Asuka Koizumi and Reiji Saikumo
Asuka was about to follow suit behind Seji when she felt a hand on her arm.
"Let him go after those two. Hopefully he finds a piece or two along the way. Like you said we'll cover more ground if we go the opposite way...with your speed we'll cover even more, Koizumi-san." Reiji had stopped her from going after the others insisting that they split up even further.
"My speed? But they've already set off two traps. It would be safer if we..." Right, they had already set off two traps. Plus, they needed to continue the search and the best results would come from a wider search area. It seemed to her that Reiji had some kind of plan in mind by the confident way he spoke. Asuka nodded.
"Okay, then let's get moving Reiji-san." As the lion-maned genin set off she made sure to keep up.
Reiji managed to convince the Koizumi kunoichi to join him in searching the other end of the forest. Landing swiftly on a branch high up in the trees he began to examine the area. He could see some obvious traps from this vantage point, as well as deduce some of the likely places based on the ones those.
"This paperbomb set up could be a real problem--Fuyuko-sensei probably set them up all along the common routes we'd take. The forest floor, treetops, she's probably got a few hidden under the earth..." Asuka arrived without delay next to Reiji.
"She must be insane if she's willing to risk killing us during this test." While Reiji could agree with that sentiment it didn't detract from the fact it made things interesting.
"Hmph~ She may have covered all the normal routes but can't hinder us in the clouds." Asuka watched as Reiji weaved the dragon handsign clueless of what he had planned. She then felt the air start to shift all around them. Before she knew it numerous small white clouds formed within the vicinity. They scattered like stepping stones in a pond.
"Ah, I get it. That's quite a handy jutsu, Reiji-san.""Koizumi-san, if you use my Sekiun you'll be able use your speed to it's fullest and search these areas quickly with little fear of triggering the bombs. Think you can handle it~?" It was a good plan. It wasn't full proof but it did reduce the chances of falling into Sensei's traps significantly. If she kept her eyes sharp she should be able to avoid the traps that the clouds didn't circumvent. Asuka smiled confidently and prepared to demonstrate the speed her family was renowned for.
"Thank you for making a path Reiji-san. I'll be sure to do my absolute best in return." Even before Reiji could nod in agreement Asuka was gone and navigating the clouds with impressive agility and reflexes.
She's more than just fast...I have concentrate quite a bit just to keep up with her. I wonder just how well Koizumi-san can use that speed in battle~ It wasn't long before Asuka finished scouring this part of the forest.
"It seems there are none around this here." She informed as she returned to where Reiji was waiting.
"I guess it was too much to hope we'd find them that quickly. Let's move on and cover another sector then."
Reiji and Asuka continued using their strategy to comb the forest as efficiently as possible. Reiji would create an area of clouds and Asuka would use them to speedily search their surroundings. It wasn't a perfect system. Fuyuko-sensei was more crafty than Reiji had given her credit for. They had created a way to avoid the bulk of traps using his Sekiun but there were still some they couldn't have accounted for. With two sets of eyes, Asuka's reflexes, and a lot of luck they'd managed keep from setting off any more traps. Though not without some close calls. This method also didn't allow for a completely thorough search. Moving as quickly as she was it was likely she could miss handful of spots. They had been at it for a good 20 minutes now and still haven't found any pieces. Asuka returned from her latest sprint a little winded.
"Haa...haa...nothing. I didn't...expect her to make this simple but..." Reiji gritted his teeth. There was no way he was going back to the academy because he can't find a piece of paper. He was getting impatient and there wasn't much time left.
"Che...we've really found ourselves in a hole. Dammit..." Reiji was racking his brain for an idea. He could have used Water Clones to help the search but he figured the more bodies the higher chance of setting off a trap. It was the same reason he let Seji go off to find the others. What now?
"Wait, what did you say Reiji-san?" Asuka perked up suddenly in realization. Reiji stood from his crouched position.
"I don't know...what did I say?" He really wasn't sure what he'd uttered to provide her with such an epiphany.
" 'We've really found ourselves in a hole'...you said earlier that Fuyuko-sensei probably hid the traps along the forest floor, treetops..." Reiji followed her train her train of thought and felt that same sense of realization hit him.
"Even under the earth! If she's hidden traps in the ground why wouldn't she do the same with these pieces." Asuka nodded affirming Reiji's thoughts.
"A small ways back I spotted a hole in the ground while I was combing the area. It seemed like it could lead to a small cave." It was a gamble. There was no guarantee their prize would be there. They could either continue doing what they've been doing and use up the rest of their time on a fruitless search or they could backtrack and give this longshot lead a chance, also using what time they have left.
