a healthy margin of time before they arrive. In addition, one group will consist of only Sevik. He will be able to reach the village long before any other member of the team, and can prepare a place."
The ANBU sat silently, hand on his chin in a thoughtful posture. After a minute of silence, he spoke again. "Even if you reach the village before your pursuers, they won't retreat because you've holed up in a village. How can you justify putting the entire village at risk?"
Hanbei just chuckled, shaking his head head slightly. "I can justify it by the fact that the village itself would be at almost no risk. They could certainly press the attack, but to fully destroy the village, or to even intrude with such a large force would be an act of aggression against the entire Land of Fire. Would they really risk going to war over one team?"
"But what if they did?" The ANBU shot back.
"Then the team would still be in a much stronger position. Ite would be able to take shelter in a more fortified location, while the rest of the team could engage the Kumo shinobi on our own terms. After all, fights in urban places favor the defenders," Hanbei replied smoothly.
The ANBU nodded, pausing to take short notes. "And if the worst was to come to pass?"
"If it came to it, we would rely on a coded message that would be hidden along with Ite. That would, in turn, point to here-" Hanbei paused, pointing to a spot along the initial path that he had laid out. "Sevik will hide the intel here during the initial sprint to the village. Our pursuers will likely not think to look for it along his path, as the scout is the least likely to carry the information to start, much less hide it before the destination. From there, it can be recovered, even if the rest of the team is lost."
The ANBU simply nodded in response. "Very well. Please wait here until one of us arrive to take you to the next stage of the test. If you leave the room before then, you will be automatically disqualified." With that, he turned and left the room, leaving Hanbei to wait.
At the same time as Hanbei's test, Hideyoshi was facing the same question on his own. Having been shown into a room with the same map and scenario, Hideyoshi stood like a statue, looking over the map with his arms crossed. "Child's play. If the wounded one were to go on his own, his trail would draw attention away from the rest. They could then move around the area, and head straight to the goal."
Satisfied with the plan, he shifted, about to signal the proctor when something struck him. But, as he was about to raise his voice, a feeling of unease came over him. "What is it... Am I forgetting something? Perhaps this is more complicated than it appears."
He began to pour over the map again, taking in everything. "The terrain is favorable, they could cover the distance, even with the diversion… What am I missing here?"
As that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly remembered a scene from his past- Ieyasu down with his soldiers, holding a man's hand as his injuries were bandaged up. Another time, when he had lead in a band of rebels that he had convinced to surrender, followed in his mind, the events playing out like they were yesterday.
"...That's it. That was part of his strength, after all." Inhaling deeply, Hideyoshi spoke. "My answer is ready."
Nodding, the ANBU motioned for him to continue. "I would have them split up into two groups. One will escort the wounded back to the village, while the other would run ahead with the Intel. I will stay back and delay the enemy," Hideyoshi said, never once breaking his posture as he laid out his plan.
The ANBU stayed silent, writing notes on his clipboard. After almost a minute of writing, he risked his head, looking back at Hideyoshi. "You would challenge the patrol force? You are aware that the reports indicated that it consists of at least fifty shinobi, correct?"
Hideyoshi nodded once in responsible. "The engagement would last long enough for the teams to gain the ground that they need to escape. If I defeat the pursuers, then the immediate danger is ended. If I fall, then they will still live."
The ANBU nodded, taking several more notes. "Understood. If that is all, I must ask that you remain here until someone appears to take you to the next stage of the test. If you leave the room before then, you will be disqualified, so please refrain from doing so." Receiving a nod of acknowledgment, the ANBU left, leaving Hideyoshi alone.
Back in the monitoring room, Shikaku was intently watching the tests as the took place. As the last of them came to a close, he pushed back away from the wall of monitors. As he did so, Inoichi came over to him, taking an open seat. "So, what do you think about this batch?"
Shikaku closed his eyes and shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "There's some really interesting results this time around. Really, it's troublesome."
"I'm not sure that interesting is the word that I'd use for this. Seriously though, what do you make of those two in there?" Inochi asked.
