Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi

Swoosh!

High-speed rotation, accompanied by an extremely sharp sonic boom. In the blink of an eye, Kimimaro had already arrived in front of Hatake Kusuo. Along the way, nothing could block him.

SIZZLE!

Kusuo's eyes narrowed slightly. He held his sword up to block. Sparks flew. The sharp edge of his blade scraped against the ghastly white bone spurs, emitting a piercing, grating sound.

"Not a bad move," he commented faintly. Kusuo's feet suddenly exerted force. The soft earth beneath him was compacted until it was as solid as concrete. With a sufficiently hard ground for support, Kusuo's right hand, holding the sword, suddenly burst with strength.

Swish! Swish!

Dozens of sword flashes suddenly lit up. The light of the blade flickered, and countless white bones were shaved into fine debris, turning into bone dust that flew in the air. Kimimaro's body continued to rotate at high speed, and Kusuo's sword continued to swing. The thorny ball, which had been so fast it was only a white afterimage, finally, under his hundred-slashes-per-second swings, gradually revealed its original form.

BOOM!

When all the ghastly white bone spurs on Kimimaro's back were completely shaved off, Kusuo saw his chance. He took a step forward.

"Sun Breathing, First Form! Flame Dance!"

In that instant, a crescent-shaped sword aura wreathed in flames transformed into a terrifying fire dragon. It roared out, arriving in the blink of an eye.

Strong. Too strong.

POW!

Kimimaro's body was struck squarely by this sword aura, and he was instantly sent flying back dozens of meters, crashing through countless things along the way until he finally came to a stop at the edge of his vision.

"Cough, cough." After falling, Kimimaro coughed up blood. He wiped away a streak of crimson. But his gaze remained fixed on Kusuo, his eyes wide with an indescribable shock.

His ten spinal bone spurs from the Dance of the Larch had been shaved off in mid-air by Kusuo while he was rotating at high speed. Each slash had carried the heavy force of ten thousand catties, striking his back one after another. It should be known that he had been serious. The bones bestowed upon him by his Kekkei Genkai had an outrageously high density. Therefore, they were not only the strongest spear, but also the strongest shield. Before this, no one had been able to shake his bones. Whenever he brought out the white bones from his body in a fight, his opponent's weapon would definitely break.

"Is his sword special?" Kimimaro frowned. He staggered up from his crouch, his gaze fixed on the blade in his opponent's hand. "No, although it's very sharp, it definitely can't be called a divine weapon." In his memory, the only swords that could be called divine weapons were Lord Orochimaru's two Kusanagi blades. But even the one that was mainly for cutting would have a hard time shattering his bones.

So... it was his swordsmanship.

The moment he thought of this, Kimimaro's expression suddenly became grave.

"To be able to withstand one of my slashes at close range and only be injured... you have earned the right to have me take you seriously," Kusuo said. At this moment, he held his sword and walked towards Kimimaro step by step. He was slightly surprised in his heart. The power of his one slash was definitely not weak, even if it was just the most basic First Form. To be hit by it at such close range, and for Kimimaro to only cough up a little blood... that was quite an exaggeration. That one slash... even a Kage-level ninja wouldn't have come out well. This guy Kimimaro, if he wasn't Kage-level, he was probably not far off.

"Your swordsmanship is very strong. I also understand now why Lord Orochimaru was injured by your sword," Kimimaro said, having already composed himself. With a series of cracking sounds, bone spurs extended outwards from his entire body. In less than a breath's time, from his arms to his toes, wherever there was skin, ghastly white bones had grown out. The tips of the bones were conical spikes, flashing with a sharp light.

From a distance, he looked like a cold warrior covered in white bone armor. Just standing there, he seemed unassailable.

"This time, I've reinforced them with chakra. Your previous swings will no longer be able to cut through my bones," Kimimaro said, as if explaining, specifically for Kusuo to hear.

Then, Swoosh!

A white afterimage flashed. Kimimaro's bone-covered fist came howling forth. Astonishing chakra washed over his body, the force of it shattering the ground beneath his feet.

In Kusuo's field of vision, at the end of Kimimaro's swinging fist were three bone spurs. At this moment, they were radiating a pressing, cold sharpness, shooting towards him.

CLANG!

Kusuo parried with one slash, the sound clear and melodious.

Such fast reflexes! Kimimaro's eyes widened, his speed becoming even sharper. His strike, reinforced with chakra, had still been parried.

"Dance of the Larch!"

But he himself was not surprised, because this move of his wasn't just about shooting out bone spurs. It was a high-level Nin-Taijutsu. Through a dance, he utilized the bones all over his body to their extreme.

With a somersault, a dozen ghastly white spikes slashed through the air, tearing it and creating a tide-like howling wind.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Every move of Kimimaro's dance was parried by Kusuo's sword. The sound of metal colliding was incessant.

Finally, POW!

A fierce back-throw. Kimimaro was going to use the bone spurs on his body to pierce Kusuo through.

After a huge roar, he stood up again, crouching low and facing forward, watching like a tiger. Beneath his feet was a black hole a full three or four meters deep. The power of one back-throw was terrifyingly great. It wasn't hard to imagine what the consequences would be if it had landed on a person.

Unfortunately, Kusuo's body had long since retreated to a safe place.

"It's indeed as you said. You have strengthened the hardness of your bones. My sword just now couldn't cut through the bone spurs covering your body's surface," Kusuo said faintly, as if acknowledging Kimimaro's strength. Then, he gently caressed the blade of his sword and said softly, "But this is as far as it goes."

The moment his voice fell, suddenly, the airflow of heaven and earth began to accelerate, as if a fast-forward button had been pressed. The area around Kusuo's body abruptly changed color. A terrifying aura exploded forth. It was very powerful.

