Pinpointing the fact that one needed to escape was completely different from actually pulling it off. Even finding out how to do that was troublesome enough. The only thought in the process of being refined and polished like a pearl inside of a mollusk was the attempt to weaken the user.
Mana launched herself at the blonde at a speedy dash, unlike her usual approach. Continuously blows skipped the defenses of the overwhelmed specialist ninja, greatly confusing the female opponent in the process.
"Konoha's Sorceress, I did not know you were so skilled hand to hand… It is not quite my own specialty but to even go this far…" the woman commended Mana's skill while she was wiping the blood off her face. A particularly sharp frontal assault made the rogue lean back quickly enough that her hood slipped off of her head and the woman's body rolled back.
"What are you waiting for?" Chominu wheezed out while still overcome by his allergic reaction. "Help Mana!"
"You are just as numb-skulled as always," Lithia noted. "Don't you see that other guy standing perfectly still? He is waiting for us to foolishly charge ahead and open up so he can take us out from the side. The only reason he does not attack Mana himself is that he is afraid we would do the same to him."
A katana blade slipped out from the sleeve of the rogue woman. Strands of chakra reached out like roots of growing trees before completely enveloping the exposed blade in a coat of emerald green. It was a chakra coat of quite a high skill level, not only was it not base chakra cloaking but it was not even one of the basic chakra elemental natures coating the sword.
The woman leaned forward with a mad dash. Mana instinctively prepared for the upcoming attack. She was ready for her incredible speed, even if the woman was too fast for Mana to face head-on without the element of surprise, the magician could still avoid her attacks by dodging her line of charge. Each time that her opponent would correct her angle and direction, she'd lose speed until her speed was just right for Mana to deal with.
It was a noble attempt but just when Mana exposed her back, a blade pierced her from behind stopping the magician in her path of retreat. The woman had faked her speed, charging slower with the initial charge and then using the remaining reserves of force stored in her muscles on the secondary leap. Not only was she strong, she was pretty crafty too.
Mana's body twitched before dissolving into flower petals. Within mere seconds of the magician's body dispersing, the blonde rotated her blade around and began madly thrusting right behind her, forcing the apparently real Mana on the defensive. Surprisingly enough, the magician managed to weave and lean around the dancing emerald-colored blade and avoid a repeat of the fate that her illusionary body met.
"Your chakra reserves are remarkable. Already you may possess as much chakra as a jounin-level ninja." The green-dressed rogue ninja complimented Mana while the green glow around her blade faded and she made her sword disappear in a hidden sheath inside her sleeve once more.
"Are you a sensor ninja too?" Kidenshi growled.
"Oh no, I merely follow the tide of battle. Did you even see the complicated string of moves your teammate performed?" the woman wondered.
"Yeah, she's pretty fast, I guess…" Kidenshi puffed out his cheeks. He did not like admitting that someone who was trying to rank up in the same Chuunin Exams as him and his team was so far ahead of them.
"Not just fast. She began the fight by replacing herself with her rabbit, they both then, in a split moment, used Transformation Jutsu to mimic each other's appearance. That was how she fooled my taijutsu skills and had her kickass bunny land a bunch of cheap shots of me. I take it that this rabbit is a taijutsu user?" The rogue ninja assumed while giving Usubane a questioning look.
Neither Mana nor Usubane, whichever each one was, humored the enemy with an answer. Usubane stood in front of Chominu with her arms extended wide. Almost like the rabbit was in a position to shield the suffering Akimichi with her own body.
"Substituting with one another like that… You two must share quite the amount of trust for each other to be able to do it. Live substitution only works with a consensual participant." The woman smiled.
"Your name…" Chominu's raspy voice echoed, interrupting the rogue's moment and making the ever-vigilant partner of hers turn at the chubby Konoha genin with shock. Nobody expected the Akimichi to be able to speak in a dimension filled with pollen that was so dense it made everything appear like it was covered in mist. "You got flustered before when we mentioned the word Konoha, it's because it's your name too, isn't it?"
