Byakugan!
She examined the area with the visual power to see through everything. She stretched her mind out into the woods and the surrounding buildings, not letting a single thing get away from her.
“So?”
“It seems like there’s no one.”
“What? There’s no one?!” Sakura shouted in surprise. “Then how were they being controlled?”
“But there’s foreign chakra running through the bodies of those people.”
“What d’you mean, Hinata?”
Hinata’s byakugan had seen it, foreign chakra running through every inch of their bodies. Such a slight aura that it couldn’t be seen without the byakugan. It was possible that this was what was controlling them.
“So then, we just have to take out that chakra!” If they just got rid of the source, the problem would be resolved. That’s what Naruto thought, but Hinata’s face remained clouded.
“That chakra … it’s moving around like part of the body. It might have fused within their bodies.”
And on top of that, they would have to get rid of the chakra without causing external injuries.
“So we’re not going to be able to just tear it out.” Shikamaru sighed. “How about we start with capturing them without actually hurting them?”
Ino furrowed her brow. “But, Shikamaru, it’s going to be tough to capture that many people without hurting them. And they’re sticking together like dumplings.”
Just as Ino noted, the ninja approaching Konoha were moving in a tight group. If one of them got injured and exploded, it would set off the others, and they would all go up in flames.
“Ah!” Naruto jerked his head up. The eyes of the entire group turned toward him. “I just got a great idea!”
“I see. It’s simple, but it’ll probably work.” Shikamaru grinned after hearing Naruto out.
Naruto grinned back and then looked at Hinata. “It works for you too, right, Hinata?”
Hinata nodded firmly. “Yeah.”
“So then, let’s do this!” Naruto took the lead. He kicked at the ground and started running. As he ran, he activated his Shadow Clone technique and moved forward in a V with his real self at the apex. The mind-controlled ninja caught sight of him, and recognized him as an enemy.
In that instant, the Narutos ran off in all directions like baby spiders.
“Hey! Over here!”
“No, no! Over here!”
“I’m here! Come on! See!”
He was deliberately provoking them. It wasn’t clear whether it worked or not, but the ninja scattered and began to chase after Naruto’s clones. He opened up the distance between the enemies.
“Okay. Here we go!” Shikamaru turned his eyes on one of the mind-controlled ninja who was far enough out that there wouldn’t likely be other damage whatever happened, brought his hands together, and wove signs.
Shadow Possession!
His shadow, lit up by the gentle light of the moon, stretched out toward his opponent.
“Okay!” His shadow connected with his opponent’s, and the man suddenly stopped on the spot. Shikamaru spread his legs slightly and dropped his arms to his sides, and his opponent did the same thing. “Hinata!”
“Yes!” With the byakugan, Hinata looked at the man’s pressure points. The one she was aiming for was a quick cut-off pressure point. She stretched out an index finger. She absolutely could not miss. She imagined the movements of Hyuga Neji, the greatest genius since the start of the Hyuga clan.
“Hah!” Her finger shot out in alignment with her breathing and dug into the man’s body. After the span of a breath, the strength slipped out of him. She had stabbed the cutoff pressure point correctly.
Shikamaru released his Shadow Possession and the man’s body listed to one side.
“You did it!” Having led the man away, Naruto’s shadow clone now held him up as he looked at Hinata.
“With the pressure point activated, he shouldn’t be able to move for a day.” Just as Hinata noted, the man was limp in Naruto’s arms.
If they used this method, they could completely stop their enemies. But it required a great deal of concentration, thus placing a serious burden on Hinata.
“You okay, Hinata?” Naruto asked, with concern.
“I’m okay,” she replied. “We’re fighting together.”
Naruto nodded sharply.
As if this was his signal, Shikamaru said, “Okay then, let’s take them all down.” This time, Shikamaru’s shadow reached out to all the mind-controlled ninja.
A simple task repeated. But thanks to this, all the ninja were safely secured, and now lay quietly on the ground. It seemed that the issue was resolved, but the faces of Naruto and his friends were still dark.
“It won’t work.” Trying to release the genjutsu, Sakura attempted a counter-genjutsu, but there was no change in the foreign chakra racing through their bodies. “After a while, the effect of the pressure point’s going to end. If this looks like it’s going to drag on, we’ll have to hit the cutoff pressure point again, before they regain consciousness.”
“Dang, so we can’t take our eyes off them. It would be great if they at least knew what was going on,” Shikamaru remarked.
Aoba, who had come with a message from Kakashi, reached out his hands. “Maybe I’ll just try.” He was going to look into their memories.
“Will you be okay?” Naruto asked.
Aoba glanced at him. “I’m not as good as Inoichi, but I’ll give it a try.”
Inoichi was Ino’s father. He gave up his life in the Fourth Great Ninja War. His sensing had been excellent even among the Yamanaka clan, and he had been active in the role of connecting ninja.
Aoba placed his left hand on the forehead of a Kirigakure ninja, and his right hand on his own forehead. “Okay, I’m going in.” He linked his opponent’s consciousness with his own and flew into the world of memory.
Normally, Aoba would be able to see into his opponent’s brain like this. “Ngh! This—!” But the instant he went into the other mind, his field of view was dyed completely red. Narrowing his eyes, he saw a red sea spreading out at his feet. The lapping ripples reacted to the intruder, and turned into enormous waves.
“Damn. A genjutsu trap?! I’ve never seen this kind of offensive genjutsu trap before.” He immediately tried to run away, but the waves swept his body away, and pulled him into a vortex of thought.
“Hey, Sakura, doesn’t he seem kinda weird?” Naruto asked, sensing a turbulent aura as he watched over Aoba. Aoba’s mouth was half open and he swayed back and forth, as if rocked by waves.
“There was a genjutsu trap in his mind!” Sakura shouted.
“That’s bad, isn’t it?!” Ino’s face stiffened, but she quickly brought her fingertips together as if she had resolved herself, and set her sights on Aoba.
Mind Transmission Jutsu!
The secret Mind Transmission technique of the Yamanaka clan. Ino entered Aoba’s consciousness, and her body slumped over. Reacting instantly, Shikamaru held her up with his Shadow Possession.
“Are you okay, Ino?!” Sakura’s eyes shot back and forth between Ino and Aoba.
The contest was an instant, but for Ino and Aoba, it must have been much longer.
“Haah!” Aoba took a deep breath and dropped to his knees. “Sorry. Thanks.” Perhaps he had exerted himself too much mentally; Aoba put both hands on the ground and breathed deeply, his shoulders heaving.
“We sorted it out.” Ino’s face was pale after releasing the Mind Transmission jutsu.
“Ino!”
“You know that time when I went into you, and there was another you getting in my way? Aoba fought like that.” Ino smiled at Sakura, her face drained of all blood. But that was as far as her show of courage went.
“Ino!”
Having lost a great deal of chakra, Ino passed out. Aoba also collapsed.
“Sai! Take Ino and Aoba to the hospital! I’ll take a look at them!” Sakura shouted. She had been trained in the medical ninja arts directly under the former Hokage, Tsunade, and she sent chakra into Ino and Aoba.
Sai quickly set his brush moving.
In the midst of all this, paying no mind to the commotion, the sun began to climb into the eastern sky. Under its light, sweat spilled down Naruto’s cheeks.
Naruto had secretly picked up on it. The bottomless hatred planted inside of them.