[center][h1][color=f49ac2]Asuka Koizumi[/color][/h1][/center]
As she slowly approached the two, Asuka continued to inhale and exhale, still trying to cool her head after the recent ordeal. She took her place next to the boy who's name she didn't know, her line of sight shifting towards him. Asuka lowered her stance by a few millimeters, still focused on the straw haired boy.

[color=00a651]"Hey, my name is Taibushi by the way. I figured that may become pertinent information at some point,"[/color] Taibushi muttered, his gaze now shifting towards her. Well, at least she had a name now. No need to have to go through the awkward process of using the words 'him' or 'the boy who's name she didn't know' anymore, and that raised her spirits a little. 

[color=00a651]"And I'll probably be needing yours as well."[/color]

The black-haired kunoichi nodded, smiling gently. Her eyes were now focused on her sensei, shining with some sort excitement in them. [color=f49ac2]"Yes, of course. Please forgive me for not mentioning my name earlier. My name's Asuka Koizumi, Taibushi-san. It's a pleasure to meet you."[/color]

Returning his gaze to Mao, Taibushi leant in a bit closer, whispering his ideas to Asuka as quietly as he could. She decided to stoop down a little, bending her left knee slightly so she could hear the boy's tactics. Although she wasn't too conscious about her dastardly tall stature for the average fifteen-year-old girl, Asuka still felt a bit embarrassed by this notable characteristic. The height difference between Taibushi and herself wasn't too great, but it still made her feel a bit uncomfortable nevertheless.

Asuka listened carefully to Taibushi's plan, trying to memorise every single detail so she wouldn't miss anything important. After all, this boy seemed to be a bit more tactical and strategic than her, so it was best that she listened in on the his thoughts. Taking the fight into the forest seemed like a wise idea, even if Asuka had set off some of the traps in the wide clearing. It was obvious that the boy didn't want to risk anything out in the here, instead deciding to perform his own little tricks inside the thick barrier of trees.

[color=00a651]"In the mean time however, we need to keep him busy here,"[/color] Taibushi finished, his eyes flickering from Asuka to Mao continuously. The young Koizumi nodded, patting her mahogony sword sheath.

[color=f49ac2]"Don't worry, Taibushi-san. Get to the forest as fast as you can and do what you need to do. I'll keep Mao-sensei at bay. As soon as you are ready, just-"[/color]

Asuka didn't even have any time to finish her sentence. Performing a series of swift hand movements, a large stream of water escaped Taibushi's mouth, splashing the dry earth and forming another short statured Taibushi. But, this wasn't any ordinary clone Asuka had come across before..

[i][color=f49ac2]A water clone technique? I'm sure that's C-rank jutsu… Still, C-rank  techniques do take some practise. Taibushi-san must have gone through quite a lot to have mastered a technique like that.[/color][/i]

In the blink of an eye, the clone had already sprinted off into the forest, becoming a small dark spec as soon as it entered through the gate of thick trees. So Taibushi sent a clone into the forest to do the handiwork whilst he stayed and fought with Asuka. A clever strategy indeed. 

In her head, the girl thought things were moving a bit too quickly. What was she supposed to do now? Slash at her teacher until the clone's task was completed? Or let the real Taibushi go first on the offensive? To be honest, the boy didn't seem as physically trained up in comparison to Asuka, so maybe letting him take the first strike wouldn't be too wise. Asuka took using one of her techniques into consideration, but with still a large amount of traps and bombs planted all over the place, the idea was immediately dropped. There was another technique she could use against Mao, but performing that jutsu would be pretty inconvenient. Her clan's fighting style was more centered towards weakening their opponent and pulling out the big guns once they were caught of guard. In the current state Mao was in, performing Crimson Spring Breeze wouldn't be all that useful. With his reflexes, she was sure he would be able to evade it some way or another. Letting go of her katana's hilt, Asuka relaxed her arms, leaving her injured arm dangling by her side. 

It seems that the injury is worse than I had predicted… I can't fight with my sword in my current state. Before the pain subsides, it will just be my head and my legs doing the work for the time being. That clone needs as much time as it can to do whatever it needs to do. In the mean time, Taibushi and I are just going to have to keep Mao-sensei occupied.

[color=f49ac2]"Taibushi-san,"[/color] Asuka whispered, lowering herself down to his level. [color=f49ac2]"If you can fling a few shurkien at Mao-sensei, then I might just be able to catch him off guard. In the state I'm in right now, I won't be able to do much with my sword, but I can fight with my chakra alone just as well. I probably won't be able to land a hit, but if he does happen to try and block my attack, see if you can swoop in behind him."[/color]

Staring back at Mao, Asuka focused some chakra into her feet, prepared to at least do some damage. Once Mao was weakened and his strength was watered down a little, Asuka and Taibushi could hopefully think of something to retrieve that single bell. 

[i][color=f49ac2]If what Mao-sensei wants is his pupils coming at him with an intent to kill, then that's exactly what we're going to give him![/color][/i]