The collision between the black fist and Kaguya Ren's face seemed silent.
At least, Kaguya Ren, Uchiha Yoru, and Miwa Masayo in midair heard nothing.
However—
The Uchiha of the Tiger Unit in the distance heard it.
Orochimaru, standing outside the battlefield, heard it too.
They all said it sounded like a bell.
Perhaps this was what people meant by the greatest sound being silence.
Yoru did not hear anything.
But he saw it.
Centered on the point where fist and face collided, a spherical shockwave erupted.
The strongest sensation Yoru felt was the force transmitted back through his fist. Although he did everything he could to maintain his stance, the ground under his feet failed to hold.
As two large pits exploded beneath him, Yoru lost his footing.
His entire body was knocked flying.
Kaguya Ren saw nothing and heard nothing.
He only felt his head go dizzy for a moment.
By the time the intense pain in his face woke him up, he realized he was lying on the ground, with several wounds on his body that had yet to heal.
Kaguya shinobi who awakened the Shikotsumyaku were terrifying.
Their strongest ability was naturally their bones, which were nearly invincible in both offense and defense.
But what truly made enemies despair was their horrifying self-healing ability.
Without that healing ability, these shinobi whose bones constantly went in and out of their bodies would have pierced themselves to death long ago—
Like bighorn sheep whose horns grew too long, curved back, and pierced their own skulls.
By the time Kaguya Ren stood up, his body had basically healed.
Only his nose was still slowly regenerating.
That part had been completely destroyed in the impact.
Now, it was being regrown from nothing.
At this moment, there was a hole in the center of his face.
No skin.
No muscle.
Even his teeth were incomplete.
He hardly looked human.
Savage and terrifying to the extreme.
Kaguya Ren saw Uchiha Yoru, who was also climbing back up, and shouted in a leaking voice,
"Who arh yoo?"
Realizing his voice was wrong, he closed his newly regrown teeth, casually tore apart his ruined upper clothing, pulled out the extended ribs from his body, and charged toward Yoru.
Yoru had only suffered a slight concussion earlier.
The effect of Earth Spear on his body had not disappeared, proving that this ninjutsu was not inferior to Shikotsumyaku.
Naturally, he did not feel afraid of this bone monster.
He swung his pitch-black fists and rushed forward.
One black figure and one white figure collided for the second time.
Then came an intense exchange of sparks flying in all directions.
But soon—
Both sides were stunned.
Their fists and bones struck each other's bodies, yet not even a trace was left behind.
A battle where neither side could break the other's defense—
Was completely meaningless.
By now, the skin on Kaguya Ren's face had mostly regrown. He questioned,
"Who are you? What ninjutsu is this?"
Yoru sighed.
"I'm the person you came to kill."
Then he raised his pitch-black fists and asked teasingly,
"And why should I tell you what ninjutsu I'm using?"
It wasn't strange that Kaguya Ren didn't recognize Earth Release: Earth Spear.
This technique had never been widely spread.
Earth Release: Earth Spear itself had no attack power. It only strengthened defense and was known as an absolute defensive ninjutsu that could not be broken except by Lightning Release.
But not only was this technique difficult to learn, it was even harder to use.
And it had two fatal flaws.
First, after strengthening defense, the body became sluggish. In a battle between shinobi, that meant falling into the embarrassing position of only being able to take hits without fighting back.
The most fatal point was that shinobi did not have enough chakra to maintain Earth Spear continuously.
Once the ninjutsu effect ended, defense would return to normal—
But the sluggish reaction would continue for one extra instant.
That instant was almost certain death.
Because of this, even in Iwagakure, where Earth Release held absolute dominance, no shinobi was willing to learn this difficult and potentially fatal ninjutsu.
During the Warring States Period, Earth Release: Earth Spear had still been passed around.
After all, powerful B-rank ninjutsu were difficult to obtain. No matter how problematic it was, it could not be ignored.
But after the village era arrived, ninjutsu rapidly gathered in each shinobi village.
There were too many techniques shinobi could learn.
Earth Spear, with its fatal flaw, was eliminated.
Not until Kakuzu optimized it with genius and used his own advantages to solve all of its problems did this ninjutsu regain life in his hands.
