Chương 115: The Smiling Strategist

***Noa's Shadow Clone POV I walked quietly alongside Sena and the courier, my eyes carefully scanning the dense forest around us. The terrain was rough, cluttered with thick roots, tangled bushes, and fallen branches that made quick movements difficult. The courier stumbled again, clearly nervous. Sena gently steadied him with her hand, smiling in that reassuring, polished way she always did.

"Almost there," Sena whispered softly, just loud enough for us to hear. Her chakra felt calm and perfectly controlled. I kept my own chakra steady, acting out the protective guard role convincingly. I could sense Misaki trailing behind us. She was careful, staying just at the edge of our perception, waiting patiently for the right opportunity. My job was simple enough, protect Sena and the courier. But Misaki didn't stay away for long. I felt her approaching swiftly.

The moment she appeared within sight, her Byakugan was already activated, veins clearly pronounced around her eyes. She quickly took something out and pointed it skyward. Immediately, a flare shot upward, marking our location clearly. Without hesitation, she began her attack, rushing toward us. I quickly stepped forward, placing myself in front of Sena and the courier. Forming a rapid hand seal, I fired a few quick current shots toward Misaki, each bolt crackling through the air with great speed.

Yet she anticipated the attack, easily reading the chakra forming before I launched it, giving her plenty of time to dodge. I attempted another hand seal, but she swiftly countered by flinging several sharp kunai my way. I dodged them neatly, flickering aside while Sena swiftly grabbed the courier and evaded to safety as well. The three of us ended up separated, with Misaki on the right, Sena and the courier in the center, and myself on the left.

A tense standoff followed, Misaki unwilling to attack yet, clearly waiting for Kaen to join her. However, a second flare suddenly shot into the sky from Kaen's direction, catching her completely off guard. Confusion flashed across her face, creating an opening. Sena seized the momentary distraction and swiftly launched a handful of sharp kunai directly toward Misaki. Even with her Byakugan, Misaki reacted slower this time, forced to dive low to avoid being hit.

Recovering quickly, Misaki charged forward, her palms glowing intensely with chakra as she aimed a precise strike to block Sena's chakra points. But lightning flared beneath my feet, chakra surging and leaving a shimmering trail as I dashed directly between Misaki and Sena, blocking her path. Misaki had predicted this perfectly, already throwing a powerful palm strike where she knew I'd appear.

Her hand rushed toward my chest, and I instinctively raised my elbow to block, feeling sharp pain as her chakra-infused strike disrupted my flow slightly. Not fully disabled yet but almost, I quickly ducked beneath another swift strike and spun low, kicking toward her legs. Misaki stumbled briefly, almost falling but swiftly recovered by supporting herself with one hand, launching another precise palm strike into my leg.

Numbness flashed through my limb as her chakra sealing technique briefly disabled the flow there. I cursed internally at how frustrating it was to battle a Hyuga. They could read your moves and chakra effortlessly, predict your every action, and punish the smallest openings by blocking your chakra flow. I jumped back swiftly, expecting an immediate follow-up from Misaki. However, Sena suddenly appeared behind me, grabbing my arm in a way that looked protective and close.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, her tone soft and concerned. I quickly grasped her intention as I sensed Misaki's anger spike dramatically. Clearly thrown off balance by Sena's act, Misaki's stance briefly faltered. Sena spun me forward protectively, placing herself behind me. Her voice now sounded stern and fiercely protective as she said, "Let me protect you from this witch." Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Misaki's eyes briefly shut, disturbed and clearly overwhelmed by the display. During Sena's protective rotation, I quietly prepared my next jutsu.

"Lightning Release: Thunderclap Lance." To ensure quick execution, I intentionally used a stripped-down version, prioritizing speed over power. As Sena completed her rotation, positioning me perfectly, I thrust my palm forward. A vivid streak of blue lightning shot from my hand, racing directly at Misaki. Learning from her previous mistake, Misaki opened her eyes quickly, twisting to evade. But she wasn't fast enough, the lightning lance grazed her right shoulder, drawing a pained groan.

