Konoha had few Kekkei Genkai: the Senju of the Forest's Wood Release, the Uchiha's Sharingan, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan... But no one had ever possessed either Crystal Release or Lava Release, so naturally, no such jutsu had ever existed. www com
Crystal Release Chakra Mode countered the Uchiha Shuriken Jutsu from every angle, while Lightning Release Chakra Mode could be used to keep up with the Sharingan's dynamic vision. And then there were those Kekkei Genkai techniques that even the Sharingan couldn't copy...
So where had this "Ghost" learned the jutsu that seemed to counter the Uchiha?
Uchiha Kaoru fell into deep thought. Ignoring the Crystal Longsword at her throat, she narrowed her eyes and asked, "Ghost, no one in Konoha has ever possessed either Lava Release or Crystal Release. How did you learn these jutsu?"
Sato Hideaka paused, as if something had just occurred to him. "The basic applications were things I figured out myself. As for the more complex jutsu... Lord Orochimaru gave me a scroll, and I learned them from its contents."
"Lord Orochimaru, one of the Konoha Sannin? I never thought you'd have caught his eye..." Uchiha Kaoru murmured, momentarily dazed.
Orochimaru, one of the Konoha Sannin, had joined forces with Tsunade Senju and Jiraiya in the Land of Rain during the Second Shinobi World War to hold off the Land of Rain's leader, the legendary Kage Level warrior Hanzo the Salamander. That was how the Sannin earned their fame...
Orochimaru had also commanded battles on several fronts and was one of Konoha's inner-circle leaders. Most importantly, though he seemed mild-mannered on the surface, beneath that calm exterior lay a cold and unfathomable heart!
Though Orochimaru would later be thoroughly trounced by Uchiha Itachi, in the early days he had been a formidable force. Hideaka's plan was to invoke Orochimaru's name to give his words more weight and make Uchiha Kaoru wary.
Even though Sato Hideaka had met Orochimaru only once, and they had barely exchanged a few words!
"Not at all. Maybe Lord Orochimaru thought I was gifted and wanted to give me a chance!"
"I don't believe you. It wouldn't be difficult for Lord Orochimaru to obtain Lava Release jutsu, but Crystal Release is extremely rare in the Shinobi World. There's no way he could have gotten it so easily. Still, I lost... so the scrolls are yours!"
Uchiha Kaoru pulled two scrolls from her clothes and said flatly, "Now, can you release the binding around my feet?"
At her words, Sato Hideaka hesitated. He had only managed to restrain Uchiha Kaoru because she hadn't known what he could do. Who could have expected that anything hit by his Crystal Release jutsu would crystallize as if frozen?
It was just like Sarutobi Asuma being killed by Hidan. It wasn't a matter of strength, but of lacking information!
Now Sato Hideaka had revealed all his trump cards. Uchiha Kaoru's two-tomoe Sharingan had seen every one of his jutsu, and she was an excellent analyst. If he released the binding around her feet...
Sato Hideaka wasn't confident he could restrain Uchiha Kaoru again. She was far stronger than he was!
As if she could see his concern, Uchiha Kaoru shook her head. "On behalf of the Uchiha, I swear that as long as you don't attack us, I won't attack again."
"Phew—"
Those words from Uchiha Kaoru immediately eased the tension. Hyuga Ningxiang had already released Uchiha Kenichi's tenketsu, while Kaoru's male teammate had set his sights on Hyuga Ningbo—but Hyuga Giichi, whom Sato Hideaka had kicked aside, blocked his path!
As for the woman in sunglasses who hadn't said a word, Sato Hideaka had counted her among the enemy forces, but she didn't seem to be one of Uchiha Kaoru's central figures. She had neither spoken nor fought. Her faint presence reminded Sato Hideaka of Aburame Shino, one of the Twelve Strong.
As for Yuhi Kurenai, Sato Hideaka had told her to stay hidden in the grass before he made his move. In a battle at this level, her genjutsu would be useless against the Uchiha, and he didn't want her in danger.
At last, the matter had been settled perfectly!
Sato Hideaka quietly let out a breath and bent down to release the Crystal Release binding around Uchiha Kaoru's feet. But as soon as he grabbed her leg, she suddenly shouted, "Hey! Hey, Ghost! What are you doing?"
Uchiha Kaoru's usually expressionless face showed rare anger and embarrassment. Sato Hideaka froze. There seemed to be people who reacted strongly when someone touched them—was she one of them?
Some sort of psychological aversion to touch, perhaps!!
"Uh, you'll just have to bear with it. The only way I can get rid of all this is by touching the crystals!"
Sato Hideaka explained helplessly, then placed his hand on the crystallized part of her leg and drew the Crystal Release chakra out of it. The crystal slowly disappeared, and then his hand touched Uchiha Kaoru's smooth, shapely leg.
A tremendous force sent him flying. Uchiha Kaoru had struck him—not with her hand, but with her foot...
"Ah... Damn it! Weren't you the one who swore on the Uchiha's name that you wouldn't attack unless we did? Does the Uchiha name mean so little to you?"
After being kicked two meters away and dragged another three or four across the ground, Sato Hideaka clambered out of a deep muddy rut and shouted angrily. His whole body tensed as he prepared to fight again...
"I'm sorry. It was just a natural reaction. I don't like people getting too close to me. If they do, I kick them as far away as I can."
Uchiha Kaoru walked over to Sato Hideaka without changing expression and tossed him the two scrolls. Then she leaned close and whispered in his ear, "The color of your Crystal Release chakra is unusual, and it seems you can't make chakra crystallize. Next time, I won't be beaten so easily..."
Still, if you felt uncomfortable when someone got close to you, hadn't you ever considered that others might feel uncomfortable when you got close to them?
Uchiha Kaoru's breath brushed his ear as she spoke. Sato Hideaka grumbled inwardly, but he was astonished by what she had said. She had figured out the properties of Crystal Release chakra in just a brief exchange. Where had he slipped up?
Uchiha Kaoru's Sharingan could see the chakra inside the body. Crystal Release chakra was a different color from ordinary chakra, and she had also figured out that it couldn't crystallize chakra. So whenever she saw Sato Hideaka gathering Crystal Release chakra, she could cover her body with her own chakra.
That would completely deprive Crystal Release of the chance to immobilize her!
Of course, not everyone could do that. It required two conditions: first, knowing the properties of Crystal Release chakra; second, being able to see it.
As for the first condition, once word got out, anyone could learn about it. But the second was probably achievable only by the Uchiha and Hyuga clans!
Sato Hideaka turned and watched Uchiha Kaoru walk away, stunned. He suddenly realized he might have underestimated these natives of the Naruto world. As prodigies from clans with extraordinary advantages, they were already blessed with some of the greatest talents in the world.
"Uchiha Kaoru, you agreed to let them leave. I never agreed to that. Lend me your teammate. I don't want to let a single one of them go..."
Uchiha Kenichi, whose tenketsu had been released, awkwardly stretched his sore body. Like a beast let out of its cage, he shouted arrogantly from the sidelines. The humiliation he had just suffered had clearly left the clan prodigy furious.
The moment he regained his strength, his first thought had been revenge!
Hyuga Ningxiang turned and stuck her tongue out at him, grinning. "Ha ha! Hideaka knew you wouldn't behave. You'll have to wait another half hour before you can use your chakra properly!"