Uzumaki Tomoko's combat style was exceptionally savage, resembling a runaway horse frantically running amok across the field.
Yet, even though Aoki Shigeru appeared to be standing at the absolute center of a raging tempest, he remained entirely unfazed from start to finish.
The techniques of water manipulation were brandished with masterclass ingenuity in his hands, with countless streams of water continuously shifting into a wide variety of offensive and defensive arrays, achieving a flawless state of simultaneous attack and defense.
"Water Style: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade!"
The exact instant Tomoko's patience began to thoroughly wear thin as the battle dragged on, Shigeru suddenly wove hand signs.
A churning vortex of water condensed within his palms, rapidly compressing its form into the shape of a liquid javelin, spinning at high velocities in layered, omnidirectional currents before he hurled it forward with immense force.
Upon striking a target, this specific technique would violently erupt into a colossal waterspout. It was an exceptionally magnificent and powerful move, its area of effect capable of expanding in direct proportion to the volume of chakra invested. For dealing with a Tomoko who was currently commanding a vast sea of skeletal remains, it was immensely practical.
Dance of the Clematis!
Tomoko's right hand abruptly wrenched out her own spinal column from her back to brandish as a sprawling iron whip, while the entirety of the arm bones in her left hand coalesced into the ultimate hardened, spiral-shaped lance—the flower.
Its offensive piercing power was spectacularly immense, fully capable of shattering absolutely any defense.
It was glaringly obvious that Tomoko harbored no intention of adopting a defensive posture; she intended to violently collide head-on against Shigeru.
Unable to tolerate Tomoko's incredibly reckless style of fighting any longer, the whirling water blade within Shiraishi's son's hand abruptly accelerated its rotation.
The atmospheric moisture that had previously diffused into the perimeter clustered together instantly, expanding into an even grander cyclone of churning water.
Bring it on!
The raw forces of both sides violently crashed into one another. Tomoko's clematis flower and vine exploded into fragments simultaneously, while the condensed water blade in Shigeru's palm lightly grazed her forehead, scoring a microscopic trail of a scratch across her skin.
Even so, Shigeru fared little better. The concussive explosion of the residual shattered bone fragments heavily aggravated the injuries on his right hand, causing fresh droplets of blood to trickle down his fingers.
With her Byakugan long since activated, Tomoko stared intently at the chakra pathways inside Shigeru's physical frame, a trace of profound astonishment surfacing in her eyes: "How has your chakra volume not depleted in the slightest?"
Even a Jinchuriki like the little panda Gaara would inevitably suffer a measurable depletion of chakra over the course of a grueling battle.
Yet, Tomoko was thoroughly shocked to discover that even after Shigeru deployed such a high-caliber Water Style ninjutsu, his internal chakra reserve remained virtually unaffected.
The Sand Gathering Technique?
No, that's wrong. The environmental prerequisite for the Sand Gathering Technique necessitated a desert landscape, and Tomoko had personally witnessed Gaara execute it before.
Ah, right...
Tomoko recalled hearing rumors that Lord Kazekage had long ago engineered a specialized Water Style chakra-replenishing technique that mirrored the mechanics of the Sand Gathering Technique—a secret jutsu known as the Water Ring.
The basic Playing with Water and the Water Ring were inherently part of a single, continuous lineage of skill upgrades.
Back then, Shiraishi had intentionally instructed Shigeru to master Playing with Water first, before leaving him to quietly decipher the mechanics of the Water Ring on his own.
In the end, his son had adopted Playing with Water as his primary offensive Water Style ninjutsu, whereas the Water Ring was thoroughly relegated to a supplementary role for regenerating chakra.
Of course, this didn't mean Shigeru was incapable of utilizing other offensive ninjutsu; the Hard Whirlpool Water Blade he had just unleashed was a highly practical, top-tier attacking technique.
Under the continuous regulation of the Water Ring, the wounds upon Shigeru's hand progressively closed up and healed, while Uzumaki Tomoki stepped forward, gesturing for the two to conclude their bout.
Tomoki lightly brushed away the residual sand and dust clinging to his clothing: "This will do for practical field training. The two of you completely lose all sense of moderation when you fight."
Had an outsider who was entirely unaware of their relationship witnessed the battlefield dynamics just now, they would undoubtedly have concluded that the two youths were locked in a lethal duel to the absolute death.
Slowly deactivating her Byakugan state, Uzumaki Tomoko stared at her teammate: "Shigeru, I hope that during this upcoming Chunin Exams, we can truly settle the score between us once and for all."
Presently within Sunagakure, the total number of the new generation among their peers amounted to a mere seven individuals.
