We didn't slow down until the forest itself forced us to, because the deeper we got, the thicker everything became not only on the ground, but up in the trees where the branches began intersecting with each other, cutting off what little light managed to seep through earlier. There was a complete, almost black canopy over our heads, as if we were in some kind of biodome or something. Ahead of me, just a few steps, Minato landed on a thick branch, his posture lowering himself, and I didn't need to ask why, because I also noticed the shouts and the sound of explosions.
I raised my hand, signaling that I would go around, and we both stopped about the same space away from the noise, crouching low, hidden in the trees. My Sharingan came on again, scanning through the layers of leaves below us and doing my best to penetrate the shadows, to catch the source and... yes. There were three signatures... and... Another three. It was clear to tell that they were already in the middle of it, going at each other.
"Looks like we're a bit late," I whispered, looking towards Minato, signaling that I wanted to get a better look, so we slowly got closer, making sure we didn't disrupt their battle.
From the canopy, after dropping a level, we finally got a good overview of who was causing all the ruckus. I settled onto a thick, slightly slanted branch, leaning forward as my eyes tracked every movement below. Minato crouched beside me, acting as if he also had a Sharingan, even ready to interfere if we decided so, because one of the teams was from Konoha.
"That's Shikaku's group," he said quietly, looking at me, trying to see if I wanted to help them out or not.
"Yeah," I nodded. "And Kusagakure."
My eyes were now moving from the people towards the ground beneath them, because something had been done to it. Thin wires were stretched between the unearthed roots, nearly invisible unless you knew where to look. I also saw dozens of tags that were embedded into bark, placed at irregular intervals. One wrong step and... boom. Someone is going to miss a leg.
"What was the girl's name? Mika?" I muttered under my breath. "Trap specialist…? Heh... Seeing it now, yeah, that tracks."
"I'm surprised that Shikaku, after telling us all about it," Minato's gaze flicked across the field, picking up the same details. "That they walked into it."
"I don't think they did," I shook my head slowly. "No… look again."
Chōza was at the front, where I pointed. He barreled forward like a rolling boulder, his body heavy enough to shake loose leaves from the branches above. Then, from his body, a massive hand extended suddenly, slamming on the wires, snapping them and...
Boom!
The moment of the snapping of the threads and his speed in that form were two different things, and by the time the explosions played out, he was already away.
"I see... he is clearing the arena," Minato said simply, nodding his head.
It was... a straightforward move, and I think Shikaku had decided to drop subtlety, against a team that specialized in it. Instead, he went the full opposite way and decided to smash through all and any traps in their path, using brute strength alone.
While watching, I caught sight of another member, the Rei Kuragi guy, the kenjutsu user... He was trying to stop the rolling meat tank, as his short blade cut through the air, but what he achieved was simply forcing Chōza to redirect himself, but... nothing much. The big boy was much stronger in that form.
"He has a tightness in his steps," Minato murmured. "And not enough strength behind his attacks."
"Yeah, he is a speedy one, not the brute kind," I agreed. "Still, he's good."
By then, the third member of their team... Tatsu Yoru, was it? I think that was his name; he had joined his leader as he slammed his foot down, and the earth beneath Chōza surged upward, coming as jagged spikes bursting from the soil in a sudden, violent wave.
"Hm, indeed an earth user," I muttered.
When it happened, Chōza didn't dodge fast enough, but he didn't need to either. He took it head-on, hardening his body just enough to reduce the impact as the spikes scraped across him instead of impaling him. But... I saw blood, so it still had to hurt, and, most of all, the attack managed to push him back.
"Two against one is getting to him," Minato said quietly, "Why is it only him who is moving?"
"Good question," I muttered, but I was sure Shikaku had everything planned.
However... Nothing happened... One second. Two... Four. Then I noticed it, the spreading of one shadow that moved differently from the rest in the dark forest. It slipped across the ground like a snake, almost invisible, then it bit, latching onto Rei's foot, stopping him dead in his tracks.
"What—?!" He cried out, but it was too late.
Chōza, from the previous impact, was bounced away like a rubber ball, but he was coming back with the same intensity. As he was flying through the air, he crashed directly towards Rei. From his still-rolling form, his fist shot out and swung down like a hammer, crashing into the ground where Rei stood, the impact sending a shockwave through the surrounding trees, throwing the ground up and everywhere. It was like a meteor had just landed between them.
When he reappeared, Rei's body was covered in an earth-made shield, erected at the last second by his friend, breaking the impact of a direct hit. Still, he was shot back out, hitting a tree on the way, making him grunt.
