"Her bones are harder than steel and can deform at will. She possesses all-around strength in power, speed, defense, and technique; she has almost no weaknesses in Taijutsu."
"The opponent has some kind of perception that doesn't rely on vision, making her very difficult to ambush. Her Genjutsu resistance is also high; my Mirage Mist technique lasted less than a second, so other Genjutsu are likely useless as well."
Ketsuken and Kirigarasu quickly exchanged information.
The more they spoke, the more alarmed they became.
Infinite strength, bones of iron, weapons that change in a thousand ways, all while possessing unique sensory abilities and Genjutsu resistance.
Ketsuken, who specialized in swordsmanship, had his weapon shattered in a single exchange, leaving his arm nearly crippled. Had Kirigarasu not rescued him in time, he would likely have been killed by now.
Kirigarasu, an expert in Genjutsu and assassination, fared no better.
The shuriken he launched from blind spots, coated in lethal poison, were swatted away as casually as one would shoo a fly.
To save his teammate, he had used the powerful A-rank Genjutsu—Demonic Illusion: Mirage Mist.
The result was it being shattered in less than a second by an unknown force, resulting in a mental backlash that felt like being struck by a blunt club; his head still hadn't recovered.
Looking at Hinami's youthful face and seemingly fragile body, Kirigarasu felt a needle-like sting in his brain. His strong rationality suppressed the pain to dispel the panic, aggregating countless pieces of information into intelligence:
"She killed Kurio Mari's squad before we arrived, proving her sensory range is massive; we can't escape.
The opponent is a Taijutsu-type ninja; we cannot engage in close quarters. We must use Ninjutsu for long-range attacks and containment.
Given her young age, her chakra capacity and physical stamina might be her weaknesses. We can fight a war of attrition."
Within a few sentences, Kirigarasu finalized their subsequent combat strategy.
Meanwhile, Hinami was not idling.
Information gathering is of paramount importance for a ninja.
Regardless of the level of battle, acquiring the enemy's information and discerning their weaknesses are the most important basic skills for a ninja.
However, Hinami's method of obtaining information was much simpler.
Under her unique 360-degree perspective.
Kirigarasu and Ketsuken appeared like 3D models in a computer.
Clothing, masks, bones, flesh—everything was seen through by the terrifying dōjutsu, transforming into strings of precise data within Hinami's mind.
Kirigarasu: Chakra level at Chūnin rank, Genjutsu-type Tokubetsu Jōnin.
He has a poison pouch containing medicinal powder hidden at his waist, six kunai, twelve shuriken, and three explosive tags. His muscular structure is weak; he is skilled in Genjutsu and sensory Ninjutsu but unskilled in frontal combat.
Ketsuken: Chakra level at Chūnin rank.
Thick bones, solid muscles, skilled in Taijutsu and swordsmanship with impressive strength. He carries several ninja tools but no poison or explosive tags; his threat level is lower. The tissue in his right arm is torn, swollen with congestion, and his wrist bone has minor cracks; his Taijutsu is almost entirely neutralized.
The opponents no longer possessed the capital to engage her in frontal combat. If they used Ninjutsu for containment, their chakra consumption would be even greater. Both her Shikotsumyaku and Byakugan consumed very little chakra during use.
In a war of attrition, the final victor would undoubtedly be her.
And the opponents would likely no longer engage her in close-quarters combat.
She had to deal carefully with potential powerful Ninjutsu attacks while leveraging her own advantages—forcing a confrontation to use her strengths against their weaknesses.
Creak, creak.
Within Hinami's body, the periosteum in non-vital areas thinned rapidly, causing her weight to drop drastically while reducing her defense.
Chakra gathered in her thighs.
Layers of muscle automatically tore and then super-healed.
The muscle tissue in her thighs became increasingly developed and powerful, their lines becoming clearer, like rods of steel.
Bones broke through her shoes and socks, struggling to protrude from the soles of her feet. While protecting her feet, they fixed her ankles, forming a more complete and safe kinetic chain.
Bone blades fanned out, positioned on either side of her body like wings.
She crouched and leaned forward.
Her entire being was like a bowstring drawn to its limit.
The abnormality on Hinami's side immediately caught Kirigarasu's attention. The exoskeleton extending from her feet and her slightly strange posture made alarm bells ring in his mind.
