Up to Snuff, a Test of Skill

Kiyoshi would exhale a slow breath as he approached the Grand Konoha Training Facility, he had been here before even summoned here before by his sensei, but this time was different, this time he was summoned by the Hokage. As to why he was being summoned to the training facility rather than the man's office, Kiyoshi could only come to one conclusion. This would be another test set upon him to see if he is worthy of the rank of Shinobi or if they should remove it, since his graduation he had been tested extensively. He would chalk it up to the fact that he was the first ever shinobi to graduate with no real skill in the three basic skills all shinobi are capable of performing, something he had struggled with at first, however his skills with puppets were adequate enough for him to graduate on them alone and they have only improved since that point. His coordination with them unmatched by any of the other shinobi he had encountered, though that list was limited to his Sensei, her assistant, and the other two members of his team, so he couldn't exactly brag about that. What he could do is prove to them whatever challenge it was that they had for him today, he was ready to face it, the only part of this that made him nervous was going to be the presence of the Hokage. The Hokage had not been present at any of his previous tests, so as to why he would be here at this one did not make much sense to Kiyoshi, but he wasn't one to complain if anything maybe if he impressed the hokage the others would back off and let him continue his pursuit of being as good a shinobi as he was a crafter.

Wearing his Mobility Suit Puppet Armor, Kiyoshi would head through the door with his head high. He had all of his puppets sealed away within the rings on his hand and ready for him to use them when needed, he of course had other gear, but his puppets were the most effective and by all accounts had multiple uses. Discovering that there was a room ready for him, but he was the first to arrive his face would fall slightly. However, he would not let it lower his spirits and would head into the room, taking a position in the open near the center to await the arrival of the Hokage and other testers.

---

Chakra Starting: 185
-3 Chakra Strings for Puppet Armor
Chakra Ending: 182

Ayame had been summoned to the training grounds to participate in some sort of test. Hopefully she'd pass, she really didn't want to be a genin anymore, since it always felt off to her that the Senju Clan was trying to have her be the clan leader while she was the lowest rank a shinobi could be.

She only had on her headband and a black jumpsuit, black pants, and black sandals, and walked into the facility room while she was finishing tying up her hair into a ponytail. She wasn't quite sure who she was looking for, other than Tengoku, so she would search for him and report with a proper bow. As he was yet to arrive however, she simply waited at the entrance for him, and would follow him when he arrived to wherever it was he wanted her to go.

In the meantime, she would begin to gather her Senjutsu chakra, standing perfectly still while she did so and beginning to fill up her pool of nature chakra. Maybe there would be enough time to build it up before whatever test she needed to take.

-Beginning Senjutsu pool charge

Neo Uchiha and her assistant Ancha walk into the training facility as well, though the two of them stand side by side away and far removed from the two participants of the Hokage's test of skill. Except in the case of the two genin potentially causing serious damage to one another, she would not intervene; this was to see which, if not both, of these genin would become chuunin, after all. This was an important day for Kiyoshi, and by extension and to a lesser extent, for Neo, as she was his sensei. Neo simply picks a spot underneath a tree nearby to stand and watch, far enough away that she wouldn't be in anybody's way, but close enough that she might be able to intervene in the event of something more serious happening. Ancha stands next to her assistant in a somewhat firmly formal stance, like a soldier at attention, wearing a mocha-colored vest and a white shirt, while her pants were a matching brown shade that was a somewhat similar shade to her hair in a simple bob style. Neo, by contrast, was much more colorful in appearance, with her parasol already open and resting on her left shoulder. She wore her hair in her usual two-tone style, with pink on the right side and brown on the left, though her eyes were opposing colors; pink in the left eye and a plain brown for the right eye. Her white half-jacket with its pink lapels was quite eye-catching, with the brown bodice covering the rest of her torso and her lovely brown pants held up by a flashy white belt. For footwear, she kept things simple with dark brown heels.

