At another zone, Chōji, the current Akimichi clan head, was embroiled in a conflict against a different Outer member.
"Man, do I wish you two were here right now. We could've taken these guys down in a flash," he spoke to Ino while expanding his arm with his body expansion jutsu and swiping it at his enemy, who jumped up to dodge his attack.
"I'm sure they would've made preparations to prevent the three of us from battling together. I also need to coordinate with everybody else. Fuck …"
"What is it?"
"We have traitors. One of them is approaching your location."
"Who?"
"Shinmaru Hoshigaki. I'll ask Sasuke to support you."
"Don't worry about it, Ino. I got it. Let him support the weaker ones. Shinmaru isn't strong enough to pose a threat to me."
"He isn't the only one you have to fight."
"This guy? You're underestimating me and overestimating him. He has been running around terrified by my last smack."
Chōji scoffed mockingly as he targeted his entire body with the body-expansion jutsu.
"You're like a bug. Fast, but all I need is a single stomp …" Chōji grew to become even larger than the trees that surrounded him. "… to crush you."
He roared and stomped his foot on the ground, incorporating it with earth release to create a massive shockwave that destabilized his surroundings. Locating his enemy, who needed a moment to regain his footing, Chōji punched down, directly crushing the Outer, whose agility and tricks coming from the Scientific Ninja Tool-based modifications were useless in front of his raw strength.
"See? Told you I didn't need backup."
"Unlike this guy, who was a normal person before being induced by Kara, Shinmaru is a real elite jōnin with good instincts. Make sure to take him seriously."
"I know. Until a few minutes ago, he was one of ours, after all. Where is he now?"
Chōji shrank back to a normal size and looked around, ready to deal with any ambushes.
"He was approaching you … but he suddenly stopped a few kilometers from your position. Maybe he's wary after your display of mindless destruction. Go East if you want to catch up to him."
"Subtlety isn't really my style, Ino. I'm more of a ram through the blockade than a go-around-it kinda guy. But I am a little curious. How are you able to track those guys who went rogue? They probably broke the connection with you, didn't they?"
Chōji shot Eastwards according to Ino's directions so that he could quickly intercept the traitor.
"That's how I found out that they went rogue. That's why I established my connection in two layers. If you destroy the connection that you sense, I'll still be able to see your location and communicate with you."
"You were all prepared to root out the traitors, huh?"
"After that terrifying display in the conference room? I don't want to risk getting him mad at me because I didn't do my duties correctly."
"True … To think that bratty attention-seeking kid could have such an aura and pressure that makes the elite of the elite cower like that. And to think he went from that attention-seeking brat to the strongest man in the world …"
"Don't let Sasuke hear that."
"Honestly, I don't think Sasuke holds a candle to Naruto. Even though I wasn't there during their battle, I know Sasuke was fighting to kill while Naruto was fighting to subdue. Even then, they ended in a draw. That doubtlessly proves Naruto's superiority."
"All right, all right. Move left a little so that you can cut Shinmaru off; he's moving toward another direction."
…
In another zone of what had now turned from a remote forest-filled area into a battlefield, Kiba Inuzuka and his faithful dog Akamaru were both facing off against an Outer with mechanically modified arms.
"You're annoying me!" Kiba growled and leaped at the Outer before releasing an unstable chakra-infused slash. His opponent was quick to move out of the way as the slash left multiple gashes in the trees.
"Not so easy when your senses are suppressed, is it, Inuzuka?" The Outer taunted, pointing his arm at Kiba. "These arms of mine can release high-frequency sonic waves that wouldn't affect a normal person. But for the people of your clan, with your heightened senses. It is like a curse."
"Argh!" Kiba didn't have a good expression on his face as he noticed Akamaru uncomfortably whining on the side of his vision.
"And this is going to cripple those senses that you are so proud of," The Outer released a shockwave from his arm that visibly distorted the air. It struck Kiba square in the face, throwing him back.
Just as the Outer showed a smug expression, Kiba disappeared into a cloud of smoke. At the same time, a claw slashed through the air and ripped off one of the mechanical arms of the Outer.
