Finished! The Ultimate Move Missed

Clink, clink, clink...

Shuriken struck bone with crisp rings.

The Shikotsumyaku's freakish ability to control bone could form localized bone armor to protect vital areas, making sneak attacks with Kunai, Shuriken, and the like nearly impossible.

The attackers clearly knew this as well. After a brief probe, they immediately changed tactics and began targeting their lower bodies, intending to destroy their mobility.

Without a sound, densely packed Rock Spikes suddenly shot up from the ground beneath them.

Kazama Kaguya and Kimimaro leaped high into the air to evade them, but cold flashes immediately shot from the thick fog toward places the bone armor could not protect—their hamstrings, groins, eyes, and more.

A ninja's battles had extremely clear objectives.

Kazama Kaguya knocked aside the incoming Shuriken and said to Kimimaro, "End this quickly."

"Yes, Lord Kazama."

Kimimaro nodded and raised his right hand toward his spine.

Crack, crack, crack...

The sound of bones growing and grinding rang out. In the blink of an eye, Kimimaro pulled out his own spine to use as a weapon.

Sharp, tiny bone spikes protruded from the vertebrae, which resembled a long white skeletal serpent.

"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Clematis: Vine?"

A startled, uncertain voice came from the dense fog. "I never expected the Shikotsumyaku of you two Kaguya remnants to have awakened to such a level."

Without saying a word, Kimimaro and Kazama Kaguya immediately charged toward the source of the voice.

But the moment they rushed over, both of their expressions changed drastically.

Outside the fog, four Kiri-nin were rapidly forming hand seals.

The mouths of three Chunin were puffed up high like toads.

The last, a Jonin, formed seals so quickly that his fingers left afterimages. A massive water dragon twenty to thirty meters tall condensed into shape, its blue dragon eyes fixed upon the two of them as immense pressure bore down.

The instant the two charged out of the fog, the final seal was completed.

"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave." x3

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique."

Three waves and a massive water dragon came crashing toward them, leaving Kazama Kaguya and Kimimaro no choice but to dodge in panic.

But these were Ninjutsu the pursuers had prepared long ago, supplemented by a prearranged trap to lure them in. How could two Genin possibly deal with them so easily?

Boom...

The terrifying impact erupted, sending the two flying. They crashed to the ground like broken sacks.

Pfft...

Kazama Kaguya spat out a mouthful of blood. It felt as though his internal organs had been shattered, and even the slightest movement made it seem as if his whole body would fall apart.

Is this the gap between us? We can't win at all! Kazama Kaguya thought bitterly.

Kimimaro, who had borne the brunt of the Water Dragon Bullet, looked miserable as well. His bone armor was covered in cracks, but he had only suffered flesh wounds and had not coughed up blood like Kazama Kaguya. He was far tougher than Kazama Kaguya.

"Lord Kazama!"

He rushed forward, spread his arms, and shielded Kazama Kaguya tightly behind him. His eyes shone with a determination to face death without regret.

The water dragon had blown away the surrounding fog. Without a continuous supply of Chakra, the white mist gradually dispersed under the night wind.

Jonin Itō Keisuke emerged with the Swordfish Chunin Squad and sneered, "Kaguya Clan remnants, and you wanted to defect with this little strength? Let yourselves be killed obediently, and you may suffer a little less."

As he spoke, he used Body Flicker to appear before them, kicking away Kimimaro before he could react. He then grabbed Kazama Kaguya by the throat and lifted him high.

"You're Kazama Kaguya? The one who ran off with the Kaguya Clan's vast fortune?"

Greed flashed in Itō Keisuke's eyes. "Tell me, where did you hide that money? And hand over the other Kaguya Clan remnants. I can give you a quick death. Otherwise, I don't mind letting you taste Water Torture."

"Cough, cough... You want money?"

Kazama Kaguya spat out blood and grinned. "Do you know how much money the Kaguya Clan had? One Billion Ryo! Let us go, and I'll tell you where it's hidden."

