"Are you serious, Shikamaru?"
Choji looked at Shikamaru suspiciously.
"This big snake can even eat stones. Can it be harder than a stone?"
"Of course. Although this big snake can even eat stones, it doesn't really digest them. Look carefully at where we just used the Explosive Tag."
Choji glanced at the two big snakes, focusing on the spot where they had used the Explosive Tag to cover Pakkun's evacuation.
"Is that blood?"
"Yes! No matter how big its appetite is, this snake can't just eat stones and wood all the time. Its eyes can be injured by the Explosive Tag , so its internal organs must not be that tough. We can try to blow up their mouths with the detonating talisman. If it works, we'll go with the plan. I'll use the Shadow technique to control them, and you can jump in and finish them off!"
"But Shikamaru, why don't we just use more Explosive Tags?"
"How many did you bring?"
"Uh… I didn't bring any."
"I brought ten. I used two when I was covering Pakkun's retreat, and four when we were escaping. We only have four detonating talismans left!"
"The power of the Explosive Tags can break wood and cause some damage to stones, but to kill a snake this size, we'd need at least twenty detonating talismans to go off inside it at the same time!"
Seeing this, Choji realized this was their last option. If they kept running, they wouldn't last much longer, so it was better to take the chance.
"Okay, I'll follow your lead, Shikamaru!" Choji nodded seriously, ready for the worst.
Shikamaru gave Choji a thumbs up. "You don't have to go too deep into the snake. If your attack fails, evacuate while I'm still controlling them!"
"Got it!"
After finalizing their plan, Shikamaru stopped running and dodged an attack from one of the snakes. He then threw a detonating kunai into the mouth of the other snake that was preparing to strike.
Boom!
The explosion made the snake howl in pain, blood trickling from its mouth.
It worked! The defense inside its body wasn't as tough as the exterior!
"Shadow Imitation!"
Shikamaru seized the moment when the snakes were stiff from the explosion and quickly used the Shadow Imitation technique to control both of them.
"Choji, now!"
"I'm on it, Shikamaru!"
Choji leapt into the snake's mouth without hesitation. His size didn't hinder his agility as he completed the difficult movement in just a few steps.
Once inside the snake, Choji felt his body touch something slick and greasy; a strange liquid began to corrode his clothes.
"Ugh, it stinks!"
Choji grimaced as he started forming seals. He didn't plan to enter the snake's stomach, his goal was to destroy its neck and brain with the Doubling Technique.
"Doubling Technique!"
Choji's arms rapidly expanded, and the snake's neck stretched wider under the pressure.
Seconds later, the snake's neck burst, unable to withstand the force!
"Nice work! Now take out the other one!" Shikamaru urged Choji, seeing their plan succeed.
Shikamaru could only control the two snakes for under two minutes, but managing just one would buy him another minute. Choji's swift defeat of the first snake left him enough time to handle the second.
However, things rarely go as planned. Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation required shadows to function. A gust of wind blew, shifting the clouds and allowing sunlight to engulf the snakes' shadows, severing Shikamaru's control.
The shadows vanished!
"Choji, get back!" Shikamaru shouted, alarmed.
"Huh?"
Choji paused, turning to look at Shikamaru, unaware that the snake had regained control and was lunging at him with its fangs bared.
"Choji!!!"
Shikamaru screamed, rushing towards Choji with all his strength. He didn't care that his own actions might be futile; he was determined to protect his friend.
Just as the snake was about to devour Choji, a girl descended from the sky, piercing the snake's head with a powerful Rasengan.
Gulp!
Choji, startled, glanced at the snake's fangs, mere inches from him. If the girl had been just half a second slower, he would have been snake food!
"Choji, Shikamaru, are you alright?"
"Sakura? Ino?"
Shikamaru and Choji were stunned to see Sakura, usually perceived as weak, had saved them.
"Kazuki went to help Sasuke. We were sent to rescue you first." Pakkun jumped out from the shadows.
Shikamaru nodded. He was about to ask where Kazuki was, but knowing Kazuki was with Sasuke gave him relief. The dangerous ninja from Village Hidden in the Grass wouldn't stand a chance against both of them.
"Sakura, when did you become so strong? What kind of jutsu is that? It pierced the snake's head, and this thing could even break rocks and wood!"
"This is Rasengan, a jutsu Kazuki-kun taught me," Sakura explained.
"Rasengan? Kazuki knows such powerful jutsu? How strong is he?" Shikamaru couldn't fathom Kazuki's strength.
"You two aren't hurt, are you?" Ino asked, concerned about her teammates. Though she often scolded them, she genuinely cared for them as her comrades.
"We're fine, thanks, Ino."
"I'm just a little hungry."
"Eat, eat, eat. That's all you ever think about. If you trained harder, you wouldn't have struggled against a mere snake!" Ino's concern quickly turned to annoyance at Choji's casual attitude.
"Mere snake? Ino, those things were at least four meters long!"
"Stop making excuses. You only know how to eat. What good does that do you?"
"As if you could do better… (muttering quietly)"
"What was that?"
"N-nothing!"
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+74 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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