Chapter 67: Reinforcements
[You have killed Inuzuka Kiba.]
[Inuzuka Kiba is an important plot character. Obtained World Source 4.6%. Total World Source obtained: 36.2%.]
[You have obtained a Treasure Chest (Purple).]
...
Blood dripped from the tip of the blade. This proved that as long as one's strength was sufficient, even the original Twelve Little Strong could be killed. In a derivative world, even the protagonist could be slain.
"How could this be..."
Hinata stared at her own hands. The palm strike she had just delivered had indirectly killed Inuzuka Kiba.
"Hinata!"
Yuhi Kurenai shouted, snapping the dazed Hinata back to reality.
"Kiba wasn't killed by you. He died at the hands of the enemy."
At this moment, the weakness of the Twelve Little Strong was exposed: they had never experienced a teammate dying in battle.
Buzz~
The parasitic insects swirled, protecting Yuhi Kurenai and the other two within.
"Shino, buy me about ten seconds."
Yuhi Kurenai formed hand seals, preparing to use an extremely powerful genjutsu.
"Ten seconds... that might not be possible."
Shino Aburame's voice was low. As he spoke, a roaring sound of wind rushed in.
Clang!
A large expanse of blade aura spread out, and the parasitic insects flying around were slashed to pieces in large numbers.
Su Xiao pried a bug trying to burrow into his flesh from his neck, then stomped the ground and charged toward Yuhi Kurenai. The reason was that Yuhi Kurenai posed the greatest threat to him.
If he wasn't caught in her genjutsu, fine. But once he was controlled, his death would be certain.
"Teacher Yuhi Kurenai."
Hinata stood in front of Yuhi Kurenai, assuming the Hyuga-style combat stance.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."
A Bagua pattern formed from chakra faintly appeared beneath Hinata's feet. Su Xiao ignored the sudden appearance of the Bagua; he was best at dealing with taijutsu-type ninjas.
"Rotation."
Hinata spun at high speed, the surrounding chakra flowing rapidly, eventually forming a semicircular energy barrier.
Under the high-speed rotation of Rotation, a fierce wind kicked up around them.
Su Xiao charged straight toward Rotation and thrust his blade into it.
Sizzle~
Sparks flew. Su Xiao switched from a one-handed grip to a two-handed grip, the muscles in his arms slightly bulging, and Cyan Steel Shadow Energy surged along the blade.
Pfft.
The energy barrier of Rotation was stained. An arm flew out, and Rotation stopped.
Hinata staggered back a few steps. Rotation had been broken, and one of her forearms was missing. A sword wound stretched across her chest and abdomen. Hinata's Rotation wasn't very strong, and its defense was incomplete, showing some gap compared to Neji's.
Although Su Xiao knew that Hyuga Hinata was the female protagonist of the original work, so what? They were enemies fighting to the death. If he held back because she was the female protagonist, that would be an extremely idiotic and foolish act.
Su Xiao raised his blade and charged forward, slashing at Hinata's throat.
The blade edge whistled down. The black hair on one side of Hinata's neck was severed, and the blade "kissed" her fair throat. But for some reason, Su Xiao's body came to an abrupt halt, and the longsword stopped as well.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms: Annihilation."
Hinata's hands were wrapped in chakra, and she actually used her bare palms to press against the blade.
Had Hinata blocked this strike? Of course not.
"Shadow Imitation Technique: Success."
Two black shadows connected to Su Xiao's feet. In the distance, a ninja crouched with his hands forming seals.
"That was close."
Nara Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief, but the immense force transmitted through the shadow made his expression change.
"Ino!"
Nara Shikamaru shouted.
"Understood."
The blonde beauty Yamanaka Ino clasped her hands together.
"Mind Body Switch Technique."
Ino's body tilted to the side, and her consciousness entered Su Xiao's body.
"Choji!"
The slightly plump Akimichi Choji leaped forward. Just then, an unexpected change occurred.
"Ah!!"
