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Caw! Caw! Caw!
The crows screeched again as they split away from Itachi.
Dance of the Larch!
Kimimaro's eyes shifted, his body covered with bone spikes as he spun elegantly yet ruthlessly, clearing away all the crows around him.
But it wasn't over yet. Kimimaro's spine whip lashed out violently.
"Got you!"
Itachi's true form was right there.
Slash!
Blood splattered.
The bone spikes pierced Itachi's hand. Just as Kimimaro was about to advance further, Itachi's calm voice resonated, "Are you sure what you see is real?"
Kimimaro's pupils contracted, realizing something was off, and he looked up sharply.
The once-clear sky was now replaced by a blood-red hue. A pair of ominous Sharingan eyes glared coldly down at him.
"Genjutsu? When did this happen?"
Kimimaro's expression changed, puzzled that he never made direct eye contact with Itachi's Sharingan.
Floating in the air with his intact hand touching his ring, Itachi looked down at Kimimaro, "Welcome to... my world."
Human Boulder!
Trees fell as the enlarged Choji rolled forward at high speed, a massive ball charging with thick smoke toward his enemies.
"Disperse!"
Kidomaru and Tayuya quickly dodged to the sides as the giant ball approached.
A long shadow from Shikamaru extended to the Human Boulder. As Shikamaru ran to the left, the boulder, which should have rolled straight, veered left, crashing into the startled Tayuya. Earth Release: Returning to the Earth!
A large stone slab rose from the ground, blocking Tayuya's path. Though it shattered under the boulder's impact, the remaining force was subdued by the burly Jirobo, who held it down, "Tayuya, be more careful."
Tayuya scoffed, annoyed, "If it weren't for wasting energy on that Konoha squad, this wouldn't be so troublesome."
"Everyone, charge!"
A horde of Naruto clones, created by the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, rushed forward. Tayuya, about to play her flute, was intercepted by the swift Neji.
"Annoying Gentle Fist!"
Tayuya muttered, retreating to avoid close combat with Neji. Though the Hyuga clan was not prominently featured in major battles, most ninjas dreaded facing their Gentle Fist, which
disrupted chakra flow and damaged internal organs.
Retreating quickly, Tayuya avoided Neji's strikes. Kidomaru, seeing the multitude of Naruto clones, opened his mouth.
Chakra expenditure produced numerous small spider webs from Kidomaru's mouth, ensnaring the incoming Naruto clones like blooming flowers.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
White smoke filled the battlefield as the clones were neutralized.
The battle raged on. Though initially caught off guard by the Sound Four, Konoha's Twelve Guardians quickly adapted. Under Shikamaru's pre-arranged tactics, the team-Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, Choji, and Naruto-coordinated seamlessly, reversing the tide.
With Sasuke absent, the Sound Four attacked with full force to quickly eliminate the pesky Konoha squad before pursuing Sasuke. Unlike the original events, they didn't leave one by one, getting defeated individually.
Feeling the intense pressure, Shikamaru's team decided not to split up suicidally. After a prolonged fight, the Sound Four realized they had underestimated the young Konoha ninjas.
"These chakra reserves! Are all Konoha's genin this absurd?"
Kidomaru cursed, seeing the seemingly endless Naruto clones.
Kicking away the enlarged Akamaru, Sakon ordered coldly, "We can't delay any longer. Activate the Cursed Seal."
"It's not good to use the seal again so soon," Tayuya muttered. Despite her words, the Sound Four activated their Cursed Seal Level 1 simultaneously, black lines spreading across their
bodies.
Neji's Byakugan detected the surge in chakra and the ominous aura, warning, "Be careful, their power has increased significantly."
"Just like Sasuke before," Naruto recalled the black lines covering Sasuke's body.
"This is bad."
Shikamaru, analyzing the battlefield, saw the increased threat posed by the Sound Four.
"Now, we can only hope for reinforcements."
Even if they defeated the Sound Four here, they wouldn't have the strength to pursue Sasuke.
"Hahaha! Konoha brats, prepare for your end!"
Jirobo, affected by the Cursed Seal, roared arrogantly. The ground trembled as the fierce battle resumed.
After fifteen minutes, the Sound Four, now in Cursed Seal Level 2, started overpowering Shikamaru's team, resulting in injuries. Just as Shikamaru's hope waned, reinforcements
arrived.
Boom!
Massive amounts of sand rose, forming an enormous shield that blocked the Sound Four's
attacks.
"It's them?"
Shikamaru was surprised but quickly heard a familiar female voice, "As allies of Konoha, the
Sand Village is here to assist."
Shikamaru turned to see Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara arriving.
"Didn't expect it to be you guys," he sighed in relief.
Temari explained with a smile, "Konoha's forces are stretched thin. As allies, we're here to
help. Thanks to your signals, we found you quickly."
Thanks to Shikamaru's initial delay and signal calls, the Sand Village arrived much earlier.
Seeing his team, though injured, still intact, Shikamaru, leading for the first time, felt a
weight lifted. However, thinking about Sasuke...
Looking at the still-energetic Naruto, Shikamaru hoped they could still catch up.