White Eyes and Skeleton Veins
Driven by wind and lightning chakra, the metal projectile shot forward at an incredible speed, heading straight for Kimimaro, who was steadily advancing toward Sasuke.
Sensing the danger from behind, Kimimaro quickly raised his arm in defense.
With a sharp clang, the projectile struck his arm, piercing several centimeters deep, nearly puncturing through entirely. A flicker of surprise crossed Kimimaro's usually stoic face. He scanned the battlefield, his keen senses honed by years of battle quickly picking up on the presence of Karin, Haku, and others approaching from the distance, their Cursed Seal transformations already activated.
With the power of the Cursed Seal of Earth coursing through him, Kimimaro felt a surge in both speed and strength. Dark markings spread across his pale skin, and his Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) activated, encasing his body in a layer of hardened bone armor. Razor-sharp bone blades emerged from his arms, shooting toward Karin and Haku as they closed in.
Locking eyes, Karin and Haku swiftly drew their chakra-infused firearms, loading them with chakra to counterattack.
This time, Kimimaro tracked the trajectory of the projectiles with ease. With a burst of speed, he dashed toward Haku and Karin, determined to eliminate them so he could continue fulfilling Orochimaru's mission.
With Kimimaro no longer pressuring him, Sasuke exhaled sharply—but his relief was short-lived. His face darkened as he took in the scene.
The ones providing him backup weren't elite shinobi, but Haku and Karin from Uzushiogakure. While they lacked raw power compared to him, the weapons they wielded made him uneasy.
They can pierce even Kimimaro's bone defenses… That means they can pierce me, too.
Calculating his odds, Sasuke realized he could probably dodge two, maybe three projectiles, but beyond that, injury was almost certain.
Uzushiogakure is just a minor village… How do they keep producing shinobi like this?
Gritting his teeth, Sasuke clutched his arm, which was grazed by one of Kimimaro's bone blades, then turned toward Kiba and Shino, who had just arrived.
"Shino, this enemy isn't just another Chunin Exam participant. We need to find a way to take him down."
Shino and Kiba exchanged glances before their eyes drifted toward where Naruto and Hinata were positioned.
If even Sasuke struggled against this opponent, neither of them had an effective solution. If they wanted a chance at victory, Naruto and Hinata would have to step in.
What none of them noticed, however, was the increase in the number of snakes slithering through the tall grass nearby.
---
Perched on a tree trunk not far away, Naruto exhaled as a trail of smoke rose from his chakra gun's barrel. He turned and handed the firearm to Hinata, placing it gently in her hands.
"This thing has some serious power," he said. "With your Byakugan, you might even be able to take down a Jonin-level opponent. Consider it your new self-defense weapon."
Hinata hesitated for a moment. I'm already strong… she wanted to say. But instead, she simply nodded and accepted the gift.
After a brief pause, her mind wandered. I should give Naruto-kun a gift in return…
Shinobi gifts are usually jutsu or weapons… but Naruto-kun doesn't need those. What should I do?
Scarves and gloves? That's what she'd done before—but those were gifts exchanged between lovers.
Did I really not understand what that meant back then?
Noticing her deep thought, Naruto lightly patted her shoulder.
"Hinata, we need to deal with Kimimaro. Haku and Karin alone won't be enough to win this fight."
Hinata blinked, snapping back to reality. "Naruto-kun… are you afraid of Kimimaro?"
Naruto smirked. "Not my problem. You take care of him—I've got my own old friend to find."
With that, Naruto vanished in a blur, using the Body Flicker Technique, leaving only a whispering breeze behind.
Hinata gripped the chakra gun, which was nearly as tall as she was, and leaped toward Kimimaro's position. She wasn't on Kimimaro's level in raw power, but she had recently bested one of the strongest Jonin in the Hyuga Clan.
More importantly, she shared a key similarity with Kimimaro—they both possessed a Kekkei Genkai tied to their bodies.
Joining the fight, Hinata immediately activated her Byakugan, adjusting her stance for battle.
Kimimaro barely paid her any mind. How much of a threat can a fragile-looking girl be? But the moment he saw her eyes tracking his chakra flow with absolute clarity, he frowned.
"That's going to be a problem," he muttered.
With a sudden burst of speed, he launched himself forward, using precise strikes with his bone spurs, pushing Karin and Haku away. Then, in a fluid motion, he closed in on Hinata, thrusting a sharpened bone straight for her heart.
But Hinata had already activated her Gentle Fist, her palm gliding through the air as she deflected every single strike with perfect precision.
She saw an opening.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Kimimaro faltered slightly as multiple chakra-infused strikes landed on his body.
Unlike normal taijutsu, Gentle Fist directly attacks the opponent's chakra network, shutting down their ability to use jutsu and causing internal damage.
Most shinobi struck by Hyuga techniques would suffer crippling internal injuries, appearing fine on the outside but collapsing moments later from damaged organs.
But Kimimaro barely flinched.
With Shikotsumyaku reinforcing his skeletal structure and the Cursed Seal of Earth fortifying his body, even attacks from a Kage-level shinobi like the Fourth Kazekage wouldn't be enough to kill him.
Still, he knew one thing for certain: The stronger his Kekkei Genkai became, the closer he was to death.
This is the fate of the Kaguya Clan—our lives burn out in endless war.
At that moment, a sudden sharp pain tore through Kimimaro's abdomen.
He glanced down. A jagged bone spike had impaled him—but it wasn't his own.
His eyes widened.
Standing in front of him, Hinata's arms were encased in bone spikes, her normally smooth skin now covered in Shikotsumyaku protrusions—just like his.
Kimimaro's shock was mirrored by Haku, Karin, and even Sasuke, all of whom had been observing the battle.
Why does Hinata have the same Kekkei Genkai as Kimimaro?!
For now, though, it was a fortunate twist—finally, someone could match Kimimaro in raw taijutsu combat.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the battlefield…
A mysterious female shinobi, her face partially obscured by a hat, suddenly appeared behind Sasuke.
With blinding speed, she sank her fangs into his neck.
Before Sasuke could react, dozens of venomous snakes burst from the undergrowth, forcing Kiba and Shino to retreat.
Sasuke clutched his neck, his Sharingan spinning rapidly, locking onto the mysterious woman.
He knew her.
She was one of the Chunin Exam participants.
But why was she attacking him?
Is she working with Kimimaro?
The woman studied Sasuke like an artist admiring a painting and whispered:
"Such youthful power... If you want to know where Uchiha Itachi is, follow me."
Sasuke's breath caught.
She knows where Itachi is?!
Without hesitation, he dashed into the forest after her.
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