"Oh?" Shino adjusted his sunglasses slightly and looked toward Karin. "Did you just say he? You mean there's only one enemy?"
"Y-Yes," Karin stammered, realizing she had slipped up.
"One against three?" Kiba raised an eyebrow. "That's no small feat."
Still, despite the implied strength, Kiba didn't show any hesitation. Anyone strong enough to take on three genin alone would be a major threat later in the exams. If they had a chance to eliminate someone like that now, especially with two full teams working together, they had to take it.
"He's not just strong," Shikamaru muttered, his eyes narrowing. "If I'm right… he might even be jōnin-level."
From Karin's description, Shikamaru could already make a reasonable deduction. The man she described—a lone shinobi disguised as a Grass ninja—was likely one of the Sound ninja who had infiltrated the Chūnin Exams alongside Orochimaru. For a large village like Konoha, candidates were under much closer scrutiny. A genjutsu transformation would never hold up. The Face-Swapping Technique offered far better disguise capabilities than a simple henge, but it still couldn't hide someone's height or body type. That narrowed Orochimaru's options when selecting disguises.
In this case, the real Grass ninja that Orochimaru impersonated had long hair—just like him. It made disguising himself much easier. Choosing a team from Grass for infiltration wasn't random at all.
"So we've already found one of them…" Shikamaru murmured under his breath, barely audible.
His target from the beginning hadn't been Hyūga Neji. Not Gaara. Not even Sasuke Uchiha. It was the Sound ninja that came with Orochimaru.
Defeating Neji in a head-on battle would certainly elevate his status within the Nara clan and the village. And Gaara, being a Jinchūriki, wasn't someone their group could take on yet. Sasuke, despite his pedigree, wasn't enough of a concern at this point.
Shikamaru's real plan was simple: use Team 8's tracking skills to locate a lone Sound ninja, kill him, and turn the body over to Konoha's Intelligence Division. With the right analysis, they might uncover some of Orochimaru's plans.
Of course, unless the Sound ninja was someone like Kabuto or one of the elite Five under Orochimaru's command, they likely wouldn't know anything too critical. But as long as Lord Third learned that the Konoha Crush was underway, that was more than enough.
A breeze stirred the forest canopy. Distant animal cries echoed faintly through the trees. All six Konoha genin instinctively glanced toward the sound—not out of fear, but caution.
"Let's hope you're telling the truth," Shikamaru said finally, waving Karin over. "For now, hand us the scroll."
Karin had already gotten back on her feet. She hesitated for a second, then extended the Earth Scroll. Though her ability as a sensor-type was largely redundant with both Hinata's Byakugan and Kiba's tracking skills, the real concern was the opponent she had mentioned. One against three, and still standing?
That alone was worth investigating.
"Looks like your teammates really did abandon you."
Kawasemi Kuwan—still wearing his Grass ninja disguise and a twisted smirk beneath his demon mask—gripped the wounded Grass ninja by the neck with one hand. The enemy was heavy, but Kuwan lifted him effortlessly, until the man's feet dangled above the ground.
The Grass ninja's face was covered in blood. His eyes were unfocused. He was still alive, but barely. The suffocating pressure on his throat was too much—his hands clawed weakly at Kuwan's arm, but he didn't have the strength to do anything more.
"Not even good enough to serve as bait."
Kuwan had kept him alive in the hope that Karin—being a sensor—would try to come back and rescue her teammate. It would've made the perfect trap. But to his surprise, she fled without hesitation.
Heartless little thing.
"Scroll…" the dying Grass ninja croaked, his mouth twisting into a faint, mocking smile. It wasn't clear if he was laughing at Kuwan—or accepting death.
Kuwan snorted.
"Idiot. Did he think I'm after scrolls?"
With a sharp flex of his fingers, Kuwan crushed the man's throat with a sickening crack and casually tossed the body aside like garbage.
"She might still be nearby," Kuwan muttered, glancing around the clearing. "Maybe she's just afraid of me."
Not far away, Karin suddenly stumbled mid-step. Her expression froze in shock. She staggered, grabbing a tree trunk for support, shoulders trembling.
"What is it?" Shikamaru asked quickly. He was walking beside her at the front of their formation.
No one in Team 8 or Team 10 had trusted Karin enough to let her lead solo. If this was an ambush, she could easily escape. That's why Shikamaru stayed beside her—to keep her in check and to issue orders if anything happened.
"…My captain's chakra… It's gone." Karin's voice cracked. Her eyes filled with tears. "He's… he's dead."
"Hinata," Kiba called, glancing back over his shoulder.
He didn't need to say anything more. Years of training and team synergy meant Hinata already knew what to do. She made a hand seal and activated her Byakugan, focusing her gaze forward.
"There's one ninja about four hundred meters ahead. Looks like he's searching for something," she said after a few seconds. Then her brows furrowed. "His chakra is incredibly strong. None of us can match him alone."
"He's probably looking for the scroll," Ino added softly. She had been gently comforting Karin, whose grief seemed all too real.
"We've got six—no, seven people," Kiba said confidently. "He's only one guy. What's there to be scared of?"
"Woof!" Akamaru barked in agreement.
"Still…" Shikamaru's tone was thoughtful. "The whole point of this phase is attrition. We're trying to wear others down while saving energy for what comes next. If we can end this cleanly, we should."
He glanced at the trees around them. "Let's draw him into a trap."
"Tch, you're always overthinking things…" Kiba muttered, but didn't argue further. They might have numbers, but this wasn't just about pride. Hinata and Shino were his teammates. He wouldn't risk them recklessly.
"This spot's good," Shikamaru said, scanning the surroundings.
There were fewer trees here, but it wasn't completely open either. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting crisscrossing shadows across the clearing—ideal for Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu. Too open, and his shadows would stand out too much. Too dense, and enemies could use the trees to break formation or hide.
This was just right.
"Karin," he turned to the red-haired girl, "I need you to act as bait. Lure him into the trap."
Karin hesitated.
She'd seen what Kuwan could do. If he caught up to her—even briefly—she wouldn't last a second.
"I'll be going with you," Shikamaru added. "I'll stay hidden and wait to strike."
"That's too dangerous!" Ino spoke up suddenly, stepping forward. Her brows knitted in worry. "What if she's lying and it's a trap?! You'll be alone out there!"
"It's fine. It's only four hundred meters. We'll be back before you know it." Shikamaru offered her a small smile and locked eyes with her. "Trust me."
"I…" Ino hesitated, but felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She turned—Choji stood beside her, serious for once.
"You have to trust Shikamaru," he said.
Shikamaru nodded and continued, "Once the target enters the trap, Choji and Kiba will launch the first attack. Choji, use your Human Boulder to initiate. Kiba, you and Akamaru use Fang Over Fang to cut off his escape."
Suddenly, Shikamaru turned and flicked a kunai into a nearby tree with a sharp thunk.
"Choji," he said, turning to his friend, "After your first strike—whether you hit him or not—I want you to smash that tree in half."