Chapter 10: Tenseigan Versus Byakugan!
In the dense forest of the Land of Whirlpools, the mist gradually dispersed.
But the crisp sound of blades, the roar of Ninjutsu, and piercing screams continued to echo throughout the woods.
Only at the center of the confrontation, Hyuga Makoto and Ao were intertwined, appearing somewhat out of sync.
The two of them were far too quiet...
Ao stared at Hyuga Makoto with a grave expression, speaking coldly.
"Kid, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"Nonsense?"
Hyuga Makoto chuckled lightly, then spoke slowly.
"Your Chakra is rapidly gathering in your hands, and your entire body's muscles are clearly contracting. You intend to try overpowering me with brute force, right?"
"You..."
"Your heart is beating a bit fast, and your pupils are slightly constricted. It seems I was correct."
"..."
"Silence is useless. Your Chakra flow is even faster, but the flow direction and muscle changes suggest you are planning to alter your combat intentions, aren't you?"
"Die!"
Ao truly did not want to waste any more words with Hyuga Makoto. This inexplicable feeling of his entire being being seen through made him extremely uncomfortable.
He suddenly exerted force, shoving Hyuga Makoto away, and his Chakra surged to its absolute limit!
"Water Release: Azure Dragon Thrust Fist!"
Buzz—
Ao's figure became like an afterimage, extremely fast, and his Byakugan locked onto Hyuga Makoto's pressure points.
His hands, covered in Water Release Chakra, rapidly slammed towards Hyuga Makoto's body!
"Do you know..."
However, Hyuga Makoto remained calm, adopting the stance of the Gentle Fist Art as he watched Ao's assault.
"Although you have the Byakugan, you are not a member of the Hyuga Clan. You absolutely cannot control these eyes."
Bang—
The first punch was easily blocked by Hyuga Makoto.
The second punch, the third punch, he also blocked them one by one using different Eight Trigrams Palms Moves!
Ao's expression became somewhat grim. He could only intensify his offense, but Hyuga Makoto continued to receive the blows calmly.
"Perhaps I should commend you. For someone not of the Hyuga Clan to achieve this level, you are quite capable."
"Shut up!"
Ao grunted fiercely and attacked again violently.
But his movements were already predicted by Hyuga Makoto. Even as he struck, Hyuga Makoto launched a fierce counterattack!
Bang—
Accompanied by a muffled sound, an invisible shockwave surged out from where their fists met!
The surrounding trees swayed continuously, and both Ao and Hyuga Makoto were forced back a step by the impact.
However, just as Ao was about to unleash the final Move of 'Water Release: Azure Dragon Thrust Fist,' he suddenly noticed Hyuga Makoto rushing forward first!
And he stared in shock as the way Hyuga Makoto threw his punch had a distinct change, a change that made his eyes widen.
"This is..."
Hyuga Makoto's punch, except for the Chakra in his hand not being Water Release, was completely identical to the final Move of his Azure Dragon Thrust Fist!
In that instant, Ao became even more confused.
"Could it be that this is the true power of the Byakugan?"
But he quickly became serious and angry, letting out a low roar.
"Don't get carried away, you brat!"
Amidst his roar, he met Hyuga Makoto's fist and unleashed the final form of the 'Azure Dragon Thrust Fist.'
He refused to believe that the original version couldn't defeat the imitation!
"That's why I said you were too hasty."
However, Hyuga Makoto showed a slight smile.
"Have you forgotten that you fundamentally cannot bring out the power of these eyes, while I can see through everything about you?"
At that moment, Hyuga Makoto suddenly paused, deftly avoiding Ao's punch.
He also changed his fist into a palm and struck heavily towards Ao's chest...
...
"Why haven't they arrived yet?"
In another part of the dense forest in the Land of Whirlpools, Uchiha Shisui was leading his small squad, waiting for Ao and his group.
According to intelligence, the Hidden Mist Ninja should have arrived already.
But until now, there had been no movement, which struck them as strange.
"Sengetsu, did you find anything?"
Uchiha Shisui pondered for a moment before turning to look at one of his teammates.
Sengetsu was the sensory Ninja in the squad, and he coordinated well with Uchiha Shisui.
Usually, he was responsible for providing enemy movements, while Shisui could use the powerful vision of his Sharingan to eliminate enemies from a distance.
This seamless coordination had always made their missions successful!
"Nothing yet, Captain Shisui."
Sengetsu shook his head. After thinking for a moment, he spoke up.
"However, I sensed earlier that the Anbu supporting us left the ambush point and went ahead. Could they have..."
"They made a Move?"
Shisui's expression became somewhat strange. He knew that for a mission of this level, there would be Anbu backup.
But they usually only moved if an accident occurred; under normal circumstances, they would remain hidden.
Why were these Anbu actively moving now? Could there truly be some variable involved?
Boom boom boom—
But he didn't have time to think further. Several roaring sounds suddenly erupted from the dense forest in the distance.
The surge of Chakra was spreading continuously; even they could feel it!
"Damn it, they must have engaged in combat."
Shisui's expression changed, and he immediately formed a hand seal with one hand.
"You all follow immediately, I'll go reinforce them first!"
"Yes."
Shisui's teammates nodded. They were well aware of the speed of 'Shisui the Body Flicker'; they knew they would likely have difficulty keeping up.
As expected, after a slight movement of Chakra, Shisui's figure vanished from the spot in an instant.
When he reappeared, he was already deep in the forest, rushing rapidly toward the direction of the explosions!
His figure left trails of afterimages in the woods, and as he continuously got closer, he could hear the sound of Chidori chirping in unison.
"Is that Kakashi-senpai?"
Uchiha Shisui frowned. Before this, he truly didn't know which Anbu squad was supporting them.
But now that he knew, he felt even more vigilant internally.
Even Kakashi was mobilized; this was enough to show the seriousness of the situation!
"I have to be faster..."
Shisui pursed his lips, and in an instant, his speed increased even more, and his eyes turned crimson.
Swish—
His figure was like a fierce gale, and before long, he had rushed to the center of the battle.
But at this moment, he was completely stunned.
Because the area was already a complete mess, with the Hidden Mist Ninja either dead or injured.
And in another spot, a young-looking Anbu was fighting a Hidden Mist Ninja, and that person was...
"That's the 'Byakugan Killer,' Ao?"
But he didn't have time to investigate further before witnessing a shocking scene!
He saw the Anbu lightly evade Ao's attack, and then strike Ao heavily on the chest with a palm!
Pfft—
Ao immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, his body involuntarily retreating.
And at that instant, the Anbu leaped forward, his fist smashing heavily into Ao's abdomen.
Ao's body immediately convulsed, arching like a shrimp.
The Anbu then quickly reached out, grabbing Ao's hair with his left hand while aiming for Ao's eye with his right!
Slash—
Blood splattered, and Ao's body fell heavily to the ground.
He clutched his profusely bleeding right eye, his body trembling continuously.
And in the hand of the Anbu, a Byakugan laced with blood threads looked terrifyingly potent.
So terrifying, in fact, that even Uchiha Shisui felt an inexplicable chill...