On the serene surface of the lake, Shikaku Nara stood face-to-face with Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Ready!" Yahiko replied with a determined nod.
"Then, let's begin."
Muttering softly, Shikaku crouched down slowly, forming the "Ne" seal with his hands.
"Attack!" Yahiko commanded in a low voice. The three moved in perfect sync to initiate their assault.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Yahiko completed his hand seals and unleashed a surging stream of water aimed directly at Shikaku.
Behind him, Konan scattered countless pieces of paper into the air, her hands forming seals as well. The paper seemed to come alive, folding into rapidly spinning paper shuriken. Simultaneously, Nagato clasped his hands together.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
A violent gust of wind erupted, enveloping Konan's paper shuriken. Their speed accelerated to the extreme, darting toward Shikaku with lethal precision.
Seeing this, Shikaku remained calm, even yawning lazily.
He thought to himself, If it were Chōza up here instead of me, he wouldn't even need to dodge. Partial Expansion Jutsu combined with Lightning Release Chakra Mode would be enough to swat these techniques away with a single hand.
But alas, Shikaku didn't possess such overwhelming physical power. His mind raced as he quickly formulated a strategy. A puff of white smoke erupted beside him as he summoned a shadow clone.
Since I don't have Chōza or Inoichi to back me up, I'll just have to rely on myself… and myself.
With that, Shikaku and his shadow clone simultaneously dashed across the water, employing the Body Flicker Technique to evade. The spinning paper shuriken sliced through the air, but they hit nothing but empty space.
Shikaku moved swiftly across the lake's surface, his sharp gaze locked on the trio. These three were Jiraiya-sama's disciples—people he absolutely could not kill and preferably shouldn't even injure.
Well, that rules out at least ninety percent of my solo combat strategies. How troublesome…
Muttering under his breath, Shikaku decided to test the waters. Both he and his shadow clone came to an abrupt halt, sending splashes of water into the air. With a casual flick of the wrist, they each threw a shuriken.
"So fast!" Yahiko exclaimed instinctively.
Whether it was Shikaku's movement speed or the speed of his shuriken throws, it far exceeded their expectations. The sheer disparity in skill weighed heavily on Yahiko's mind.
In the time it takes me to do one thing, he's already done three.
After two years of training, Yahiko was no longer the clueless novice he once was. He could tell that Shikaku's speed was the result of years of rigorous and precise training, honed into muscle memory.
The shuriken flew through the air, forcing the trio to scatter in different directions.
From a distance, Shikaku's eyes narrowed as he observed their reactions.
The red-haired kid has impressive reflexes. The girl with blue-purple hair is slightly slower. Yahiko is… average.
Let's test them again. Apply a bit more pressure this time.
Without hesitation, Shikaku gave them no time to recover. His main body knelt on one knee, forming the "Tora" seal, while his shadow clone threw another barrage of shuriken.
This time, the shuriken spun even faster, occasionally colliding with each other mid-air, altering their trajectories unpredictably.
Not far away, Yahiko, who had just dodged the first attack, furrowed his brows. Without thinking, he drew a kunai and positioned himself in front of his teammates.
There's no time to dodge. I'll have to block them.
Behind him, Konan and Nagato weren't idle. Another wave of paper shuriken and gale winds surged forward.
Jiraiya-sensei had taught them: Never let your opponent dictate the pace of the battle.
The air was filled with the clash of shuriken, sparks flying as they collided.
To Shikaku's surprise, Konan's paper shuriken were just as lethal as real ones.
Watching the chaotic interplay of shuriken and the invisible howling winds, Shikaku frowned slightly.
Something's off…
The wind is controlling the paper shuriken's flight paths. That red-haired kid… his observation skills are terrifying. Even with his eyes partially obscured by his bangs, he can see this much?
In that moment, Shikaku realized that Nagato was the one hiding the deepest strength among the three.
The howling wind surged toward him. Shikaku quickly retreated, the gale striking the lake's surface and sending water spraying everywhere, momentarily obscuring everyone's vision.
The next second, from behind the cascading water, another wave of shuriken and kunai shot out.
What was truly alarming, however, was that these kunai had explosive tags attached to them.
"Scatter!" Nagato shouted urgently, having spotted the explosive tags first.
Without hesitation, Yahiko and Konan dispersed in different directions.
The kunai and shuriken flew past them without causing any harm. Strangely, the explosive tags didn't detonate either.
As the water settled, Shikaku knelt on the lake's surface, his hands forming seals, his gaze locked firmly on the trio.
On the shore, Inoichi Yamanaka watched the battle unfold with a calm expression, a faint smile on his lips.
"Shikaku's got them," he remarked confidently.
As he spoke, the kunai Konan had just dodged exploded into a puff of white smoke.
Through the mist, Shikaku's form appeared.
The next moment, Yahiko and Nagato noticed that the shadows of two Shikakus had connected into a single line.
That line just so happened to intersect with Konan's shadow.
"Shadow Imitation Technique: Shadow Bind!"
With a low growl, Konan's expression turned to shock.
She could feel her body being forced under someone else's control!
Then, to her horror and embarrassment, the shadow transformed into tendrils that slithered across her body, binding her hands and feet tightly.
Under Shikaku's control, Konan's body moved involuntarily, splashing across the water and stopping right in front of him.
Human shield acquired!
Tilting his head, Shikaku glanced at Yahiko and Nagato, his tone lazy yet mocking.
"Do you still want to continue? I've already got a hostage."
Hearing this, Yahiko's face turned red, then black with frustration.
Continue? Continue my ass! Let go of… our teammate, Konan!
Dropping his kunai, Yahiko clenched his fists and shook his head in defeat.
This guy is too despicable. Using a girl as a shield?
Seeing their surrender, Shikaku let out a relaxed sigh and released his shadow tendrils.
The next second, Konan covered her chest, her face flushed as she darted back to her teammates.
Yahiko immediately grew concerned, asking anxiously, "Konan, are you alright?"
Biting her lip, Konan shook her head, her cheeks still burning.
"I'm fine," she muttered.
After all, he didn't actually do anything inappropriate… but when those shadow tendrils crawled up my legs…
…
Watching Konan's crimson face, Yahiko didn't believe her for a second.
Turning to Shikaku, he shouted angrily, "Hey! What the hell did you do to Konan?!"
Hearing this, Shikaku, who was already walking toward the shore, turned around, his face full of confusion.
What did I do? What could I have done?
After a moment of reflection, Shikaku suddenly recalled something Jiraiya-sensei had once said about the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans.
"You three clans and your techniques… they're downright creepy!"
Controlling people's bodies with shadows, manipulating minds and memories, and that Partial Expansion Jutsu… Seriously, what the hell? No wonder you guys always hang out with the pervy Hokage lineage. Hot-blooded shonen manga? Hah! Tch!
Though Shikaku hadn't fully understood Jiraiya's words at the time, he could sense the envy and bitterness in his tone.
With that in mind, Shikaku decided to nip the issue in the bud. Adopting his usual carefree demeanor, he bowed deeply toward the trio and said earnestly:
"I'm sorry! I don't know what I did wrong, but still, I'd like to sincerely apologize. I was wrong!"
…
What the hell is wrong with this guy?!
Yahiko and Nagato were utterly dumbfounded, unable to comprehend Shikaku's bizarre thought process.
Meanwhile, Konan, still blushing furiously, stole a glance at Shikaku's spiky bun hairstyle, her cheeks puffing up in silent indignation.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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