Before he could recover, Hinata followed up — her body spinning gracefully, her palms blurring as she struck again and again.
"Eight Trigrams—Two Hundred and Fifty-Six Palms!"
Each hit landed flawlessly, sealing hundreds of chakra points in rapid succession.
Kimimaro coughed up blood, his body convulsing. Yet even as he fell to his knees, a dark aura flared around him. His Cursed Seal spread across his skin, twisting his form.
In seconds, the human shape vanished — replaced by a monstrous figure covered in bone armor.
The surge of cursed power shattered several of the sealed acupoints, and broken bones began to regenerate before Hinata's eyes.
She frowned, tightening her stance. Then she accelerated — her hands moving faster than the eye could follow.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each palm strike was precise, merciless, and unrelenting. The earth beneath her cracked under the pressure, debris flying in every direction.
"AAAAAAH!"
Kimimaro howled, lashing out with his spine. The whip-like bone struck Hinata in the side, the impact twisting her insides. Her face flushed red from the pain before paling immediately.
But she didn't retreat.
Kimimaro's hands and feet lashed out in blind instinct. Hinata slipped through each attack, her movements sharp and fluid, responding faster than thought.
Her palms blurred, leaving streaks in the air as she pummeled Kimimaro's head and torso. Each strike was a thunderclap, each impact breaking bone and tearing muscle.
…
Anyone else would have been obliterated by that onslaught.
Hinata's palms could crack iron stakes — and she had practiced on nothing softer.
But Kimimaro was no ordinary human. His Shikotsumyaku(*Dead Bone Pulse), the bloodline that allowed him to control his bones, turned his body into an unyielding fortress. Even so, he was reaching his limit.
For thirty full seconds, Hinata's assault never stopped — nearly six hundred palm strikes, delivered at blinding speed. The air itself trembled from the relentless barrage.
Even with the Ten-Tails' chakra sustaining her, the strain was immense. Hinata's arms trembled, her muscles burned, and her breathing turned shallow.
"Still not dead?" she panted, hands quivering with exhaustion.
Kimimaro clawed his way out of the crater, his face pale, his breath ragged — but his killing intent was stronger than ever. His willpower alone was monstrous.
Hinata exhaled softly, eyes narrowing.
She reached for another scroll on her belt, unsealed her final puppet, and sent it forward.
Kimimaro's eyes had been destroyed by the last barrage; he could no longer see. But his instincts still guided him, his body moving purely on reflex.
The puppet darted ahead, intercepting his attacks, forcing him to expend what little strength remained.
It was clear — Kimimaro's end was near.
"..."
Hinata unrolled another scroll. Four characters glimmered faintly across its surface — earth, wood, oil, and water.
Since water wasn't needed this time, she selected only the earth and wood seals. Drawing upon her experience from countless hours spent constructing buildings in her home space, Hinata deftly formed hand seals and quickly built a small, sturdy shelter.
The structure, though temporary, was solid enough for her purpose. She then lit four fires — one at each corner — and poured oil over them until the flames flared high and bright.
Once everything was set, Hinata quietly approached Kimimaro, who was still engaged in a struggle with her puppet. Controlling it from afar, she commanded the puppet to open its mouth and release the hidden scent she had prepared earlier.
Though the odor was faint and undetectable to ordinary senses, Kimimaro reacted immediately. His breathing hitched, and his already fragile body lurched with nausea. Even his impaired sense of smell couldn't stop the wave of sickness from washing over him.
The effect wasn't as strong as before, but for Hinata, it was enough. She struck without hesitation, coordinating seamlessly with her puppet.
Her Rabbit Hair Needles lashed out in blinding arcs, followed by a precise Gentle Fist combination and two layered sealing techniques.
The puppet then lunged forward, locking its limbs tightly around Kimimaro's body, pinning him from behind with unyielding strength.
Hinata stepped in and delivered a single, powerful palm strike. The impact sent both the puppet and Kimimaro hurtling backward, crashing straight into the small house she had built moments earlier. The entrance collapsed instantly, sealing them inside.
From Hinata's Byakugan, she watched as Kimimaro thrashed violently within the confined space. The puppet held him fast, its limbs bound like chains.
