My Techniques are a bit off

"Hah~"

Link felt his heart and lungs working hard, his body quickly converting energy into stamina as the soldier pill dissolved rapidly in his stomach.

In just one breath, he was back on his feet. Though he still looked fatigued, it wasn't as severe as one might expect.

The exhaustion he felt earlier was akin to lifting something heavy to the point of muscle failure. But with plenty of energy reserves from his earlier meal, and without significant activity since then, he could easily endure another battle.

More importantly—

His shadow clones became more advantageous the less chakra he had, and he still hadn't played his final card.

"..."

Nara Ensui swallowed a soldier pill as well, standing resolutely in front of the merchant. His silent stance made it clear where his allegiance lay as the Sunagakure shinobi approached.

Their leader, clad in tan Jōnin armor and black combat attire, with his head wrapped in cloth and red war paint across his right cheek, appeared in the clearing with a grim expression.

"Our nation's merchant was killed," he said, locking eyes with Nara Ensui. "The official overseeing the auction and all other participating merchants have been slaughtered."

Turning slightly, his gaze shifted to the Land of Fire merchant cowering behind the cart, his backside exposed. His expression seemed to ask: Why is it that your Land of Fire people are still alive?

[Forty seconds left...]

Link mentally calculated how much time remained for his Stand, Metallica, to remain active. His previous battles had all been quick kills, leaving him with plenty of time to spare. Even Jōnin-level opponents hadn't been able to withstand his ability to extract iron from their blood.

Had it not been for the Jōnin's enhanced physical constitution, chakra reinforcement, and his own need to manipulate iron into solid blades for extra damage, Link wouldn't have burned through so much stamina in the earlier fight.

In the current situation, if he acted immediately—splitting the Jōnin's shadow and revealing his trump card—he could likely eliminate all nearby Sunagakure shinobi.

As for Temari, the future wife of Shikamaru… She's an enemy. Enemies die.

But it wasn't his decision to make. He turned to his superior, awaiting orders.

Nara Ensui gave him a calm look, signaling patience before speaking sternly: "Baki, are you suggesting that this attack is connected to us?"

Baki...

Link recognized the name. So that's who he is. He hadn't expected Ensui to take such a firm stance.

Link's muscles tensed as he prepared to form seals at a moment's notice. The atmosphere grew suffocatingly tense, teetering on the edge of conflict.

But before a fight could break out, Baki gestured for his subordinates to stand down. He gave Link a peculiar look, said nothing, and disappeared with a Body Flicker Technique.

The Sunagakure shinobi withdrew. Temari was the last to leave, her gaze lingering on the three Konoha shinobi as though committing them to memory.

"Ensui-sensei?" Link approached with his teammates, his voice laced with curiosity.

Why had they retreated after pushing things to the point of confrontation?

Before Ensui could answer, the Land of Fire merchant, now emboldened by the absence of immediate danger, began wailing. "Hey, ninja! Come protect me!"

Ensui gave his team a helpless look. "He's been like this for a while."

"Do you hear me? I'm hurt! I'm hurt!" the merchant cried, raising a hand to show a minor scrape. He completely ignored the two gravely injured samurai leaning against the cart, barely conscious.

"Thanks to you, we survived this," Ensui said to Link. "You three will temporarily guard him while I request reinforcements."

By "him," he meant the still-panicked merchant.

Link nodded, accepting the responsibility.

Dragging his tired body, Ensui went to soothe the merchant with a few words before organizing the surviving attendants. Under his direction, they moved the injured samurai to the first floor of the adjacent hotel. The open street offered no cover, making them easy targets for any further large-scale jutsu attacks.

The neighboring hotel had been completely cleared out during the previous night's massacre. Using its lobby as a temporary shelter and resting area wouldn't be an issue.

Despite being trained as an assassin, a Jōnin like Ensui displayed remarkable efficiency in coordinating a group. After finishing his tasks, he leaped onto the rooftop and disappeared into the distance.

[Not a Body Flicker Technique… Ensui-sensei must be running low on chakra.]

As Link mulled this over—

"Boss?" Iris asked hesitantly, still shaken from seeing Link collapse to one knee earlier.

"I'm fine," Link said, his breathing now steady. He glanced at his two exhausted teammates, both carrying visible injuries. His tone softened slightly. "You two, check the upper floors for any hidden enemies."

Though he wouldn't risk their safety in such a confined and dangerous environment, he sent his shadow to accompany them, ensuring their protection.

Once his teammates began their sweep, Link mimicked Nara Ensui's earlier behavior, staying within five meters of the merchant. He silently refined his chakra, ready to form seals at any moment.

His Stand, Metallica, had long since dissipated, and there was no need to maintain shadow clones or transformation jutsu unnecessarily. With his trained speed at forming seals, even a simple jutsu like the Shadow Clone Technique could be executed instantly if needed.

About five minutes later, as his stamina began to drain slightly, he sensed a disturbance upstairs. There were enemies—definitely not allies or civilians.

Before long, Iris and Ami returned with his shadow in tow.

"Hah~"

A heavily injured samurai lying in the lobby suddenly gasped for air before succumbing to his wounds.

Link didn't waste chakra attempting to save him. The samurai's injuries were too severe, and death came swiftly.

Ami hesitated, glancing at the other injured samurai. "Boss, I'd like to…"

Her gaze lingered on the wounded men, torn between her duty and her desire to help.

As an aspiring medical-nin, Ami had been studying medicine and practicing chakra-based healing techniques. While chakra control for healing wasn't overly demanding, the decision to expend her resources in this scenario weighed heavily on her.