His long-honed combat instincts continuously issued warnings.
It made his whole body tremble, as if dancing on the edge of a blade.
Charging her strength, Hinami suddenly looked up, her dual bone blades extending to form a straight line.
Thump!
Her bone-clad shoes kicked violently against the earth.
Her body shot toward the two like a cannonball.
"She's coming."
"Run!"
Kirigarasu and Ketsuken shouted simultaneously.
At their original positions, Hinami's figure appeared abruptly, moving so fast that her path was almost invisible.
The cold, glinting blades suddenly extended from both sides of her body. Utilizing her immense speed, the blades sliced through space in an instant, nearly bisecting both of them at once!
Kirigarasu and Ketsuken leaped into the air instantly!
Upper bodies pressed down, knees to chests, their bodies almost folded in mid-air.
It was fluid and synchronized, like rhythmic gymnastics.
Zing!
The blades brushed against the soles of their shoes. The friction between the specially made steel of the ninja shoes and the bone caused a sudden burst of violent sparks in the dark night, letting out a piercing screech.
Leaping over the blades, the two stepped lightly on the bone blades with their toes, floating in mid-air and sandwiching Hinami in the middle.
Their four hands formed seals in synchronization.
Dragon - Ox - Rabbit.
Sheep - Horse - Dragon - Tiger.
Water Style: Wild Water Wave!
Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears!
A large volume of water erupted from Kirigarasu's mouth, while simultaneously the earth vibrated as thick stone spears protruded from the ground, attacking Hinami all at once.
The surging water collided with the stone spears.
Water spray scattered.
Completely submerging Hinami's figure.
Kirigarasu and Ketsuken tumbled in the air and landed gracefully.
"How was it?"
"The chakra reaction is... over there!!!"
Kirigarasu formed the 'Sheep' seal and snapped his head around.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind howled as Hinami, her arms crossed, was already in his face.
Her pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinheads.
Blood sprayed.
The blades drew a cross in the air, slicing Kirigarasu's body into four sections, which were then crushed by Hinami's following body.
Splash!
Kirigarasu's severed body turned into clear water, falling to the ground and merging with the flow from the Wild Water Wave.
Not far away.
Clutching his chest, Kirigarasu bent over and coughed up blood continuously.
"Fast Water Instantaneous Body, good coordination."
Hinami retracted her blades and stood up, her bone-wrapped foot taking a precise step backward—not an inch more, not an inch less—as the ground in front of her suddenly collapsed, revealing the jagged stone spears beneath.
Cold sweat broke out on Ketsuken's forehead; he had successfully cut off Hinami's pursuit, which also allowed Kirigarasu to escape with his life.
"Not as fast as your blade."
Gritting his teeth, Kirigarasu trembled in pain. The cross-shaped sword marks on his chest were only a hair's breadth away from separating his body. Fortunately, he had laid clear water on the ground beforehand with the Wild Water Wave, giving him the space to perform the Water Instantaneous Body.
"But... huff, huff... Little Lady, you stop for a period after every battle. Surely it's not to give us a chance to catch our breath!"
Looking at Hinami, who stood still and silent, Kirigarasu let out a cold laugh beneath his ridiculous crow mask.
"Speed indistinguishable to the naked eye, strength that defies common sense.
These are definitely not things you should possess in your normal state with your current physique! Otherwise, you would have had no reason to kill Kurio Mari and the others before we even arrived.
After every explosive display of power, you must pause for a period before you can continue fighting. Am I right!"
The scene suddenly fell silent.
"Heh. So what if you know?"
Hinami finally spoke.
Uncontrollable, surging steam drifted from her nose and mouth.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
The simultaneous explosion of power from all muscles in the body causes massive stamina consumption. Furthermore, muscle fibers themselves are not rigid machinery. After every use, one must wait for the exhausted fibers to return to their normal state.
It is like a bow drawn to its limit.
After the arrow is shot, one must wait for it to return to its normal state before it can be stretched again. If kept in a state of constant tension, the bow would slowly be ruined.
Now, she was just about ready to attack again.
"Six seconds."
Ketsuken, who had been silently watching Hinami, suddenly stated a precise number.
"Hahaha..."
Seeing Hinami's face suddenly darken, Kirigarasu, whose chest would not stop bleeding, couldn't suppress a loud laugh, his tone returning to its usual flippancy.