Catching up

Akamaru whined from inside Kiba's jacket as he tried to avoid Kidomaru's menacing glare.

Kiba commented, "It looks like this guy is stronger than that fatty, and by quite a lot..."

Neji added, "If we don't each take responsibility for defeating our own enemy, it's going to be a tough battle. That's what we agreed on, right?" He then turned to Shikamaru and asked for confirmation.

Shikamaru nodded and replied, "Yes, that's right."

Neji then shifted his attention to Naruto and said, "Also, if you give up now, you won't be able to catch up to Sasuke."

Naruto tensed up at Neji's words, unsure of what to do.

After a moment of contemplation, Neji looked directly at Naruto and said, "Naruto... your eyes can see things more clearly than mine." This statement left Naruto feeling confused but intrigued.

Neji informed the team, "Sasuke is currently... enveloped in darkness," he turned towards the enemy before adding, "Hurry up and go, I'll catch up with you guys later." He spoke with a resolute expression.

"Got it!" Naruto replied.

"Okay, let's move!" Shikamaru declared as he stood up.

"Choji and Menma will definitely catch up to us!" Kiba added, with Akamaru barking in agreement.

The three teammates then leaped off the branch beside Neji and chased after Sakon and Tayuya, leaving Neji to face Kidomaru alone.

Kidomaru quickly molded chakra in his palms and threw a sticky substance that formed into webs as it flew towards his target. Neji activated his Byakugan and crossed his arms in defense, causing some of the webs to miss him and head towards Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kiba. But Neji reacted swiftly, expelling chakra from the tenketsu in his arms and slicing through the webs, surprising Kidomaru.

"This guy is good," Kidomaru thought aloud. "But it's not over yet. I won't let you get away so easily." He then began to gather chakra in his abdomen and slowly let it flow through his body, up his solar plexus, and into his mouth.

Neji maintained his defensive stance as he observed Kidomaru's movements, his Byakugan allowing him to see the chakra gathering in the enemy's mouth.

Kidomaru then spat multiple webs, Neji managed to dodge some of them but eventually was overwhelmed by the sheer amount as the webs then bound him to the trunk of a tree.

Kidomaru grinned, satisfied that he had captured his opponent. "Heh... Gotcha," he said.

Neji let out a frustrated groan.

"You're quite talented with chakra, and your eyes are sharp," Kidomaru commented. "From the chakra that you emit from the openings in your hands, it's like sharp needles that cut through the thinnest part of my web with amazing precision," he analyzed.

"I've heard of the Jyuuken, the Gentle Fist Style, from Orochimaru-sama," Kidomaru continued as he examined his bound opponent. "But once I disable your annoying hands, there won't be any risk of the web being cut," he said as he leapt to the branch in front of Neji.

Neji maintained a subtle grin, unfazed by his predicament.

Kidomaru expressed his thoughts, "You see, any game will be tasteless as soon as you figure out a strategy to beating it. It's only been a minute, but I'm already tired of dealing with you." Meanwhile, Neji closed his eyes in deep concentration. Kidomaru chewed the chakra and molded it into his desired form, pooling chakra into his mouth once more. In a flash, he spat out a lance which still remained connected to his mouth, aimed at Neji's heart. Neji then opened his eyes and expelled chakra from all his tenketsu, successfully freeing himself from the webs that had bound him.

Kidomaru was taken aback as he observed Neji's swift movement, using the lance that was still connected to his mouth to close the distance between them, and landing right at his feet.

Neji then crouched into his fighting stance and revealed a little secret to his opponent, "It's not just from my hands... I can emit chakra from every chakra opening of my body."

GENTLE FIST STYLE

With a confident tone, Neji declared, "And by the way, it's game over."

8 TRIGRAMS 64 PALMS

Kidomaru watched as Neji began his attack, each strike precisely aimed at his chakra points. The sound of Neji's hand movements echoed through the forest as he hit Kidomaru with a flurry of strikes.

"Ah... this is bad," Kidomaru thought as he struggled to avoid Neji's attacks, "I can't move like this... If I don't get out of here soon, I'll be done for."

