章 45: Just wanted a challenge
Bugs—endless, crawling bugs!
The ground had turned into a sea of insects. The sheer number of them was terrifying, moving like waves in all directions. Strangely, they left a clear space where Aburame Shino, Hyūga Hinata, and Kiba stood, making it clear that Shino was in control.
Lee watched from above, uneasy. He noticed that the bugs seemed to come from Shino's own body. Even with all his past life experience, the sight gave him chills. Shino was willing to let these creatures live inside him, using his own body as their nest. This was a truly dangerous opponent.
"Are you alright, Kiba?" Hinata asked, shaking his arm gently.
"I'm fine… though if you keep shaking me, that might change," Kiba joked weakly, trying to sit up. Lee's attacks had left him bruised and exhausted, and he was no longer in fighting condition.
"Kiba, where's Akamaru? Why wasn't he with you?" Hinata suddenly asked, worried.
Kiba smirked. "Don't worry. I'm Akamaru." He nodded toward the shadows. "The real me is hiding. That guy's too strong, even for Shino. I thought it'd be best if my main body stayed hidden in case he slips up."
Hinata blinked, understanding. She wasn't fond of trickery, but she knew that in this exam, their survival depended on it.
"You're very strong," Shino's cold voice cut through the air as he watched Lee. His tone was firm, his gaze focused. "To honor that strength, I'll fight you with everything I have."
Lee laughed, shaking his head. "Why go that far? We're all Konoha ninjas, not enemies. I just wanted to test your strength, not start a real fight."
Shino paused, surprised by Lee's response. He hadn't expected such words from someone who had just defeated his teammate.
"As I said, I wasn't after your scroll. I just wanted a challenge," Lee continued. "Now that I've seen what you can do, there's no need for us to keep fighting."
"After all that, you think you can just walk away?" Shino's calm exterior cracked, his voice filled with anger. With a hum, a cloud of insects flew from his body, darkening the air as they rushed toward Lee.
Lee's figure blurred as he leapt back, putting distance between them in an instant. "Hinata, you've got a lot of potential, but you need to grow stronger if you're going to match your cousin Neji. And Kiba—next time, don't let Akamaru do all the work. Show up yourself!"
His voice echoed as he dashed further into the forest, his figure vanishing among the trees.
"He knew all along," Kiba murmured, stepping out from behind a tree with a sigh. "I thought my plan was clever, but he'd seen through it the whole time."
"Maybe he really is stronger than Neji," Hinata said softly, her mind lingering on Lee's words. She was the heir to the Hyuga clan, but Neji's strength had always overshadowed hers. For Lee to say she needed to grow stronger struck a deep chord, inspiring her to push herself further.
"Shino, do you think you could've beaten him?" Kiba asked, turning to his teammate.
Shino was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I doubt it. His skills are far beyond what I expected. He analyzed the situation instantly and avoided fighting with me, probably because he realized my insects would give him a hard time. He's strong, observant, and decisive."
Kiba's eyes widened. "So, you really think no one could beat him?"
"Not easily," Shino replied. "Let's move quickly. That fight probably attracted some attention."
Just then, Kiba tossed a red pill to Akamaru, who promptly returned to his dog form and jumped onto Kiba's shoulder. The trio set off at once, darting through the forest to put distance between themselves and the battle site.
As they disappeared into the trees, three figures with hostile intent arrived.
"Damn it, we just missed them!" snarled a bearded man, eyes flashing with frustration. "They can't have gone far. Let's catch up while they're still recovering from that fight and take their scrolls!"
"Yeah, let's go!"
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