"No, the sensation from the Lightning Shadow Clone just now was definitely solid. How could it have missed?" Kakashi was puzzled, unsure of what Kimimaro had done. How had he managed to do that under those circumstances?
"His clothes aren't even stained with a speck of dust. This is impossible..." Seeing Kimimaro's pristine clothes, Kakashi grew even more confused. His gaze fell on the spot where the explosion had just occurred. The smoke had already dissipated, leaving only a deep crater.
"That's..." A tattered Akatsuki robe caught Kakashi's eye.
"Could it be a special substitution technique? Did he replace his original position with an Akatsuki robe?" Kakashi couldn't help but make this guess.
And the truth was very close to his guess. What Kimimaro had just used was the high-level technique of Shunpo - Empty Cicada! It was activated by discarding the outermost layer of clothing, allowing him to instantly escape his original location.
After activating Empty Cicada, Kimimaro narrowly avoided Kakashi's Lightning Shadow Clone and Naruto's Big Ball Rasengan at the critical moment.
After dodging, he immediately took out a new black robe with red clouds from his space scroll. After all, the Akatsuki had a rule of death upon removing clothing, and he didn't want to fight against such a strange curse. So he always carried a space scroll containing a black robe with red clouds.
Better safe than sorry.
Moreover, putting on new clothes would allow him to activate Empty Cicada once more. Otherwise, if he had to do it again later, he would have to be naked.
"You've indeed become stronger, almost injuring me. However, that's it. It's my turn to play now." Kimimaro looked down from above, like a god.
Kakashi and the other three looked up, all feeling a sense of oppression. The failure of their previous attack had dealt a heavy blow to them. Their seemingly perfect strike had been dodged. How were they supposed to fight now?
Before they could come up with a plan, Kimimaro had already launched his attack. He extended his left hand, and a bone bow quickly condensed in his palm. Four bone arrows emerged from his fingertips on his right hand and were placed on the bowstring.
"Not good! Get out of the way!" Kakashi immediately sensed something was wrong and shouted.
But Kimimaro's arrows had already been released!
Whoosh!
Four bone arrows shot out, surpassing the Ten Finger Lightning Bullet in both speed and power.
In the blink of an eye, the bone arrows reached the four of them.
Kimimaro's lips curled slightly, seemingly quite satisfied with this attack. The four arrows flew towards the four of them, one for each person, no more, no less.
Sakura's eyes widened in terror. She couldn't block such fast arrows. The fear of death instantly washed over her. Sakura subconsciously closed her eyes, awaiting the judgment of fate.
But the expected pain didn't come. She couldn't help but open her eyes and saw a not-so-tall but reassuring crimson figure standing in front of her.
"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed.
Naruto had somehow appeared in front of her and blocked the arrow with his own flesh and blood.
The bone arrow pierced his right shoulder, passing through most of it and emerging from his back. The wound was horrifying.
Naruto only frowned slightly, his crimson eyes fixed on Kimimaro. He extended his right hand, grabbed the tail of the bone arrow, and pulled it out!
Blood splattered. An arrow hole appeared in his right shoulder.
"Naruto, I'll heal you right away..." Before Sakura could finish her words, she saw Nine-Tails chakra surging into the wound.
A miraculous scene unfolded. The originally bloody wound healed instantly.
"This..." As a medical ninja, Sakura found this scene unscientific.
Naruto said to Kimimaro, "Do you really want to kill us? Kimimaro!"
The white-haired boy in front of him was once his friend. But now, he wanted to kill him. This was unacceptable for Naruto, who had few friends since childhood.
"Naruto, you're still as naive as ever." Kimimaro shook his head slightly, but his hand on the bowstring didn't stop.
Chiyo and Kakashi narrowly avoided the two arrows just now, and Kimimaro didn't target them again. It was unlikely to defeat those two with bone arrows.
But if he focused on Naruto and Sakura, it was still quite useful.
With each pull of the bow, a bone arrow flew from his fingertips. Arrow after arrow!
In an instant, Kimimaro fired nine arrows in succession!
Nine stars in a row!
Naruto's pupils shrank; this kind of attack was no joke.
Boom!
The Nine-Tails chakra went berserk again.
Three tails instantly emerged and swept towards the incoming nine arrows!