Kidomaru quickly used his webs to cover his body, barely avoiding the onslaught of strikes from the Eight Trigrams 64 Palms technique.

However, Neji wasn't done yet.

"Rotation!" Neji shouted as he activated his protective technique, spinning rapidly and deflecting any attacks that came his way.

Kidomaru tried to attack from a distance with his webs, but Neji was too quick and agile, dodging and weaving through them effortlessly.

Kidomaru then resorted to using his cursed seal.

Kidomaru's body convulsed as the cursed seal spread over his skin, his power and speed increasing dramatically. He launched himself towards Neji with incredible force, his body now enhanced with the mark of the cursed seal.

"You're going down!" Kidomaru growled as he closed in on Neji, his movements almost too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Neji narrowed his eyes and prepared to defend himself. He knew that he had to be careful, as Kidomaru's newfound strength made him a formidable opponent.

The two clashed with a loud crack, the force of their impact sending shockwaves through the air. Kidomaru pressed his attack, his cursed seal granting him the power to overwhelm Neji's defenses.

Neji's eyes widened in surprise as he barely managed to dodge Kidomaru's attacks. The cursed seal had given Kidomaru a significant power boost, and Neji was struggling to keep up with his movements.

"Damn it, this guy's power increased a lot!" Neji exclaimed as he dodged another attack.

"You're not the only one who can power up, you know," Kidomaru replied with a smirk.

Neji narrowed his eyes in response. "I don't need any external power source. I rely on my own strength and skill."

Kidomaru chuckled. "That's cute, but it won't help you now."

Neji gritted his teeth and continued to dodge Kidomaru's attacks, trying to find an opening to strike. He knew he had to end this quickly before Kidomaru's cursed seal became too much for him to handle.

Kidomaru hid in the trees and shot multiple ranged attacks from all angles at Neji.

Neji uses rotation to deflect all of the attacks and hurled a kunai at the spot Kidomaru was hidden, Kidomaru dodged and relocated himself.

"I know where you're hiding, show yourself." Neji states as his looks at him through the foliage.

Kidomaru grinned and revealed himself, he quickly summoned a large spider and looked at his opponent down below as he said, "I'll find the perfect strategy to counter your abilities!"

'If he deflects physical attacks by emmiting large amounts of chakra by rotation' Kidomaru thought, '...All I must do is stop the spinning!'

Kidomaru then took out a kunai he made from webs out of his mouth as his summon created a multitude of spiders. At his command, "spread out!" They all lunged at Neji.

Neji's Byakugan allowed him to see the spiders coming from all directions. He quickly jumped into the air to avoid them, but Kidomaru threw his web kunai at Neji, trapping him in mid-air.

"Now's my chance!" Kidomaru shouted as he summoned even more spiders, ordering them to spin webs around Neji to prevent him from rotating.

Neji struggled to break free, but the webs were too thick and sticky. He tried to emit chakra to break the webs, but it was no use. The spiders continued to spin webs, trapping Neji further.

"I've got you now!" Kidomaru said triumphantly as he prepared to strike.

-.-

As Menma leaped through the trees, he caught sight of Kidomaru engaged in a battle with Neji. Carefully masking his presence and chakra, he observed the fight, analyzing their movements and tactics. Menma noticed Kidomaru summoning a gigantic spider that gave rise to several smaller spiders that attacked Neji relentlessly.

Despite Neji's best efforts to dodge them, Kidomaru commanded the spiders to spin webs around him, making it impossible for him to use his rotation technique. Seizing the opportunity, Menma launched a surprise attack on Kidomaru from his blind spot.

-.-

Out of nowhere, a blur came hurtling towards Kidomaru at high velocity, Menma swiftly descended from the sky, slamming into Kidomaru's back with incredible force. Kidomaru was caught off guard and crashed into the ground, coughing up blood as he opened his eyes and looked up at Menma, who stood before him.

"What...who are you?" Kidomaru asked, struggling to get back on his feet.

"I'm Menma, and I don't like it when people mess with my friends," Menma replied with a cold tone, his eyes blazing red.