Uchiha Yoru could likewise rely on his own advantages to solve the two major flaws, allowing this ninjutsu to display its enormous power ahead of time.
But that was all.
Earth Spear was enough to defend against Shikotsumyaku's attacks.
But it was not enough to break Shikotsumyaku's defense.
Neither side could break through the other.
They were fighting emptiness.
Yoru knew that the enemy had not displayed Shikotsumyaku's full power.
He had only used its most basic hardness.
The Kaguya clan inherited secret techniques capable of fully bringing out Shikotsumyaku's power.
This Kaguya shinobi before him, far stronger than Kaguya Gaiya, could not possibly have failed to master such techniques.
Yoru himself, however, had not spent enough time researching.
Thus, he had not fully reproduced Kakuzu's special skill—
The technique of transforming Earth Spear's powerful defense into terrifying destructive force.
If he continued using Earth Release: Earth Spear, he would fall into an absolutely passive position.
Yoru regretfully glanced at his pitch-black fists, then released the Earth Spear ninjutsu.
The color of his fists gradually returned to normal.
Seeing this, Kaguya Ren grinned savagely.
"You felt the power of the Kaguya clan, didn't you? Decided to give up?"
"A very rational choice."
"After all, you're dead either way. Why endure long torture?"
"I promise I'll give you a quick death."
He gritted his teeth and pulled his own spine out from the back of his neck.
Thirty-six vertebrae swelled, growing bone spikes.
The spikes tangled together, forming a huge multi-segment spiral structure.
It looked like a siege ram.
Shikotsumyaku · Dance of the Titan Arum.
Kaguya Ren held the enormous bone ram in his right hand and swung it several times.
Every time he thrust forward, the thirty-six bone segments suddenly sprang out and then retracted.
They repeated this more than fifteen times per second, producing dense impact sounds.
Kaguya Ren casually destroyed several nearby rocks, showing Yoru the power of the Titan Arum.
That instant stone-shattering effect was like a jackhammer tearing through a cement road.
The destructive power was astonishing.
He laughed proudly.
"With this bone ram in the form of Titan Arum, just one light tap will shatter every bone in your body."
"Relax. The pain won't last long."
"In just a few seconds, you'll die from bone marrow permeability shock."
Yoru sneered.
"As expected, Kaguya shinobi who awaken the Shikotsumyaku really don't have good brains."
"That's right. Your bones are too hard. I really can't beat through them."
"Since I've already confirmed this technique can't kill you, of course I need to switch to a technique that can."
"Fire Release is the ninjutsu I'm best at."
Flames leapt over Yoru's hands.
Their color changed instantly from red to gold, then nearly white, stabilizing into a pair of glove-like shapes that matched his hands.
Fire Release: Fist of Cremation.
Since physical methods could do nothing to Shikotsumyaku's bones, then he would use the technique that killed Kaguya Gaiya again—
Burn him to death from the inside out.
When Kaguya Ren saw the flames appear, he almost laughed out loud.
But as the color of the fire continued changing, he felt a fatal threat.
His proud laughter stopped abruptly.
With a gloomy face, he stared at Yoru's hands.
The corners of Yoru's mouth lifted.
"Now, let's continue the second round."
Kaguya Ren exhaled.
He dropped the huge siege ram, crossed his hands in front of his chest, and grew long bone blades from his wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, heels, and other points.
Even more bone blades extended from his ribs.
Very soon, he completely turned into something like a hedgehog.
"So what if it's Fire Release?"
"Can you still touch my body now?"
Along with Kaguya Ren's question, he curled forward.
His entire body turned into a rolling ball of sharp bone spikes, crushing toward Yoru.
Yoru suddenly smiled.
With his burning hands clasped together, he used another ninjutsu.
Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld.
The rolling bone-spike ball instantly sank into the mire.
Naturally, its rotation could not continue.
Unless he abandoned his current posture, he couldn't even pull himself free.
Kaguya Ren had not expected that this Konoha shinobi could use two chakra natures at the same time.
In one move, Yoru blocked his attack and left him covered in mud, looking miserable.
Yoru naturally rushed forward, taking the chance.
Aiming at the gaps between the bone blades, he struck the target four times, leaving four shallow fist marks.
