[A/N: Sorry for being a day late. Best friend of 20 years passed and I'm a minor inconvenience from needing grippy socks. Enjoy!]

They woke Sekawa when it was time to get moving. Farther down they followed the path, rarely crossing any other teams, save for the occasional scream that echoed like a death rattle, lingering in the hollow arches of the cave system. It was enough to keep their nerves on edge, but they soldiered on, deeper still. As the path wound down through a dripping trail, the water cool on their exposed skin, Sekawa stumbled and fell to the ground.
"I can't move. Help me!"
Nishira began to get ready to fight, but Toma calmed her with a touch of her shoulder. He gently walked up and sat on the ground next to her.
"Hey." His voice was a careful soothing neutral.
"What the fuck? 'Hey'? Stop patronizing me and help me!"
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling really fucking stressed, Toma! Help me up or I will end you."
"Okay, I will, but will you take a few deep breaths with me first?"
Sekawa snarled at him, tempting Nishira to step in before she'd be left to pick up pieces of the boy from the cavern floor, but Sekawa obliged him. After a few deep laboured breaths, Sekawa struggling to keep a constant air flow out, as though she were violently shivering. But as the breaths continued, Sekawa's breath evened out more. After several calmer breaths, Sekawa slowly got up and then immediately kicked Toma.
"I said help me, not make me do Lamaze classes!"
"I did help!"
Sekawa turned to Nishira.
"And you! Just standing there while he left me to suffer."
Nishira shrugged.
"Seemed to have worked, you're back and up at it again. What was wrong?"
"She's claustrophobic."
Sekawa turned her resentful stare at him, but he refused to wither under the weight of it. Nishira shook her head in disbelief.
"You're what?"
"Nothing- Toma, don't you dare!"
"She's scared of small spaces, but we figured this might have been the case when they announced Iwagakure as the location for the chunin exams, so we've been working on it- ow! I was just about to say how good of a job you've been doing, you even had Nishi convinced you were fine this whole time."
Nishira stifled a giggle as she watched Sekawa threaten to end his life, and he just gave her his adorable dopey grin, his eyes laden with nothing but affection for only her. A creeping loneliness sullied Nishira's enjoyment of the moment and she turned to give them some privacy until they were ready to move on.

It wasn't long until they reached another gate, with the character etched looming high above them. After closer scrutiny, it matched the correct character. The team stood in front of the giant stone doors. Sekawa looked from them, up at the massive gate.
"Now what?"
"Now we finish this and make it to round three of the chunin exams!"
Both women nodded at Toma's positive statement, reaffirming their resolve. Toma quickly checked to make sure the red box was still in his sack. The box was stained with flecks of darkened brown, dried blood from one of many potential sources, and with a wry chuckle they stepped into the yowling mouth of the cave beyond the gate.

Within the cave came the flooding of a bright light. But as they approached it cautiously, nothing jumped from the shadows. Nishira clutched her weapon ready to spring into action if needed.
"Anything, Toma?"
"No. I mean there is definitely something up ahead, but it seems like everything behind us is gone too, like just vanished. It's probably a trap."
They moved in careful movements. They turned around a wide corner and were met with a dead end.
"Oh come on! What the hell?!"
Nishira narrowed her eyes. Sekawa covered her lip with a finger, pondering.
"What if it's genjutsu?"
It was something they covered in the academy. Nishira hoped it wasn't a strong one because otherwise they'd be without a release, but the basic one was all they had. The three of them placed their hands together, intertwining their fingers, but pointing them straight as though making an X.
Kai, Release.

To their relief, the blank mural began to give way and in its place was a mural with characters that Toma squinted to look at it, reading the characters that flowed in a circle, with four prongs. Sekawa glanced at it in frustration.
"It's a god damn poem?"
"No, Sekawa, look here, this symbol matches the one on the box, and see here," he pointed at the "It looks like we need four… markers? I'm not sure about this part. Maybe we needed four packages?"

