Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) was as hard as steel, but Mimako's kunai were no ordinary weapons—they were specially forged by old Master Fujimaki. Their silver edges gleamed sharply under the sun. When they clashed against Kimimaro's bone blades, the sound echoed like hammer striking bone.
Mimako's slender frame moved with dazzling agility. Her twin kunai danced in her hands—swift, precise, unyielding. Even though Kimimaro's entire body was a living armory, she managed to meet his every strike.
Old Master Fujimaki's three disciples were famed for their speed. He now taught at the academy, training young students. Though he boasted often, his students adored him, and his unique teaching methods had made him one of the top instructors in the Ink Ninja Village.
At the village gate, Kimimaro and Mimako's battle raged. Mimako fought with all her heart, determined to impress Shigeo. Kimimaro, on the other hand, blamed her for meddling—today, his only purpose was to challenge Shigeo directly.
Since childhood, he had believed his talent surpassed Shigeo's. For years, he had honed his ninjutsu relentlessly. Why, he wondered bitterly, does he stand above Orochimaru-sama now—hailed as a master—while I, Kimimaro, am reduced to a failing body in an experiment chamber?
Though loyal to Orochimaru and obedient to his every command, Kimimaro still despised Shigeo. He saw Shigeo's refusal to help Orochimaru as mockery—an insult to his master's goodwill. And since Orochimaru had ordered that they bring the reanimated Kage to confront him, Kimimaro was certain the true purpose was clear: to show Shigeo his place.
Today, he would destroy Ink Ninja Village itself—prove to Orochimaru that no one in this world was worthy of such reverence.
"Bastard! I'll kill you!" Kimimaro shouted, entering his Cursed Seal State. His body erupted with bone spurs. Moving like a living weapon, he spun violently—blades jutting from every limb—charging at Mimako like a bladed tornado.
"Ha! Do you take me for a fool? You think that trick will work on me?" Mimako shouted, rushing forward with her twin kunai.
But the next instant shocked everyone—when she was just three meters away, she spun on her heel and sprinted toward the river, leaping in and disappearing beneath the water. She had fled!
"Hey! That brat—she's embarrassing me!"
On the wall surrounding the village, Master Fujimaki and his companion Jakima Kugutsu were watching. Seeing Mimako's sudden retreat, the old man shouted in fury.
"Sensei, you know how she is," Jakima said calmly. "If she can win, she fights. If not, she runs. You can't blame her."
"Of course I know that, because…"
The three onlookers—Fujimaki, Jakima, and another student—spoke together, striking a ridiculous pose:
"She's already appeared!"
Their fingers pointed toward the battlefield.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Kimimaro's feet loosened. A shadow surged upward—thud!—a powerful kick slammed into his chest.
"Clang, clang, clang—!" Several bone blades cracked and snapped.
Mimako emerged from underground with a triumphant grin. "Heh, didn't expect that, did you? My kunai aren't ordinary weapons—they cut through steel like butter. Your bones are no exception!"
She kissed the blade of her kunai lightly and charged again.
"Shikotsumyaku: Teshi Sendan (Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets)!" Kimimaro growled.
From his fingertips, countless bone bullets fired in every direction like a hailstorm. He was enraged—not only at Mimako, but at Kabuto, who still knelt motionless behind the boat. Kabuto could have sent the Edo Tensei (Reanimated) Kage to assist, yet he did nothing.
Why doesn't he act? Kimimaro seethed, his barrage shredding the earth. If he won't command, then I'll kill everyone here myself—let Ink Ninja Village learn the price of offending Orochimaru-sama!
As the deadly barrage rained down, Kabuto finally stirred. He ducked behind a massive boulder, hands flashing through seals. The four reanimated Kage before him glowed faintly, entering a defensive state.
He peered from cover, mind racing. Should I really do this?
Orochimaru's goal was simple—to lure Shigeo out. If this failed, the consequences would be dire. Kabuto knew that better than anyone.
But then again—could the relationship between Orochimaru and Shigeo possibly get worse? Orochimaru had already lost his hands and his pride. Could Shigeo even kill him? Impossible.
If it's already this bad… then what's the harm? Kabuto's eyes hardened. He told me to bring him here—he didn't say I couldn't use Edo Tensei.
"Since we're here," he muttered, "we might as well use it."
His fingers twisted sharply.
The four Kage reanimations opened their eyes and charged forward.
Kimimaro's bone bullets had failed to injure a single Ink Village ninja. Not one. Even without Shigeo's protection, every ninja had defended perfectly—moving as one, with discipline.
And at the center of them all stood a man radiating icy calm. His chakra flared with quiet authority, his gaze fixed on Kimimaro.
"Hyūga Shigeo!" Kimimaro roared. "Die!"
He lunged, but Mimako intercepted him again, blocking his path.
"Your opponent is me."
"Get out of my way! Shigeo, prepare to die!"
Mimako smirked. "You think you can even touch our lord? If you can't defeat me, you're not even worthy to face him. Now come—let's see if you can survive this!"
As the two clashed once more, a thick mist rolled across the battlefield.
The air grew heavy. A strange chakra filled the sky.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
A massive cube of disintegration chakra descended, enveloping Shigeo, Jinshi, Wumang, and Honglin inside.
Shigeo's expression hardened. The four reanimated Kage had joined the battle.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the three trapped with him and vanished in an instant—his body flickering through Kekkei Genkai: Space-Time Shift—escaping the cube just before it obliterated everything within.
Moments later, he reappeared, voice cold and commanding.
"All units, fall back! Full Level-One alert!"
This was no longer a battle against Kimimaro—it was a war for survival.
Four Kage-level reanimations meant annihilation. Shigeo wouldn't let his people die for pride.
Four wooden clones formed beside him. The Rinnegan opened.
From the mist, the Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu, laughed.
"Let's see how you handle this! Jōki Bōi (Steaming Danger Tyranny)!"
A massive, grotesque humanoid puppet appeared—its smiling face visible through the dense mist outside the Ink Village.
The doll began to swell… then shrink… then swell again.
"Everyone, take cover!" Shigeo barked. His magnetic chakra surged. He unleashed Jiton (Magnet Release), wrapping a magnetic barrier around the approaching puppet.
BOOM!
The explosion split the air. The ground shook violently as a blinding wave of heat spread across the battlefield.
Kimimaro cried out in pain—the boiling vapor scorched his pale skin, forcing him back dozens of steps. He stumbled, searching for shelter from the inferno.
The Jōki Bōi's deceptively playful form—a doll of mist and oil—concealed terrifying science. Its core was water; its shell, oil. As heat expanded the inner core, the steam's pressure exploded outward, igniting the oil and amplifying the blast into a deadly thermochemical eruption.
(End of Chapter)
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