Seize the Leader First

"Expansion Jutsu! Human Boulder!"

As soon as Nara Shikaku finished speaking, Akimichi Choza launched the first attack.

His body suddenly bulged outward, rapidly expanding in the rain. His muscles swelled as if being inflated, and his ninja clothes grew along with them.

In the blink of an eye, he had grown several times larger. His limbs and head tucked inward, disappearing into his body like a turtle pulling into its shell. His whole body became a ball of flesh, spinning rapidly on the spot and whipping up a violent gale that swirled the rainwater into a spiraling curtain.

Once it reached a certain speed, the enormous ball charged straight toward Uchiha An. The ground split into deep furrows wherever it passed, while rocks and broken branches flew in every direction. Its power rivaled that of a battering ram.

The Mangekyō Sharingan appeared in Uchiha An's eyes. A giant of energy rose from the ground, its Susanoo frame rapidly taking shape within the curtain of rain. Dark red Chakra surged into the sky, firmly shielding Uchiha An inside.

Unlike his previous fight with Yamanaka Fu, Uchiha An immediately brought his Susanoo to its second stage this time: the armored form.

Muscles of energy coiled around the frame like living things, forming sleek contours. Chakra armor then covered its entire body, radiating a suffocating pressure.

The second-stage Susanoo could already form weapons. The giant of energy held a massive Scepter in both hands, with a Herb Gourd strapped to its back.

In this state, the Susanoo's offensive and defensive abilities had improved tremendously, but it also consumed far more Chakra.

The Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly as Chakra poured endlessly from within him. Inaba's White Rabbit granted him an astonishing rate of Chakra recovery, making the Susanoo's form even more solid.

With Inaba's White Rabbit supporting him, Uchiha An's stamina had improved tremendously. He had no problem holding out through an entire fight.

Both sides knew the other was a formidable enemy, and both understood their opponent's abilities well. There was no testing the waters, no warm-up. The battle reached its climax in an instant.

"Get lost!"

Uchiha An roared. The Susanoo gripped the Scepter in both hands and swung it hard at Akimichi Choza as if hitting a golf ball.

The Scepter whooshed through the air with a piercing shriek, tracing a deadly arc as though it would tear space itself apart.

"Boom!"

The Scepter struck the ball of flesh, and a tremendous blast erupted out of thin air.

The shock wave instantly vaporized the surrounding rain, filling the entire battlefield with white mist.

Chakra energy ground fiercely against the rapidly spinning body. Their violent clash sent sparks blazing into the night like fireworks.

They struggled against each other for a moment, but in the end, flesh could not overcome energy.

Akimichi Choza was sent flying by the blow, spinning like a cannonball as he crashed into the woods nearby. He plowed a wide, deep trench through the forest and smashed through dozens of trees before finally coming to a halt.

Splintered wood and stone chips filled the air. Dust billowed skyward, blotting out the sun.

But Uchiha An had no time to pursue him. A shadow had already stretched out from beneath Nara Shikaku's feet, following close behind Akimichi Choza and silently drawing near.

After Akimichi Choza was sent flying, the shadow immediately rose from the ground and transformed into dozens of arrow-tipped black tendrils. They writhed through the rain like the tentacles of a monster, sweeping toward Uchiha An and blocking every possible escape route. Their speed made them nearly impossible to evade.

Uchiha An had heard of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio long ago and knew their fighting style well.

Their standard strategy was simple: Akimichi Choza would enlarge himself, increasing the area covered by shadows so Nara Shikaku could restrict the enemy's movements, then Yamanaka Inoichi would use Mind Control.

In a battle between Jōnin, even holding an opponent in place for just a few seconds could often decide the outcome.

Uchiha An didn't know what strategy Nara Shikaku was using this time, but the basic framework wouldn't change.

So when Akimichi Choza charged at him, Uchiha An knew there had to be shadows lurking behind him.

He knew all three of them well, and was also familiar with the weaknesses of the Shadow Secret Technique.

The technique required shadows to cover a certain area.

The larger the shadow, the wider its attack range. Conversely, the smaller the shadow, the narrower its range.

That was the opening!

After knocking Akimichi Choza out of the way—the one who'd been drawing his attention—Uchiha An didn't even look up. He rapidly formed Hand Seals with one hand, while the Susanoo mirrored him, its Giant Palms moving so fast they became a blur.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

In Uchiha An's view, using the Susanoo like a giant robot and relying on hand-to-hand combat was merely a conventional fighting style. It was far too inefficient.

The Susanoo could use Ninjutsu too!

Susanoo Chidori, Susanoo Kirin, Kamui Shuriken, Kamui Raikiri... each one was more outrageous than the last!

The Susanoo was much like Senjutsu mode, acting as a Ninjutsu amplifier. Any technique cast through the Susanoo had an absurd level of power, nearly on par with a Tailed Beast's.

Sure enough, the Susanoo opened its enormous mouth, and dark red Chakra gathered wildly inside. A fireball the size of a Tailed Beast Bomb quickly formed, then plunged toward the enemy ranks.

The intense light illuminated the entire battlefield in an instant, leaving the shadows exposed.

Under the blaze of that fire, the Shadow Secret Technique was like spring snow beneath the sun. It vanished in a flash, completely useless.

Wherever the fireball passed, the rainwater was instantly vaporized by the heat, forming a dense white mist that made the air shimmer and distort.

Uchiha An knew very well that each member of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was no more than an elite Jōnin. They were strong, but their weaknesses were obvious, making them easy to target and kill.

Yamanaka Fu had been the same. Uchiha An hadn't even targeted him, yet repeated backlash had killed him before he could use his signature Body Mind Switch Puppet Curse Seal Technique.

But when the three fought as a team, their weaknesses were covered while their strengths were amplified, allowing them to perform beyond Kage Level.

Still, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio's tactics had weaknesses of their own.

Their approach wasn't a fixed routine, but a strategy that took time to build momentum. Nara Shikaku, the team's battlefield strategist, had to adapt it to the enemy, the environment, and the situation. That let him come up with an endless variety of tactics.

The more they learned about their enemy and the more thoroughly they understood the battlefield, the more tailored Nara Shikaku's strategies became, and the more effective they grew.

In other words, the longer a fight lasted, the more likely the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was to win.

And that was also where their weakness lay.

The core of their strategy was Nara Shikaku, the team's tactician.

Once Nara Shikaku was forced onto the back foot and kept scrambling for his life, he would have no time to devise strategies. The other two would be dragged along with him, forced to rush around rescuing one another. Their combat strength would immediately plummet.

If Nara Shikaku could be taken down as quickly as possible, the remaining two had equally obvious weaknesses. They wouldn't be much harder to handle than other Jōnin.

Knowing this, Uchiha An directed every attack at Nara Shikaku.

Seize the leader first!

He would take down Nara Shikaku as quickly as possible.