Shikotsumyaku vs. Sharingan!

Thud, thud, thud!

The swarm of snakes summoned by Orochimaru easily overwhelmed Danzo, and then the sound of three Shadow Clone shattering came from within the swarm.

"They are Shadow Clone..." Kabuto pushed up his glasses and said calmly, the reflection in his lenses obscuring his expression.

"That's right. The problem is, Shadow Clone can't possibly defeat us," Orochimaru's orange-yellow eyes narrowed slightly as he coldly stared at the spot where Danzo's Shadow Clone had disappeared, a strange sense of doubt creeping into his mind. "What exactly is that old Danzo trying to do?"

Kabuto sneered, "He wouldn't have come all this way just to tell us that he helped you a lot with Sasuke's matter and wants you to owe him a favor, would he?"

"I worked under Danzo for quite some time, so I know he's not that kind of person. Danzo must be up to something..." Orochimaru frowned.

"No matter what tricks he's up to, his Root alone can't do anything to us!" Kabuto said calmly.

"No, Kabuto, that's exactly what I'm worried about..."

Orochimaru looked at the stone pillar where Danzo had appeared. The boundless swarm of snakes had vanished, and the stone pillar, after being attacked by the snakes, had been shattered into a pile of rocks.

Danzo's Chakra has disappeared, but his schemes seem to still haunt him relentlessly.

Orochimaru frowned deeply.

What exactly is that old bastard Danzo trying to do?

Meanwhile, on the battlefield that Orochimaru and Kabuto cared about most.

The fierce battle between Sasuke and Kimimaro is underway!

Clang! Whoosh!

The Kunai and the white bone spikes clashed repeatedly in their hands, producing a piercing scraping sound.

Two figures, one in a white kimono and the other in a green vest, moved swiftly and agilely, leaving afterimages in their wake, leaving the observer breathless!

Wearing the Chunin standard Sasuke, Sasuke's Lightning Release Chakra surged wildly within him, boosting his speed and strength to an extremely rapid level. He was incredibly fast; every movement, every punch and kick was swift and fierce, as fast as lightning, seemingly leaving afterimages. This fast-paced fighting style was precisely the high-speed close-quarters combat form that Sasuke excelled at.

However, the young man in the kimono who was his opponent was just as fast, and his Taijutsu skills were even better!

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged dozens of blows, resulting in a stalemate where neither could gain the upper hand.

Kimimaro's Taijutsu techniques were very unique.

His body is extremely flexible, and he moves with great agility.

Her punches and kicks have a feel of Gentle Fist, but they are more fierce and powerful, like a gust of Hayate, sometimes light and agile, sometimes swift and fierce. Among the people Sasuke sparred with or fought, Hinata's style is the most similar to his, both being the type that combines strength and gentleness and is ever-changing.

However, compared to the Hyuga Clan's return, Kimimaro's defensive method is more bizarre and more lethal: possessing the Shikotsumyaku (Corpse Bone Pulse), Kimimaro's body surface can sprout sharp white bones at any time. Whether for defense or offense, its unpredictable appearance is extremely troublesome.

Even when Sasuke to find an opening to attack, Kimimaro is able to use these sharp bone fragments to Sasuke back, demonstrating the comprehensive offensive and defensive capabilities of the Shikotsumyaku) Taijutsu.

Dance of the Willow!

Kimimaro brandished the sharp and tough bone spikes in his hand, which were even more fierce and sharp than the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist pressure point technique.

What troubled Sasuke even more was that the sharp and tough bone spikes, after clashing with his Kunai a few times, were already showing signs of faltering, even though the Kunai was enhanced by Lightning Release Chakra. And if the weapon were to break, a sudden breakage during a fierce battle would be extremely dangerous!

However, it is often the things we least want to happen that do happen.

Snap! In the relentless close-quarters combat, Sasuke, Kunai a fierce battle, developed a crack.

