Jiro heard the explosions, and briefly entertained the notion that he had succeeded as he dashed further around the circle. The sound of roaring flames and the impacts of what sounded like an avalanche quickly dispelled this foolhardy notion. Of course it would not be that easy. Jiro once again stopped his maneuver around the ring, now approximately 100 degrees from where he began, and traipsed back to the treeline.

He was careful to take in the sights. Information was never more harmful than ignorance. He noticed the scorch marks from where his shuriken detonated. Looking carefully, Jiro saw three kunai embedded in the ground nearby, clearly having been used to deflect the oncoming projectiles. That was excellent, just what he needed. It meant Hideo was unlikely to dodge, or so Jiro figured. Jiro noticed the arrows embedded in and around the circle. He thanked his lucky stars that he had accidentally followed the first rule of ranged combat.

[i]Bring a friend who is [/i] also[i] skilled in ranged combat[/i].

This would make everything so much easier. Finally, Jiro noticed that there were three copies his teacher standing in the circle. Jiro leaned forward, trying to get a better angle on the ground surrounding his teacher. He was looking for shadows, of course: certain clones left shadows, and certain clones did not. Or, so he had read. He only saw one, stretching out along the ground from the one in the middle (from Jiro's perspective, of course). The two not casting shadows were basic clones, which would dispel with a good hit, or so he assumed. Jiro honestly didn't know what a Jonin would be capable of with academy-level techniques, but it would most likely be more than Jiro expected. The one casting the shadow was [i]either[/i] Hideo, or a more solid clone. Either way, it was the correct target.

Jiro readied three more explosive shuriken, and then dropped one of his bullets into his hand. The steel-coated lead felt familiarly heavy in his hand, some excitement building. Jiro considered sticking a tag to it, but thought better of it: having to account for an explosion would only restrict his shooting options.

[i]If your stance is good, you’re probably not moving fast enough or using cover correctly.[/i]

Jiro had to ignore the rule for a moment, just for a crucial second. He tossed the three shuriken all together, spreading them wide enough to cover the whole circle. He very much hoped that Hideo had not given his clones real weapons, with which to deflect the arcing metal disks. As he threw his barrage, he checked where his teammates were, and angled his next attack appropriately. 

[i]Always be aware of what it behind your target[/i]

Both were in the clear. Jiro tossed the bullet up, and made the bird hand seal. The bullet stopped its upwards trajectory, held in place for a moment before Jiro whispered his favorite words.

"Magnet Acceleration Jutsu"

The shuriken were halfway through their flight when the crack of the sonic boom met Jiro's protected ears. The cone of metal spun and bolted away, imbued with all the force Jiro could muster. He felt the chakra drain out of him, more than he was used to. He was aiming for the leg of the only solid target in the circle, hoping that the supersonic cone of metal would catch his teacher off guard and strike home. The desire to process the result was strong, but Jiro knew better. A breath after he had fired his technique, he was back into the trees, listening for the telltale explosion and the hoped-for yells of frustrated agony as supersonic metal meets femur.