If the Kaguya clan head's bones were an 'armor,' then Hitenn was now using his continuous Empty Palms to completely shatter and 'strip away' every bit of that 'armor.'
Actually, the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku isn't so 'ineffectual.' It's just that when these individuals go berserk, they easily lose their rationality.
The unnamed old clan head currently being pummeled by Hitenn Hyuga was no exception. Earlier, in his battle with Kagami, he had a clear advantage, and once that frenzied momentum took over, he became somewhat reckless. That's why Hitenn seized the opportunity to unleash a combo that kept him suspended in the air.
Furthermore, if he had fully activated his kekkei genkai from the start, the bones created by Shikotsumyaku are theoretically incredibly hard. Kimimaro later demonstrated bone structures so rigid they bordered on 'absolute defense,' allowing him to withstand many of Gaara's lethal attacks.
However, the old man was too arrogant earlier, caught off guard, and didn't even have time to switch to a harder bone structure before being pummeled relentlessly in the air.
Moreover, if the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist could only simply project chakra energy with force, it wouldn't be much to talk about. The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist can not only strike from a distance but also 'target pressure points' from afar.
Therefore, although Hitenn appeared exceptionally fierce and resolute at this moment, in essence, he was performing 'Gentle Fist.' He continuously struck the opponent's chakra pathways and pressure points from a distance, forcibly disrupting the chakra flow within the old clan head's body. Let alone summoning harder bones for defense, he couldn't even properly mobilize his chakra.
So, at this moment, the old man was completely suppressed by Hitenn, utterly powerless to retaliate. And looking at Hitenn's state, it seemed as if he had only just begun to warm up...
As the last of the continuous one hundred and eight palm strikes landed, the Kaguya clan head's 'exoskeleton' had been completely pulverized by Hitenn. His entire body returned to a normal human state.
Without the relentless force of the palms, his figure plummeted downward. At this point, the man's mouth was overflowing with blood he couldn't hold back, and his body was covered in bruises. His clothes had been shredded into 'rags' by the earlier force, with only a few tattered strips of cloth covering his more sensitive areas.
Even while falling, the old man didn't give up his struggle, trying to seize an opportunity to counterattack. However, he just couldn't mobilize his internal chakra no matter what, as if even his Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai had been sealed, rendering him sluggish. He finally managed to get some bones to barely pierce his skin, but before they could even fully form, he heard that terrifying voice again.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Three Hundred and Sixty-One Palms!" Hitenn roared. Before the old man's feet even touched the ground, his figure had appeared before him. At the same time, the Hyuga clan's secret Eight Trigrams formation also materialized beneath their feet, looking incredibly profound.
Hibari couldn't understand its principle at all, wondering why an Eight Trigrams formation would appear when this technique was used.
But it was the Hyuga clan's Hiden; he had no need to delve deeper into it, did he?
In just an instant, a powerful burst of chakra energy erupted from Hitenn's body. Then, his figure moved like a phantom within the Eight Trigrams formation, constantly circling the old man as its center.
This wasn't all; his hands became like machine guns, 'rat-a-tat-tat-tat' continuously striking the old man's body. The immense force distorted his figure, and even from this distance, Hibari felt as if he could hear the sound of his bones shattering and his internal organs rupturing.
Each of the three hundred and sixty-one strikes unleashed immense power. The surrounding ground quickly became bare, seeming to 'reflect light,' as all the dust, gravel, and sand in the vicinity had been completely swept away by the continuous chakra waves.
The final strike was finally delivered from Hitenn's hand, an upward palm strike hitting the old man's chin, again sending him airborne.
At the same time, Hitenn took a deep breath, drew a semicircle with his foot, slightly bent his body, and clenched his fists, one forward and one back.
As he completed this set of movements, the old clan head also plummeted from the sky again.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Hitenn unleashed his force. His foot, which had drawn a semicircle and was placed behind him, powerfully pushed off, causing the ground to crack open.
The mystical Eight Trigrams formation also shattered directly.
Then, an invisible surge of force erupted from his foot, traveling up his leg, causing his clothes to billow, and instantly reaching his shoulder.
The next second, his front fist retracted, and his back fist powerfully thrust forward, driving that force through his arm and striking the Kaguya clan head's chest.
