"Then how about this move?"
After releasing the Hydrification Technique, Hozuki Mangetsu said with an excited grin. His arm swung, and the Kabutowari in his hand transformed into Exploding Blade Shibuki. He brought it down in a brutal slash.
As the explosion rang out, the surrounding trees burst apart. Uchiha Shisui blocked the attack with his newly re-formed Susanoo skeleton.
When the smoke cleared, Hozuki Mangetsu re-formed from his liquid state. Shibuki's attack had covered such a wide area that he had been caught in it too, leaving him no choice but to counter it with the Hydrification Technique.
"Damn, you're tough! What a pain! I used too much chakra just now and need a break. Sickly boy, you're up."
Hozuki Mangetsu panted heavily and spoke to Kawakotsu Kai, who stood silently beside him.
Kawakotsu Kai remained silent, but spikes of bone sprouted across his body. The two Kaguya Clan members beside him were also covered in bone spikes, ready to support him at a moment's notice.
"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Seedling Fern!"
Kawakotsu Kai slammed both hands against the ground. The earth bulged, and in the next instant, bones sprang up beneath Uchiha Shisui like bamboo shoots after rain, restricting his movements.
"Just bones? They're nothing compared to a skeleton!"
Uchiha Shisui stretched out Susanoo's arm and swung a fist at Kawakotsu Kai, who was still performing his technique. Seeing him in danger, the two clan members beside him quickly formed shields from bone to block the blow.
As the bone shields stopped Susanoo's arm, Kawakotsu Kai seized his chance and rushed toward Uchiha Shisui, whose movements were still restricted.
"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Camellia!"
Kawakotsu Kai's expression was impassive as he gripped a bone blade and thrust it straight at the Susanoo skeleton. The moment the blade touched it, it snapped in two.
Uchiha Shisui laughed at the sight and said slowly,
"You're just as stupid as that guy who tried to stab Susanoo with a Kunai!"
Kawakotsu Kai's expression changed, and he quickly unleashed his next move.
"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Clematis!"
As his chakra surged, countless tiny bones poured from his palms and arms. Drawn together by an unseen force, they rapidly converged and locked into place.
In the blink of an eye, a wickedly sharp bone spike took shape, resembling a terrifying drill. A cold gleam flashed from its point, radiating a chilling menace.
"Ha!" he barked, his aura surging as he thrust the bone spike forward.
The spike shot forth like a black bolt of lightning and struck the Susanoo skeleton.
The instant it made contact, the spike began spinning at high speed, almost too fast for the eye to follow. A grating, shrill friction filled the air.
The Susanoo skeleton had been condensed from powerful chakra and was practically indestructible. Ordinary attacks could barely scratch it.
But under the relentless assault of the spinning bone spike, it began to waver.
The powerful drilling force sent ripples across the chakra coating the skeleton, like a boulder dropped into a still lake.
In just moments, the bone spike had drilled a hole as large as a head straight through the once-thick, sturdy Susanoo skeleton.
The hole's edges were jagged. Broken strands of chakra spread outward like spider silk, constantly dissipating.
Uchiha Shisui wore an amused expression. He hadn't expected the white-haired kid in front of him to have some skill.
"Ugh!" The moment the Susanoo skeleton broke, Kawakotsu Kai spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyelids drooped, as though he might fall asleep right there.
"Your Bloodline Disease is showing!"
The amusement vanished from Uchiha Shisui's face. His Ninja Blade flashed as he swung it at the weakened Kawakotsu Kai.
"Don't even think about it!"
The two Kaguya Clan members in the distance hurriedly shouted to stop him.
"Flies should know when to shut up!"
The Sharingan in Uchiha Shisui's eyes spun, and two streams of Karma Flame quickly latched onto the pair. Their screams lasted for a few moments, then fell silent.
"That's enough playing around. Storm Release: Lightning Laser Blade!"
Uchiha Shisui held his long sword. A moment later, laser light covered its blade, and he swiftly slashed at Kawakotsu Kai, who had slumped to the side, coughing up blood.
As a spray of blood shot out, a head fell at his feet.
"One got away?"
Uchiha Shisui looked around and realized Hozuki Mangetsu had escaped.
After taking care of the Kirigakure Ninja still trapped in genjutsu, he reluctantly headed toward the central battlefield.
Inside the Kirigakure camp, Hozuki Mangetsu was furious, berating the two clan members who had dragged him into retreating from the battlefield.
The two men looked aggrieved. They thought that if they hadn't fled fast enough, they would have ended up like the Kaguya Clan idiots who knew nothing but how to fight.
That was also why the once-numerous Kaguya Clan had become so depleted of talent within Kirigakure.
"Young Master Mangetsu, we were only following the clan head's orders."
"Exactly! We had no choice but to take this precaution, just in case."
Hozuki Mangetsu rolled his eyes. He hated it when people used their elders to pressure him. But now that they had dragged him back, he could only accept the situation.
"Mangetsu, I heard you acted without permission?"
Just then, Karatachi Yagura's voice came from outside the tent.
A moment later, Karatachi Yagura entered, holding his cane.
In response to Karatachi Yagura's question, Hozuki Mangetsu shrugged. "The camp was too boring. I just went out for a bit of fun."
"A bit of fun, and you managed to lose the Kaguya Clan's young master?"
Karatachi Yagura's voice was dark, and his expression was displeased. But all he could do was threaten him verbally; he couldn't do anything to Hozuki Mangetsu.
"Uh... That was just an accident."
Hozuki Mangetsu scratched his head and lowered it sheepishly.
"Go back to the village now. The front lines are too dangerous for you."
Karatachi Yagura said helplessly. He had sent these talented youngsters, who had only recently graduated, to the battlefield to temper them,
but he hadn't meant for them to die here. Otherwise, the village would have no fresh blood. On top of that, the Third Mizukage had been acting strangely lately: first, he had inexplicably interfered in the war, and now he was intensifying the Bloody Mist Village policy.
All of this gave Karatachi Yagura a terrible headache.
At the central battlefield, lightning flashed and thunder roared, as though composing the frenzied symphony of war. Billowing dark clouds surged like black waves, pressing low over the entire sky.
On a cliffside, Uchiha Shisui stood amid the howling wind. His long hair whipped wildly, and his cloak snapped and billowed behind him.
His Sharingan were cold and striking as he silently surveyed the chaotic battle below.
Shouts, the clashing of weapons, and the explosions of ninjutsu blended together. Blood and mud mingled, draping the earth in a strange, dark-red cloak.
Looking at the scene, Shisui's lips slowly curved into a meaningful smile. Against the wind and rain, that smile carried a touch of cold resolve.
"Let's begin! The Battle of Progress!"
With that, Shisui leaped from the cliff without hesitation, diving toward the chaotic battlefield below.
His body stretched out against the wind, like a fearless black hawk swooping down on its prey.
Charging alone into the melee, he instantly became the battlefield's focus. The long blade in his hand flashed with cold light, and every swing whipped up a fierce gust, like the scythe of death cutting through the night.
Every flash of the blade brought down an enemy. Blood sprayed across the muddy ground, blooming into one cruel crimson flower after another.
He darted through the enemy ranks with swift, fluid movements. His Sharingan tracked every enemy's movements with pinpoint accuracy, predicting their next attacks. The long blade in his hand moved like an extension of his arm, turning aside each assault before he struck back with the force of thunder.