Three days later, at the training ground.
Ye Zi and Kimimaro stood in the center of the vast training field, while a crowd gathered at the edges to watch. Even Orochimaru and Nanako paused their research to witness the match between Ye Zi and Kimimaro.
What was supposed to be an ordinary training match to assess Kimimaro's strength drew the entire base's attention.
Although the other youths acknowledged Kimimaro's abilities, they didn't believe he had the qualifications to spar with Ye Zi. Most of them expected it to be a one-sided disadvantage for Kimimaro.
Kimimaro stared at Ye Zi, whose expression remained calm and indifferent. His heartbeat was faster than usual, and he struggled to steady himself.
Even though Ye Zi had announced the training match three days earlier, Kimimaro still wasn't mentally prepared and felt severely lacking in confidence.
From the slight unease on Kimimaro's face, Ye Zi could tell that he wasn't in a proper combat state. Worse, his momentum was already at rock bottom before the fight even began. How could he demonstrate his true strength like this?
"I'm giving you only one chance to prove yourself," Ye Zi said, his brows furrowing slightly in displeasure. Kimimaro's current mindset disappointed him.
Kimimaro froze for a moment. Noticing Ye Zi's disapproval, he took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"Ye Zi-sama, please give me a moment," Kimimaro said.
Ye Zi nodded. The purpose of this training match was to evaluate Kimimaro's capabilities. What he wanted to see was Kimimaro at his best, not someone overwhelmed by nerves simply because his opponent was Ye Zi.
Not wanting to disappoint or displease Ye Zi, Kimimaro quickly steadied himself. Determined not to fail Ye Zi's expectations, he resolved to showcase his full abilities.
A faint aura began emanating from Kimimaro, gradually solidifying and intensifying, a marked change in a short period.
Ye Zi immediately noticed the shift, sensing Kimimaro's growing momentum. He nodded slightly; this was the state he wanted to see. A Kimimaro who lacked confidence before the fight even began wasn't acceptable.
"Ye Zi-sama, I'm ready," Kimimaro said, crossing his arms with his palms facing forward in a combat stance.
Ye Zi responded by swiftly forming hand seals and creating a wood clone.
The crowd watching, including Kimimaro, was momentarily stunned when Ye Zi summoned the wood clone.
Without paying attention to their reactions, Ye Zi handed the clone a weapon named Blood and then turned to Kimimaro. "You'll fight my wood clone. This way, you don't need to hold back. Use your full strength to attack it."
Kimimaro's eyes trembled briefly before he nodded firmly and raised his voice, "Understood!"
With his confidence restored and his momentum surging, Kimimaro felt relieved knowing he wouldn't have to go all out against Ye Zi directly. The wood clone resolved his inner conflict.
"Ye Zi-sama must have anticipated this," Kimimaro thought silently.
Indeed, Ye Zi had considered this. Rather than ordering Kimimaro to not hold back, creating a wood clone was a more practical and effective solution.
"Don't worry about damaging the training ground. Remember, use your full strength in this fight," Ye Zi said calmly.
This remark made the onlookers' hearts skip a beat. Not worry about damaging the training ground? Did this mean Kimimaro's power was enough to wreak havoc on such a large field?
The youths exchanged astonished glances. Had Kimimaro pulled even further ahead of them?
"Understood!" Kimimaro replied, his voice filled with determination. From his palms emerged sharp bone blades about 50 centimeters long.
Meanwhile, Ye Zi's real body moved to stand beside Kotoe and Shin. The crowd held their breath, their eyes fixed on the two figures in the training ground, eagerly anticipating the battle.
The wood clone unsheathed Chijin, which immediately began emanating streams of lightning, thin as a pinky finger, crackling and dancing joyfully around its wielder.
Kimimaro activated the Cursed Seal of Heaven, entering its first state. Black flame patterns instantly spread across the right side of his body, and his Sharingan focused intensely on the wood clone.
Chichichichi!
The bone blades extended from 50 to 70 centimeters, emerging from various parts of Kimimaro's body: his arms, elbows, shoulders, chest, back, abdomen, thighs, and calves. Totaling about 20 spikes.
"Ye Zi-sama, I'm coming!"
Without testing the waters with ranged attacks, Kimimaro charged straight at the wood clone, his body covered in bone spikes.
"Before engaging in close combat, you should test with ranged attacks first to gauge the opponent's abilities, then close in," the wood clone said, holding the blade horizontally across its chest.
Kimimaro nodded slightly, his speed blurring him into a shadow as he reached the wood clone in an instant. His right arm drove a bone spike toward the clone's neck.
Initiating the fight with a direct attack on a vital point demonstrated that Kimimaro was fully immersed in the battle. He wasn't holding back, thanks to the wood clone's presence.
The wood clone casually swung its blade to deflect the incoming spike. Its primary goal was to observe Kimimaro's abilities, so it focused on defense rather than offense.
"I can see it…"
Through his three-tomoe Sharingan, Kimimaro clearly tracked the wood clone's blade movements. Yet he didn't alter his approach, letting the bone spike continue its trajectory.
Clang!
The lightning-coated blade struck the bone spike but failed to cut through.
The crowd gasped in shock. Ye Zi-sama's razor-sharp lightning-infused blade couldn't sever Kimimaro's bone?
Ye Zi raised an eyebrow in mild surprise but didn't let it disrupt his thoughts. The wood clone pushed the spike aside, sheathed its blade, and assumed a defensive posture.
"Ye Zi-sama, I'll show you the results of my relentless training!" Kimimaro thought to himself, lowering his upper body slightly before lunging forward as if throwing himself into the wood clone's embrace.
Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Larch!
Dozens of sharp bone spikes erupted from Kimimaro's arms in an instant. His spike-covered limbs swung toward the wood clone's chest.
"He's much faster now, and his attacks are clean and precise without unnecessary movements. Very good," Ye Zi's wood clone thought.
The instant the bone spikes emerged, they achieved the instantaneous speed Ye Zi had always demanded from Kimimaro.
The lightning-infused blade erupted into a dazzling flurry of light, forming a defensive curtain to block the incoming Dance of the Larch.
Clang, clang, clang…!
Ye Zi's blade clashed with Kimimaro's bone-covered arms, entangling in a flurry of rapid exchanges that wove an intricate web of afterimages between them.
"I can see it clearly. It's not that Ye Zi-sama's blade is slow, the dynamic vision of the Sharingan is letting me follow his movements," Kimimaro thought excitedly. He had managed to keep up with Ye Zi's attack speed and rhythm.
The surrounding youths were stunned as they watched the scene unfold. None of them could track the intricate blade movements of Ye Zi or the taijutsu techniques of Kimimaro.
"What if it were me instead of Kimimaro…" The thought surfaced involuntarily in the mind of every young observer. Imagining themselves in Kimimaro's position, the conclusion was unanimous. They wouldn't last three exchanges against Ye Zi-sama's blade techniques.
"He's so strong, and this is just the beginning." Someone silently marveled at Kimimaro's strength. If this was merely an opening skirmish, the techniques to come would be even more astounding.
"Very impressive," Ye Zi's wood clone praised amidst the clash. Many in the shinobi world could defend against his blade, but for a child to do so was extraordinary. Ye Zi was certain that Kimimaro was the only one capable of such a feat at his age.
Hearing Ye Zi's compliment, Kimimaro's determination surged, his eyes lighting up with renewed intensity.
At that moment, he was no longer content with merely keeping up. He wanted to break through Ye Zi's defense and make him look at him with even greater admiration!
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Currently on Chapter 525 - Just One Step Away