She simply twirls her parasol on her shoulder, spinning it one way, then the other while she observes the two genin herself, though she obviously doesn't say anything to either of them. Neo didn't want to risk invalidating the test by appearing to coach her own student before the test began, even if the Hokage wasn't there just yet. She turns her head to give Ancha a smile, and after a moment, the assistant gives her a smile in return; Ancha knew that Neo, despite her calm appearance, was practically buzzing with excitement to see what her student could do. Granted, she felt that he'd done much more training of his own and she felt a little sad that he would be graduating from genin so rapidly compared to her other two students. Suzuya had apparently not been feeling well, and Nikola was... gone, and so it was only Neo and Ancha here today to watch Kiyoshi and see him perform.

Unfortunately, she also recognized his opponent... Ayame Senju, who was not just the Senju clan head, but had apparently mastered some incredible abilities within the Senju clan herself. This was more than a little worrisome for the Jounin, who wasn't sure she'd be able to stop her from going too far if Neo tried to intervene. Her only hope would be to try and catch Ayame in a genjutsu, but only if it came down to requiring an intervention to stop either genin from harming one another irreparably. She frowns a bit, but she doesn't say anything; if the Hokage wanted such a match to happen, that was his prerogative, and she didn't exactly have the standing to question this decision. She could only hope that Kiyoshi was ready for the match as well, and knew what he was getting into here.

OOC: Analyzing Ayame, Kiyoshi (1/4)

Tengoku was going to oversee another promotion exam. Even as he walked with his assistant he would be handed two files. Opening one to look over a picture of a young man with red hair and fierce eyes. His own eyes looking over the skill listed there. So he was a puppeteer known for his speed. Puppets were dangerous and effective equipment. His experience with taking them on led him to the understanding they were not only durable but highly effective weapons. He was said to be faster than some of the jounin. His Sensei was assigned to him but he was the only remaining member standing of his squad. Neo Uchiha was his sensei? That name...ah he had seen that spout at the Uchiha clan meeting. He hoped that display had been a one time occurrence of aggressive actions to her fellow shinobi. However given there were no reported instances of abuse of power or unwarranted violence he wouldn't falt her as an instructor. One of his own students had fallen into a coma after all. Still he would flip to the other file. Less was known of Ayame as she didn't appear to have an active squad. Though she was expected to be the clan head after a dominating battle against Taco. It was said she was known for her natural talent with her bloodline and her impressive stamina. Her chakra levels were unmatched by almost anyone in the village. So a walking violence battery vs an angry dollmaker.

He would hand both files back to the assistant who would tuck them under their arm as the exited the elevator and stepped to the side. His black and gold eyes would shift immediately to Ayame who had been waiting by the door and bowed to him. He would nod his head respectfully back to her. For today Tengoku was wearing blue jeans with a black belt and tucked over a pair of boots. On his hip were a single katana and a single wakizashi...though both were crafted masterfully the wakizashi was basically the Mono Lisa painting of weapons. Tucked into his jeans was a simply short sleeves black button up. Still around his ankles, wrists and upper arms were golden rings with feather designs carved into them. His white hair hung loose down to the middle of his back but tucked behind his wolf like ears aside from the two sections that floated down and framed his face. The hair held back by the Konoha headband. Tengoku would wave his hand for Ayame to follow before approaching Kiyoshi for the first time. The setting was an interesting one for both of them. A large wheat field a hundred meters in every direction with six foot stalks in mass. They could move about a battlefield and lose track of their own position or their opponent easily. It would be interesting to see them overcome that difficulty or utilize it to their advantage. Still he would stop at the edge of the field.

His sensory was working as per usual. He could sense everyone in the building and what they had said about Ayame was no joke. She was a walking nuclear battery of chakra. A long game was in her favor certainly. However he could tell Kiyoshi was already attached to his armor with his chakra. That was likely how he was so fast....but an impressive make all the same. Neo and her assistant he could feel watching from the sides. So she had some interest in her student during this. Interesting. Still he would stop as he stood before both of them and smiled with a toothpick sticking out of his teeth.

"Alright so lets be civil. I want a good clean match here. No killing allowed. If you try it....I will stop it and disqualify you violently. If you need to go beyond the usual safe level and you pull your punch to avoid killing, but you still connect, This will be considered a win. If the opponent actively can defend or avoid it will not. You will begin at either side of the wheat field and start from there. Winner gets special jounin and loser will be chunnin with a good enough showing. Any questions or objections?"

