novelhk Chapter 253 First Stop
Chapter 253 First Stop
The morning mist from Otogakure hadn't yet dissipated, but the ground of the training ground was already covered in crisscrossing bone scars. Kimimaro's Mangekyō Sharingan glowed a faint red in the sunlight, and every movement of his pinwheel-shaped pupils resonated with the chakra of his bones. Ever since awakening his Mangekyō yesterday, he had been entwining Otogaku to unravel his new abilities. Now, the chakra concentrated in his palms was following the lines of the Mangekyō, tempering the bone blade into a crimson edge.
"Bone pupil? Susanoo, initial form." Kimimaro shouted, and his Mangekyo suddenly lit up. Pale red chakra gushed from his body, and a semi-skeletal Susanoo condensed behind him. The pattern of the bones perfectly matched the bones of the Hyuga clan. In his right hand, he grasped a massive blade fused from chakra and bone. Each swing carved a deep trench into the ground, and the lingering chakra waves at the bottom still lingered.
"Indeed, but your Susanoo still lacks a 'soul,'" Yinzhu's voice rang out from the edge of the training ground. The system panel in his hand flashed with data: [Kimimaro Susanoo synchronization rate 63%, lacking emotional resonance to trigger the advanced form]. "The bones of the Hyuga clan require the 'heart of protection' to power them. Your Mangekyo still hides an unresolved obsession."
Kimimaro paused, tiny cracks forming on the bones of his Susanoo. Images flashed through his kaleidoscope: the cage Orochimaru had imprisoned him in as a child, the bloody scene of the Hyuga clan's genocide, the healing medicine Ototake offered him when they first met... These fragments flashed by like a revolving lantern, yet they could never coalesce into a concrete image of "protection"—he knew he wanted to protect his companions, but this desire had yet to truly resonate with his bones and his eye technique.
At this moment, a sharp alarm suddenly came from Karin's sensory network: "Oh no! The Akatsuki organization is attacking! It's Kakuzu's corpse puppet and Zetsu's clone! They are heading straight for the chakra vein!"
Kimimaro's Mangekyō instantly locked onto the direction of the mineral vein, and dozens of black chakra tracks clearly emerged in his pupils - Kakuzu's corpse puppet carried a giant ninja tool, and every step made the ground tremble; Zetsu's clone moved along the rock wall, his body blending into the shadows, obviously trying to sneak up on the mineral vein guard from behind.
"I'll go support!" Kimimaro's bone blade suddenly unsheathed, instantly completing the skeleton of Susanoo. This time, a hint of urgent worry lingered in his chakra. He sped through the morning mist, his Mangekyo's predictive abilities allowing him to easily dodge Zetsu's clone's sneak attack. With a backhanded slash of the bone blade, he cleaved a black tentacle attempting to entangle him in two.
At the mine's entrance, Neji used his Eight Trigrams Binding Palm to fend off Kakuzu's corpse puppets. His golden chakra collided with the puppets' earth escape techniques, sending up a shower of rubble. Sasuke's Amaterasu flames burned through the chests of three puppets, but were countered by Kakuzu's lightning heart, hidden within them, leaving a trail of charred marks on his arm.
"Kimimaro!" Neji's Byakugan caught the familiar chakra and he shouted immediately, "The puppet's core is in its head. Normal attacks are ineffective. We need to destroy the heart inside!"
Kimimaro's Mangekyō instantly focused on the puppet's head, and the image of a beating heart appeared in his pupils—it was Kakuzu's transplanted earth-style heart, controlling the puppet via a black rod. His Susanoo suddenly expanded, a layer of pale red chakra armor covering his skeleton. The giant blade in his hand gathered even greater power: "Bone pupil? Susanoo? Heart-breaking Slash!"
The massive blade, with a sharp, air-ripping whistle, struck the puppet's head with pinpoint accuracy. Its Earth-Escape Heart exploded upon impact, bringing the puppet's movements to an abrupt halt. But before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, Zetsu's clone suddenly erupted from the ground, its black tentacles wrapping around Kimimaro's ankles, attempting to drag him into the devouring subterranean space.
