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There was no need for hesitation, nor could there be any.
The strongest stance erupted instantly.
Boom!
Chakra poured out in a torrent.
"Earth Style: Sphere of Graves Technique!"
Ripping a massive chunk of earth straight from the ground, Jirobo, having entered his Cursed Seal mode, lifted the terrifyingly huge boulder high above his head and hurled it with ease.
It came crushing down directly from the front.
"Scatter!"
Shikamaru, leading the group, shouted sharply as his expression changed.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Naruto, Neji, and the others, having noticed the danger in advance, scattered in different directions almost simultaneously.
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
At the same time.
Kidomaru drew his specialized longbow, firing arrow after arrow that tore through the air with grim lethality.
These were attacks that ordinary Genin and Chunin would find difficult to react to.
"Rotation!"
"Secret Jutsu: Insect Wall Technique."
Neji and Shino, who had the fastest reactions, unleashed their strongest defensive secret techniques immediately.
Clang, clang, clang!
Pfft!
From their separated positions, they forcefully blocked Kidomaru's assault.
The moment they saw this scene—
Whether it was Jirobo or Kidomaru, subtle changes appeared on both their faces.
Not to boast, but while there were certainly ninjas who could block their attacks, those who could do so this easily were rare among the opponents they had faced in the past. Not to mention that Naruto and his group generally looked like mere teenagers of twelve or thirteen.
"Two people staying behind to stall us!?"
Almost the instant he saw Kidomaru and Jirobo turn back, Shikamaru clearly deduced the enemy's intent.
Their pursuit had already covered more than half of the Land of Fire.
They weren't far from the border now. If they were delayed any further and allowed this group to take Sasuke out of Fire Country territory, the risks involved in continuing the pursuit would far exceed anything before.
'We must intercept them before the border.'
A look of determination surfaced in Shikamaru's pupils.
"Neji, Shino, Choji!"
Shikamaru shouted their names loudly.
In that very moment, the three whose names were called immediately grasped Shikamaru's meaning.
The enemy wanted to play a delaying game!?
Then they would play along. They would leave the necessary combat power behind to clash with the enemy, while the rest continued the pursuit.
"Yeah, you guys go ahead, Shikamaru. Leave this to us."
"Don't worry."
"We understand."
Neji, Shino, and Choji responded in sync.
The reason Shikamaru arranged it this way was due to combat balance. He felt this was currently the optimal configuration out of the seven-member pursuit squad to counter those two Sound Ninja.
"Right. Let's go, Naruto, Kiba, Lee."
Hesitation leads to disaster. As the de facto commander of this squad, Shikamaru had to maintain the most rational and calm mind at all times. His judgments had to be timely and decisive, without any wavering.
Only then was there a chance to complete the mission.
"Huh? Oh, yeah!"
With the tasks assigned—
Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba, and Lee leaped into action, circling around toward the other side.
Seeing this, Kidomaru and Jirobo naturally couldn't let Shikamaru and the others leave so easily.
Just as they were about to make a move to intercept...
"Secret Jutsu: Human Bullet Tank!"
Whoosh!
"Secret Jutsu: Insect Clone Technique." [Note: The source says "Insect Rain Technique" (虫雨之术), but based on context and common Jutsu names, it might be a variation or a typo for something like Insect Clone or a specific Aburame technique. I will stick to the literal translation "Insect Rain Technique" as per source, or adapt if standard terminology is preferred. Let's use "Insect Rain Technique" as written.]
Choji and Shino, having launched their attacks a step ahead, forcibly separated Jirobo and Kidomaru.
Neji leaped up, soaring through the air to press hard against Kidomaru, who was closest to him.
The formidable stances they displayed one by one...
Were in no way inferior to any elite Chunin.
For a moment—
Kidomaru and Jirobo were forced to engage, unable to pay heed to Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others who were bypassing them. They could only watch helplessly as they sped away.
"Bastards! I'm definitely going to slaughter you!"
Seeing the targets slip past their obstruction, Kidomaru, who had just boasted in front of his teammate, instantly revealed a look of rage.
"Cursed Seal Level Two!"
Chakra spread further outward.
He entered the second stage of the Cursed Seal.
This loyal subordinate of Orochimaru was clearly enraged. He intended to slaughter Neji and the others in front of him in the shortest time possible.
The same went for Jirobo.
The power of the Cursed Seal erupted violently.
Sensing that palpitating, evil chakra...
Neji, Shino, and Choji opposite them all wore solemn expressions.
Colors clashed together.
Bang!
Rumble!
In this area...
They unleashed the fiercest of slaughters.
---
While one group battled...
On the other side...
Relying on Kiba, who possessed powerful tracking abilities, Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others could still easily lock onto Tayuya and Sakon, who had left ahead of time.
Closing in step by step...
"Damn it!"
Feeling the chakra signatures of Naruto and the others clearly approaching...
Sakon's expression in the lead turned extremely ugly.
"Hmph. What are those two idiots, Jirobo and Kidomaru, doing!? They actually let this bunch catch up again!?"
Tayuya, running alongside him, also revealed a very displeased expression.
They burst out of the forest...
And arrived directly onto a large plain.
"Tayuya, you take Sasuke-sama and leave first. I'll stay here to block them!"
Already lagging in speed and now arriving in an area with no cover, Sakon realized that if this continued, they would one hundred percent be caught. He made a prompt decision, handing the barrel containing Sasuke directly to Tayuya.
"Right, I got it!"
This terrain wasn't suitable for Tayuya's abilities.
Most importantly, there were a full four Leaf ninja chasing them. Sakon couldn't determine the strength of Naruto and the others, and he didn't dare to gamble.
If they delayed any longer...
They would one hundred percent fail to complete Lord Orochimaru's orders on time.
Moreover, they had to consider the possibility of other Leaf ninja catching up.
Staying behind to snipe the pursuers himself was the most appropriate move.
"Brother, time to work!"
As Tayuya sped away with Sasuke on her back...
Sakon immediately triggered his Cursed Seal power, awakening his brother—Ukon—who normally slept within his body.
"Ohhh!!!"
Following that, fangs protruded directly from his head. He entered the second stage of the Cursed Seal straight away. As that chillingly cold chakra fluctuation spread out...
A low roar, like that of a wild beast, rang out.
In the suddenly constricted pupils of Naruto and Shikamaru, who had just caught up not far away...
A figure almost identical to Sakon seemed to split directly from his body.