In the dense forest of the Land of Whirlpools, the water mist gradually dispersed.
But the crisp clashing of swords, the roar of ninjutsu, and ear-piercing screams continuously echoed through the forest.
However, at the center of the battlefield, Hyuga Makoto and Ao clashed together, which seemed slightly discordant compared to the rest.
The two of them were simply far too quiet...
Ao stared at Hyuga Makoto with a solemn expression and spoke coldly.
"Brat, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
"Nonsense?"
Hyuga Makoto let out a light chuckle, then spoke leisurely.
"Your chakra is rapidly gathering in your hands, and the muscles all over your body are visibly contracting. You are planning to try crushing me with raw power, aren't you?"
"You..."
"Your heart is beating a bit fast, and your pupils are slightly constricted. It seems I am right."
"..."
"Silence is useless. Your chakra is flowing faster, but the direction of the flow and the changes in your muscles indicate that you are planning to change your combat intentions?"
"Die!"
Ao truly didn't want to continue wasting words with Hyuga Makoto. This inexplicable feeling of having his entire body seen through made him incredibly uncomfortable.
He suddenly exerted force, pushing Hyuga Makoto away, and his chakra surged to the extreme!
"Water Release: Azure Dragon Piercing Hand!"
Hum—
Ao's figure became extremely fast like a phantom, and his Byakugan locked onto the chakra points on Hyuga Makoto's body.
With his hands covered in Water Release chakra, he rapidly blasted towards Hyuga Makoto's body!
"Do you know..."
However, Hyuga Makoto still appeared very calm. Watching Ao's offensive, he also assumed the stance of the Gentle Fist Art.
"Although you have the Byakugan, you are not from the Hyuga Clan. You are fundamentally unable to master this eye."
Bang—
The first punch, Hyuga Makoto easily blocked it.
The second punch, the third punch, he also used different Eight Trigrams Palm moves to block them one by one!
Ao's face turned somewhat ugly. He could only intensify his offensive, but Hyuga Makoto still calmly received the attacks.
"Perhaps I should praise you. For someone not from the Hyuga Clan to reach this level, you are quite capable."
"Shut up!"
Ao shouted in a low voice, and he fiercely struck out again.
But his movements had still been predicted by Hyuga Makoto. Even at the exact moment he attacked, Hyuga Makoto had already launched a strong counterattack!
Bang—
Accompanied by a muffled thud, an invisible shockwave surged out from the intersection of their fists!
The surrounding trees swayed continuously, and both Ao and Hyuga Makoto were forced to take a step back by the tremor of this clash.
However, just as Ao was about to execute the final move of his Water Release: Azure Dragon Piercing Hand, he suddenly realized that Hyuga Makoto had rushed over first!
Furthermore, to his astonishment, he saw a distinct change in the way Hyuga Makoto threw his punch. This change caused his eyes to widen.
"This is..."
This punch from Hyuga Makoto, apart from the chakra in his hand not being Water Release, was completely identical to the final move of his Azure Dragon Piercing Hand!
At this moment, Ao became even more bewildered.
"Could it be, is this the true power of the Byakugan?"
However, he quickly became serious and furious again, letting out a low roar.
"Don't get carried away, you brat!"
Amidst his roar, he met Hyuga Makoto's fist and executed the final stance of the Azure Dragon Piercing Hand.
He simply didn't believe that the original version couldn't beat a pirated copy!
"That's why I said you were getting anxious."
However, Hyuga Makoto revealed a faint smile.
"Did you forget that you are fundamentally unable to bring out the power of this eye, while I can see through your everything?"
In this split second, Hyuga Makoto suddenly paused, nimbly dodging Ao's punch.
At the same time, he turned his fist into a palm and struck heavily towards Ao's chest...
.....
"Why aren't they here yet?"
Elsewhere in the dense forest of the Land of Whirlpools, Uchiha Shisui was leading his squad, waiting for Ao's group.
According to the intelligence, the Kirigakure ninjas should have arrived a long time ago.
But there had been no movement up until now, which made them all feel strange.
"Chigetsu, any discoveries?"
Uchiha Shisui pondered for a moment before turning to look at one of his teammates.
Chigetsu was the sensory ninja of the squad, and he coordinated well with Uchiha Shisui.
Usually, he was responsible for providing the enemy's movements, while Shisui would use the powerful visual prowess of his Sharingan to eliminate the enemies from a distance.
Such seamless coordination made them invincible in their endeavors!
"Not for the time being, Captain Shisui."
Chigetsu shook his head. He thought for a moment before speaking.
"However, I sensed earlier that the Anbu supporting us left their ambush point and went ahead. Could they..."
"They moved?"
Shisui's expression became somewhat strange. He knew that a mission of this level would have Anbu support as reinforcements.
But usually, they would only move if an accident occurred. Under normal circumstances, they would remain hidden and take no action.
Why did these Anbu take the initiative to act now? Could there really be some unexpected variable here?
Boom, boom, boom—
But before he could think more about it, several roaring sounds suddenly erupted from the dense forest in the distance.
Chakra fluctuations also continuously spread out at this moment, to the point that even they could feel it!
"Oh no, they must have engaged in combat."
Shisui's expression changed, and he immediately formed a one-handed seal.
"You guys follow up immediately, I will go ahead to reinforce them!"
"Yes."
Shisui's teammates nodded. They all knew the speed of Shunshin no Shisui, and they would probably have a hard time keeping up.
Sure enough, after a slight movement of chakra, Shisui's figure vanished from his spot in an instant.
When he reappeared, he had already gone deep into the dense forest, sprinting rapidly towards the direction of the explosions!
His figure dragged out a series of phantoms in the forest, and as he continuously got closer, he could also hear the sound of a thousand birds chirping.
"Is it Senior Kakashi?"
Uchiha Shisui frowned. Prior to this, he truly didn't know who the Anbu squad supporting them was.
But now that he knew, he felt even more alert internally.
Even Kakashi had been deployed; this was enough to show the severity of the problem!
"I have to be a bit faster..."
Shisui pursed his lips. In an instant, his speed became even faster, and his eyes turned a crimson red.
Swish—
His figure was like a fierce gale, and before long, he had already rushed to the center of the battlefield.
However, at this moment, he was completely dumbfounded.
Because this place was already in a complete mess. Those Kirigakure ninjas were either dead or injured.
And in another spot, an Anbu who didn't look very old was engaged in combat with a Kirigakure ninja, and that person was...
"Is that, the Byakugan Killer Ao?"
But before he had time to delve deeper, he witnessed a horrifying scene!
He saw that Anbu nimbly dodge Ao's attack, and then land a heavy palm strike directly onto Ao's chest!
Pfft—
Ao instantly spat out a mouthful of blood, his body involuntarily retreating backward.
And that Anbu also leaped forward at this exact moment, his fist smashing heavily into Ao's stomach.
Ao's body instantly spasmed, arching up like a shrimp.
And that Anbu also quickly reached out his hands at this moment. His left hand grabbed Ao's hair, while his right hand went straight for Ao's eye!
Rip—
Blood splattered, and Ao's body fell heavily to the ground.
He covered his right eye, which was bleeding profusely, and his body trembled continuously.
Meanwhile, in the hands of this Anbu, a bloodshot Byakugan appeared so terrifying.
So terrifying that even Uchiha Shisui felt an inexplicable chill...
...