A devastated plain.
"Human Bullet Tank!"
Choji, having gained overwhelming strength by consuming a red chili pill, curled his entire body into a ball, transforming into a human chariot that repeatedly slammed into his enemy. Jirobo, in his inhuman-looking Curse Mark Level 2 state, could only struggle to dodge again and again. Perhaps it was because they were both large-framed, or perhaps it was jealousy that his opponent had so many comrades who valued him, but Jirobo had never once truly taken his enemy seriously. However, after facing death multiple times, Jirobo couldn't help but reflect: had he been too arrogant in underestimating his foe? If he had gone all out from the beginning, would the current situation be different?
But alas, there were no 'ifs.'
The depletion of his stamina and chakra caused him to make a mistake while dodging. The slight advantage he once held, already indistinct, instantly vanished as if falling off a cliff. Choji, having exchanged his life for a higher level of power and already prepared to die, the instant he realized his attack had connected with the enemy, abruptly surged his chakra output.
"AHHH!!!!"
In just a moment—hair like steel, strength capable of easily crushing stone—the instant it struck his body, a large portion of Jirobo's torso directly vanished, and his consciousness dispersed completely. There was absolutely no room for a reversal.
Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit! Perhaps from the moment Jirobo underestimated his enemy, his defeat was already sealed.
Gazing at the lifeless enemy beneath him, Choji, his torso now strangely emaciated, powerlessly slumped to the ground, looking wistfully at the grass and trees in the distance. The red chili pill, a secret medicine of the Akimichi clan, exchanged life for a hundredfold increase in strength!
"Goodbye, everyone…"
"Fang Over Fang!"
A fierce whirlwind smashed violently against an iron gate.
Boom!
Even with the Rashomon gate blocking the attack, Sakon could clearly feel the terrifying force behind it.
"This guy's head is really hard, right? Ukon."
"Yeah." From his back, another figure slowly emerged. "We should finish him off too."
In an open clearing.
A man and a woman stood facing each other, both glaring at their opponent with gritted teeth.
"What kind of power is this?" Shikamaru thought, feeling his rapidly depleting chakra, and secretly clenched his teeth. His remaining chakra was already insufficient to begin with. He couldn't possibly hold out against this terrifying rate of consumption for much longer.
"Damn it!"
The exhaustion of his chakra caused his Shadow Neck Bind Technique to abruptly halt on his enemy's chest. Though her chest was as flat as a wide plain, the black shadow upon it was exceptionally conspicuous. He swore he had launched that ninjutsu with the full intention of killing that crazy woman! But some things… simply couldn't be explained.
"Damn you!" Tayuya bit her silver lip, rage welling up from her heart, and the force with which she struggled to break free intensified once more. Although she had a million dissatisfactions with her own body, it was, after all, her body—a woman's body! Even though the Shadow Neck Bind Technique was just a shadow, for him to stop it there meant he absolutely had to die!
The sudden increase in her strength nearly caused Shikamaru to lose control of his enemy. The Shadow Neck Bind Technique retreated directly to Tayuya's calves.
"It's over!"
After a few more breaths, the last trace of chakra within his body vanished. Shikamaru took out the last remaining shuriken from his ninja tool pouch.
"Have I, who Ino always said isn't manly, finally got to act like a man for once…?"
Thwack!
Suddenly, a figure clad in a black robe and wearing a red fox mask appeared behind Tayuya. A sweeping kick, imbued with heavy force, struck a vital point directly, instantly dispersing Tayuya's consciousness.
Watching this scene, Shikamaru's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Though not having to die was a good thing, the feeling of having his freshly ignited fighting spirit doused with ice water was truly unpleasant.
First Battlefield.
Neji gazed at the spider threads that seemed to have been frozen mid-air, as if someone had pressed a pause button, his eyes filled with astonishment.
"Wasted a bit too much chakra." Before him, the black-robed figure glanced around and said with a sigh of resignation.
Just wasted a bit too much chakra? Hyuga Neji's eyelids twitched furiously. Using a massive amount of chakra to directly disperse the chakra imbued in all those threads—this crude method, treating chakra as if it were nothing, was merely 'a bit of a waste of chakra'? What kind of joke was this?
"Uzumaki Naruto?" Despite the mask's obstruction, within the Byakugan's field of vision, he had recognized that familiar chakra at first glance.
"Byakugan, huh?" The Naruto shadow clone turned his head to look at Neji's eyes. Against this kind of doujutsu Kekkei Genkai, the Transformation Technique was somewhat insufficient. [Should I get a mask and cloak that can block doujutsu and sensory ninjutsu?]
While his mind wandered, Naruto hadn't forgotten there was still an Otogakure enemy on the field. A large amount of chakra enveloped his body—this was a high-quality imitation he had created, modeled after Kurama's Tailed Beast cloak. Naruto's figure merely flickered and then appeared right in front of Kidomaru. His feet rooted, his torso twisting slightly, a terrifying force was transmitted from his spine to his arm.
Bang!
Through the Byakugan's powerful tracking ability, Neji could even see the opponent's face ripple as if silicone gel had suffered a heavy blow.
Senpou Temple Striking Fist! A simple, yet remarkably effective, method of attack.
Second Battlefield.
Naruto transferred a portion of his chakra to Choji. For injuries, he generally relied on his body's natural healing; for internal injuries like Choji's, he truly had no solution.
"Finally made it…" Sensing Kankuro's chakra source at last arriving, Naruto finally breathed a sigh of relief. Choji's current condition was best treated back in Konoha. However, his own status no longer made it appropriate for him to set foot in Konoha. As Konoha's ally, a support ninja from Sunagakure, Kankuro was clearly much more suitable than him.
"Has the battle already ended?" Kankuro's expression changed slightly as he looked at Jirobo's mangled corpse.
Third Battlefield.
"Fang Ov—" Kiba's voice abruptly cut off. He stared blankly at the two lifeless corpses on the ground. He had been wondering why that summoning jutsu had suddenly vanished… Could someone tell him what on earth had happened? How had he won so inexplicably?
"Looks like I'm not needed anymore." Seeing that Gaara had already taken over the fight, the Naruto shadow clone silently dispelled itself. Though it wasn't as if no one could handle Gaara, who could now engage in preliminary communication with Shukaku, the current enemy clearly wasn't one of them. The Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai was powerful, but that Kaguya clan ninja was already terminally ill. Against a ninja on death's door, Gaara, even if outmatched, could still win a battle of attrition by leveraging his advantage in chakra reserves.
"Naruto, is that you?" Despite the black robe and fox mask, Shikamaru recognized his former friend instantly. He slumped to the ground.
"Acting like this is a bit disrespectful to my rogue ninja status, you know," Naruto said, removing his mask with a light chuckle. "Give me your hand."
"What for?" Shikamaru complied, extending a hand.
"Giving you some chakra, so you don't end up unable to even walk back to the village."
Feeling the chakra replenish within his body, Shikamaru was speechless. If he'd had this much chakra earlier, he wouldn't have needed to fight so timidly.
"…How have you been lately?" Shikamaru asked softly after a moment's hesitation.
"Not bad. And you?" Naruto sat down cross-legged beside him.
"Also alright," Shikamaru smiled. As for their other teammates, he trusted that since Naruto had appeared, all problems were now resolved. This was the trust between friends.