"Sasuke!" Naruto's voice echoed through the forest, hoarse and desperate.
But Sasuke didn't stop. He ran ahead, eyes cold and determined, vanishing into the distance.
Naruto couldn't continue his pursuit — a man stood in his path.
A man with pale skin, calm eyes, and bones protruding like blades.
Kimimaro.
"Don't get in my way!" Naruto growled, as crimson chakra erupted around him.
His features twisted, whisker marks deepening as his pupils turned feral. Even he could feel it — the monster stirring within.
Kimimaro remained still, silent and composed, his expression unreadable.
That alone was answer enough.
Naruto lunged forward, shouting as hundreds of shadow clones materialized around him. They charged together, a storm of orange blurs, Rasengan spinning in Naruto's hand.
But Kimimaro moved like a ghost.
Not a single clone could touch him. In seconds, every clone was destroyed — and the real Naruto was exposed.
Wielding a bone blade drawn from his own arm, Kimimaro demonstrated taijutsu of terrifying precision.
Naruto couldn't form seals, couldn't counter — he was beaten back relentlessly.
Cuts, bruises, fractures — his body was covered in wounds that healed almost as fast as they were made. But his stamina was fading fast.
"It's over," Kimimaro muttered, thrusting the blade straight for Naruto's heart.
Naruto froze.
Death loomed so close he could feel its chill. The blade pierced his skin, ready to end it—
And then, it stopped.
A small, steady hand had gripped the bone mid-thrust, halting it completely.
Kimimaro's eyes flicked sideways — and met Hinata's calm, unwavering gaze.
Her face was tense but composed, her right hand wrapped firmly around the bone blade.
With her left, she struck.
Snap!
Palm met bone.
Kimimaro's eyes widened in shock. He immediately pulled back, abandoning the bone blade.
Hinata took the opportunity to scoop Naruto up — effortlessly lifting him into a princess carry — and leapt back to safety.
Shikamaru arrived moments later, still carrying the bound Tayuya. Hinata set Naruto down gently, nodded to Shikamaru, then turned back toward Kimimaro.
Kimimaro flexed his left arm — it was already numb from the impact.
"Those eyes… Byakugan. Hyuga Gentle Fist," he muttered to himself, wary now.
Hinata's expression hardened. Her chakra flared — bright white, divine in radiance.
Entering Ten-Tails Chakra Mode, she became enveloped in a shimmering cloak of energy. Her power surged — speed, strength, and precision all multiplied beyond measure.
Kimimaro responded in kind, bones erupting from every part of his body, forming blades and armor until he resembled a living hedgehog. Pushing himself past his limits, he activated his final dance.
Two monsters — one of flesh and bone, one of chakra and light — collided like meteors.
The ground shattered. The air thickened under crushing pressure. Trees uprooted as shockwaves rippled outward. For anyone nearby, even breathing became difficult.
…
Hinata's advantage was clear.
Her Byakugan — twice optimized — not only granted perfect dynamic vision but also allowed her to glimpse the future seconds in advance. Every strike, every movement of Kimimaro's body, was predicted before it even happened.
Kimimaro, however, relied purely on instinct — and his instincts were extraordinary. Even blinded, his body reacted on its own, parrying and countering like a wild animal driven purely by survival.
The result was a spectacle no ordinary eye could follow.
Palms, bone blades, and shockwaves blurred together into streaks of light and motion.
…
"W-Wow… amazing," Naruto whispered, eyes wide with awe.
He couldn't see clearly — only flashes of light, the tremors of the earth, and the roar of colliding power.
"I can't even tell who's winning…"
"This isn't the time to be shocked! Where's Sasuke?!" Shikamaru demanded, scanning the battlefield but seeing no sign of him.
At the mention of Sasuke's name, Naruto's expression darkened.
"He went that way," he muttered, pointing toward the distant forest.
"Then what are you waiting for?!" Shikamaru snapped. "Hinata's still fighting here — let's go and catch up to him!"
Without hesitation, the three of them circled around the battlefield, avoiding Hinata and Kimimaro, whose deadly clash was still shaking the ground.
Kimimaro noticed their movement, his pale eyes narrowing. With a cold snort, he clashed with Hinata once more, then leapt back and thrust out both hands.
