Ayane had watched the whole fight from above. While she’d done her business she’d noticed the three strangers. As she got ready to head back she’d gone around a big tree, summoned Jin and quickly transformed it into her own likeness. Jin had then walked back toward the rocks while Ayane was safe among the branches. She was lucky the strangers weren’t ninjas, in that case one of them might’ve seen through her trap. 
Just as she thought, Jin was grabbed, and killed within a minute. As soon as that happened she let go of Jin and summoned Zanza instead, the doll with the two great swords. Is things got really ugly she was ready to have Zanza rush to the battlefield, swords swinging. Even though it was a predictable and direct attack, even a skilled ninja would have a hard time dealing with a surprise attack like that. 
The rest of the team exploded into battle, holding nothing back in a furious attempt to avenge the death of their new friend. They did well, so well that Ayane didn’t use her doll even when Nathaniel's leg was broken. Not that she could’ve done much to prevent it. And after that, well, he seemed to have it under control, better to save the element of surprise for when it was really needed. 
That situation came soon after both the men had been taken care off. The female in the kimono had only appeared as a nuisance at first, but had then struck Zee swift and hard, and had revealed an ability which many ninjas would die for (some might have). While Ayane hadn’t been able to do much for Nathaniel, she wasn’t going to let the same happen to Zee. 
Ayane had watched and learned. The Kimono-clad woman used a special martial art that consisted mainly of blocks and (Ayane suspected) counters. A very bad matchup for a close-quarter fighter like Zee, but against a sword-wielding puppet with no sense of self-preservation? Perfect.

The woman made a swift move against Zee, ready to block a half-assed counter-attack to begin storing power for a new attack. Out of the tree where Ayane was hiding came a wooden puppet dressed in rags, about the same size as a normal man. In each hand it held a zanbatou, a great sword, rivalling those of Shingetsu and Haruhi in size. Like it weighed nothing at all the puppet soared through the air and managed to intercept the woman only a few steps before she’d reach Zee. Both swords were swung at her, but Zanza’s speed was no match for her. 
“What?” She asked as she'd managed to get back on her feet, and stared in disbelief at the doll in front of her, standing and moving seemingly on its own. Ayane wasn’t going to let the element of surprise go to waste and immediately followed up with another attack. 

While Zanza attacked the woman made no effort to counter. Simply dodging the massive blades was hard enough, blocking them was out of the question. Every now and then she reached out and nudged the huge swords very gently, but just enough to alter their path in order to dodge them easier. Her speed was greater the puppet's. At best, Zanza could only keep her occupied, and not for very long. 
While Ayane kept Zanza on the offensive with her left hand, she drew the scroll containing Oni with her right and summoned it. Luckily, summoning objects didn’t require blood.
Oni was about the size of a small man, also clad in rags, but instead of hands it had long, sharp metal claws. She formed chakra threads with her right hand and placed them around Oni’s body, flexed his limbs a few times to check her control before she sent him into battle as well.

“I grow tired of this game!” The woman cried, obviously no longer surprised or impressed with Zanza’s performance. As it swung both great swords against her she released all the power she’d managed to build during their short duel. The first blade came in horizontally from the left, she struck it from above and sent it straight into the ground. The second came from above, this was gracefully sidestepped and struck from the side, which sent it halfway through a thick tree. “You’re done!” She said as every ounce of power she could muster was put into one furious attack aimed at Zanza’s torso. It struck hard, and sent the whole torso flying, spraying damaged parts, leaving legs and arms behind. 

Oni arrived then, this time the woman didn’t even flinch. “Another?” She asked, and looked around to see where these puppets were coming from. This had been her first mistake, Oni was not in the same league as Zanza. In the blink of an eye Oni had closed the distance between them. The woman realised too late, but still had enough speed to turn away. Oni’s claws tore through the chest of her Kimono, but failed to draw blood. Again, before she could escape. The claws tore the lower part of her dress, and a nasty wound on her thigh. 
[i]”I have her.”[/i] Ayane thought, and sent Oni down to the ground with a low attack aimed toward the legs. The woman tried to jump, but the wound on her thigh prevented it. Oni’s claws dug deep into the woman’s calves. 
[i]”Time for the finale.”[/i]
As Oni appeared behind the woman it opened it’s arms, both claws were shot out and buried themselves in two nearby trees. Oni then turned and went below the woman, around the right side, above, down the left…
The woman could only watch as she was covered in razor-sharp ninja wire. 

Ayane left her hiding place with a might jump and landed not far from the woman. Oni was standing still in front of her. Only one thread of chakra went from Ayane’s right hand to it, but there wasn’t any need for more. 
“You!?” The woman asked, confused “You’re dead, Toshi killed you.” 
“I am a puppeteer of the Sand” Ayane replied, confident now that her opponent was trapped in a death-trap. “We’re not killed that easy, it was just a trick to see what your intentions really was.” In fact, this is the first time you’ve seen me at all. What that big brute snapped the neck of was just one of my puppets.”  
“But I saw you…” 
“I used a transformation technique to make it look like me, its one of the easiest tricks a ninja can use, and you all fell for it.” 
The woman didn’t take to that last part kindly, she screamed furiously and produced a knife from somewhere within her clothes and began to cut the wires that held her. Ayane flicked her finger.
Servoes began to work hard within the arms of Oni, the wires were being pulled back with amazing force. The wires tightened and before they started to cut into the woman’s skin the claws were pulled out of their trees. 
After that, it all happened very quickly. The claws began to zig-zag through the air faster than the naked eye could see. They returned to Oni with two distinct “thuds”, then the woman began to fall apart. The arms were chopped into bits, as were the legs and the torso, even the head fell to the ground in no less than five pieces. 

Utter destruction. 
Only a few minutes before the site had been almost serene, a scene in the forest, green leaves, trees, birds singing in the distance. Now it was a mess, craters, destroyed rocks, blood and corpses…
Ayane sealed Oni back into the scroll and approached her team. There was no use in hiding anymore. Jin’s identity was known, so to keep hiding wouldn’t be good for the team. Ayane approached her team mates with a nervous smile and a wave.
“Hello again. I’m _so_ sorry for making you worry about me. I would’ve helped you out, but once you got going there wasn’t really room for me. I’m so very sorry” She said, and bowed to her new friends. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful, or like a slacker. She really hoped they could forgive her, Nathaniel especially, he had a broken leg and nose because she hadn’t pitched in. 
“I’m no medic, but I have some spare parts that could be used as a splint for his leg.” She said after looking at him, and bowed once more in apology… What was that?
Something was poking out of the big man’s clothes, and it didn’t look natural. Led by her curiosity she went over to the corpse and searched it. Two scrolls were found.

First scroll:
[i]Letter of pardon for B-rank criminal Igate Toshi
As the owner of this letter, the man known as Igate Toshi is free to travel, live in or leave the country of fire at will. His crimes will be cleared and all records deleted.
Signed by the daimyo of the country of fire.[/i]

Second scroll:
[i]Instructions for the forest of death.
You have volunteered to participate in the SETU-exam in the forest of death in exchange for a chance of pardon. Your task is simple, but not easy.
A number of teams will enter the forest and attempt to survive there for three whole days. Your task is to make this as hard as possible. 
Please note that these teams will consist of five people, but only one needs to be terminated for the whole team to fail. After the exam you may exit the forest by any of the major gates, your individual letter of pardon is your ticket to freedom.[/i]

Ayane read the two scrolls, and then passed them around the team, speechless.