The Dance of the Willow Turns into the Dance of the Camellia — Kimimaro pressed forward relentlessly, forcing Sasuke to fight with only his blade, leaving him no chance to escape or change weapons; the bone sword in his hand swung repeatedly, striking the cracks on the Kunai with precision and sharpness.

Crack! Under the relentless attack, the kunai, enhanced by Chakra, Kunai longer withstand the pressure and suddenly shattered into two pieces under Kimimaro's fierce assault, unable to stop the sharp bone sword in the kimono-clad youth's hand.

Damn it! Sasuke's pupils shrank sharply. Caught off guard, this strike seemed poised to cleave Sasuke in two at the waist!

The black-haired boy's Sharingan suddenly began to spin wildly as he mentally simulated the enemy's Taijutsu stance. He clenched his teeth, exerted all his strength, and squeezed out a sliver of space from the impossible, managing to avoid the fatal blow!

Swish! The bone knife slashed a bloody gash several centimeters long on his right hand, avoiding vital organs, but other areas were impossible to dodge.

"Ugh!" Sasuke groaned, taking advantage of Kimimaro's successful attack. The old force had just dissipated, and before the new force for the next attack could rise, he suddenly leaped away from the battlefield.

He clutched his right arm, where blood was gushing out of the wound.

"Luckily, the wound is shallow and didn't cut into the muscle!"

This was the most fortunate part. Although the wound had bled quite a bit, it hadn't penetrated deep into the muscle or pierced any major blood vessels. Sasuke gathered Chakra in his left hand and used a rudimentary Medical Ninjutsu to stop the bleeding, gradually bringing the wound to a halt.

This Medical Ninjutsu was thanks to Sakura, who had recommended and taught it to them. Although it was crude and rudimentary, it was simple and practical.

Sasuke smiled bitterly.

We really have to thank her for this.

This little bit of skill is probably not enough to overcome the disadvantage in Taijutsu.

Sasuke has already embarked on the path of Lightning Release ninja, is undoubtedly one of the top Chunin in Chunin Konoha terms of Taijutsu combat skills. With the added advantage of the Sharingan, even among the Jonin in Konoha, his Taijutsu level is second to none!

With his speed, quick reflexes, and exceptional dynamic vision, it's no exaggeration to call Sasuke a speed-type ninja.

However, that guy named Kimimaro could keep up with Sasuke's movements without any effort—his speed might be a bit slower than Sasuke's, but his Taijutsu skills were clearly a level above Sasuke's, and his movements were more agile and nimble, so he could be evenly matched with him.

With his strange Kekkei Genkai power and superior Taijutsu combat skills, Kimimaro was initially evenly matched with Sasuke in the dangerous close combat, but after Sasuke was injured, he began to subtly gain the upper hand.

The Sharingan originally possessed extremely high dynamic vision and could deduce a target's next move based on their current actions. However, the unpredictable bone spurs of the Shikotsumyaku were something the Sharingan could not foresee. In close combat, these sharp bone blades that suddenly pierced out of the body caused Sasuke a lot of trouble.

Even with the Sharingan activated, he couldn't defeat Kimimaro in close combat, a Sasuke felt deeply.

He has always been proud of his Sharingan.

Even the girl who had been walking ahead of him might not be his match in terms of Taijutsu — Sasuke was unaware that Cherry Blossom Impact was almost complete.

However, at this moment, the Shikotsumyaku completely suppressed the Sharingan! Moreover, judging from the white-haired youth's appearance, he had not yet fully unleashed the power of the Shikotsumyaku, while Sasuke had almost pushed the Mitsudomoe to its limit.

This is the first time Sasuke has discovered that he's been defeated by someone else in terms of... cough, Kekkei Genkai.

He seemed to have been struck by a realization: the Sharingan has its limits, and simply pursuing greater eye power and Dōjutsu is indeed putting the cart before the horse.

The thought only flashed through his mind, but the feeling would remain in Sasuke's heart forever.

Right now, Sasuke more focused on how to defeat Kimimaro.

Since Taijutsu are a disadvantage, then...

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