Kiyoshi would bow as soon as he sees the Hokage to enter the room, his mind racing as to what all was going on. This was not like the test he had been a part of before, this was different. For one thing, there was a white-haired woman following the Hokage, then of course there was the fact that his sensei and her assistant was also currently there. Another strange occurrence as they had not been present in the past tests that he had gone through, and then finally there was the fact that none of the people that had given him his past tests were present. His mind was awash with what this could mean as he returned to an upright standing position, facing the hokage and the white haired woman in all black that was walking in behind the man.

As the Hokage spoke, anyone that was watching Kiyoshi's face would see his eyes widen as he slowly connected all the dots. He had been right, this was not like any of the other test he had done, this was more than he could have hoped for, they were actually considering moving him up in rank. Kiyoshi would look over to the woman for a moment before looking back to the Hokage, "no objection from me, Lord Hokage." Kiyoshi would reply as he would move slightly further away from the hokage and other woman to give himself some room before touching 3 of the rings upon the fingers of his puppet armor, unsealing three of his puppets, what he called the troublesome trio. His chakra strings attaching to them as they appeared in a puff a smoke a few meters in front of him, Bumi in the middle, with Knives on his right side and Mini-mi on his left as he entered his Violet Secret Formation Style. "I am ready when you are."

He knew he was likely going to have to use Knives as a way to cut down stalks that were eventually get in his way, but he would wait for the Hokage to actually start this match, before he would do anything considering the last thing that he wanted was to get disqualified for starting to early or something all because he was excited about the whole ordeal. It was hard enough as it was for him to contain it, a wide grin spread across his face as he watched the woman that would be his opponent.

---

Analyzing Everything: 1/5

Chakra:
~ Starting: 182
~ Maintaining Chakra strings: -0.5
~ Unsealing Technique x3: -3
~ Secret Art: Violet Secret Formation: -1
~ Ending: 177.5

Stats:
Strength: E
Constitution: E -> B (Puppet Armor)
Stamina: C -> B (+ Lifestyle | ++ Jade Pendant)
Speed: E -> C (Puppet Armor)
Coordination: S -> S++ (Puppet Master Gloves)
Intelligence: B
Perception: C -> B (Violet Formation Style)

Tech:

Puppets:

Ayame followed Tengoku as he entered, and soon found herself facing the person she was to be testing herself against, as well as watched by the Hokage and the sensei of her opponent. She hadn't really been in a fight since she'd become the new Senju clan head, and she wasn't really the best at sizing up the strength of someone just by looking at them. Kiyoshi didn't seem too strong, but then again, she likely didn't really seem to be all that strong either. To be fair, her strength was in her jutsu arsenal, not her physical strength.

She listened and was a little surprised by the rules. She hadn't expected that it had to be stated that there was to be no killing, but that wasn't really the surprise. Still, this was good, she'd have to figure out how much Kiyoshi could take and tailor her attacks to that. Win or lose, as long as she put on a good show, she'd at least make Chuunin, and potentially special Jounin as well. That was definitely something to put some effort in for.

She looked around at the battlefield, a large wheat field. That could definitely come in handy. She wasn't a sensory type, but she did have some benefits that others didn't. Plant life fell under her domain in a manner of speaking. She noted that Kiyoshi had unsealed some puppets, and that was where the biggest threat seemed to lie for the time being. 3 Puppets, that was fine though, she probably wouldn't end up hurt by the end of it.

Forming the Tiger, Dog, and Snake seals, some wood separated from her form and 3 additional Ayame's were present, taking up similar formations as the puppet trio. Flashing a grin to Kiyoshi, she nodded.

"Let me get set up first, give me one minute before you start up."

The 4 Ayame split up and ran into the wheat field, taking different paths and then reconverging once they entered the field, mixing up who they were and taking different directions once again. Once they found their locations, the clones melded into the wheat itself, and Ayame went into the ground, using the Hiding Like a Mole technique and moving away from her final spot by about 20 meters. When the minute was up and Kiyoshi began going into the field, she'd have thoroughly hidden from him, but due to her Hiding like a Mole technique, she could sense the surface for 50 meters around her, and had a mental connection with her Wood Clones that let her also observe their locations as well, hidden in part of the plant life.

She'd start off the match cautiously and let Kiyoshi reveal some of his tricks first, and if he found one of her clones by cutting down any of the wheat, well, she'd see what he could do from a safe location and tailor her responses from there.

-
Chakra /4 for Wood Clone
Ayame's -5 HLAM
Ayame: 75/320
Woodyame: 80/320
Treeyame: 80/320
Rootyame: 80/320

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

A small smile formed on Kiyoshi's face as he watched wood begin coming from his opponent's body making three clones of herself, it was a rather fascinating thing for him to see having never seen a clone technique like it before. Even Nikola's bug clone paled compared to this, it was as if she was growing them from herself. Seeing them take identical positions with her as he had his puppets, he couldn't help but think that she was trying to mirror him or something. Hearing her ask him to wait a minute and let her set up, Kiyoshi would simply nod watching her to see what she would do. Remembering how quickly his last two spars had gone, he wondered if they might have lasted longer if he had given his opponent's time to prepare. Of course, in an actual fight she shouldn't expect her opponent to give her time to get ready, he would save that comment for after the test. This was a friendly test between the two of them after all, nothing serious, with the exception of him gaining a higher station in the village. He would do anything for this, but he was also fair and wanted to give her at least a chance to start them off.

Seeing her and her clones dart into the wheat field Kiyoshi would frown slightly, as he began wondering what she was playing at. Keeping his eyes on the moving wheat stalks as she moved through it, as if four paths were not hard enough to keep track of, she would add in the additional grouping up before splitting off again into four separate paths. As he watched the movement in the wheat, he would be counting down in his head, waiting for her minute to be up. It seemed as though she was as well, as the timer neared her one-minute deadline the movement withing the stalks would stop, he did not know what it was that she was doing but without seeing further movement he would focus his attention on the four places where the movement had stopped. When the minute was up and no attack came, Kiyoshi assumed she meant for him to make the first move. He would wait a few more seconds scanning for any sign of movement, not seeing any his fingers would begin to move as he outstretched one of his arms and Mini-mi would leap onto it. Perched like a hawk on his arm another twitch of his fingers would send Mini-mi leaping into the air before firing off 4 Kunai, each Kunai aimed for where the wheat stalks had stopped moving. The shots made aimed low should she be crouching down in her hiding spots.

Mini-mi landing back on his arm before dropping back down to its original position beside him, Kiyoshi would watch for any signs of movement in the wheat stalks after the kunai were launched. Barring that, Kiyoshi would twitch another finger and launch Knives forward at a rate of 200m/s towards the closest cluster where movement had stopped which was within the 60m range with his chakra strings. As soon as Knives arrived on the spot he would cause the small puppet to extend its arms and spin cutting down the stalks and if his opponent or her clones were there, hopefully them as well.

---

Analyzing 2/5

Chakra: 177.5
Chakra Strings Technique: -0.5
Violet Formation Style: -1
Puppet Technique x4: -4
Ending: 172

Ayame's network of clones and her Hiding Like a Mole did a pretty good job of allowing her to monitor the situation above ground. It wasn't really the kunai that concerned her, it was the sheer speed that Knives had moved. She could see why they were both being evaluated. Of course, the kunai couldn't hit her, she was underground and had moved from her initial hiding spot as soon as she had gone underground. The clones on the other hand...

Due to the merging with stalks of wheat and the plant life, her clones were busy maintaining awareness where they had set up their roots. Also just as unlikely would be the singular kunai launched in their directions to hit, but it would be noted that Kiyoshi had been tracking around where they were last seen moving. This was good information, as it mostly confirmed that he couldn't sense them or their whereabouts, but was relying on his eyes. No kunai would find its mark, and soon enough, Knives would be sent into the thicket.

Woodyame was the closest to Kiyoshi at the time, and when he began to clear the stalks, he cut right into the stalk that she was hiding in. While she wasn't immediately revealed, as the roots of the stalk were still alive and connected to the plant, Woodyame still chose to emerge following it being cut down.

Barring him having line of sight on the puppet, she had the element of surprise. Woodyame used the Wood Transformation technique to cover her body in a thin layer of wooden armor, while disguising herself as a slightly thicker Ayame, giving her some protection from the knives of Knives, and then she went in for a bear hug to try and capture Knives, holding its arms to its body and testing out how strong it was. The speed seemed to be the more imminent threat, but right now information gathering was just as important as anything else.

