Whoosh—
In the jungle, Shikamaru was panting as he stared at the training ground ahead.
"Sensei really went overboard with the traps and beasts, didn't he?"
Along the way, if Ino hadn't had some sensory abilities, he and Choji might have actually been eliminated by the checkpoints Shinji had arranged.
The checkpoints Shinji arranged were simply too unexpected, and some traps even had Shinji's Shadow Clone guarding them. Once or twice, Shikamaru almost fell for it.
"Shikamaru, I found them." On a nearby tree, Ino maintained a posture.
"Oh? Where are they?" Shikamaru asked, looking up at Ino's words.
Ino responded to Shikamaru with her eyes closed, "They're in the northeast direction of the training ground, preparing to move into the training ground."
"Their condition looks good, except Naruto and Sasuke are a bit disheveled."
Shikamaru pondered for a moment, it was about what he had expected.
As the only insight and medical personnel in Naruto's squad, Naruto and Sasuke would prioritize taking care of Hinata. After all, Hinata was the eyes of their squad.
"Ino, can you interfere with Hinata?" Shikamaru asked, looking up.
Hinata's Byakugan was too overpowered, and Shikamaru felt she should be dealt with first.
"I'll give it a try." no didn't fully commit, as she wasn't entirely sure either.
"Hinata's Chakra—"
"Mind Body Switch Technique!"
Upon pinpointing Hinata's Chakra, Ino quickly activated the Mind Body Switch Technique.
On the opposite side, Hinata, who already had her Byakugan activated, first froze, then assumed a stance.
Naruto, seeing this, immediately covered his hands with a layer of gray-black substance, blocking in front of Hinata.
Pop—
"Tsk—Naruto interfered, Yang Release Chakra Armor is too overpowered." Ino faltered, then shook her head helplessly.
Indeed.
Shikamaru stood up. This probe was a win-win if successful, and no big deal if it failed.
"Watch out! They are moving towards us!"
Ino warned, quickly saying, "Naruto is charging at the front, Sasuke is on the flank, and Hinata is at the rear."
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, his tone serious. "It seems they plan to deal with us first, then easily take the flag."
Choji, who had just swallowed a few military ration pills, asked, "What should we do, Shikamaru?"
"Although it's troublesome—" Shikamaru rubbed his head, then began to give instructions for the plan.
"Choji, you'll attract Naruto from the front. The bigger the commotion, the better."
"Ino, keep an eye on Hinata. Don't let her support Naruto and Sasuke."
"As for Sasuke, I'll handle him."
"As a flanker, Sasuke will prioritize backing up Naruto's actions, and Choji is the most effective attacker in our squad."
"Naruto and Sasuke will definitely be dealt with first."
"I'll find an opportunity to control Sasuke, and try to create chaos or make Sasuke leave the battlefield."
As Shikamaru spoke, he dragged the tripwires he had brought from the traps they had encountered.
Their methods alone were not as diverse as Naruto's squad's, so they could only try to achieve some delays from various aspects.
"Understood, Shikamaru." Choji responded to Shikamaru, then turned and charged forward. He had already spotted Naruto's figure.
"Naruto! Take this!"
Choji rapidly attacked Naruto, swinging his right hand fiercely towards him.
Partial Multi-Size Jutsu: Right Hand!
Naruto, who was charging at the very front, raised his hand to form a hand sign, and seeing Choji's move, he didn't hesitate.
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Hundreds of Shadow Clones appeared around Naruto with a series of bangs.
"Brothers! Charge! Some of you tie down Choji! The rest come with me to find Shikamaru and Ino!"
"Deal with them!"
"Ahem!"
Hearing Naruto's main body's command, the Shadow Clones immediately and orderly split off a portion to surround Choji.
"Damn it! So many!"
Choji watched dozens of Narutos charge at him, and swung his enlarged right hand.
"I won't let you disturb Shikamaru and the others!"
On a tree, Sasuke stood on a branch, frowning.
"That loser!"
He then looked forward. Although he wasn't entirely sure of Shikamaru and Ino's exact location, he had a premonition that they were definitely there.
As he looked up, Sasuke's pupils transformed into the crimson Sharingan, and he quickly rushed forward.
At the very rear, Hinata came behind Naruto's main body, observing her surroundings with her Byakugan.
"Sasuke-kun! Be careful! Shikamaru is in the shadow to your front right! Ino is in the tree on the left!"
"Received!" Sasuke replied, prioritizing Shikamaru as his target.
Whoosh—
A shadow quickly attacked.
Sasuke used a burst of strength to dodge sideways.
'Good opportunity!'
Shikamaru smirked.
Just as he expected, his target had changed with the disruption of Naruto's Shadow Clones. It was no longer Sasuke.
"Naruto! Dodge!"
After dodging, Sasuke saw the shadow rapidly heading behind him and shouted loudly.
Most of Naruto's Shadow Clones had already been dealt with by Choji. Now, only Naruto's main body, heading towards Ino, was exposed in the field.
Whoosh—
As Sasuke spoke, he threw several shuriken, hoping to disrupt Shikamaru's shadow with them.
Boom!
A Chakra shockwave suddenly struck, and Choji immediately entered his gluttonous form, blocking in front of Sasuke.
"Shikamaru! I'll hold off Sasuke!"
Hinata was about to support Naruto but was blocked by Ino, who had circled around.
Ino said, "Hinata-chan, you can't disturb Shikamaru, okay."
Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!
Hinata didn't hesitate and immediately unleashed a Vacuum Palm, preparing to prioritize dealing with Ino.
Ino, who dodged sideways, had no choice but to engage Hinata in close combat.
Shadow Imitation Jutsu!
'Success!'
Shikamaru, hiding at the very back, smirked and stood up.
"Bastard!" Naruto looked at the shadow beneath his feet, filled with anger.
Just a moment of carelessness, and he had been caught and controlled by Shikamaru.
"Then… Naruto! Attack Sasuke!"
Shikamaru glanced at the situation in the field. His primary goal was to eliminate Sasuke.
"Stinky Sasuke! Move out of the way quickly!"
Boom!
Naruto's Yang Release Chakra Armor-enhanced fist smashed towards Sasuke. Sasuke used Activation Imprint at the last moment, narrowly dodging.
The massive shockwave and air blast obscured everyone's vision across the entire field.
"Shikamaru! Watch out! Hinata has disappeared!" Ino, amidst the dust, immediately warned Shikamaru.
In the dust, Shikamaru's lips twitched uncontrollably, he had miscalculated. He forgot that Naruto still had his Yang Release Chakra Armor activated.
Using the advantage of her Byakugan, Hinata quickly arrived at Shikamaru's position and shouted, "Please release Naruto!"
A Vacuum Palm immediately unleashed a shockwave, forcing Shikamaru's figure back.