'Just hold on a little longer Mei . . .' The boy prayed in his heart and started the recovery process by downing six pellets at once, the max he could do without harming himself.
Chakra reserves rapidly grew back to full and his body, torn under the stress of his own power, started knitting itself back together.
But would it be enough?
A tense minute went by with time moving at what felt like a crawling pace.
Flesh and bone twisted and shifted beneath Shiki's skin as the nutrients and stimulants contained within the Military Ration Pills were rapidly consumed by the Dragon Heart - Recovery in an attempt to to repair the extensive damage the boy withstood in his battle with Ay.
But eventually, the resources ran out and before his jutsu started devouring those his body needed to operate, Shiki stopped it and stood up.
Kukyo and its enforced hollow mental stability meant the boy could abuse himself to limits no human could endure but there were still limits after which his body would undoubtedly fail.
So while pain could be ignored, the actual damage was still there.
'I've recovered about 80% of my physical capabilities and my chakra reserves are about half full, most of the resources were expended in the healing of my left leg but . . .' The boy mentally evaluated his current state.
He made a few light stomping motions, testing out the leg.
'Can't put any real weight on it or it will shatter again. Even if I avoid overloading it by fighting long distance where a firm grounded stance is not as important, a prolonged battle will likely still wear it down until it breaks.' Shiki swiftly concluded.
"I don't need to fight hard, just join up with Mei and stall until Inori-sensei arrives." He said to himself and set off towards Mei's position right after.
Flicker Phantom was flexible enough to be used on one leg but it would overburden it and the rest of Shiki's body was not fully healed either so the boy opted for a regular body flicker as his senses expanded to capture the entire battlefield.
What he saw however, shocked him completely.
"Where the fuck is Dodai?" He questioned out loud, continuing towards Mei's location.
The bespectacled girl was resting, clearly worn down and only having about a quarter of her chakra reserves still left in the tank.
But Dodai was nowhere to be seen.
'Don't tell me . . .' Shiki grit his teeth and expanded his Kukyo - Sixth Sense, his longest ranged sensory ability besides the cumbersome Enlightened Mind's Eye, to the limit of what he could currently manage.
It was then that the boy caught, just at the edge of his max range, Dodai speeding away with no hesitation in his movements.
'This is very bad.'
Shiki never thought Dodai would have the balls to leave his Raikage's son behind and bolt.
That assumption now resulted in a massive strategic blunder. It wouldn't be long until the escaped Elite Jonin returned with reinforcements and his Team was not equipped to handle the reprisal mid mission.
During his first clash with Kumo, Shiki and his fellows could fight with abandon. Their backs were against the wall but they were in the Land of Fire and, if they could successfully drive away the enemy, Konoha was close enough for a quick retreat.
There was no risk of Kumo returning with reinforcements where they were weak from the first battle.
This time however, they were in a foreign land with a whole bunch of people to protect, they could not afford to let Kumo find out what happened right away.
But with Dodai escaping, that was now a certainty.
His thoughts rapidly turning, Shiki finally reached Mei.
"Shiki!" The Uchiha exclaimed upon his arrival.
"That Kumo Elite Jonin, my fire jutsu were doing great against his rubber jutsu so I was able to pin him down pretty well but he managed to fake me out." She began explaining.
"When that big explosion happened on your side, he managed to break away from me and just as I moved to block his path towards your position, the bastard suddenly turned and ran off!" The bespectacled girl exclaimed, pissed at how she had been played.
"Yeah. I didn't even consider the possibility of him leaving his Raikage's son behind. Maybe he mistakenly believed Ay was dead?" Shiki echoed the sentiment and proposed an explanation.
"It was, however, the right choice to guarantee we would be screwed. Depending on how fast he can gather reinforcements, this could get real bad for us." He added with a grave expression that Mei shared.
"What's our next move?" The bespectacled girl inquired.
"Let's wait for Inori-sensei and try to figure out a solution with her." Shiki shrugged, already accepting the fact that they were in a pretty bad position.
"Any injuries?" He asked his female companion.
"Just regular battle wear. You?"
"Definitely worse but I'll live." The boy responded.
"If I translate that to normal person language, it means you're probably a wreck right?" Mei snorted.
"Who knows, Mei-san? Who knows?" Shiki declined to answer straight.
"You know!"
*
It had been about half an hour since the battle took place when Inori finally arrived and heard her students' report of the events.
"Damn. This isn't good." She thought out loud.
"We know." Shiki and Mei replied in unison, making the Violet Rose sigh.
'This sensei gig has been far, far worse for my physical and mental health than I thought it would be.' Inori internally complained.
"Hard to believe an Elite Jonin ran from Mei, he would have won from attrition if he persevered a little longer." She spoke.
The Uchiha was not pleased with the assessment but could not really argue since it was likely correct.
"Maybe he was afraid of Shiki joining in after he felt that Ay guy go down? He could have misunderstood he was dead and so there was no reason to stick around." Mei proposed.
"I was pretty much defenseless when the battle ended, although I can recover fast to an extent, I'm still nowhere near top shape right now. As an Elite Jonin, he could have probably taken a worn down me and Mei together." Shiki added his take.
"It might not have been the right choice for him but it certainly was the most troublesome for us. He took the cautious route and ensured we would get in trouble rather than gamble to try to finish the two of you off before I arrived." Inori explained what had likely occurred.
"I guess sensei makes sense. With the Raikage's son involved, I simply did not think he would take the cautious route." The boy explained.
"And that's why assumptions can be dangerous. Even 99% is still not a full hundred." The Violet Rose replied.
"Maybe, but sometimes risks need to be taken, assumptions need to be made." Shiki argued.
"That's also true. I'm just telling you to never treat an assumption as fact. You can still make them but learn to leave yourself room to maneuver." His sensei responded.
"So what should we do now?" Mei inquired.
"I'm honestly not quite sure."
+++++
Hey, Author here!
To promote the novel I will be releasing BONUS CHAPTERS on SUNDAYS based on the previous week's power stone count.
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
500 Power Stones = 2 Bonus Chapters
1000 Power Stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
Every earned BONUS CHAPTER on Webnovel will also be posted on Scribble.
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 -