Rock Lee looked at Kimimaro, who was completely unharmed, and froze, his pupils contracting.
"How is that possible...?"
"In that case, I'll just speed up and use more force."
Rock Lee raised his bleeding right hand, assuming a starting stance, when a piercing pain suddenly struck him.
"Ugh!"
He grunted, his legs gave out, and he fell to his knees. The Fifth Gate had aggravated his old injuries, and his body's endurance had reached its limit.
"I can't fall yet! I promised Naruto I'd stop you!" Rock Lee struggled desperately to stand up.
Suddenly, a gentle voice came, "Alright, Lee, you've done well. Leave the rest to me. You should rest now."
Rock Lee struggled to look up, only to see Aoki Yoru standing beside him, smiling gently.
Seeing the familiar figure, Rock Lee breathed a sigh of relief, lay down on the ground, and smiled.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Senior Yoru."
Kimimaro, seeing Aoki Yoru appear, his expression changed, and he said in a low voice:
"thunder prison kirin — Aoki Yoru."
"Oh! You've heard of my story?"
"No, but Lord Orochimaru is very eager to have you. Since you're here, why don't you stay? I'm sure Lord Orochimaru would be very happy to see you."
Thinking of Orochimaru, a fervent devotion appeared in Kimimaro's eyes.
He immediately assumed a full offensive stance. Besides Uchiha Sasuke, Lord Orochimaru most wanted Aoki Yoru. If he could bring both of them back, Lord Orochimaru would surely be very pleased.
His body was failing; he couldn't become Lord Orochimaru's vessel. So, bringing back two vessels that Lord Orochimaru liked would surely surprise him. This way, even if he exhausted his life this time, it would be worth it.
If Aoki Yoru knew his thoughts, he would be dumbfounded and couldn't help but exclaim, "What a bootlicker!"
Looking at Kimimaro, who had assumed an offensive stance, Aoki Yoru drew yerun, twirled his sword, and smiled, showing no tension in the face of a formidable enemy.
Kimimaro's strength was fully demonstrated in the original work: a pure taijutsu expert with no other trump cards.
In the original work, even when he activated his Cursed Seal Level Two, his strength was only close to Kage-level.
Of course, this was due to his severe Bloodline Illness; without it, it would be hard to say, he might have already stepped into that realm.
This kind of opponent was easiest for Aoki Yoru to deal with, as long as he was faster.
He had initially wanted to deal with him directly, but after seeing his battle with Rock Lee, he changed his mind.
Kimimaro's fighting style was very distinctive. Although the Shikotsumyaku Bloodline Limit was the ultimate in rigidity, his techniques were the ultimate in softness, and his combat movements were like dancing.
This should be unique in the Ninja World. The Hyuga's Gentle Fist was called 'gentle,' but it merely relied on the Byakugan to see through chakra points, destroying the enemy's chakra points and internal organs through precise strikes.
It was called Gentle Fist simply because, compared to the overt violent destruction of the Strong Fist, it was internal destruction, and its force didn't appear as ferocious as the Strong Fist.
Kimimaro's movements, however, looked like true Gentle Fist. His actions seemed like dancing, but in reality, they were about deflecting and evading by following the enemy's force, not directly engaging attacks, and minimizing damage with the smallest movements.
He predicted the enemy's attack trajectory, positioned himself for counterattack in advance, making every enemy attack miss, while his own counterattacks always landed precisely on the enemy's weak points.
Both his techniques, combat awareness, and force application techniques were worth learning.
Just like in wuxia novels, who could resist the temptation of Tai Chi?
Looking at Aoki Yoru, who showed no tension, the usually expressionless Kimimaro frowned. The other party's smile made him very uncomfortable.
Gripping the Bone Blade in his hand, Kimimaro raised his vigilance to the maximum. Lord Orochimaru had said that the opponent was no ordinary person and could not be underestimated.
A gentle breeze blew, and both figures vanished from their original spots.
"Clang—"
Two figures collided in mid-air, a ninja sword clashing with a Bone Blade, sparks flying, then they vanished from their original spots again.
"Clang, clang, clang—"
Dense collision sounds constantly erupted in mid-air. The two figures were so fast they became two blurry afterimages, almost impossible to catch with the naked eye, leaving only the air vibrating wildly.
"So fast!"
At this moment, Rock Lee watched the constantly disappearing figures with wide eyes. This speed had already surpassed the Fifth Gate.
Kimimaro's face in the arena gradually darkened. The opponent's speed was slowly increasing, and he was starting to fall behind.
"I can't let this continue; I need to break his rhythm."
"Dance of the Camellia!"
Kimimaro flipped his wrist, and the Bone Blade in his hand quivered like a willow branch, tracing countless pale blue arcs as he spun.
The Bone Blade followed the rhythm of his shoulder, elbow, and wrist, sometimes sweeping horizontally, sometimes thrusting. His movements were as flexible as dancing, yet each move sealed off Aoki Yoru's escape routes.
His footsteps followed a strange rhythm. The moment his toes touched the ground, the Bone Blade would slash out with the recoil.
When he turned and spun sideways, the blade would skim the ground. Every block smoothly deflected force, and every counterattack was hidden within soft movements, without any unnecessary openings.
Aoki Yoru focused intently on his movements, his ninja sword tracing afterimages in front of him, barely blocking and dodging, while memorizing his rhythm of force application.
Kimimaro's Bone Blade trajectories, his foot placements, the rotation of his wrist when deflecting force... what he wanted wasn't the Bone Blade, but the offensive and defensive rhythm hidden within this 'dance'.
The Bone Blade grazed his shoulder. Aoki Yoru used the force of the block to slide back half a step, his eyes shining astonishingly — he had grasped the secret of applying force in this 'dance'.
Gradually, Aoki Yoru went from passive defense to fighting Kimimaro evenly, using similar techniques and footwork.
Seeing Aoki Yoru's movements, Kimimaro's face showed clear surprise for the first time — this person was learning his techniques in battle.
Not just imitation, but the application of force, breathing, and rhythm were completely understood, and even quickly integrated into his own style.
Suddenly, a heart-wrenching pain surged through his limbs and bones.
Kimimaro instantly retreated using the recoil from the previous collision, simultaneously raising his hand to tightly cover his mouth and nose, coughing continuously.
A metallic sweetness surged in his throat, and dazzling crimson instantly seeped through his fingers, staining his fingertips.
Aoki Yoru didn't press the attack, simply stood still and watched, knowing that his Bloodline Illness had acted up, a look of regret flashing in his eyes.
Kimimaro, like Uchiha Itachi, was too exceptionally talented, awakening his Bloodline Limit too early. His young, frail body couldn't match his powerful talent, leading to the Bloodline Illness.
This disease involved genetic-level defects, and it seemed there was no cure even by the boruto era.
He had learned everything he needed to learn. Continuing the battle was pointless, and Naruto and Sasuke were also at the final critical moment. Kakashi and the others' reinforcements were also arriving soon.
"Since you're in so much pain, I'll send you on your way!" Aoki Yoru raised yerun and pointed it at him.