"One Billion Ryo?!" Hearing such an enormous sum, Itō Keisuke's voice turned shrill.

He tightened his grip around Kazama Kaguya's throat, greed nearly spilling from his eyes. "Hand over the money!"

"Cough, cough... I can give you the money, but you have to swear you'll let us go." Kazama Kaguya craned his neck, putting on the appearance of someone terrified of death.

"Swear? Hehehe... Fine."

Itō Keisuke released his hand, sneering disdainfully to himself. A ninja's oath? It's cheaper than praise in Kabukicho.

With a wave of his hand, he had the three Chunin facing off against Kimimaro step aside. Turning back, he said, "Now tell me where the money is hidden. Tell me, and I'll let you keep running for another three days. Otherwise, today is the day you die."

"You're going back on your word?" Kazama Kaguya demanded, his face flushed red.

Itō Keisuke gave a disdainful smile. "Hehe, kid, I came from the Village Hidden in the Blood Mist. Trust? What's that?"

He grabbed Kazama Kaguya by the throat once more, his face vicious. "Giving you three days to flee is already the greatest mercy I can offer. Don't throw your life away."

He looked down arrogantly at the emotions churning in his prey's eyes. As he watched the boy's desire to live gradually gain the upper hand, the corners of his mouth curled upward.

Just then, in a corner he had failed to notice, the flesh at Kazama Kaguya's fingertips wriggled as dull gray bone spikes shot toward his abdomen like lightning.

"All-Killing Ash Bones: Ten Finger Nukite."

Pshht!

The sound of bullets piercing flesh accompanied Kazama Kaguya's murmur.

With a rustling sound, Itō Keisuke lowered his head in disbelief and saw gray, rotten debris rapidly spreading from his abdomen throughout his body.

His eyes widened. He wanted to say something, but in the next instant, he burst apart and turned into a puddle of clear water.

The smile that had just appeared on Kazama Kaguya's face froze, and a chill shot from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

I'm finished! I wasted my ultimate move. That was a Water Clone! I fell for it!

It was as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. At that moment, Kazama Kaguya felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

Feigning weakness, catching him off guard, defeating a stronger opponent while weaker—all of it had been fantasy.

The strategies he had devised were unbearably clumsy in the face of a Jonin's extensive combat experience.

At that moment, even his dream of evolving Otsutsuki bloodline had turned into nothing but bubbles.

He could already foresee his miserable future. He would have the chance to personally experience the infamous Water Torture.

Despair surged from the depths of his heart.

Kazama Kaguya had already heard the sound from behind him. It was the sound of Jonin Itō Keisuke performing a ninjutsu, a death knell heralding the start of his torture.

"Water Release: Water Prison Technique."

Surging water waves rose from every direction, surrounding Kazama Kaguya and pinning him in place.

Under the control of Chakra, the clear water became like little snakes, scrambling to bore into his nostrils and mouth before flooding his lungs.

Suffocation struck, and death clung to him like a shadow.

Through the rippling water, he could only see a distorted figure approaching, speaking in a voice filled with relieved fear. "Good thing I didn't underestimate you and used a Water Clone. Otherwise, I really would have died."

"Kazama Kaguya, I never expected you to possess such an ability. But it doesn't matter anymore."

"Hehehe, from now on, I'll only use Water Clones to approach you. First, have a taste of the suffocating punishment of the Water Prison. We have plenty of time to play slowly. I'll torture every last bit of information you know out of you."

Outside the sphere of water, the light warped. Kazama Kaguya vaguely saw Kimimaro rush forward several times, only to be sent flying each time.

Is this as far as I can go?

The suffocating sensation worsened, like nightfall blotting out the sky.

His brain began to starve of oxygen. His five senses were gradually stripped away; the light outside grew increasingly distorted, and the sounds became incomparably distant.

In his haze, Kazama Kaguya seemed to see towering waves sweeping in, covering the sky.

Along with a cold, ruthless voice that came from afar.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique."