"What a pain,"
Shikamaru muttered under his breath.
Hayashi Ren had already killed Sakura twice. She was still stuck at level 4, hadn't even unlocked her ultimate skill yet. Meanwhile, Ren was already level 6, and even Shikamaru himself was just a little over level 5—barely a third of the way to 6. Top and bottom lanes were evenly matched, but no one had reached level 6 there either.
And without their ultimates, everyone's attack and defense stats were still low. But Ren already had a full skillset, including his ultimate. Even if Sakura had hers, his base damage would still be higher. What's more, Sako was probably almost level 6 by now too, right?
That thought made Shikamaru glance toward her lane—his face immediately froze.
Right in front of him, Sako killed a minion and gracefully leveled up to Level 6.
"Great. Just great…"
Shikamaru groaned internally. He grew even more determined to stay hunkered down under the tower and not step outside.
Whoosh—!
A shadow darted into view, moving so fast it seemed to teleport. Before Shikamaru could even react, it was already too late.
Thwack!
A kunai pierced his chest, and a splash of blood gushed from the wound.
"No surprise—it's Sako's kunai throwing. Impossible to dodge…"
Clutching his chest, Shikamaru staggered back a few steps, simultaneously wary and impressed.
"Tch. That rattled you already? That was just a basic attack, you know. You're still way out of your league."
Sako scoffed and then inhaled sharply, chakra surging through her body.
With a loud BOOM, she unleashed:
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball burst from her mouth, surging toward Shikamaru.
He managed to backpedal quickly, avoiding the brunt of the blast—but still got singed at the edge, losing a considerable chunk of health.
"Sako really doesn't hold back…"
Shikamaru muttered. He stepped just out of tower range to soak up minion XP, trying to stay useful.
"Exactly why I should kill you quickly,"
Sako said coldly, then dashed toward him, preparing to use her second skill: Shadow Leaf Dance, intending to knock him into the air.
Shikamaru couldn't dodge in time. Sako's kick launched him skyward, then she leapt up herself, chaining into her third skill: Lion Barrage, hitting him with a flurry of high-damage combos.
By the time he hit the ground, Shikamaru had barely 100 HP left.
"Crap!"
He yelped, face going pale, and rushed back under the tower.
"You think that's enough to save you?"
Sako said icily. She stepped forward, forming three quick hand seals: Ox, Hare, Monkey. Then shouted:
"Chidori!"
Chiiiiirrrp…
The sound of a thousand birds chirping filled the air as lightning surged into her hand. With the blazing Chidori, Sako boldly stepped into tower range, aiming to finish Shikamaru off.
Chidori was her ultimate skill. And with Shikamaru sitting at under 100 HP, there was no doubt it would kill him. That's what gave her the confidence to tower-dive so aggressively.
But she didn't notice—
Just as she stepped into the tower's attack range, Shikamaru grinned.
With a sharp clap of his hands, he formed a single unusual hand seal: the "Restrain" sign.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu."
His shadow suddenly stretched forward, catching Sako's shadow in place.
"Gotcha."
He'd anticipated everything—Sako's pride, her aggression, her combo order. He knew that once she blew her three basic skills, she'd use Chidori to finish him under the tower. That would be the moment he'd turn the tables.
And Shadow Possession forced Sako to mimic his every move.
With no delay, he raised his hand holding Chidori—and slammed it down on his own head.
CRACK!
Sako's own Chidori crashed into her skull instead, instantly dropping her HP to one-third.
Right then, the tower's attack connected.
BOOM!
Her HP plummeted to single digits—almost invisible on the screen.
"See ya,"
Shikamaru said calmly, still under control of the Shadow Possession. The tower was about to land another hit. Sako was as good as dead.
"It's just a shadow."
A cold voice pierced the air.
To Shikamaru's horror, a tall, lean figure burst forth with a sudden whoosh—
Konoha Whirlwind!
A black-clad foot smashed straight into Shikamaru's face.
It was Hayashi Ren.
After striking the killing blow, he took a single tower hit—losing nearly a quarter of his HP—then casually turned and walked away, shoulder to shoulder with Sako, as if they were just out for a stroll.