"The big one's response shows a savior complex of some sort, which is surprising." Shikaku began.
"You don't think he can back that plan up?" Inoichi cut in, interrupting his teammate.
"It's not about whether or not he can. Even if he could, he would still need to be able to do it quickly or cleanly enough that no one could slip around and go for the team. To actually do it… He would need to be at least Kage level to have a chance." Shikaku replied.
Inoichi stroked his chin in thought for a moment before responding. "Well, we don't know how good he is yet. We won't until the combat trials." Shikaku gave a noncommittal grunt in response, prompting him to continue. "Now, what was your take on the other one? I've never heard an answer like that before."
"Indeed. It reminded me of an Aburame, actually." A deep voice spoke up from behind Inoichi, causing the man to start in surprise.
"Gah!" Inoichi sat up, barely avoiding toppling over with his chair. "I swear, you have to stop sneaking up on people like that!"
"I did not sneak." Shibi responded calmly.
"Whatever." Inoichi waved him off before moving into a more stable position. "What was that you were saying?"
"I said that he reminded me of an Aburame. You know, we must always be aware of our swarms. If our balance is disturbed, they will die, and we will follow. As such, we avoid rash actions, even when no other option seems to be available." Shibi responded.
"I think I get what you're saying. Basically-" Inoichi was cut off by another voice as someone began to speak over him.
"He's saying that this Hanbei has the mind of a politician, or a clan elder, rather than just a field agent." Hiashi cut in, joining the growing discussion group. "It's rare to find someone who can look at the full ramifications of a situation and see the big picture, rather than being caught up in the event."
Shibi nodded in agreement while Inoichi spoke up. "Well, this was just a controlled test. It's one thing to do that in a room, and another to do it on the field."
"True, but instinct is instinct, Yamanaka-san. And even if he is only able to think like that here in the village, he still far outstrips some that are already Jonin." Hiashi said.
"I suppose. And if he is able to think and fight, that can be a real asset…" Looking back over to Shikaku, Inochi gave him a sharp nudge with his elbow. "What's your take on this?"
Shikaku gave a sigh, not even opening his eyes as he spoke. "He might be an asset, but remember- for every Professor, there's a Danzo. Think about it, if he really is this good, then we potentially have another Fugaku or Orochimaru in our midst- but with less reason to stay loyal. We've got to be careful, or this could turn into a real pain."
Hiashi solemnly nodded. "Sound advice as always, Nara-san. With that being the case, I believe that we should make sure to give them plenty of reasons to remain loyal. In any case, The next tests are to begin soon. I do not wish to lose my place at the monitors, so I shall take my leave."
Hiashi gave a stiff bow and made his exit, the rest of the group giving farewell waves of varying enthusiasm. There was silence for a moment, broken as Chōza walked up and gave Inoichi a hearty slap on the back. "Well then, are you ready for the fun part? I hear that Genma's taking bets again, if you're interested!" Like that, the solemn atmosphere dissipated, replaced again by the friendly excitement that pervaded the rest of the room.
The examinees had all been escorted back to the central arena by this point. As the last few stragglers were lead in, Anko addressed the crowd once more.
"Alright! Now's the time that I'm sure that you've all been waiting for- the combat test! Now, we'd usually divide you up at this point and let you have at it, but we just don't have the time for that today. Instead, each of you will be paired with one of those fellows up there-" At that, the upper walkways of the room filled with smoke that quickly cleared to reveal ANBU lining the metal paths.
"-and will have one match to show your stuff. Now then, for the rules of these matches! They are simple: there will be no holding back, on either side. That being said, if I say stop, you stop. The match will last until one of you can no longer fight, or you forfeit. Other than that, you are free to use any technique or trick that you may have- just make it impressive! Are there any questions?" Anko paused, a tense silence hanging over the room. A full minute passed like that, no one from the stadium floor raising their voice.
"Well then, let's begin! You pairings will be appearing on the screen behind me-" Anko pointed up at a pair of screens set into the wall behind her, "-so when you see your name, please come down to this floor. Until then, you will be waiting up on those walkways."