Usubane turned at Chominu, her worried face got lighter once the clever observation of the usually quite thick Akimichi made its way past her system.
"I can't believe it." Konoha's male partner clenched a fist before nervously launching himself at the entire group. Lithia and Kidenshi prepared to attack the enemy in his exposed sides while he dashed towards Usubane, possibly Mana in the rabbit's shape, body-shielding the recovering Akimichi.
Kidenshi leaped right at the charging enemy from the left side, Pompomaru was building up momentum running all over the Inuzuka's body before letting all of the built up momentum out with a strong uppercut aimed at the lower jaw of his opponent. Lithia's eyes flared up red. She went through a pair of handseals and a silver-glow of the limited lighting of the pollen dimension reflecting off of the shuriken in her hands, revealing the girl's plan.
The man powered through Kidenshi's attack, turning his head a bit so that the hit just grazed him and gone by while he kept up his momentum. The Inuzuka got thrown a little off balance by how easily his blow was avoided himself which made following the much faster opponent near impossible.
"Multi-Shuriken Jutsu!" Lithia chanted out, using her Sharingan for pitch-perfect accuracy with her multiplied flurry of shuriken aimed both at the speeding behemoth that was Konoha's male partner and where he would soon be, given his immense speed of movement. Impossible calculations of trajectory, insane angles all got processed by the Sharingan and a perfect aim was achieved with very little rationality from Lithia's own part – it was all just pure instinct.
No thought meant no lag between what the Sharingan relayed and Lithia's actions. Despite that, the shuriken just bounced off of the enemy's skin. All the multiplied ninja tools dispelled into thick smoke the moment that the opposing force forced them to break and bend on impact.
Within just a pair of dashes, the man was winding up a strong blow aimed right at Usubane. Despite the rabbit's eyes following her opponent most of the way through, she refused to move or lower her extended and raised hands. Mana's voice could have been heard screaming out in pain, shortly following a loud shattering sound with hints of howling winds.
"I knew it…" Konoha's partner checked his aching wrist with a smug grin. "The little brat had raised a Wind Release barrier of some sort to help her fatso pal recover, that was why he was getting to his feet."
The knocked down figure, that not too long ago wore Usubane's shape, grunted in pain, now appearing like a short, raven-haired girl with a stage magician's uniform with a cracked forehead that kept on sending trickling blood down her forehead.
"Mana-san!" the shape that previously wore Mana's skin revealed itself to be Usubane using Transformation Jutsu to imitate the appearance of her summoner, just like Konoha had assumed earlier. The rogue ninja was quite intelligent to have realized that something was off with her opponent's taijutsu prowess.
"E-Even when you were about to get hit…" Chominu wheezed as his body began to swell again once exposed to the pollen inside the sealing dimension. "Y-you didn't move…"
"I must agree with him, you are a much more potentially useful asset." Lithia played with her hair, despite her attempts to play this off, the Uchiha was clearly a bit ticked off by how little their combined attack did to the enemy.
It couldn't have been helped. Team Walnut was not used to working together. Even if the enemy exposes themselves and opens themselves up like this, the difference between their power and skill more than makes up for the disadvantages they place themselves in.
"That's right, it was a mistake to worry about that fat slob instead of your own survival." Konoha sighed easier. She was almost taunting the magician with the revelation of what the woman perceived as a mistake from Mana's part. "Just think how much waste this human tank produces, how much produce goes to waste every day to feed him…"
"Is that what this is all about? Waste?" Mana riposted with a sharp digging question. The magician showed admirable effort in getting off the ground but it did not look like the large partner of Konoha's was going to just let the downed kunoichi get back up.
"Empty Fang!" Kidenshi yelled out while a blast of wind threw the enemy off his guard, finally allowing Mana to roll out of harm's way. The attack was weak, just barely strong enough to make the man stumble but it slowed him down just long enough for the magician to get back up and get back into the fight.
