Explosion!

Dust billowed across the field, completely obscuring the vision of Lihuo and his two companions.

"Does this count as a smoke screen?" Lihuo joked.

However, those watching from the periphery could see that Lihuo, usually so composed, had grown solemn.

As the brains of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Lu Miao would never perform such a superfluous act; they could not afford to sit and wait for death here!

"Break through!" At Lihuo's command, the three of them bolted in different directions, striving to escape the smoke as quickly as possible.

Just as Lihuo was sprinting, he suddenly felt a familiar fluctuation of chakra.

This chakra swept over his body like a radar, but its application was slightly amateurish, which was exactly what tipped Lihuo off.

"This is the Yamanaka Clan's secret 'Sensing' technique. This is bad—our positions are completely exposed!"

Back on Lu Miao's side, they were equally unable to see Lihuo and his team through the shroud of dust.

However, Jing Wen, who had retreated behind the Trap Formation, had detected Lihuo's movements with his sensory ninjutsu and synchronized the information to the other two using the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique.

"Dai, pin down Guy!" Lu Miao issued the order through their encrypted communication.

"That's a truly arduous task!" Dai sprinted away, charging toward Guy.

"We don't have much time, move fast!" Lu Miao harassed Guy with precise kunai throws.

"Jing Wen, faster!" Lu Miao said anxiously.

Beside him, Jing Wen was already too exhausted to stand after repeated use of the secret technique, yet he was still struggling to gather his chakra.

Meanwhile, Lihuo and Kakashi, blinded by the dust, had no idea where the battle was taking place and could only continue their breakout.

Bang!

Dai arrived just in time, intercepting Guy before he could dash out of the smoke zone. The two engaged in a fierce struggle, and unsurprisingly, Dai was knocked to the ground in short order.

"Rest here for a while; I'm breaking through."

"Not... not yet! This is a mission assigned by the Boss."

Dai climbed up, trembling.

"If I let you leave... I'll be in a lot of trouble."

Guy could see that Dai's physical condition was dire. The high-intensity use of the Akimichi Clan's secret technique, combined with the continuous fighting, had left Dai's body utterly exhausted.

Dai spread his arms with great effort and said slowly, "My mission is to hold you back, so I will absolutely not give up!"

"Good! I acknowledge your youth! Come on, let's fight!" With that, Guy leaped forward, delivering a strike imbued with immense power.

Dai smiled with difficulty. "I've never used this move before; you're the first to experience it."

"Partial Multi-Size Technique!"

Bang!

A pair of massive hands gripped Guy tightly—it was Dai, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"You three are geniuses without equal. And Lu Miao, Jing Wen—your talent is something I could never reach no matter how hard I chase."

"But I know I have my own use: to be the strongest weapon for our brains and to execute Lu Miao's plans with unwavering resolve!"

"Lu Miao, I'm ready," Jing Wen whispered.

"Dai, sorry to keep you waiting." Lu Miao instantly crouched and formed hand seals in one fluid motion. A shadow shot out from beneath her feet.

Guy looked at the boy before him with immense admiration.

"I can't use ninjutsu, so I can only improve through endless training. Yet you, at this age, have mastered the Akimichi Clan's secret technique. Friend, you are the true genius!"

With that, Guy lowered his head, and an unprecedented power erupted from his body.

"Oh no, Guy seems to be getting serious," Lihuo said anxiously. "What on earth is happening!"

Guy shouted, "Let me use my greatest strength to deal with—"

Before he could finish, Guy was silenced.

"Shadow Possession Technique, success!" Lu Miao said with difficulty. "Jing Wen, hurry!"

Jing Wen nodded silently. "Mind Transfer Technique!" A surge of soul energy shot straight toward Guy. Jing Wen's body went limp and collapsed behind the trap.

"Such surging power!" Guy's voice rang out, but it was in a tone never heard before.

Lu Miao quickly released the Shadow Possession Technique and commanded, "While the enemy is exposed and we are hidden, take them out one by one!"

"I won't let you get away with that!" Lihuo leaped high into the air, breaking through the shroud of dust, followed immediately by Kakashi emerging from the other side.

The students, finally seeing the full situation, couldn't help but gasp.

They saw Guy standing with a disheveled Dai and Lu Miao, facing off against Lihuo and Kakashi.

