Whoosh--
In the jungle, Shikamaru was panting as he stared at the training ground ahead.
"Teacher, really, the traps and wild beasts you've set up are way too many!"
Along the way, if Ino hadn't had some kind of perception, he and Choji might have actually been eliminated by the challenges arranged by Hagoromo.
The challenges arranged by Hagoromo were truly unexpected, and some of the traps were even guarded by Hagoromo's Shadow Clones.
On one or two occasions, Shikamaru almost fell for it.
"Shikamaru, found him!"
Ino remained in one position on the nearby tree.
"Oh? Where is it?" Shikamaru asked, looking up after hearing Ino's words.
"They are preparing to move into the training ground from the northeast direction."
Ino replied to Shikamaru with her eyes closed.
"They seem to be in good condition, except for Naruto and Sasuke, who are rather disheveled."
Shikamaru pondered for a moment, and his thoughts were similar to Shikamaru's.
Hinata is the only one in Naruto's team with both insight and medical skills, Naruto and Sasuke will prioritize taking care of her.
After all, Hinata is the eyes and ears of their team.
"Ino, can you interfere with Hinata?" Shikamaru asked, looking up.
Hinata's Byakugan was way too powerful; Shikamaru felt they should deal with it as soon as possible.
"I'll give it a try!"
Ino didn't take on the entire task, since she wasn't entirely sure herself.
Hinata's Chakra...
"The Mind Body Switch Technique!"
Upon locating Hinata's Chakra, Ino quickly activated the Mind Body Switch Technique.
On the opposite side, Hinata, who already had her Byakugan activated, was taken aback at first, then struck a pose.
Seeing this, Naruto immediately covered his hands with a layer of grayish-black substance and stood in front of Hinata.
Smack
"Tsk... I got distracted by Naruto... His Yang Release Armament is way too overpowered!"
Ino was momentarily distracted, then shook her head helplessly.
Really--
Shikamaru stood up. This test was a win-win situation if it succeeded, and it wouldn't be a big deal if it failed.
"Watch out! They're moving towards us!"
Ino issued another warning, quickly saying, "Naruto, charge ahead! Sasuke on the flanks! Hinata, bring up the rear!"
"It seems they're planning to deal with us first, then easily take the flag."
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a serious tone.
"What should we do, Shikamaru!"
Choji, who was swallowing a few Military Rations Pills nearby, asked.
"It's troublesome..." Shikamaru rubbed his head and then began to give instructions on the action plan.
"Choji, you distract Naruto from the front, the bigger the commotion, the better."
"Ino, keep a close eye on Hinata. Don't let her provide support to Naruto and Sasuke."
"As for Sasuke, leave him to me!"
"As a flank Sasuke will definitely prioritize covering for Naruto, while Choji is the most efficient attacker in our team."
"Naruto and Sasuke will definitely take care of it as soon as possible."
"I will find the right opportunity to control Sasuke, and see if I can create chaos or force Sasuke to leave the battlefield."
As Shikamaru spoke, he dragged along the tripwire he had used in the previous trap.
Unfortunately, they couldn't match the variety of tactics used by Naruto's team; they could only try to delay the inevitable through various means.
"Understood! Shikamaru!" Choji replied to Shikamaru, then turned and rushed forward.
He had already spotted Naruto.
"Naruto! Take this!" Choji rushed towards Naruto, his right hand suddenly swinging out in Naruto's direction.
"Partial Multi-Size Technique. Right Hand!"
Naruto was charging at the forefront, raised his hand and formed a hand seal. Seeing that Choji had already made his move, he did not hesitate.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Hundreds of Shadow Clones appeared around Naruto with a series of bangs.
"Brothers! Charge! Some of you hold off Choji! The rest of you, come with me to find Shikamaru and Ino!"
"Take care of them!"
"One cough!"
Upon hearing Naruto's command, the Shadow Clones immediately and systematically separated a portion to surround Choji.
"Damn it! So many!"
Seeing dozens of Narutos rushing towards him, Choji swung his enlarged right hand fiercely.
"I won't let you disturb Shikamaru and the others!"
On a tree, Sasuke stood on a branch, frowning.
"That Dead Last!"
He then looked ahead. Although he wasn't entirely sure where Shikamaru and Ino were, Sasuke had a feeling they were definitely there!
In the blink of an eye, Sasuke's pupils transformed into Scarlet Sharingan, and he charged forward at lightning speed.
Hinata arrived behind Naruto's main body, Byakugan to survey their surroundings.
"Sasuke-kun! Watch out! Shikamaru is in the shadows to your right! Ino is in the tree to your left!"
"Receive!"
Sasuke replied, "Our priority is Shikamaru."
Swish--
A shadow flashed by, Sasuke it to his advantage and dodged to the side.
"A great opportunity!"
Shikamaru's lips curled into a smile. Just as he had expected, his target was disrupted by Naruto's Shadow Clones.
He's no longer Sasuke!
"Naruto! Get out of the way!"
After dodging, Sasuke watched the shadow rushing past him and shouted loudly.
Choji has already dealt with most of Naruto's Shadow Clones, and now only Naruto's main body, heading towards Ino's location, is exposed.
Call out--
As Sasuke spoke, he fired several Shuriken, trying to disrupt Shikamaru's shadow.
Boom--
A Chakra shockwave suddenly struck, Choji immediately went into his Gluttony Form to block Sasuke's path.
"Shikamaru! I'll hold Sasuke back!"
Hinata was about to help Naruto when Ino, who had circled around, blocked her way. "Little Hinata, you can't bother Shikamaru ~"
"Gentle Fist, Vacuum Palm!"
Hinata didn't hesitate and immediately struck out with Vacuum Palm strike, preparing to take down Ino first.
Having dodged to the side, Ino had no choice but to engage Hinata in close combat.
"Shadow Imitation Technique! Success!" Shikamaru, who was hiding at the back, smirked and stood up.
"Damn it!" Naruto looked at his shadow and couldn't help but get angry.
He was caught off guard and Shikamaru seized the opportunity to subdue him.
"Then... Naruto! Attack Sasuke!"
Shikamaru glanced at the situation and decided that his priority was to eliminate Sasuke.
"You arrogant Sasuke! Get out of the way!"
Boom--
Naruto's Yang Release Armament fist was aimed directly at Sasuke's position, Sasuke narrowly dodged it at the last moment using the Activated Mark.
The massive shockwave and blast wave completely obscured the view of everyone present.
"Shikamaru! Watch out! Hinata has disappeared!"
Ino, who was surrounded by dust, immediately warned Shikamaru.
Amidst the dust, Shikamaru's lips twitched involuntarily; he had miscalculated.
Forgot that Naruto was also using Yang Release Armament!
Using the Byakugan's advantage, Hinata quickly reached Shikamaru's location and shouted, "Please let go of Naruto-kun!"
With a single, Vacuum Palm strike, a shockwave was unleashed, forcing Shikamaru back.