The other two clones hadn't deigned to move just yet, as they weren't under imminent threat. Back with Ayame though...

Ayame began moving towards the Puppet master himself, keeping underground so as to not be seen. Hiding like a mole was quite useful in many ways, and given that he preferred to stay back and let his minions handle the heavy lifting, Ayame was happy to let him have fun with his puppets. It likely wasn't often he found anyone he could fight long with at those speeds, at least as a genin. She could relate to that, having taken out Taco in her fight with hardly an iota of resistance. She wondered how Kiyoshi would fare against Peragus though, having noted that Peragus wasn't that much slower than the puppets.

---
-3 Upkeep on Hiding Like a Mole
72/80 Ayame

-1 Wood Transformation (Affinity)
79/80 Woodyame

Tree/Rootyame unchanged

New techniques

Spoiler:

Tengoku would cross his arms and wait. Truthfully Ayame's tactic seemed interesting. Taking to the field to conceal herself while misdirecting the enemy. His chakra sensory and gravity dojutsu allowed him to track her with a fair amount of ease. However this tactic was only nullified because he was a tracker by nature. His black and gold eyes would shift to watch Kiyoshi. The young man was rumored to attack rapidly. However he did not seem to be a sensory type. Choosing not to follow a Senju into the plant maze. Probably a wise move on his part. Even if he remained in plain view himself he could see an attack coming better from where he stood now. The knives however took Tengoku by surprise. That speed was something he would have difficulty handling. He could do it but he wasn't certain many could. However none of the knives found their markers. He was probing for now. Each of them not pushing themselves yet. No daring moves or massive area attacks. It was a different pace of fight than what he was used to. Each of them thinking about their next move and avoiding the others advances. Like a game of Shogi.

Still despite the speed of his attacks he wasn't making too much progress as of yet. He had begun sawing down the field for a larger field of view....but it appeared Ayame was making her first advance at the young man. Her clone attempting a grapple while armoring herself with a puppet to tie down his physical attention. She had tested to see if he could sense her position before moving in to strike. Methodical. It was impressive to probe for a weakness and advance upon it. Though he expected the young puppeteer may be more difficult to catch than that. The way those blades moved was quick. If his reaction time was far greater than hers...capturing him would prove difficult. He would wait however to see if there was more to this. Would he be able to set up defenses against her earth style or would she dominate the match by remaining hidden and attacking from advantageous positions? A side glance to Neo would have him wonder her thoughts a moment. Frankly he hadn't gotten to know that Jounin in particular besides her display at the meeting he barged into. He doubted he could truly consider them a comrade. That thought aside he would return his attention to the match.

Kiyoshi kept his eyes on Knives and the area around it as it cut down the stalks, hoping that he would find his opponent within them. Though for the briefest of seconds it seemed as though he was wrong and she had not been there, just as he was starting to think that he had gotten it wrong, and the woman had some other means of moving through the grass undetected, he saw the movement near Knives. Kiyoshi's fingers would twitch rapidly and the same motion that would pull Knives away from the woman would also launch Mini-mi back into the air to fire off three kunai at C-Rank speed and force towards the woman now that she had revealed herself. Kiyoshi doubted that it would hit, considering how fast he had seen her and her clones move through the wheat field, but it was more meant as a diversion so that she did not attempt to follow Knives back to him. He had no way of telling if this was the real one or just a clone, but he knew that there were three others out there somewhere within the wheat. For now however he would treat her as the real one for the simple fact that she was the only one he could see, though his eyes would still be watching wheat field for any signs of the other three. He was glad he decided not to follow her into it, but even still it was getting in the way. With Knives now back closer to Kiyoshi and out of harm's way, Kiyoshi would quickly touch two more of his gold rings. As he touched the rings a small puff of smoke would appear near him and the three puppets, he had out to reveal two identical metallic wolf puppets that he would just as quickly attack his chakra strings to them.

