Hyuga Shinichi was kneeling where he had fallen, and the Listen-to-Wind Sword lay on the ground beside him. He braced himself with his left hand while clutching his eyes with his right. Blood ran from his nose, staining the earth beneath him.
At that moment, Hyuga Shinichi gritted his teeth. Just now, he had felt as if his eyes were about to explode. The excruciating pain made his body tremble uncontrollably.
"Shinichi!" x2
His companions' anxious shouts came from a distance. Hyuga Shinichi shouted back with all his strength.
"Don't worry about me! Get out of here!"
But Inuzuka Gai and Aburame Tomohiro would never abandon a teammate and flee on their own.
They quickly doubled back and charged at the enemies who had noticed something was wrong with Hyuga Shinichi and were trying to launch an attack, killing some and driving the rest back.
"Tomohiro!"
At Inuzuka Gai's call, Aburame Tomohiro immediately answered.
"Got it!"
Without hesitation, he released all the Kikaichū he had left and directed them to join Inuzuka Gai and Black Charcoal in attacking the enemies.
Then he sprinted to Hyuga Shinichi's side and summoned the Earth Centipede. As soon as it emerged from the ground, it curled itself into a ring, protecting the two of them inside.
"Shinichi, are you all right?"
Aburame Tomohiro asked with concern.
"Why did you come back? Didn't I tell you to get out of here?"
"Gai and I won't abandon you!"
Inuzuka Gai was fighting in close coordination with Black Charcoal. They kept using Gatsuga all around them, spinning rapidly and successfully forcing the enemies back a short distance. Then he returned to the two of them and said,
"Phew. Tomohiro's right. I'd rather fight alongside my teammates until the bitter end than leave them behind and escape on