A deep voice that didn't belong to them called out.
"That's what we thought. And you're lucky number four."
The voice seemed to materialize around them. Behind them, emerging from the shadowy crevices of the wall was another shinobi team. Their blue clothes with brown camouflage accents reminded Nishira of Zabuza, surmising they must be from the Land Hidden in the Mist. It was then that team twenty-two noticed the blood-soaked stone and the bodies of several people scattered around them, among them were scattered possessions, weapons, and remnants of extinguished fire balls, water puddles scattered all over the place, and deep slashes in some of the rock faces.
"What have you done?"
"They refused to cooperate, so we had no other choice but to make them."
Nishira glared at the team that stood before them, recognizing the statement as a lie, ego dripped from their sleazy smiles that lay within the skeletal jaw bones of an animal, the canines pointing under their cheekbones. They stood in an aggressive stance, one with a long chain, each link decorated with a spike, most of which were coated is what they assumed was genin blood. The others with their hands together ready to cast jutsus at them.
"Hand over the box, and maybe we won't hurt you."
Sekawa growled.
"Attack Formation Horin."
"Right." Toma and Nishira nodded at the command turning until they faced outwards, facing their backs to each other. Toma stood facing the wall, scanning its face to comprehend what he was looking at. But while doing so, his foot traced a half circle in front of him and he placed his hands together in clenched fists, with one eye closed in concentration, the other still looking at the wall.
"You with me, Nishi?"
"I was just getting bored. Let's do this."
"Now, Toma!"
Just as she said that a dark film formed a globe surrounding them. Two of their enemies cast jutsus, one water wave, the other a spiral of ice shot forward. The dark film defended them from the spiral stake and the water wave, keeping them dry and protected. The third whipped a barrage of kunai, Nishira and Sekawa easily deflecting them. Sekawa batted off the chain, throwing it to hit the cave wall. The impact of it left a crack that split upwards in the slate surface.
"So, jutsus won't work on you? Fine, we'll make you leave your circle then."
With a laugh that gave the bone face covering the appearance of cackling, the chain came whirling to surround them.
"Toma!"
"Right."
Toma wavered in the air, letting the chain go through him, as he momentarily blipped into the shadow and returned. Nishira was able to do the same, leaving Sekawa to wrap the chain around her polearm. She wrenched it back, pulling it into the circle. Nishira concentrated her chakra into the blade in her hands, hearing it hum with energy. It flickered, but she prayed it would be enough. She drove the ninjato down into a chain link, and in a satisfying clang, the pieces came apart.

A yell drew Nishira's attention to her right, one of the jutsu users rushed forward, hands gloved with spikes on the knuckles. He was brutally interrupted by Sekawa's skillful swing of the polearm, the loose chain that clung to it wrapped around the attacker. She dragged the spikes into the fabric of his clothes and through his flesh earning the bright spill of the blood.
"My turn."
It was with ease that Nishira was able to slash at the opponent since her teammate had wrapped him up so nicely.
"Guys, I've figured it out."
Before Toma could share with the other two, from the perimeter line in between Toma and Sekawa, the third member of their attackers appeared morphing from a puddle beside Toma's shadow perimeter, making her able to invade the space undetected by any of them. She wove her hands together to spit out a wave that crashed through them pushing them against the wall, the weight of the water thundering. Sekawa spit out a mouthful and called to her teammate.
"Nishira!"
"In a minute!"
Nishira summoned her chakra to slip out of the wave, able to reappear and snag both her teammates and transporting them further away from the seal on the door, putting the opponents in between them and their goal. As the water wave ended, their attackers realized they were not under the aftermath, turning to spot them on the other side.
"The seal," Toma huffed, water dripping from his hair, beard, and clothes. "The box contains something for the seal, and we are the other three points. We need to get in there, place the item, and then connect the three points to it, like a circle."
Nishira's eyes flashed at him.
"Just so I understand, we have to place whatever is in the box in the wall and then hold hands? And then what? Sing a children's song as the password?"
"Less talking, more doing. Toma, how are your chakra levels?"
"The barrier took most of it, so defensive only."
"Right, Nishira on my mark. Take out the one on the right, I'll take left, and we'll get the middle one together. You remember what I told you?"
"Cover my flank, got it!"
Behind them, Toma rooted through his soaked bag for the box, seeing it falling apart from the moisture. Inside was a rock with the symbol for "strength" etched into its surface.
"Now."
Toma slipped into the shadow behind them, taking the stone with him. Nishira finished a series of hand signs.
Gale Winds of Destruction
From around her, powerful winds swirled, disturbing any loose debris on the ground, and with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she sent it towards the wielder of the water waves. Sekawa on her left smashed her blade into the ice spiral that came for her. The wind trailed the attacking shinobi as they tried to evade her jutsu, but to no avail as it wrapped around them and with a flick of Nishira's wrist, sent them flying back into the cavern beyond sight. With effort, she tried to steer it back towards the one who had half of his bladed chain left. But it was too slow as a sandalled foot came her way with enough power Nishira knew it was going to hurt, but powerless to stop it in midst of the jutsu she was casting. Just as the foot was about to connect with her wincing face, a kama blade sliced through the ankle tendons of the offensive foot, eliciting howls of pain as the foot hung in an unnatural way.

Without waiting to see the aftermath, Sekawa's strong grip wrapped around Nishira's wrist and pulled her along towards the seal. Toma had pressed onto the slab and a tiny alcove appeared, just large enough to place the stone in and then held out his hand for Nishira, as Sekawa slammed it over the stone, and with a sickening lurch forward in Nishira's belly as though she were being dropped from the mountain top. They tumbled into darkness, unsure where it would lead or where they'd end up.

Nishira came careening out of whatever had been on the other side of the seal, and landed squarely on the back of Sekawa, who grunted from the impact.
"Get off, you're heavy."
Toma held out a hand and Nishira took it getting to her feet uneasily.
"Did we leave the stone behind?"
Nishira looked around until she heard a whoosh noise and the stone pinged her on the side of her head, knocking her off her feet. She blinked away the sudden headache to Sekawa's raucous laughter, and Toma trying to contain his own. Nishira pressed her lips together as she knelt to pick up the stone, handing it back to its charge.
"Where are we?"