Kiyoshi had not planned on using the Wolf twins, however the circumstances of the field that was chosen for them to fight in and the fact that his opponent wanted to hide within it, he now saw little other choice. Seconds after the wolf puppets appeared however they would shift and change rolling in on themselves as he activated their Armadillo mode, Kiyoshi's fingers never stopping as he began manipulating five puppets in addition to his puppet armor. The two wolf puppets would begin to spin at 175m/s as the shot forward into the wheat field moving at that same speed, their speed tearing through the wheat stalks like a tiller ripping them up as they moved through the field with only one goal, to limit the woman's hiding spots. As the wolves began tearing through the field, Kiyoshi would also Coat Knives and Mini-mi in chakra as he sent them out towards the woman that had revealed herself, moving slightly slowly than before due to the fact that his concentration was divided amongst his puppets. Still, moving at 175m/s they would be able to close the gap relatively quickly, Kiyoshi would keep Mini-mi at a distance of 5 to 10 meters away from the woman while Knives would move in close for rapid quick strikes. With the chakra coating them they would be able to handle a hit better than they normally would in case the woman got a shot off at them, but Kiyoshi hope that the rapidness of the assault would work to his advantage. Due to only being 3ft tall the attack from Knives would come low, but Kiyoshi would also use Knives as the two puppets were moving closer to launch Mini-mi into the air by causing the puppet to jump off the other at the 10 meter mark firing off four Kunai's at the woman at the same time Knives would be striking at the woman's mid-section. His hope was that she would not be able to defend against both attacks at the once. While the other four puppets would be hard at work, Kiyoshi would keep Bumi by his side, after all the puppet had no offensive purpose it was meant to defend him, so what better place to do that than by his side.

---

Analyzing (3/5)

Stats:
Strength: E
Constitution: E -> B (Puppet Armor)
Stamina: C -> B (+ Lifestyle | ++ Jade Pendant)
Speed: E -> C (Puppet Armor)
Coordination: S++ (Puppet Master Gloves) -> S ( -- from manipulating 6 puppets)
Intelligence: B
Perception: C -> B (Violet Formation Style)

Chakra: 172
Chakra Strings Technique: -0.5
Puppet Performance Art: Chakra Flow: -3
Violet Formation Style: -1
Unsealing tech x2: -2
Puppet Technique x10: -11
Ending: 154.5

Tech:

Twin Wolf Puppets:

Woodyame's observation of Knives' speed was that it was something she couldn't match by herself, so she'd have to use unconventional tactics. However, it seemed rather clear to her that he couldn't actually sense her, otherwise Kiyoshi would have focused her spot rather than being more of a wide sweeping attack. The three kunai collided with Woodyame's armored body, but she wasn't bothered with the speed or power. The thin wood layer of armor prevented any damage to the clone's body and gave her more information, which was the entire purpose of taking the hits. Mini-me's launchers weren't a serious threat as long as she was armored.

The release of the Wolf Puppets was a potential issue though. Still, his attention was getting split more and more with the puppets. As the wolves tore through the wheat field, and the efforts were renewed on Woodyame, the clones initiated their traps. Defeating the puppets with their speed was going to be far too difficult; Ayame's clones would never hit them in a pure physical confrontation, but then again, Ayame specialized in ninjutsu, not physical stuff, and even in ninjutsu she was a trapper.

Without any seals required, the clones had begun to charge the Hobi technique, and in a 20 meter radius from each (40 meter diameters) 3 domes would encompass the wheat field as the puppets moved close to their targets. The idea was that it would take advantage of the puppet user committing to their paths and their momentum to force them into the domes as they closed. Woodyame's earlier assessment of Mini-Me's launchers made her less concerned with dodging those, and she took the strikes to the midsection, letting the knives dig into her wood armor and bite slightly into her skin, choosing to hold the puppet's arms to her to guarantee it got captured into the dome with her.

A moment before that happened, Ayame's hands would reach up through the dirt, grabbing onto Kiyoshi's ankles and yanking him down into the ground to his neck, hoping to use the attention on his puppets to distract him, and then use the distraction from the sudden pulling down using the Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique in conjunction with her Hiding Like a Mole technique to capture him in the ground and all his puppets in the domes, wiping out all the pieces on the board with a single strike. At least, that was the theory. At least if she failed to capture him, it was more likely to take out some of the puppets in the dome traps. While she had travelled through the ground to reach Kiyoshi, Ayame had made use of the Earth Spear technique, something that didn't require handseals for what she needed. Protecting her arms, they'd turned almost completely black, travelling up her arms, across her shoulders and bust, and back down the other arm, so that any quick counter strikes would need to overpower the defense of her arms and then the healing she could do.

