Kiba looked at Akamaru in shock. "Since when could you talk?"
Akamaru scoffed. "When did I ever say I couldn't?"
Kiba was left speechless.
After a lot of effort, Kiba finally accepted that Akamaru could talk like Kakashi's summoned ninken because Naruto had fed him something strange before.
Akamaru slowly transformed back into his smaller white pup form and lay down on the spot.
"Akamaru!" Kiba panicked. "What's wrong?!"
"Shut up! I'm exhausted and need to sleep!" Akamaru growled.
Kiba sat down, stunned and unable to react.
Meanwhile, with Shikamaru—
The three summoned Doki spirits rampaged through the area, searching for their elusive target.
"Damn it! This rat is too good at hiding!" Tayuya cursed in frustration.
Suddenly, a kunai shot out from the bushes toward her.
Jirōbō, the brute of the Sound Four, instinctively raised his massive arm to block it.
"Found you!" Tayuya smirked as she directed her Doki spirits forward, swinging their clubs down at full force.
Boom! The attack landed, but as the dust cleared, she saw a triggered wire trap instead of Shikamaru.
"Tch! Just another one of his tricks! Enough of this!"
Tayuya played an intense melody on her flute. "Demonic Flute: Requiem of Illusion!"
The stitches on the Doki spirits' mouths split apart, revealing grotesque, spectral entities composed purely of chakra. These entities began scanning the surroundings, absorbing latent chakra from the air to locate their target.
"Got you!" Tayuya grinned as the energy strands locked onto Shikamaru.
"Damn!" Shikamaru quickly grabbed Chōji and leaped to the side, barely avoiding the spectral tendrils. "They're stealing my chakra!"
"Heh! That's it for you!" Tayuya sneered. "You little brats are finished!"
The Doki spirits lunged at them when—
Boom! A flash bomb exploded in front of Tayuya, disorienting her.
"What?!" She was caught off guard.
"Now!" Shikamaru swiftly formed a hand seal. "Shadow Imitation Jutsu!"
The shadows crept up and bound the three spirits instantly.
"No way! How did you know I'd send them all at once?!" Tayuya demanded.
Shikamaru smirked. Before he could explain, Chōji cut in, "Less talking! Finish this! I'm starving!"
Shikamaru facepalmed.
Enraged, Tayuya's headband fell as her body transformed—
Curse Mark Level 2.
She snarled and dispelled her summoning jutsu, forcing the spirits to vanish.
"There! Try controlling nothing now!" she snapped.
Yet her body remained frozen.
"What?!" Tayuya glanced down, seeing the creeping shadow still latched onto her. "When?!"
Shikamaru sighed. "I never intended to control your summons. That was just bait to make you drop your guard."
He formed another hand seal. "Shadow Neck Bind Jutsu!"
His shadow crept up, forming a dark hand that reached for her throat.
"What the hell?! Is it actually grabbing me?!" Tayuya struggled.
The shadow hand pressed against her body, rising higher—
"Hey! B*****d! Watch where you're touching!"
Chōji, who was watching intently, sat back and smirked.
"Huh?" Shikamaru blinked in confusion.
Tayuya fought back using the raw power of her Curse Mark transformation. The shadow hand moved unpredictably, slipping up and down her body.
"You s****d b*****d! How dare you grope me like this!" Tayuya roared, breaking free.
Shikamaru's technique was failing. "Chōji! Quit watching and help me already!"
"Huh? Oh, right!" Chōji responded.
"Fatass! Come any closer and I'll kill you!" Tayuya spat.
A vein twitched on Chōji's forehead.
Seeing what was coming, Shikamaru instantly dropped his jutsu and sprinted into the forest.
Tayuya blinked. "...Huh?"
Chōji cracked his knuckles. "What did you just call me?"
"I said FATASS! Now get lost, or I'll—"
"Partial Expansion Jutsu!"
A giant fist crashed down, flattening Tayuya.
Shikamaru returned, shaking his head. "Damn, what a way to go."
Tayuya lay unconscious, foaming at the mouth.
Chōji groaned, "Ugh… my body aches."
"That's what happens when you go full power every time," Shikamaru muttered. "If you acted sooner, this would've been over already."
"Hey! Unlike some people, I wasn't busy feeling up the enemy!" Chōji teased.
"Shut up!"
—
Meanwhile, Rock Lee versus Kimimaro.
Kimimaro thrust a bone blade at Lee's chest—
Lee sidestepped, barely dodging.
Kimimaro scowled. "Don't pretend to be asleep when you're clearly awake."
He unleashed a flurry of bone blades—
Lee weaved between them like a drunken master, erratically dodging left, right, up, and down.
"Tch. What the hell are you doing?" Kimimaro frowned.
Lee suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Kimimaro's wrist with his foot. "Damn it! Can't a man sleep in peace?!"
Kimimaro's eyes narrowed. "You're using Drunken Fist…?!"
Lee wobbled, striking unpredictable poses, his eyes half-lidded. "Oi… you ruined my nap. Now I'll show you something awesome!"
Kimimaro braced himself. "So, your attacks are still straightforward? Easy to counter."
Lee suddenly increased speed, launching a punch—
Only to slip and face-plant at Kimimaro's feet.
Kimimaro: "..."
Lee grinned up at him. "Oops~!"
Kimimaro sighed. "This is going to be annoying."
---
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