"Boom…"
The rumble of collapsing rocks and falling trees filled the air as massive clouds of dust flew about. In the midst of this chaos, a graceful figure flashed several times, appearing before Kamihane.
With his hands behind his back, Kamihane leaned forward, peering curiously at her. "Are you angry?"
Hikari's delicate face tightened, a flicker of annoyance crossing her brow, and her tone turned increasingly cold:
"Continue."
"You're still going to fight?" Kamihane tilted his head. "Then promise me you won't be angry."
"Mm."
"Why don't we call it a day? You're already angry, and when you're not angry, you always reply with 'mm, mm.'"
Kamihane shook his head. "I don't want to sleep on the floor tonight."
"Quit talking nonsense!"
Hikari huffed, charging forward first, her fist wreathed in bluish smoke aimed straight for Kamihane's chest.
Kamihane raised his hand and expertly grabbed Hikari's slender wrist, gently pulling back as he exerted a small burst of strength, causing her to stumble forward into him.
Hikari's beautiful eyes narrowed as she formed her other hand into a palm and, using her toes for leverage, executed a sharp knifehand strike toward Kamihane's neck.
Kamihane adeptly sidestepped, executing a perfectly timed turn that allowed Hikari's delicate hand to glide past his nose while he lifted his foot to trip her, causing Hikari to lose all balance and fall into his embrace.
"You—"
Hikari was about to express her anger, but suddenly, she found herself enveloped in a warm embrace, his refreshing scent washing over her, making her freeze in place.
For a brief moment, she locked eyes with Kamihane's warm, gentle face and his soft, inviting gaze.
Not one to let such an opportunity slip away, Kamihane leaned down and captured her soft, rosy lips in a kiss.
It was quite a long and passionate French kiss…
Hikari's eyes widened in shock.
To be fair, Kamihane's kissing technique wasn't gentle; it was quite wild, marked by a sense of invasion and a desire to take.
Yet, Hikari didn't dislike this feeling—in fact, she became deeply immersed in this process, with the interplay between conquest and resistance creating a suffocating sweetness.
In the distance, the old badger who had come to observe curiously put on his sunglasses and turned away, heading toward the sea.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Kamihane slowly lifted his head, leaving a shimmering thread of moisture between their lips, swaying in the breeze, about to snap free.
"Still angry?" he asked softly, one hand tracing along Hikari's back, lightly pinching one of her furry cat ears.
"N-no… not angry anymore…" The beautiful woman in his arms felt her cheeks flush, overwhelmed with bashfulness.
"Good, then shall we continue?" he asked casually, his bright voice carrying an imposing authority.
"Let's continue; I think I've… gained some new insights into the understanding of natural energy…"
Kamihane raised an eyebrow in surprise. "This can actually speed up your training?"
"I… I'm not quite sure. Anyway, just let me down first…" Hikari stammered, her eyes widening in realization that she hadn't noticed when she was swept up into his arms.
Once safely on the ground, she let out a small sigh, then sat cross-legged on the ground, gradually clearing her mind of distractions to start feeling the natural energy swirling around her.
In fact, this was a rather dangerous process; one must not be disturbed when emptying the mind and merging with nature, or there was a risk of being invaded by natural energy, which could lead to retaliation — the consequences could be dire.
However, she felt no such concerns as she naturally sat on the ground, fully aware that the strongest protector in the ninja world was standing right beside her.
As she emptied her state of consciousness, Hikari formally began the process of refining Sage chakra. Following the inspirations that blossomed in her mind, she initiated her training.
Before long, a light and delicate aura began swirling around her, with bluish mist accompanying each breath she took, flowing endlessly in a surreal manner.
In Kamihane's astonished gaze, a radiant light began to glow at the base of Hikari's tailbone, and slowly, a long, fluffy tail extended out, soft and supple, deep blue in color and adorned with intricate patterns.
Her appearance also slightly transformed; the crimson eyeshadow at her corners darkened, while the whisker-like spiritual patterns on her face became even more mysterious and dazzling, resembling a beautiful beast-eared maiden.
"Oh my…" Kamihane was stunned, completely captivated by Hikari's beauty.
