As the pressure of the blade intensified, Takuma could clearly feel the strength behind it increasing.
His thin arms trembled slightly under the force, and from the corner of his eye, he spotted a Chūnin rapidly closing in from the flank.
The blade swung behind him in a tight arc, aiming for his blind spot.
Time was running out.
Takuma took a deep breath and surged all the chakra left in his system.
Dance of the Camellia!
Dozens of white bone spikes erupted violently from his back and arms, intercepting the blade mid-swing and forcing Bai Shui to leap backward.
Ten Finger Drilling Bullets!
Takuma pivoted, raising his hand toward the approaching ninja — Youmu. His fingertips extended sharply, launching pointed bone projectiles with deadly precision.
Shlkt!
The bones pierced Youmu's body cleanly.
But something was wrong.
"No… the texture's off," Takuma muttered, narrowing his eyes.
His instincts screamed danger. He twisted defensively just as the glint of a blade flashed.
A water-blue blade crashed against the bone armor on his side, sending him flying from the impact.
Water Style: Hard Water Blade.
Youmu maintained the posture of a drawn slash, standing tall as Takuma crashed to the ground. His lips curled into a sneer.
"Impressive. I didn't expect a bloodline limit user."
Without hesitation, he formed another hand seal.
Water Style: Wild Water Wave!
A condensed stream of pressurized water shot forward, slamming into Takuma's motionless form.
Seeing no further movement, Youmu cautiously approached.
"Captain, should we execute or capture?"
Bai Shui walked over calmly, her eyes on the crumpled form.
"Capture. We'll interrogate him."
"Yes."
Youmu sheathed his blade, crouched down, and hoisted the body over his shoulder.
"…Huh? Why is it so light?"
He blinked, confused. Bai Shui turned toward him.
Their eyes met.
"Wait—something's wrong!"
Youmu gripped tightly, but it was too late.
Crack!
A long, dense white bone dropped to the ground with a thud — hollow and lifeless.
Bone Clone.
A secret technique unique to those who've awakened the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku, this advanced body-replacement jutsu crafted a clone entirely from hardened skeletal material. Unlike standard shadow clones or transformation decoys, bone clones resisted physical damage and left behind no chakra signature. Only full destruction would undo the illusion.
Bai Shui's gentle features darkened.
"Pursue."
On the opposite end of the village, Takuma sprinted through narrow alleyways, cradling his bruised right arm.
"Damn… Chakra's nearly depleted."
The forbidden techniques he used earlier — especially Dance of the Camellia and Ten Finger Drilling Bullets — had taxed his immature chakra network nearly to its limit.
His body couldn't replenish chakra fast enough to keep up.
Which meant only one thing — avoid fighting at all costs.
Clenching his jaw, Takuma scanned the dark corridors, searching for a familiar route. He turned corners silently, pressing his back against cold stone and keeping his heartbeat low.
Luckily, the night's main assault had diverted most high-ranking shinobi. That, combined with his inherited jonin-level memories of patrol schedules and escape tunnels, gave him a fleeting advantage.
He stared at an elevated platform for a long time, watching the shadows. After confirming there was no movement, he slipped into a nearby bush and pressed forward, crawling carefully.
Only when he was a full street away did he allow himself to exhale.
If he could stay hidden for another ten minutes, he could reach the cliffside exit tunnel — one of the few remaining relics from the Warring States period.
He was so close.
Takuma felt a flicker of hope ignite in his chest. His expression brightened slightly as he pressed onward.
But…
"Captain. He went this way."
Youmu crouched by the dirt path, tracing footmarks, disturbed grass, and flecks of blood.
Takuma's hasty escape had left behind clear signs — heavy steps, unmasked chakra leakage, and broken brush.
"Move."
Bai Shui's command was quiet, but her presence was undeniable. The team followed her silently as she led the charge.
Meanwhile, deeper in the woods, Takuma swatted at another threat.
"What's with all these snakes in the Land of Water?!"
He impaled a serpent with a sharpened bone spike, stepping over the limp corpse.
While he hadn't yet run into more ninja, the wild beasts of the forest — particularly venomous snakes — were becoming a serious problem.
Many were native to the swamps and humid terrain of Kirigakure's outskirts, but their aggression and unusual numbers were starting to bother him.
He couldn't afford to waste chakra or time on animals.
He needed every breath just to survive.
In this way, his already slow pace was further delayed.
Takuma pushed aside dense undergrowth and crossed a narrow clearing. The pale moonlight poured down like liquid silver. A strange sensation rose in his chest — instinctive, primal.
He looked up.
