At that moment, an ordinary-looking leaf drifted down from the five-meter-tall armored puppet's head. Before it could touch the ground, however, it erupted into a puff of white smoke—revealing Umino Yoru's true form.
"Tch…"
A cold shiver ran down Umino's spine as the adrenaline of near-death gripped him.
Against that dense, all-encompassing forest of bones, evasion had been impossible. That final strike—had he not developed the Active Mizuame Clone technique based on the Water Clone jutsu, using it for a last-second feint, he would've been skewered without a doubt.
"White Blood Demon… you win. Cough—"
With those final words, Hyōga Momochi exhaled his last breath and toppled from the bone tree.
His once ash-gray hair now hung brittle and lifeless, his body drained beyond recovery. Clearly, trapped in the Active Mizuame and teetering on death's edge, Hyōga had burned every ounce of his vitality to unleash Dance of the Early Fern.
The bone spear that had impaled the Mizuame Clone? His final, desperate counterattack—a dying flare of defiance.
Umino steadied his breathing and unsealed a small storage scroll, sealing Hyōga's corpse inside.
"So the Shikotsumyaku is tied to Yang Release…"
Closing his eyes, Umino absorbed the sensory memories relayed by his shadow clones. The Dead Bone Pulse kekkei genkai involved profoundly intricate Yang Release principles—far more complex than Kisame's hair-based Yang techniques.
Thank the Sage I secured his body. Trying to reverse-engineer this through observation alone would've been impossible.
Now, with enough research, even if he couldn't replicate the Shikotsumyaku, he could still use Yang Release to enhance his bone density—maybe even overall physical prowess.
"Time to clean up."
Umino's gaze cut through the mist, locking onto the remnants of the Kiri forces trapped in the toxic labyrinth. His killing intent flared.
"Hm? A Yuki clan's Ice Release user?"
His sensory sweep paused at the skirmish between Pakura and a Kiri jonin. No wonder—against Pakura's Scorch Style, only a Yuki's Ice Release could hold ground.
Rather than assist Pakura immediately, Umino ordered his hidden shadow clone to maintain Sonic Radar, studying the Yuki's techniques. Meanwhile, his real body transformed into Zabuza, gripping the Executioner's Blade, and led a squad of disguised clones to hunt the scattered Kiri nin.
The deception was ruthless.
Umino and his clones morphed into all four Swordsmen, ambushing the disoriented Kiri forces with their own signature weapons—Hiramekarei, Executioner's Blade, Blastsword Kabutowari, and even a replica Lightning Blade.
Against such a "legendary" lineup, the poisoned, exhausted Kiri nin stood no chance.
In under ten minutes, Umino slaughtered the remaining elite forces, leaving only low-ranking stragglers for the Konoha Hundred to handle.
"Huh?"
A frown creased Umino's brow as memories flooded in—multiple shadow clones had been destroyed.
Kisame escaped the labyrinth.
The clones had intercepted, only to be obliterated effortlessly. Worse, Samehada had absorbed their chakra.
"Move."
Umino hadn't planned to pursue, but the clones' deaths ignited his fury. Resealing the four puppet swordsmen, he leaped onto Shiroō's back and gave chase.
Soon, he spotted Kisame, Zabuza, and Ao's squad.
"Puppet Technique: Falling Tower Crush!"
Four armored puppets plummeted from the sky, crushing the last Kiri survivors. Only Ao, the sensor-nin, dodged annihilation.
Yet Kisame and Zabuza ignored Umino entirely—their attention frantically scanning the surroundings.
They're searching for… Might Dai?
To them, the White Blood Demon paled in comparison to the monster who'd nearly killed them earlier.
"Samehada! What the hell are you doing?!"
The grotesque blade suddenly wrenched itself from Kisame's grip, morphing into a land-shark and slithering toward Umino with unsettling eagerness.
Umino blurred backward, putting distance between himself and the weapon.
Why is it fixated on me?!
He knew Samehada craved chakra—but his reserves were pitiful compared to legends like Kisame or Killer B. Unless…
"Kisame! Samehada's turned traitor! We're leaving!"
Zabuza, already paranoid, bolted without hesitation.
"Damn it! I never should've let it absorb those clones!"
Kisame's face twisted in regret. He'd known Samehada favored Umino's chakra—yet he'd fed it the shadow clones' energy anyway.
Now, weaponless and outnumbered by four elite-jōnin-level puppets, even Kisame recognized futility. With a final, resentful glare at Samehada, he fled.
Umino stood stunned.
They… just ran?
Against elite opponents, pursuit was pointless without Dai's speed. Sighing, he turned to the pouting Samehada.
"Of all people, why me? My chakra's a puddle compared to Kisame's ocean."
The blade writhed, almost… apologetically?
Unless… it's not the quantity.
A wild theory sparked.
What if it's the quality? My chakra's laced with natural energy from the Hashira training—could Samehada sense that?
Samehada thumped its tail like an eager pet.
Umino eyed it warily.
"This feels like adopting a landmine."
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