Chapter 84: Hinata's Answer
However, the so-called Corpse Manipulation Technique was not without its weaknesses.
In the original story, the strength Kabuto displayed during the Sannin Showdown gave no indication that he possessed the so-called ability to fight on par with Kakashi.
In reality, it wasn't that Kabuto was deliberately hiding his strength in that battle, but that he had happened to meet his natural counter.
That's right, we're talking about the Monstrous Strength Technique, which was known to destroy a puppet with a single punch and completely dominate puppet masters.
The Corpse Manipulation Technique, which originated from the "Puppet Manipulation Technique," also inherited this weakness. In fact, the difference between the two manipulation techniques was just that one used puppets and the other used corpses; their fighting styles were actually very similar.
Both were high-offense, high-defense types that focused on physical attacks. Ordinary attacks had little effect on them, but once their defense was broken, it would be very troublesome. A technique like Tsunade's Monstrous Strength could reduce them to dregs with a single punch. A living person with enough speed might be able to dodge it, but puppets were not so agile.
Puppets would be destroyed one by one by the Monstrous Strength Technique, and corpses were, of course, no exception.
But then again, what living person could withstand a punch from Tsunade head-on?
In the original story, Jiraiya had once said, "I have nearly died twice. Once was when I was training with Naruto and saw him sprout a fourth tail, and the other time was when I was peeping on Tsunade in a hot spring..."
One punch had nearly killed one of the Sannin, Jiraiya.
The power was evident.
That was why Kabuto had directly abandoned the Corpse Manipulation Technique in that battle, because it was meaningless.
It wasn't until later, when Kabuto combined it with the Reanimation Jutsu to develop "Reanimation Manipulation," that he completely made up for this weakness of "Corpse Puppet Manipulation." Reanimation Manipulation was essentially a mass-production version of the Reanimation Jutsu. The original intention of the Second Hokage when he invented this ninjutsu was just to have corpses carry out some suicide tactics. Later, Orochimaru discovered the potential of this ninjutsu and improved it into the version he used against the Third Hokage. "Reanimation Jutsu—Orochimaru Version" achieved the goal of resurrecting the dead and controlling them in battle by cloning the deceased's body and summoning their soul—as for how this was done, it will be explained in later chapters.
The original version, "Reanimation Return," could initially only revive the dead to carry out suicide missions or tactics, at best considered an interesting and practical tactical-level ninjutsu. Orochimaru's improved "Reanimation Jutsu" could simultaneously summon and control a small number of the dead to fight. Although the deceased were weaker than when they were alive, it was still a powerful supplement to the caster's combat power. Even for a ninja of Orochimaru's level, it was a core tactical-level ninjutsu. Kabuto's final version, "Reanimation Manipulation," summoned the dead with strength very close to when they were alive and incorporated the characteristics of the Corpse Puppet Manipulation Technique, allowing him to simultaneously summon and control a large number of the dead. It could be called a strategic-level ninjutsu.
In his later stages, Kabuto was at most at the level of an ordinary Kage, but this ninjutsu gave him the confidence to form an army of one and independently fight against the Allied Shinobi Forces. His strength instantly swelled by thousands of times. The number of powerhouses in the history of the ninja world who could achieve this was few and far between. It was truly admirable.
From this point of view, after the iterative evolution of three generations of geniuses, following the evolutionary path of Reanimation Return—Reanimation Jutsu—Reanimation Manipulation, it had already evolved into a top-tier BUG ninjutsu in the Naruto world.
Then again, the Second Hokage's ninjutsu didn't gain much fame in his own hands. On the contrary, after being improved by later generations, they had all become their signature ninjutsu and shone brilliantly. Besides the Reanimation Jutsu, there was also the Flying Raijin Jutsu, which was the Fourth's core tactic—originating from the Second's Flying Raijin Slash, as well as our protagonist Sakura's advanced tactic, the Water Gun Jutsu—originating from the Second's Water Severing Wave...
But let's get back to the topic.
