Talent System In The Naruto Universe-Chapter 199. Shikotsumyaku and Mei Terumī

Late at night.

Hanekawa, who had been sound asleep, was jolted awake by the sound of an alarm.

He opened his sleeping bag and left the tent.

At that moment, the entire camp was awake, just like him.

"All squad leaders, assemble in front of the main tent immediately!" Tsunade's voice echoed throughout the camp.

"Let's go," Hanekawa said to Yuhi Kurenai and Rin Nohara.

They nodded quickly.

The three of them arrived in front of the main tent.

"We've just received word that Kirigakure shinobi, led by the Third Mizukage, have launched a full-scale attack on our outposts," Tsunade said rapidly, standing in front of the group. "We're assigning tasks now. Move out to support the outposts immediately!"

Hanekawa's expression turned serious.

A full-scale attack? And the Third Mizukage is involved?

This situation seemed like it was leading to a decisive battle, but it didn't seem rational.

In a normal shinobi war, both sides would engage in a war of attrition first.

When one side gained the upper hand and saw a chance of victory or the possibility of annihilating the enemy, they would then initiate a decisive battle.

But in this case, both sides had roughly the same number of shinobi. The outcome of a decisive battle would be hard to predict, at best a fifty-fifty chance.

If they lost, wouldn't all their efforts be in vain?

Hanekawa thought of Uchiha Madara.

Could he be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes?

In the original story, Madara had given his Rinnegan to Nagato, but he still had a three-tomoe Sharingan.

With his strength, he could even use Susanoo without eyes.

A three-tomoe Sharingan in his hands could accomplish many things, such as controlling the Three-Tails or the Third Mizukage.

The only thing Hanekawa was grateful for was that old Madara's real body couldn't leave the Gedo Statue. At most, he could use shadow clones.

Moreover, his goal was to awaken Obito's Sharingan, so he wouldn't waste time picking a fight with Konoha.

"Move out!" Tsunade finished assigning tasks and waved her hand.

Everyone quickly left the camp, heading in all directions to support the nearby outposts.

"We'll deal with the Third Mizukage," Tsunade said as she approached Hanekawa and his team.

Aside from her, there was also a squad led by Hyuga Hizashi.

The camp was left under Chiyo's command to guard against any surprise attacks from Kirigakure.

"Where is the Third Mizukage?" Hanekawa asked as he followed her.

"The northeastern outpost," Tsunade said gravely. "That's where we've stored a lot of supplies."

Hanekawa frowned slightly.

The northeastern outpost was close to the Land of Fire, making it convenient for Konoha to transport supplies.

This outpost was highly secretive, known to only a few.

How had Kirigakure found it?

The word "Zetsu" popped into Hanekawa's mind.

Aside from the Mayfly Technique, Zetsu also had the Transformation Technique.

The Transformation Technique allowed Zetsu to absorb someone's chakra and transform into them.

Since the chakra was identical, even the most familiar person or sensory-type shinobi couldn't detect the impersonation.

With the Mayfly Technique and the Transformation Technique, it wouldn't be difficult for Zetsu to gather intel on Konoha's outposts.

Hanekawa felt a sense of alarm.

Putting these two things together, there was no doubt that Uchiha Madara was behind this.

His ultimate goal was undoubtedly Rin Nohara, not helping Kirigakure defeat Konoha.

Ten minutes later, the group arrived near the Konoha outpost.

The outpost was now shrouded in thick mist, with occasional screams echoing through the air.

"Twenty Kirigakure shinobi," Hyuga Hizashi immediately activated his Byakugan. "One of them is the Third Mizukage."

"What's the situation with our shinobi at the outpost?" Tsunade asked urgently.

"Eight shinobi are left, holding their ground near the mountain behind the outpost," Hizashi replied.

"You all go and rescue them. Hanekawa and I will hold off the Third Mizukage," Tsunade said after a moment of thought.

"Wait," Hanekawa stopped them and formed hand seals, summoning Katsuyu. "Lady Katsuyu, split into six and go with them."

"Understood, Lord Hanekawa," Katsuyu's body split into six smaller slugs, which climbed onto the shoulders of Kurenai and the others.

Tsunade understood Hanekawa's intention and didn't stop him.

With Katsuyu's presence, they would indeed be safer.

But in reality, Hanekawa just wanted to use Katsuyu to keep track of Rin's location.

If Madara made a move, he would be able to react in time.

"You go ahead," Tsunade waved her hand.

"You two, stay behind us," Hizashi reminded Rin and Kurenai before disappearing into the mist.

"Hanekawa," Tsunade said after a couple of seconds, "you attack the Third Mizukage directly and draw his attention."

