After the initial explosions died down, the battle shifted to a quieter exchange of taijutsu.
Shinji only glanced over before turning his attention away.
"Looks like the attackers don't want to make too big a scene."
He smiled faintly, roughly guessing who the attackers were.
They feared Konoha, but didn't want Sunagakure to obtain Wood Release for nothing. The attackers this time had to be from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, or Kirigakure.
Or maybe all three villages were involved!
But Shinji didn't care who the attackers were, or whether they meant to kidnap the surviving Sunagakure volunteer or kill him outright.
Karin's fusion was nearing its end. The Sunagakure volunteer could die now.
In truth, keeping the Sunagakure volunteer alive hadn't been easy for Shinji.
Watching over him constantly for so long and frequently using Naobi and Magatsu had been a tremendous burden, even for him as he was now.
What's more, each operation required his absolute focus. The slightest slip could cause the Sunagakure volunteer to die on the spot, so it took a great deal out of him mentally as well.
Perhaps stimulated by the fierce battle nearby, the First Hokage cells in the Sunagakure volunteer's body began to run wild again.
This time, Shinji sensed it immediately, but did nothing. He silently watched as the First Hokage cells' violent Chakra rampaged through the volunteer's body, devouring his normal cells one by one.
Beep beep beep!
A shrill alarm suddenly blared from the vital-signs monitor.
The Medical Ninjas in the duty room rushed to the intensive care unit, but the battle between the Sunagakure shinobi and the attackers outside prevented them from getting close. They could only huddle along the sides of the corridor, anxiously waiting.
Shinji considered it for a moment, then left his lab and headed toward the