"Damn…" I breathed out, "That was almost a killer move."
"Perfect timing on both of them." Minato smiled as we kept watching. "Both teams have a good feel for each other; this can go either way."
"Yeah… that's not genin-level teamwork. And... they aren't panicking."
Their trap-specialist had acted already by the time I said it, as Mika's hands flicked something out... Ah, yes, three wires that weren't snapped yet were tightened, then a rumble came from underground, probably another set of tags as the soil beneath Chōza collapsed.
"Smart," Minato muttered, "Now the main damage dealer is out... For a moment at least."
"I wouldn't disregard the other two just because of that," I said, but I agreed that their team's main strength was in jeopardy now. Watching Chōza drop down from view, he stopped his roll, his body swelled, his muscles bulging out, and then he caught the edge of the pit with one massive arm. "That may not be enough," I said quietly, watching his effort to get out of the trap before he could fully fall to the bottom of it.
The reason I said that was that above him, Rei moved again, ignoring his injuries, his blade coming down at Chōza's arm, aiming to either slice it off or cut an artery. But... Shikaku was already there, well, his shadow was. It twisted, stretching unnaturally along the now very much jagged terrain, catching Rei's arm mid-strike, like its own entity. There was a loud clatter, and the blade missed its target... And that was when Inoichi struck at him... And Rei froze completely.
"Got him," Minato said with a chuckle, "Question is, can he keep him under control?"
"Depends on the next move," I answered, watching how Tatsu made his own attack.
He didn't hesitate when Rei was captured, using his earth-technique again, as he slammed both hands into the ground.
"Doton: Stone Break!"
The terrain exploded upward, the force behind them bolstered by another set of tags exploding deep within, aiming the flying rocks and dirt directly at Inoichi.
"Smart… Target the caster. He realized quickly that this wasn't a shadow-bind, hm?"
Inoichi's body was still, thanks to his effort in controlling the kenjutsu user, and he would have been unable to dodge in time. But he didn't need to, because with Rei's failure, Chōza was out, becoming larger than life, literally, and caught the attack with his body. He stepped in, taking the full force of the technique head-on, his expanded body absorbing the impact as cracks spread across the ground beneath his feet.
"Damn…" I breathed out. "That had to hurt."
It was that moment when Inoichi's mind returned, gasping for air while sweat was dripping down his face. And on the other end... Rei staggered, then fell forward... unconscious.
Shikaku was already in motion by then, dodging the last of the wires as if they weren't there, as his shadow spread again, towards multiple directions, splitting, using the disrupted terrain to his own advantage. They were twisting around roots, climbing uneven ground, even using the shadows that were cast by the very traps Kusagakure had set.
Seeing one of a black tentacle heading towards him, Tatsu stepped back by instinct... Straight into one of their own wire.
Boom!
"Heh, I am not even surprised," I grinned. "He's using their own setup against them, now that the battlefield has been turned upside down with all the explosions and destruction. I don't think they know where the remainder of their traps are, but I bet you five bowls of ramen, Shika does."
Mika tried to act, but... it was too late. Her remaining traps and wires were already compromised, as Shikaku's shadows wrestled control over them. And then... Chōza came through the smoke of the explosion like a charging beast, his fist slamming into Tatsu's guard, which he managed to raise at the last second, breaking it completely and sending him crashing into a tree hard enough to crack the trunk. He was down too... What was left was...
The girl, Mika.
Her body froze mid-motion, as Inoichi had nailed her while she was distracted, then Shikaku's shadow snapped into place with a full bind.
"Game over," I said quietly as a complete silence settled over the clearing, and I exhaled slowly, letting my Sharingan fade. "…damn. They're good."
"Mhm," Minato nodded beside me. "Yeah. I agree. But one-on-one... I don't think they will stand a chance."
"Could be true. We will know if or when we fight."
We stayed there for a moment longer, watching as Shikaku's team regrouped, and they weren't celebrating or relaxing, just… taking inventory of their injuries, the state of the others, and even... Looting them? Heh.
"We should move," Minato said suddenly.
"Yeah," I agreed, pushing myself up slightly.
Just then, Shikaku's head snapped towards our position, as the other two also shuddered, getting ready for an ambush, but I just saluted towards him, not knowing if he was really seeing us or not... and then we were off.
...
....
...
We didn't stop after that because we still needed to get an Earth scroll.
"Can't hear anybody around here," Minato said, his voice perfectly steady while we were still in a rush.