Ten slender fingers gleamed — and in the next moment, he fired a barrage of bone bullets, each one whistling through the air like a bullet.
Shikamaru, who had been keeping an eye on the fight, suddenly found himself in the line of fire. He barely had time to react. Instinct took over — he raised his hand.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Several bone bullets tore through his arm, embedding deep into the flesh. The sound alone was sickening, but strangely, Shikamaru didn't feel pain.
He looked down, bewildered — and met Tayuya's bloodshot eyes, filled with fury.
"Ah—! Sorry, I didn't mean to—!" Shikamaru blurted, grimacing.
But before he could even finish, more bone bullets whizzed toward Naruto. Without thinking, Shikamaru stepped forward again, shielding him with his body.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
The impact echoed sharply through the trees.
"!!"
Tayuya glared, her muffled shrieks of frustration stifled by the tape Hinata had placed over her mouth earlier.
Kimimaro prepared to fire again, but Hinata was already there. She closed the distance in a flash, her palms striking twice in rapid succession. Each hit sent a surge of chakra through Kimimaro's body, sealing two of his major chakra points.
He grimaced in pain, forced to refocus entirely on her. That brief distraction allowed Shikamaru and Naruto to slip past and continue the pursuit.
…
The fight came to a sudden halt. Ten meters apart, Hinata and Kimimaro stood perfectly still, eyes locked on one another — two predators assessing their prey.
Hinata's breathing slowed, her gaze sharp and analytical. She was studying the rhythm of his movements, searching for the smallest opening.
Kimimaro, too, was thinking — cold, calculating. Both of them knew that even the tiniest mistake could be fatal.
Through her Byakugan, Hinata could see everything inside him — every pulse of his chakra, every fracture in his bones, every sign of decay. His greatest weakness wasn't skill or stamina. It was his body. His illness had already eaten away at him. Even if they didn't fight, he would not live to see another dawn.
But Hinata wasn't planning to wait for that.
A dying beast is far more dangerous than a healthy one.
Cornered, desperate, and willing to throw its life away — that was when a creature became truly terrifying.
Hinata's goal was clear: kill Kimimaro before his final burst of strength could ignite.
"..."
Kimimaro had reached the same conclusion. He knew the Byakugan left no blind spots. Sneak attacks, feints, or diversions — none of it mattered.
And Hinata's chakra cloak — woven from the Ten-Tails' divine power — was almost impenetrable. There was only one way to end this: unleash his most devastating technique, one that covered an entire battlefield.
The wind shifted. Leaves rustled, and the knee-high grass swayed between them.
Both of them adjusted their stances, their breathing steady and synchronized.
And when the last leaf fell —
They moved.
Boom—!
The air exploded as Hinata and Kimimaro collided once more, their blows heavier and faster than before. The ground cracked beneath their feet. Trees split apart. Each strike was meant to kill.
Kimimaro's movements became wild and unrestrained. He no longer cared about survival — only destruction. Every blow traded injury for injury, life for life.
But Hinata wasn't someone who faltered in the face of death. Her past as an assassin — a remnant of her previous life — had honed her instincts to perfection. Unless faced with overwhelming power, she never hesitated.
Step by step, she lured Kimimaro toward the grove of trees they had passed earlier. Every motion, every parry, every dodge was deliberate.
Kimimaro, still fighting, continued refining his chakra. He was nearly ready.
"Now!" Hinata called out sharply.
From the treetops, a hidden puppet — one that had remained unseen until now — dropped down like a shadow. It latched onto Kimimaro's body like a koala, ignoring the sharp bone spurs piercing through it.
The puppet opened its mouth — and exhaled a nearly invisible mist.
The scentless gas was Hinata's own creation, a paralytic mixture colorless and undetectable. By the time you smelled it, it was already too late.
Kimimaro's breathing hitched. His vision spun. His mind blanked for a fraction of a second — and his stomach twisted violently as nausea flooded through him.
That instant of weakness was all Hinata needed.
"Ten God Vacuum Strike!"
Her voice rang clear and commanding.
The air erupted. Kimimaro and the puppet vanished beneath a barrage of countless chakra fists, the sound shaking the earth itself.