Preliminaries match-up! Sumiko vs Mystery opponent.

Konohagakure Colosseum; a grand arena that stood the tests of time. Every crack within the meticulously designed, circular structure told a tale of triumph as well defeat. Large trees hugged its edge, complete with a spacious, grassy interior. Though it lacked vegetation, it successfully simulated the unique forest biomes belonging to the region, albeit on a controlled scale. The exams were a perfect opportunity for the elite to gamble, and a chance for prestigious kage to observe their blossoming genin. Elated onlookers fell into a collective mute, as the proctor of the exams promptly announced the next match-up. His announcement roused exuberation, and their intimidating roars were like thunder. Sumiko entered and stood in the center, she had never seen so many people gathered in one place. The sight, smell, sounds, and anxious feeling pervading through her became burned into her memory. She couldn't allow herself to become lost in apprehensive thoughts, however.

Allowing herself to become perturbed would be the same as accepting defeat. She had made this far, asserting herself as a formidable obstruction to those who had crossed her path in the previous portion. Sumiko's self-reminder of her success thus far sparked confidence within her. The vermillion hair colored girl didn't seem very intimidating, but looks are often deceiving. Under the fabrics embellished in colorful trims, was a toned girl, more than usual. Her countenance warped into one that painted a picture of seriousness and her ocean blue orbs could burn into the soul. This adopted demeanor that encouraged her violent tendencies caused the proctor to raise a brow. Albeit, all Sumiko could do was wait for her opponent to reveal themselves.

The moment she caught word Izumi sprinted to the floor of the stadium with excitement filled eyes. She had been fighting for this for what seemed like such a long time. Since sustaining her recent injury so close to the start of the chunin exams, Izumi was afraid she wouldn't have the chance to participate and she wouldn't get to move on with the rest of her friends. She had pleaded with doctors and village officials to no avail. The only promise she had claimed was the chance to fill in if another contestant didn't show. This had caused her confidence to deflate. Who would ever be so foolish as to not show up to the chunin exams? Well, it turned out that today had been her lucky day. The impossible had become possible.

Izumi would slow her pace as she entered the ground floor of the stadium walking out to the center where the match was set to begin. Forest green eyes wandered the crowds and the tall, tall walls of the arena. Most in the crowd were bound to not know her, but those that did would look upon her with surprise and concern. Well, except for one person. She knew there would be at least one person confident in her as she made her way towards her opponent. She would look the individual up and down with a smile upon her face. "Let's do our best, okay?"

The proctor's digits extended outward, palm open, and his slender limb protruded far above his messy hair. "Begin!" As his arm fell, he turned on his heels to make room for the two who aspired to push through the ranks. Sumiko flexed her biceps, albeit her muscles were hidden by veils of fabric. "Of course." Roars from elated onlookers flushed out her voice. They demanded violence and for the soil beneath the combatants' soles to be drenched with red; she wasn't so callous as to disregard her opponent’s safety, nor would her actions be dictated by their deep hunger for a gloriously barbarous bout. Sumiko was allotted as the favorite in this match-up, but she wasn't one to underestimate a foe nor bask in favoritism. She knew nothing of the challenger's affinity, tendencies, fighting-style, or even their name. All valuable information that wasn't readily available. In those fleeting moments, a slew of strategies flooded her mind, but she settled on just one.

Her subtle steps evolved into a lunge, as she ran in an angle around her opponent. Sumiko's physical capabilities were nothing to turn a blind eye to, outmatching most of the adolescents partaking in the exams. She drew from her pouch a string of eight explosive tags laced together by a single wire, launching it towards her opponent. She attentively watched for any signs of confusion, or uncertainty. She unveiled another technique, flowing her chakra evenly throughout her body. Sumiko's bright skin rapidly darkened and simultaneously hardened. The armor anointed to her through her technique could be likened to diamond. For now, she guaged her opponent’s reaction.

Spoiler:

Jutsu name: Earth Release: Earth Spear
Jutsu Rank: B
Jutsu Type: Ninjutsu
Jutsu Description: The user flows earth-natured chakra through all or parts of their body, causing it to become noticeably darker, all while increasing their defensive power to become as hard as diamond. As such, this allows the user to easily be able to withstand most attacks with little to no damage, with the exception of Lightning Release ninjutsu. Furthermore, the destructive power of physical attacks is increased, making this a great all-purpose technique.

The proctor would lift his arm to which Izumi's normal stance wouldn't change as her eyes stayed focused on his hand. The moment it had fallen to her eye's level her focus would be drawn to her opponent, who seemed to speak a response uncaptured by Izumi's ears. The flooding screams of the audience filled her ears, yet were swiftly blocked out by the instantaneous thought that ran through her mind. She wasn't going to lose this match no matter who they cheered for. She was going to prove to them that she deserved to become a chunin and this battle was going to showcase her abilities. She knew that she was ready and now all she had to do was follow through no matter the cost.