Kimimaro frowned at the sight, a faint sense of unease in his heart.

"Now, I need to pass through here quickly, to go kill that guy," Kusuo said.

At these words, Kimimaro's face suddenly turned cold. He wants to kill Lord Orochimaru!

"No, I will not let you pass," Kimimaro said, raising his head, his tone sharp.

"Heh." Kusuo chuckled lightly. "Whether I pass or not is not for you to decide."

"It's for me!"

THUMP! A heavy heartbeat sounded. The steel-like blade of Kusuo's sword instantly turned a brilliant white, like a moonblade emitting a hazy glow.

Kusuo held the sword vertically in front of his eyes and softly spoke, "Moon Breathing, First Form! Dark Moon—Evening Palace!"

SWISH!

In an instant, he swung out countless sword auras like brilliant moonblades. Like the afterimages of the heavens, a draw-slash was accompanied by countless sharp, full-moon scimitars. Like a great tide, they surged towards Kimimaro.

At that moment, the brilliance of the moonblades completely enveloped the sky. The sunlight, as bright as day, actually retreated in the face of the silvery moonlight. The sky... had darkened prematurely.

Can't dodge! I can't dodge at all! Kimimaro's eyes widened as he watched the howling moonblade sword aura, his heart roaring.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

The sound of bones being neatly cut off was heard one after another. He was horrified to find that his bone blades, reinforced with a large amount of chakra, still couldn't withstand this sword aura. Just like before, they were crushed and destroyed. The crescent-moon-like, fine sword auras swarmed and cut into his body. Kimimaro felt as if his body was about to be torn apart.

Bone fragments shattered on the ground. Blood continuously poured from his body. In a short while, he had become a blood-man.

Staggering, Kimimaro's gaze was fixed on Kusuo. With unwillingness, he fell to his knees. The world fell silent. The brilliance of the moonblades gradually faded. The moonlight that had enveloped the sky dissipated, and the sun reappeared on the earth.

But Kimimaro could no longer dance as before, his body bristling with bone spurs, charging at Kusuo with an imposing aura.

"Why bother," Kusuo sighed faintly. He looked at Kimimaro, who, until the last moment of his life, still had his eyes wide open, wanting to block him. He shook his head. From his stubborn eyes, there was only unwillingness and shame, not a trace of fear or regret.

Such a loyal person.

Kusuo hadn't planned on getting entangled for too long. After all, he was a sick person already nearing the end of his life. If left alone, he would die sooner or later.

Perhaps... this is the charm of the characters in this world.

He thought of Haku and Zabuza, whom he had met before. And Kisame Hoshigaki, whom he had beheaded with one slash. They were all, without exception, loyal to their own hearts, following their own choices. Until the last moment of their lives, they never regretted it.

Perhaps... this is the ninja way that Naruto often talks about in his spiels.

Sheathing his sword, he didn't bother with Kimimaro's corpse. He still had to hurry to the agreed-upon location. There, another Orochimaru was waiting for him to slay.

Kusuo's departing footsteps gradually grew distant, until finally, they were inaudible.

"`ˇLord Orochimaru... rest assured, I will not let anyone interfere with your plan!" Kimimaro, who had already stopped breathing, in the last moment of his breath, once again ignited his life.

VMM.

With a light tremble, the black Cursed Seal of Earth on Kimimaro's chest suddenly bloomed, sweeping over his entire body. An orange-red light. His body, covered in black lines, began to change at a speed visible to the naked eye. A tail grew from his back. Countless bones covered his entire body. A surging, vast, and incomparable chakra shot into the sky, coiling around him.

"Lord Orochimaru, this is the last dance I offer to you..."

"Shikotsumyaku! Dance of the Seedling Fern!" By the end, Kimimaro was roaring with all his might.

THUD!

This was the sound of a vast chakra fluctuation. Like the heartbeat of a hundred-zhang giant, a muffled thunder exploded in the heavens, shaking one's heart.

Schlick! Schlick! Schlick!

The entire land. Bone spurs like tree stumps erupted one after another like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, piercing through the earth with a squelching sound.

Their number... was in the thousands, tens of thousands. As far as the eye could see, not a blade of grass remained. Looking out, it was already a sea of bones. And it was still expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye.

A hundred meters! A thousand meters!

In the blink of an eye, it had already broken through to behind Kusuo. A deep sense of dread came over him. The heavy breathing behind him reminded him to look back.

He turned his head.

Hiss.

What an astonishing feat! To actually create a forest of bones with one's own power!

Without time to think too much, Kusuo's thumb flicked, and his sword instantly left its sheath. His breathing style abruptly changed. The blade of his sword was a brilliant silver, with a hazy glow.

"Moon Breathing, Sixth Form! Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon—Incessant!"

He swung the katana in his hand at high speed, concentrating on the same spot with a series of rapid, intersecting slashes. While releasing multiple blade winds, it was accompanied by countless circular moon blades.

The moon-like silver crescent slashes collided with the tree-like, sturdy bone spurs, which were even stronger than steel.

CLANG! CLANG!

A huge roar and hum swept out like an air wave. Bone fragments flew, but the momentum did not decrease.

Kimimaro, using his final life force to release this S-rank secret ninjutsu... such destructive power... the last person who could achieve this was the One-Tailed Shukaku.

The violent commotion shook the heavens and the earth. Kusuo, with an air of casual ease, had already become a ruthless sword-swinging machine. One slash after another. He didn't know if it was a thousand slashes or ten thousand. The bone fragments in front of him had already piled up like a mountain.

As time slowly passed, the ever-spreading sea of bones finally stopped its expansion. When everything had settled, the entire world was a sea of white.

A sea of bones. A forest of bones.

And at the center, where Kusuo stood alone, was a mountain made of bone fragments.

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