As the leader barked his command, the four others accompanying him scattered and retreated. However, the immense dragon of fire was not slow; it still caught two slower individuals, incinerating them directly. Agonizing screams echoed from the two unlucky shinobi.
Fortunately, Hibari's movements were swift enough to have already set up the sound-muffling barrier, preventing any noise from escaping.
Meanwhile, the leader had no intention of dodging. He squatted down, curling his body slightly, then slammed a palm onto the ground.
The next second, Kagami saw something resembling bones instantly grow from the ground, but then they were obscured by the flames, preventing him from seeing anything clearly.
Hibari's eyes, however, gleamed. He softly murmured, "Shikotsumyaku..."
No sooner said than done, the instant the flames exploded, Sakumo and the other Anbu squad members had already moved into action.
A cold glint flashed as Sakumo's movements were swift and merciless. He directly decapitated one of the shinobi who was still struggling to extinguish the flames on his body. The head flew off, rolled twice on the ground, and was undeniably dead.
After instantly taking down one, Sakumo didn't hesitate. He swung his short blade and lunged towards another shinobi who already had some burns and flames licking at his clothing.
Just as Sakumo prepared to decapitate this individual as well, the shinobi endured the pain on his body, let out a low roar, and instantly grew a bone shield from his arm. It appeared just before Sakumo's short blade could strike, precisely blocking the attack from his side.
"Hard bones... Is this Shikotsumyaku?" Sakumo murmured, frowning.
The next second, bone spikes erupted from the bone shield, shooting directly towards Sakumo's head. In this situation, Sakumo could only temporarily halt his offense, stepping back to create distance.
The other Anbu members, working in groups of two or three, had surrounded the remaining two shinobi and were engaged in fierce combat. A few others remained vigilant, watching the faintly visible gray bone sphere within the dissipating flames.
At the same time, Kagami descended from the treetops. Looking at the gray bone sphere in the flames, his dark pupils gradually shifted, and three Tomoe began to appear.
"Don't tell me this thing can withstand the Great Dragon Fire Technique's power, which is close to an A-rank ninjutsu..." Kagami muttered softly to himself.
Just as Kagami was observing the bone sphere, it suddenly exploded within the flames, completely extinguishing the already dissipating embers. At the same time, numerous bone spikes shot out in all directions.
Kagami's speed and reactions were not slow. His short blade swiftly unsheathed. With the aid of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he clearly perceived every bone spike heading for him. He twirled his short blade in front of him, creating several blurred afterimages, and deflected all the bone spikes.
Although the Anbu squad members were highly skilled, not everyone possessed Kagami's superior kekkei genkai and reaction capabilities. Two others, also observing the bone sphere, managed to block some of the bone spikes but were still struck a few times, sustaining minor injuries.
"Everyone, be careful! These guys use bones for both attack and defense; it's very bizarre. Don't get careless; no one will retrieve your body if you die!" Kagami warned those around him.
Just then, the Kaguya clan leader emerged from the shattered bone sphere. He hadn't entirely defended against the Great Dragon Fire Technique after all; the clothing on his left arm had been burned to ashes, and his arm had some burns. Yet, his expression seemed completely unfazed; instead, he appeared unusually excited and manic.
"To dare attack us, you've got guts! No matter who you are, today you will all die here, not a single one left alive!" the man declared, a crazed, brutal smile on his face.
Then, stomping his foot, countless sharp bone spikes erupted from his body, and he lunged towards Kagami. It seemed he had mistakenly identified the unfortunate shinobi as their 'leader.'
At the same time, the other three living Kaguya clan shinobi, hearing his declaration of 'killing them all, leaving none alive!', also became excited and frenzied.
"Yes, Clan Head!"
Hibari, who had yet to act and was waiting for the right moment, heard the words 'Clan Head' and his expression became quite 'colorful.' He hadn't expected to randomly block a group of people and find the Kaguya clan head among them? This was truly... a pleasant surprise?
"Clan Head is good too. Killing an old geezer like you carries more weight..." Hibari's lips curved into a smile, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes as he softly muttered.
Kagami, engaging the Kaguya clan head, felt immense pressure.
Firstly, the man was like a porcupine, covered in bone spikes, making it easy to get injured if one wasn't careful. Secondly, the Kaguya clan members were all taijutsu masters, and their clan head was especially so. Lastly, they all seemed to possess a fearless ferocity, fighting incredibly brutally.
Kagami wasn't here to sacrifice himself, so he was instantly drawn into the man's rhythm, constantly dodging and defending, with little room for counterattack.
