Genjutsu! He knew it must be genjutsu unless the enemy had an amazing trap-setter on their team who could create such a massive trap in such little time. He turned on his biosensory dojutsu and looked down at himself. There were no absences in life covering his body like there appeared to be in normal vision. His body was as normal as it ever was and wasn't interrupted by cold metal stars.

"Kai!" He released the genjutsu with a shout as soon as he was sure that the shurikens were naught but illusion. He immediately was relieved of the pain that shot through his body from the wave of shurikens that had impaled his torso and he could no longer see the volley of shurikens approaching from all sides.

He remembered that what seemed like an hour ago his mind was racing through his painful past as he watched thousands of shurikens flying towards his body. He glanced at the other two and saw a look of terror twist into a face filled with incredulous pain. His blue eyes melded into a solid mass and he saw that there was one ninja hiding in a bush in a stance that gave his genjutsu usage away. He also saw two other ninja performing an extensive summoning technique.

In a futile attempt to awaken his partners, he pinched a pressure point that caused physical pain that would normally rouse anyone from a genjutsu trance. He realized he would have to distract the genjutsu specialist. As he saw his friends' faces wince he leapt into the forest to attack the genjutsu specialist.

With his twin dual kunai swords out he assaulted the opponent head on to add an element of surprise. Unfortunately the ninja knew he had broken out of the induced gen-trance and had already set a trap. As the trip wire was pulled Karu saw the kunai coming and with a quick twist of his wrist, he swirled his weapon to gracefully greet the kunai with the all too familiar clash of metal on metal. The knife was deflected into a tree and Karu resumed his attack on the ninja. With a quick thrust and twist he gutted the enemy. He smiled as he saw the astonished eyes.

What? The form coughed up water, not blood, but water.

"Mizu Bunshin?" He gasped with surprise as the ninja splashed as it disintegrated into a lifeless puddle. He then realized it couldn't have been a water clone because he had seen the life-form with his bloodline limit. Mizu Kawarimi no Jutsu, he realized the ninja must've replaced himself with some nearby water at the last second.

Hibuko found himself wondering where he was for just an instant until he saw Hitake, then he knew exactly what was going on.

"It was genjutsu!" He shouted.

Hitake rubbed her neck and moved her face around as she felt stiff.

"That really hurt. I think I'm scarred for life," she joked around to lighten the situation but they both knew that they were in a lot of trouble.

Hibuko almost chuckled but he then muttered, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Raimaru!"

The giant tiger appeared with smoke and a bang and in his elegant voice obediently asked, "What can I do for you, Hibuko-sama?"

"Protect the princess. There is a genjutsu specialist around, another powerful ninja, and another ninja that we haven't met yet. Karu is after the genjutsu specialist, I presume, and I'm going to find the other two."

"Hai."

"It's coming, Tsakuno-sama," declared the ninja who had not yet encountered the group. The two were performing a summoning technique that would get them the princess in no time.

"Hai, Chouramu. It will be here soon," the emblems on the large scroll were emanating an intense light and heat as the climax of the technique was coming.

Smoke rose from the symbols and in an absurdly large cloud of mist appeared the beast.

The giant clusters of muscles that were tout in the forearms of the beast were shelled with scales the size of human heads. At the joint between the humongous clawed arms and the massive barrel like torso were calcium buildups that jutted out like horns. The belly of the beast was brushing against the ground as it heaved in giant gulps of oxygen, effectively clearing nearby brush.

"Wau! Tsakuno-sama! It's even greater that in the training!"

"Hai, this is the lord of the swamp beasts, the scrolls in the practice sessions were lesser in rank. We will have no trouble decimating the pathetic Chuunin with the power of the Shakuzetsujin."

The beast's alligator-like tail flicked and the trees were ripped savagely from the ground behind it. The creature's absence of neck was made up for by the immense bone spikes erupting from its "cheeks." The Shakuzetsujin's contracted slivers of pupils shifted around as he searched for the allies and the enemies. He felt the familiar chakra of his new blood allies and continued searching. The subtle energies of his enemies and their semi-hidden fear burst into his semiconscious mind and he lowered his head.

"Kuso," muttered an unsure Karu. He felt the huge chakra present nearby and with his bloodline limit he saw Hibuko in a tree nearby. He also "saw" the large tiger and the daimyo's daughter in a defensive stance in a small clearing. He caught a glimpse of two concentrations of energy running through the trees. His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes formed into angry slivers as he pulled out a large scroll and a kunai and began pursuit.