Hanekawa nodded and formed hand seals.

Chakra surged as a massive water dragon roared forth.

Unsurprisingly, the water dragon missed its target.

Three figures emerged from the mist.

"Is this how the Princess of Konoha greets her guests?" a black-haired young man with closed eyes asked.

"Third Mizukage, you're mistaken. You're not guests; you're enemies," Tsunade stepped forward without hesitation.

Hanekawa felt an intense gaze on him.

He didn't need to look to know who it was.

His eyes landed on Mei Terumī, who stood to the left of the Third Mizukage.

She was glaring at him, her beautiful eyes seemingly trying to pierce through him.

The young woman had grown even more beautiful and was now wearing the classic blue strapless dress from the original story.

Aside from Mei, there was also a middle-aged man with white hair and a red dot on his forehead.

His face was filled with a fervent desire for battle.

Hanekawa's heart stirred.

Could this be a shinobi from the Kaguya clan?

Wait, no—the Kaguya clan hadn't been wiped out yet, right?

Hanekawa thought carefully. Indeed, they hadn't.

The Kaguya clan was wiped out around the time Kimimaro was taken by Orochimaru.

At that time, Kimimaro appeared to be around six or seven years old.

That meant the Kaguya clan had at least a few more years before their extermination.

Moreover, Hanekawa remembered that the order for their extermination had been given by the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.

A sudden scream echoed from within the mist.

"It seems there's no need for further talk," the Third Mizukage said, recognizing the scream as coming from one of his subordinates.

This meant that aside from Tsunade and Hanekawa, there were other Konoha shinobi present.

"Indeed," Tsunade said, her body already in front of the Third Mizukage. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Heavenly Foot of Pain!

The ground cracked around her, and countless rocks flew into the air.

The Third Mizukage, Mei, and the middle-aged man quickly scattered.

"You two deal with Hanekawa," the Third Mizukage said calmly. "I'll handle Tsunade."

Although he wanted to test his water release against Hanekawa, Tsunade's value as a target was undeniably higher.

"Understood," Mei replied.

This arrangement suited her just fine.

She wanted to see just how strong Hanekawa had become.

But the middle-aged man was faster, already charging forward.

Mei couldn't help but frown.

These annoying battle maniacs!

The Kaguya clan in Kirigakure was similar to the Uchiha clan in Konoha.

Both were proud, combative, and possessed terrifying Kekkei Genkai—the former with Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) and the latter with the Sharingan.

In the original story, the Kaguya clan was wiped out because they attempted a rebellion.

However, based on Orochimaru's words, it's possible that the Akatsuki was involved.

A black shadow entered Hanekawa's field of vision.

He reacted quickly, forming hand seals and raising a wall of water in front of him.

A moment later, the water wall was pierced, revealing a jade-like short sword.

More accurately, it was a bone, not a sword.

The Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku allowed them to manipulate their own bones, which were incredibly hard, essentially turning their entire body into a weapon.

In the original story, they were considered the bane of taijutsu specialists.

Hanekawa wasn't foolish enough to engage in close combat with them.

A roar sounded.

Mei spat out a water dragon, shattering the water wall.

Shikotsumyaku: Ten Finger Drilling Bullets!

The middle-aged man stood still, extending his hands as ten finger bones shot out from his fingertips.

Hanekawa's mouth twitched.

Just watching it made him feel pain.

Water Release: Water Pillar!

Mei wasn't about to be outdone, forming hand seals.

A massive water ball fell from the sky, crashing toward Hanekawa.

She had the self-awareness to know she couldn't win alone.

And on the battlefield, there were no rules about one-on-one fights.

Water Release: Water Teleportation Technique!

Hanekawa's body turned into a pool of water.

The ten finger bones sank into the water, embedding themselves into the ground.

Shikotsumyaku was purely physical; against water, it lost its effectiveness.

The massive water ball was also water, so it couldn't attack water.

Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!

Seeing this, Mei didn't hesitate. She formed hand seals and spat out a large glob of corrosive acid.

Hanekawa returned to his physical form, leaping into the air and clapping his hands.

A whirlpool of water spread out like a waterfall, turning into a rainstorm that enveloped Mei.

Boil Release: Skilling Mist Technique!

Mei opened her mouth and exhaled a high-temperature mist, instantly evaporating the rain.

Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.

Mei's talent was undeniable. She had already mastered two Kekkei Genkai: Lava Release and Boil Release.

"Die!" the middle-aged man leaped into the air, swinging a massive, sharp bone blade at Hanekawa.

Heavenly Foot of Pain!

Hanekawa kicked the bone blade directly.

The tremendous force sent the middle-aged man flying like a cannonball, slamming into the ground.