Yamanaka Ino's scream rang out. The Mind Body Switch Technique was interrupted.
"Ino, what's wrong?"
Nara Shikamaru's face changed drastically. Their Ino-Shika-Cho combination moves were interlinked; if one link failed, the person acting next would face danger.
"There's... a blue energy inside his body. I was driven out by that energy."
Yamanaka Ino was in a terrible state, her eyes bloodshot, as if she might faint at any moment. It was clear she had suffered mental trauma.
"Expansion Technique."
Akimichi Choji's body rapidly expanded, turning into a giant in moments, and he stomped down toward Su Xiao.
Boom!
Dust surged, and the ground shattered. Nara Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief. Although the Mind Body Switch Technique had failed, the final attack hadn't been delayed.
The dust gradually cleared. A faint blue energy shield appeared above Su Xiao's head. It was an energy shield with 200 points of mana strength. Although fine cracks had appeared on its surface, it showed no signs of breaking.
"The Ino-Shika-Cho Combination."
Su Xiao couldn't move; the shadow was binding his actions. His jaw muscles bulged, and not far away, Shikamaru's hands forming seals began to tremble.
Swish.
The shadow retracted. The Shadow Imitation Technique had been broken by Su Xiao.
Seeing this, Akimichi Choji stomped down even harder. Crack, crack—the cracks on the energy shield grew denser.
Su Xiao sidestepped and leaped away, simultaneously dispelling the energy shield.
Boom.
Akimichi Choji stomped the ground, his massive foot sinking deep into the earth.
"Falling Flower Technique."
Just as Su Xiao was about to draw his blade, his mind went hazy. It was genjutsu!
Yuhi Kurenai had used her strongest genjutsu. Now, Su Xiao's vision was filled with swirling flower petals, and the surrounding enemies had vanished.
"Now's the chance."
Yuhi Kurenai had just shouted when her expression suddenly froze. A sharp thread had already sliced across her neck.
Su Xiao's focus returned. Yuhi Kurenai's head hit the ground.
[You have killed Yuhi Kurenai.]
[Yuhi Kurenai is an important plot character. Obtained World Source 3.7%. Total World Source obtained: 39.9%.]
...
Having eliminated another enemy, Su Xiao paused for a moment, then made a slashing motion in the air toward Akimichi Choji.
Clang.
A blade aura three meters in diameter flew out. The blade aura was extremely fast, reaching Akimichi Choji in an instant.
Choji crossed his arms in front of him. Pfft—blood splattered. The muscles in his arms were cut open, revealing pale white bone.
"Everyone fall back! Don't get close to him! Use long-range ninjutsu attacks!"
Although their team had suffered heavy casualties, Shikamaru's mind remained clear. He knew that engaging in close combat with the enemy would mean certain death.
Swish.
A shadow surged toward Su Xiao. The shadow was fast and urgent, and its timing was cunning.
"Mind Body Switch."
Su Xiao's body stopped again. This time, he was completely controlled.
In the split second before being controlled, Su Xiao generated several energy shields to tightly encase himself.
An iron rod six or seven meters long smashed toward Su Xiao. Bang—layers of air waves spread outward.
"Chōza, keep going. Inoichi won't last long. The enemy has a way to counter Mind Body Switch."
Nara Shikaku stood beside Nara Shikamaru. The older generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho combination had arrived.
Akimichi Chōza didn't speak. He simply swung the giant iron rod and smashed it violently at Su Xiao.
Boom, boom, boom!
Clang!
A blade aura flew out from within the dust, slashing across the face of the already giant-sized Akimichi Chōza. The blade aura blinded one of his eyes.
Both Nara father and son were stunned. Shikamaru looked at his father.
"The Shadow Imitation Technique shouldn't have failed."
Nara Shikaku looked toward Yamanaka Inoichi, who was sitting on the ground with bloodshot eyes. Resisting Cyan Steel Shadow Energy with his mind was a suicidal act. Without at least half a month of rest, Yamanaka Inoichi would not recover.