Shizuru POV
Shota was deep in concentration as he closed his eyes, trying to control his bugs so they would not draw attention while draining the enemy's chakra. I could tell his control was not there yet. Sweat gathered on his forehead, and his hands trembled slightly, showing the effort he was putting in as more and more insects crawled into the cave to increase the chakra drain on that chakra user.
After some time, he opened his eyes and spoke in a worried tone. "They've noticed it."
Without hesitation, I raised a flare and fired it into the sky. The light burst bright above us. I was sure Genta had already started sealing the other exit with Earth Release, though I could not see him since he was positioned on the far side of the hill.
I turned toward Shota to give him the next command, but his expression had twisted in anger. He clenched his teeth as he directed a tide of insects to swarm the cave. "I'll overwhelm them with numbers," he muttered.
I tried to stop him. We still did not know if there were any civilians inside or how the chakra user might react. Before I could speak, I heard the sudden roar of rushing flames from within the cave. A pillar of fire shot outward through the entrance, scorching everything in its path. Shota's entire swarm was burned away in an instant, and several human screams echoed from inside. My heart sank, hoping no villagers had been caught in it.
I wanted to shout at Shota for acting rashly, but I forced myself to stay focused on the cave mouth. As the flames died, a tall man stepped out from the smoke. He had black hair slicked back, sharp eyes, and a rough, hardened face. He looked around carefully before spotting us.
He stared straight at me and Shota. Our sensei was nowhere to be seen. It seemed he wanted us to handle this on our own, which meant we had a real chance. If it were hopeless, he would have intervened by now.
The man ran a hand through his hair and spoke in a low, mocking voice. "Looks like the villagers were too poor to hire anyone decent. Instead, they sent me some brats."
He chuckled, clearly amused by how easy he thought this would be. Cracking his neck, he continued, "Kid, leave now and I won't kill you. However…" His eyes landed on me, and a sleazy grin spread across his face. "You don't get to leave, girl. You're not half bad-looking, so I'll have some fun with you first before letting you go."
He winked, his tone filthy. Before I could even try to stall him, he weaved through hand seals without hesitation.
"Fire Release: Ember Shot."
Compressed fire chakra turned into burning bullets as he fired one straight at Shota. Shota barely managed to dodge, still weakened from his earlier effort. The man noticed it immediately and shifted his attention toward him, preparing another attack. I threw a kunai to draw his focus, but he knocked it aside with another fire bullet. A second and third followed right after, coming straight for me.
I dropped low under the first and jumped over the next, feeling the heat brush against my skin. I hurled another kunai toward him midair, forcing him to twist his body to evade, giving me the short moment I needed to form hand seals.
He did not hesitate. The instant my fingers began to move, he dashed forward, pulling a kunai from his pouch and slashing toward me. I tilted my head and barely avoided the strike, completing the final seal before kicking at his arm. It barely fazed him, but it was enough to buy a breath.
He scoffed as he straightened. "You're not half bad, but you're way out of your league, kid."
Then his eyes widened in shock. His body jerked slightly as he tried to move but couldn't.
His tone shifted, dripping with anger and disbelief. "Shadow Possession… you're a Nara."
Fortunately, the endless team training sessions we had done made sure Shota knew what to do without me having to say a word. He was already on the move, a kunai gripped tightly in his hand as he rushed toward the man.
The man's eyes flared with rage as his chakra surged violently, rolling off him in waves as he fought tooth and nail against my jutsu. I was struggling to maintain the Shadow Possession, holding the seal with both hands while hoping Shota would reach him in time. With every passing moment, it grew harder to keep the man trapped.
Shota was almost there when the man managed to twist slightly, breaking part of my control. His fingers formed a single hand seal as his lips parted. "Fire Release: Heat Wave."
A burst of superheated air blasted out from his mouth. It was not actual fire, only scorching wind, an intentionally low-level jutsu that could be cast with a single seal by someone experienced with it. Even so, it could easily leave Shota with serious burns.
"Shota, retreat!" I shouted.
Before Shota could react, I heard Genta's hands slamming the ground to my side. "Earth Release: Mud Wall!"
The ground split open as a solid wall of earth erupted between Shota and the enemy. The wave of heat struck it, harmlessly dispersing against the wall. Shota pressed his feet against his side of the barrier and used it as a springboard, jumping back toward me just as my jutsu broke. The line of shadow had been severed by the wall's sudden rise.
Genta's worried voice reached us. "Shizuru, Shota, are you both alright?"
We both nodded, breathing hard, as the man began walking slowly around the wall, glaring at Genta. "Another brat joining the party?" he sneered.
Before Genta could answer, the man's hands blurred through a fresh sequence of seals. "Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive sphere of flame burst forward, roaring toward us. Genta grinned slightly and mirrored the same hand seals. His own fireball shot out to meet the enemy's in midair, the two colliding with a thunderous blast that sent sparks flying in all directions. Slowly but surely, Genta's jutsu began overpowering the man's.
Shota and I split and began running toward the target from opposite sides. The man quickly jumped back, using the remains of Genta's mud wall as cover. Suddenly, a large chunk of hardened earth broke free from the wall and shot toward Shota as if it had been pushed, catching him off guard. It struck his chest and sent him stumbling backward, clutching his chest and groaning in pain. The man did not waste a moment and rushed toward Shota, his hand already mid-slash, intent on ending it fast.
The man's kunai was about to reach Shota when Genta intervened at the last moment. "Earth Release: Stone Fist Technique."
Rocks encased Genta's fists as he drove one forward in a heavy punch, colliding with the man's weapon. The strike disarmed him instantly as the kunai flew from his grasp, cutting into his own shoulder before spinning away. Genta grinned. "I returned the favor."
The man snarled and threw a punch in rage. Genta leaned forward, meeting the strike head-on, his forehead slamming into the man's fist with a sharp crack. The man yelled in pain, clutching his hand, and Genta followed with a brutal uppercut. His rock-covered knuckles crashed into the man's jaw, sending him flying backward. Blood splattered as he hit the ground, teeth scattering across the dirt.
The man spat out more blood, forced himself up, and glared at Genta with hate in his eyes. "You little bastard… I'll cut you apart slowly for that."
By then, I was already in motion. My kunai sliced through the air toward him. He noticed me just in time and began weaving hand seals, but Genta reacted faster. "Earth Release: Mud Shot."
He spat a hardened clump of mud straight at the man's hands. It struck, crushing into his knuckles and forcing a cry of pain as his jutsu broke mid-seal. Unable to form more signs, he stumbled backward.
I closed the distance in an instant and threw a punch toward his face. He was sharp enough not to block it directly and jumped back instead, only to slam into another mud wall that Genta had raised behind him. His eyes widened in disbelief at the speed and power of Genta's chakra manipulation.
Desperate, he swung a heavy kick toward me, trying to cripple me before I could trap him again. But I smiled and leapt over his leg, twisting in midair. My fist connected with his jaw from above, the impact sending his head snapping to the side as he staggered. I landed smoothly and pressed my hands together, shadows stretching out to meet his feet.
The moment the jutsu connected, his body froze. He tried to flare his chakra one last time, screaming in fury, but it was already over.
Genta moved in one fluid motion, his expression cold. His kunai sliced through the air in a clean horizontal arc, cutting through the man's neck in a single smooth strike. A thin red line appeared before blood poured out, staining his shirt. His body did not even fall, remaining upright and frozen in place by my Shadow Possession until his life faded away.