"Yeah," I nodded, hopping across a branch and launching forward again. "And we need it fast. Preferably before sunset," I smirked. "Record run, remember?"
"Naturally," He chuckled quietly, and that was when I sensed something.
"Hold!" We both stopped instantly, landing on separate branches, while my Sharingan came on, rotated once and twice as I looked around... "This way!"
It only took four or five minutes when we ran into three figures, looking... relaxed.
"Yugakure," I signaled towards him as Minato soundlessly landed right beside me, following my gaze.
Below us, they moved casually across the forest floor, well, as casually as one could in a place like this. Haru Kazenami, their leader, stretched mid-step, yawning like he was on a trip instead of inside a death zone. The girl named Ayame walked lightly behind him, her movements barely bothered by the foliage, almost as if she was drifting, while the last of the group, Daichi, brought up the rear, being just as nonchalant, hands in his pocket.
"They don't look worried," Minato muttered, "Are they... this confident?"
"Huh. I don't know..." I replied quietly, twitching my mouth. "But... That's... not our problem."
We watched for a few more seconds, then Haru and Ayame exchanged a flask to drink, and I noticed the scroll inside Haru's pouch, hanging on his waist.
"Bingo…" I murmured.
"You saw it?" Minato glanced at me at once.
"Yeah," I nodded with a grin. "Earth. Let's try something different, what do you say?"
"Hm?" His brow lifted slightly. "…Different?"
"We can be diplomatic, no? So... No fight?" I asked, eyes still locked on the trio below. "We don't need one... If we can get it easily, we could make it in a hurry to the center and put down a mouth-watering record."
"I'm in," He followed my gaze again, his body relaxing a little, "…Alright. Sounds fun! Let's use... our quickest method." He added, pulling out two kunai that were already marked, tied around their handles. "Lock onto this one." He handed me one.
I simply nodded and gave it back after getting ready... then he sent them out, alerting the group at once, but they weren't ready for what would hit them. As the kunais landed, we moved together. The world folded around me, giving me a feeling of jumping off a cliff, only to then stand straight again, as we were already there. I appeared behind Ayame, my kunai firmly pressed against her throat, while Minato materialized behind Haru at the same exact instant, his own weapon resting just beneath the boy's jaw.
Daichi reacted, too, and he was fast... real fast, but not as quick as us. He turned, muscles tightening, ready to strike, but stopped the moment he saw the two already being nothing but hostages.
"Well, hello there!" I said lightly, holding back my laugh, "I know, this is awkward... but just listen."
"..." Neither of our hostages dared to move at first, but then Haru let out a sigh. "You're fast," he said, almost amused. "Never even sensed either of you."
As for Ayame, I could feel the subtle shift in her breathing, the way her body locked up... but I couldn't sense any panic; she was calculating how to get out of this while Daichi's eyes flicked between us, doing the same.
"Relax," I added calmly. "If we wanted to kill you, we wouldn't be talking."
"Fair point." Haru answered at once, "So... What now?"
"Let's keep this simple." I shifted just enough to glance at him from the corner of my eye. "We have two Heaven scrolls. Are you following me?"
"And you know that we have an Earth scroll," Haru added, almost nodding his head, forgetting Minato had a kunai pressed against his jaw from below.
"Yep," I continued, my tone still light, "we're offering a trade. Whaccha think about that?" I grinned as I tilted my head slightly.
"That's it?" Haru asked, surprised.
"That's it," Minato answered him.
"Damn," His lips curled into an open grin. "Deal. Naturally! Start with that next time!"
Minato didn't hesitate; he pulled out the scroll we took earlier and slipped it into Haru's pouch, then fished out theirs, making it a very simple exchange.
"Pleasure doing business. Good luck with the rest!" I nodded at him, watching Haru keep grinning.
Minato and I took our kunai away, sweeping up the ones he threw out, throwing them away, and... whosh. We were no longer there, gone like the wind. Naturally, I wasn't THAT far away, because I was curious about their reaction, still watching them, trying to listen.
"Wha… What," Daichi said slowly, "was that?"
Haru blinked once, rubbing his jaw, checking his chin and neck, shaking his head with a hollow laugh.
"I didn't feel them come and go at all... So I don't know!"
Ayame looked down at herself, too, checking but finding no injuries or tracking marks.
"That wasn't... normal." She mumbled, rubbing her eyes, slapping her face to regain some clarity.
"Yeah," Haru muttered as he exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let's not run into them again!"