Not needing any further prompting, the assembled shinobi filed up into the stands while the names began to rapidly flash across the screens. Hanbei and Hideyoshi took up positions at the far side of the hall, the rest of the Jonin candidates giving them a wide berth.
The crowd was mostly silent as they watched the matches, a mixture of nerves and professionalism keeping the shinobi quiet. The matches passed quickly as Hanbei and Hideyoshi watched, and soon, one of their names was displayed on the screen.
"Alright! Takenaka Hanbei and Eagle, you're up!" Anko announced loudly. With a short nod to his partner, Hanbei took the floor, facing his opponent. The pair greeted each other with a short bow, before drawing their respective weapons.
"At my signal… Begin!" As soon Anko had finished speaking, Eagle quickly sank into the ground, vanishing without a trace. Hanbei remained where he was, shifting into a ready stance. Seconds later, four copies of Eagle rose from the ground around him in a square, boxing him in.
A pair of the Eagles rushed towards the center, drawing their swords while in motion. Hanbei responded by pivoting away from the strikes while sweeping his sword arm outwards. The blade extended as it moved in an arc, the whip like blade cutting cleanly through both attackers. There was a soft clicking sound as the sword snapped back to its original shape, water dripping off the sharp segments to join the puddles that had formed from the clones. As soon as it had finished retracting, Hanbei pointed the blade at the ground and extended it to its full length.
Eagle's arm suddenly phased out of the ground, sword striking forwards at Hanbei, only for the extended sword to score a long cut along the limb as it shot past into the floor.. Nonetheless, Eagle continued with his surprise attack. The tip of Hanbei's sword embedded itself in the ground, allowing him to pull up and make the entire length of the blade taut. This tension was enough to stop Eagle's sword dead just before it could stab into Hanbei's side.
Hanbei pressed the advantage, stepping to the side as he retracted his sword. The sudden disappearance of the pressure caused the ANBU to stumble forwards a step. He immediately brought his own sword up to block Hanbei's as it stabbed for his chest. Hanbei revealed this as a feint at the last second, pulling back and stabbing into Eagle's unguarded stomach in a single quick motion. As the clone dissipated in a shower of water, Hanbei triggered the sword's extension again. The blade shot out, stabbing straight through the chest of the final clone.
Behind Hanbei, Eagle used the space his last second substitution bought him by beginning a string of handseals. "Suiton: Ryūsu-" Before he could finish the name of the technique, he had to abandon it. Instead of retracting his sword, Hanbei had swung the entire extended whip out towards Eagle's position. The ANBU was barely able to raise his sword to block before the arcing blade reached him, only to have the last lengths of the whip wrap around his weapon.
With a flick of his arm, Hanbei send a wave down the length of his sword. In response, the tension on Eagle's sword lessened as lengths of the whip began to rise up off of the blade. This was joined by more and more of the extended sword, and within seconds, Eagle was surrounded by a loose dome of rapidly rotating blades. In response, Eagle dropped his sword, instead forming a half bird seal with that hand. As the dome began to collapse in around him, he dashed forwards, selectively phasing through the whip. As soon as he was clear, he grabbed his right hand by the wrist, presenting his palm to his opponent. "Suiton! Hōsuihō!"
A thick stream of water shot out from Eagle's extended hand, barreling towards Hanbei. He responded by going low, dashing to the side at a surprising speed. Eagle turned as well, moving his hand to keep the water directed towards him, but found himself constantly slightly behind Hanbei's position. He continued to try and adjust, however, not realizing the trap he was in until it was too late. Hanbei soon reached Eagle's starting position, where several feet of his whip laid in a heap on the ground. Grabbing the wire just behind the first segment, he triggered the sword's retraction. Foot after foot of the whip vanished back into the hilt as the sword constricted in a massive loop. Eagle now realized what was happening, dropping his focus on his jutsu as he tried to free one of his hands. However, there simply wasn't enough time to do so before the whip reached him.
The remaining length of the blade wrapped around Eagle, the sharp segments biting into him as it did so. The wire kept tightening, cutting deeper into the ANBU until Hanbei stopped the blade's retraction. As he did so, Anko called out from above the pair. "Alright, that's enough!"
