harleyscars Chapter 191 Sparring and Cooperation
Chapter 191 Sparring and Cooperation
Chapter 182 Sparring and Cooperation
Ten minutes later, at the largest training ground in Takigakure.
Byakuya, the shadow clone, and Mizuha, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, stood facing each other.
Kakuzu and Tetsuki, the leader of Takigakure, stood on one side watching the battle.
Che Mu appeared calm, but a sense of powerlessness welled up inside him.
On his way from his room to the training ground, he witnessed Kuchiki Byakuya's genjutsu firsthand—almost instantly, the Takigakure ninja were trapped in an illusion.
If the other party really wanted to kill, it would probably be effortless.
"Takigakure—it has truly fallen into decline." Tetsuki glanced at Kakuzu beside him and sighed inwardly.
Ever since Kakuzu betrayed the village, killing the higher-ups and taking away the Earth Grudge Fear, Takigakure has been almost completely isolated from the outside world, entering a semi-locked-down state.
They did not participate in the conflicts between major powers, and relying on the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, the Hero's Water, and their secluded geographical location, they lived peacefully for several decades.
But it was precisely this tranquility that made them become too complacent, both in their mindset and in their abilities.
Fortunately, Shigeaki Nanao likes this place and gets along well with Mizuha.
Right now, all we can do is see if Mizuki's tailed beast power can overpower Byakuya Kuchiki.
"Big brother, your genjutsu is amazing!" Shui Mo said cheerfully and without any guard up. "But I'm the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, I'm not afraid of genjutsu!"
Che Mu's lips twitched slightly. How could someone proactively leak information before the fight even started?
"Is that so?" Byakuya, the shadow clone, said calmly. "But since this is a sparring match, I'd like to see how the Jinchuriki breaks free from my genjutsu."
He was quite fond of the lively and cheerful girl in front of him and didn't mind spending more time with her.
"Okay, sure!" Shui Mo nodded without hesitation.
Byakuya, the shadow clone, smiled slightly and formed a seal of opposition with her, just like a real comrade sparring.
The next second, high-purity Yin energy penetrated through his eyes and silently invaded Shui Mo's mind.
Water droplets blurred before my eyes—
"Swastika · Senbonzakura Kageyan—
'
A whisper seemed to ring in his ears, and two rows of enormous blades suddenly appeared in his vision, gleaming coldly.
Immediately afterwards, the blade shattered into a shower of pink cherry blossom petals, delicate and beautiful, yet carrying a sharp and fierce aura, sweeping towards her.
Shui Mo tried to dodge in an instant, but her body seemed to be nailed to the spot, unable to move.
"Chongming—!" she cried out in her heart.
However, Shigeaki Nanao did not respond, and the illusion was not dispelled.
In the blink of an eye, countless petals had enveloped her, spinning rapidly around her.
Each petal was as sharp as a blade, cutting into her skin; the pain was real and intense.
Just when she could barely bear it, the illusion vanished.
"Shuimo, how are you? Are you alright?" Chongming's clear voice rang in her mind, filled with obvious worry.
Water droplets gasped for breath, still shaken: "Chongming—why were you so slow to dispel the illusion this time?"
"This illusion not only confuses the five senses, but also involves the soul, making it far more powerful than ordinary illusions," Chongming said solemnly.
"Oh—" Shui Mo didn't ask any more questions; she had complete trust in Chongming.
She looked up at Byakuya, who was standing motionless, and smiled brightly: "Big brother, your illusion magic is really amazing!"
Before she finished speaking, a pair of translucent wings suddenly extended from her waist, flapped rapidly, and she soared into the air.
"Next up is my turn—Secret Technique: Scale Powder Concealment!"
She formed hand seals, opened her mouth and spat out a fine powder of scales, which shimmered as her wings flapped, sweeping towards Byakuya below.
Xingyuan Qianshuo remembered that this scale powder could obscure vision.
With his perception, even if he can't see, he can accurately pinpoint the other person's location.
But he had no intention of trying it himself—after all, it was a shadow clone, and it would be too undignified if the Jinchūriki used the power of the Tailed Beast to disperse it.