"For the last time, you idiot, you're supposed to let that jutsu build up." Lithia mocked her teammate.
"I had no time for that…" Kidenshi started waving his hands frantically while Pompomaru leaped off of the boy's body and started barking at the girl as well. As if it was a part of the argument. It was the thought and notion that counted.
"To answer your question…" Konoha looked down, letting the front cut of her blond hair slip on top of her eyes and hide them away. "That is quite right, Konoha has toppled and corrupted quite enough of the Land of Fire forests."
"Huh? We are quite literally surrounded by a wall…" Lithia smacked her forehead. "Are you an idiot of some kind? Konoha is not expanding any farther, you literally just committed an act of terrorism for nothing…"
"Just because Konoha is not expanding, does not mean that the landscape is not slowly being changed. Konoha is just a jewel in the Fire Lord's crown, one that will be painful enough to lose to listen to our demands." Konoha smiled. Mana did not see a hint of reason in the woman's eyes. There was just blind emotion and instinct that fueled her quest to destroy the entire village just so it could be replaced by whatever sprouts these lanterns produced on its ruin.
"So you really did go rogue then." Mana pressed her lips tightly in disappointment. "Forfeited your status as a village specialist ninja for whatever this bunch of eco-terrorists threw your way?"
"Save it, missy." Konoha's partner stretched his shoulders before taking an offensive, grappling-focused stance, alerting everyone around him that he no longer felt worried about exposing himself and decided to fight. "Whatever foolish bonds Konoha once had to… Damn it… Didn't I tell you that was so damn confusing!?" the man flipped out in mid-sentence.
"Why do you think I started working for the Intelligence Division?" Konoha spread her hands out, clearly shifting her focus toward her partner.
"You started serving the village as an intelligence ninja because you wanted your name classified?" Mana's jaw dropped.
The magician had always believed ninja serving the village being noble, skilled and just about as devoted to the ninja creed as one could get. She would have never imagined that one could have joined in due to reasons as foolish as liking the uniform or the place of work or something as stupid as getting your name classified.
"Well… A turncoat is always a turncoat. I'm sure if you drop this foolish ecological crusade the village may take you back in. You can get a fancy nickname or whatever…" Lithia suggested.
"Forget it. I never joined the Intelligence Division because I loved the job. Because it was meant for me. This though… Saving the world is as noble of a goal as any. One by one, our organization will return Earth to its primal state and the surviving ninja will live in perfect harmony with nature instead of corrupting it." Konoha chanted while she took an offensive sword-fighting stance.
"Mana-san…" Usubane spoke up, the little rabbit has been quivering this whole time, it couldn't have been helped. This whole experience must have been frightening to her, being kidnapped and sealed away into some different dimension by enemies mightier than her own idol. One that had no right being accepted or admired anyway. "Do you really feel how that woman said you do way back?"
When the teen rabbit turned her head at the magician, Mana saw it shaking with excitement. The little flames that usually were present in the vibrant eyes of the rabbit brawler have now grown into full-on firestorms and did not show any signs of stopping. The magician could only answer with a genuine smile.
"I trust everybody."
"Very well then," Lithia crossed her arms over her chest while flippantly raising her right hand at the meatier of the two opponents and turning her dark eyes at Kidenshi. "Fight that man, Konoha's Sorceress and her rabbit minion can take on the Intelligence Ninja."
"Aren't you going to fight with me!?" Kidenshi flipped out. Pompomaru barked alongside his partner with quite the vitriol towards the little Uchiha.
"Mana-san?" Usubane turned back at the enemy, acknowledging at least a part of Lithia's plan. Mana had to hand it to the Uchiha, while her decision to leave Kidenshi and Pompomaru to fight Konoha's partner all by themselves, likely because of the danger that the man posed, she did enjoy the idea of fighting alongside Usubane.