At this moment, he felt incredibly thankful that he had invested in the Poki sage art; that 20 billion Ryo was worth every penny!
It was absolutely worth it!!!
Hikari blinked her eyes slowly and then opened them. "Kamihane, I feel like I'm good to go again."
"I feel the same," Kamihane replied, taking her small hand and encircling her waist with the other, leaning in for another kiss. But she pushed him away dismissively.
"Idiot, I meant for training!"
"I was indeed training!" Kamihane mumbled, his face being reshaped by her gentle shove.
Hikari, unable to endure it any longer, grabbed his arm, skillfully flipping him over her shoulder in a smooth motion, slamming him into the ground with a loud crash that sent ripples through the air.
"Observing the process of training Sage techniques and testing the results, that's what you said, so take it seriously!"
Hikari puffed out her cheeks, furious, as she lifted her foot and stepped on Kamihane's face. Her foot was perfectly shaped and radiant, each toe daintily poised, like a work of art.
"Do you hear me?"
"I can't hear you," Kamihane replied, flipping over to the other side of his face, pretending to be dead.
"You!" Hikari was both embarrassed and angry, biting her ruby lips but then forgot her annoyance at his peculiar fascination.
"You like being stepped on, don't you?"
She took a few steps back, her crimson kaleidoscope Sharingan igniting in a brilliant glow, and all of her Sage chakra surged dramatically!
A mighty gust of wind whipped through, wreaking havoc across the land as a series of red, transparent rib-like structures quickly emerged, forming a massive skeleton that towered before them. Dark red energy surged like a tide, converging into a colossal figure, clad in Yamata no Orochi armor!
"Accumulated!" Hikari's fingers formed a fist, and her chakra flowed crazily outwards.
The red light surged, and a powerful wind began to swirl. The helmet of the ideal Susanoo snapped down, the tremendous eyes bursting with dazzling golden light, while Hikari's body levitated with the giant.
As the chakra fluctuations began to steady, a giant, fully-formed Susanoo, entirely red and adorned with majestic wings, appeared before them!
Standing nearly 200 meters in the air, Hikari basked in the palpable energy of her Susanoo, her left leg curled up while her right foot lightly pointed toward the earth, her clan robe billowing like flames, stunningly beautiful.
Under her control, the dark red warrior of Susanoo looked down at Kamihane, slowly lifting one colossal foot.
"You like being stepped on, don't you?"
Kamihane widened his eyes, performing a swift "fish leap" to stand up, vanishing from sight.
With little hesitation, the Susanoo's right foot stomped down thunderously, causing the ground to explode, shaking the surface violently.
"Whoa, are you serious?!"
Kamihane wasn't one to back down either. He soared into the sky, his eyes dark as ink illuminated with the brilliant red light, as a more immense and overpowering chakra gushed forth from him, swirling like a flood!
He hovered mid-air, surrounded by a cyclone; accompanied by a deep and resonant roar, the dark Susanoo erupted from his being, standing with authority!
The crimson and black giants stood face to face, their sheer presence causing the air to tremble.
"Don't take it lightly," Hikari squinted with a light laugh, "My Susanoo is composed entirely of Sage chakra."
Kamihane shook his head lightly. "We'll see how strong it is after we test it."
With a sweeping motion, the black Susanoo raised its hand, shimmering with dark lightning in its palm, and a mighty ink-black spear emerged, woven with golden patterns, exuding overwhelming might.
"A divine weapon, huh? I have one of those too." Hikari brought her hands together, and her red Susanoo mimicked her movements, clasping its hands together, drawing them apart as a long-handled weapon gradually took shape.
The glow intensified, and a potent sharpness radiated outward as a long naginata appeared in the Susanoo's grasp.
"A divine weapon, right?" Kamihane smiled lightly and glanced around before saying, "To avoid the battle affecting the base, let's change the battlefield."
Hikari's eyes glistened with combat fervor. "That's exactly what I had in mind!"
The two fully-formed Susanoo's simultaneously bent their knees, spreading their wings wide as they shot into the sky with a deafening sonic boom!