Tenseigan versus Byakugan!

In the dense forests of the Land of Whirlpools, the water mist gradually dispersed.

Yet the crisp clang of blades, the thunderous roars of ninjutsu, and the shrill cries of agony continued to echo through the forest.

At the very center of the battle, however, Hyuga Makoto and Ao were moving back and forth against each other, making them seem somewhat out of place.

The two of them were simply far too quiet...

Ao stared solemnly at Hyuga Makoto and spoke coldly.

"Brat, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Nonsense?"

Hyuga Makoto chuckled softly before speaking in an unhurried manner.

"Your Chakra is rapidly gathering in your hands, while the muscles throughout your body are visibly contracting. You're planning to overwhelm me with sheer strength, aren't you?"

"You..."

"Your heart is beating a little faster, and your pupils have contracted slightly. Looks like I was right."

"..."

"Staying silent won't help. Your Chakra is flowing faster, but the direction of its flow and the changes in your muscles suggest that you're planning to alter your combat strategy."

"Go to hell!"

Ao truly did not want to continue wasting words with Hyuga Makoto. The feeling of having his entire body inexplicably seen through was simply unbearable.

He suddenly exerted his strength and shoved Hyuga Makoto away. His Chakra surged to its peak!

"Water Style: Azure Dragon Fist!"

Buzz—

Ao's figure became as swift as a phantom. His Byakugan locked onto the acupuncture points throughout Hyuga Makoto's body.

His hands were covered in Water Release Chakra as he rapidly hammered them toward Hyuga Makoto's body!

"Do you know..."

Hyuga Makoto still looked perfectly calm. Facing Ao's assault, he also assumed a Gentle Fist stance.

"Although you possess the Byakugan, you're not a member of the Hyuga Clan. You simply can't control these eyes."

Bang—

Hyuga Makoto easily blocked the first punch.

For the second and third punches, he used different Eight Trigrams Palms techniques to block each one.

Ao's expression turned ugly. He could only intensify his assault, but Hyuga Makoto continued to calmly receive each attack.

"Perhaps I should commend you. For someone who isn't from the Hyuga Clan to reach this level... you're quite capable."

"Shut up!"

Ao growled and attacked again with renewed ferocity.

But Hyuga Makoto had already predicted his movements. In fact, the instant Ao attacked, Hyuga Makoto had already launched a powerful counterattack!

Bang—

Accompanied by a muffled boom, an invisible shock wave burst forth from the point where their fists met!

The surrounding trees swayed violently, while Ao and Hyuga Makoto were both forced back a step by the impact.

However, just as Ao was about to unleash the final move of his "Water Style: Azure Dragon Fist," he suddenly realized that Hyuga Makoto had charged at him first!

To his astonishment, he saw that Hyuga Makoto's punching method had changed noticeably. The change made his eyes widen.

"This is..."

Other than the Chakra in Hyuga Makoto's hand not being Water Release, this punch was completely identical to the final move of Ao's Azure Dragon Fist!

In that instant, Ao became utterly bewildered.

"Could this be the true power of the Byakugan?"

Yet he quickly grew serious and furious again, letting out a low growl.

"Don't get cocky, you little brat!"

Amid his roar, he met Hyuga Makoto's fist and unleashed the final form of the Azure Dragon Fist.

He refused to believe that the original could lose to a copy!

"That's why I said you're getting desperate."

Hyuga Makoto merely revealed a faint smile.

"Have you forgotten that you can't bring out the full power of those eyes, while I can see through everything you do?"

At that moment, Hyuga Makoto suddenly paused, lightly dodging Ao's punch.

At the same time, he changed his fist into a palm and slammed it heavily toward Ao's chest...

"Why haven't they arrived yet?"

In another part of the dense forests of the Land of Whirlpools, Uchiha Shisui was leading his squad as they waited for Ao and the others.

According to the intelligence, Kirigakure should have arrived long ago.

Yet there had been no movement until now, which left them all puzzled.

"Chiyuki, have you noticed anything?"

Uchiha Shisui pondered for a moment before turning to one of his teammates.

Chiyuki was the squad's sensory ninja, and he worked well with Uchiha Shisui.

Usually, Chiyuki was responsible for providing information on the enemy's movements, while Shisui used the powerful ocular abilities of his Sharingan to eliminate enemies from afar.

Their coordination was seamless, allowing them to overcome every obstacle!

"Nothing for now, Captain Shisui."

Chiyuki shook his head, thought for a moment, and then spoke.

"However, I sensed earlier that the Anbu supporting us had left the ambush point and gone ahead. Could they be..."

"They moved?"

Shisui's expression became somewhat strange. He knew that an Anbu team would be providing reinforcements for a mission of this level.

But they normally only moved if something unexpected happened. Under normal circumstances, they remained hidden and took no action.

Why had the Anbu taken the initiative this time? Could there really be some unforeseen change?

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Before he could think further, several thunderous explosions suddenly rang out from the distant forest.

A surge of Chakra also spread continuously at that moment. Even they could feel it!

"This is bad. They must have engaged the enemy."

Shisui's expression changed, and he immediately formed a hand seal with one hand.

"Follow me at once. I'll go ahead and provide reinforcements!"

"Yes."

Shisui's teammates nodded. They all knew the speed of Body Flicker Shisui, and they would have a hard time keeping up with him.

Sure enough, after his Chakra stirred slightly, Shisui's figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

When he appeared again, he was already deep in the forest, sprinting rapidly toward the direction of the explosions!

His figure dragged out a series of afterimages through the forest. As he continued drawing closer, he could also hear the sound of countless Chidori crying out in unison.

"Is that Senior Kakashi?"

Uchiha Shisui frowned. Before this, he truly had not known which Anbu squad had been assigned to support them.

But now that he knew, he became even more alert.

Even Kakashi had been deployed. That alone was enough to show how serious the situation was!

"We have to hurry..."

Shisui pursed his lips. In an instant, his speed increased further, and his eyes turned a deep crimson.

Whoosh—

His figure was like a violent gale. Before long, he had rushed into the center of the battle.

Yet at this moment, he was completely dumbfounded.

The place had already been reduced to utter chaos. Some of the Kirigakure shinobi were dead, while others were injured.

In another area, a young-looking Anbu operative was fighting a Kirigakure shinobi. And that person was...

"That's the 'Byakugan Killer,' Ao?"

But before he could investigate further, he witnessed a horrifying scene!

The Anbu operative nimbly dodged Ao's attack before striking Ao heavily in the chest with a palm!

Pfft—

Ao immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, his body involuntarily staggering backward.

The Anbu operative also leaped forward at that instant and slammed his fist into Ao's stomach.

Ao's body convulsed, bending forward like a shrimp.

The Anbu operative quickly reached out as well. His left hand seized Ao's hair, while his right hand moved toward Ao's eye!

Slash—

Blood sprayed through the air, and Ao's body crashed heavily to the ground.

He covered his right eye, which was bleeding profusely, while his body trembled uncontrollably.

In the Anbu operative's hand, a blood-streaked Byakugan looked utterly terrifying.

So terrifying that even Uchiha Shisui felt an inexplicable chill...