"I have to hold out, absolutely cannot die here."
Kiba gritted his teeth, dodging the relentless attacks from behind.
"Even if I'm just an ordinary Shinobi, I can't die an ordinary death."
"When I get back, I'm going to train hard! Damn it!"
"Awuwu!"
Akamaru suddenly whimpered. Kiba's heart jumped, and he quickly looked over.
He saw a Crystal Release senbon pierce Akamaru's hind leg.
Then, crystallization immediately began to spread on Akamaru's body.
"Akamaru!"
Kiba's eyes widened in horror; of course, he knew what this meant.
He rushed over recklessly, wanting to save his partner.
But then, he felt someone grab the back of his collar and unceremoniously toss him backward.
A calm voice reached his ears, gradually calming his wildly pounding heart.
But his heart soon leaped again; he hadn't forgotten that there was still a very dangerous enemy nearby.
"Careful, there's..."
He shouted loudly to warn, turning his head to look for the enemy's location, but only saw a large crater and slowly dissipating white smoke.
"I've already dealt with the enemy. Let me treat your injuries first."
Takumi said without turning his head. "This injury is very troublesome. If not treated promptly, there could be big trouble."
Gulp!
Kiba's throat moved convulsively. He carefully approached, looking at his whimpering partner, his heart aching.
"What kind of big trouble?"
He couldn't help asking, holding his own injured arm.
"Amputation."
Takumi calmly uttered two words that made Kiba's expression drastically change.
"Amputation?!"
Kiba's voice suddenly shot up, even cracking.
This showed how terrified he was.
He was a Taijutsu specialist. If he or his partner Akamaru had a physical defect, their combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced.
This was something he absolutely dared not imagine.
"Don't worry, with me here, it'll be fine."
Takumi calmly treated Akamaru's wound, only confirming that the Crystal Release Chakra wouldn't spread further before healing the wound.
"Alright, Akamaru is fine."
Takumi stood up, then grabbed Kiba, who was about to pounce and hug Akamaru. "I haven't looked at your wound yet."
"Please hurry, Shino is also in trouble."
Kiba had passed by Shino earlier and now fully understood how troublesome the enemy's strength was.
Now he was very worried about his teammate Shino's safety.
"You don't need to worry about Shino."
Takumi examined his wound as he spoke. "Shino's personality is calm and composed. He's not as reckless as you."
"..."
Kiba wanted to say he wasn't reckless, but the words got stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
Thinking about it, he indeed had a reckless personality.
In this regard, he was very much like Naruto and Lee, typical of those who act on impulse.
However, he was stronger than Naruto and Lee in reconnaissance, so compared to those two, he seemed more steady.
But only a tiny bit.
In fact, in Takumi's eyes, none of them were like traditional Shinobi.
Noisy, their techniques were loud, not at all like Shinobi operating in the shadows.
"Alright, you're fine."
After repeatedly confirming, Takumi patted Kiba's arm and said, "Two hundred meters east, Hinata is resting there. Go guard her first. I'm going to help Shino."
"Okay, got it."
Kiba quickly picked up Akamaru, but when he turned around, Takumi had already disappeared.
"So fast."
Kiba marveled, then twitched his nose and quickly confirmed Hinata's position.
"This way!"
Shino leaped rapidly between the trees, with a Guren clone in hot pursuit.
"Strange Ninjutsu, powerful strength, but..."
Shino glanced behind him, making his judgment. "This is just a clone."
"The real body's strength probably reaches the level of an Elite Jonin."
His guess was not wrong.
At least in terms of combat ability, Guren definitely had the strength of an Elite Jonin.
Her unique Crystal Release greatly enhanced her combat effectiveness, and her own aptitude was also good.
"The enemy's Ninjutsu characteristics are special. I should avoid direct combat."
Shino hid behind a tree, analyzing how to defeat her. "Direct combat has no chance of winning. The only option is to set a trap."
Suddenly, his expression drastically changed, and he quickly jumped up.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Several sharp Crystal Release spikes pierced through the tree and also through Shino's body.
Crystallization quickly spread along the wounds, sealing Shino within the crystal in almost the blink of an eye.
The Guren clone landed before the crystal, looking at Shino inside, and revealed a smile.
But the smile quickly faded, and she couldn't help frowning.
Shino inside the crystal slowly transformed into countless insects.
"That was my insect clone."
Shino's figure appeared on a high branch.
Leaning against the trunk, he said calmly, "If I didn't have enough confidence, I wouldn't casually stop."
Meaning he deliberately stopped to set the trap.
The moment the Guren clone saw Shino, she immediately charged at him.
"As I said."
Shino looked up slightly, watching the Guren clone jump in front of him. "If I didn't have enough confidence, I wouldn't have stopped."
"In other words, I've already figured out a way to deal with you."
The Guren clone ignored him, condensing a giant crystal blade on her arm.
But before she could attack, the giant crystal blade directly shattered.
"Kikaichu are insects that feed on Chakra."
Shino extended his hand, and a large number of insects crawled out from his sleeve.
But even more insects emerged from behind the Guren clone.
The moment she landed in front of his clone, she had already fallen into his trap.
"Your body is now covered with my insects. You can't use Ninjutsu now."
Shino said calmly.
But soon, the situation changed.
The Guren clone actually directly covered herself with crystal.
Naturally, the insects on her body were also crystallized along with her.
"Damn it!"
Shino's expression changed, and he directly leaped away from the spot.
The crystal covering the Guren clone suddenly sprouted several sharp spikes, just piercing the spot where Shino had been standing.
He narrowly missed them by a hair.
"I didn't expect there was this method."
Shino felt a bit frustrated.
He had thought his plan was foolproof.
Now it seemed, the enemy wasn't a fool either.
Even though this was just a clone, its strength still surpassed his.
"You did very well already."
Just then, Takumi appeared beside him. "I believe given enough time, you could defeat her."
"It's just a clone though."