Chapter 60: The Bone User
Dawn broke through the night, bringing with it a fresh morning.
Team 8 and Gaara's team finally caught up to the five-man retrieval squad—or rather, to what remained of their path of destruction.
"Akimichi Chōji... what happened to him?"
The six figures landed on a tree branch overlooking a scene of devastation. Kankuro's eyes fixed on the unconscious form of Akimichi Chōji lying in a crater of shattered earth, his expression showing genuine surprise.
In the Chunin Exams, that guy had been easily defeated by one of the Sound ninja. Yet the destruction around him spoke of a battle far beyond what Kankuro would have expected.
Ryuzen barely glanced at Chōji. His eyes closed briefly, Kenbunshoku Haki spreading outward. When they opened, he pointed toward the left.
"Shino. He's still alive. Stay with him." His gaze shifted. "Hinata, you lead from here."
Shino nodded silently and descended toward the fallen ninja.
The remaining five continued forward.
This time, Hinata took point, her Byakugan active and scanning constantly.
Temari watched her for a moment, then glanced at Kankuro. The look they exchanged carried mutual surprise.
They're actually a perception team.
A perception team meant a unit where every member specialized in sensory abilities. Usually, such teams excelled at detection but lacked combat power.
Team 8 was different.
The Hyūga clan's Byakugan. The Aburame clan's insect senses. And Yagyu Ryuzen himself—during his match against Hyūga Neji, he had fought blindfolded as though his eyes still worked. No visual perception needed.
Incredible.
Kankuro and Temari shared another glance, barely suppressing shudders.
A monster-level team.
Neither Ryuzen nor Hinata noticed their companions' internal reactions. Hinata's Byakugan had already locked onto the next battlefield.
They arrived minutes later.
The scene was worse than the last.
Hyūga Neji lay on the ground, multiple arrows protruding from his back. His body was still, his chakra faint.
Hinata's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes widening in horror. "Ne... Neji-nii-san!"
Ryuzen studied the fallen prodigy for a moment, then spoke calmly: "Hinata. Stay with him. Wait for medical support or the mission's end. I'll return for you."
Hinata swallowed her fear and nodded. "Be careful, Ryuzen-kun."
He was already gone, Gaara's team following close behind.
The sun climbed higher, painting the sky in shades of gold.
They passed more battlefields—each one marked by destruction, by the aftermath of desperate fights. Nara Shikamaru's tactical genius had extracted a heavy toll from the enemy, but it had also taken everything from his team.
When morning fully arrived, Ryuzen—silent for hours—suddenly spoke:
"Two o'clock. Northeast. Nara Shikamaru's signature. Support him."
Temari didn't question his tone. She remembered the lazy genius who had outsmarted her in the Chunin Exams. A small smile crossed her face.
"I'm on it."
She vanished into the trees.
Ryuzen's gaze shifted. "Nine o'clock. Due west. That one's yours."
Kankuro nodded and departed without comment.
Now only Ryuzen and Gaara remained.
Without their teammates to match pace, both accelerated dramatically. Afterimages flickered through the forest as they pushed their speed to the limit.
Ryuzen's Kenbunshoku Haki stretched wide, searching constantly for one specific signature.
Then he found it.
He glanced at Gaara. "Faster."
Gaara nodded expressionlessly. Sand swirled around him, propelling him forward.
Ten minutes later, they burst from the forest onto a vast grassland.
Two figures fought in the distance—one blond and surrounded by shadow clones, one pale and wielding impossible weapons.
"Dammit! Get out of my way!"
Naruto and his clones swarmed the silver-haired boy, but the enemy's bone swords swept through them like smoke. Each clone popped on contact, accomplishing nothing.
The pale boy—Kimimaro—destroyed the last clone and charged at the real Naruto. His dull eyes burned with a desperate light. He was spending his final moments, his last strength, to serve the one who needed him.
CLANG!
The bone sword stopped dead.
A black-coated scabbard had intercepted it—no blade drawn, just a simple block.
Kimimaro's lifeless eyes focused on the boy who had appeared between him and his target.
"Who are you?"
Before Ryuzen could answer, Naruto's shocked voice rang out:
"Ryuzen! Yes! You're here!"
Despite everything—despite the desperate chase, the exhaustion, the fear—Naruto's face lit up with relief. He didn't resent Ryuzen for being stronger, for being more popular, for having the girl Naruto had once crushed on. None of that mattered.
Ryuzen was here. Ryuzen would handle this.
Ryuzen glanced back at him briefly. "Naruto. Go. I'll handle this one."
"Got it!" Naruto didn't hesitate. He trusted Ryuzen completely. He ran past Kimimaro without a backward glance.
Kimimaro let him go. His attention was entirely fixed on the boy before him.
This person...
Kimimaro studied Ryuzen with those dull, dying eyes. Something about the way he stood, the way he held himself, the way his presence seemed to fill the space around him—it spoke of danger far beyond ordinary.
Ryuzen lowered the scabbard, the black Armament Haki fading from its surface. His right hand settled on the sword's hilt.
"Gaara. Go with him. Bring Naruto back."
Gaara nodded silently and dissolved into swirling sand, chasing after Naruto.
Wind swept across the grassland, pressing the green blades flat.
Only two figures remained.
Ryuzen and Kimimaro.
Their eyes met. In that gaze, cold light flashed—killer recognizing killer, monster acknowledging monster.
SWISH—
Ryuzen's hand moved.
The draw was too fast to follow. Dazzling white light exploded outward, transforming into dark red sword energy that painted the daytime sky in blood.
Kimimaro's eyes widened slightly as death approached.
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