As they looked around, Nishira was struck by the opulent green light that flooded the walls of the tunnel, casting a healthy and almost ethereal glow around them. Behind them was a dead end, there was no going back. Her shoe slopped from the water as she ventured further in, the other shoe missing. The walls were the same untamed texture that had been found throughout the system, a masterpiece of mother nature alone. But as they walked further onto the descending pathway, the sound of trickling water made them pause.

Cautiously they followed the sound as the trickling became a roar, convincing them a waterfall was around the corner. The excitement palpitated in them, as their steps quickened towards the center, feeling as though the end was finally nigh, their journey at an end. As the cave suddenly opened to the most beautiful and mesmerizing sight. The cave was not a single opening, but the stalagmites and stalactites wove to make an intricate pattern as far as the eye could see, the same ethereal green giving them life. In front of them was another bridge, but the evidence of man's interference was in the intricate carvings that lined the sides. Nishira noticed four other bridges coming from other sides of the cavern, converging into one center point that seemed held on a pedestal.

Team twenty-two moved towards it, the crowning point of the pathways held a brilliant white light half blinding them. As they came closer, a fountain came into view, the light came from just above the fountain, a carved stalactite coming to a point that almost met the top of the fountain. The fountain itself was just as intricate as the bridge had been. Perfect circles upon more perfect circles lay in interwoven patterns creating a vision that Nishira's eyes couldn't fathom. Four spouts come outwards from the center of the fountain as the water fell the hundreds of feet into the oblivion below. Nishira wondered if this was the same water that had entranced her so long ago at the beginning.
"Here lies the Will of Stone."
Nishira turned to see Toma taking in the full sight of the fountain trying to figure out their next task, while Sekawa stared at the words. Toma looked at the stone that had been their ticket in, and then at the peak of the fountain. It seemed as though there was a space to place a stone there. Following his lead, Sekawa and Nishira followed him up the narrowing pathway to the center.
"I think this is where the stone goes, and hopefully it'll be our way out of here."
There was only one space that led to the pinnacle and the three of them stood together, blinking out the bleariness of the past couple of days out of their eyes. With bated breath from all three, Toma placed the stone in the center, wary of what would happen. Their eyes scanned their surroundings for any hint of an attack. But none came, in fact nothing happened.
"That didn't work."
Toma, ignoring the bait, went back to silently scrutinizing the area around them, looking for clues or evidence. Sekawa began muttering to herself, trying to think of what puzzle could be at play, looking into the fountain, she saw that the bottom was lined with thousands of pebbles, very similar to the one they'd brought in.
"Maybe we need the right one?"
Careful of the strength the pull the water had to go into the spouts leading to a deadly drop, Sekawa slowly waded through the water, trying to see if any of them differed in colour, shape, or size. She'd yell at Toma to hold up the stone to compare, who'd do it without response, trying to scan the walls and architecture of the bridges. Nishira stood on the pedestal not sure how to help either of them. Looking down at her mismatched feet, she wasn't sure which foot was colder. Under the bare foot, Nishira noticed some grooves that resembled letters. After a quick brush, a sentence was emerging.
"The stone that carries the will of stone, is the one with the power to change the world."
Sekawa looked up curiously as Nishira dragged her foot around the circle landing, slowly reading the words. As she heard the words, Sekawa glared down at the stones in the fountain.
"None of these have the power to change the world!"
Nishira looked from the pedestal to the pool full of stones that changed the way the water rippled as it coursed to the spouts, which she realized were also made of stone.
"Guys, come here. Give me that."
She took the stone from Toma's hand, too distracted to have heard anything she'd said. The sound of heavy water being moved came with Sekawa as she made her way back, lifting herself up as she climbed back onto the platform.
"What does it mean?"
"You're right, Kawa. None of these stones can change the world. But together they can." She took the stone and dropped it into the water. Confidently, she waited for something to happen, feeling the stares turn from the rushing water back to her when nothing happened.
"Nishi, did you just lose the-?"
Before Sekawa could finish, a rumbling drew their attention back to the fountain and they waited to see what would happen, not noticing the effects until the floor beneath them gave way, their startled cries echoing as they fell. The chute dumped them outside of the mountain, the fresh air a welcome reprieve as they lay on the stone ground, even with the frigid bite into their flesh. The sky held a deep blue hue with ribbons of scarlet and orange chasing on its heels, signalling the beginning of the third day. It lay before them as the weight of their accomplishment set in. Nishira looked to her teammates, seeing for the first time the grime and blood and the way Sekawa's normally perfectly coiffed hair was lopsided and fallen out of its bindings, Toma's chest was peaking out from his tattered clothes, and Nishira could feel the dried crusted ooze from her fight, and from the realization that they'd made, she began to cackle, unable to contain it any longer, falling onto her back helplessly clutching her side. The sound was joined by her teammate's laughter as they lay in relief next to each other. They were distracted by the sound of footsteps approaching, looking up to see a proctor frowning at them.