Just as the scales were about to strike, Byakuya, the shadow clone, waved his hand, and his wind-style chakra created a chaotic airflow that scattered the scales in all directions.
"Wind Release? I can do that too!" Water Spray's eyes lit up. "Wind Release: Wing Slash!"
She rapidly spun her wings and unleashed five intersecting wind blades at Byakuya.
"Not bad, Wind Release without seal." Byakuya thought to himself, this ninjutsu reminded him of the first B-rank Wind Release he had ever obtained—Cat Claw Blade.
Instead of taking the blow head-on, he seized the opportunity, leaped up, easily dodged the air blade, and hovered steadily in mid-air.
"Huh?" Shui Mo's eyes widened in surprise. "Big brother, you can fly too?"
"Of course," Byakuya, the shadow clone, said calmly. "Is it that difficult?"
"Flying isn't that hard—" Waterfoam scratched her head, "but to be able to fly without wings is really amazing! Looks like I'll have to get serious!"
She silently cried out in her heart, "Chongming, lend me your power! We can't let this guy underestimate us!"
"Okay." Chongming responded and injected the tailed beast chakra into Shuimo's body.
Shui Mo's figure was instantly covered by dark red chakra, with seven tails swaying behind her, and her aura surged.
Upon seeing this, Byakuya, the shadow clone, clasped his hands together and activated Sage Mode without hesitation.
Blue-green eye patterns appeared on his face, and his aura suddenly surged.
"Big brother, be careful!" Shui Mo called out, and her wings suddenly grew larger, flapping rapidly. Her figure flashed in the air, her speed increasing several times over.
"Multi-Wing Slash!"
She constantly changed positions, shooting out dozens of energy blades from all directions, blocking all of Byakuya's escape routes.
However, Byakuya, the shadow clone, moved like the wind, dodging each blade of energy with ease while rapidly closing the distance between them.
The spray didn't retreat; instead, it accelerated to meet it—
"Insect bites!"
"Celestial Art: Superhuman Strength!"
The two crossed paths in an instant.
Water Spray flicked its seven tails, attempting to defeat the enemy in one strike, but Byakuya dodged them all in the blink of an eye.
The next instant, his fist slammed solidly into her face.
"boom--!"
The tailed beast-transformed water droplets flew backward like cannonballs, crashing heavily to the ground.
Stone fragments flew everywhere, and dust billowed up.
A moment later, Mizuki shook her head, stood up from the pit, and looked up at Byakuya in mid-air.
Protected by the tailed beast's chakra, she was not seriously injured, and her fighting spirit remained undiminished.
"Even in close combat, she's this strong—is it because of that strange mask?" she thought to herself, then grinned. "Again! This time I'll definitely hit her!"
She kicked off with her feet, flapped her wings, and charged toward Byakuya once more.
"boom!"
Same move, same result.
The water droplets were knocked down again, and they stood up once more.
She also has her strongest move, the Tailed Beast Ball, but since this is just a sparring match in the village, she obviously can't use it recklessly.
Just as she was unwilling to give up and wanted to rush up again, Byakuya fell down.
He clasped his hands together—
The ground beneath Shui Mo's feet suddenly surged, and countless thick trees burst forth from the earth, twisting and rushing towards her!
"What?!"
Water droplets hurriedly flapped their wings to dodge, but the trees and branches were exceptionally agile and resilient, surrounding them from all directions.
She tried to fly into the sky to escape, but was momentarily stopped by a tree branch.
In that instant, the surrounding branches swarmed in and bound her tightly.
"Water Spray, that's Wood Release!" Chongming's voice echoed in his mind, filled with undisguised terror. "Hashirama Senju's Wood Release!"
"How can I break free?" Shui Mo struggled anxiously, only to find that her chakra was rapidly draining away.
"It's useless—Wood Release will absorb our chakra, becoming stronger the more it binds us, and it's very effective against us tailed beasts."
In Chongming's mind, the image of that overwhelming figure from decades ago, and the sense of powerlessness etched into his soul, surfaced.
