Earlier, when Takumi was ambushed and carried off, besides feeling guilty, she was also worried about his safety.
Now seeing Takumi appear before her completely unharmed, she immediately felt relieved.
Besides, she wasn't too seriously injured; she had just taken one punch.
With her physique as a Kunoichi, it wouldn't affect her fighting.
But the fact remained that she couldn't defeat him.
"Leave this to me."
Takumi said calmly without turning his head. "I'll deal with this guy first, then we'll find the remaining ones."
"You can guide me then."
His confident words influenced Hinata.
She immediately nodded and said, "Okay! I'll tell you the enemy's positions."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Takumi smiled slightly. He didn't say things like "it's not necessary" to discourage the girl.
It was a good thing to let the girl feel she had a useful role.
In fact, if he didn't have his Observation Haki, entering an environment that obscured vision wouldn't be easy for him either.
But he had other ways to deal with it.
Like creating a strong wind to disperse the entire mist.
"Another one who likes to show off."
Nurari rubbed his arm that had returned to normal; the place Takumi had grabbed earlier ached dully, and his heart was filled with caution.
Gozu's strength was formidable, something they all knew well.
But Nurari hadn't been too concerned about it.
After all, his special body and Ninjutsu meant he wasn't particularly afraid of physical attacks.
However, the enemy's ability to escape from Gozu's attack and appear completely unharmed made him somewhat wary.
"You'll find out soon enough if I'm showing off."
A smile on his face, Takumi suddenly charged forward. "Hinata!"
"Ten meters directly in front of you!"
Hinata immediately reported Nurari's position.
"Damn it!"
Nurari frowned and quickly jumped up.
"He jumped!"
Hinata reported quickly.
Takumi had already seen it through his Observation Haki.
But to coordinate with Hinata's speaking speed, he didn't rush forward in advance.
He only jumped after hearing Hinata's words.
Although it seemed a little late, his speed was much faster than Nurari's.
"Speed is useless!"
Seeing Takumi suddenly charging at him, a sneer flashed across Nurari's face.
Judging by his posture, he seemed like the type who liked close combat.
He wasn't afraid of physical attacks. By liquefying his body, no physical attack would be effective against him.
Seeing Takumi's fist coming, he immediately prepared to liquefy his body.
Just then, Takumi abruptly withdrew his fist, quickly formed hand seals, and then brought his left hand to his mouth.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Against an enemy of this level, he didn't even need to activate his Flame Body for enhancement.
The ten-meter diameter fireball he spat out instantly made the enemy's figure visible.
"Ahhh!"
Nurari screamed in agony, his body covered in burns.
He had strong defenses against physical attacks.
But his unique body made him very afraid of Fire Release and Lightning Release.
Both could inflict several times the damage on him.
And they also prevented him from maintaining his liquefied form.
"The moment I touched you, I knew punches were useless against you, idiot."
Takumi said flatly, watching Nurari, severely burned, roll his eyes and fall.
"Retreat!"
Rinji, observing everything from hiding, broke out in a cold sweat the moment he saw Nurari defeated in a single exchange by Takumi.
He knew this was not an enemy they could confront.
At the very least, Guren would have to come personally.
Guys like them, no matter how many were sent, would just be cannon fodder.
"But, Nurari hasn't returned yet."
Kigiri scratched his head. "Why the sudden retreat?"
"Nurari is already dead."
Rinji couldn't be sure Nurari was dead, but he was certain that in that state, they couldn't possibly rescue Nurari from the enemy's hands.
After all, with that girl with the special eyes, their movements would be seen clearly.
That being the case, forget about that defeated worthless guy and quickly escape to deliver the intelligence to Guren.
"What?"
Kigiri and Kiho looked at Rinji in shock.
Among them, Nurari was relatively skilled in combat, while Kiho and Kigiri specialized in providing control.
If even Nurari was defeated so easily,
They would probably die even faster if they engaged.
So, without any hesitation, they immediately turned and fled.
"Wait... wait a moment."
Just then, a weak voice came from beside them.
The group immediately alertly looked over and saw Gozu.
But Gozu looked utterly miserable at this moment.
His already ugly face was now several times more swollen, looking bizarre.
His body was covered in bruises. Although there was no blood, it looked even more horrifying.
"That guy is too strong. We're retreating."
Seeing Gozu, Rinji immediately defended his actions. "We must bring this news to Guren-sama."
"Yeah, the enemy is very strong."
He had been knocked unconscious by Takumi earlier but woke up quickly.
After all, his body had been extremely modified by Orochimaru, and its toughness was extraordinary.
Rinji and the others immediately retreated.
Their actions were quickly noticed by Hinata.
"Takumi-kun, the enemy is retreating."
She immediately called out to Takumi, who was not far away.
"Hmm?"
Takumi looked at the unconscious Nurari at his feet and raised an eyebrow. "They're decisive. As soon as they saw their comrade fall, they immediately retreated."
"What should we do now?"
Hinata came to Takumi's side. "Should we continue pursuing?"
"Wait a moment."
Takumi looked around. "Can you find Kiba and Shino's positions?"
"Just a moment."
Hinata immediately began searching for Kiba and Shino.
Fortunately, neither was far. She quickly found them. "Kiba is circling outside the mist; he hasn't discovered the situation inside yet. Shino is approaching with his insects, still a bit far away."
"Good that they're not here."
Takumi said, then quickly formed hand seals and took a deep breath.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Fierce gales spewed from his mouth.
The surrounding mist was immediately dispersed.
With the field of vision no longer obscured, Hinata deactivated her Byakugan.
Then Kiba quickly rushed over.
"Looks like things went well."
As soon as Kiba arrived, he saw Nurari lying on the ground. "This guy looks weird, and also miserable."
Nurari was now covered in burns, looking truly terrible.
Hinata glanced at him, then looked away.
"Too late, by one step."
Shino's figure appeared on a nearby branch. "The encirclement net just missed catching them."
"It's okay, next time."
Takumi looked up and said with a smile. "It's not like we came away empty-handed."
He looked down at Nurari. "This guy might know something."
"Hinata, seal his Chakra Points to make sure he can't use any technique."
Although Nurari's current state might not allow him to use his liquefied form, it was still better to seal the Chakra of someone with special abilities.
That would make handling him easier later.