The flames blazed brighter, and the oxygen within the room rapidly thinned until it was nearly gone.
No matter how strong a ninja might be, they were still human.
And no human could live without air.
Through her Byakugan's piercing sight, Hinata observed every detail — Kimimaro's slowing heartbeat, the faltering rhythm of his lungs, the way his blood circulation weakened and his brain activity dimmed.
She didn't lower her guard, not for a moment. She commanded the puppet to tighten its grip until Kimimaro's movements ceased entirely. Only when his heartbeat and breath both stopped did she act again.
After waiting several minutes to be certain, Hinata ordered the puppet to retrieve a kunai she had left aside. With mechanical precision, it stabbed Kimimaro several times — through the eyes and heart — ensuring there would be no revival.
Only then did she finally exhale.
After cleaning up the scene and sealing away her two severely damaged puppets, Hinata turned and began heading in the direction where Naruto and Shikamaru had gone.
—---[11]
"Sasuke! Come back with me right now! Do you even know what you're doing?!" Naruto's voice trembled with anger and desperation.
Sasuke gave a faint, eerie smile. The cursed seal markings twisted across his skin, making his expression almost sinister.
"Of course I know," he said coolly.
Naruto clenched his fists. "That's Orochimaru! The man who killed the Third Hokage! He just wants to take over your body! Going to him is suicide!"
Sasuke sighed in irritation, idly picking at his ear.
"So what? As long as I can get stronger, any price is worth paying."
Shikamaru stepped forward, placing a steadying hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"Then you're saying you'll abandon everything — your friends, your teachers, the village — just for revenge?"
Sasuke's tone was eerily calm.
"I'll do anything to avenge my clan. I've come this far for revenge, and I'll throw away anything that gets in my way. My comrades, my teachers, even Konoha itself."
His words struck hard. Shikamaru fell silent, unable to find a reply.
"Damn it!" Naruto roared, charging forward. But Sasuke easily sidestepped and countered, landing a heavy punch that sent Naruto skidding backward.
Shikamaru exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he put Tayuya down and stretched his arms.
"My mission is to bring you back, Sasuke," he said firmly. "No matter what you think, I'll complete this mission."
He knew full well that he couldn't defeat Sasuke — not with his current strength. All he could do was hold him off until Hinata arrived.
To Shikamaru, Hinata's strength bordered on the absurd. Back in the Academy, she had never stood out — quiet, unremarkable, always in the background. But after becoming a genin, her growth had been terrifying. Her calm composure and overwhelming power demanded respect.
Minutes later, Shikamaru sank down beside Tayuya, rubbing his eyes in disbelief at what he was witnessing.
Naruto — the dead last of their class — had unleashed a new level of power, overwhelming Sasuke completely. Even the cursed seal couldn't keep up with the raw, surging energy of the Nine-Tails.
But then, Sasuke's eyes shifted — the Sharingan evolved into three tomoe, spinning with deadly precision — and the tide of battle turned once more.
Shikamaru wanted to warn Naruto not to push too far, but before he could speak, the fight exploded again, faster and more intense than before.
…
Ten long minutes passed before Hinata finally arrived. Relief washed over Shikamaru.
With Hinata here, the mission was as good as done. Sasuke wouldn't escape — not this time.
Hinata surveyed the battlefield, quickly assessing the situation. The two were evenly matched, neither giving ground. Seeing that, she simply sighed, sat down at the edge of the clearing, and opened her bag.
From inside, she took out a small snack and began eating.
Shikamaru glanced at her, amused despite the chaos around them. He opened a can of fish and tore a piece of bread, muttering with a smirk,
"Guess the bar for genin just keeps getting higher."
Hinata chewed quietly, watching the duel unfold.
Naruto wielded the Nine-Tails' chakra, while Sasuke's Sharingan and cursed seal gave him monstrous power of his own.
In the end, Hinata thought, Naruto's odds of winning were slim — he still couldn't fully control the fox's chakra.
As the battle reached its climax, the air trembled with their energy. Every clash of fist and jutsu shook the ground.
Hinata swallowed the last piece of beef jerky, dusted her hands off, and stood.
Moments later, Sasuke fell — exhausted, barely conscious. Naruto collapsed beside him.