With a muffled 'thump!', a visible burst of force erupted from the Kaguya clan head's back. But surprisingly, he seemed completely unaffected by this force, standing steadily. If not for his eyes bulging out slightly and his mouth spewing a mix of blood and internal organ fragments, one might have thought he had directly defended against the punch.
Only then did Hitenn quietly murmur, "Hiden: Eight Trigrams Crushing Heart Palm!"
After speaking, Hitenn gently exhaled a breath of stale air. Without even looking at the motionless Kaguya clan head, he turned and walked towards Kagami.
Kagami quickly asked, "Aren't you going to confirm it?"
"No need to confirm. This is the most potent fist art passed down through generations of our Hyuga clan's Main House. Anyone who takes a solid hit from this technique will have their heart turned into bloody pulp. There is no hope of recovery; death is certain!" Hitenn stated with unwavering certainty.
As his words fell, the Kaguya clan head stiffly collapsed to the ground. A large amount of blood continuously gushed from his mouth. Despite Hitenn striking him hundreds, even thousands of times, he had no external injuries apart from bruises. Thus, the foul blood could only flow from his mouth and his other six orifices.
In a short while, his face was covered in blood, a truly horrifying sight.
If one were to observe his internal body with the Byakugan at this moment, they would see that, aside from his exceptionally gifted bones which could barely retain some form, all other organs had turned into 'meat paste.' He was absolutely beyond dead.
Kagami shivered looking at the old man's gruesome death, saying, "You guy, you usually look so harmless, but your attacks are terrifying... Looks like I'll have to be careful not to offend you in the future."
Hitenn, however, maintained his usual serious demeanor, frowning and saying, "Kagami, rest assured. Even if I were to get angry with you someday, I would never use these techniques to attack my comrades!"
Hearing this, Kagami actually laughed, "That's truly your style, Hitenn."
While Kagami and Hitenn chatted, the other Anbu squad members, under Sakumo's fierce kenjutsu, didn't take long to kill all three remaining Kaguya clan members. However, these shinobi didn't escape unscathed; three or four squad members sustained non-trivial injuries, which would require at least three to five days to recover.
Once everything had settled, Hibari awkwardly emerged from the dense forest. He had pompously declared, 'The hunt has begun,' but it turned out there was no room for him to act.
The entire battlefield became Hitenn's solo stage; he flawlessly and spectacularly instantly pulverized the old man with a single combo.
This process had so captivated Hibari that by the time he snapped out of it, the battle was already over.
"Hahahaha, I told you earlier I'd take down that leader, but it turned out you, Mr. Serious, stole my thunder?" Hibari said with a laugh, walking over.
Hitenn explained very seriously, "From my perspective, if I hadn't acted just now, Kagami might have sustained some unnecessary injuries, so I intervened, Deputy Commander!"
"Nah, no need to explain. I'm not blaming you. On the contrary, your brilliant palm techniques were an eye-opener! Truly worthy of the oldest noble clan; your Hyuga clan's secret techniques are quite powerful!" Hibari praised generously.
Upon hearing Hibari's praise, Hitenn uncharacteristically showed a slightly shy expression and said, "It's all thanks to my father's excellent teaching. I still have much to work on and improve. Although I'm grateful for the Deputy Commander's praise, I must not become arrogant because of it."
After they chatted a bit more about this, Hibari waved his hand and said, "Clean up our traces. Collect all the fallen ninja tools and such. Don't leave any bone fragments either; collect them all!"
As Hibari's command was given, the uninjured shinobi swiftly began handling these tasks. Meanwhile, Hibari walked over to the Kaguya clan head's body.
Looking at the man's seven orifices bleeding and his eyes wide open in death, Hibari felt a slight shiver. The Hyuga clan's 'Gentle Fist' was truly 'gentle'; it managed to leave not a single external injury.
However, Hibari had seen dead people before, so he didn't shy away too much. He casually placed his hand on the man's corpse.
Sure enough, an inexplicable tremor spread through Hibari's body, bringing an evil smile to his lips.
"Just as I expected..." Hibari softly murmured.
Then he stood up and said, "A few of you, wrap all these bodies in shrouds for me. They're kekkei genkai users, after all. I want to take them back for research. Seal them into a large scroll."
"Yes, Commander!" several Anbu squad members quickly replied.
After all, they were still on a mission. Hibari couldn't exactly perform an autopsy on the spot, could he? So, it was best to package them up and take them back to study at leisure!
——————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are 50+ advance chapters available for you to read!