"Be careful!" Bai's ice escape arrived just in time, and ice crystals rose from the ground, freezing Zetsu's tentacles. But more clones rushed in from all directions, and black mist began to cover the mineral vein, trying to isolate everyone's chakra.
Kimimaro's Mangekyō suddenly felt a sharp pain, and a flash of memory crossed his mind: as a child, he had protected a wounded bird with a bone blade, only to be killed by Orochimaru's men. The feeling of powerlessness he felt then, combined with the anxiety he felt now as he watched his companions being besieged, suddenly erupted with an unprecedented emotion: he didn't want to lose anyone he wanted to protect again.
"Ah—!" Kimimaro's roar echoed through the mine. Susanoo's armor suddenly glowed with a golden light, and a pair of wings composed of bone and chakra unfolded from behind. Amidst the pinwheel-like patterns of the kaleidoscope, a green mark of Kaguya's bloodline appeared. The giant blade in his hand also split into dozens of bone blades, which hovered in mid-air. "Bone pupils? Susanoo? Ten thousand blade formation!"
Bone blades rained down like a torrential downpour, each one precisely piercing the core of the absolute clone. The black mist dissipated under the impact of the bone blades, and the pierced clone transformed into a black liquid, unable to reassemble. Kimimaro's Susanoo slowly fell to the ground, the golden glow from his armor gradually fading, but his eyes were more determined than before—in that moment, he finally understood what Yinzhu meant by "obsession": it was an absolute determination to "protect."
Kakuzu's last puppet, seeing the situation was bad, turned and tried to flee, but was blocked by Sasuke's Amaterasu. Neji took the opportunity to strike the puppet on the back with his Baguazhang. Golden chakra flowed through the black rod, completely destroying the Lightning Heart within.
By the end of the battle, the morning mist had dissipated, and sunlight shone on the mineral veins. Kimimaro's Susanoo gradually dissipated, and his Mangekyō returned to its normal form, but with a warmer glow than before. Karin ran over and used the Palm Immortal Technique to repair his eyes, which had turned red from excessive use of the pupil technique. "Kimimaro-sama, your Susanoo is amazing! That Mangekyō just now was like divine punishment!"
A faint smile played across Kimimaro's lips. It was the first time he'd truly laughed since awakening his Mangekyō. He glanced at his companions: Neji, his Byakugan still alert to the surroundings, had quietly shielded him from falling debris. Sasuke, though silent, handed him a healing potion. Haku's Ice Release condensed into a small ice crystal at his feet, helping to ease the numbness in his legs.
"Thank you." Kimimaro's voice was soft, but it reached everyone clearly. His Mangekyo illuminated again, this time not for combat, but to inject chakra into the ground, condensing four small bone crystals. He handed each of the four people, "These are made from my bones and Mangekyo chakra. If you encounter danger, crush them and I can immediately sense your location."
Yinzhu appeared at this moment. He looked at the crystal in Kimimaro's hand. A new notification popped up on the system panel: [Kimimaro's Mangekyō Synchronization Rate 100%, Unlocked Exclusive Bond Skill "Bone Eye Resonance", Sharing Chakra Vision with Allies]. He stepped forward and patted Kimimaro on the shoulder. "You have finally found the 'soul' of Susanoo."
Kimimaro nodded, clenching the crystal in his hand. He knew this wasn't the end, but a new beginning. His Mangekyo was no longer a mere combat tool, but a bond connecting him to his companions; his bone blade was no longer meant to break fate, but to protect those around him.
The fluorescent stone of the mine glowed a faint blue in the sunlight. Kimimaro stood shoulder to shoulder with his companions, his kaleidoscope reflecting each of their figures. In that moment, he finally understood that the bloodline of the Hyuga clan was not a curse, but a gift that allowed him to protect his bond; the power of the kaleidoscope was not a burden, but a fulfillment of his oath to "protect."
"Next time we meet Akatsuki, I won't let you get hurt again." Kimimaro's voice was firm, with anticipation for the future.
Neji, Sasuke, Haku, and Karin smiled at each other and nodded. They knew that with Kimimaro's Mangekyō, the protective power of Otogakure was even stronger.