Tsunade Can Hear My Inner Voice

Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Clash

"Chōji, go!"

Halfway through their advance, Shikamaru was the first to issue an order.

"Ninja Art: Partial Multi-Size Technique!"

Already prepared, Chōji immediately activated his technique. Both of his hands enlarged in an instant, bearing down with crushing force toward Team Gai.

"Scatter!"

Faced with such a heavy strike, Neji chose to evade rather than confront it head-on.

"Tenten, watch out for Ino’s Mind Body Switch Technique! Lee, be wary of Shikamaru’s Shadow Imitation! I’ll handle Chōji—go!"

Neji understood well that their trio’s advantage over the Ino-Shika-Chō formation lay in individual strength.

The Ino-Shika-Chō team had a long-standing legacy, their coordinated tactics more than enough to overwhelm the three of them.

Under these circumstances, the key to victory was to separate them.

"Ahhh... Eight Inner Gates: Gate of Opening—OPEN!"

Mid-sprint, Lee activated the first gate of the Eight Inner Gates. Violent chakra surged through his body, unlocking his full physical potential in that instant—greater strength, faster speed, and more ferocious movements.

Against Shikamaru’s shadow techniques, Lee chose the simplest and most direct approach—overwhelming force.

The unleashed power of the Eight Inner Gates was his advantage. With Shikamaru’s current mastery of shadow techniques, restraining Lee would be impossible.

"Damn it!" noveldrama

Shikamaru hadn’t expected Lee to be so decisive. Seeing the frenzied figure charging at him, he recalled the third round of the Chunin Exams.

Back then, Lee had used the Eight Gates to go head-to-head with that madman Gaara. Just thinking about it made Shikamaru feel like he was going crazy.

Though the outcome was brutal, Konoha had Tsunade-sama, the ultimate medical-nin, to pull him through. But back then, Lee had opened the Fifth Gate.

Now, even the Second Gate would leave Shikamaru with few options to counter him.

As someone who relied on strategy, Shikamaru dreaded opponents like Lee—those who fought with sheer, unrelenting force.

They didn’t play by logic. If your fists couldn’t match theirs, you’d be crushed.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Three kunai flew from Shikamaru’s hand as he immediately turned toward Chōji, trying to regroup.

"Not so fast!" Lee, of course, wouldn’t let Shikamaru reunite with Chōji.

Neji’s tactic was clear—Lee was assigned to deal with Shikamaru. If he let him escape, it’d be as good as admitting defeat.

"Eight Inner Gates: Gate of Healing—OPEN!"

The second gate burst open, and Lee’s speed instantly tripled. Like a gust of wind, he appeared behind Shikamaru, his hand reaching for the Nara heir’s back.

"Shadow Imitation Jutsu!"

A black shadow stretched from Shikamaru’s feet, instantly merging with Lee’s.

"Guh!"

The sheer force transmitted through the shadow nearly ruptured Shikamaru’s organs. Lee’s movements slowed to a crawl, but even that sluggishness was a sign he was breaking free.

’This guy is too strong! Once the Eight Inner Gates are active, my shadow techniques are useless against him!’

’No... I can’t lose here. Sorry about this!’

Mentally apologizing, Shikamaru nonetheless drove his kunai toward Lee without hesitation.

If this strike wounded Lee, he’d be forced to withdraw from the training exercise.

"You dare?!"

Lee’s eyes widened. Seeing Shikamaru’s movement from the corner of his eye, he decided to stop holding back.

"Eight Inner Gates: Gate of Life—OPEN!"

*Boom!*

Violent chakra erupted from Lee’s body, forming a green energy cloak around him. The backlash from the third gate’s activation sent Shikamaru flying, coughing up blood from his mouth as he collapsed.

"I won’t lose!" Shikamaru wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He hadn’t surrendered yet. As long as he didn’t admit defeat, the battle wasn’t over.

"Super Multi-Size Technique: Human Bullet Tank!"

Chōji’s enlarged arms shrank back as his stomach swelled into a massive sphere. Rolling forward like a wrecking ball, he barreled toward Lee, carving deep grooves into the solid ground.

"Lee, don’t take it head-on!"

Neji, sharp as ever, recognized that Chōji’s technique had a time limit and quickly stopped Lee from engaging directly.

Even though Lee had opened the first three gates and was incredibly strong, the Akimichi clan’s secret techniques were not to be underestimated. Recklessly clashing with Chōji could cause serious problems.

Without hesitation, Lee dodged to the side as Chōji charged past, circling around Shikamaru.

"Your shadow clone tricks won’t fool my Byakugan!" Neji called out, his palms already weaving through the air as chakra gathered in his hands.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Waves of compressed air shot toward Chōji, slowing his spinning momentum.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher!"

A more powerful version of the Vacuum Palm grazed Chōji’s body, its shockwave blasting outward and forcibly halting his rotation.

In the center stood Shikamaru—alongside his shadow clone.

"You haven’t won yet! We still have Ino!" Shikamaru shouted defiantly, eyeing Lee and Neji closing in.

"You mean... her?"

Tenten walked over, casually carrying an unconscious Ino over her shoulder.

"This girl’s technique was annoying. Took me a while to dodge it. Didn’t expect you two to finish up so quickly!" Tenten winked at Shikamaru, tossing Ino into his arms.

"Now all three of you are down. Any complaints?"

"We..." Shikamaru looked at the unconscious Ino in his arms, then at Chōji lying nearby. There was no way around it.

"We lost."

"Good that you admit it!" Tenten clapped her hands. "Chōji, Lee—we won! Should we leave a mark on these three as a souvenir?"

"Not a bad idea. But Lee and I won’t do it. Tenten, why don’t you handle it?" Neji eyed her warily, not fooled for a second.

"Me? Sure!"

Grinning, Tenten theatrically raised a kunai, aiming it at Shikamaru’s face.

Shikamaru’s eyes widened in alarm.

"Now, Shikamaru—ATTACK!"

The moment the kunai was about to touch his face, Tenten suddenly twisted her wrist, sending the blade arcing toward Lee instead.

"I knew you’d do that!" Neji wasn’t surprised—in fact, he was pleased. This confirmed his suspicion that Tenten had been under Ino’s Mind Body Switch. His palms surged with chakra.

"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"

"Multi-Size Technique!"

Chōji’s body ballooned into a several-meter-tall giant, shielding Shikamaru and Tenten.

"You’re not beating us that easily!"

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