Soon, the dark red chakra on Shuimo's body completely dissipated, and she was firmly bound to the wooden branches.
She sighed and lowered her head: "Byakuya-nii, I admit defeat."
"You flatter me." Byakuya, the shadow clone, nodded calmly and manipulated the tree branch to loosen its restraints.
He then discreetly used the system to investigate, and slightly raised his lips: "Shuimo, let me treat the injuries on your face."
"No need, it'll be done soon." Shui Mo waved her hand dismissively.
"Don't mention it, we're friends now." Byakuya raised his hand and shot out a chakra thread, the Yang attribute chakra slowly flowing over her, quickly healing the bruises on her face.
[You have healed Shuimo's facial bruises and received the following rewards: Secret Technique: Scale Powder Concealment Technique (Mastery), one portion of Seven-Tails Chakra, and Chakra +10000]
"Not bad," Byakuya thought to himself.
He had previously obtained a portion of the Two-Tails' chakra, but it was only around 10,000 points. This portion of the Seven-Tails' chakra, however, was a full 300,000 points.
"Byakuya-nii, I'm definitely going to beat you next time!" Mizuki declared energetically.
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
As the two were talking, Kakuzu and Tetsuki approached.
In the battle just now, Byakuya's shadow clones displayed all their abilities, including stepping into the air, Sage Mode, and Wood Release. This was not only to prevent the shadow clones from being easily dispersed, but also to demonstrate his strength and subdue the enemy without fighting, making Tetsuki willingly accept cooperation.
He has a keen sense of malice and emotion, and can clearly perceive every slight fluctuation in the other person's psychology.
At this moment, Chemu was in a daze, his mind reeling.
He didn't recognize Byakuya's other abilities, but he did recognize the final Wood Release.
"Byakuya-sensei—are you from Konoha Village?" He couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him.
"Wood Release isn't unique to Hashirama Senju; it's simply a fusion of Water and Earth Release." Byakuya, the shadow clone, didn't give a direct answer. "The Red Cross Society is a neutral charitable medical organization and doesn't belong to any ninja village."
Tetsuki nodded, paused for a moment, and then asked, "Byakuya-san, what is the other collaboration you mentioned—"
"I've heard that there's something called 'Hero's Water' in Takigakure?" Byakuya asked.
Tetsuki turned to look at Kakuzu and said slowly, "There is, but with Byakuya's strength, he probably wouldn't need something with such severe side effects."
"I'd like to grow a special plant that might be useful," Byakuya said. "If possible, I'd also like to visit the place where the Hero's Water is produced."
"This—" Chemu hesitated for a moment.
Hero's Water has always been controlled by the lineage of the leader of Takigakure, and it is an extremely important strategic resource.
But if I don't agree, I'm afraid I'll anger the person in front of me.
"Hmph." Kakuzu snorted coldly, his face showing displeasure.
"If Takigakure is willing to provide the Hero's Water to help us cultivate that plant," Byakuya said calmly but with great weight, "the Red Cross Society can sign a strategic cooperation agreement with Takigakure at any time, including during foreign wars, we will receive and treat your wounded."
Chemu had no idea how incredible the Red Cross's medical capabilities were, but since they had given him a way out, he had no choice but to agree.
"The Hero's Water—it has never brought more than just protection to Takigakure; it has also brought sorrow." Tetsuki sighed, his tone complex. "I once secretly swore that I would only use it myself and that no other ninja in the village would sacrifice themselves for it."
He paused, then looked at Byakuya: "Your association has the resources and is involved in charitable medical work. Giving it to you is making the best use of it."
After saying that, he turned and walked forward: "Come on, I'll take you to see the place where Hero's Water is produced."
The group walked out of the village.
Water droplets quietly followed.
Chemu glanced back at her, but ultimately did not stop her.
Takigakure is located in a valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides.
They arrived at a rocky cliff at the edge of a valley, where Chemu formed hand seals and performed a spell next to a large tree.
A moment later, a cave one meter wide and two meters high slowly appeared on the rock wall.
Chemu called for everyone to follow and took the lead in entering the cave.