"Nice work. It'll probably be our best and last chance. Lead the way Koizumi-san." Without another word Asuka and Reiji dashed off without worry as they knew where most of the traps were on the path back.
"This it?" In only a couple of minutes Reiji and Asuka arrived at the cave opening she mentioned.
"Yes. Hopefully this really is it." Less than ten minutes. No time to waste.
"Sekiun." Reiji created a cloud platform so they could lower themselves down slowly in case of traps on the descent. He held out his hand to assist Asuka onto the white mass.
"Hop on." Asuka nodded with smirk.
"Even though you're chronically late to class, you're surprisingly polite Reiji-san." As not to disparage his kind offer she took his hand and stepped onto the cloud. Reiji shrugged.
"Don't get used to it. I'd like to fight each of you one day and the gentleman is left outside the battlefield~" Descending into the cavern they seemed to be in the clear for traps. They were no less cautious though.
It was a short way down and they found themselves at the bottom in moments. As Asuka speculated the cave was relatively small. At first glance it seemed like their last shot was a bust. No pieces, not even any traps. Nothing on the cavern floor or the walls. But they were ninja, they had quite a few more options than most. Reiji leaped and used chakra to attach himself to the ceiling. It was a hunch but a successful one. Stuck to one of the stalactite's protruding from the ceiling was just what they were looking for.
"About time. It just better not be a piece litter~" Reiji reached out to take the scrap of paper.
"Reiji-san stop!" As commanded Reiji stopped dead in his tracks. Asuka, unsheathing her sword slightly let the light from above reflect of it and over Reiji's hand. In between his outstretched fingers was the thinnest of wires. In his impatience Reiji had discarded his caution and nearly tripped the well concealed thread. He sighed in relief.
"Keen eyes Koizumi-san. Thank you.""Your welcome. Please be more careful. I don't want to have a teammate die on my watch on the first day." Reiji nodded and avoided the trap taking hold of the paper. Peeling it off the stalactite his eyes widen seeing the paperbomb underneath.
"Dammit! Koizumi-san, take cover!" He yelled as he jumped back, swiftly retreating from the eminent explosion. They both hid behind some of the bigger rocks in the cave and braced themselves for the blast. The blast that never came.
"Huh? Was it a dud?" Reiji poked his head over the rocks and saw the paperbomb still there completely inert.
"That or she's messing with us...somehow the latter seems more likely..." Asuka and Reiji stepped out from their cover. Walking into the light from the cave's entrance Reiji noticed something about the piece they'd gotten. The corner was slightly split.
"No wonder this one was so well hidden and there was even that dummy trap...looks like our long shot payed off~" Reiji peeled the two pieces apart with a triumphant smirk. Asuka sighed with relief knowing they'd managed to find their prize in time. Then she saw it. Sandwiched between the two pieces, she saw the pattern of another paperbomb.
"Reiji-san! We need to get out of here!" In a flash Asuka drew her sword, flicking it and separating the paperbomb from the thin pieces. Before his eyes the deadly slip floated down in front of Reiji. Without hesitation he used Sekiun creating a cloud pathway up and out of the cave. Asuka sheathed her sword in a split second and leapt up taking the path with Reiji following closely behind. The familiar sound of hissing as the paperbomb ignited echoed throughout the cave followed by a deafening explosion. The blast was following them up the shaft out of the cave. Reiji turned around weaving the dragon sign and creating a larger cloud as a barrier.
Asuka scrambled out of the hole, tripping and tumbling along the ground. Protected by his cloud shield Reiji was blasted out of the cavern with a great amount of leftover force, slamming him into a thick tree branch above.
"Ngh!" Reiji caught hold of the branch before he could fall to the ground below. Looking up, Asuka saw the lion-maned shinobi dangling from the branch.
"Reiji-san, are you okay?" She called slightly worried. Reiji let go of the branch and landed safely on the forest floor, though holding his shoulder.
"Yeah...hehe, that was a rush~ And the best part is...we still got what we came for." He said with a trumphant chuckle while holding up the two pieces for Asuka to see.
Not a minute later Seichi and Seji arrived, both with a piece. Without even a greeting they read what was on their pieces to them as if they were to solve the gatekeepers riddle.
"The only way to melt away." "Humans cannot freeze time." Asuka took one of the pieces from Reiji and read it.
"But time can freeze us..." Reiji looked at his.
"Mine just says 'with fire.'" Seji frowned hearing the cryptic words.
"Is Fuyuko on drugs or something? Or is she just bat-shit crazy?" Asuka sighed at the comment.
"As probable as it might be I believe we're just reading them out of order. Although, we're still missing one...Wait, where's Toko!?" She said with concern.
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