Hanbei nodded before letting go of the end of his whip and flicking his sword arm out to the side again. The whip reversed direction for a second, pulling out of the bloody grooves that it rested in. When the entire length was free from Eagle, it snapped back into its original form faster than it had for rest of the match, a light red mist hanging in its wake. The two men exchanged a brief nod of acknowledgment before returning to the stands. Eagle dragged slightly, but walked straight despite his wounds.
Hanbei made his way back to his place besides Hideyoshi. The pair didn't look at each other, but there was an air of pride around the two that was clear to see. The matches continued on, late into the afternoon. Finally, after hours of waiting and watching, the other half of the pair was called. "Hideyoshi and Cricket, get down here!" Anko's voice rang out again, still strong despite the hour.
Hideyoshi solemnly made his way down to the arena floor, Hanbei giving an unspoken encouragement as his partner passed by. On the other side of the room, one of the ANBU stepped forwards, vaulting over the guardrail and dropping down to the arena. Hideyoshi gave no acknowledgment, and made him wait as he continued his steady pace. Studying him as he approached, Hideyoshi recognized his opponent as the leader of the patrol that had taken him in when they first appeared.
When the two finally stood face to face, Cricket was shifting his weight from leg to leg, anxiously fidgeting. Leaning forwards slightly, the ANBU spoke, keeping his voice low. "Remember me? Now we really get to see if you're worth all of this trouble!" Anko called for the match to begin, and Cricket took the initiative.
"Hiden: Mahi Sakebi!" Cricket pulled his arms together, scraping his forearms against each other. As his armor scraped together, a cacophonous sound rang out throughout the arena. Everyone present winced slightly, but it had the greatest effect on Hideyoshi. Lip twisting up in a small snarl, he felt his muscles lock up.
Cricket vanished with a small swirl of dust. He reappeared behind Hideyoshi, driving his knee up into the small of his back. As soon as the blow landed, he vanished again. This time, he appeared with a hard kick into Hideyoshi's solar plexus. This pattern continued, with the ANBU flitting around Hideyoshi's massive form, only stopping to rain down powerful kicks.
After a solid minute of this assault, Hideyoshi had yet to move, or even react to the strikes. Cricket stopped in front of him, looking up into his face. "Is this all you have?" The ANBU punctuated his question with leaping drop kick that struck his opponent directly in the bridge of his nose. Cricket was gone before he hit the ground, resuming the onslaught at twice the speed as before.
Even to the trained eyes of the audience, Cricket now appeared as nothing more than a blur of movement. The only thing that most of the onlookers could regularly see were his blows, which landed hard enough to shake the ground around the pair. Even still, Hideyoshi had yet to move.
Again, Cricket carried on for several minutes at that pace before pausing. He again stopped directly in front of Hideyoshi, standing closer than before. "Come on, this is pathetic! If you didn't want to fight, then you should have dropped out when you had the chance!"
Reaching to his back, Cricket unsheathed his sword, pointing it at his opponent. "Either way, you have three seconds before I end this. If you want to turn tail, you better do it now. 3… 2…1."
Finishing the countdown, Cricket rushed forwards, swinging his blade at Hideyoshi's unprotected face. At the last second, Hideyoshi casually brought his hand up to slap the sword away. A loud crack echoed through the area as it hit Hideyoshi's gauntlet and shattered. The force behind the deflection sent Cricket tumbling end over end before he caught himself, sliding to a stop. When he looked back up, Hideyoshi was in a ready stance- one first drawn back while his other hand was stretched forward, palm out. What was more concerning to Cricket was the tremendous energy coming off the man. Even if he hadn't been able to sense it, Cricket could see it pouring off of him in a bright crimson aura. As he moved to throw himself out of the way, Hideyoshi moved as well.
Bringing his entire body forward with the blow, Hideyoshi pivoted forwards with a massive punch. While Cricket was far from his actual fist, the air in front of Hideyoshi rushed forwards, condensing into a wall of force. The shockwave traveled across the arena floor in seconds, gouging a path through the tiles. Cricket rolled to the side as the wave hit the tower's wall.
