DoubleKill

A battle-hardened Aburame Shibi naturally would not hesitate or hold back.

His eyes shifted behind his sunglasses, and he made his decision in an instant.

Facing the slash Gekko Hayate aimed at his right arm, Aburame Shibi did not dodge, choosing instead to trade injury for injury.

Watching the kunai draw closer and feeling the thick killing intent around him, Gekko Hayate grew afraid and chose to retreat.

That retreat had indeed removed him from danger, but it had also completely surrendered the initiative.

Having lost the initiative, Gekko Hayate was immediately beset by danger, with the possibility of being seriously injured or killed at any moment.

Just as Gekko Hayate was knocked back and about to suffer a serious injury the next instant, a kunai shot past his ear, aimed straight at Aburame Shibi's right eye.

With the kunai already before him, Aburame Shibi was caught off guard.

Before he even had the chance to use the Substitution Technique, the kunai pierced through him.

"Pfft!"

No blood splattered. Only a wisp of white smoke dissipated.

Carrying tremendous force, the kunai continued onward, piercing through three trees in succession before embedding itself in the trunk of a fourth.

Inuzuka Aya had only just snapped back to her senses when she saw Uchiha Aozora fling the kunai and watched Aburame Shibi get sniped by it.

Comparing that to her own performance just now, Inuzuka Aya's face flushed bright red with shame.

She had actually had the nerve to call him dead last? If he was dead last, then what was she? Someone eating his exhaust?

Inuzuka Aya had merely watched from afar and had not truly felt the power of that kunai.

Gekko Hayate touched the gash the force of the wind had torn across his face. Still shaken, he had to use his sword as a crutch to keep from collapsing to the ground.

The instant the kunai had flown past his face, he had sensed the breath of death.

He knew that if the kunai had been aimed at him, he would already be unable to breathe.

Receiving the sensation of death transmitted by his Shadow Clone, Aburame Shibi touched the nonexistent wound on his brow. After a moment of silence, he appeared on a branch not far from the three of them.

"Not bad. You're a little better than I expected."

Aburame Shibi's tone was flat, without the slightest emotion. Though his words clearly carried praise, to Gekko Hayate and Inuzuka Aya, it sounded as if Aburame Shibi were mocking them.

Remembering their performance just now, both of them could not help but flush with embarrassment.

Uchiha Aozora showed no joy at being praised either. He gripped another kunai and continued searching for Aburame Shibi's opening.

Aburame Shibi took in the three of them and continued, "The greetings are over. Let's continue our battle!"

"Remember, fight with the conviction that you're going to kill me!"

After saying that, he stood where he was and waited for their attack.

After the previous battle, Inuzuka Aya and Gekko Hayate had clearly seen who among the three was the real pillar, and they took the initiative to move closer to Uchiha Aozora.

Inuzuka Aya was too embarrassed to start a conversation herself.

Gekko Hayate suggested, "From the looks of it, Teacher Shibi doesn't plan to hide anymore. He wants to test our ability in a direct fight."

"I'll attack at close range with Aya. Aozora, you stay at range and look for chances to throw kunai. How does that sound?"

Uchiha Aozora nodded in agreement. Naturally, he had no objection. As a long-range ninja, having people serve as his frontline was a good thing.

Inuzuka Aya also voiced her agreement.

Once the general plan was set, Gekko Hayate and Inuzuka Aya discussed who would take the lead in close combat and who would support.

Throughout the process, Aburame Shibi remained motionless, silently standing on the branch.

After a while, the two finally reached an agreement.

Inuzuka Aya took out a red pill and fed it to Little White Dog.

As the pill entered its mouth, Little White Dog's fur grew wildly, its eyes turned blood-red, and before long, its body had expanded to the size of a calf.

She glanced at Uchiha Aozora and said resolutely, "Uchiha Aozora, I won't hold you back this time. Just watch!"

Before her words had even faded, she and the enlarged Little White had already charged out.

After taking the pill, Little White Dog was no longer an adorable pet, but a Tibetan Mastiff fiercer than a wolf.

A cloud of black poured from the jar behind Aburame Shibi and flew toward the three of them.

Uchiha Aozora focused his eyes. How was that a black cloud? It was clearly a dense swarm of insects.

After the insect cloud blocked their vision, Aburame Shibi continuously launched shuriken from behind it.

Inuzuka Aya and Little White did not retreat. Relying on their astonishing senses and swift reactions, they easily dodged the shuriken, passed through the insect cloud, and closed the distance to Aburame Shibi.

Aburame Shibi was only a few dozen meters from them. In the blink of an eye, Inuzuka Aya and her beloved dog had closed in on him.

Little White pushed off with its hind legs and pounced fiercely, opening its huge bloody maw in midair to reveal its incomparably sharp fangs.

Inuzuka Aya deliberately lagged half a beat behind, her limbs gripping the trunk as her eyes locked tightly onto Aburame Shibi.

Aburame Shibi had just sidestepped Little White's pounce when Inuzuka Aya's claws came at him head-on.

Aburame Shibi was not surprised in the slightest. Already prepared, he pushed off with both feet and retreated.

But as he retreated, Gekko Hayate's blade was already slashing toward him.

Bang!

Gekko Hayate withdrew immediately after striking, while Little White turned and charged in to bite again.

One side attacked while the other defended; one pursued while the other fled. Before long, they had exchanged dozens of moves.

Little White, strengthened by the pill, was exceptionally ferocious. It coordinated perfectly with Inuzuka Aya, launching an unbroken barrage of attacks against Aburame Shibi.

Meanwhile, Gekko Hayate lingered around the edge of their clash, occasionally finding an opportunity to slash with his sword.

The two humans and one dog had clearly divided their roles, and for a time, they actually suppressed Aburame Shibi.

Though it could not really be called suppression. While Aburame Shibi appeared to be at a disadvantage, he was not flustered in the least. Instead, he even took the time to observe Uchiha Aozora.

Seeing Uchiha Aozora constantly pacing at neither too close nor too far a distance, Aburame Shibi could not help devoting some attention to guarding against him.

Gradually, Uchiha Aozora noticed that Little White was starting to tire, forcing Gekko Hayate to join in more attacks.

However, he and Inuzuka Aya lacked coordination, giving Aburame Shibi more room to act. Aburame Shibi freed up a hand and began attacking.

Seeing this, Uchiha Aozora stopped waiting for the perfect opportunity.

He leaped up, found an angle, and swung his arm with all his strength, throwing the kunai.

Aburame Shibi had been watching Uchiha Aozora!

But when the kunai flew toward him, he instantly judged that he could not dodge it and could only raise his own kunai to block.

The kunai tore through the air, whipping up a fierce gust as it passed through the gap between Gekko Hayate and Inuzuka Aya, shooting toward Aburame Shibi.

Ahead of it was the kunai Aburame Shibi held horizontally.

Gekko Hayate, Inuzuka Aya, and Aburame Shibi all watched the incoming kunai, prepared to hear the sound of metal striking metal.

But the kunai actually curved!

Under the three men's astonished gazes, the kunai made a slight turn and slipped around the kunai Aburame Shibi had raised to block it.

"Pfft!"

Still no blood splattered. Still only a wisp of white smoke dissipated.

Another Shadow Clone!

Where was Aburame Shibi?

Or rather, whom had Aburame Shibi hidden himself to attack?

Uchiha Aozora had the answer in an instant!

Without warning, Aburame Shibi appeared behind him.