Watching her adversary, Izumi would take note of the initiative and quickness she took to the beginning of the match. She was swift on her feet and on her attacks as a line of explosive tags made their way towards Izumi. However, the brunette would rarely flinch dodging the tags that were merely tossed at her by moving out of their linear path. In doing so, Izumi would have taken to time to build up the amount of chakra needed to begin her own counterattack. Her opponent's skin would darken in the bright of day to no dismay of Izumi's. Whether it be armor or simply a cover of some sort, the brunette would break through it and she was confident in that aspect.

As Sumiko continued her trek, Izumi would unleash a large wave of bubbles from the opening of her mouth towards the opposition. Taking this chance of being disguised under the smokescreen of bubbles, Izumi's hands would begin to spark and rupture wildly with electricity that would take the form of a hound. Under the control of Izumi, the hound would take off on the path to Sumiko with an electrical trail leading directly back to the brunette's palm. A smirk had crept its way across her face as Izumi knew she was giving the crowd a small display of what it was she could do. However, she also knew just how much more she had in store and what an exciting match this could end up being, if her opponent was as determined as she hoped.

Jutsu:

Naturally, Sumiko would wait for her opponent’s reaction so that her plan could be set in motion. Her foe seemed quick on their feet, taking precaution against Sumiko's wired paper bombs. This showcasing of Izumi's spatial awareness came of no surprise, however, as it ultimately played in favor of her ploy. Discerning her opponent’s combative wits, she took note of Izumi's initiative and creativeness to try limiting her movement, as well hindering her vision. She gained knowledge as their bout transpired, soaking up bits of information like a sponge; learning and adapting. Izumi's elemental manifestation of a feral beast pushed through the veil of bubbles with notable ferocity. She quickly discovered that the bubbles remained stagnant, and affected the friction of her movements. She braced herself. Clenching every muscle that she could and stood firm, forming an 'X' with her arms. Upon impact the lightning chakra flowed throughout her, electrifying Sumiko to some degree and even chipped away at the earth sphere.

Her natural endurance coupled with the resistance of 'earth sphere' mitigated the lightning techniques' effects. Unfamiliar with lightning jutsu, Sumiko determined that it must have been a lower rank than earth sphere. The minor external and internal damage she did receive seemingly alleviated due to the resilience a jinchūriki gained from their respective Bijuu. "Ouch. That hurt." Albeit, the attack was notably painful during the initial moments. Her folds lowered over ocean blue hues, muscles molding, kneading deceptively innocent features to reflect her solemnity. "Here I come, girl." Her words were but a whisper under her breath.

She quickly retrieved the wire, redirecting her paper bombs in her opponent’s general direction. The kanji on each respective tag for "bomb," glowed brightly in a radiating light before setting off in eight rapid explosions. The dirt beneath their feet permeated the air with the intention of cutting off the girls vision, serving as a pseudo, impromptu smoke bomb. Simultaneously projecting her chakra underneath her soles to soften the ground into fine sand. Sumiko allowed herself to fall forward, concealing herself underground. The minerals and dirt around her rapidly formed into sand, allowing Sumiko to close the gap on her opponent rather quickly. Rather or not her paper bombs damaged the girl, was none of her concern. It would have opened up a tactical route in either situation. Utilizing her technique, she tracked her opponent’s location through even the most miniscule disturbances. From beneath, and nearby, Sumiko broke through with unrivaled intensity, launching herself into the air. Interlacing her digits to form hand seals.

The chakra collected in her chest burned with a greater intensity than fire itself, she inhaled, spitting a mud-like substance from her maw. The magma traveled along the ground with notable ferocity, covering a large radius in a short time span. Time was of the essence for the opposing Konoichi, rash movements undeniably would result in an early defeat.

Spoiler:

Jutsu name: Yōton: Hellish Presence
Jutsu Rank: B.
Jutsu Type: Ninjutsu | Kekkei Genkai.
Jutsu Description: The user inhales, and after molding chakra inside of their stomach spews out lava with tremendous force and formidable speed. Rather than completely solidifying into molten rock, the lava remains in a semi-liquid, mud-like form. It travels along the ground and simultaneously spreads over a distance of (30 meters). Since the technique travels at a formidable speed and force, it topples over small trees, and makes avoiding it in some terrains difficult. The main advantage of the technique is that it remains in a mud-like form, making it stagnant; if the intention of direct impact does not produce desirable results, then it acts as a deterrent, cutting off an area.

