"Tianlin, make sure you stay close to me!"
Holding a bone blade in each hand, Kimimaro gave Jun Tianlin one final reminder. Then he tensed and swiftly charged toward the crowd ahead.
That's right. Kimimaro hadn't chosen a less crowded area. Instead, he charged without hesitation straight into the most crowded, most chaotic part of the battlefield.
Because only in the chaos would they have a better chance of surviving!!!
Watching Kimimaro press forward, Jun Tianlin felt as if he were seeing the agile, imposing figure from the original story, who had appeared only briefly but left such a powerful impression.
At that moment, even his once-timid heart was stirred by Kimimaro's bravery. His fear and weakness inexplicably vanished, and a warm current called courage gradually welled up in his chest!
So this is what it feels like? How had my timid, cowardly heart found courage?
The next second, Jun Tianlin smiled faintly. His delicate face lit up with a smile unlike any he'd worn before. With a thought, two bone blades gleaming with a cold sheen appeared in his hands.
"Big brother, we'll survive this!"
Glancing at Kimimaro as he pulled farther ahead, Jun Tianlin smiled freely and strode after him.
Unfortunately, ideals were full and reality was harsh.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Just as Jun Tianlin caught up with Kimimaro and the two charged into the crowd, a voice brimming with murderous intent made them slow their steps. A huge fireball, blazing with heat and waves of scorching air, came hurtling toward them.
"Hmph! A mere Great Fireball? I'll cut it down!"
In a life-or-death situation like this, stopping meant death. Though young, Kimimaro understood that. Facing the enormous fireball rushing toward him, he didn't dodge. Instead, he raised the bone blade in his right hand and slashed straight at it.
With a crack, the bone blade shattered, and the huge fireball split in two and burst apart. At the same time, Kimimaro controlled the broken bone fragments and sent them flying toward the front left without a moment's hesitation.
They moved so fast and struck with such force that the tiny bone shards whistled through the air.
Just as expected, one of the fragments pierced the head of the ANBU who had unleashed the Great Fireball Technique. Blood sprayed everywhere.
Even as he died, the Mist Ninja ANBU's eyes still shone with shock and disbelief. Clearly, he had spotted Kimimaro and Jun Tianlin among the crowd and thought he could pick off two easy targets.
He'd believed a single Great Fireball would be enough to deal with the two children. He hadn't expected to face a legendary wielder of Shikotsumyaku. His overconfidence had directly led to his death at Kimimaro's hands.
"Keep moving! No matter what happens, don't stop!"
Perhaps it was the Kaguya Clan's bloodthirsty nature. After swiftly dispatching his opponent, Kimimaro's expression didn't change, and his voice grew colder, as if he hadn't just killed a person but crushed an ant.
Watching this from behind Kimimaro, Jun Tianlin didn't think there was anything wrong with it. After all, ever since he'd crossed over into the Naruto World, he'd been mentally prepared.
This was a world—a truly cruel one. The law of the jungle was on full display here. Only strength and killing offered the best means of surviving these chaotic times!
On the contrary, after seeing Kimimaro kill someone, the weakness deep in Jun Tianlin's bones didn't make him afraid. Instead, an unfamiliar excitement rose in his heart, waves of intense pleasure shooting straight to his head.
Perhaps the Kaguya Clan's blood ran with bloodlust. Perhaps the slaughter on the battlefield had stirred his soul. Perhaps the scent of fresh blood had overwhelmed his senses.
Whatever the reason, Jun Tianlin felt not the slightest fear now. Instead, desire kept surging within him. It was the death of his timidity, the swelling of his ambition, and a transformation in his very way of thinking.
If you don't erupt in silence, you'll perish in silence!
Experiencing the slaughter of battle firsthand, Jun Tianlin's timid, cowardly outlook underwent its first transformation amid the blood and loss of life around him. Deep within his heart, the most primal ambition and longing began to rise.
It was an absolute ambition to grow stronger, an endless longing for power!
Night deepened, and the battle between the Kirigakure ANBU and the Kaguya Clan grew increasingly fierce.
Unfortunately, Kirigakure's leadership had underestimated the Kaguya Clan's explosive strength and combat prowess, and the battle ultimately became a stalemate.
They had thought that, with the ANBU directly under the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, they'd only need to sacrifice a few expendable ninja to wipe out the Kaguya Clan at little cost. The clan had no Kage Level fighter to lead them, and its members were simple-minded brutes.
But the Kaguya Clan's overwhelming explosive strength and combat prowess pushed the battle far beyond the expectations of Kirigakure's leadership. It didn't end quickly; instead, it became deadlocked.
More importantly, Kirigakure's leadership had treated the extermination of the Kaguya Clan as a training exercise. Among the many ANBU sent to wipe out the Kaguya Clan were newly promoted ninja, whom they hoped would gain combat experience through the fighting.
That was precisely why Kirigakure had underestimated the Kaguya Clan and overestimated its own ANBU, leading to the stalemate.
The training exercise had failed. Instead, the new ninja suffered heavy casualties at the Kaguya Clan's hands. That was the price of carelessness.
The chaotic battlefield was not far from the Kaguya Clan's gate—only a dozen or so meters away. Yet those few meters felt like a vast chasm, standing squarely between Jun Tianlin and Kimimaro and blocking their path.
In the short distance, Kimimaro had personally taken down three Genin amid the chaos. Even Jun Tianlin, following behind him, had managed to help Kimimaro kill two Genin with sneak attacks.
But the price of such an impressive tally was the seven or eight huge red wounds on Kimimaro's body, all of them bleeding profusely.
But their luck had run out.
Just as Kimimaro led Jun Tianlin out of the fighting crowd and through the Kaguya Clan's gate, a Mist Ninja ANBU appeared. He wore black clothes and a dog mask, with a Chunin Forehead Protector strapped to his right arm.
The remaining ANBU, clearly watching from the shadows, had seen Kimimaro and Jun Tianlin's performance and realized they both possessed Shikotsumyaku. They'd decided to eliminate them both, which was why the Chunin ANBU had arrived.
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