When Hoshiyomi heard Reiichi's voice, he snapped his head around—just in time to see the human–sea-urchin form rapidly transforming.
The sea-urchin-like bone spikes gradually merged and reshaped themselves, forming a complete suit of armor covering Reiichi's body. Sharp bone spikes protruded from every joint, and from his tailbone extended a long, fully formed tail bristling with spikes.
Reiichi's hands were now encased in terrifying gauntlets made of countless hooked bone barbs. At this moment, he looked like a skeletal demon king—utterly fearsome.
A burst of chakra erupted from a vent on the back of his bone armor. Pushed by this terrifying propulsion, the bone-clad Reiichi shot toward Hoshiyomi like a meteor.
The speed of this jet-propelled charge rivaled Shunpo. Coupled with Hoshiyomi's brief moment of shock at the sight of the bone armor, he lost the initiative and suddenly found it difficult to dodge.
Blocking that horrifying bone armor with Mikazuki Munechika was clearly unwise. At the last moment, Hoshiyomi chose to return to the location of his "sword shadow" and attack from behind.
But he didn't expect—Reiichi was waiting for exactly that moment when Hoshiyomi used the Dance of the Startled Swan to return.
When Hoshiyomi vanished, Reiichi still looked confused. But the instant Hoshiyomi reappeared, Reiichi's long bone tail whipped around with a howling gust and smashed toward him.
Caught off guard, Hoshiyomi barely managed to raise Mikazuki Munechika to block, yet he was still sent flying across a great distance, crashing hard into the ruins.
Reiichi wasn't about to waste such a golden chance. The bone vents behind him flashed with blue light, and he turned into a streak of white, rushing toward the rubble where Hoshiyomi had fallen.
The so-called Dance of the Larch—Ninefold Burial was far from just forming a bone armor. Catching up to Hoshiyomi, Reiichi struck immediately, kicking at him as he hurriedly raised his sword to block.
Hoshiyomi was kicked high into the air, and Reiichi chased him upward, preparing to use the bone spikes across his armor and the deadly gauntlets on his arms to launch a relentless mid-air assault on the immobilized Hoshiyomi.
Seeing the excitement gleaming in Reiichi's eyes, Kimimaro—floating above—could only shake his head. His son was still young; he hadn't noticed the simplest tactical trick in ninja combat.
But it wasn't entirely his fault. Hoshiyomi's concealment skills were superb, and even carried a hint of senjutsu chakra. An unawakened Tenseigan's insight was only on par with a Byakugan. In that chaotic exchange, noticing Hoshiyomi's ploy was truly difficult.
Just as Kimimaro thought, Hoshiyomi had already split into a shadow clone the moment he was smashed into the ruins, while the real body used Transparent Relese and the Dance of the Startled Swan to quietly create distance.
When Reiichi punched the airborne "Hoshiyomi," it burst into a puff of smoke.
Reiichi's expression changed. He wanted to guard, but it was already too late.
Hoshiyomi shot upward like a flying blade—not using his sword, but driving a kick directly into one of the few spots on Reiichi's armor without bone spikes.
Reiichi reacted half a beat too slowly. Before he could generate new bone spikes, he was kicked out of the sky and slammed to the ground.
Fortunately, the armor protected him from serious injury.
But before he could climb back up, Hoshiyomi's next attack was already upon him.
Mikazuki Munechika tore through the air like a falling star, thrusting toward Reiichi before he had even stabilized his stance. This strike was clearly unlike the previous ones—long before the blade reached him, the terrifying power within it and the razor-sharp Wind Release chakra were already palpable.
If this stab landed on a vital point, even that bone armor might not be enough to defend.
Kimimaro, still floating above, frowned as he saw this. A Truth-Seeking Orb silently appeared in his hand.
If Reiichi still couldn't dodge in that critical moment, Kimimaro planned to use his Shikotsumyaku-based teleportation to rescue his son from the blow.
Staring at the sword tip rapidly enlarging in his vision, a flash of fear crossed Reiichi's eyes—but even stronger was the deep unwillingness in his heart. He knew perfectly well he had little chance of defeating Uncle Hoshiyomi…
But being suppressed from start to finish still filled the undefeated Reiichi—who had crushed every peer he had ever faced—with bitter frustration. In this moment, he completely forgot his father was watching from above.
All he could see was that growing sword tip.
I have to dodge it. No matter what—I must dodge it!
Whether it was the deadly crisis awakening the potential in his bloodline, or his unwavering determination breaking through a mental barrier…
At that moment, Reiichi's Tenseigan finally began to change.
In those originally pure light-blue pupils, a streak of blue-white light flashed, as if a cold, glowing moon had suddenly appeared within his eyes.
At the same time, an invisible wave rapidly spread outward, sweeping straight toward Hoshiyomi in midair.
Hoshiyomi, who was descending at high speed, had originally been debating how to alter the strike so that Reiichi wouldn't suffer serious injury. The next second, an overwhelming repulsive force enveloped him.
The powerful downward momentum shattered instantly as the repulsion blasted him away. He spent several moments stabilizing himself in midair before finally avoiding being slammed into the ruins below.
Watching this from above, Kimimaro's eyes flashed with excitement. The Truth-Seeking Orb in his hand dissolved to dust with a light squeeze. He no longer even considered using space-time ninjutsu to save his son.
He simply hovered there, waiting quietly for his son's transformation.
Reiichi, collapsed on the ground, had almost exhausted all his chakra after using the Ninefold Dance of the Larch. But suddenly, a completely unfamiliar chakra surged from his eyes, flowing into every part of his body, nourishing his dried meridians.
This never-before-seen chakra washed through his previously aching body, instantly sweeping away the fatigue of battle. As he pushed himself up from the ground, he unconsciously clenched his fist—his strength felt fuller and greater than ever before.
Even more astonishing than his physical recovery was the clarity of his vision.
It was indescribable. Reiichi had always thought the world he saw with his eyes was already extremely clear—but now he realized his earlier vision had still been clouded.
His sight had never been so sharp. He could clearly see the tiny hairs on Hoshiyomi's face far in the distance. Hoshiyomi's movements no longer seemed so impossible to follow.
At this moment, he could observe every motion Hoshiyomi made—even the flow of chakra within his body.
Only now did Reiichi fully understand: the awakened Tenseigan made him an entirely different person.
Feeling the new power surging within him, Reiichi looked at Hoshiyomi and gave a broad, heartfelt smile.
"Thank you, Uncle Hoshiyomi."