The instant Timaria realized her attack was ineffective, she moved to Shukaku's other side. The sword in her hand naturally thrust toward his flank as well, but what shocked Timaria was just how terrifying this monster's ability to construct defenses was.
The instant she attacked, he had already erected a new defense. A hard earthen wall blocked Timaria's attack once again, and her eyes immediately reddened as the flaws in her exceedingly self-confident personality began to show.
That confidence caused her to become incredibly stubborn whenever she encountered setbacks. And once that stubbornness gave way to the realization that her frenzied efforts were utterly useless, she would become immensely dejected.
Li stepped forward. "Prepare to cover her."
Shikamaru nodded lightly. He had the temperament of both a commander and a sage, so he had already seen Timaria's character flaw. A commander would never make their subordinates change their personalities; they should make use of them instead. Trying to change a subordinate's personality would only create more uncertainty.
And that uncertainty could easily lead to the destruction of the entire team.
Shikamaru pressed his hand directly against the ground. If the lights went out the instant this place closed, he would be in tears. After all, his Ninjutsu could only be used through shadows cast by light. If this place truly became pitch-black or had only a faint light source, then he would have little to no combat capability.
As Shikamaru placed his hand on the ground, countless shadows rushed toward Shukaku. In an instant, those shadows tightly bound Shukaku's body, and Timaria seized the opportunity to fiercely drive her sword into Shukaku from behind.
This time, because Shukaku's chakra had been somewhat restricted by Shikamaru, he had no time to use Sand Release to block Timaria's attack. Timaria successfully plunged