Boom!
With the weight of his own body, combined with rotational momentum and impact force, Choji's Human Bullet Tank crashed into the earth with such power that even Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame were left wide-eyed in astonishment.
The already-soft ground gave way beneath him, leaving a deep crater in which half of Choji's massive body became embedded. The resulting shockwave sent clumps of dirt and debris flying in all directions, kicking up a thick cloud of dust that drifted through the air.
"What the hell was that?! Was that a jutsu!?"
Neither the Takigakure nor Amegakure genin had seen who—or what—just crashed into their battlefield. Choji, now transformed into a gigantic, spinning ball, was too fast and too sudden. They weren't even sure it was human. Maybe just some wild creature from the forest?
Unfortunately for them, though the attack was terrifying, it was also relatively straightforward. Among all six combatants, only the already-injured Rain-nin team leader was unable to dodge. Struck off-center by Choji's powerful rotation, he was sent flying in a spray of blood, the entire left side of his body twisting unnaturally as if crushed by an invisible giant hand.
At that exact moment, Shikamaru Nara emerged from hiding, crouched low, hands flashing through seals. His Shadow Possession Jutsu activated, the dark tendrils stretching along the ground, writhing like snakes. Using the trees and shrubs to mask their presence, the shadows slithered toward the battlefield.
One of the Rain-nin, who had just dodged Choji's attack and was still regaining his footing, suddenly froze in place. His body locked stiffly as Shikamaru's shadow reached him. His eyes went wide in horror as he realized he couldn't move. He opened his mouth to shout a warning—
—but it was too late. Ino Yamanaka, already ready with her hand seals, fired her Mind Body Switch Jutsu at him. The technique hit before he could call out.
Hinata Hyuga, standing by and prepared, caught Ino's collapsing body and gave Shikamaru a small nod of confirmation.
From an outside perspective, it all happened in a blink. The Rain-nin simply froze. No strange movements. No visible signs of jutsu. It looked as if he had just paused.
Perfect.
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.
Time to adjust the shadow tension.
Controlling the strength of the Shadow Possession Jutsu wasn't easy. You had to apply enough chakra to hold the target, but not so much that it blocked allied techniques. Shikamaru's recent progress in chakra control—thanks to his medical ninjutsu training with Chiba Gen—allowed him to do it more precisely.
Suddenly, the Rain-nin under Ino's control shouted, "There's someone else coming! We need to retreat now!"
He put on a perfect performance of fear and urgency, throwing his eyes behind one of his teammates and shouting, "Behind you! Look out!"
The unsuspecting Rain-nin turned defensively—only to realize there was nothing there. Before he could react, a kunai burst out of his chest from behind.
"Why…?" he whispered, staring down at the blood running down the blade. He never figured out why his comrade had betrayed him. He died in stunned confusion.
Meanwhile, Kiba and Akamaru, transformed into twin blurs of spinning violet, burst out of the trees using their Fang Over Fang technique. While it didn't pack the same brute force as Choji's Human Bullet Tank, its killing potential was just as terrifying.
Their target was a male Taki-nin wielding a short blade. Before he could react, Kiba and Akamaru split, attacking from both sides like a pair of spinning drills.
The Taki-nin leapt backward, hoping to land on a branch—but Kiba anticipated this. He and Akamaru reduced their spin mid-air, slapped their hands together, and redirected themselves upward.
"Too late!" Kiba sneered as they closed in.
The Taki-nin instinctively raised his arms to protect his body—but it was useless. Their spinning assault sliced through him like axes through bamboo, his body ripped apart in mid-air as blood sprayed in arcs.
Not far off, the Rain-nin that Ino controlled suddenly leapt into the air, lunging toward a female Taki-nin.
A reckless move—jumping like that made him an easy target.
Still, the Taki-nin was trained. Without hesitation, she threw multiple kunai and shuriken, all aimed at the airborne enemy. As they struck true, Ino dispelled her jutsu mid-flight.
The Rain-nin's body spasmed, pierced through in several places, before collapsing like a ragdoll.
The female Taki-nin frowned, confused at her opponent's suicidal charge. She turned instinctively to assist her teammate—
—and then realized she couldn't move.
Her limbs were frozen.
What?!
Hidden in the trees, Shikamaru smirked.
Earlier, when the Rain-nin leapt high into the air, his shadow had stretched out across the ground. The female Taki-nin, distracted by the body's sudden lunge, had failed to notice the creeping darkness that snared her from below.
The trap was already sprung.
Shikamaru formed another hand seal. His shadow crawled up her legs—morphing into two human-like hands—and slowly reached for her throat.
Shadow Strangle Jutsu.
A newly learned technique. He hadn't expected to master it before the third round of the exam, but thanks to his recent chakra control progress from yin-yang release training, he'd picked it up early.
The shadow-hands wrapped around the Taki-nin's neck, tightening with terrifying force.
"Guh…!"
Her face contorted in pain, unable to scream. She couldn't breathe. Her lips moved without sound as her airways were cut off.
"Haruko!" her remaining teammate shouted in horror.
In an instant, the three Rain-nin were dead, and two of the Taki-nin had either been killed or incapacitated. The dust from Choji's impact finally settled, and only one Taki-nin remained standing—too stunned to react.
He finally screamed.
"Damn you! Who the hell are you?!"
From atop a branch, Kiba looked down and sneered, casually wiping the blood off his hands. "Isn't it obvious? We're your enemies, idiot."
Crack!
From the other side of the clearing, the sharp crunch of bone echoed through the forest—Shikamaru had just crushed the female Taki-nin's windpipe.
The last remaining Taki-nin turned just in time to hear it, his face pale with horror.
Then, from the underbrush stepped a boy in a high-collared jacket and dark shades—Shino Aburame.
"Don't look around," he said coldly. "I'm your opponent."
Everyone else—except Hinata—had already taken out their targets. Shino, calm on the outside but prideful at heart, refused to be the only one left behind.
This Taki-nin…
Was already dead.
Surrounded by Choji, Kiba, Ino, and now Shino, he had no escape. Shikamaru and Hinata were likely nearby as well, ready to intervene.
Realizing the hopelessness, he clenched his fists. His eyes darted to the scroll pouch. If nothing else, he could destroy it—deny the enemy his scroll!
Slap!
As his hand moved to pull out the scroll, Shino extended a finger toward him. The soft earth beneath the Taki-nin's feet rustled, and from the soil burst a swarm of kikaichū insects.
The Taki-nin tried to dodge, but the cloud of insects changed direction mid-air, latching onto his face, crawling into his eyes and nostrils.
"AAARGH!"
He screamed and clawed at his face, but more bugs emerged from Shino's coat, swarming him in waves. In just a minute, the boy collapsed, twitching once before falling silent.
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