"Do not focus too much effort on this," Mana instructed the rabbit. "I need you to do something."
"B-But…" Usubane worried without losing concentration on the enemy.
"I need you to hit the very edge of this dimension with all you got during an opening," Mana said firmly. "I have noticed that Konoha's chakra did not decrease at all by just spending time in this dimension which means she is not tethering in between and keeping us here. Just defeating her will not bring us back home. We need to break the dimensional wall and break out."
Usubane glared at Mana for a short while. The magician regrouped with her newly gained partner and took a fighting stance alongside her, finishing up placing all the pieces back on the board. Mana wanted to keep using her Magic Bubble jutsu to protect Chominu from all the airborne pollen but breaking out of this dimension was the only surefire way of stopping his misery.
Kidenshi made the first move, raising his hand up and instructing Pompomaru to charge forward. In a blitzing dash, the ninja Pomeranian whirled around the body of his partner, building up momentum in a previously unseen rate of acceleration before quickly leaping off of the Inuzuka's shoulder. Air, sound, and light appeared to bend and break around the ninja pooch, the canine blasted at the massive enemy in a powerful tackle.
The giant placed his hands together and in front to block Pompomaru's attack. He grunted loudly as the dog's skull made contact with his block and the force of impact forced the man to slide back a little, surprisingly, other than the discomfort of the attack, the enemy withstood it without taking any damage.
"Watch out!" Kidenshi warned his airborne partner who was in a completely open position for a counterattack. The dog just barked in a manner resembling a regretful and sad whine but he was not attacked whatsoever, instead, the lumbering rogue pushed the dog aside gently while he charged at Kidenshi.
Kidenshi's eyes whited out, completely baffled by the speed of his large opponent who, having his size in mind, should not have been this much of a speedster. However, before the feared attack could connect, the giant just fumbled and tripped over on his butt, looking confused as to the reason why he had fallen.
"String Reeling…" Lithia smiled to reveal a bit of steel wire pressed in between her teeth. In the gloom of the dimension's lighting condition and the constant mist of pollen, the steel wire was difficult to track.
"You…" the giant ground his teeth in anger. In his mind, he played the last few events back and pinpointed the moment when he was tagged with perfect precision. It was when Pompomaru tackled him and, for a moment, even the higher-ranking rogue wondered if he could withstand this noble effort unscathed.
"What big softies, you eco-types, can't be troubled to harm animals, huh?" Lithia mocked her opponent. "I bet that was the only thing on your mind, to keep the poor little puppy from getting hurt…"
"Didn't even feel your shuriken…" the giant grumbled while he stood up and removed the little chunk of steel that was dangling by a piece of wire around his shin.
"That's because I hit you in your protected spot." Lithia bragged and appeared to revel in her own strategic genius.
"N-No way, you can't possibly see it!?" Her opponent lost his composure. His only reply was a crimson shine of the revered Sharingan of the Uchiha as if taunting the man to continue his fool's errand of underestimating the Sharingan's degree of perception.
"Maybe a lowly sensor such as Konoha's Sorceress could not see your seals but I can. Seeing how they are chakra in nature, they are as standout to me as tattoos." Lithia replied.
"Huh? What are you on about?" Kidenshi scratched the top of his head in confusion. "What tattoos?"
"Exactly…" Lithia smiled with her larger than life pride in her own abilities settling down to a more subtle smirk. "Just keep wailing at the brick wall and entertaining me while I do all the work for you."
"Aww, you hear that, Pompomaru?" Kidenshi grinned with a full-teeth smile while his partner jumped atop of his shoulder, preparing for another run at the enemy. "She does care…"
"An aristocrat is nothing without lowly chaff to plow their fields. You're just an asset I'd rather have around, that is all." Lithia's face turned more focused and serious.
It appeared that even the dysfunctional Team Walnut has managed to somehow work together for a common goal of escaping the pollen dimension.