Against Hinata, Kabuto naturally did not need to be so cautious.
Even though the Byakugan could see through a puppet's mechanisms and the chakra flow of a corpse puppet, in Hinata's no-blind-spot vision, it was simply impossible to use a hidden ninjutsu or other tactics to trick her.
It was just that the gap in their combat power was huge. Kabuto didn't need to fight stealthily at all. He didn't need complex tactics, just—
A frontal assault.
The advantage was huge; just A-move.
Simple, crude, and effective. One force can overcome ten skills. The gap in their combat power was too large. Even if Hinata's Gentle Fist was no weaker than Neji's, so what?
Fists and palms met, figures intertwined. The slender figure of the black-haired girl weaved and turned amidst the siege of the corpse puppets.
Her Gentle Fist was unpredictable, a balance of hard and soft. When soft, it was like flowing water, sticking and following, deflecting and pulling. When hard, it was like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, its force like smashing mountains and splitting seas. One punch could penetrate to the spine, rupturing internal organs.
However, the corpse puppets were, after all, already corpses. The Gentle Fist, which was quite effective against the living, was a bit weak against them. Pressure point strikes could block the flow of chakra, but it had little effect on the corpse puppets, which mainly attacked with taijutsu. The hard force of the Gentle Fist could directly break the arms and bones of the corpse puppets with one punch, but the puppets, which knew no pain, would not even frown and would continue to charge forward. Even if their movements were hindered, Kabuto could continue to control their tattered bodies with chakra from the shadows. Therefore, they had to be beaten until they completely lost their ability to move!
At this time, the battle was already nearing its end.
Unconsciously, a mess of corpses was already lying on the ground around the girl—the word "mess" was used because the mangled pieces of these beaten bodies were already beyond description.
After repelling another wave of attacks from the corpse puppets, Hinata leaned on her knees. Sweat dripped down her cheeks to the ground, and her panting gradually became uncontrollable.
Looking up, a look of despair flashed in the girl's eyes for an instant, before it was replaced by determination.
All around her, another new wave of corpse puppets was closing in!
Then—a rain of ninja tools, pouring down in an assault!
The black-haired girl's Byakugan flared, the trajectories of the attacking ninja tools imprinted in her black and white vision. Her right hand quietly reached out, tracing an exquisite arc in the air. The next moment, the fastest and sharpest kunai was suddenly grasped tightly by a hand, and then—
"Clang, clang, clang—!"
The sound of ninja tools violently colliding!
The girl spun her body, blocking high and low. Her body was like a swimming fish, either dodging or catching. The wave of ninja tools shot by the corpse puppets, which seemed to be impenetrable and inescapable, still had loopholes in the no-blind-spot vision of the Byakugan. Her agile figure was like a falling leaf drifting in a storm, weaving and turning, always looking as if she were at ease.
She had withstood another wave of attacks!
It was just that...
Her slightly trembling arms hinted at the sharp decline in Hinata's stamina. The continuous attacks had not given her any chance to breathe. The Gentle Fist, while it was enduring, could not withstand such consumption!
She was certain to lose.
Hinata was very clear about the condition of her own body. She had already used up all her trump cards, and had even risked using the pressure point technique that greatly amplified her chakra circulation. The muscles all over her body were already going limp. It was almost a miracle that she could hold on until now.
The next wave of attacks would probably be her last, right?
With victory in his grasp, the corpse puppets did not move.
Kabuto's voice came eerily from the shadows.
"Lady Hinata, it's truly remarkable that you've been able to hold on until now... But this is already your limit, isn't it? You've already lost."
Kabuto's figure walked out from the darkness. Behind his glasses, his seemingly ordinary eyes held an inexplicable gaze.
"So, can you tell me which direction Sasuke went? After all, away from the sight of Kakashi and the Anbu, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture Sasuke... As a reward, I can spare your life. How about it?"
The answer he got was a pair of stubborn eyes.
"Even if you kill me... I will not betray my comrades!"
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