Chapter 80: Growing Out of Shells

"Why does it smell like something's burning?", After watching Kisame leave, Uchiha Kage hadn't even had time to sense the surrounding situation when he caught a strange scorched smell.

'That is...'

He quickly saw the raging fire burning at the cave entrance.

'What happened?'

'Are there other enemies here besides Kisame?'

———

'Hidden Mist Jutsu!'

Perfectly concealing his presence, with no worries, he used chakra to command his swarm of insects to attack the enemy.

Watching the Cloud Village ninja being chased around by his bugs, Shino felt that this was the easiest battle he had ever fought.

"Damn bugs! Just a mere Genin, yet you can do this...?"

Waving his flaming long sword, Atsui slashed apart the swarms of insects again and again.

But after a short while, new swarms always emerged from the thick mist.

'At this rate, it'll never end!'

"If it were just an ordinary Chunin, your bugs would have finished them off by now. But too bad for you—you're facing me!"

Gripping his sword tightly with both hands, Atsui held his ninja blade upright before his chest.

'Fire Release: Flame Whirlwind!'

Spewing flames from his mouth, he rapidly spun them into a vortex of fire, amplifying it with his sword, forming a spiraling fire tornado that charged forward like a flaming drill.

"This is my path of hot-blooded passion!", With a fierce swing, the airborne fire tornado, controlled by his blade, spun like a long whip of flames, erasing everything around it.

Neither the insects nor the thick mist could withstand the dragon of fire, vanishing under its devouring flames.

"What?"

'The mist was blown away by fire?'

Seeing the mist dissipate, Shino's once-relaxed face now showed shock.

Not only were his bugs incinerated, but his own form was also completely exposed.

'So the Hidden Mist Jutsu has its flaws too...'

Shino, who had thought he was invincible within the mist, was now taught a harsh lesson by reality.

"Die, you disgusting bug freak!", Seeing the Konoha ninja forced out of hiding as the mist cleared, Atsui charged impatiently.

This Konoha Genin was too tricky—if he hadn't figured out how to counter the mist jutsu in time, he would've been bug food by now.

Clang!

Faced with a ninja far faster than himself, Shino had no choice but to block Atsui's flaming sword with a kunai.

But in the next second, overwhelmed by Atsui's strength, he was slammed to the ground by the sheer force of the blade.

Not only that, but the flames spread onto his body like a parasite.

"Ahhh!!!"

The insects still inside his clothes and his flammable outer coat caught fire completely. Engulfed in flames, Shino let out a painful scream.

"Finally taken care of."

Watching the Konoha ninja rolling on the ground, his entire body ablaze, Atsui let out a relieved sigh.

Even though his flames countered Shino's swarm, the sheer number of bugs had kept him on edge.

But now that their master was taken down, there was no need to worry about being overwhelmed anymore.

"Hm?"

Just as Atsui was about to sheath his sword, he noticed something black crawling on the blade.

"This bug... Ugh, I'll have nightmares tonight."

Disgusted, Atsui infused Fire Release chakra into his sword.

Seeing the flames reignite along the blade, he finally felt reassured.

"This should burn them all away..."

"That's not... necessarily true!"

Clutching his wounds and burn marks, covered in soot from the fire, Aburame Shino struggled to stand up.

"You?"

'He can still stand?'

'This Konoha Genin...'

Atsui quickly turned, pointing his blade at the reemerging ninja.

But then he noticed something strange about his sword.

"The bugs... How is this possible? They weren't burned?"

'Instead, they are multiplying!'

A moment ago, there had been just one black bug on the blade, but now it covered half the sword.

No matter how much fire he used, the insects remained full of life, swarming all over the weapon, climbing down the hilt onto his hands.

"From the beginning... I've been experimenting with breeding fire-resistant bugs... Did you really think I'd just throw my precious insects at you for nothing?"

To help his insects evolve, Shino had nearly drained all his chakra.

And now, he had succeeded.

These newly cultivated insects had adapted to Fire Release and would no longer be burned so easily.

"How... How could such bugs exist? AHHH!!!", Covered entirely by the black swarm, Atsui let out a bloodcurdling scream, even worse than Shino's earlier cries.

Then, he collapsed heavily onto the ground.

"Huff...", Shino, barely clinging to consciousness, also fell weakly to the ground from exhaustion.

He had won—but it was a near self-destructive victory.

'As expected of Shino, even in such a disadvantageous situation, he still managed to win,' Arriving quickly after noticing the firelight, Uchiha Kage rushed over to support the fallen Shino.

Just one glance at the chaotic battlefield told him the gist of the fight.

"Kage? You're finally back... Sensei probably encountered an enemy, too. You should hurry...", With Kage's help, Shino flipped over, lying on his back.

"Don't worry, this is just my shadow clone. My real body already went to Sensei,"As he used Mystical Plan Technique to treat Shino, Uchiha Kage explained.

———

'Byakugan—Activate!'

"Sensei, your injuries are too severe. You shouldn't move anymore," With her Byakugan activated, Hinata quickly assessed Kurenai's wounds.

She was in no condition to continue fighting.

"It's fine, just a stab wound... It's not like my heart got pierced..."

Despite her pale face, Kurenai was determined to keep fighting to protect her students.

Even though her chakra was nearly depleted.

'No, if this continues, Sensei will really die,' After scanning Kurenai's chakra pathways, Hinata swiftly struck her pressure points.

"You...", Already at her limit, Kurenai collapsed immediately after being struck by Hinata's Gentle Fist.

"Don't move, Sensei. This time, let me protect you!", Gently placing Kurenai on the grass, Hinata stood up and faced the Cloud Village kunoichi with a serious expression.

"No! She's a Jonin—you can't possibly—"

"Sensei, Kage told me once... He said Konoha's Genin are the strongest," Without looking back, Hinata took her stance against her opponent, "And I want to try protecting you, instead of always being protected by you and Kage."

"You... You've been influenced by him too much!", Watching her once-timid student defy her, Kurenai felt both concern and pride.

But now, all she could do was silently cheer her on.

"Such a touching teacher-student bond," Samui coldly mocked as she watched Hinata stand against her.

'These Konoha ninjas are the ones who kidnapped my students, yet they dared act like victims in front of me.'

'Konoha shinobi are truly hypocritical!'

"Hmph, today, I'll send you all to hell!"

'The Byakugan is too valuable. The village will likely refuse to trade my captured subordinates for them.'

'Meaning, my comrades won't be returning.'

'It is all their fault!'

As for the fact that her students had disobeyed orders and attacked Konoha ninjas inside the Fire Nation's borders...

Sorry, she had conveniently forgotten that detail.

"Lightning Release ninja... It's nothing special... I will win!"

Though nervous, Hinata didn't back down.

"What can you do to win?"

A little girl's Gentle Fist wasn't a threat.

"I heard from Kage... that Cloud Village's Lightning Chakra Mode uses Lightning Release to stimulate the body's acupuncture points, enhancing speed and reflexes. And the so-called 'strongest defense'—Lightning Armor—requires chakra to flow throughout the body. So, the Byakugan and Gentle Fist, which can strike chakra points, are your greatest weaknesses..."

Even if it was just something she heard in a "dream," it should still be correct... right?

Hinata lacked confidence inside, but her stance remained firm.

She couldn't hold them back...

"As expected of a Hyuga clan member, knowing even this," Samui was alarmed.

Even if it was just theory, it was enough to be cautious.

'This girl have to be captured.'

'And that Uchiha have to be eliminated.'

'No more holding back.'

'Cloud-Style Kenjutsu: Instant Slash!'

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