Although Temari and Kankuro were several years older than Gaara, they had enrolled in the Ninja Academy at the exact same time as the other five, effectively placing them within the same graduation bracket.
Over the past few years, Uchiha Akira had progressively carved out a resounding reputation as a genius within Sunagakure.
Having already awakened his Sharingan, he was currently the most exceptional seedling within Sunagakure's Uchiha branch, carrying the immense expectations of the entire clan upon his shoulders.
Particularly regarding this upcoming Joint Chunin Exams, upon receiving intelligence that Konoha would be participating—and that Uchiha Sasuke, the lone survivor of the former main clan head, was among their roster—the Suna Uchiha clansmen were filled with intense anticipation for Akira to participate and thoroughly crush that Sasuke.
Although these clansmen harbored no personal grievances against Fugaku, Uchiha Sasuke was, after all, the younger brother of that fellow Itachi—and his most treasured brother at that.
For the sake of this single brat, Itachi had not hesitated to walk the path of slaughtering and betraying the entire clan.
Consequently, the overall sentiment toward Uchiha Sasuke within Sunagakure's Uchiha branch was exceptionally terrible.
A similar undercurrent was unfolding between Hozuki Suigetsu and Minazuki Haku. As the younger brother of Hozuki Mangetsu, Suigetsu had been mysteriously relocated to Sunagakure during his infancy; he didn't even know that he was biologically Mangetsu's brother, merely believing himself to be a fellow clansman of the Hozuki lineage.
Even so, Suigetsu deeply desired to display his absolute strength before the representatives of the Mist ninjas.
As for Haku, she harbored no strong opinions either way. Her conceptual memory of the Mist Village was exceptionally vague, and her current devotion was centered entirely upon her squad leader, Yamaji Kumtake.
Even without the presence of Momochi Zabuza, Haku still instinctively anchored the entirety of her existence upon the individual she chose to recognize—which, in this lifetime, happened to be Yamaji Kumtake.
Inside Unohana Retsu's residential compound, Kikyo—holding a specialized longbow—was continuously engaged in rigorous archery training.
Following a prolonged period of physical regulation, Kikyo's underlying condition was quite fair.
Although a body manifested through the Impure World Reincarnation was vastly superior to her historical vessel constructed from sacred clay and ash, she still needed to release a certain number of Soul-Collector Birds into the dead of night to gather lingering spirits.
In addition to the Soul-Collector Birds, Kikyo had planted specialized spirit-attracting branches around the perimeter of the courtyard, drafting a Five-Star Demon-Gathering Barrier to isolate the intrusion of malevolent entities.
The so-called malevolent entities naturally referred to the residents of Ryuchi Cave. The White Snake Shrine was situated exceptionally close to Unohana Retsu's estate, and summoned mystical serpents would occasionally manifest in the area. Thus, establishing the Demon-Gathering Barrier here served as an explicit warning to those creatures not to approach lightly.
It had to be said that the pure aura of a professional miko like Kikyo possessed a deterrent capability that was arguably even more pronounced than Unohana Retsu's. Naturally, the White Snake Sage of Ryuchi Cave had also perceived Kikyo's presence.
While the White Snake Sage naturally harbored no fear toward a mere shrine maiden, since they were currently residing within Sunagakure Village, she still strictly disciplined her subordinate serpents, forbidding them from mindlessly approaching the residences of Kikyo and Unohana Retsu.
Mystical serpents, soul-collecting birds, and a mysterious shrine maiden—the convergence of these diverse elements inevitably birthed quite a few bizarre urban legends throughout Sunagakure during the late hours of the night.
In stark contrast to the White Snake Sage's wariness, Shiraishi's fat orange cat unexpectedly enjoyed drawing close to Kikyo. Although it was utterly terrified of Unohana Retsu, it displayed immense affection toward Kikyo.
In any case, Kikyo was ultimately a gentle maiden at heart... and she possessed virtually no resistance against the perfectly spherical, chubby orange cat.
Shiraishi, however, had always firmly believed that the fat cat's true, underlying objective was simply to swallow the Shikon Jewel resting upon Kikyo's person...
"Lady Kikyo, Lady Unohana requests your presence for dinner."
Two children dressed in classical attire slowly walked out from the interior. Servants conjured as shikigami by Kikyo's own hand, the little girl and boy—Asuka and Kocho—were routinely responsible for handling the various chores around the estate.
In factual reality, Kikyo's current state did not require the consumption of food. Not only her, but Unohana Retsu was similarly exempt from such physical necessities. However, that Soul Reaper master possessed a particular fondness for the sensory experience of dining.
Consequently, Kikyo had no choice but to accompany her at the dining table every single time.
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