"Brat…"
Staring at Neji, Shinno's expression gradually hardened.
Lacking dojutsu, he couldn't see the changes on Neji's body beneath his clothing. But his keen sensitivity to chakra told him that his opponent had undergone some transformation in that instant, with chakra levels surging several times over!
"Here I come!"
Having fully unleashed the bio-exoskeleton, Neji didn't opt for passive defense. Instead, he launched an offensive with his Gentle Fist.
"Courting death!"
Shinno charged forward to meet him.
Bang bang bang.
In the swirling dust, the two clashed like phantoms!
Shinno's taijutsu followed the steel fist style—direct, forceful, and heavy. But his true talent wasn't in taijutsu, so his moves lacked the unyielding resolve typical of steel fist shinobi.
Yet the boost from the Eight Gates Release was ferocious, especially since Shinno, aided by forbidden medical techniques, had opened the Seventh Shock Gate, multiplying his speed and strength. Even a Gentle Fist master like Hiashi couldn't match him.
But Neji was different.
The full release of the bio-exoskeleton drastically enhanced Neji's overall abilities. Though still not on par with Shinno in the Shock Gate, he could just barely keep up with his rhythm.
And as long as he could match the pace, his dojutsu and taijutsu talent could shine!
"So strong!"
Seeing Neji hold his own against Shinno single-handedly, the nearby Hyuga clan members widened their eyes in shock.
These elite Hyuga shinobi couldn't last a few rounds against Shinno in his Shock Gate state.
Hiashi's astonishment was no less than the others'.
His mouth hung open, his eyes filled with disbelief.
But unlike the other Hyuga, who were too far to see clearly, his Byakugan caught more details.
Neji's tightly wrapped clothing couldn't block Hiashi's insight, so the moment Neji unleashed the bio-exoskeleton, Hiashi noticed the anomaly on his body—and the second pair of Byakugan eyes on Neji's back, curiously observing him.
"How does Neji have a second pair of Byakugan?"
Hiashi was plunged into deep confusion.
…
Not far off.
The demon Moryo continued its rampage, each strike leveling several buildings. Since breaching the outer wall, it had already demolished multiple streets nearby.
Fortunately, more Leaf shinobi arrived, their ninjutsu—especially large-scale Earth Release techniques—starting to restrict Moryo's movements.
But because Moryo drew so much attention, few noticed the fierce battle between Shinno and Neji in the dust cloud, leaving no reinforcements to aid them.
…
Atop an apartment building near the ninja academy.
Kimimaro stood quietly on a water tank, gazing indifferently at the war-torn Hidden Leaf Village.
He felt no attachment to this place.
Or rather, he was never one to be swayed by emotions. Across the entire shinobi world, only a handful of people could stir his feelings.
Suddenly, he turned his head toward the breach in the outer wall.
The half of 'H' parasitizing him spoke: "You felt it too, didn't you? 'G' must be in trouble. He just unleashed me!"
"Mm."
Kimimaro nodded.
'H' asked: "Aren't you going to check on him?"
Kimimaro shook his head: "Without orders from the leader, unleashing my state in the village is forbidden."
"Such a cold guy," 'H' remarked, then shared Neji's current emotions with Kimimaro through the half of itself parasitizing Neji.
Feeling Neji's emotions, a flicker of sentiment finally appeared on Kimimaro's stoic face.
'H' said flatly: " 'G' can't hold out long on his own."
Kimimaro hesitated.
Normally, without orders from Orochimaru or Shinji, he wouldn't act.
His sensitive identity meant he couldn't move freely.
He'd never found issue with this before—solitude suited him. But today, his usual principles suddenly felt… restrictive.
Swish.
With a gust of wind, Kimimaro vanished from the water tank.
…
At the shelter's entrance.
After safely escorting Shion and Sakura inside, Yakumo rushed out to help others fend off the Akatsuki invaders.
Suddenly, her expression froze.
She saw a figure approaching the shelter, effortlessly defeating every Leaf shinobi who tried to stop him along the way.
"Hiruko…"
Yakumo's face darkened.
Hiruko, wielding five Bloodline Limits and harboring an inexplicable hatred for the Hidden Leaf, was the last Akatsuki member she wanted to face.
With her Koryugan, she could barely track Hiruko's Swift Release. But now, with only her Ketsuryugan, she stood no chance.
Swish swish swish.
At that moment, a squad landed in front of Hiruko, blocking his path.
The leader, wielding a long blade, was Hayate Gekko, a special jonin. The other three in the squad were also special jonin tasked with guarding the shelter's entrance.
"If I team up with these seniors, we might hold Hiruko back!"
With that thought, Yakumo hurried toward the jonin squad to join them.
The squad had already engaged Hiruko. Hayate, one hand forming seals, the other gripping his blade, shouted: "Leaf-Style Swordsmanship: Dance of the Crescent Moon!"
Instantly, Hayate and two shadow clones attacked Hiruko from three directions with fierce slashes!
Clang.
But Hiruko didn't dodge. He simply raised a hand, catching Hayate's blade between two fingers, letting the clones' blades strike his body.
The sharp blades, meant to cleave him in two, produced only a piercing metallic clash against his body.
Hayate's face twisted in shock: "How?!"
With a twist of his fingers, Hiruko snapped the blade in half with a clang.
Before the broken blade hit the ground, Hiruko flickered like a phantom, appearing almost simultaneously before each member of the squad, including Hayate's clones, and with a single punch each, he swiftly crushed the entire team!
It happened so fast that Yakumo didn't even have time to reach them.