Chapter 61: Ryuzen vs. Kimimaro
BOOM!
Dark red sword energy tore through the emerald green grassland, carving a massive gash in the earth. Seven or eight meters high, two or three meters wide—the slash was an exaggerated display of power that would have killed most opponents instantly.
Kimimaro had already retreated the moment he sensed danger. His dull eyes narrowed as he recognized the technique.
So it's you.
"You're the swordsman genius Kabuto mentioned." His voice was calm despite the near-death experience. "If it's you... ordinary methods won't work."
Orange-red light flared from the Curse Mark on his chest. Black lines spread across his body like cracked earth as he activated its power.
With a bone sword in one hand, he raised the other toward the incoming slash.
"Five Finger Drill!"
FWOOM—
Five finger bones shot from his fingertips like bullets, streaking toward the massive sword energy. They struck the wave of destruction like ants attacking an elephant—
And shattered instantly, ground to dust by the overwhelming force.
Kimimaro's expression didn't change. He had expected as much.
It's not just physically powerful. There's no chakra fluctuation at all. How does he do it?
The sword energy continued its advance. Kimimaro waited until the last moment, then leaped sideways, letting the attack pass harmlessly by. The moment he landed, he launched himself forward—directly at Ryuzen.
"Fast and powerful," he observed as he closed the distance. "But too linear. Against a taijutsu specialist, that slash is useless."
Ryuzen drew his blade and advanced to meet him, a fighting grin spreading across his face. "Taijutsu specialist? You mean yourself?" His eyes flicked contemptuously over Kimimaro's pale, sickly form. "How much power can that diseased body of yours actually produce?"
Kimimaro's expression didn't waver. Beneath the calm, however, burned an unyielding will.
"I will persist until Sasuke reaches Orochimaru-sama."
CLANG—CRACK!
Blades met. The bone sword—forged from Kimimaro's own skeletal structure, dense as steel—snapped cleanly against Ryuzen's blade.
Kimimaro's eyes widened slightly. His gaze fixed on the black substance coating Ryuzen's sword.
"What ability is that?"
"Haki."
Ryuzen didn't pause to explain. He followed through, angling his blade toward Kimimaro's neck—a killing stroke.
"Willow Dance."
Kimimaro's body bent at an impossible angle. He spun violently, bone spikes erupting from his elbows, palms, and shoulders. As he rotated, the spikes hammered against Ryuzen's blade in rapid succession—CLANG CLANG CLANG—each impact carrying tremendous force.
The assault forced Ryuzen to focus on defending rather than attacking. For just a moment, his relentless pressure eased.
That moment was all Kimimaro needed.
The spinning bone spikes shifted target—from blade to arm.
RIP—SCREECH—!
The sleeve of Ryuzen's right arm tore away. Sharp bone scraped against his skin beneath, producing an awful grinding sound.
Ryuzen's brow furrowed. He kicked off, propelling himself backward across the grass.
He glanced down. His sleeve hung in tatters. Beneath, his skin showed red marks but remained unbroken. The Armament Haki had protected him.
Without that coating, my entire arm would be shredded.
For a swordsman, the sword arm was life itself.
Kimimaro studied him with those dull, dying eyes. "You don't fight like a bloodline limit user. Your movements suggest experience—but not the kind gained from fighting other taijutsu specialists."
Ryuzen's expression remained calm. "I have fought taijutsu users. Just none as skilled as you."
As he spoke, his damaged sleeve began repairing itself—the self-cleaning, self-repairing property of his kimono activating. In seconds, the fabric was whole again.
Then Ryuzen knelt. From his pant legs, he produced two heavy weights. He dropped them.
THUD.
The ground cratered slightly beneath their impact.
Kimimaro's face shifted almost imperceptibly. "Those were weights?"
Ryuzen straightened, rolling his shoulders. A fighting smile spread across his handsome features—the expression of someone finally enjoying himself.
"I've been reading your every move since we started. Now..." He settled into his stance. "Let's begin round two."
He vanished.
The wind of his passage swept across the grass as he reappeared before Kimimaro in less than two seconds.
So fast!
Kimimaro's body reacted on instinct, spinning into another Willow Dance. Bone spikes extended, rotating in a deadly whirlwind.
Ryuzen's right arm became a blur. His black-coated blade swung in rapid arcs, meeting each bone spike as it came.
CLANG CLANG CLANG—CRACK CRACK CRACK!
The sounds of impact merged into a continuous roar. Bone fragments flew in all directions as Ryuzen's blade sheared through every spike that approached.
His red eyes gleamed.
There.
A fraction of a second. A single breath where Kimimaro's rhythm faltered.
I've heard your breathing.
SWISH—THUNK!
Ryuzen's body became light itself. He passed through Kimimaro's guard, through his defense, through his body—emerging on the other side in an instant.
Behind him, Kimimaro froze.
Blood erupted from his chest. A massive gash crossed his torso, ribs beneath cleanly severed. The wound was fatal. Should have been fatal.
Ryuzen began sheathing his sword—
And his face changed.
WHOOSH—
Chakra exploded from his feet. He vanished.
The instant he moved, a massive bone spike erupted from the ground where he had been standing—thick as a tree trunk, sharp as a spear. It would have impaled him completely.
"I... can't fall yet..."
Kimimaro's voice came thick with blood. His face had twisted with desperate will, features almost feral. Blood streamed from his mouth, from his chest wound, but his eyes still burned.
I can't let such a terrifying enemy reach Sasuke!
The Curse Mark on his chest flared again—orange-red light brighter than before. The black lines covering his body deepened, spread, and his form began to change. Muscles bulged. Bones shifted beneath skin.
Ryuzen reappeared at a distance, watching the transformation with narrowed eyes. His Kenbunshoku Haki painted a grim picture.
His breathing is getting weaker. His body is failing. But his will...
He's going to fight me to the death.
Murderous intent flickered in Ryuzen's crimson eyes.
This version of Kimimaro didn't threaten him much. The sick boy's power was impressive, but he was already dying. In a straight fight, Ryuzen would win.
But that desperation—that willingness to sacrifice everything—made Kimimaro dangerous in ways normal opponents weren't. Desperate enemies did unpredictable things. And there was one technique Ryuzen remembered clearly from the original story.
The Bone Forest. A technique that would cover this entire area in impenetrable spikes, killing everything within range.
I can't let him use that.
Ryuzen's hand tightened on his sword.
This ends now.
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
Where you can read Extra Advance Chaters
Bonus Chapter For Every 100 Power Stones
Lets hit the goal of 300 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