"Damn, Guy has been controlled by the Mind Transfer Technique!" Lihuo said with interest.

"You three are quite strong. Using a Trap Formation to protect Jing Wen's body, having Dai set off smoke bombs, using the shadows of the kunai on the ground to extend the range of your Shadow Possession Technique, and then using the Mind Transfer Technique to control our combat power—truly brilliant."

Lu Miao heard the praise, but she felt no joy, for she could not see a hint of panic in the opponent's expression.

Lihuo continued, "However, can Jing Wen truly use Guy's body perfectly? Or do you think we are that weak?"

With that, Lihuo and Kakashi instantly charged toward the trio. Jing Wen initiated the attack, throwing a fierce, straight punch directly at Lihuo's face.

"You really don't hold back, but have you even trained in the Konoha Strong Fist?" Lihuo easily dodged the heavy blow, raised his leg in a sweep, and landed a solid kick on Guy's calf, knocking him to the ground.

Lihuo did not follow up with a finishing blow; instead, he charged straight toward the Trap Formation, knowing that once he controlled Jing Wen's original body, the battle would be over.

Kakashi faced Dai. Dai was already exhausted, and although his attacks remained heavy and powerful, Kakashi's exquisite footwork—which even Lihuo couldn't fully read—had Dai spinning in circles.

Finally, Lu Miao stood before Lihuo.

"Hey there, handsome, I didn't expect you to be this strong," Lu Miao said with a flippant tone, though her expression was incredibly grave.

"That goes without saying. I'm taking this victory."

"Get past me first!" Lu Miao leaped forward.

Unlike Kakashi's unpredictable, shifting footwork or Guy's wide-open, heavy attacks, Lu Miao's taijutsu was like water—agile and fluid. You could neither land a hit on her nor shake her off.

Lihuo's Konoha Strong Fist couldn't do anything to her for a moment, but relying on his superior physical conditioning, he forced Lu Miao to retreat step by step toward the Trap Formation.

"Give up. You have no chance of winning. Behind you is a dense cluster of Explosive Tags."

Lu Miao revealed a smile that suggested her scheme had succeeded, though Lihuo found it somewhat cute.

"Who has Explosive Tags behind them? I think it's you!" Lu Miao pulled back, preparing to nimbly dash behind Lihuo.

Seeing this, Lihuo immediately understood Lu Miao's plan. If she could maneuver Lihuo so that the Explosive Tags were in front of him, she could use the Shadow Possession Technique from behind to force him into the trap without getting hurt herself, thereby deciding the outcome.

Lihuo wouldn't let her succeed. The two tangled near the Explosive Tags, but unbeknownst to them, one of the tags suddenly ignited, mercilessly radiating a dangerous aura.

Lu Miao, still fighting Lihuo, didn't notice a thing, but Lihuo saw it, and alarm bells rang in his mind.

"Danger! No more holding back!" Lihuo shook his body, shedding several kilograms of weights that kicked up a cloud of dust as they hit the ground.

"Simplified Sage Mode, activate!" A gentle breeze rippled outward from Lihuo in all directions.

At this moment, Oshima also saw the precarious situation.

He rushed at high speed toward Jing Wen's original body behind the traps and the fallen Guy, rescuing them both. But before Oshima could move to save the others—

BOOM!!!

The Explosive Tags detonated instantly, the shockwave blowing Kakashi and Dai far away.

Oshima had no choice but to immediately deploy a Simplified Barrier to protect the children nearby.

In an instant, dust filled the air, and smoke billowed everywhere.

"Where is Lihuo?" Kakashi asked anxiously.

"Boss! Are you okay?" Dai shouted with great effort.

Lihuo held the unharmed Lu Miao tightly. He could feel the girl trembling slightly from fear, so he patted her back gently to soothe her.

"It's okay, it's okay."

Lu Miao opened her eyes nervously, and Lihuo's face came into view. She could feel that the boy's back had been severely burned by the intense heat and the shockwave.

Yet, the boy continued to comfort her, and Lu Miao instantly burst into tears. Seeing that Lu Miao was safe, the heavy burden lifted from Lihuo's heart. As the Simplified Sage Mode deactivated, a wave of exhaustion washed over him, and he collapsed, fainting on the spot.

Oshima rushed toward the two, but on the way, he discovered a small white snake!