The impact rocked the tower as the wall exploded outwards, sending debris rocketing out into the surrounding forest. The sound of creaking metal filled the arena as one of the crosswalks came loose, forcing the onlookers to dash to safety as the walkway careened down to the floor below. As the dust settled, everyone's eyes were on Hideyoshi, still standing in the same place. After a moment's pause, he spoke, projecting his voice to be heard over the last bits of noise from the collapsing wall. "I forfeit the match."
"A-Alright then! Cricket is the winner! Please return to the stands!" Anko announced from above, only a slight amount of surprise showing in her voice. The two followed her directions and began to walk up the stairs. Hideyoshi was calm as ever, while Cricket was still visibly shaken. As they moved back up, Anko continued.. "And with that, we have finished the combat trial! You're not done yet, however. Follow the ANBU assigned to each of you for to the next round of testing, and good luck! Don't screw it up now!"
The observation room was silent, everyone present staring at the screens. "Shit, man… I guess I won my bet!" Genma broke the silence.
"Like hell! He forfeited! That pot's mine!" Raido shot back, others joining in as the betting group began to squabble among itself. As that happened, the clan heads stayed clustered at the front, discussing the events.
"You know, I predicted this. I said that they were at least S-rank combatants." Inoichi said, pausing as Chōza put his hand on his shoulder.
"We know, we know. Nobody was saying that you were wrong-",Chōza placated his partner.
"I distinctly remember some people saying that I was wrong." Inoichi shot back, pushing the Akimichi's hand away.
Hiashi rolled his eyes before turning towards the rest of the group. "They did show more skill than I expected, especially the first one. Wherever they are from, they certainly have excellent training. What is your take, Nara-san?"
"I wouldn't call it training. The way he fought wasn't like your style, Hyūga-san. It reminded me more of how a Nara fights." Shikaku responded.
"How so?" Hiashi's eyebrow arched up awards as he asked.
"I mean that I didn't see an underlying form to his moves- rather it was just the best action to take for each situation." Shikaku answered, before looking over at Shibi.
Picking up on the cue, Shibi continued. "I agree. He was able to close the gap between him and his opponent's jutsu by outmaneuvering him. It showed a masterful grasp of strategy."
"Actually, what was up with that? Is he even able to use jutsu?" Tsume cut in, pushing into the circle.
"What does it matter if he can't? He's able to handle himself just fine either way." Chōza replied.
"Whatever. We'll know by the end of this, anyway. The real problem that I have is with that partner of his." Tsume said, waving off Chōza dismissively.
"You think that blowing out the tower wall isn't impressive enough? Also, I had meant to ask, isn't that structure reinforced with seals?" Hiashi asked.
"Not when he surrendered right after! We don't need that kind of cowardice in our ranks!" Tsume snapped back.
"First- yes, Hiashi, it was. Second of all, it wasn't cowardice. He was obviously making a statement." Inoichi said, spinning his seat to face the Inuzuka head.
She snorted before answering. "What was it, 'I'm too scared to follow through on a threat?'"
"No. He was saying that he couldn't limit himself enough to not kill Cricket." Shikaku cut in.
"Exactly. He shows that he can take whatever comes his way, as well as putting up a fight on his own. On top of that, by finishing like he did, he shows what he can do without actually injuring our ANBU." Inoichi continued.
Hiashi nodded. "Well said. Still, I think that I've heard enough. I'll be on my way to make my report now. Thank you all for the input."
Yawning, Shikaku stood from his chair. "Yeah, I'm heading out as well. Is anyone else coming?"
Nods of assent went around the small group before Tsume spoke up. "No, I need these losers to pay up before I go. I'll head over to the tower later."
At that, farewells were given and the group made their way out into the darkening evening, ready to make their judgment.
Technique Names
Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!- Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu
Suiton: Ryūsuiben- Water Release: Running Water Whip
Suiton: Hōsuihō- Water Release: Water Cannon
Hiden: Mahi Sakebi- Hidden Technique: Paralyzing Cry