Thump, thump, thump!
The bone arrows were all swatted away, kicking up dust.
"This level of power is somewhat decent." Kimimaro chuckled.
Naruto's expression was grave; with three tails, he was on the verge of losing control. And this level of power was clearly not enough to deal with Kimimaro.
"Naruto, calm down. Master Jiraiya said that if you go beyond three tails, you'll lose your mind." Kakashi came to Naruto's side and whispered.
"But Kakashi-sensei, if we don't use the Nine-Tails' power at this time, we're no match for him." Naruto said anxiously.
"Don't give up so quickly. Our lineup isn't bad. Even against Kimimaro, we might not be without a chance of victory." Kakashi said, looking at Chiyo.
"Now is not the time to hold back. If we don't defeat him, we can't continue forward, let alone rescue the Kazekage."
"Hehe, you're right. I'm just a bit surprised that the Akatsuki has such a powerful member of the Kaguya clan. Facing such an opponent, we indeed can't hold back. Otherwise, not only will we fail to rescue anyone, but we might even lose our own lives here." Chiyo became serious.
Having witnessed the strength Kimimaro had just displayed, if she continued to watch from the sidelines, she might end up losing her own life.
She reached into her backpack with her right hand and took out a scroll.
The scroll unfurled, and ten puppets quickly flew out from it!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
White puppets landed in front of Chiyo, displaying an extraordinary aura.
The Jinchuriki Collection!
Chiyo's ten strongest puppets.
Legend has it that these ten puppets were created by the puppet master Bunraku.
Each puppet possesses remarkable power.
To fully control these puppets, one needs to master the highest art of puppetry, the Ten-Finger Manipulation Technique.
With just one finger, a puppet can be perfectly controlled.
This is the pinnacle of normal puppetry.
Sasori's Hundred Puppet Performance, however, transcends the capabilities of ordinary puppeteers.
Moreover, the Hundred Puppet Performance is merely a spectacle, as Sasori cannot truly control all hundred puppets flawlessly.
In the original story, the Jinchuriki Collection and the Hundred Puppet Performance were nearly evenly matched, if not exactly equal.
This shows that in terms of individual puppet strength, the Jinchuriki Collection reigns supreme.
"Oh? The Jinchuriki Collection? Interesting."
Kimimaro raised an eyebrow, eager to try his hand against them.
He had witnessed the Red Secret Technique, and now he wondered about the power of this White Secret Technique.
The bone bow in his hand transformed according to his will, ultimately becoming his most commonly used bone sword.
He preferred close combat to ranged attacks.
"Controlling ten puppets simultaneously, that's amazing!"
Naruto exclaimed.
Kakashi, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief.
Lady Chiyo was finally taking this battle seriously.
This would significantly improve their situation.
"Kakashi of the Leaf, find an opportunity to attack. I know it's not difficult for you,"
Chiyo's ten fingers danced, controlling the Jinchuriki Collection as they charged towards Kimimaro, while simultaneously speaking to Kakashi.
"Understood."
Kakashi replied, glancing at Naruto and Sakura.
Their eyes met, and a silent understanding passed between them.
Chiyo took the lead in the assault, the ten puppets surrounding Kimimaro, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks with a variety of weapons.
The Jinchuriki Collection's coordination was flawless, putting immense pressure on Kimimaro.
He brandished his bone sword, parrying the onslaught of attacks.
Hidden mechanisms and projectiles rained down like a storm, colliding with his bone sword and creating sparks.
The seemingly impenetrable offensive was completely neutralized by Kimimaro.
That bone sword proved to be even more effective than a shield.
Rotating Shield!
The sword's light swept across the battlefield.
"Such quick reflexes."
Chiyo marveled inwardly, then pulled back three puppets with both hands.
One puppet stood on the shoulders of the other two, and all three puppets mimicked Chiyo's hand seals.
"Puppet Technique: Three Treasures Crushing Vacuum!"
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The three puppets opened their mouths simultaneously, unleashing a powerful tornado-like force from their center.
Kimimaro, who was engaged in combat with the other seven puppets, suddenly felt a terrifying suction force, comparable to the strength of the Universal Pull.
"This is..."
