Chapter 165: The Congenital Genetic Disease of the Taketori Clan
"Did it work?"
Ao stared intently at the place where Kimimaro stood. Thick smoke obscured his vision, and with no other option, Ao used his Byakugan to see through it.
He didn't want to use the Byakugan.
After days of fighting, his chakra was nearly depleted.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so easily knocked away by Kimimaro.
"This..."
With the Byakugan's ability, Ao's vision became exceptionally clear.
Kimimaro was unharmed!
Ao was shocked and quickly shouted, "Chojuro, be careful! That kid is unscathed!"
"Senior Ao, what did you say??"
Chojuro panicked.
The chakra cannon had used all his strength, and now his legs were weak.
Chojuro was the best of his generation, which is why Mei Terumi entrusted him with the Twin Swords Hiramekarei.
In Kirigakure, Chojuro was nearly invincible among his peers.
But now...
His full-power attack hadn't hurt the white-haired boy at all.
His self-esteem was brutally crushed by Kimimaro.
As the smoke around Kimimaro dissipated...
Seeing Kimimaro appear under the bone shield, Chojuro's young heart was deeply hurt.
"I lost..."
"Lady Terumi, I have let you down. I am unworthy of using the Twin Swords Hiramekarei, unworthy of being one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen..."
Chojuro felt hopeless, his fighting spirit completely gone.
It seemed he wouldn't recover anytime soon.
"Damn it!"
In desperation, Ao's mind raced, thinking of how to deal with this troublesome white-haired kid.
At that moment, with his Byakugan, Ao noticed that the white-haired kid's heart had stopped for a moment.
Then, the boy spat out blood.
"Is this... an illness?"
"Could it be... this kid also has the Taketori clan's genetic disease?"
It was well known among the other clans in Kirigakure that the Taketori clan had a congenital genetic disease.
But it was the first time Ao had seen someone so young already showing symptoms.
"Could it be due to overusing his abilities?"
Ao was delighted as a strategy formed in his mind.
A war of attrition!
Don't think about defeating him, just slowly wear him down with time!
Using this tactic against a little kid might seem underhanded.
But Ao didn't care about that; having survived the Bloody Mist era, he knew that to achieve his goals, he had to use any means necessary!
Winning was the only thing that mattered, ensuring survival.
"Water Clone Technique!"
Several water clones identical to Ao appeared around him, and Ao hid among them, scattering across the battlefield.
Kimimaro wiped the blood from his mouth with his left hand and scanned the area.
"So these are... the so-called clone techniques?"
Kimimaro's eyes narrowed, and the bone shield on his right hand began to transform into a giant spear fused with his right arm.
At this moment, he discovered his ability to manipulate his bones into various weapons.
"Ugh..."
After forming the spear, Kimimaro's body trembled, and his bones and flesh began to ache.
He didn't realize it was a disease, naively thinking it was due to overusing his chakra, so he didn't pay much attention.
He only wanted to kill all the Kirigakure ninjas to avenge his clan and his "comrades"...
At this moment, Kimimaro looked like a bone monster, his figure much larger but still agile.
No matter how many water clones Ao created, they were just fleeting illusions, easy to destroy.
"Swish!"
Kimimaro's figure flashed quickly, and within moments, Ao's clones fell one after another.
Ao was surprised and hurriedly created more water clones. But he couldn't produce them as fast as they were destroyed.
"Hmph, a kid is just a kid, hot-headed and irrational..."
Ao's Byakugan kept observing Kimimaro's body, confident that if Kimimaro continued overexerting himself, he would collapse in ten seconds.
With his stamina and chakra depleted, plus the disease...
He was stacked with negative buffs...
Sure enough, a few seconds later, Kimimaro's body, while mid-air, suddenly stiffened and fell to the ground with a "thud."
His body was nearly rigid, with bones retracting back into his flesh.
"It's over..."
Ao let out a sigh of relief and approached the dazed Chojuro, scolding him:
"Chojuro, stop dazing off! Wake up and get ready to clean up this kid's body!"
...