Should any of the puppets be caught in a dome, it would cut off the puppet from their string technique, disabling them and leaving the clones free to come out of hiding and begin their next plan should this one fail.

If Kiyoshi managed to evade her trap himself, or his arms remained untrapped (Ayame knew that as long as he could use puppets he was a threat) Ayame would sink back into the ground and move back towards one of her domes, emerging safely inside it. If he didn't evade though, assuming he was fully contained in the ground and his arms weren't free, she would pop out a few meters away from Kiyoshi, dusting off some stray dirt on her outfit.

--
New techniques:
Ayame:
Earth Spear (handseal-less 1/4 body cover) -10
Double Suicide Decapitation Technique -3

All Clones:
Hōbi Technique -10

Upkeep:
Ayame: Hiding like a Mole -3
Woodyame: Wood Transformation -1

Ayame: 56/80
Woodyame: 68/80
Treeyame: 70/80
Rootyame: 70/80

New Tech:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Everything was going according to his plan, at least from his perspective. That however would quickly change as he suddenly felt himself being pulled down; he had no clue what was going on but before he could pull his puppets back to assist him domes would form around them made of wood that cut off his strings from his puppets. All he had left was Bumi, and the puppet wasn't going to be much help as before he could even twitch his finger, he was complete submerged in the ground with only his head remaining above it. Bumi would fall limp just as the other puppets had when the domes were formed, Kiyoshi would struggle at first but soon realize that there was no getting out of this. He couldn't believe it; he had been so focused on the field that he didn't even think about an attack from somewhere else, he didn't think it through and now there was no fighting it.

Kiyoshi would hang his head, his mouth inches above the dirt. "I admit defeat. I cannot get out of this." Kiyoshi would do his best to not show his disappointment on his face but even then, there would likely be those that would be able to see it regardless. Though it was most obvious in the tone of his voice, a tone of pure defeat. He didn't think of the possibility that someone would have been able to attack him from underground before now, though he now had a reason to plan for such in the future so this didn't happen again. He would not allow himself to be defeated twice by the same tactic, he just needed to figure out a way to find someone underground.

---

Kiyoshi has Lost.

Neo moves in after it seems that Kiyoshi has been pulled most of the way underground and verbally admits defeat, followed quickly by Ancha. Neo lightly taps at the earth around Kiyoshi with the tip of her parasol, frowning at the problem as she often didn't have much in the way of techniques that could easily break apart the earth without also likely causing harm to those trapped in it. Instead, she very carefully estimates Kiyoshi's size and then gradually uses the sharp hidden blade in the tip of her parasol to cut through the compacted earth with the titanium acting to loosen the earth. It only takes a few moments before Neo recalls reading about a technique that might be even better for this situation; she uses a technique that causes her fingernails to grow to a great length, then focuses chakra all along the edges of her nails while compacting the keratin that makes up her nails, practically turning the nails of one hand into hard, sharp blades, almost like knives themselves.

The Uchiha carefully cuts away at the earth with her nails, ensuring she doesn't break them or accidentally nick her own young genin in the process, until she's loosened the earth around him enough that she can help him out to escape from the earth. Even though he's lost the spar, Neo fusses over his clothing, dusting him off as best she can while Ancha merely stands at attention next to the Jounin teacher. Neo herself then steps back from Kiyoshi to make sure he's presentable before leading him back out of the field, standing next to him with a tall back and a proud smile on her face with one hand on his shoulder and her parasol open and twirling behind her. She couldn't take very much credit for his abilities, admittedly, but she felt he'd performed admirably, and he was now a Chuunin in any case. She takes the opportunity to try out a small, fairly simple genjutsu that she'd been working on so that she wouldn't need Ancha to speak for her by snapping her fingers quietly enough to only let Kiyoshi hear it, more than likely, putting him under a genjutsu that would allow Neo to speak to him entirely mentally.

