Only after the Sunagakure trio disappeared into the thick mist of the Forest of Death did Hinata's tense back slowly relax. The vivid blue glow of her Tenseigan receded like a tide, leaving only faint markings around her eyes. "Whew..."
She had barely put away her prayer beads when her legs buckled. Had Kiba not caught her in time, she would have collapsed—forcing her Tenseigan to unleash Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion had caused chakra to backlash through her chakra pathways, leaving fine bloody lines across her arms.
"Boss Hinata, are you all right?"
Kiba helped her sit beside a tree trunk. Akamaru came over and rubbed his head against her palm. "That guy's sand had tailed beast chakra hidden inside it. It was seriously creepy. Akamaru was completely off his game back there. We nearly died."
"Yes. With that person there, controlling my insects took almost three times as much chakra." Shino crouched to examine the trench carved into the ground by Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion. His kikaichū crawled along its edges, seemingly sensing the lingering energy.
"The chakra fluctuations from that last attack were almost identical to the unknown force that cut through the forest earlier."
He adjusted his sunglasses, his voice tinged with gravity. "The Sunagakure ninja will definitely spread word of this. That could bring us unnecessary trouble."
Hinata nodded and looked at the unconscious Sasuke and Naruto in Sakura's arms. The bite marks on their necks were still bleeding, and their chakra was badly disrupted. "Never mind that for now. We need to get them somewhere safe as soon as possible."
She braced herself against the tree trunk and stood.
But just as she lifted a foot to move, dizziness swept over her. Countless fragmented images flashed before her eyes—a desert, a tailed beast, and a