Shikotsumyaku - Shikkotsu Forest

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

The Kirigakure Anbu who suddenly appeared at the gate was clearly not one of the rookies Kimimaro and Jun Tianlin had just killed—those who knew only a jutsu or two and grew careless in the heat of battle.

You can tell a master by their first move!

While this Anbu could not yet be called a veteran of countless bloody battles, he at least possessed ample combat experience and a palpable, overflowing killing intent.

Being within the borders of the Land of Water, where many Kirigakure ninjas were currently using large-scale Water Style jutsu, the air was saturated with moisture. This significantly boosted the power of Water Style techniques while reducing the chakra required to cast them.

A massive, deep-blue water dragon surged forward with peerless momentum, crashing fiercely toward Kimimaro under Jun Tianlin's horrified gaze.

Although this Anbu was experienced and had been observing Kimimaro and Jun Tianlin for some time, fully grasping their respective strengths, he focused this Water Dragon Bullet entirely on Kimimaro, ignoring Jun Tianlin altogether.

After all, in the eyes of this Chunin-level Anbu, once the thorn in his side, Kimimaro, was dealt with, Jun Tianlin—who had shown no significant combat prowess—would be easy pickings.

Unfortunately, while the Anbu's plan was sound, he discovered upon execution that everything was subject to variables.

To be precise, it wasn't that the Anbu had miscalculated, but that Kimimaro's actions were simply too astonishing!

"Shikotsumyaku: Bone Spike!"

Under the Anbu's stunned gaze, Kimimaro let out a low growl. White, bone-chilling spikes erupted from every joint in his body, turning him into a living hedgehog!

"It's not over yet! Spinning Defense!"

Kimimaro didn't stop there. He swung his arms, pushed off the ground with his toes, and began to spin rapidly in place.

Whoosh!

As he spun, the bone spikes surrounding Kimimaro formed a massive defensive circle, tightly shielding his small frame within.

Much like the Hyuga clan's Rotation, this technique—conceived by Kimimaro after tapping into his latent potential—used the spinning bone spikes to defend against the Anbu's powerful Water Dragon Bullet. The results were quite impressive!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Amidst a series of explosions, the deep-blue water dragon collided directly with Kimimaro's spinning bone shield, shattering into countless droplets that rained down upon the ground.

Kimimaro had effortlessly blocked a powerful Water Dragon Bullet, a feat that completely defied the Chunin Anbu's expectations.

At the very least, the Anbu had assumed that this high-tier B-rank jutsu would have finished Kimimaro off without any effort.

Yet, how had things turned out this way?

"How could a powerful B-rank offensive jutsu fail to take down an eight-year-old child? Even if the brat is a user of Shikotsumyaku, this is unbelievable!"

After a brief moment of shock, the eyes behind the Anbu's dog mask radiated monstrous killing intent.

"I was stationed here by the Mizukage to mop up any stragglers, but I never expected to encounter such a big fish! Heh heh heh, to be able to withstand a B-rank jutsu alone at such a young age without injury... such talent is a once-in-a-century genius, even in the entire ninja world.

"It's a pity, though—no matter how brilliant a genius is, if they don't survive, they're just useless trash. Since I've run into you two brats with Shikotsumyaku today, I'll gladly accept the credit for your heads!"

As his voice trailed off, the Anbu let out a sinister laugh. His presence became ethereal, and his black-clad figure vanished instantly, hiding somewhere in the shadows.

"Tianlin, get to my side, now!"

Having just ceased his spinning defense and retracted the bone spikes from his body, Kimimaro caught sight of the vanished Anbu and roared at Jun Tianlin in a mix of shock and fury.

Hearing Kimimaro's urgent shout, Jun Tianlin realized the danger, pushed off the ground with his right foot, and sprinted toward Kimimaro.

Unfortunately, while Jun Tianlin's sudden burst of speed was decent, it was utterly useless against the hidden Kirigakure Anbu.

The moment Jun Tianlin lunged toward Kimimaro, the black-clad Anbu appeared behind him, a sharp kunai in his right hand, thrusting it viciously toward the back of Jun Tianlin's head.

"Die, brat!"

Accompanied by a growl filled with killing intent, Jun Tianlin felt the chill behind his head. But with his momentum spent and no new strength to draw upon, he couldn't change his trajectory, forced to watch helplessly as the cold blade drew closer.

"Dare to hurt Tianlin? I'll kill you!"

Just as the kunai was about to pierce Jun Tianlin's skull, Kimimaro's black pupils flooded with bloodshot veins, and a frenzied killing intent consumed his mind.

"Shikotsumyaku: Forest of Bones!"

A crisp, childish voice rang out, its tone heavy with murderous rage.

Thwip, thwip, thwip!

The next second, the ground centered on Kimimaro erupted with countless sharp, thick, bone-white spikes, instantly transforming the area within several meters into a forest of bones!

Snap!

With a sharp sound, the Anbu behind Jun Tianlin, who had been about to deliver the killing blow, dissolved into a puddle of water.

Meanwhile, two meters behind Kimimaro, the real Kirigakure Anbu revealed himself.

The Chunin-level Anbu looked absolutely wretched.

Faced with Kimimaro's fury, this Shikotsumyaku technique had unexpectedly turned the surrounding ground into a forest of bones, impaling the Anbu who had been hiding behind him to launch a sneak attack. He died a miserable death.

Having exhausted the power of his Shikotsumyaku bloodline, Kimimaro saw that the Anbu had been defeated, offered a faint smile, and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Damn, that Anbu was too insidious. Using a Water Clone against two kids? Good thing Kimimaro had that outburst and used Shikotsumyaku to kill him instantly, or we would have been in real trouble. Wait, is this 'Forest of Bones' the prototype for Kimimaro's world-shaking Dance of the Early Fern?

With a mix of awe and curiosity, Jun Tianlin quickly ran to the unconscious Kimimaro, hoisted his small body onto his back, and fled into the distance.

This place was no longer safe; he had to get out of here first!