Chuunin Exams Round 2: Ai Takahashi vs. Shizen Uchiha

The ANBU proctor dropped the two semifinalists off in the Shrine of Shadows, a temple dedicated to some lost, forbidden art. A huge blood-stained, stone altar in the middle made for sacrifices, and crumbling pillars that used to support the foundation of this dark building add an aura of menace and death only comparable by hell itself. The ground, littered with small patches of broken slabs of a marble floor, is mostly made of weed-grass, and vines wrap up around each pillar and the altar as well. Over the years, vegetation as invaded spacing once held to be intricate, and beautiful stone. The tall grass, weeds, and vines, along with the many stone pillars will add visual hindrances to each opponent, making it easier to hide amongst underbrush and behind the many pillars.

Shizen Uchiha will be placed on top of the stone altar, in plain sight. Ai Takahashi will be placed on the ground behind a pillar surrounded bushes ans tall weeds, hiding her from view. She is near what used to be the entrance of the shrine, placing her about 30 yards away from the altar and Shizen. The unique challenge in this fight will be to attempt to use your surroundings to your advantage, hiding. This fight will essentially be a game of cat-and-mouse. Shizen will be the cat, and Ai will start as the mouse. Will the hunter become the hunted? Or will the combatants just ignore the challenge and attack eachother head on?

Ai Takahashi will have the first post, and you may begin!

Ai stayed hidden as she assessed her surroundings. She her opponent standing in full view on top of some sort of alter about 30 yards away from her. She recognized him as the Shinobi she had met in Morigakure before who had gone off to train with one of the Sannin. Shizen was what she remembered him introducing himself as. She also remembered that he had a sharigan.

This won't be easy, she thought. But then again, it never is.

She decided not to reveal her position just yet, but did start charging chakra and weaving hand signs, readying her first attack. She made sure to keep her eyes on Shizen too. She was confident he hadn't seen her yet, but she didn't want to lose sight of him.

Chakra: 160/160

I opened my eyes to the sight of me being stood in broad day light on an alter. This place felt as though it had significance to me but that wasn't worth investigating right now, I had to focus only on the battle at hand. The problem was, I couldn't see my opponent. There was nothing but silence around me, but I didn't need my ears to find my opponent, only my eyes. I closed my eyes and when I re-opened them my eyes burned crimson red with the sharingan. Having only tomoe one my reflexes were increased to that of above a genin but not quite chuunin level, but regardless of the boost I gained I could now see the chakra signatures of anything around me, alas I could see nothing at this moment but I wasn't about to just stand around without preparing a counter for an attack coming from around me. I began to charge chakra into my hand and chipping away at the first celestial gate inside my body. I kept my knees bent, prepared for any assault to come from the bushes around me, and head on a swivel looking for any sign of chakra, all it would take was a little bit of a signature and I'd know exactly where they were and the real fight could begin.

Spoiler:

Ai finished her hand seals and out of the air around her, water molecules began coalescing beside her in the form of 2 exact copies of herself. They couldn't all hide behind the pillar though, and so she knew her position would be given away.

All three of her moved out from behind the pillar and started running directly toward Shizen, trying to close some of the distance. She began weaving hand signs as she ran, as did her two copies.

Spoiler:

Chakra: 140/160 (48/160 while clones are active)
Clone 1: 46/46
Clone 2: 46/46

There, I had picked up a signature, three actually and they were all of the same person. The person who it was surprised me, it was the girl from back when I originally came to Morigakure in search of refuge from my relatives. Her name was Ai if I remember correctly but right now she was nothing but a nameless body, an enemy. She made the mistake of charging head on into me, even with clones this was unwise. I first had to decipher which was the real one so I drew my gold colored katana in my left hand and sprinted straight at the clones and a few feet before reaching her I pulled off a hard stop, causing me to slide. Mid slide I swiped at the left Ai's mid section and would then use the momentum of the swing to continue into an attack on the center Ai with the blade. After that I would be fully stopped from the slide and I would charge at the right Ai and stab forward, aiming for her abdomen. I continued to chip away at my inner gates and kept the bolt strike circulating for when I needed to use it. I planned on showing her the mistake of not going with the sannin by demonstrating the power I achieved through their training.

He's fast!

Ai barely had the thought in her head and Shizen was already striking the first clone. The clone let out a quick gasp, and then was gone, nothing but a puddle of water. The second clone didn't have much more time before Shizen's blade sliced her as well. A short scream was all Ai heard before that clone too was gone. Luckily for her, Shizen had to come to a complete stop before his third attack hit and this gave her the chance she needed.

Her hand signs had just been finished and she felt chakra surge into her body. She had meant to use this technique to get behind Shizen while the clones attacked from the front, now it was so she could escape.

Ai felt her speed surge, and in an instant was back hidden behind another pillar of the crumbling ruins. She knew she had moved too fast for even his sharigan to see where she stopped, but not fast enough that he would have still caught the direction she went initially. She wouldn't have much time before he was back on her for another attack.

Ai began to charge chakra once again and to weave hand signs preparing for another strike.

Spoiler:

Chakra: 130/160

Right as I stabbed at the 3rd Ai's abdomen she dissappeared, but because I was so close when the jutsu took effect I could feel the wind pass as she moved at an ungodly speed much faster than my sharingan could follow. I felt the wind head in the direction of behind me back towards the pillars near the shrine. So it was going to be that kind of fight was it? I released the bolt fist back into my chakra system, having no need for it for now, and continued to chip away at the first gate in my body that was near to opening. I sheathed my ornate blade and began to weave together handseals, all the while keeping my head on a swivel for even the slightest chakra signature. I began to speak out to the forest, knowing she could hear me "I remember you, Ai was it? You're the one that spurned the sannins offer of training. I'm here to show you just how big of a mistake that was." While speaking I stayed alert and focused, knees bent, ready for any strike she may throw at me while I was speaking. I was about to use an extreme amount of chakra but the heat of the battle would definitely increase in a bit, hopefully more than she could handle.

Ai had a plan, but it would take another moment before she could enact it. For now, all she could do was stay hidden. She knew Shizen would grow impatient soon, but luckily, there were enough pillars on this side of the ruins that the odds were in her favor he wouldn't find her in the next moment or two. Still... odds can be wrong.

She knew choosing to sit still was a risky move, but if her plan paid off she'd be on the offensive again soon enough. She stopped weaving the hand signs she hand prepared and began weaving another set while continuing to charge chakra into her body. Even though she was just sitting her, she needed to be ready for anything.

Chakra: 130/160

So she chose to stay in hiding did she? Biggest mistake of the fight. There was an immense amount of vegetation everywhere and I excelled in fire jutsu, the battle was about to be turned my way. I finished weaving my handseals and launched a large fireball heading into the pillars where Ai had retreated. I had no idea where she was but only that she was there somewhere and my goal was to smoke or burn her out. The best part about this is that I would still be able to see her by a chakra signature so if she exposed herself I could hit her without her seeing me. I was now on the threshold of opening the first gate but kept there, no point in wasting chakra for something I may not need just yet. I may have just launched an attack but I still kept my eyes moving and knees bent, ready for action if the need arose.

Spoiler:

140/160

It has been 41 hours since Shizen Uchiha's last post, meaning Ai Takahashi has been disqualified by default! Shizen Uchiha will advance to the finals to face the famous son of the Hebikage, Lag Kinzoku!

Who will win? Will Shizen pull off an underdog victory to defeat the vigorously trained Lag? Or will Lag rise up to an expected win? In one week from this very moment, the final battle of these two talented Genin will be underway. Good luck to you, Shizen Uchiha!