Neji broke free from the webs and landed next to Menma. "Thanks for the assist," he said gratefully.

"No problem," Menma replied before turning his attention back to Kidomaru. "Now, let's finish this."

Menma performed a series of hand signs while inhaling deeply, planning to use the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu. He blew a massive flame at Kidomaru, who narrowly dodged and hid in the trees.

Neji activated his Byakugan and quickly spotted the enemy, pointing towards his direction.

Menma unsheathed his katana and infused it with lightning chakra, crouching down and launching himself at the tree where Kidomaru was hiding. With a single clean cut, he sliced through the trunk, revealing a visibly irritated Kidomaru.

Kidomaru's mind raced as he searched for a solution to his predicament. He then spat webs and charged at Menma with a kunai.

Menma calmly stepped back and stood horizontally on the side of the tree, dodging Kidomaru's webs. Kidomaru followed suit and used the kunai to block Menma's chakra-infused punch.

Kidomaru grunted as he hastily summoned his spiders to block the incoming kunai from Neji. He knew he was in a bad situation and needed to act quickly. As he swung through the trees using his webs, Menma launched, Water Style: Water Bullet, but Kidomaru managed to dodge it just in time by swinging out of the way.

Kidomaru panted heavily as he clung to a tree, his mind racing as he contemplated his next move. "I have to use stage 2 of the curse seal," he muttered to himself. "Damn it, I can't believe I have to use this against mere kids."

He took a deep breath and activated the second stage of the cursed seal, his body contorting and writhing as he gained even more power.

Neji and Menma watched as Kidomaru's body grew larger, his muscles bulging with newfound strength. His eyes glowed with a malevolent energy as he turned to face them.

"You two are finished!" he shouted, charging at them with incredible speed.

Kidomaru's eyes widened as he saw the spikes coming at him. He quickly activated stage 2 of the cursed seal, enhancing his strength and agility. He jumped and weaved through the spikes, barely avoiding them.

As he landed on a nearby tree branch, he looked down at Menma and Neji with a smug grin. "You're not bad for kids, but you're not good enough to defeat me," he said, his voice laced with confidence.

Menma and Neji exchanged glances and nodded at each other, silently agreeing on their next move.

Menma assumed a horizontal stance on the tree trunk as he rapidly performed a series of hand seals. "I invoke Earth Style: Iwa Toge Fushido no Jutsu," he commanded, and the earth responded to his call.

Countless spikes, each measuring 10 inches in height and 15 inches in width, erupted from the ground, aimed at Kidomaru.

Kidomaru utilized his webs to alter the direction of his movement by anchoring them to the trees. He also shot deadly accurate arrows at Neji and Menma simultaneously.

Neji managed to parry an arrow with great difficulty, noting its increased speed, weight, and size. Meanwhile, Menma leaped off the tree, successfully evading the incoming arrow.

However, Neji alerted Menma of the arrow's changed trajectory, prompting him to turn around.

With a smirk on his face, Menma deftly caught the incoming arrow and threw it back at Kidomaru, who barely dodged it.

"Hah! Idiot!" Kidomaru taunted before launching six more arrows at Menma. However, he failed to notice the approaching Hyuga, who posed a looming threat.

After landing on the ground, Menma quickly created a four-layered earth dome to shield himself from Kidomaru's arrows.

However, the arrows changed direction and rained down on Menma from above. He jumped back to dodge them and then threw a kunai at Kidomaru, which bounced off his head. Kidomaru grinned and taunted Menma, feeling overconfident.

"You're gonna have to do better than that if you wanna beat me, brat!"

Menma just smirked, "Haven't you realized it yet?"

Kidomaru's eyes quickly darted around the area and widened in surprise as he realized, "Where is he?"

"Right here!" Neji replied from above, and Kidomaru looked up just in time to see two fingers, and the world started to spin, everything went black.

They quickly regrouped and checked on each other's injuries, finding that they had all sustained minor wounds.

"We make a good team," Menma said, grinning at Neji.

Neji nodded, "Indeed we do. But we must catch up to the others and provide support."

Menma's grin faded, "Right."