Chapter 129: A Sudden Variable
"Not bad… That Hyuga brat is more capable than I expected."
Ao stared calmly at the girl before him, the corners of his mouth curling into a mocking smirk.
Yes, she was quite capable.
Despite the overwhelming pressure he had unleashed, Hyuga Ayaka had managed to hold her ground—and right in front of him, she had taken down two of his subordinates without hesitation.
This woman's skills were indeed impressive.
Her Gentle Fist techniques were refined, and more importantly—she was decisive.
In a battle of equals, she had been willing to take minor wounds in exchange for maximum advantage.
Even now, with blood trickling from a fresh blade wound and her breathing ragged, she still stood firm.
Ao's eyes showed appreciation—but there wasn't even a flicker of desire to recruit her.
After all, ever since he killed a main-branch member of the Hyuga clan years ago and took one of their Byakugan for himself, the main family had rarely stepped onto the battlefield.
These days, the Hyuga who were sent to the frontlines were almost all from the branch family, each cursed with the clan's terrifying seal to prevent the leakage of bloodline secrets.
In other words—no value in turning them.
To Ao, she was nothing more than a bird in a cage—pretty, but shackled, and destined to never soar free.
She was worthless to him. The only respect he could show her… was to go all out and kill her.
With that thought, Ao gave a slight smile. In a flash, he used Body Flicker Technique to close the distance between them. Raising a single finger, he lunged straight for Hyuga Ayaka's chest.
"Water Style: Azure Dragon Striking Hand!"
A strange chakra gathered at the tip of Ao's finger.
This was a technique of his own creation, developed by combining the water nature with the pinpoint precision of the Byakugan.
He would identify the enemy's chakra points using his Byakugan and then channel water chakra through his finger—striking with deadly, penetrating force.
It resembled the Gentle Fist, but it was far more dangerous—tailored to Ao's own unique talents.
Hyuga Ayaka, exhausted and bleeding, clenched her teeth as she faced him head-on.
"Rotation!"
She raised one hand gently as her feet spun into a perfect circular motion.
In the blink of an eye, her entire body whirled with tremendous force, releasing chakra in a full 360-degree shield.
Ao's sharp jab struck the rotating dome—
But it couldn't pierce through.
His chakra-imbued finger failed to lock onto any tenketsu (chakra point), and his strike couldn't breach her defense.
Ao, however, showed no frustration.
He simply smiled and leapt back, hands weaving through a series of rapid seals.
"Water Style: Surging Water Wave!"
A powerful blast of water erupted from Ao's mouth, flooding forward like a tide.
"You like to stand there and block? Let's see how long you can hold out!"
The sudden flood hit Ayaka like a tidal wave.
Though she tried to maintain her Rotation technique, the sheer volume and force of water overwhelmed her defenses.
Ao didn't waste the opportunity.
The moment he landed and steadied himself, he was already forming the next set of hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A massive dragon made of water surged forward with a deafening roar, crashing toward Ayaka like an unstoppable force of nature.
But Hyuga Ayaka was no pushover.
Even with her defense broken, she refused to fall.
"Eight Trigrams: Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists!"
Blue lion-shaped chakra surged to life around her fists as she charged to meet the dragon head-on.
The Eight Trigrams Gentle Fist was the core of the Hyuga clan's style—
And as a branch family member, Ayaka should never have had access to such an advanced technique.
But her talent and memory were exceptional.
Using her Byakugan, she had silently observed and memorized the techniques over time—and then trained in secret, eventually recreating them on her own.
Even so, the Gentle Fist techniques used by branch family members were never quite as complete or powerful as those of the main family.
There was always a flaw.
A gap.
But Ayaka believed—if she trained hard enough, refined it deeply enough—
She could reach their level. Or even surpass it.
That belief was her greatest secret within the Hyuga clan.
She had already secretly learned every Eight Trigrams technique she could possibly observe.
The twin chakra lions roaring from Hyuga Ayaka's fists let out a fierce bellow as she stepped forward and struck with a powerful palm.
In an instant, the head of the Water Dragon Bullet was shattered into mist.
She followed with another step, twisting her body mid-motion and delivering a backhand strike.
The rest of the dragon crumbled—collapsing into a splash of blue water at her feet.
But Ayaka had no time to feel proud.
Ao had already closed the distance, not giving her even a second to catch her breath.
"Water Style: Azure Dragon Striking Hand!"
Another lightning-fast thrust, the same technique as before—but this time, Ayaka had no time to react.
Ao's speed was overwhelming.
He was a top-tier member of the Hidden Mist's ANBU—an elite from one of the bloodiest divisions.
His finger, infused with deadly chakra, drove straight for the chakra point on Ayaka's back.
But Ayaka's instincts didn't fail her.
She spun on her heel just in time, her lion-cloaked fist lashing out with another fierce roar—directly toward Ao's outstretched finger.
However, the moment her strike landed, Ayaka's expression changed.
There was no impact.
Ao had vanished.
A water clone!
A classic Mist-style substitution jutsu—simple, deadly, and perfect for sneak attacks.
Ayaka realized it instantly and began redirecting her chakra flow, her body spinning into a defensive countermeasure.
But Ao was too fast.
The moment she shifted her chakra, he was already behind her.
His palm slammed squarely into her back—
CRACK!
Ayaka coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Even so, she didn't collapse.
As her body staggered backward, she channeled the remaining momentum into a final desperate counterattack.
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"
A burst of compressed chakra exploded outward toward Ao.
"Impressive. You're tougher than I expected."
Ao twisted smoothly out of the attack's path, narrowly dodging the invisible blast.
He looked at Ayaka, admiration flickering in his eyes.
She still stood—injured, swaying, but her eyes burned with defiance.
"I like that look in your eyes." Ao chuckled. "Shame you're from the branch family. Oh well. Time to put you down."
His voice was calm, almost gentle.
Deadly chakra began forming once again on the tip of his finger.
But just as he was about to strike—
His expression suddenly shifted.
The chakra at his fingertip flickered, then faded.
Without a word, he turned and dashed off in another direction.
"Rin! Where are you?"
Meanwhile, in another part of the battlefield...
Kakashi moved carefully through the forest, calling out as he advanced.
"Rin! Rin!"
Not long ago, he had taken down two of the Hidden Mist ANBU.
They had fought as a perfectly coordinated pair and given Kakashi a run for his money.
If it weren't for his recent growth in strength—and a sudden breakthrough in his swordsmanship during the heat of battle—he might not have defeated them so quickly.
After dealing with the Mist ninja, Kakashi didn't return to regroup with Uchiha Kei and the others.
There was something more important.
He had to find Rin.
But after searching for some time, Kakashi still hadn't found any sign of her.
His brow furrowed.
It shouldn't take this long—Rin wouldn't have wandered far just to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
The longer he searched, the more uneasy he became.
Was there someone else out there besides the twelve Mist-nin?
Iwa-nin?
Or more Hidden Mist operatives?
His instincts screamed that something was wrong.
Then—he saw it.
A kunai, lying in the underbrush.
And along the path it had flown…
A few strands of brown hair.