"Hmph. One versus two—no, one versus three really isn't easy. As Natsuki said, the Sound Four's strength is nothing to scoff at. And this is them without activating their cursed seals. If they do... I might be in trouble."
Kakashi silently assessed the situation as he pushed up his forehead protector to reveal the Sharingan.
He also instinctively touched the chakra battery strapped to his arm. If he ran low on chakra, he could activate it at any time. Though he hadn't stored much over the past few days, it was still enough to sustain a prolonged fight.
Kidomaru kept launching webs, but Kakashi easily evaded them.
In fact, he deliberately moved in the direction of Sakon and Ukon, causing them to get entangled in the webs more than once and steadily losing their patience.
After being caught by another strand, Sakon exploded in rage. "Kidomaru, you bastard! Either come fight or stop spitting out that sticky crap! If you mess me up again, I'll kill you first!"
But Kidomaru wasn't fazed and even mocked him. "I'll web however I like. What's it to you? Clearly, your skills are just too low. He dodges easily, you can't. Why don't you go help Tayuya or Jirōbō? I've got this. You're just in the way."
"You little—!"
"Come at me then! Let's go!"
Kakashi watched the argument unfold with an inward sigh of relief.
Keep fighting. I'll wait. Whether you two finish arguing or actually fight, it just gives me time.
He kept an eye on Sasuke and Shino's battles. Clearly, both of them were holding their own well. With no need to worry about them, Kakashi preferred to conserve strength and wait until one of them finished their fight before lending support.
The cursed seal's full capabilities were still unknown, and Kakashi, ever cautious, knew to hold back until he'd fully analyzed the situation.
"I wonder how Natsuki is doing. If he could just use Hiraishin to come over, this whole battle would be much easier. But... he probably won't show up."
—
Meanwhile, the very person being thought about—Natsuki—was calmly chewing on jerky, watching Kimimaro disappear into the distance.
Looks like Orochimaru and Kabuto sensed something going wrong, so they'd sent Kimimaro to reinforce. The Sound Four just became the Sound Five. Sasuke's side might really be in trouble now.
If only he had included Kimimaro's intel from the start...
Without delay, Natsuki sketched Kimimaro's portrait and jotted down combat details regarding Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse). He was just about to teleport the intel to Kakashi—but paused.
Kakashi was likely in the middle of battle. Receiving intel now might not help.
"Who else can I send it to? Has Konoha deployed reinforcements?"
Natsuki scratched his head. He wasn't entirely sure.
His best bet was to sense for any active Hiraishin tags nearby. After all, he had given a chakra battery to Yamashiro Aoba before. If Aoba was among the reinforcements, that'd make things easier.
But... Aoba's tag hadn't moved from the village. He wasn't part of the support.
Then Natsuki noticed another Hiraishin tag moving at high speed—from the northwest of the Land of Fire heading northeast.
Wait. Northwest to northeast?
That was Tenten's Hiraishin marker!
So it was Guy's team that had been sent to reinforce them? From the northwest all the way to the northeastern border?!
Natsuki rolled his eyes. "Tsunade really knows how to give orders. Are there seriously no other ninja left in the village?"
And in fact—he was right. There weren't any others available.
"Well, guess I'll just send the intel to Tenten."
He used Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) and transmitted the intel on Kimimaro.
—
At that moment, Tenten, Guy, and Neji were riding on Birdra, flying fast toward the northeastern border. Suddenly, a scroll appeared out of thin air—Tenten caught it immediately.
"What is it? Enemy attack?" Guy and Neji tensed.
"No. It's a message from Natsuki using Hiraishin," Tenten said seriously. "If he's going to the trouble of sending a message like this, it must be important."
She opened the scroll. The three of them read it together, and their expressions quickly turned grim.
So the Sound Four had reinforcements. And this Kimimaro had a Kekkei Genkai known as Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse). That alone marked him as an extremely dangerous opponent. They had to act fast.
Neji stroked his chin, deep in thought. He had paid someone to investigate the Hyūga clan during the Warring States Era. Supposedly, there was some connection to a clan called the Kaguya.
And the Kaguya were known for their Shikotsumyaku.
So... were the Hyūga and Kaguya clans somehow related?
"We need to move faster!" Tenten declared.
She patted Birdra's neck. "Birdra, we need you to fly as fast as you can. When we get back, I'll prepare a whole deer for you. A Nara Clan-raised deer."
Birdra let out a loud cry and surged forward like a gale.
—
Back on the northeastern border, the battle raged on. The three separate fights had begun drifting farther apart due to the intensity of combat.
Shino had intentionally drawn Jirōbō away. He planned to take him out first and then return to help Kakashi and Sasuke. Pulling him away from the others also meant fewer variables in the final strike.
By now, Jirōbō was practically foaming at the mouth in rage.
His taijutsu and Doton techniques were completely ineffective against Shino, while Shino's bug swarms kept steadily eating away at his chakra. If this dragged on, Jirōbō would definitely lose—no wonder he was getting so agitated.
Seeing that Shino was clearly preparing a big move, he snapped.
He activated the second stage of his cursed seal.
His skin turned crimson, his body swelled in size, even growing a horn from his forehead. Fleshy tumors bulged across his limbs, giving him a grotesque, monstrous appearance. His chakra flared violently with a dark, malevolent presence.
"So this is the cursed seal's second stage... Borrowing its power grants an overwhelming surge of chakra. He really does grow much stronger in an instant."
"But such foreign power must place a terrible strain on the body. It can't last long. Should I stall? Or finish this quickly?"
Hundreds of thoughts raced through Shino's mind, but he soon found his answer.
His opponent was strong, yes—but Shino wasn't weak either.
The Aburame clan never fought head-on. Fast resolution didn't mean brute force—it meant using intelligence to defeat muscle.
And this brute… wasn't exactly hard to outthink.
"Die, Aburame bastard!!"
Jirōbō roared, shattering the ground under his feet and launching himself like a cannonball toward Shino.
Shino, however, remained perfectly calm.
Standing tall on a tree branch, he formed a hand seal with his index and middle fingers pressed against his temples. As Jirōbō neared—
"Taiyōken!" (Solar Flare!)
BZZZZT!
A blinding flash erupted from Shino's body.
Jirōbō, charging at full speed and staring directly at him, was instantly blinded. His entire vision went white, and his eyes burned from the searing pain.
(End of Chapter)
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