Naruto: The Tale of an Otsutsuki

Seeing Kirito's figure dissipate into the air, Kabuto immediately maximized his perception ability, ready to guard against Kirito's possible surprise attack at any moment.

"Sure enough, a ninjutsu similar to the liquefaction technique. Even though you don't have the blood of the Hozuki clan, you can use their liquefaction technique. I'm becoming more and more curious about you."

Kabuto had investigated and studied Kirito's abilities before, so he naturally knew Kirito possessed elemental conversion ninjutsu similar to the liquefaction technique. With such an elusive skill, Kirito was practically invincible.

Crack…

Frost condensed beside a stone pillar. Kabuto immediately sensed Kirito's position and raised his hand to form a seal.

"Sage Art: White Shock Technique!"

Whoosh! From Kabuto's open mouth, a dragon of light formed from natural energy emerged, carrying a ball of light in its claws as it roared forward. It rushed toward the frost-covered area, encircling the orb in its claws.

Zzzz!

The piercing noise, accompanied by a blinding glare, filled the world instantly.

"The strong light from the White Shock Technique makes it impossible to open your eyes, and the noise and vibration take away your sense of hearing and touch. However, I can avoid its side effects using my cornea and liquefaction technique."

Amid the bright white light, Kabuto abandoned his sight, quickly maneuvering around several stone pillars before charging toward Kirito, who was still solidifying his form.

"You can't escape the White Shock Technique while you're recovering. For a moment, you'll expose a slight opening—"

Boom!

Before Kabuto could react, a strong fist suddenly emerged from the light, landing squarely on his face and sending him flying.

Whoosh~ Kabuto didn't even have time to liquefy. After taking the solid punch, his body spun several times mid-air before crashing heavily to the ground.

"Agh... I didn't expect even the White Shock Technique wouldn't affect you." Kabuto touched his bruised, deformed cheek with lingering fear.

Although the punch hurt, there was no follow-up attack. This meant Kirito had held back, and Kabuto's plan had succeeded. Since Kirito didn't choose to finish him off immediately, he would have enough time to gather "information" as intended.

"Hey! Although your taijutsu and ninjutsu are at their peak, I wonder how well you handle illusions."

Kabuto opened his body, and a second upper half protruded from the snake body within his abdomen:

"Demonic Twin Attack!"

This technique allowed Kabuto to grow an independent individual on his body capable of using ninjutsu to assist in combat. Unlike those with independent consciousness, Kabuto's puppets were mindless, controlled solely by him.

Once the technique was complete, the secondary upper half began to twist and deform, taking on the figure of Kimimaro. Seals formed quickly, and Kimimaro unleashed:

"Dance of the Seedling Fern!"

Countless sharp bone spurs erupted from the ground and surrounding stones, turning the battlefield a stark white.

Seeing Kirito dissolve into Frost and drift away again, Kimimaro's form shifted, now transforming into Tayuya, holding a bone flute.

"Even if you hide your body, you can't escape the sound-based illusion."

Tayuya raised the flute to her lips, her blank eyes staring forward.

"Demonic Flute: Dream Sound Lock!"

Whooo~

The strange melody echoed across the battlefield, weaving a terrifying illusion that made victims feel as if their bodies were melting.

Kabuto observed carefully, confident Kirito couldn't resist the sound in his current state. Once trapped in the illusion, Kirito's hidden figure would be revealed, giving Kabuto time to collect his "information."

As for killing Kirito outright, Kabuto hadn't even considered it—his instincts told him he lacked the ability to defeat him. He trusted those instincts. Power could always bring revenge later. Prudence and patience had always been his path to survival.

"Where…?" Kabuto scanned the area meticulously, ensuring he hadn't missed anything. However, before he spotted Kirito, he noticed his vision blurring slightly.

"This is… mist?"

Kabuto realized a thin layer of mist was forming on the lenses of his glasses. The surrounding air had also grown unnaturally humid, like a hill fogging up at dawn.

"The mist isn't chakra-based, or I would've sensed it immediately," Kabuto muttered. "But this isn't a place where mist would naturally form… Frost? Could Kirito have increased the humidity by lowering the temperature? And because the drop was subtle, I didn't notice it at first…"

Kabuto let Tayuya continue playing. Even if Kirito planned something, the illusion would buy time for analysis.

"Mist… frost… temperature… water, ice—bad!"

Just as he moved, his body suddenly felt weighed down, as if encased in heavy armor. Thick frost rapidly enveloped him, spreading too quickly for him to respond.

Even worse, Kabuto realized he had lost all sensation in his frost-covered body. He couldn't even summon chakra; it felt as if his body had been completely sealed.

Crack… crack…

Within seconds, Kabuto was frozen in place, his panicked expression locked in ice. He had become a lifelike sculpture.

"I haven't used this move in a long time. I really missed it." Kirito's figure solidified from frost as he examined the frozen Kabuto. Covering his frosted forehead with his hand, Kirito murmured, "Let's see what core technologies Orochimaru entrusted to you."

As expected of Orochimaru's most capable assistant, even with the Human Path's reading speed, it took Kirito half a day to sift through Kabuto's vast knowledge and memories.

[Even with Orochimaru's inheritance, there are still many unknowns. I'll have to find Orochimaru himself to access the full picture…]

Recalling the "black box" mysteries buried in Kabuto's memory, Kirito resolved to track down Orochimaru. After all, he too had mastered the "Summoning: Edo Tensei."

After absorbing Kabuto's knowledge, Kirito pulled out two black rods and drove them firmly through Kabuto's shoulder blades. Melting the frost on Kabuto's hands, Kirito forced him to make seals:

"Rat-Ox-Monkey-Hare-Dragon-Horse…"

"Edo Tensei · Release!"

(End of this chapter)