"Knew it… it wasn't going to be easy."
Perched atop the high branches, Bai Shui, Youmu, and Heifang — three elite shinobi of Kirigakure — stared down at him, unmoving and alert.
He stood exposed in the clearing.
Takuma didn't speak. He merely clenched his left fist tightly.
"I'll ask again," he called up. "If I surrender… will you spare me?"
His voice was calm, but laced with tension.
Bai Shui offered no reply. Instead, she slowly unsheathed her blade, the moonlight glinting across its edge.
Takuma lowered his head, inhaled slowly, and forced a sharpened bone spike from the center of his palm.
"You think I'm afraid of you?"
He smirked arrogantly, and hurled the bone like a spear with full strength toward Bai Shui.
As Bai Shui prepared to deflect it mid-air, her eyes suddenly flickered with realization. She pivoted and caught the flying bone with her bare hand.
Her fingers clenched — and a faint whimper emerged from the bone.
"Agh!"
The "bone" began to twitch and deform in her grip — revealing its true form.
A disguised Bone Clone, molded in Takuma's image.
His real body was bound inside it.
Bai Shui's fingers tightened, and the clone cracked to reveal Takuma's genuine form, struggling in pain.
"I was almost tricked again," she said sweetly, a faint smile on her lips. "Since when did Brother Takuma get so clever?"
She raised the blunt side of her blade, aiming to knock him unconscious with one clean strike.
Dance of the Camellia!
Takuma, fueled by a sudden surge of chakra he didn't know he still had, released the bloodline limit technique in desperation.
Bone spikes erupted from his body in every direction. Bai Shui had no choice but to toss him away to avoid impalement.
Water Style: Stream Pillar!
Youmu was ready. He had already finished his seals, and a concentrated blast of water rocketed toward Takuma mid-air.
With no way to stabilize himself, Takuma could only watch it coming.
In his mind, memories of his fallen clan members flashed—battling to the last breath.
Dance of the Willow!
At the last moment, the bones protruding from his body softened, becoming whiplike and flexible. He spun rapidly in midair, generating a twisting shield of rotating bones.
The water jutsu dispersed harmlessly upon contact.
Ten Finger Drilling Bullets!
Landing in a low crouch, Takuma locked eyes on Youmu. His instincts surged to life. Bone projectiles shot from all ten fingers at blinding speed.
Youmu's pupils contracted. He rushed through hand seals, but it was too late.
Thwip—crack!
One of the bone bullets struck his shoulder, sending blood spraying.
"Argh!"
He staggered backward, trying to yank the bone from his wound.
Takuma wanted to finish him off immediately — but incoming attacks from the flanks forced him to stop and go on defense.
He grabbed Youmu and hurled him aside with one hand, then spun to deflect simultaneous assaults from Bai Shui and Heifang.
The Dance of the Willow technique made him nearly untouchable. Like the Hyuga Clan's Rotation, it protected him from all sides.
But unlike the Hyuga, Takuma's chakra was almost gone.
The mysterious boost he'd felt earlier was fading fast.
"I'll eliminate one first."
He focused on Heifang, planted his feet, and propelled himself forward with a burst of chakra.
Cross Slash!
Twin bone blades erupted from both arms, forming a deadly cross that cleaved through the space ahead, tearing across the air with visible pressure lines.
Shhlick!
But the impact felt… wrong.
Instead of flesh, his blades passed through water.
"Water Clone?" No. Hydrification Technique.
Heifang's body melted into a puddle, rippling harmlessly as the bone blades sliced through. He had used Hozuki Clan's signature jutsu, liquefying his body just in time to avoid the kill strike.
"Damn Jonin-level monsters!"
Takuma cursed internally. The chakra that had empowered him was nearly gone, his body sluggish again.
"I have to retreat. I'll leave bone clones as decoys… Maybe that'll buy me time."
Without hesitating, he turned and fled into the woods.
But after only a few steps, he froze.
So did Bai Shui and Heifang, who had just regrouped.
Their eyes weren't on Takuma anymore — they were locked ahead, focused deep within the trees.
Someone stood in the shadows beyond.
Takuma's breath caught in his throat. His body tensed involuntarily.
From the darkness, a figure emerged.
His skin was pale. His face bore heavy purple eye markings. His hair was long, black, and sleek. And his serpentine eyes gleamed yellow and vertical — inhuman and cold.
The air around him seemed to thicken, pressing down on the clearing with invisible weight.
"Th-that face…"
Takuma's voice trembled as he took a shaky step back.
"Orochimaru…"
An icy chill ran down his spine.
It felt like falling into a frozen sea.