At that moment, everyone on the field thought Xingzhuo would give up maintaining the Sealing-In Technique and defend himself against the Adamantine Staff Sarutobi Hiruzen was swinging at him.
The stone beside Danzo's feet suddenly dispelled its Transformation Technique.
As it turned out, the Xingzhuo who had just disappeared from the field had actually transformed into a stone!
Just then, a flame sprang to life in Xingzhuo's hand. He struck Shimura Danzō in the lower abdomen with his palm.
Sealing Technique: Four-Limb Sealing Technique!
"Bang!"
The clone in the distance was smashed apart by Sarutobi Hiruzen!
"Bang!"
Meanwhile, Xingzhuo's real body hit Shimura Danzō with the sealing technique, sending him flying like a dead dog.
Shimura Danzō was out!
For a moment, the field fell silent.
The Shimura Danzō who had been sent flying couldn't move his limbs. He writhed and spasmed like a maggot, his face contorted in agony. In the blink of an eye, he was drenched in sweat.
The sweat mixed with the sand on the ground, leaving him in a miserable state.
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen had smashed Hyuga Hoshishaku's clone, it hadn't come without a cost.
In that brief moment, his chest and abdomen had already been drawn into the sealing technique.
Even though he had interrupted the technique,
all the clothing on his chest and abdomen had vanished, leaving only large patches of purplish-blue skin.
Just then, Senju Yuto, seated in a wheelchair nearby, quietly explained to Hyuga Yunfei:
"Four-Limb Sealing is a basic sealing technique. It can only immobilize a ninja."
"But the way it works is rather cruel. The victim experiences the agony of every meridian in their body being severed."
The others were startled. Mitokado Homura's face went deathly pale.
Kagami Uchiha, however, waited for him to continue, fully aware that Hyuga Hoshishaku wouldn't go that far.
Senju Yuto realized they had misunderstood and quickly explained:
"Of course, the meridians aren't actually severed. The chakra in the sealing technique just tricks the body. Once the seal is released, there won't be any lasting effects."
Then he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and continued, "Hoshishaku held back with the Sealing-In Technique just now, too. Otherwise, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't have gotten away with mere skin-deep injuries. He would have lost his entire outer layer of skin in an instant. If his internal organs had spilled out, he might not have been saved."
Senju Yuto was right.
Hyuga Hoshishaku had stopped at the last moment.
He didn't dare act as recklessly as these twelve- and thirteen-year-old kids, who had no idea how hard they were hitting.
If he really killed Sarutobi Hiruzen, he'd have a hard time facing Master Tobirama.
"Damn it!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen endured the pain in his chest and abdomen, then charged toward Hoshishaku, swinging the Adamantine Staff.
Hoshishaku's eyes shifted. He glanced at Shimura Danzō, writhing on the ground nearby, and came up with a plan.
Instead of meeting Sarutobi Hiruzen head-on, he started playing cat and mouse.
With his formidable physical abilities and solid Taijutsu fundamentals,
Hoshishaku led Sarutobi Hiruzen on a leisurely chase, as if he were strolling through a garden.
He kept it up until Hiruzen's face turned red. The sight made it clear he was furious—completely livid.
Only then did Hoshishaku remark coolly, "That's it?"
Maybe it was just his imagination,
but Hoshishaku thought he saw smoke rising from Sarutobi Hiruzen's head.
The next moment,
Hiruzen dropped the Adamantine Staff and suddenly pulled several shuriken from his tool pouch.
Without even taking aim, he flung them at Hyuga Hoshishaku!
A trace of amusement appeared in Hoshishaku's eyes. He formed a few hand seals, slapped his palm against the ground, and summoned something before Sarutobi Hiruzen could.
"Summoning Technique: Rashomon Technique!"
A massive gate carved with strange patterns rose in front of Hoshishaku.
It was a defensive technique somewhere between ninjutsu and Summoning Technique, one Senju Tobirama had taught him.
It could summon up to three Rashomon gates at once.
But one gate was more than enough to give Sarutobi Hiruzen some respect.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice rang out as well:
"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
A series of popping sounds rang through the air.
The handful of shuriken Sarutobi Hiruzen had just thrown suddenly multiplied into a dense swarm.
There were so many that they nearly covered half the training ground!
But Hoshishaku, who had acted first, stood leisurely behind the Rashomon gate.
He seemed to think Sarutobi Hiruzen's ultimate move wasn't worth worrying about at all.
The shuriken clattered against Rashomon.
It was clear to everyone, though, that the wide-reaching ninjutsu had failed.
In the distance, Sarutobi Hiruzen panted heavily, having spent a large amount of chakra.
He clenched his fist in frustration, ready to concede.
His strongest ninjutsu couldn't do anything to his opponent. What was the point of continuing?
But in the next moment, his anger surged again, driving away the exhaustion.
Hyuga Hoshishaku had walked up to the Rashomon gate, plucked out a shuriken, and shot it toward Hiruzen's feet as if to taunt him.
As he threw, he mocked him. "You were so cocky at the start, saying you'd teach me a lesson. You two tried every trick in the book, from sneak attacks to all your fancy moves, and this is all you've got?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was about ready to explode. He clenched his fist and charged over without a second thought.
Hyuga Hoshishaku's eyes flickered.
He appeared to toss shuriken at Hiruzen without much care.
But as Sarutobi Hiruzen passed Shimura Danzō, one of the shuriken seemed to slip from Hoshishaku's aim and flew right across Danzō's face, carving a long gash.
It missed his eye but sliced across his cheek. Blood poured out, and as Danzō struggled, it mixed with the sand.
Hoshishaku acted as though he hadn't noticed. When Sarutobi Hiruzen drew near, he struck him in the chest with a chakra-infused Gentle Fist and knocked him down.
Then he crouched and gently patted Sarutobi Hiruzen's cheek.
The gesture did almost no physical damage, but the humiliation was off the charts.
Of course, he didn't forget to add a couple of taunts:
"Kid, if you're weak, train more. A ninja's strength is all that matters."
"You and that Shimura Danzō are both terrible, but you never shut up. Anyone who didn't know better would think you two were old ladies at a market."
"Oh, and don't try any more sneak attacks. They're seriously disgusting. I can look down on you all I want, but if outsiders find out the heir to the Sarutobi Clan loves ambushing people, what will the villagers think of you? If you want to fight, challenge me openly next time. Got it?"
If Sarutobi Hiruzen had possessed Uchiha blood,
he would definitely have been so furious that he awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan on the spot.
Hoshishaku withdrew his hand and wiped it on Sarutobi Hiruzen's clothes in disgust.
When Hyuga Yunfei wheeled Senju Yuto over, Hoshishaku made sure to twist the knife a little more:
"I swear this kid smells awful. Let's head back. I'll take a shower to disinfect myself, then take you to my shop. The new place has been getting a pretty good response. I've been meaning to take you there to try it."
He said it to Yuto.
As Yuto watched him with delight,
Hoshishaku walked over to Shimura Danzō, casually released the Four-Limb Sealing Technique, and left the two losers behind. Then he strolled out of Konoha's Training Ground One with his buddy's entourage.
Before you continue