Chapter 104 104: Took you long enough.

Words : 896 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

"No need to resist," a calm voice echoed behind Kidomaru, accompanied by a sharp crack of thunder. Kidomaru's instincts flared. His hair bristled as he leapt away without hesitation—only for a red lightning spear to pierce straight through his chest mid-air. "Wha—? Damn it...!" Those were his final thoughts. He never even saw who ended his life. Kaito deactivated the chakra in his hand and flashed to Neji's side. "You're fine," he said flatly. "No... I'm not," Neji muttered through gritted teeth, face pale and drenched in sweat. Kaito sighed. "You're in no condition to return to Konoha like this. Since you're Hinata's cousin, I'll show some mercy." Without giving Neji a chance to argue, Kaito formed a shadow clone. The clone hoisted Neji over its shoulder and sprinted off toward Konoha. "Next is Shikamaru. Lee should be fine for now," Kaito murmured to himself. He sighed. "Man, I was born to be busy." --- Meanwhile, deep in another part of the forest, the battle between Choji and Jirobo was coming to a close. Jirobo—a glutton with massive strength and mastery over Earth Style—had activated his cursed seal's second stage and was overpowering Choji. Even after taking two of the Akimichi Clan's Three Colored Pills, Choji was still being pushed back. With no other option, he pulled out the final one—the red chili pill. This one could increase his chakra a hundredfold... but the cost might be his life. Choji... become a man who protects the team, his father's voice echoed in his mind. Choji clenched his jaw, staring down Jirobo. He raised the red pill to his lips. Just then, someone gripped his hand tightly. Startled, Choji opened his eyes. "That pill isn't something to take lightly," Kaito said, his tone calm but firm. "Wha— Do you think I want to take it?! Why'd you take so long? I almost swallowed it!" Choji shouted, tears brimming in his eyes. His initial shock gave way to relief, then full-blown sobbing. "Yeah, yeah. I've got it from here. You just sit back and relax," Kaito said with a sigh. "Right!" Choji didn't hesitate. He rushed off to perch in a tree, somehow pulling snacks from his clothes and munching loudly as he watched. Kaito side-eyed him. "Seriously? I'm about to fight for your life and you're having a picnic?" Jirobo, on the other hand, had a very different reaction. His eyes narrowed. 'Reinforcements...? When did he appear? I didn't sense anything at all...' "Earth Style: Earth Dumpling!" Jirobo suddenly shouted, forming hand seals. He hoisted a massive chunk of earth and hurled it toward Kaito like a cannonball. BOOM! Kaito didn't flinch. He clenched his fist and punched the incoming boulder head-on. CRACK! The rock shattered into rubble that rained from the sky. At the same time, the force from Kaito's punch generated a massive shockwave that surged outward like a typhoon. Jirobo winced as wind and pressure tore at his skin, blurring his vision. Before he could react, Kaito vanished from sight. A red arc of lightning flickered across the ground. "Earth Style: Earth Rampart!" Jirobo slammed both palms into the ground, raising a thick wall of earth in front of him. But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the wall split in two—cleaved by a red lightning spear. CRACK! The spear tore through the air, burying itself in Jirobo's chest. He didn't even have time to scream. The voltage burned through his body in an instant, reducing him to a charred corpse. Kaito didn't bother to look twice. "You seem stable. Head back to Konoha on your own," he said to Choji as he suddenly appeared in front of him. Without waiting for a reply, Kaito vanished again. --- Shikamaru, meanwhile, was in deep trouble. His chakra was almost completely drained, and he barely had the strength to stand. Tayuya, now in her cursed seal's second form, stared him down with a mocking grin. "You're done, brat." Behind her, the three giant demonic spirits she controlled raised their weapons. "This is it," Shikamaru thought grimly. "Guess my dreams will die here." The sound of a flute echoed, and the spirits charged toward him. Shikamaru closed his eyes, resigned to his fate. CRACK! Thunder roared in his ears, and when he opened his eyes, a red lightning spear split through all three spirits like a scythe through grass. BOOM! The spirits burst into smoke and vanished. Shikamaru smiled weakly. Kaito stood calmly in front of him. "Well, I've never seen you this pathetic," Kaito joked before disappearing again. Tayuya's eyes widened. She began playing her flute again in a panic. But before she could even complete the melody, a cold voice whispered behind her, "Too slow. This genjutsu is trash." Tayuya froze. Her body trembled, and sweat poured down her forehead. A devastating impact slammed into her back like a missile. Her body flew forward, crashing through tree after tree, dragging up a storm of splinters and dirt as it tore a path through the woods. BOOM! She finally hit the ground, carving a deep trench through it before going completely still. --- A new week has begun Send Powerstones (⁠ ⁠ ̆⁠ ⁠3⁠ ̆⁠)⁠♥

Chapter 104 104: Took you long enough.

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