Jirōbō and the other three fell silent.
In the past, the Sound Four were actually the Sound Five, but because Kimimaro fell ill, his position was removed from the team.
The four of them had worked alongside Kimimaro for quite a long time.
So they knew very well just how strong he was.
Kimimaro alone could easily take on the other four without breaking a sweat.
His unique Kekkei Genkai was his greatest source of pride.
But that didn't mean he could handle that red-haired guy!
Kidōmaru muttered, "He probably doesn't even know who he's up against yet."
"Ever since his last attack, Kimimaro's been bedridden. I doubt he's even heard about what this red-haired guy has done," Jirōbō added.
"So what do we do now? No matter what, we have to find a way to get Sasuke out of here!" Tayuya said anxiously.
"Our arms are severed, and our bodies are still bound by Wood Release. We can't do anything to help," Sakon said bitterly.
"Sigh~"
The four of them sighed in unison.
It seemed there was no hope for Orochimaru-sama's new body anymore.
Shinju turned around, looking at Kimimaro with genuine interest.
He could sense the peculiar chakra radiating from this man.
"You guys step back. Hand over what Orochimaru-sama wants, and I might consider letting you walk away alive."
Kimimaro stared coldly at Shinju, lifting the bone blade in his right hand ever so slightly.
Everyone present wore strange expressions.
◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞
How could he be so bold?!
How many lives did he think he had to burn through?!
And at that moment—
Dark clouds began to gather overhead, and light drizzle started to fall.
Shinju sensed something, turning his head toward Sasuke's position.
"Oi, Sasuke."
At that moment, Sasuke was still thinking about how to escape.
He knew what he had done. If he got dragged back to the village, prison was waiting for him.
Sasuke turned his head toward Shinju's direction.
"What?"
"Let me show you my new jutsu," Shinju said with a grin.
Then, his hands blurred into a rapid sequence of hand seals.
In the next moment, blue-violet lightning began crackling and dancing around both of Shinju's hands.
Kimimaro gave a disdainful smirk.
"So it's just Lightning Release. What's there to brag about?"
And right after—
Shu shu shu!
Countless bone spikes erupted from Kimimaro's body!
"Dance of the Camellia!"
Kimimaro shouted, rushing forward at incredible speed toward Shinju!
But Shinju raised his hand, channeling his Lightning Release to summon the thunder hidden in the rainclouds above!
"Fwaaaash!!"
The lightning around Shinju's hands shot thousands of meters into the sky!
Immediately, the clouds began to stir!
Under Shinju's guidance, countless arcs of electricity converged!
"Kirin!!"
Shinju whispered the name softly.
BOOOOOOM!!
In the heavens, lightning intertwined, forming the image of a colossal beast!
With just a subtle motion of Shinju's hand, the thunder beast dove downward at terrifying speed!
Everyone froze, stunned by the unnatural phenomenon in the sky.
"Incredible…"
Shikamaru murmured blankly.
"To actually think of guiding the lightning in the sky with his own Lightning Release… Shinju really is a genius!" Neji said in awe.
"This surpasses every Lightning Release I've ever seen or even heard of!"
Kiba's pupils reflected the lightning beast's shape as he spoke with absolute certainty.
BOOOOOOM!!
The thunder beast descended!
At the point of impact, a massive crater opened up!
Within moments, electric serpents danced wildly in every direction!
Even Shikamaru and the others, standing at a considerable distance, felt their bodies go numb, their hair standing on end from the residual charge…
Sasuke, standing nearby, was left completely dumbfounded.
∑(✘Д✘๑)
What the hell was Shinju trying to do?
Was he… showing off his strength on purpose?
Or was it a warning—that if Sasuke kept trying to run, this lightning would come down on him next?!
When the thunderclouds finally dispersed, Shinju looked toward the crater where Kimimaro stood.
Kimimaro's entire body was wrapped in bone spikes.
More importantly, those spikes were… moving, wriggling slowly!
"To actually survive a strike like that… that defense is insane," Shinju muttered, clicking his tongue in disbelief.
"I told you… I will help Orochimaru-sama realize his ambition. Until that day comes, I will never die."
From within the dark, smoking crater, Kimimaro's voice came, faint but steady.
"You can control bones… is that some special kind of ninjutsu?" Shinju asked curiously.
From the ten-finger bone bullets to the protruding spikes and that bizarre bone blade…
All of Kimimaro's abilities seemed tied to his bones.
Kimimaro didn't bother hiding anything, explaining calmly, "It's my Kekkei Genkai: Shikotsumyaku."
"I can manipulate osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and calcium density, allowing me to generate, dissolve, or harden my bones at will."
"With this power, my bones are among the hardest substances in the entire world."
"When attacking, they are the strongest spear. When defending, they are the strongest shield."
After saying this, Kimimaro dismissed the bone armor protecting his body, revealing his bare torso.
That's when Shinju noticed something strange about Kimimaro's appearance!
His skin had turned a dark grayish-black, just like Sasuke's, and his body was covered with eerie markings.
More importantly, there was now a tail growing from his back!
"No wonder you survived that strike… you activated your Cursed Seal," Shinju said, finally understanding.
"But this form… I doubt you can maintain it for long."
Kimimaro, ever straightforward, nodded.
"Correct. It'll eventually corrode me. But while I'm in this state, my abilities are greatly enhanced—my bones grow even harder. I can end this fight quickly."
"Hah… now that actually sounds interesting," Shinju said with a cheerful grin.
He drew the short blade from his waist, wanting to test whether Kimimaro's bones were truly as hard as he claimed.
Shu!
Shinju's figure blurred as he used the Body Flicker Technique to close in on Kimimaro!
Kimimaro braced himself, fully focused.
Clang clang clang—!!
Shinju's short blade clashed against Kimimaro's bone sword, each impact ringing like steel striking steel.
Then—
Crack!
With a sharp sound, Shinju's short blade snapped from the repeated clashes!
"That's some weapon you've got there," Shinju said, glancing at Kimimaro's bone blade.
That thing… would make an incredible ninja tool.
Without hesitation, Shinju unsealed the Sword of the Thunder God from a summoning scroll.
The moment the blade appeared, radiating a brilliant yellow lightning glow, every Konoha ninja froze in awe.
There wasn't a single shinobi who could remain indifferent to a weapon once wielded by the Second Hokage.
"Why does Shinju have the Sword of the Thunder God? Wasn't it stolen years ago?" Shikamaru asked in shock.
"No idea… Shinju always pulls out the most bizarre stuff," Kiba muttered.
In the next moment, Shinju charged again, the Sword of the Thunder God in hand, clashing fiercely with Kimimaro once more!
Meanwhile, Sasuke remained in his Cursed Seal form, his attention fixed on the battle.
His instincts told him that Kimimaro's Cursed Seal wasn't weak at all.
He wanted to see for himself… just how much power Orochimaru could grant someone.
Clang clang clang…
The Sword of the Thunder God met Kimimaro's bone spikes repeatedly.
With every strike, faint traces of Lightning Release chakra seeped into Kimimaro's body through the blade!