But he quickly discovered—
The nearly white-gold flame seeds did not seem to penetrate deep into the enemy's body.
He even felt that the flames were not firmly attached.
Yoru felt that his fist marks were not very secure.
But to Kaguya Ren, those four fist marks gave him a horrifying sense of dread that made his hair stand on end.
He did not want them remaining on his body for even one moment.
The skin on Kaguya Ren's body churned, repeatedly tearing and healing.
Soon, armor-like bone plates squeezed out from beneath his skin.
The jade-white bones had not a trace of blood on them—
Yet four shining fist marks were clearly imprinted there.
The moment the fist marks were exposed to air, golden flames immediately burned.
The fire released terrifying heat.
Very soon, it swallowed the entire bone armor, burning with crackling sounds.
Seeing his own bones burned like this by golden flames, Kaguya Ren couldn't help stepping back several paces.
When he looked at the golden flame gloves on Yoru's hands again, his gaze was filled with fear.
Not the slightest ease remained.
Yoru was also extremely shocked at this moment.
He had never imagined that the bone armor shaped inside the body by Shikotsumyaku could be layered.
And not just one or two layers.
Many, many layers.
This layered structure could not only effectively stop the penetration of the golden cremation flames—
It could even be removed like clothing, taking the danger away with it.
Multiple layers.
Each layer extremely thin.
Vacuum gaps between layers.
Kaguya Ren's subcutaneous bone armor was like the rotating hub of an ultra-high-voltage substation, possessing extremely strong flame resistance and electrical resistance.
Yoru discovered that he actually had no ninjutsu or sage art capable of dealing with this Kaguya shinobi.
Even if he summoned natural lightning now, that multilayered bone armor could still effectively prevent the current from penetrating.
Yoru froze.
This was the first time he had encountered someone he completely couldn't beat through.
Yoru desperately searched his mind.
He thought until his brain nearly knotted itself, yet still couldn't figure out how to attack.
All he could do was widen his eyes and stare at the other party, using a man-eating expression to intimidate the enemy.
Kaguya Ren did not know that his enemy had already run out of options.
Seeing his discarded bone armor burned into a handful of bone ash by the golden flames in such a short time, his heart filled with fear.
Although this was related to the single layer of bone armor being too thin—
Being burnable and being unburnable were two completely different concepts.
When the bone armor could not be destroyed, Kaguya Ren's courage was infinite.
He dared challenge anyone.
But when the bone armor could be destroyed, Kaguya Ren's courage became like a leaking balloon—
Instantly deflated.
The two looked at each other.
Both felt empty inside.
Yet both put on fierce expressions.
Two stalks swinging at a wolf—
Both sides afraid.
Neither dared make a move.
Naturally, the result was the two standing there, locked in a stalemate, staring at each other with wide eyes.
They used all kinds of expressions to intimidate or lure the other, hoping the opponent would reveal an opening so they could seize the chance to defeat him.
At that moment—
Above the bone ash, a golden spark drifting upward suddenly expanded silently into a dim red fireball.
The tabby cat stepped out from within.
White flame ribbons drifted around Miwa Masayo's claws.
She appeared from high above, all four limbs and her tail stretched out with full force.
Even her claws opened as wide as possible as she used the air to adjust her posture.
She aimed at the back of Kaguya Ren's neck and dove straight down.
Kaguya Ren's attention had been fully drawn by the standoff with Yoru.
Miwa Masayo's sneak attack achieved perfect success.
Her pure white claws slashed fiercely across Kaguya Ren's spine, cutting open every bone along his vertebrae.
Against shinobi who awakened Shikotsumyaku, breaking bones was the least useful method.
After cutting them, one had to add something extra to stop their bones from healing instantly.
Adding material into the fracture after breaking the bone was even more effective than directly removing the bone.
The former required them to slowly clear the added material before slowly healing.
The latter only required them to regenerate the bone directly.
The material the tabby cat added was naturally flame.
And it was pure white flame burning through natural energy.
The roasting spinal cord hissed and released a savory smell.
The pain twisted Kaguya Ren's expression.
He already felt that the person he came to kill today was too powerful, and he had no certainty of defeating him.