"You talk too much for an inexperienced fighter. How many battles have you really faced in your lifetime?" Kiba said smugly.
"You deserve to die!" The Outer had a quick reaction and amplified the sounds being released from his attached arm. Even the arm that had been ripped away was still working, releasing amplified sounds that assaulted Kiba's senses. Their close proximity was like the cherry on top that overwhelmed Kiba even further.
Kiba grunted in pain and stepped back, quickly kicking the Outer away from him.
"Akamaru," he called out and started running toward his incapacitated ninken. "Come here, boy."
Kiba and Akamaru both started running, adding some distance between them and the Outer.
"How long?"
"You're going the right way. Just keep moving forward, and you will reach them in a minute at your current speed." Kiba heard Ino's voice in his head.
"Akamaru!" Kiba's speed took a tiny hit as he started making hand signs. "Combine."
With a puff of smoke, Kiba created a shadow clone and merged with Akamaru, generating an even larger burst of smoke.
The result was a huge three-headed wolf larger than a normal human. His speed quadrupled its previous value, and within seconds, he could sense his target.
A dangerous growl escaped all three heads of the wolf, and it leaped forward, tearing through multiple branches as its right maw captured the head of an Outer and crushed it. Oil splattered on the pristine white fur of the transformed beast as it looked at the Konoha jōnin who had been fighting the Outer.
"Such violence," spoke Shino Aburame. The academy teacher was somehow exuding disappointment in Kiba just with his words. "You just ate a few of my insects, you know? They were looking for a way to infiltrate that Outer's metal shell."
The leftmost maw looked back and howled, signaling the arrival of his opponent. Meanwhile, the right head expressed its disgust as its tongue hung out of its mouth, coughing and trying to hurl out the oil and bugs that it had ingested. As for the middle maw, it looked distracted and was looking around as if trying to sense something.
"Got it." Shino released his insects in the direction of the approaching chakra signature, planning to quickly take care of Kiba's opponent.
"Can't let you do that, Shino-sensei." The voice of a familiar jōnin came from between the trees as a black-haired man with a Konoha forehead protector approached Shinoi and Kiba. He formed his hands into a seal as complex lines appeared underneath Kiba and Shino. Kiba had already reacted and was airborne, having leaped to attack the Konoha traitor, but he was still a step too late. The seal was activated, immobilizing both him and Shino.
"Renshiro Uzuka," Shino identified the traitor. "Ino told me there were two traitors."
"What a troublesome woman," he mumbled. "I can't dispel that accursed technique that allows her to track me. She hid it too well."
"You're making a mistake going against Konoha," Shino said, pulling out his disappointed teacher's voice. "It still isn't too late. Let Kiba and me go. I will personally plead to Naruto to let you roam free. Why do you want to become a hunted rogue-nin? You will only survive until the new generation of our young shinobi decide that they want to use you as a stepping stone."
"Konoha is the one making a mistake. Going against the Ōtsutsuki has already put you on the path to destruction."
Shino shook his head, moving his eyes to Kiba's frozen form. "Are you done yet? Ino said I would only need to stall him for a few seconds."
Renshiro's eyes widened in panic as Kiba suddenly dispelled his jutsu, leaving Akamaru trapped inside the seal. He also dispelled his clone and used the chakra that returned to him to thrust himself out of the boundary of the seal. His abrupt slash forced Renshiro back, disrupting the sealing specialist's concentration and consequently freeing Shino and Akamaru.
"Shino!" Kiba shouted, but Shino had already reacted, releasing a large swarm of his bugs in the direction of the Outer who had been chasing Kiba. As they made quick work of the enemy, both Kiba and Shino turned their attention to the Konoha shinobi-turned-traitor.
"I was ready for your seal, Renshiro," Kiba said. "Ino already noticed you moving in suspicious patterns around Shino, remotely trying to set up a seal."
"Damnit!" The traitor slammed his fist on the ground, using Earth Release to disrupt the ground.
"No, you don't." Kiba used his own Earth Release jutsu to counter the disruption. "Fang Passing Fang," he announced, and Akamaru transformed into his clone before they both spun into vortexes that approached Renshiro, not giving the sealer any opportunity to defend himself.
***
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