In rage, Misaki charged forward faster, directly targeting me, however, Sena stepped protectively in front again, blocking Misaki's line of sight to me. Misaki swiftly ducked beneath Sena's attempted strike, delivering a chakra-infused palm to Sena's arm, momentarily freezing it. She quickly followed with another strike aimed at Sena's chest, but Sena swiftly sidestepped it completely. Misaki continued with a fierce kick from the right, but Sena anticipated it easily, jumping into the air.

Throughout, Sena maintained a confident smile tinged with mockery, deliberately provoking Misaki further and dragging all her attention toward her. Misaki, clearly angered, launched another furious attack to completely disable Sena's chakra pathways. Sena gracefully leaped, flipping backwards and landing silently behind me. Misaki continued toward me instead, her steps faltering slightly as she felt the chakra building. She hadn't seen my hand signs behind Sena but realized the shift too late.

I slammed my palms firmly against the ground.

"Lightning Release: Arc Net." The instant my palms touched the earth, lines of lightning chakra spread rapidly outward in a bright, crackling web across the ground, like glowing roots. Misaki's eyes widened in alarm as she tried desperately to leap clear, but the lightning spread too swiftly. The very edge caught her ankle, instantly freezing her body mid-motion. Her leg spasmed violently as the chakra surged through her nerves.

She crashed sharply onto the forest floor, hands hitting the dirt first, breath caught painfully in her throat. Her Byakugan remained active, yet her body was utterly frozen. Perfect. Sena and I moved instantly, shooting forward. Sena was already weaving a long, complex sequence of hand seals, fingers snapping precisely from one seal to the next with practiced ease. No hesitation. No panic. Utter calm and perfect control, just like she'd rehearsed countless times.

I had used nearly all of my clone's chakra on the Arc Net, but this was our planned moment. We couldn't miss it. Misaki twitched slowly, her body still sluggish from my lightning. Her eyes tracked us, but her limbs wouldn't respond fast enough. Sena finished the final seal, her voice quietly firm.

"Mind Body Switch Technique." Instantly, Sena's real body went limp. I quickly caught her, gently holding her weight as she slumped in my arms, completely unconscious. Misaki, who had already started struggling to rise, froze mid-motion. Her expression faded rapidly into blank stillness, eyes glazing slightly. Then Misaki's lips moved, Sena speaking through her, 'Got her. Glancing at Sena's unconscious body in my arms, I saw no reaction. She breathed evenly, eyes gently closed.

"She's under," Sena continued clearly through Misaki's lips.

"I can't hold her for long. She's fighting hard." That was enough. Carefully, I lowered Sena's real body onto the soft moss. Without hesitation, I moved to Misaki's frozen form, pulling a prepared chakra suppression seal from my pouch. Unrolling it quickly, I placed it firmly against her lower back, channeling chakra into it. The seal briefly glowed before sinking into her skin, completely shutting down her chakra flow.

Misaki immediately collapsed, and I caught her too, gently lowering her against a sturdy tree trunk. Behind me, Sena's real body stirred, looking visibly displeased at the dirt now staining her clothes. She gracefully stood, brushing herself clean with elegant movements and smiling at me.

"You're not half bad at these layered plans," she remarked, slightly teasing. I chuckled softly.

"I have my moments." Misaki's eyes flicked open, confusion turning swiftly to hurt and betrayal as she realized she couldn't activate any chakra. She watched us sadly as Sena and I left her safely restrained, knowing full well we had instructors watching closely. They would never allow anything bad to happen to her. Together, Sena and I approached the final destination. She maintained her chakra sensing field diligently until we finally reached the village gate.

We carefully handed off the courier to the shinobi waiting there, who nodded approvingly.

"Team Sena and Noa," he said with a note of admiration, "congratulations on being the first team to complete your mission." I smiled and glanced at Sena.

"Let me deliver the good news," I said just before I vanished in a puff of smoke.