Beaten into a Pulp (2/5)

"Not good!"

Seeing Kiba get pinned to the ground and brutally beaten by a red-haired woman before he even had a chance to react, Shino immediately released a massive swarm of black insects. They formed a dense cloud, like dark storm clouds overhead.

Not to mention people with insect phobias or trypophobia—even ordinary people would break out in goosebumps and shiver uncontrollably at the sight.

It has to be said, regardless of how effective the Aburame clan’s insect secret techniques were in actual combat, their visual impact alone could put immense psychological pressure on an opponent.

After all, no normal person wanted to be surrounded by a swarm of black insects, much less have those terrifying things land on them or crawl into their clothes—or even beneath their skin.

"Fire Style – Great Flame Bullet!"

Without the slightest hesitation!

As someone who utterly hated insects, Allen opened with a B-Class Ninjutsu, instantly burning the insects filling the sky to nothing. Not even a trace of ash remained.

"No! My insects!"

Watching more than half of the Parasitic Destruction Insects he had painstakingly raised get wiped out in an instant, Shino felt as though his heart were bleeding.

But there was nothing he could do!

Parasitic insects feared large-scale offensive ninjutsu more than anything.

Whether it was Lightning Release, Fire Release, Wind Release, or Water Style, any of them could kill the parasitic insects in droves.

In truth, the Aburame clan had never excelled at direct combat. They were better suited for reconnaissance, coordinating with teammates to restrain, harass, and ambush enemies.

"I suggest you stay right where you are and don’t move. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind burning every remaining insect in your body," Allen warned meaningfully.

"Kiba!"

Just as Hinata assumed the Gentle Fist stance, Haku instantly activated his Ice Release Bloodline Limit and froze the legs of the shy, delicate heiress of the main family, leaving her completely unable to move.

Under Allen’s guidance, the orphan Zabuza had taken in since childhood had already learned how to use Ice Release more effectively.

Less than five seconds had passed from the start of the fight to its end, yet Team 8 had already been completely wiped out.

Kiba Inuzuka, in particular, was beaten terribly.

Not only him—even Akamaru got dragged into it and received a vicious beating as well. Their faces were swollen beyond recognition, making them look like pigs.

Even more frighteningly, Karin thoroughly embodied the principle of beating someone to death if they could not be beaten dead. While beating him, she continuously injected Chakra into him to heal him, ensuring that no matter how much pain he was in, he remained conscious.

A demon!

That red-haired woman was absolutely a demon!

Boundless terror and fear finally appeared in Kiba’s eyes.

The beating lasted a full ten minutes before it finally came to an end when Allen nodded.

Looking at the arrogant boy lying on the ground with an expression of immense relief, Allen crouched down and said meaningfully, "Remember this! The next time you speak to strangers, it’s best to be a little humbler and friendlier. Otherwise, your fate might be even worse than this."

"Y-You… who exactly are you people?" Kiba struggled to get up, his voice full of resentment and fury.

"Us? We’re merely a few insignificant genin."

After saying that, Allen took Haku and Karin with him and continued toward the Central Tower without looking back.

Watching the three gradually receding figures, Shino’s taut nerves finally relaxed. He gave a bitter smile and said, "What a terrifying group! Fortunately, they didn’t intend to kill us. Otherwise, we’d all be dead."

"N-Not only that! Inside that man’s body, I saw an enormous amount of red Chakra, as vast as the sea," Hinata explained softly.

"Ahhh! Bastard! Why didn’t you warn me if you saw that?" Kiba shouted in frustration.

"I… I did warn you, but you didn’t listen…" Hinata muttered with her head lowered, so quietly that only she could hear herself.

"Enough. What’s done is done. Besides, it seems they already collected all the scrolls they needed, so they didn’t take ours. Rather than waste time on this, we should quickly find a safe place to recover from our injuries, then see if we can take the scrolls we need from another team," Shino said, cutting off Kiba’s complaints.

"Damn it! Help me up! And Akamaru too! Neither of us can stand! That red-haired she-devil really hit hard!"

"Hinata, carry Akamaru. I’ll help this guy."

Shino swiftly gave orders based on their unfavorable situation, then quickly left the dangerous place with his teammates.

For them, the most important thing right now was to hide and preserve their strength, not continue taking risks after their team had lost an important fighter.

On the other side, Allen, who had treated his time in the Forest of Death like a camping vacation, finally arrived at the Central Tower. Under Konoha’s arrangements, he began resting and patiently waited for the second exam to end.

Looking at the alert chunin and jonin all around them, he immediately sneered, "It looks like that old man, the Third Hokage, must have caught wind of something, which is why he strengthened security for the Chunin Exam. But unfortunately, he never would have dreamed that the most dangerous enemies always came from within—from the monsters he created with his own hands, Danzō and Root."

"Orochimaru still hasn’t arrived?"

Karin briefly sensed the situation throughout the entire tower, and a puzzled expression immediately appeared on her face.

"Orochimaru’s target is Sasuke Uchiha. Until he finishes that so-called observation and test, he won’t arrive at the Central Tower so easily. Besides, the examiner presiding over the second exam, Anko Mitarashi, used to be his student. Maybe he wants to take this chance to catch up with her," Allen said with an unconcerned shrug.

"Huh?! That female examiner who seems a little mentally unstable is Orochimaru’s student? No wonder she felt familiar!"

Karin was clearly startled, but she soon nodded thoughtfully.

After all, Orochimaru was one of Konoha’s famous Legendary Sannin, as well as one of the most troublesome commanders during the Ninja Wars.

Although the Third Hokage had thoroughly screened and dealt with Orochimaru’s former subordinates and students after his defection, some would inevitably remain.

So running into one or two of his former students or subordinates was nothing worth making a fuss over.

"Alright, whatever he does is his freedom. We don’t need to worry about it. Rest well while we can. Once the final selection is over, we’ll probably have to sleep with one eye open."

After saying that, Allen lay flat on his back and closed his eyes to rest.

In an environment where Konoha ninja were watching from all around, if they did not want to expose themselves, they could only stay put obediently.

It was not just them. The genin from the other villages nearby were the same.

A few idiots who did not understand the situation even secretly took out pens and paper to carefully record the intelligence they had gathered, planning to bring it back to their jonin instructors.

Little did they know!

Every move they made was under Konoha’s observation. Even their intelligence reports were copied word for word and sent to the department specifically responsible for processing intelligence.

If certain sensitive information risked being leaked, those people would be ambushed and assassinated by Anbu or Root Organization members on their way back to their villages.

That was precisely why the Chunin Exam was called a microcosm of war between great nations. For their own interests, every side would stop at nothing.