Shikotsumyaku-Shikkotsu Forest

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!

The Kirigakure ANBU who suddenly appeared in front of the gate was clearly not one of those Jun Kimimaro and Jun Tianlin had just killed. He was no rookie who knew only one or two jutsu and let his guard down in battle.

A true expert could tell at a glance!

Although this ANBU hadn't yet seen countless battles and survived innumerable bloodbaths, he could at least be considered an experienced fighter, brimming with killing intent.

Here, on the Land of Water's territory, many Kirigakure shinobi were nearby, and they had used large-scale Water Release jutsu. That had left the air saturated with moisture, greatly enhancing the power of Water Release techniques while reducing the chakra they consumed.

A colossal, deep-blue water dragon surged forward with overwhelming force, hurtling toward Kimimaro as Jun Tianlin watched in shock.

Although the ANBU was experienced in battle, he had also spent quite some time observing Kimimaro and Jun Tianlin, and had a thorough understanding of their respective strengths.

This Water Dragon Bullet was aimed at Kimimaro. The ANBU didn't care about Jun Tianlin at all...

After all, in the eyes of this Chunin ANBU, once he dealt with Kimimaro, the little thorn in his side, Jun Tianlin—who hadn't shown much fighting prowess—would be easy to capture.

Unfortunately, the ANBU's plan was sound enough, but when he actually put it into action, he discovered that things could change unexpectedly.

More precisely, the ANBU hadn't misjudged the situation. Kimimaro's actions had simply been too astonishing!

"Shikotsumyaku: Bone Spike!"

To the ANBU's astonishment, Kimimaro let out a low growl, and bone-white spikes suddenly burst from every joint in his body, turning him into a living porcupine!

"It's not over yet—Spinning Defense!"

After producing the spikes, Kimimaro didn't stop. He swept his arms out, rose onto his toes, and began spinning rapidly in place.

"Crash!"

As Kimimaro spun, the bone spikes around him formed a huge defensive ring, tightly shielding his small body.

Much like the Hyuga Clan's Rotation, this technique—using a spinning ring of bone spikes—was something Kimimaro had come up with in a burst of potential while facing the Kirigakure ANBU's powerful Water Dragon Bullet Technique. It seemed to work pretty well!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Amid a series of explosions, the deep-blue water dragon slammed into Kimimaro's spinning ring of bone spikes and burst apart, scattering into countless droplets that rained down on the ground.

Kimimaro had blocked the powerful Water Dragon Bullet Technique with ease, completely against the Chunin ANBU's expectations.

At the very least, the ANBU had thought that this powerful high-level B-rank jutsu—Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique—would take care of Kimimaro effortlessly.

But how had things ended up like this?

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

After a brief moment of shock, murderous intent blazed in the Chunin ANBU's eyes beneath his dog mask.

"I was stationed nearby by the Mizukage to deal with any stragglers. I never expected to run into such a big catch! Heh heh heh. To think that someone so young could block a B-rank jutsu all by himself without getting hurt—he must be a once-in-a-century genius, even in the entire Ninja World.

"But it doesn't matter how formidable a genius is if he doesn't live long enough to realize his potential. He's nothing but a useless failure. Since I've run into you two little brats with Shikotsumyaku today, I won't turn down the credit for capturing you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the ANBU let out a sinister laugh. His voice turned indistinct, and his black-clad figure vanished in an instant, leaving no clue as to where he was hiding.

"Tianlin, get over here beside me! Hurry!"

Kimimaro had just stopped spinning and retracted the bone spikes covering his body when he noticed that the Kirigakure ANBU had vanished. Alarmed and furious, he immediately shouted at Jun Tianlin.

Hearing Kimimaro's urgent shout, Jun Tianlin realized how dangerous things had become. He pushed off with his right foot and raced toward Kimimaro.

Unfortunately, although Jun Tianlin had suddenly burst into a decent sprint, it was no use against the Kirigakure ANBU, who had already concealed himself.

The instant Jun Tianlin started toward Kimimaro, the black-clad Kirigakure ANBU appeared behind him. Gripping a sharp kunai in his right hand, he thrust it viciously toward Jun Tianlin's head.

"Die, brat!"

At the ANBU's murderous growl, Jun Tianlin felt a chill at the back of his head. But at that moment, his previous momentum was already spent and he hadn't yet gathered new strength. With his body pitched forward, he couldn't change course; all he could do was feel the chill behind him drawing closer.

"You dared to hurt Tianlin! I'll kill you!"

Just as the kunai in the ANBU's hand was about to pierce Jun Tianlin's head, Kimimaro's dark eyes suddenly filled with blood vessels, and murderous fury flooded his mind.

"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Early Fern!"

A clear, childish voice rang out, brimming with furious killing intent.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

The next moment, countless huge, sharp, bone-white pillars burst from the ground around Kimimaro. In an instant, they transformed the earth within a radius of several meters into a densely packed forest of bones!

"Snap!"

With a sharp crack, the Kirigakure ANBU behind Jun Tianlin—the one who had been about to pierce his head with a kunai—burst into a splash of water that scattered across the ground.

Meanwhile, two meters behind Kimimaro, the Kirigakure ANBU who should have been behind Jun Tianlin revealed his true form.

The Chunin ANBU looked utterly wretched now.

Before Kimimaro's fury, the unexpected Shikotsumyaku technique had transformed the ground within a radius of several meters into a forest of bones. The ANBU, who had been hiding behind Kimimaro and trying to ambush him, was impaled by the bones and died horribly.

Having overtaxed the power of his Shikotsumyaku bloodline, Kimimaro saw that he had killed the Kirigakure Chunin ANBU. A faint smile appeared on his face, and he collapsed unconscious to the ground.

Damn, that ANBU was so devious. He'd even used a Water Clone against the two of us kids. Good thing Kimimaro had burst with power and killed him instantly with Shikotsumyaku. Otherwise, we'd have been in real danger.

But is this Dance of the Early Fern the prototype of Kimimaro's future, earth-shattering Dance of the Early Fern?

With a hint of astonishment and curiosity, Jun Tianlin hurried over to the unconscious Kimimaro, lifted his small body onto his back, and ran off into the distance.

This wasn't a safe place. They had to get away first!