Hoshi, followed by Asani, rushed forward, filling their bodies with chakra and preparing to attack the only relatively combat-ready member of the team from different directions, as a flash of lightning flashed from the side, slamming into the kunoichi who had pulled forward and throwing her backwards.
- Gah! - Even with the protective cloak, the raiton technique was surprisingly powerful, throwing the cramped body to the ground.
- Hoshi, are you okay! - Asani slowed down and in a couple of steps, was in front of her partner and stood in a protective stance, glancing in the direction where the lightning had come from.
There, kneeling and holding out his hand with his palm open, was a blond man who had been written off by everyone, his clothes scorched and bleeding from many small wounds, but who had survived the explosion of the kibakufuda (explosive seal).
- I'll be alive," Hoshi mumbled in a broken voice, twitching convulsively but trying to get up from the ground.
Her short hair tried to stand up, lifting her hood, but other than a small scorch on her chest and a weakened lightning strike, she got off surprisingly easy.
- Ha!
Suddenly, the nepotistic leader threw his big cleaver at the injured kunoichi with all his might and threw something on the ground. Unprepared for such a development, but still able to react and raise her kunai in defense, Asani was swept backwards, causing her to trip over Hoshi and collapse to the ground with her. A couple of moments later, as they jumped to their feet, thick puffs of smoke were billowing in all directions, obscuring the clearing and the genin fighting in it.
Quickly pulling out a piece of fuin paper from her breast pocket, Surizawa sent a pulse of chakra into it, activating it and a strong stream of air blew away all the smoke in front of her, restoring her ability to see.
But there was no one else in front of her except for her slightly battered partner - Kumo's team had retreated in a hurry, and the fact that they had been here a while ago could only be determined by the bloody kunai and pools of blood on the grass.
- They're gone, the bastards," Hoshi announced after a dozen seconds of tense waiting and monitoring the surroundings, pulling the mask off her face and spitting bloody saliva onto the ground.
She bit her tongue during the brief convulsions, which didn't add to her good mood after the fight ended.
- I doubt they'll get very far in the Forest of Death, unless they decide to go straight for the fence - there'll be a lot of predators out for blood," Surizawa shrugged and asked her friends, "Do you need medical attention?
- Tongue," Hoshi stuck out the bleeding organ.
- I've got a badly sprained wrist," Asani frowned, glancing at the cleaver lying nearby, "and it could have cracked a rib.
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