"Ino, Tenten..." Temari said. She hesitated before continuing. "...We need to destroy the Behemoth's Tongue."
"What?" Ino said.
"But...our orders..." Tenten added.
"I know," Temari said. "But the situation is different now. Marunomi is too dangerous to be allowed to have the Behemoth's Tongue and we can't afford any hang ups. And frankly...I have a bad feeling about her."
Ino and Tenten nodded hesitantly, feeling a bit nervous. The group stood across from Marunomi who donned a confident smile.
“Well, girls…” she said. “…are you ready?”
Not knowing what to expect, the trio of kunoichi took the direct approach and attacked her head on. Ino and Tenten fired a flurry of kunai at her, which she swiftly dodged. Meanwhile, Temari opened up her fan and blew a gust of wind at Marunomi that sent her flying back a few feet, but she appeared unfazed. Seeing an opening, Ino snuck up behind Marunomi and delivered a swift kick aimed at the Behemoth's Tongue. However, Marunomi moved it out of the way just in time, causing Ino's kick to connect with Marunomi's abdomen. And then a remarkable thing happened. As the kick hit Marunomi’s side, it indented her body, but then her body seemed to push Ino back. It was as if Ino had kicked a large piece of rubber. The recoil sent her flying backwards, and she landed on the ground several feet away.
“Wh…what the hell?” Ino said.
Marunomi chuckled. “Did that surprise you?” she said. “It’s a jutsu I’ve spent quite a bit of time on. I can change the density and elasticity of my body, giving it a rubbery consistency. No matter what part of my body you attack, I can absorb the shock of anything you throw at me and bounce it right back.”
Temari, Ino, and Tenten were all visibly frustrated. The battle had just gotten a lot more difficult. Not to mention a lot more dangerous.
“Looks like you three will have to step up your game if you want any chance of winning,” Marunomi said. “Not that you do have a chance.”
"Alright girls," Temari said to her team. "Let's all attack her at once and maybe we can overwhelm her. Just try to aim for the Behemoth's Tongue." Ino and Tenten nodded and they began their attack.
Once again, Temari waved her fan at Marunomi, unleashing a powerful gust. This time with winds so fierce they were as sharp as knives. Marunomi was knocked away a few feet, but, again she did not seem to take any damage. The Behemoth's Tongue, meanwhile, took minimal damage as it was quite sturdy itself.
Ino then assaulted Marunomi with a highly pressurized water jutsu. However, as the stream of water approached her, Marunomi simply opened her mouth wide and swallowed the water, much to Ino's shock. Marunomi's belly expanded as the water filled it and soon she had swallowed the whole attack. She then bent over and, while pushing against her enlarged middle, fired the water back at Ino in an even more pressurized shot. The stream hit Ino dead on, knocking her down and greatly damaging her.
Once Marunomi released all the water, making her stomach flat again, Tenten leapt in the air towards her. She opened two scrolls and unleashed a large array of assorted weapons. Believing that sharp weapons may be able to damage the Behemoth's Tongue or even pierce Marunomi's rubbery skin, Tenten attacked her with kunais, daggers, scythes, swords, and any other pointed weapons she had at her disposal. Unfortunately, Marunomi shielded the Behemoth's Tongue from the weapons and, as soon as the weapons made contact with her, they simply bounced right back off, failing to draw even a drop of blood. Eventually, Marunomi pushed her body outwards and flung the weapons back towards Tenten. Several of the weapons made contact, cutting and injuring Tenten, causing her to fall to the ground.
Just as she finished, Temari sneaked up behind Marunomi to attack. She grabbed one of Tenten's fallen weapons and pulled back, ready to strike the Behemoth's Tongue.
*What happens next?