"You did exceptionally well, you know. Don't feel bad; Ayame Senju has been training far longer than you have, but you have a great deal of potential. Even the Hokage can see that."

OOC: 200/200 Neko Chakra Claw Technique
150/150 Genjutsu: Transmission

Tengoku would watch the end of the fight quietly. Both sides had done admirably given their rank. At this level he had not expected world changing techniques. However it was a good time to figure out ones strengths and weaknesses. Kiyoshi was a fast one. As fast as Tengoku even. However he lacked virtually any other area at the moment. In terms of sheer speed most would not be able to compete with him. However he had apparently put it all into number of puppets and speed. Beyond that the knives he had thrown out hadn't been very effective. Their damage minimal to the defense jutsu. His eyes simply followed all of it as he waited. He could sense Ayame under the ground getting closer. Unfortunately Kiyoshi had no counter to an enemy he couldn't see coming or anything he could do while fully pinned down. Tengoku would watch him admit defeat and smile softly. It took a lot to admit when one was beaten. He himself did not like to do it. Still it showed him something about Kiyoshi's character. That too was part of what was the exam. Still there was a clear winner now and the match was over.

Tengoku would approach Ayame as Neo took it upon herself to dig out her student. The techniques she utilized including the genjutsu he could sense were interesting. Likely she had only a few precision techniques. The Uchiha were known for their flaunted large scale attacks. Not that their katon was anything to laugh at. Or perhaps she was just being cautious due to her student being in the center. Still he would wait by Ayame patiently until after she had dusted the young man off. If Ayame had not released her domes yet he would pointedly glance to them and then her. If she didn't get to it on her own he would idly mention while they waited. "Should release his puppets from the domes. Yeah?" before returning to waiting for the others to approach. Once that was done he would clear his throat before speaking to those gathered.

"With that the match is concluded. Ayame Senju is the victor. Thus she will be promoted to special jounin. Ayame you demonstrated utilizing a clear head and managed to succeed without utilizing any lethal methods at your disposal. A good plan and a clear head will do wonders out in the field. Kiyoshi. You have an incredible attack speed....however that seems to have tunneled your vision. I trust you learned something you lack in this fight and will strive to counter it. We often learn more from a loss than a win if we allow it of ourselves. You will be promoted to chunnin however as you are clearly too strong to be a genin. With that, shake hands and be comrades. I will be off now to go put this on the books."

With that he would pat both the contestants on the shoulder before nodding to Neo and heading off on his way. He would head to the office to actually promote them both and schedule the announcements in the new amphitheater. This next generation was certainly powerful. He wouldn't be beyond them much longer.

exit thread
3 x 30 = 90 exp

Once Kiyoshi was freed from the earth by Neo, his Sensei seemed to insist upon dusting him off before bringing him over to the Hokage. Feeling his sensei's Genjutsu wash over him, Kiyoshi would nod at the words he would hear within his head. "Thank you Sensei, both for freeing me and for your words."

Once the Hokage was finished speaking, Kiyoshi would extend his hand out to Ayame. "Well fought, I did not expect an attack from underneath. I will not be defeated the same way twice, I will figure out a way to prevent that from happening again." With that Kiyoshi would send out his chakra strings, reconnecting to the puppets that had been disconnected by Ayame and pulling them back to him. Sealing his puppets back into his rings, Kiyoshi would take his leave from the training facility. He was disappointed in the fact that he lost, but at the same time excited as to what comes next now that he was a chuunin.

{Exit Thread}

Ayame was pretty pleased with herself. She could tell that she was improving drastically when it came to her abilities in combat. It hadn't really been that much earlier that she had considered herself a bad fighter, but she kept fighting stronger opponents and stayed capable at high levels. And now with this promotion, she didn't feel weird about being the clan leader for the Senju, so it worked out rather well in that regard.

Releasing her domes to free the puppets, her clones turned back into husks of wood. Bowing to her opponent, and then bowing to the Hokage and Neo, Ayame thanked everyone for their time and the opportunity.

"I look forward to seeing your solution!"

With that, everyone parted, Ayame was riding a high that wasn't going to come down any time soon.

---
Exit thread