Izumi would watch the hound penetrate the bubbles colliding with her opponent, who had indeed stopped moving. The girl would take the lightning beast head on only to remain in her place for a while longer. Izumi wasn't relentless, she wasn't vicious, and she certainly wasn't the type to excessively throw herself at her opponent for no reason. First and foremost, Izumi was a healer and a good one at that. Yes, this girl was her opponent, but she wasn't Izumi's enemy. The brunette was here to win, yet she wasn't here to maim or pulverize her target. So, she would remain waiting to see how the girl would respond only to be met by the sight of her hand moving with no hand signs.

A small glint would be seen between her adversary stretching towards Izumi's direction causing her to gasp while turning her head towards where she had dodged the paper bombs. Forest green eyes would widen watching the line of explosives jerk in her direction. "String?" She would say aloud realizing she had missed such a key detail in the beginning of the round. As the bombs would grow nearer, Izumi would take a defensive stance holding her arms up to cover her face as she would close her eyes and jump launching herself back from the explosion. With the force of the explosion having propelled her further than she was expecting, Izumi would open her eyes to the sight of her opposition now in the air alongside her. She would begin to release a dense substance from her mouth a jutsu unlike any normal genin could possibly produce. "Magma?!" Izumi was surprised, but she also knew that she wasn't completely useless against the hot substance as she would gather chakra within her. Upon her decent, Izumi would release a river of water from her mouth in the direction of the magma in an attempt to slow its spread and potentially limit its radius.

As the water would rush over the magma, Izumi would find herself landing on the solid ground below out of reach of the hot liquid, but not unscathed. The impact of her limbs with the Earth would send a large shock from the knee of her right leg spreading outward immediately toppling her to the ground. A groan of agony would escape her lips before she would grit her teeth unwilling to take her eye off her opponent. With a few deep breaths, Izumi would push herself back onto her feet as her knee throbbed uncontrollably, however she hadn't practiced medical ninjutsu as long as she did to be betrayed by her own flesh. Izumi would place her hand on her right knee as the area would become enveloped in a white orb as the pain would slowly begin to diminish.

Jutsu:

A river's worth of water slowed the spread of Sumiko's magma and even brought the dense semi-liquid to a complete halt. Her opponent prevented a smoldering fate, and thus, the show continued. Spectators leaned forward in anticipation, straining their optics in futile attempts to see past the debris. She'd land unscathed, mentally preparing herself for the next assault. Balled fists collided with her small chest, the sounds that followed were like that of drums lacking any steady tempo. Her war cry reverberated; her aggressive approach was uneased, despite the struggles of her injured opponent. She continued to siphon chakra from her bijuu and through the use of chakra flow her hands were shortly after coated in a glove of magma. Izumi's resolve was admirable. Even while faced with an opponent of higher caliber, the wounded girl still clung to the hinges of her will to fight.

Sumiko lunged into another sprint, and the distance between them dwindled with every thunderous step. Her brows were furrowed, wrinkling an otherwise smooth forehead. The ember in her eyes evolved into a flame, and her determination to progress blinded her of Izumi's condition. "HAA!" Her feet were planted firm once Sumiko discovered her desired range. She'd cock her arm back, her veins bulging around her hand and underneath her wrist before pistoning forward. This punch was her final blow. Her form was immaculate, and technique as graceful as it was deadly. The taijutsu ability always is commonly executed with the intent to end a bout, though she was unsure of her opponent’s pain tolerance.

Spoiler:

Jutsu name: Yōton: Lava Release Chakra Mode(Partial)
Jutsu Rank: C.
Jutsu Type: Ninjutsu | Kekkei Genkai | Taijutsu | Chakra Flow.
Jutsu Description: Unlike the heightened state of "Lava Release Chakra Mode," partial envelopes specific parts of the user's anatomy in molten lava. Akin to the heightened state, Sumiko's physical damage is enhanced(+1, albeit depending on if her limbs are enveloped) and defense as well. The enveloped area acts as a formidable deterrent. The greatest advantage of the technique is that it opens up many tactical routes by giving her agency over which body parts she chooses, even if these are only available for small windows of time. Sumiko chooses between any combination of body parts, from: the arms, legs, head, chest, abdominal region, or back. Due to Sumiko's inexperience with Son Goku's power, she can't alter the combination once this ability is active, and limited by only two body parts.
Duration: Three Posts.
Cool Down: Five Posts.

Jutsu name: Yōton: Monkey Arson Fist
Jutsu Rank: B.
Jutsu Type: Ninjutsu | Kekkei Genkai | Taijutsu
Jutsu Description: The offensive route of Sumiko's unique taijutsu is akin to Arhat Fist, her style utilizes powerful palm strikes and punches. Every strike contains immaculate precision as well. The base fighting style is formidable enough on its own, but is often used to compliment Sumiko's "Partial Lava Release Chakra Mode." At its core, it's a derived version of the "Scorching Armoured Fist." Once the user's limbs are enveloped in molten lava, successful strikes not only deal blunt damage but burn the area of impact as well. Unlike the parent technique, punches that miss their strike do not burn.