Dust rose and quickly settled.

The middle-aged man struggled to his feet, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

In that critical moment, he had mobilized all the bones in his body to form a defense.

Even so, his internal organs had been shaken.

Hanekawa didn't pay him any attention because Mei's technique was already upon him.

The terrifying mist generated intense heat.

Hanekawa's forehead was inevitably covered in sweat.

In the original story, the Boil Release: Skilling Mist Technique had even melted the bones of Susanoo.

Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!

A wall of earth rose but quickly melted in the mist.

Hanekawa took the opportunity to retreat.

Chidori Current!

The sound of chirping birds filled the air as lightning spread from Hanekawa's right hand, quickly covering his entire body.

In an instant, the lightning surged in all directions.

The middle-aged man, who had just charged forward, was forced to retreat.

Shikotsumyaku was the bane of taijutsu specialists, not ninjutsu specialists.

Although bones were hard, being struck by so much lightning wouldn't be pleasant.

The lightning and mist intertwined, creating a strange reaction.

Under the high temperature, even the lightning began to dissipate.

Hanekawa thought to himself that Kekkei Genkai were indeed formidable.

Mei couldn't help but frown.

Hanekawa's lightning release was more powerful than she had imagined.

Under normal circumstances, her Boil Release should have easily melted his lightning.

Mei thought carefully. It wasn't just his lightning release; all of his techniques were unusually powerful.

"He's gone!" the middle-aged man's voice rang out.

Mei's expression tightened.

Hanekawa, who had been surrounded by lightning just moments ago, had vanished.

She instinctively looked around.

In the distance, Tsunade and the Third Mizukage were locked in battle.

Suddenly, she remembered something and quickly leaped into the air.

A moment later, the ground cracked, and a pair of hands reached for her.

Body Flicker Technique!

Mei narrowly avoided the attack.

Startled, she landed on the ground, her chest heaving.

"You've improved quite a bit," Hanekawa said, noting that her figure was now as graceful as in the original story.

"The same technique won't work on me twice!" Mei huffed.

The sound of something cutting through the air reached her ears.

The middle-aged man appeared behind Hanekawa.

Mei instinctively opened her mouth to warn him but quickly remembered they were enemies and shut her mouth.

Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Larch!

The middle-aged man's body sprouted dozens of sharp bones, making him look like a porcupine as he charged forward.

Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!

Hanekawa turned around, locking eyes with the middle-aged man, and clapped his hands.

The man froze in place.

In his vision, a massive tree appeared behind him, its branches wrapping around him.

Body Flicker Technique!

Hanekawa naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.

"This is bad!" Mei realized he had fallen for a genjutsu.

She had almost forgotten that Hanekawa was also an exceptionally skilled genjutsu user.

A jack-of-all-trades shinobi like him was incredibly troublesome.

Especially since every one of his techniques was terrifyingly powerful.

Water Release: Water Wall!

Mei formed hand seals.

A wall of water rose in front of the middle-aged man.

Superhuman Strength!

Hanekawa punched through the water wall and reached out.

Lava Release: Rasengan!

He slammed the Rasengan into the middle-aged man.

The incredibly hard bones began to melt under the Lava Release: Rasengan.

"Lava Release?" Mei was stunned.

Hanekawa had mastered a Kekkei Genkai?

She had always believed that her two Kekkei Genkai gave her an edge over him.

But now, Hanekawa had caught up.

The middle-aged man screamed in agony.

Mei gritted her teeth and formed hand seals again.

A massive water dragon flew toward Hanekawa.

But it was too late.

After the Lava Release: Rasengan broke through the middle-aged man's bone defense, Hanekawa drew his Thunderfire Sword and pierced the man's heart.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

Hanekawa dodged the water dragon with a quick movement.

He turned to Mei.

Their eyes met.

Mei's heart trembled, and a sense of nervousness washed over her.

The middle-aged man, with his Shikotsumyaku and jonin-level strength, was someone even she wasn't confident she could defeat.

But Hanekawa had taken him down so easily.

For Mei, the most troubling thing was that he had suddenly revealed his mastery of Lava Release.

This meant her Lava Release and Boil Release no longer gave her as much of an advantage.

"He's dead?" the Third Mizukage glanced at Hanekawa, a look of surprise on his face.

"Once he finishes his fight, you're next," Tsunade, who was still battling the Third Mizukage, said coldly.

"Princess Tsunade, things aren't that simple," the Third Mizukage said with a faint smile.

Tsunade's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding washed over her.

A moment later, an earth-shattering surge of chakra erupted.

She instinctively turned her head. The source of the chakra was the Konoha camp.

And the origin of this chakra fluctuation was the Three-Tails, Isobu.

_

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