The short blades the white-robed man had been holding had already fused with his hands. Not only that, their blades lengthened inexplicably — from roughly forearm-length to nearly a meter long. They looked oddly like the foreleg scythe of a mantis.
Seeing that grotesque change even Hoshiyomi flinched. So this was the special ability of whoever this was — an Ōtsutsuki? Ōtsutsuki Kinshiki had similar powers, though his manifested weapons were red.
Still, the man's appearance stirred a vague sense of déjà vu in Hoshiyomi's mind. He couldn't immediately place where he'd seen something like it before. On guard, he abandoned any thought of attacking first and watched the transformation warily.
The white-robed man saw Hoshiyomi's cautious posture and smiled.
"Hey, old man, you really can draw blood," he said. "You're pretty impressive. But I won't stop just for that — don't say I didn't warn you. Now I'm getting serious."
"Old man?" And what did he mean by "draw blood"?
Hoshiyomi blinked, confused. Before he could ask, the white-robed man lifted his strange, blade-fused right hand.
"Five-Finger Drilling Bullets!"
As he spoke, the five extended fingers of his hand actually shot out five white bullets, just like a handgun.
Watching the white bullets streak in, Hoshiyomi finally understood his deja vu — this was essentially a weakened form of Kimimaro's "Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets" from the original story.
Could he have been wrong about the man being an Ōtsutsuki? Maybe he was actually of the Kaguya clan?
Thoughts racing, Hoshiyomi didn't pause. He used Mikazuki Munechika to bat the incoming bone-like bullets aside, one after another.
Having dodged the projectiles, the hooded man surged forward.
"Dance of the Willow!" he shouted.
Hearing the move's name confirmed Hoshiyomi's suspicion — this was someone of the Kaguya line. He opened his mouth to ask, but the attacker gave him no chance.
Sharp bony spikes protruded at the white-robed man's joints; combined with the twin long blades fused to his arms, he'd become a walking arsenal, charging at Hoshiyomi like living weaponry.
Hoshiyomi blocked the twin bone-blades with Mikazuki Munechika while also watching for the spines shooting out from the enemy's joints. Having never faced such a battle style before, he felt awkward and ill at ease.
The attacker wasn't giving him time to adapt. He spun like a top, the spikes and blades forming a hedgehog-like defense that made it impossible to find an opening.
Confronted with such strange offensives, even Hoshiyomi hesitated; for a while he found himself being physically suppressed.
It had been a long time since he'd felt so frustrated. After weathering several exchanges, Hoshiyomi's temper flared — he abandoned the aerial fight.
Landing, he snatched up the Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade that had been under his feet. Dual blades in hand, he stopped defending and met his pursuer head-on.
Several rounds of brutal clashes passed without a decisive victor. Hoshiyomi took a few grazes from the enemy's joint spikes, but neither side was able to break the other.
After a hard collision, both combatants stepped back.
Hoshiyomi reversed his grip, holding the two kunai blades in a counter stance, and said:
"This time I'm going to cut both of your blades right off."
"Talk is cheap — but no one's ever actually managed to do that," the white-robed man shot back without missing a beat.
Hoshiyomi didn't bother to reply. He lowered his stance, took a deep breath, and exhaled softly as he murmured the name of his next technique:
"Moon Shadow Flash!"
The instant his voice fell, Hoshiyomi vanished from sight.
The blue eyes beneath the white-robed man's hood suddenly contracted. At that critical moment, he shouted—
"Dance of the Larch!"
In that instant, dozens of sharp bones erupted from every part of his body, twisted and interlocking into a defensive mesh that could both block attacks and trap an enemy's weapon.
CLANG!
From above, a giant X-shaped flash of swordlight split the air — a blinding streak across the desert.
But this time, Hoshiyomi didn't effortlessly pass through the opponent's body and appear behind him. Instead, his advance halted right before the white-robed man.
The impact forced the white-robed man's blood to churn violently, but he swallowed down the urge to cough it up and smirked.
"I told you, old man — no one's ever managed that before. Your attack's over. Now it's my turn."
As he raised his arms to strike back, his eyes suddenly widened in shock.
Because in that very instant, the bone-blades fused to his arms — and all the spikes protruding from his joints — shattered at once, splintering into fragments that clattered onto the sand below.
Staring dumbly at the pile of broken white bone, then up at Hoshiyomi — who stood silently with his sword still in hand — the white-robed man swallowed hard.
"Okay… I lose," he said simply, raising his hands in surrender.
Hoshiyomi blinked, taken aback. Lose? What are we, children playing pretend? he thought, almost speechless.
As he was processing that, the white-robed figure reached up and pulled down his hood — revealing an absurdly young face.
"Old man, you're seriously crazy strong," the boy said with a grin. "Aside from my dad, I think only Uncle Naruto and Uncle Sasuke from Konoha could maybe fight you to a draw. Were people in your generation all this powerful?
"Oh, right, almost forgot — name's Kaguya Reiichi, twelve years old. Please take care of me from now on!"
…A kid?!
Hoshiyomi stared blankly at Reiichi's youthful face, feeling a sudden pang of defeat.
Twelve? He's only twelve?
And yet he'd just taken Hoshiyomi's Moon Shadow Flash head-on — a move strong enough to destroy an elite jōnin in one strike. While it wasn't Hoshiyomi's ultimate technique, it was one of his strongest one-on-one attacks.
He hadn't held back in the slightest. For the boy to block it without injury — combined with that terrifying speed, strength, and the eerie Shikotsumyaku bloodline — meant only one thing: his power was already at high Kage-level, perhaps even Kage-class pinnacle.
A twelve-year-old with that kind of strength…
Who on earth could stand up to that?!