Direct Confrontation

Akamaru's nose twitched slightly. A dog's nose was far superior to a human's, and it detected a faint... aroma in the air?

"Enemy ahead, prepare for battle!" Kiba grinned. He'd been bored on the journey, and now he could finally fight. His blood was boiling.

It was obvious he'd forgotten he'd just been chased by palm-sized hornets, scrambling for cover.

Shino sighed helplessly, seeing that the two had once again ignored him. It was no use; he just had such a low presence.

"Captain, is this what you meant by 'useful'?" Ando pointed at the sack used to carry the cooked bear meat, feeling speechless. So, this sack was just for meat?

Was this appropriate? Was this appropriate? They were still in an exam, weren't they? Walking around with a sack of roasted meat like this felt more like a camping trip.

"Of course not. It has other uses later. It's good for carrying meat now. I heard that bear meat, which absorbs the essence of the sun and moon, has aphrodisiac effects. If you're tired, I can carry it."

Moriyue shrugged. The sack wasn't really meant for meat, but on the principle of "since we're here, it's a waste not to take some meat," he had cut off a large chunk for Ando to carry.

"Hey, Captain, you say that like we're strangers. I don't care about aphrodisiac effects. It's just that I've gotten too comfortable lately, so some exercise is good."

Ando seemed to have retrieved some keywords and instantly felt less tired. He even felt a warmth in his kidneys just from carrying the roasted meat.

"It really works! Just leaning on it makes my kidneys feel warm. As expected... Ouch! Ow ow ow, where did that bug come from!"

Feeling the increasing warmth on his waist, Ando slapped his lower back. Only then did he realize it wasn't the roasted meat through the sack that was having an effect. A bug, neither big nor small, was biting him.

"Don't yell. There seem to be enemies ahead. Captain, watch out!"

Kazeki covered the yelping Ando's mouth with one hand. She perceived her surroundings using electromagnetic waves. While not as direct as the Byakugan's clairvoyance, it was quite good at detecting the location of living beings.

The group quickly adjusted their positions, awaiting Moriyue's command.

"Of course, we attack! The more scrolls, the better. We won't be cowards. Prepare to fight. If we really can't win, we'll run first. I'll create opportunities for you."

Moriyue was also eager to fight. Although his left hand was still a bit numb, his fighting spirit had already ignited.

"Understood."

Since the two acknowledged Moriyue as their captain, they had to obey his decisions. Their Hidden Cloud Village standard samurai swords were drawn, and they entered a combat state.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh~"

Four whistling sounds came from the depths of the forest. Before their users could be seen, their sounds were heard. Before Moriyue could see who was coming, four pitch-black kunai sliced through the silence, shooting towards Moriyue from different angles.

"Hmph~ You think a few kunai can kill me?"

Moriyue sneered. He quickly drew the unsharpened samurai sword from his waist, gripped the handle with one hand, and with a fluid, flowing motion, slashed diagonally. The kunai collided with the blunt sword. Under the impact of the downward diagonal force, the diamond-shaped kunai deviated from their original trajectory. Moriyue, with quick eyes and hands, raised his sword to slash diagonally while his body erupted with a burst of lightning.

The other three kunai aimed at him deviated from their original paths due to the interference of the lightning. The wild lightning around Moriyue seemed to transform into tentacles, directly flicking the kunai aside as if they were extensions of his own limbs.

As the kunai were repelled by Moriyue, the explosive tags attached to their ends detonated in mid-air. Flames burst apart in the sky, and three figures appeared before them.

While Moriyue was deflecting the kunai, Ando and the other two were not idle. At this moment, they displayed the reckless spirit unique to the Hidden Cloud Village. Lightning enveloped their blades, and both of their samurai swords flashed with a faint blue light.

Without any pause, even before the smoke cleared, the two charged towards the three figures. It didn't matter what they looked like; attacking meant they were enemies, and if they were enemies, there was no need to hesitate. Defeat them, and that was that.

Although they both used the Lightning Blade, Ando and Kazeki walked completely different paths.

They had previously trained under Darui, a master of Storm Release, which fused Water Release and Lightning Release. His application of lightning and water was naturally beyond that of ordinary people. Ando inherited Darui's crude method of using lightning. Every slash he made carried violent lightning, with each strike being powerful and unrestrained. His wide, sweeping combat style made it difficult for Hinata and the others, who had just stabilized themselves, to resist.

"Fang Over Fang!"

Although the group was caught off guard by Moriyue and his companions attacking without introducing themselves, they fortunately possessed true skill. Kiba dodged the wild lightning with a backflip. As Kiba leaped back, Akamaru merged with him. Two figures, one white and one black, spun rapidly, engaging Ando in a battle with the "Man-Dog Spiral Dragon Rotation Wind."

Kazeki's side was more elegant. Her fighting style was very light and agile. Unlike Ando's roughness, she had learned the flexibility of water from Darui. She also mastered Water Release Chakra. Although she couldn't master Storm Release like Darui, she could incorporate water flow into lightning to some extent.

Her slashes didn't use much force; her goal wasn't to injure opponents with the blade itself.

"Eight Trigrams Empty Palm!"

Hinata made a palm-wielding gesture from a distance. The Eight Trigrams Empty Palm, derived from the Gentle Fist, condensed chakra into a block and launched an invisible attack towards Kazeki.

"Clang~"

The chakra block collided with the blade, emitting a clear ringing sound like a sword being drawn from its sheath.

Kazeki spun around, her blade using the kinetic energy generated by her turn to circle her body. Drops of water scattered outwards along the blade. She tossed the samurai sword in her hand into the air and quickly formed hand seals. By the time the long sword landed, her technique was complete.

"Sizzle sizzle~"

Tiny butterflies made of lightning circled Kazeki. Under her control, these lightning butterflies flew straight out, exploding in large numbers along the scattered water droplets.

"Lightning Butterfly Technique!"

"Parasitic Destruction Insects!"

Seeing that Hinata was about to be engulfed by the lightning butterflies, Shino waved his hand. A dense swarm of insects rushed towards the lightning butterflies fearlessly. Amidst the sounds of popping and the smell of burning, Shino managed to pull Hinata out before the lightning butterflies could consume her.

Moriyue focused his gaze and realized that the people who had arrived were Hinata and her companions. His mind raced.

The Byakugan can perceive the acupoints in a person's body. Hinata should be able to notice the abnormality in my meridians. I just don't know if she's seen the Dog Talisman in my heart...

I need to find a way to deal with Hinata first. I can't let her discover the secret of the Dog Talisman.

The joy Moriyue felt from creating a Forbidden Jutsu was greatly diminished. A wordless tension pressed down on him. The Dog Talisman had to be bound to him securely to be safe