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.
