[Maikeru D. Shinigami]

Episode 16

You Pass!

Spoiler:

.......Araiando, Chorinzo, Rin and Maikeru all stood in the underground battlefield, preparing for their test. Around them, is nothing, not a single thing, except the cement roof, the brick floors and the concrete walls which were lined with just enough light so that you could see the entire empty area, but faintly in the middle. Maikeru ran over to a lever and told the three of them to stand back.


Maikeru: Watch your feet. As soon as I pull this lever, the floors will begin to shift randomly. In this test, you will need to be aware of all of your surroundings to succeed. These bricks will not hurt you, but being caught in them five times, will mean failure. Oh and Chorinzo, I am going to call you Rinzo now, by the way. Arie, Rinzo and Rin, I want the three of you to pick a spot at least ten feet to the left or right of each of you.


.......Arie, Rinzo and Rin, all stepped back an moved away from each other. Rinzo stood in the middle, fifteen feet away from each of them. Maikeru then called out "Blood Style: Blood Clones". From the jar he carried extra blood in, appeared thirty clones scattered throughout the area. He then pulled the lever beside him. Not only did the bricks in the floor begin to shake, but also a maze of solid concrete walls was created and dim lights appeared on the roof. The maze's walls reached from top to bottom. And there were three paths to which you could reach the end. Each path was directly in front of Arie, Rinzo and Rin respectively.


Maikeru: There are only two ways to find the destination and many ways to get lost inside of the maze. Focus on your surroundings to find the truth, only then can you accomplish your goal. I do find it fair to warn each of you of your destination. At the end of the maze, there is a tree, and on top of that tree is a scroll which will grant you access into the Chuunin Exams. However, there is only one scroll, so only one of you can get it. And also in this maze, are those blood clones which will try to slow you down. I will be waiting for you at the end of the road. Maikeru disappeared from sight and let the three of them go on their respective paths.

Rinzo: So only on of them huh? It appears that our alliance ends before it even begins.


.......Rinzo smirked, and jumped into his path proceeding through the maze. Rin smiled at Arie and he nodded as they both went into their own paths immediately after. Rin knew immediately how to find her way through the maze as she felt the left wall and the right wall from inside. The one on the left was infused with chakra, while the one on her right, was not. She assumed that as soon as she met a split in the maze, she would need to go to the road. A brick moved underneath her feet and she immediately jumped on the right wall using her chakra to run along the side until she ran into a blood clone, which she easily took out with an explosive kunai and then continued down her path. Meanwhile, the instinctive Rinzo, followed along his path, dodging any bricks and easily dispersing seven blood clones which appeared in his way.

.......Arie however, was not meeting the same luck. He had already tripped over a brick, three times and only defeated four clones, and ran into several dead ends. He needed a plan if he was going to pass this test, which is when he noticed something odd about the walls he was near. He realized this when the fifth blood clone deflected two of his kunai. On kunai went into the wall on the right and went into the wall like normal. The other howeverm ricocheted off the left wall and back into the right wall. Arie, ran part way up the right wall, threw a kunai at the blood clone's head, then through another in an angle at the left wall. The blood clone deflected the first kunai into the right wall, but the second kunai, ricocheted into it's leg, killing it. Arie called for, "Earth Style: Hovering Bricks". That created bricks which formed rapidly in front of him, ten feet off the ground. As the first ricocheted off the left wall, he jumped on it, and continued to jump on every block thereafter, killing five more clones along the way.

.......By this time, Rin and Rinzo had easily found their way, not tripping a single time, having destroyed a total of nine blood clones each. They each reached the end of their paths, Rinzo and Rin at the same time, and Arie a minute after. They stood facing the tree, where they could see the scroll at the top. But in between them and the tree stood a blood clone in each of their paths. Blood came up through the ground from the clones' fallen comrades and was absorbed into the final blood clones. The one which stood in front of Rinzo fired a blast of Aqua at him.


Rinzo: Damnit! I am a Flame Style user, how do I block this?


.......From his left side, Arie suddenly called out, "Earth Style: Jagged Rocks". Which sent very sharp rocks through the blast, directly at the center blood clone which was destroyed. Rinzo said thanks and smirked as he ran to the tree, when Rin shot, "Breeze Style: Breezy Gusts" sending gusts of wind towards the clone. The clone countered with the exact same move. Rinzo looked at her and though, "I can't let this happen".


Rinzo: Stand back Rin.


.......After Rin moved out of the way, he called, "Flame Style: Fiery Blast". That sent a large blast of fire at the wind causing it to carry a fire and burn the blood clone to crisp. Water shot up from the ground immediately afterwards, covering the ground completely. Arie tripped over a brick and the blood clone in front of him, acquired a bolt of lightning in his head which he was about to throw at Arie when, Rin looked towards the clone and uttered the words, "Breeze Style: Wind Wave". That sent a wave of wind at the clone forcing the lightning bolt back through his body, as Rin jumped over towards Arie, picked him up and jumped onto the nearby left wall, which sent them both ricocheting over the water and over the clone onto the tree at the end. Rinzo jumped up the tree behind them and they all made their way to the top. Due to the climb, the scroll fell off the tree though and to the ground.


Arie: Rin, go get the scroll, you are better at all this fighting stuff than I am.

Rin: No Arie, you can have it.


.......Rin dropped Arie to the ground but caused a Wind to come up that would stop him from getting hurt when he landed. Rinzo could have easily burnt him to a crisp, considering the wind and the fact that he never really liked Arie, but he let him fall as a part of the team. Arie hit the ground softly and picked up the scroll, granting him entrance to the Chuunin Exams which would take place in a month. The scroll then multiplied into three however, making one appear in Rin's and Rinzo's hands as well.


Maikeru: You all are probably wondering why you each now hold a scroll. Simply put, you all proved that you could adapt to your surroundings and pay attention to them throughout the maze. The walls recorded your moves and saw what you did. And when you got to the end here, you came to the real test, which was teamwork. Only after you have proven that you can do things on your own, could you prove that you could work as a team. You need both the ability to fight and the ability to be a good team, to become a Chuunin. You all pass!