Destructo Disc

"Hozuki Shingetsu ultimately lost because of his age. If he had another two or three years to train and hone his ninjutsu, he might well have been a match for Kaguya Hirotoshi."

Several Jonin shook their heads, unsurprised by the outcome. Kaguya Hirotoshi had been a renowned prodigy in his day, after all. How could Shingetsu so easily make up for those eight years of training? And with his Secret Technique countered, and his attacks unable to break through Hirotoshi's defense, how was he supposed to win?

"Not necessarily. Kaguya had the advantage in a fight on a battlefield. But what if this were an actual fight in the wilderness? Who do you think would win then? Hozuki Shingetsu could simply emerge from the water and finish Kaguya Hirotoshi with a single Water Gun. He lost, but the Hozuki Clan didn't."

Several Jonin from the Hozuki Clan had already come up with excuses to defend Shingetsu.

"Haha, Clan Head Hozuki, have you decided which of your clan members will marry into the Kaguya Clan?" Kaguya Yoshio asked with a smile, turning to Hozuki Zangetsu beside him.

"The result hasn't been decided yet. Aren't you worried you'll end up eating your words, Clan Head Kaguya?"

Hozuki Zangetsu wasn't the least bit worried. He ignored the taunt, even though the half-finished Water Release Chakra Mode had been impressive. He knew his son still had more to show.

He hadn't fought his son himself, so he didn't know all of Shingetsu's trump cards. But there was one technique he knew about, and Shingetsu hadn't used it yet!

"A jutsu without hand seals... The younger generation really is something."

Thinking of that jutsu's terrifying destructive power, Hozuki Zangetsu couldn't help but sigh.

Meanwhile, in the arena, Hozuki Shingetsu realized this wasn't working. His half-finished Water Release Chakra Mode simply couldn't break through Kaguya Hirotoshi's defense, and there was no point in continuing.

He gathered all his strength and forced Hirotoshi back, then used the Body Flicker Technique to create some distance before voluntarily deactivating his Water Release Chakra Mode.

In its current, unfinished state, Water Release Chakra Mode was only good for bullying weaklings. But if he wanted to bully weaklings, his Water Release Secret Techniques were more than enough. The unfinished mode was practically useless.

"I really need to improve it. If only I could watch a member of the Yotsuki Clan use Lightning Release Chakra Mode."

Remembering one of the ways he could use his Golden Finger, Hozuki Shingetsu mulled over how to improve it.

"Giving up?"

Seeing Shingetsu's flushed face return to normal, Kaguya Hirotoshi assumed he was conceding. He couldn't help feeling a little unsatisfied.

Shingetsu's Water Release Chakra Mode might not have been complete, but he'd still managed to go toe-to-toe with Hirotoshi while he was using Shikotsumyaku. That was rare.

Their allegiances might differ, but Hirotoshi had to admit that Shingetsu's reputation as a prodigy wasn't baseless.

"Giving up? We've barely started."

There was actually a simple way to defeat Kaguya Hirotoshi.

He could summon the Giant Clam and use it to release mist, casting the wide-area genjutsu Mirage.

Once the jutsu was active, the caster could create illusions of himself and the Giant Clam anywhere within the mist, at any time.

The illusions themselves couldn't attack, but the caster's real body could hide in the mist and strike at will. The mist also blurred the senses of anyone using Sensory Ninjutsu, making the technique even more effective.

Kirigakure's Hidden Mist Technique and Silent Killing Technique had both been inspired by this jutsu and developed from it.

This signature technique of the Second Mizukage was countered in a very different way from ordinary genjutsu.

Ordinary genjutsu could be dispelled by disrupting one's own Chakra flow. But to break this technique, one had to locate the Giant Clam hidden among the illusions and destroy its defenses. Yet the Giant Clam itself was extremely durable; only a powerful offensive jutsu or a large number of Explosive Tags could break through.

Back in the day, the Second Mizukage had combined Mirage with Steaming Danger Tyranny to create his signature move. Even the Second Tsuchikage, who had developed Kekkei Tōta, had been at a loss against it.

With the help of his Golden Finger, Hozuki Shingetsu had earned the Giant Clam's approval and learned this jutsu.

Once he used it, Kaguya Hirotoshi—who lacked Sensory Ninjutsu—would have no way to break it. He'd be forced to wait until his Chakra ran out, then let Shingetsu do as he pleased.

But even if he won that way, the victory would be so ugly that it wouldn't help him build his reputation.

At that thought, Hozuki Shingetsu took a deep breath and raised one finger.

"Hmm? Is that some new way of surrendering?"

Ignoring Kaguya Hirotoshi's taunt, Hozuki Shingetsu spoke calmly.

"One move. I'll beat you in a single move."

Hirotoshi hadn't expected his taunt to backfire. Enraged, he used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside Shingetsu. His right hand had become a spear, and he drove it hard toward Shingetsu's right chest.

He couldn't kill the boy in front of all these people, but a punctured chest would leave the foul-mouthed brat bedridden for a month or two.

As a master of Shikotsumyaku, Hirotoshi also had all sorts of ways to leave incurable damage inside Shingetsu's body.

A prodigy? Everyone had been a prodigy when they were young.

A cold glint flashed in Hirotoshi's eyes. Only a prodigy who had grown up was truly a prodigy. Until potential was turned into strength, it was just potential.

Splash!

"Water Clone?"

The pierced Shingetsu dissolved into a stream of water. Knowing Shingetsu was about to counterattack, Hirotoshi steadied himself and listened intently for any movement around him.

Buzz!

Buzz!

Just then, a strange sound came from behind Hirotoshi. It was like a furious energy was being forced into a new shape, its very nature crying out in protest.

Hirotoshi turned and saw that the unruly Chakra by Shingetsu's right hand, which had been moving about in random Brownian motion, was now spinning rapidly around a central point under the control of Shingetsu's will. A disc, thin as a cicada's wing, was slowly taking shape. Tiny teeth even formed along its edge.

Sensing danger, Hirotoshi decided to strike first. His left-hand bone whip traced a graceful arc through the air, coiling around Shingetsu's left hand like a snake.

"Got you!"

Hirotoshi was overjoyed. Using the whip to pull himself in, he flew toward Shingetsu, aiming his spear at the boy's chest.

"Let's see you run this time!"

But Shingetsu didn't look the least bit panicked. Instead, Hirotoshi heard him repeat a familiar phrase.

"Got you!"

Shingetsu raised his right hand, and the rapidly spinning disc met the Kaguya Clan's Strongest Spear head-on.

"You think I'm afraid of you?"

Although the disc gave off a dangerous aura, Hirotoshi chose to trust his clan's Kekkei Genkai. The title of Strongest Shield had been proven time and again!

Screee!

The sound of a cutting machine rang out. After a brief struggle, the Shikotsumyaku melted away like butter in a furnace, right before Hirotoshi's disbelieving eyes. The disc didn't even slow down. With unstoppable force, it cut off his right arm!