Chapter 64 : Heaven Judgement
"Be careful, Shikaku!"
Choza Akimichi, already gravely injured, used the last of his strength to block a fatal blow aimed at Shikaku.
Bang! Choza was sent flying, crashing to the ground with blood gushing from his back.
"Choza! Hang in there! Take this!"Shikaku quickly pulled out several hemostatic pills and administered them before turning his gaze back to the battlefield.
The situation was dire. Konoha's forces had dwindled. Out of a hundred shinobi, fewer than twenty remained standing. Most of the fallen were Chūnin and Genin—but over twenty had died, many of them taken down by the enemy commander.
On the Suna side, while they'd lost fewer ninja, many puppets had been destroyed, and over a dozen Jōnin had fallen thanks to Konoha's terrain advantage.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
Seeing another Konoha ninja in danger, Shikaku moved swiftly to trap the enemy.
But Garuda was prepared. Caught in the shadow, he calmly summoned his iron sand to form a barrier. One of the Suna-nin nearby tossed a flash bomb-like device between them. A blinding light erupted—instantly breaking the shadow's hold.
"Tch! They're too well prepared," Shikaku muttered.
More than just tactics—Suna was countering their secret techniques with pinpoint accuracy.