If not for his Three-Tomoe Sharingan allowing him to notice many details and counter early, he would probably have already drawn blood by now.
"Damn it, what kind of ability is this? He's a monster!" Kagami thought to himself, parrying bone spikes aimed at him, then stomping his foot to create more distance.
Although he was also skilled in taijutsu, he couldn't compare to the man in front of him. If he wanted to form hand signs and release ninjutsu, the old man opposite him was also very experienced in combat and wouldn't give him the chance to create much distance, making it very difficult for him.
"Die!!!" The Kaguya clan head suddenly unleashed a palm strike from a distance towards Kagami. As his words fell, a sharp bone spike instantly extended from his palm, thrusting directly at Kagami's face.
At this moment, Kagami's movements and evasion routes were somewhat restricted by other bone spikes. Seeing this, although his Sharingan could perceive it, he couldn't effectively counter it.
"Damn it, a life-for-a-wound trade?" Kagami cursed, preparing to pay a certain price to block this attack.
But just at this critical moment, he heard Hitenn's voice.
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"
No sooner had the voice sounded than a gust of wind brushed past Kagami's ear. Then, a powerful impact directly shattered the bone spike that was aimed at his face into dust.
Before Kagami Uchiha could even speak, he heard Hitenn Hyuga's voice again.
"Gentle Fist Art, Hiden: Empty Trigram Consecutive Palm!" Hitenn hadn't even gotten close yet, but in Hibari's vision, he had already begun to 'dance.' His arms rapidly performed various seemingly powerful Gentle Fist movements in front of him. Then, he continuously unleashed a series of palm strikes from a distance towards the Kaguya clan head. Powerful chakra surges spread from his hands, piercing through the air, and rapidly striking the man's body.
After a few strikes, he forcibly drove the Kaguya clan head back several steps from in front of Kagami.
After shattering all the bone spikes on the old man's front with his aerial palm strikes, Hitenn also moved with a rhythmic, inexplicable gait, appearing before the Kaguya clan head at an incredibly fast speed.
Then, his hands swiftly formed palms, striking upward with a powerful blow, hitting the man beneath his ribs. He yelled, "Eight Trigrams Palm: Crushing Blow!"
As his words fell, the immense force unleashed from his hands sent the old man's feet off the ground, sending him flying backward into the air. He violently spat out a mouthful of fresh blood; clearly, he had suffered 'internal injuries.'
Kagami was stunned. Although he was quite familiar with Hitenn, their squads usually operated independently. Even in occasional collaborations, Hitenn typically served as a 'support' role in the rear, rarely confronting enemies directly. After all, in many cases, his direct intervention wasn't needed, as the elite Anbu could handle the enemies.
Therefore, Kagami had rarely seen Hitenn go all out. Now, seeing Hitenn so fierce, a single combo sending the previously troublesome opponent flying into the air and spitting blood, how could he not be shocked?
'Is this the strength of the Hyuga clan's young patriarch? He truly lives up to his reputation as the oldest noble clan...' Kagami thought with some emotion.
The Hyuga clan rarely uses other ninjutsu; it's not that they can't, but they disdain to. Why? Because their inherited secret techniques are already powerful enough, especially when combined with the Byakugan. Otherwise, how would they later have the face to declare that "the Hyuga are the strongest in Konoha"?
While Kagami was still astonished, a large amount of chakra surged from Hitenn's body. His Byakugan was also at full power, staring intently at the Kaguya clan head he had sent flying into the air. Then, a powerful aura erupted from his body, rippling his clothing and his long, black hair that draped over his shoulders.
"Gentle Fist, Empty Trigam: One Hundred and Eight Palm!" Hitenn roared.
As his words fell, his hands continuously delivered an endless barrage of empty palm strikes towards the Kaguya clan head in mid-air at an incredibly fast speed. The speed was so great that even Kagami's Three-Tomoe Sharingan could barely keep up.
Even Hibari, who still hadn't made a move, watched this scene with cold sweat. He softly murmured, "This serious guy, usually so reserved, is so fierce when he finally acts! And he tells me my strength grew too quickly these past three years? I think you're not far behind me..."
Hibari had fought Hitenn three years ago, but Hitenn's strength then compared to now was like elephant and ant; he was definitely not this fierce. It seemed Hitenn intended to directly finish this guy off with a single combo!
"The young patriarch of the oldest noble clan, the Hyuga clan, brutally beating the old clan head of the Kaguya clan... Tsk tsk, what a dramatic feud between noble families..." Hibari commented with a click of his tongue.
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