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Azran slowly walked into the cemetery turned battle field. Usually his overcoat would be billowing out in the open but at the moment a quite stillness seemed to primate the air around him sending chills down his spine.

While Azran was no coward, even he would admit fighting amongst the graves of the fallen was a more then a little bit creepy. "I just hope I can do their legacy proud." He thought as he walked past grave after grave towards the center.

He smirked a bit thinking about his opposition in today's match. Here he was again facing off against his crush Ayumi for the second time, only now they would fight with no holds bared rather then just in a physical contest of strength.

Heck the entire reason he had entered the exam was because of her. Simply because he did not want to be left behind by her. After all if she got promoted and he didn't it would make perusing her...difficult to say the least.

"Heh, fate sure seems to have a strange way of working." He thought to himself with a laugh. Most guys faced with fighting a girl they liked probably would refuse to go all out, afraid of hurting their female counter part, likely for outdated chivalrous reasons.

But Azran wasn't most guys. He knew first hand that Ayumi was a highly skilled warrior. To him holding back against her would be one of the highest insults he could give her, where as conversly if he went all out it was a complement to her abilties that he would try so hard.

Spotting the fountain as he arrived at his destination near the middle of the field Azran glanced over it with quite approval. It seemed that this was going to be very, very fun.

"You too short stuff" he said affectionately as he formed a signal hand seal to make a bushin, only he deliberately didn't put as much chakra as he was supposed to into it making it see through as it formed behind Ayumi making it seem like it was a ghost. It was time to take advantage of the field that had been chosen.

With a grin Azran threw his voice using ventriloquism to make it sound like the ghost was speaking "BOO" it hollered out. With any luck the surprise would startle Ayumi enough for Azran to make his move and dive for cover behind one of the nearby gravestones.

As Ayumi screamed Azran quickly made use of a limited flash step to duck behind a nearby large gravestone which would hide him from sight while still leaving him close enough to the the fountain to make use of it like he had planned ever since setting sights on it.

"Oh man, I love it when she's angry...just not when she's angry at me." He thought ruefully as he quickly formed another bushin, he made it appear sitting over at a gravestone that was the completely opposite direction as he was and several feet away. "You'll have to catch me first short stuff." He had it call out using ventriloquism again as the clone waved causally to her.

That was about the furthest he could place the clone and still have it talk convincingly. After all he could only throw his voice so far before it became to weak to hear.

Having the clone stand up, It leapt back further away with a laugh trying to lure Ayumi away from the area for the moment so that Azran would be able to lay his trap.

While Ayumi was distracted he had to move quickly, he knew she wasn't going to give him much time. Quietly he snuck a finger around the gravestone and shot one of the claws from his clawshot chain and all into the nearby fountain so that the claw would land in the water timing it so that the tiny splash would coincide with Ayumi's RAAAAH sound in order to cover the sound up.

Working simonatiously he quickly cast another small illusion so that as the rubble Ayumi had flung at his basic clone dispelled it in a puff of smoke it made it look like he had used a Replacement Technique to switch with a nearby flower vase which seemed to shatter into pieces as the small jagged rocks struck it.

Using an illusion that detailed was a bit of a strain for him, but it was worth the effort. After all he didn't want her catching on to the fact he was using bushin just yet.

"Thank god these illusions are only academy level. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up." Azran thought to himself. Still he wasn't done quite yet as he had two more illusions to go in order to complete his trap.

"Westly would be proud of this one." He thought as he closed his eyes concentrating hard for a brief moment, then opening them and waving his free hand as he cast a genjutsu to cause his chain to vanish into invisibility before Ayumi could spot it. It was the first and really only technique his sometimes teacher had taught him and he hoped he was putting it to good use.

"Ok, now for bushin one last time." He thought as he formed another clone standing at the very top of the fountain/statue. "Over here, Short stuff and this time I won't run away." He had the clone say as he had it pretend to draw his tanto and stand ready to fight.

This was it, his trap was set thought Azran as sweat dripped down his brow from the effort of casting so many illusions in quick succession, even if they all happened to be fairly low level ones. Now the only question that remained was if Ayumi would fall for it.

(ooc: Actually correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it is incredibly common to use the Substitution Jutsu with out handseals. It's only E rank after all and is pretty rudimentary which is why you almost never see it being used. But eh, it's a small detail anyhow)

Seeing Ayumi vanish Azran swore under his breath unsure where she could have gotten to. "Shoot I better hide myself a little better." He thought as he quickly ducked down into a nearby open grave so that he could conceal himself in the dark shadow of the earth. It was a darn bit better then just staying out in the open anyhow.

Now he merely had to tuck back and wait for her to come to him. He had his illusionary clone stomp his foot a bit in annoyance. "I'm waatttiiinggg." He had it call out in frustration in an attempt to lure Ayumi in. In truth he was willing to wait however long it took for her to make her reappearance. After all if it came down to it, he could outlast her in a battle of stamina anyday.

Azran was smart, but he had made a dumb mistake. Instead of holding down his position he moved. It was silent, dead silent, and any movement would be heard, especially a person diving into a grave. Dirt did absorb sound, that was true, but it still made a "thud" when struck. It wasn't much noise, but it was more than enough to alert Ayumi that something was up.

Noises don't come out of anywhere. "Something" had to of made it. Lets test.

Ayumi reached into the pouch on her waist and produced a kunai. While holding it it was covered by her genjutsu, but as soon as she would throw it it would come into view. And that is what she did, throw it, right at the complaining Azran. As it left her hand she simply took two steps to the right, so that she was close to her original position, but if someone would attack that spot they would fail.

[[I know I did teehee I did for a reason]]

That silly boy thinks he can trick me, tsk tsk tsk

At that moment, Ayumi knew exactly what was going on. Azran would side step, but he wouldn't challenge Ayumi to sword combat. He knew her speed, he knew her strength. It was true, he never saw her sword fight before, but if you put two and two together it could be assumed that she was dangerous.

Ayumi decided that the Azran she had thrown the kunai at was a fake and the real one was elsewhere. While Azran spoke she listened intently. Ventriloquism was decieving, for you acutally don't "throw" your voice. Azran was talented, but had underestimated the intellect of his opponent. When one throws their voice they only make it seem like something else it takling, while the origin of the sound remains the same. Its only perceptual, not physical. With that knowledge, Ayumi was able to listen closely and find the general orientation of her real opponent. He was close to where they started.

Lets try and end this quick

Ayumi dropped her genjutsu to conserve a small amount of chakra. As soon as she revealed herself she jump forwards, to where she assumed Azran to be. It was near a collaboration of gravestones, with a few graves actually empty. As she was in the air she saw that her assumption was correct, she saw Azran in one of the graves.

Got him! CHYEAH!

Ayumi held fast her sword in her left hand while she reeled her right fist back. As she came down she punched at the ground below her, forcing chakra to her fist at the moment of contact, to create a very explosive punch. Gravestones would crumble, rocks would collapse ontop of Azran, and he would be trapped under the mercy of Ayumi.