That was why he had hesitated.
Now, a fire-wielding ninja cat appeared as well.
Not only did he not know how she had appeared above his head, but her attack power was not fake either.
In one move, she crippled Kaguya Ren's spine.
The flame Miwa Masayo left in the wound burned not only Kaguya Ren's spine—
But also his confidence.
Kaguya Ren suddenly let out a strange cry.
He reached behind his back and pulled out his spine, threw the burning bone to the ground, then glared fiercely at Yoru.
After that, he drilled into the surrounding dense mist at top speed and fled without looking back.
Thus, Yoru's first battle with a Kage-level shinobi ended with Kaguya Ren's retreat.
It could be considered a draw.
But both sides in this battle believed—
They were the loser.
Kaguya Ren had come charging over aggressively to kill someone.
Not only had he failed, but in the end, he was the one who retreated first.
Of course that was defeat.
A complete defeat.
As for Yoru—
He had prepared to fight the enemy, only to discover halfway through that he couldn't do anything to the other party.
He had relied entirely on his cat sage to scare the opponent away.
Both secretly swore that in the future, they would definitely catch this enemy again—
Then bring their subordinates and gang up on him, venting the frustration brought by today's encounter.
[I will kill him!]
…
Seeing Kirigakure's army retreat like a tide, Orochimaru finally drove the giant snake beneath his feet and approached the battlefield where the flames had gone out.
After scaring Kaguya Ren away, Yoru returned to the Tiger Unit's command position and led the Uchiha little brothers back to Kubota Village.
That was the place they were tasked to defend.
They couldn't allow other shinobi to take advantage of an opening.
The Tiger Unit had fought continuously today.
Under high mental tension, their physical strength had been consumed rapidly.
It was only that they had been inspired by their own insane battle record, and in their excitement, they had ignored their physical fatigue.
Now, Kirigakure had retreated.
Yoru even gave the order and announced that the battle was over.
The Uchiha shinobi's tense minds finally relaxed.
Almost the instant they loosened up, exhaustion drowned every Uchiha shinobi.
These proud shinobi actually became dizzy and unsteady on their feet.
Like drunkards, they staggered and sat down crookedly on the ground.
The Uchiha boys under fifteen were still growing.
They were even less able to endure such hardship.
After these children relaxed, several even fainted, leaving Yoru flustered for quite a while.
If Kirigakure shinobi suddenly launched a returning strike at this moment, forget continuing to fight—
The exhausted Uchiha, their muscles sore and bones soft, wouldn't even be able to run.
They could only hope Yoru erupted with power to save their lives.
The exhausted Uchiha couldn't even drink water.
After barely swallowing several soldier pills, they ignored the corpses around them and lay down in the muddy water one by one, falling asleep.
As for the battlefield outside the village, densely packed with corpses—
There was no way to care about that either.
Yoru had also been under extreme mental tension today.
Now, he felt deeply exhausted too.
Keeping watch for the little brothers was already the limit of what he could do.
Just as he dried a section of ruins and sat down on it, Orochimaru appeared across from him.
"Orochimaru-sama, don't you need to command Konoha's army to pursue Kirigakure?"
Orochimaru could hear it.
This was Yoru disliking him for being too idle.
But toward the great contributor who had allowed Konoha to win a tremendous victory, Orochimaru had extra patience and tolerance.
He smiled and said,
"Before coming here, I already issued the counterattack order."
"As for the specific execution, Nara Shikaku can handle it perfectly."
"Konoha's army can complete the operation very well without me following along to command."
Yoru chuckled and asked,
"What about the three Kage-level shinobi?"
"Surely those don't need you either?"
"Do we Konoha shinobi also have someone capable of taking them down?"
Orochimaru answered without hesitation,
"That definitely won't work. Those three naturally have to be handled by me."
"But fighting three alone is rather tiring."
"So I came specifically to find you. With your help, my confidence will be much greater."
Yoru was stunned.
He asked back,
"Do you not know that I have yet to officially become a jonin?"
Orochimaru said disdainfully,
"Jonin or not is only a formality."
"Although I didn't see the exact process, I know you fought that fellow."
Yoru widened his eyes.
So you saw part of it.
And you actually didn't come help?
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