Touching a female ninja's face without permission was a major violation of ninja world etiquette. Depending on who you touched, it was a fast way to get yourself killed.
...Honestly, in any world, touching a woman's face without asking usually carried the risk of total annihilation, whether socially or physically.
Just now, Kamishiro Hagoromo had slipped into Terumi Mei's blind spot. She had been too busy trying to slit Kakashi's throat to notice him in time to dodge.
He instantly triggered his Lightning Style. Boosted by the speed, he used that bizarre, physics-defying ninja run, keeping his body low to appear right in front of her. Moving at blinding speed, he thrust his lightning-wreathed right arm upward like a spear, slapping her squarely in the face with a loud smack.
Then, grabbing her head, he slammed her into a half-collapsed wall.
Given the brutal force behind Hagoromo's physical strikes and the average durability of a ninja's skull, if that hit had connected solidly, her brains would have painted the wall.
Unfortunately, she managed to use a Substitution Jutsu to escape the fatal blow.
This actually surprised Hagoromo. Between the speed of his strike and the paralyzing shock of his Lightning Style, the window to actually pull off a Substitution Jutsu was practically zero—especially when being hit with a sneak attack.
That was why he had praised her.
Hagoromo smiled a charming smile, though no one could see it under his mask.
Terumi Mei probably had a charming smile too, but right now her face was a mask of pure rage and humiliation.
Her hair was standing on end, sparking randomly with static electricity. Worse, completely ruining her aesthetic, there was a bright red handprint plastered across her cheek.
It was very noticeable.
So, rather than responding to Hagoromo's twisted compliment, she just glared. Her mind was entirely focused on the memory of that hand expanding in her vision.
Meanwhile, Hagoromo was weighing his options. Was killing the future Mizukage right here a good idea or a bad one?
Honestly, his previous actions had already answered that. If she hadn't dodged so perfectly, he would have already killed her.
They were enemies on a battlefield. If they clashed, they fought to kill. As for the future... that was a problem for another day.
But just as Hagoromo prepared to press the attack, thick mist suddenly swirled around him.
Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu? He recognized it instantly, but...
Using a chakra-heavy technique like this just to block his vision in the middle of a snowy environment was a massive drain on stamina. Wasn't the cost a bit too high?
The Silent Killing technique was incredibly deadly, but unfortunately, you really shouldn't use it against a sensory-type ninja.
The Kubikiribocho carved through the mist. It carried a heavy, unstoppable momentum, yet it didn't make a single sound.
Momochi Zabuza had abandoned Kakashi and launched a surprise attack on Hagoromo.
It seemed Hagoromo's entrance and the power he had just displayed made Zabuza realize he was the bigger threat.
But was Zabuza's attack going to work?
Of course not. Hagoromo could read his movements perfectly. The mist was an annoyance, but it didn't make him blind.
Not to mention...
Violent Lightning Style flared to life around him, the intense burst of chakra instantly blasting away the thick fog.
Zabuza was exposed. He was mid-swing, preparing to cleave Hagoromo in half at the waist with the Kubikiribocho.
Zabuza was well-trained and knew the proper techniques for wielding the massive sword, but he was still just a kid. He lacked the height and raw physical strength to fully control the blade.
When the heavy iron was still 30 centimeters away from Hagoromo's waist, the Lightning Style began tearing into the metal.
Sparks of electricity crawled up the blade, jumping wildly across the steel.
The numbing shock traveled up the hilt, making Zabuza flinch, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through.
5 centimeters.
4, 3, 2, 1...
The edge was about to connect. Did he get him?
In that split second, Hagoromo folded his body forward, bending sharply at the waist as the heavy blade skimmed harmlessly past his back.
Realizing he missed, Zabuza didn't panic. He killed the sword's momentum and smoothly shifted the horizontal slash into a downward vertical chop.
However, before Zabuza could even flip the blade, Hagoromo was already moving, and he was much faster.
The moment the Kubikiribocho passed him, Hagoromo snapped upright. With his palms facing inward, he clenched his fists, drove both elbows downward, and simultaneously drove his right knee up.
As he moved, an even more explosive surge of Lightning Style erupted!
The broad flat of the Kubikiribocho was caught perfectly between his two dropping elbows and his rising knee.
Many ninjas used Lightning Style, but everyone had their own style. Hagoromo's approach wasn't balanced between offense and defense; it was purely aggressive. He usually condensed his lightning into blades as thin as a cicada's wing.
It was completely different from the Raikage's balanced, full-body armor approach.
But right now, Hagoromo wasn't using finesse. This was pure, blunt-force violence.
It looked exactly like a Raikage's brutal wrestling moves, like the Guillotine Drop or the Liger Bomb.
Clang!!
Three points of impact hit the Kubikiribocho at the exact same time, producing a single, deafening ring of straining metal.
If the steel had enough flex and memory, the strike would have bent the massive sword into a 'W' shape.
But it didn't. Under the sheer violence of the Lightning Style, the blade instantly shattered into four pieces.
Zabuza was much smarter than the previous owner. Seeing the sheer power of the lightning and realizing exactly what Hagoromo was doing, he immediately let go of the hilt and jumped backward, escaping the electrical field.
Just like that, it was destroyed. The tip of the Kubikiribocho was sent spinning violently through the air, vibrating wildly!
As for the hilt and the jagged bottom half of the blade, Hagoromo casually snatched them right out of the air with his left hand.
"This is way easier to hold," Hagoromo said, casually spinning the broken sword in his hand as he turned toward Zabuza.
The shortened blade might have been a better fit for him, but Zabuza was dying inside.
The legendary Kubikiribocho had just been reduced to a heavy meat cleaver.
"Eyebrow-less kid, can you go back to fighting Kakashi? Try not to interrupt my chat with the lady."
Zabuza didn't say a word. But Kakashi, who had just rushed over, heard Hagoromo and gave him an incredibly weird look.
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