Kimimaro was slightly surprised and had to exert force with his feet to maintain his balance.
The seven puppets that had been besieging him scattered in advance, avoiding the Three Treasures Crushing Vacuum.
Chiyo frowned slightly, her chakra surging forth!
The suction force increased!
Kimimaro, who had just regained his footing, began to move.
His feet carved a long trench in the ground, and he was being dragged faster and faster.
"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique!"
At that moment, Kakashi made his move.
He formed hand seals, and a fireball erupted from his mouth.
Naruto and Sakura simultaneously launched kunai.
With the aid of the Three Treasures Crushing Vacuum's tornado, all three attacks hurtled towards Kimimaro.
A pincer attack!
"Your teamwork is getting better and better."
Kimimaro sneered, tossing his bone sword into the air, then spinning his body.
"Hakkesho Kaiten!"
Boom!
A massive blue chakra shield instantly formed around Kimimaro.
Whether it was the Grand Fireball Technique, the kunai, or the Three Treasures Crushing Vacuum, all were blocked by the Hakkesho Kaiten.
"What!"
Everyone was once again astonished.
The absolute defense technique, Hakkesho Kaiten!
They were all familiar with this technique.
It was the signature technique of the Hyuga clan.
But how did Kimimaro possess it?
Did he also have the Byakugan?
This question lingered in everyone's minds.
The Hakkesho Kaiten's range expanded, engulfing the three white puppets that had initiated the Three Treasures Crushing Vacuum.
"Oh no!"
Chiyo realized the danger and tried to retrieve the three puppets, but it was too late.
Crack!
The sound of shattering echoed as the three puppets were instantly pulverized by the Hakkesho Kaiten.
Both offensive and defensive, this was the true nature of the Hakkesho Kaiten.
Puppet fragments scattered, and Chiyo's expression turned grim.
Such damage would be difficult to repair.
Kimimaro stopped spinning, and the Hakkesho Kaiten dissipated.
He extended his right hand, and the bone sword he had thrown into the air landed steadily in his grasp.
"Not bad moves, got any more?"
His playful demeanor remained unchanged from the start.
Suddenly, a whistling sound pierced the air. Naruto, with three tails, leaped up, his hands covered in Tailed Beast Chakra, transforming into demonic fox claws. He swiped at Kimimaro.
"Kimimaro!"
Naruto roared, grabbing Kimimaro's shoulders.
A burning sensation surged through Kimimaro from the intense heat.
Their eyes met.
Kimimaro could clearly see the fury in Naruto's eyes.
"Did you gouge out Neji's eyes?"
Naruto questioned, staring into Kimimaro's pure white eyes.
To use the Hakkesho Kaiten, one needed the Byakugan.
In Naruto's mind, the only way Kimimaro could have obtained the Byakugan was from Neji.
Although he wasn't close to Neji, they were comrades from the same village.
The thought that Kimimaro might have killed Neji filled him with rage.
This anger stemmed from both the sorrow of a friend's fall and the fury over a comrade's tragic death.
"What do you think?"
Faced with Naruto's anger, Kimimaro's response was nonchalant.
"You bastard! I won't let you get away with this!"
Hearing Kimimaro's words, Naruto assumed he was admitting to it.
His rage intensified.
A fourth tail emerged!
Naruto's skin was gradually burned by the Nine-Tails' scorching chakra. In the next moment, he transformed into a miniature Nine-Tails with four tails.
"Oh no! Naruto's lost control!"
Kakashi was alarmed.
His worst fear had come to pass.
At close range, Kimimaro watched as Naruto's crimson eyes turned vacant, then white.
But at the same time, Naruto's power multiplied several times over.
"The Nine-Tails is truly the Nine-Tails. Just unleashing four tails yields such power."
Kimimaro couldn't help but admire, then dislocated his shoulder bones, breaking free from Naruto's claws. He swiftly retreated, and his shoulders returned to normal.
Naruto didn't pursue. He simply opened his mouth, forming a chakra sphere, then swallowed it again, allowing it to expand within his mouth.
"This is..."
Kimimaro immediately understood Naruto's intention.
Tailed Beast Bomb!
This was the second time he faced a Tailed Beast Bomb, and the pressure emanating from it far surpassed the previous one!
(End of Chapter)