When the boy was knocked back by the blow, Kaguya Hikari surged forward like a black shadow, charging straight at him once more.
"Earth Release, Earth Spear!"
This time, Uchiha Hayashi activated his Earth Release. The ground surged violently as countless sharp stone spikes erupted upward like spears, filling the area in front of him.
"Dance of the Turban!"
A thick, elongated bone burst from Kaguya Hikari's body. He spun through the air like a crazed dancer, the bone sweeping in a wide arc and cleanly slicing apart every stone spear in its path.
Objectively speaking, an ability that combined both offense and defense was extremely troublesome. That was precisely why Orochimaru remained obsessed with Shikotsumyaku.
That said, Orochimaru's fixation bordered on exaggeration. Even the Kaguya clan themselves had never claimed their bloodline to be flawless. Since the era of the Sage of Six Paths, among the great clans that survived to the present day, the Kaguya had never stood at the very top.
If Orochimaru had witnessed techniques like Susanoo or Wood Release firsthand, his obsession might have reached an entirely different level.
Hayashi quickly refocused.
After several more exchanges, he gradually grasped Kaguya Hikari's combat rhythm.
With Shikotsumyaku as its foundation, a Kaguya clan ninja possessed strength comparable to an elite Jonin. However, their flaw was just as clear. Their combat style was overwhelmingly focused on taijutsu.
Against an opponent like that, unless one reached the level of someone like Might Guy, the path to victory was straightforward.
"Damn it!"
Realizing he was being steadily suppressed, Kaguya Hikari roared in rage and fired his finger bones once again.
Hayashi sidestepped smoothly. At the same time, Hikari accelerated forward, bones spiraling wildly from his left arm until they fused into a massive, cone-shaped killing weapon.
Shikotsumyaku, Dance of the Clematis.
The attack erupted with terrifying speed. By the time the technique was fully formed, the spiraled bone had already reached Hayashi's chest, only inches from his heart.
Hit him. Kill him.
Hayashi could read those thoughts clearly in Hikari's bloodthirsty eyes.
The Kaguya clan truly existed for battle alone.
Yet at that critical moment, Hayashi did not retreat.
Hikari's arm froze in midair, the tip of the bone halted at Hayashi's chest, unable to advance even a millimeter.
Their eyes met.
In that instant, a Sharingan genjutsu struck.
Hayashi instinctively reached for a kunai, intending to sever his opponent's head. Seeing the dense mass of bones protecting Hikari's neck, he abandoned the attempt and stepped back instead.
Chakra gathered rapidly in his hand, compressed to its limit. In a heartbeat, it reached the familiar state accompanied by the piercing chirp of a thousand birds.
But he did not stop there.
More chakra was forced in, refining and sharpening the technique beyond its original form.
"Lightning Cutter."
The super-dense bones created by Shikotsumyaku formed an incredible defense. Even an A-rank technique like Chidori struggled to break through, something Hayashi had just experienced firsthand.
If the strike failed to kill, the pain would snap the Mist ninja out of the genjutsu. At this distance, that would invite a deadly counterattack.
So Hayashi committed completely.
The lightning blade slid forward without resistance, cutting through bone as if it were soft clay and piercing straight into Kaguya Hikari's heart.
As for why he did not strike the head, there was a reason.
He intended to leave Orochimaru a complete specimen.
After sealing the body into a scroll, Hayashi turned and headed toward the other battlefield.
Fortunately, Mikoto was safe. When he arrived, she had only suffered minor injuries.
As for Himeji, she had already finished her fight and was now watching from a large tree.
Hayashi used the Body Flicker Technique, appeared beside her, and quietly sat down on the branch.
Why had Himeji not intervened?
Because real combat was the best form of training for a ninja.
Mikoto could not always rely on others.
And why had Himeji not helped Hayashi?
Because she had absolute confidence in his strength.
So the two remained where they were, calmly observing as Mikoto finished her battle.
A forest was ideal terrain for a Konoha ninja. With the enhanced perception of her Sharingan, Mikoto held a clear advantage.
The battlefield had already been filled with thin, nearly invisible wires, crisscrossing the area like a spider's web. How she had managed to set them up in the middle of combat was anyone's guess.
Her opponent, clearly another Mist ninja judging by his equipment, was only a Chunin and had already been forced on the defensive.
"Fire Release, Dragon Flame Technique!"
After a brief taijutsu exchange, Mikoto disengaged. In that instant, her hand seals were completed.
A massive stream of fire erupted from her mouth, racing along the pre-laid wires and igniting the entire area in a roaring inferno.
Using terrain and preparation to amplify a jutsu like this went far beyond the standard of an ordinary Chunin.
It was exceptional.
Within the sea of flames, Mikoto deliberately left a single narrow escape route.
The trapped Mist ninja spotted it. With the fire closing in and his space rapidly shrinking, he had no time to think. He lunged toward that opening.
At that moment, the crackle of Lightning Release sharpened into the familiar chirp of a thousand birds.
With Mikoto's two-tomoe Sharingan locked firmly onto him, exposing his back was a death sentence.
That path was never meant for escape.
It was the victor's exit.
Lightning chakra erupted as Mikoto pushed her speed to its limit. Without hesitation, she drove straight through him.
Hayashi clapped softly in approval.
In his eyes, twelve-year-old Mikoto was already stronger than Sasuke had been during the Chunin Exams.
Of course, as Indra's reincarnation, Sasuke's talent was undeniable.
So in the end, the difference came down to timing and guidance.