"How can a shinobi not keep track of their surroundings—especially what's behind them?"
Shikamaru's voice was low and cold as he spoke, watching the stunned expression on Kawasemi Zaiman's face.
The shadow beneath Kawasemi's feet—cast by the afternoon sun—was now connected to a narrow, stretching black tendril. It linked back to the shadow of a nearby fallen tree behind him.
Throughout their battle, Shikamaru had repeatedly used only a single shadow thread when deploying his Shadow Possession Jutsu, deliberately giving Kawasemi the impression that his technique was limited to just one vector.
But earlier, he had ordered Chōji to bring down a large tree. Now, with the sunlight pouring in at the perfect angle, that fallen trunk's shadow connected several nearby trees together—creating a seamless field of darkness.
Standing at the edge of that blended shadow, Shikamaru had launched a second thread—one hidden by the overlapping darkness of the trees. It slithered around unnoticed, crept up behind Kawasemi, and caught him just as he was distracted by the frontal assault.
His words weren't just mockery—they were a declaration of victory. While the existence of shadows defined the limits of his technique, they also provided the perfect cover. Even a high-level shinobi like Kawasemi couldn't detect the second shadow until it was too late.
"You little bastard…!" Kawasemi snarled, veins bulging at his temple as he realized he'd been outmaneuvered by a genin. He thrashed against the shadow binding him, but Shikamaru held firm.
But the truth was, Shikamaru was nearing his limit. Between the Shadow Possession, Rasengan, and earlier clone techniques, his chakra reserves were dangerously low. Kawasemi, on the other hand, was a jōnin—strong, experienced, and still brimming with chakra.
Shikamaru grit his teeth, feeling the shadow tremble. He wouldn't be able to hold him for long.
Switching hand seals, he activated Shadow Strangle Jutsu. From beneath Kawasemi's feet, two pitch-black arms rose—like serpents made of pure shadow. Instead of targeting the neck for a kill, they coiled around his limbs and torso, binding him tightly. Killing him with this jutsu would require more time and chakra than he had.
"Kiba! Shino! Now!" Shikamaru shouted, his voice strained but firm.
Both teammates sprang into action without hesitation.
They didn't know Kawasemi's true identity—only that he was far too powerful to be an ordinary genin. Already, he had taken down Hinata and Ino, and nearly disabled Kiba as well. His presence during the Chūnin Exams was a threat that had to be eliminated.
"Fang Over Fang!"
Kiba burst forward on all fours, muscles tensed, as Akamaru—transformed into a clone of him—matched his speed. They spun violently, like twin drills of whirling chakra and claws, cutting through the air in a purple blur.
SLASH!
They crashed into Kawasemi head-on. His body twisted midair from the force, spinning as streams of blood sprayed from the deep wounds inflicted by their spiraling strikes. Cloth shredded, skin split, and Kawasemi was launched back like a broken puppet, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
The earth was soon soaked with blood.
"Destruction Bugs!" Shino followed up immediately.
He extended his arms forward, palms turned out, forming a hollow circle as if cradling something. From his sleeves and collar, a tide of tiny black beetles spilled forth—kikaichū—swarming together in a tight, writhing cloud.
With a flick of his hand, he sent them flying toward Kawasemi's prone form.
The bugs landed, crawling across the jōnin's body, piercing his wounds, and rapidly feeding on his remaining chakra. It was a gruesome sight—one that would have left Hinata or Ino unable to look.
"Is he dead…?" Kiba stood, flicking blood from his hands as he stared at the twitching body now buried under the writhing mass.
Shino calmly approached, raising a single hand. One kikaichū crawled up his finger. He studied it.
"His chakra's gone," he confirmed coldly. "He's dead."
"Are you sure?" Shikamaru asked, still cautious.
Shino didn't answer verbally, just nodded and gave a subtle command. The kikaichū instantly abandoned the corpse, returning to his body.
As they pulled back, Kawasemi's body was laid bare—shredded and horrifying.
The impact of Fang Over Fang had torn him to ribbons, and the kikaichū had left deep, raw gouges in his flesh. He was unrecognizable. Blood stained the grass around him like paint on a battlefield.
Despite knowing this man had been an enemy, a dangerous infiltrator, the image of his corpse still left a chill in the air.
Shikamaru exhaled, finally letting himself relax. His hand hovered near his pouch—where he had instinctively reached for a Heaven Scroll during the fight. If things had gone worse, he'd been ready to break the seal and risk exposure.
That's how serious this had been.
In this world, one mistake could mean death. Shikamaru had no interest in dramatic heroism. Every plan he made was to minimize risk and protect his team.
Killing this jōnin had been a necessity.
Suddenly, something caught his attention.
As Shino retracted the bugs, Shikamaru knelt next to the corpse and began inspecting it—looking for scrolls or intel. But then his eyes narrowed.
"Guys… Come take a look at this," he said quietly.
Kiba, Shino, and Chōji moved in.
Shikamaru pulled off Kawasemi's half-broken metal faceplate, revealing a surprisingly youthful and clean-cut face beneath.
But it wasn't the face that bothered him.
It was the skin.
"There's something wrong here," he muttered, pointing to the man's neck—where a flap of pale skin had come loose, curling unnaturally.
"Was that from the bugs?" Kiba asked.
"No blood. No tearing," Shikamaru replied. "It's not a wound."
With a frown, he pinched the flap and pulled.
RRIP.
The skin peeled off.
Underneath… was an entirely different face.
"What the hell?!" Chōji recoiled. "That's not a henge!"
Shino knelt, lifting the discarded patch. "It's real… actual skin. Human skin."
"This guy didn't use a Transformation Jutsu. He was wearing someone else's face," Shikamaru muttered, voice steady. "This wasn't a disguise. It was full-body impersonation."
"Who the hell does something that creepy!?" Kiba spat, looking at the twisted corpse with disgust.
Shikamaru glanced at each of them, expression unreadable.
"I've never seen this person before," he said grimly. "He's not one of the registered examinees."
Silence settled over them.
A jōnin-level shinobi… using skin grafts to infiltrate the Chūnin Exams.
Someone from outside the test had come into the Forest of Death, disguised as a genin from another village.
And he wasn't alone.
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