Body flickering without delay, Dogan rushed the stunned Shiki, ready to deliver the final blow.
*
Going back in time for a bit, on the other side of the valley an even more spectacular battle was taking place.
(A/N: Bet you guys hate me for not fishing Shiki's fight and moving to this one.)
Zee advanced through the forest, her auburn mane of hair bristling as lightning nature chakra periodically flickered through her body.
Behind her, two teammates that were part of her personal squad formed a triangle formation, more like attendants owing to her relationship to the Third Raikage.
In the middle of the three, in the most well protected position, a sensory type was constantly on alert.
Positioned around them, three other shinobi, two fire release specialists and one genjutsu specialist whose sole job was to try and protect the team from Inori's genjutsu rather than actually using genjutsu himself.
As for fire release specialists, Inori's main skill was in Yin release but she had advanced mastery of wind release as well, when this is added up to her prodigious speed, fire jutsu that counter her elemental specialty and boast large areas of effect become the natural choice.
Other than Zee who was an Elite Jonin, the others were all jonin. Dodai remained behind as backup along with two Elite Chunin.
Suddenly, the wild haired jonin stopped, a lightning cloak shrouding her body as she took a battle ready stance.
Asking no questions, her compatriots followed suit, carefully eying their surroundings.
It was not anything tangible that set off Zee, but she felt it.
"Why don't you come out Violet Whore?" She shouted with vitriol towards the surroundings.
The kumo shinobi tensed, ready to make a move the instant the enemy took action and revealed themselves.
"Zee! Love me so much that you can't help but search me out for more?" A teasing voice echoed throughout the forest.
Inori's reply came, her voice coming from rapidly shifting directions.
'Still up to her usual tricks.' Zee thought and waved her arm as a signal.
All her subordinates started running an electrical current through their body.
'Lightning Release: Overdrive. Specially trained in it to avoid my body manipulation type jutsu eh?' Melding with the surroundings using the Hiding in Surface jutsu, the Yamanaka carefully evaluated the situation.
She noted the nature transformations of her enemies by the feeling of their chakra, immediately realizing they had been chosen to counter her as well.
Inori could only grit her teeth.
With this much preparation, it was clear the enemy was certain they could take her out.
At least if nothing extremely unexpected occurred.
Her main opponent Zee was also intimately familiar with her skillset, having fallen victim to it in quite the humiliating manner before.
'It seems I won't be living past today. But I will die surrounded by Kumo corpses.' Inori vowed with venom, the Violet Rose had her thorns and she never hesitated to use them.
"Looks like you've been obsessing over me a lot to have made such a delightful arrangement but don't you know that kind of mindset only pushes lovers away?" The Yamanaka continued with her taunts.
Zee already knew her Modus Operandi though and wisely ignored it.
"Maybe that's why your fiance preferred me?"
Forget about Zee, all the Kumo shinobi felt that one by association alone.
"11 o'clock!" The Kumo sensor suddenly spoke and with a thunderous flash of lightning, the cloaked Zee body flickered at blinding speed.
But the moment Kumo's forces focused in that direction, a violet blur flashed across the backline.
"Gen-!" Kumo's genjutsu jonin tried to get out a warning but it was drowned in his own blood.
As life rapidly drained from her comrade, Zee who had immediately dashed back helplessly watched him die with no trace of her hated enemy to be seen.
"Still so easily baited." The Yamanaka was back on her trash talk.
"No amount of preparation in the world is enough if you're a meathead incapable of learning." She continued.
"Meat's all you're good for anyway, maybe that's why you can't hold a relationship for long even if your life depended on it."
Silence.
But despite being apoplectic with rage, Zee just saved it for the right moment instead of lashing out.
'Alright. I took care of the genjutsu specialist. I won't be able to pick off any more of them now that Zee is committed to staying in place and waiting for me. But with no one to specifically counter my genjutsu, they won't get me that easily even if I jump in.'
Inori began planning her next move.
'The longer I wait, the more likely that Dogan, who has either captured, killed or let escape the kids, begins to move in and catch me in a pincer maneuver.'
'If I sneak past Zee, Dodai who is definitely waiting at the choke point that is the valley's exit will block me after which this female gorilla will just double back and catch me in a worse pincer since Dodai is far more troublesome to deal with than Dogan.'
And so, only one choice remained, fight it out with Zee's group and attempt to deal maximum damage before she goes down, not a good option, but the best Inori could do at that moment in time.
'Hiding in Dreams Jutsu'
Phantom scents and sounds began echoing throughout the valley forest and the Kumo shinobi felt their vision begin to distort.
Clearly having been briefed on this jutsu, all of them used Genjutsu: Release, disturbing their chakra violently to prevent the genjutsu from taking hold.
The moment they did, the phantom sensations cleared.
But Inori's jutsu was not that simple as the effects instantly returned.
It was a continuous jutsu created by the Violet Rose so she could actively maintain its activation, forcing her opponents to continuously disrupt their chakra and preventing them from using jutsu as usual because of it.
Of course, while maintaining this jutsu, Inori herself became limited in what jutsu she could employ simultaneously but the benefits were worth it.
Suddenly, a violet blur, much like the one that had claimed the life of the sensory shinobi before dashed into the formation.
Immediately several Kumo jonin pelted it with precise kunai throws despite its speed but they harmlessly phased through.
*squelsh*
One of Kumo's fire release shinobi who had been disturbing their chakra was ambushed and proceeded to retreat close to the center formation, a gash on his side.
'Tch! That slut is too slippery but I can't fall for her bait. Wasting time only benefits us.' Zee thought.
Inori had ambushed another Kumo jonin but with the enemy being ready, a superficial injury was all she managed.
"Tighten up the formation and forget trying to sense her. Wait for the bitch to come to us." Zee gave out her orders and the Kumo shinobi began shifting positions.
'Come on! I know you want another shot before the formation tightens.' The Kumo kunoichi thought, using her Lightning Cloak to rapidly disturb her chakra, reducing the interval of time Inori's genjutsu could affect her to a minimum.
Just as Zee expected, countless violet blurs rushed around the battlefield, phasing in and out of existence with each disturbance of chakra by the Kumo shinobi.
And just before the new formation was set, the slightly isolated fire release shinobi that had not been injured found himself assailed from all directions by violet blurs.
He did not know which one was real and if he stopped to disturb his chakra, the enemy would take that opening to kill him, he was out of options.
Inori knew that as well as him.
And so did Zee.
'Lightning Release: Branching Lightning'
The Kumo kunoichi jumped high into the air and channeled her Lightning Cloak into a blast of forked lightning that accurately struck at all the violet blurs with blinding speed and precision.
The Kumo jonin didn't even have time to feel relief as Zee's lightning fell around him, protecting the man in a cage of thunder and lightning.
With her auburn hair dancing wildly, coursing with electricity, the tanned kunoichi could almost smell Inori's charred flesh along with her long awaited victory.
A cruel, vindictive smile spread across Zee's face as she amped her jutsu to strike with even greater ferocity.
+++++
Hey, Author here!
Just a reminder that you can read up to a FULL MONTH ahead of this site on pa-treon.
I'm trying to become a full time Author now and I'm not going to be starting any new novels just so I can make sure this one is properly completed.
Find those sweet advanced chapters on pa-treon.com/lusoba without the -