A philosopher once said something very reasonable: "Only magic can defeat magic."
If that saying were applied to Kimimaro right now, it should be stated more specifically as: "Only taijutsu can defeat taijutsu."
First, Lee opened four gates in succession, as if saying to Kimimaro, "Can I hug you, baby?"
Kimimaro, however, remained ice-cold. "Wait a moment. Let me buff myself first."
Thus, for the first time in actual combat, he used the Shikotsumyaku.
Then he said, "Come on. There are no tears in the Chūnin Exams. If we don't embrace now, it'll be a sin…"
Lee was very helpless.
Damn it, the one I liked was you from five seconds ago. Who knew that five seconds later, your whole body would be covered in suspicious protrusions?
Sure enough, fairy tales were all lies.
This hedgehog-like armor formed by the Shikotsumyaku could attack when advancing and defend when retreating. It was simply far too shameless. The Konoha Taijutsu Association absolutely refused to recognize this as taijutsu!
The reason Kimimaro had been able to block the heavy strike of the Reverse Lotus without taking any damage was that he had used the Shikotsumyaku to turn his entire arm into a high-density bone structure in an instant.
The exact degree was uncertain, but in any case, whether in toughness, hardness, or strength, Kimimaro's bones were far superior to No. 45 steel. Therefore, Lee's attack had neither broken through his defense nor caused any injury. On the contrary, this heavy blow had been somewhat like an egg striking a rock; the one injured would instead be Lee's own hand.
Science had proven that as long as the technique was used well, even bone hyperplasia could become a powerful weapon.
However, this scene made Hagoromo, who was on the second-floor viewing platform, sigh softly.
No matter what, he should prepare a few more boxes of Calcium in Calcium for this child later.
Now, Kimimaro was using Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Willow against Lee's Four Gates. It could be called a perfect match.
However, although Kimimaro had just taken the opportunity to restrain one of Lee's hands, he still voluntarily let go at the last moment… because his opponent was a shinobi from the same village. Under these circumstances, he did not want to cause any severe disability. Otherwise, it would obviously create trouble for Hagoromo.
The Shikotsumyaku was the ability to control the generation, decomposition, and hardening of bones throughout the entire body. As for the "Dance of the Willow," it produced eight bone blades from important joints and the palms. In other words, if Kimimaro had not let go of Lee's hand, he would definitely have sliced Lee's entire palm off.
It was only a match. There was no need to make things so bloody.
And even if that situation had really happened, with Tsunade present, it was not as if it could not be treated. But no matter what, it would have been far too troublesome, so Kimimaro chose to let go.
Lee rapidly retreated. Kimimaro did not rush to pursue him either.
Then… the scene fell silent for a moment.
It was not only Rock Lee in the arena who failed to understand what was going on with Kimimaro's ghostly appearance. Even many of the jōnin watching did not understand what had just happened.
Wasn't everyone here to watch the Eight Gates instantly kill the opponent?
Why had the situation suddenly reversed? And why could one side even transform? What was going on?
This ability to extend and retract, to grow longer and shorter, was far too miraculous, even if it was only bone.
Compared to kekkei genkai such as the Sharingan, Byakugan, and even Wood Release, the Shikotsumyaku was not especially well-known. Many shinobi might never have heard of this kekkei genkai at all. Even those who had heard of it might not immediately realize that this was the technique Kimimaro was currently using.
After all, the Shikotsumyaku was a Kirigakure bloodline limit. But right now, Kimimaro represented Konoha. That mismatch in identity would inevitably affect some people's judgment.
"What is this?" Lee still asked the question aloud. At the same time, his eyes glanced toward Hayate Gekkō.
Referee, my opponent seems to have used a stimulant. Is this really okay?
Hayate Gekkō ignored him.
At most, Kimimaro's issue counted as a species problem. Judging from appearance, Lee looked more like the one who had taken drugs. Besides, shinobi using drugs was the most normal thing in the world, wasn't it?
"Shikotsumyaku. My ability allows me to freely manipulate the bones throughout my entire body. If I harden them, their hardness can rival steel," Kimimaro said.
"I see."
Now Rock Lee understood why Kimimaro had been able to catch his Reverse Lotus.
In other words, only by launching an unexpected attack before the opponent activated this bone-controlling ability could he break through the opponent's defense?
The ability Kimimaro had displayed was naturally beyond Lee's expectations, but it still could not suppress his desire to win.
And if he still wanted to win, there was one thing he absolutely had to do…
Attack.
So, immediately afterward, Lee once again charged toward Kimimaro at a speed invisible to the naked eye!
Under these circumstances, for Kimimaro, the best response could be summed up in four words:
Defend and counterattack.
No matter how fast Lee was, his final objective could only be to strike Kimimaro's actual body. So as long as Kimimaro maintained vigilance within a certain range around himself and stood firm at that point without moving, he would practically be in an undefeated position.
Sure enough, before Lee's fist could land, several bone blades had already blocked in front of him. At this moment, Lee could only retreat again. However, perhaps he had not withdrawn properly this time, or perhaps the relative speed between the two was simply too fast. A not-too-deep wound was still cut across Lee's arm, and blood flowed out.
Lee made several more attempts in succession, but the only result was that the number of wounds on his body increased.
Kimimaro's current fighting style was completely different from before. His moves had become soft, light, and almost untouched by smoke or fire. Whether attacking or defending, they carried a graceful beauty. Every move he made was full of resilience. No matter how Lee changed his attacks, he could not break through Kimimaro's defense.
This fighting style felt familiar. Lee was far too familiar with it. From his perspective, "Dance of the Willow" was undoubtedly, in another sense, an extremely unusual kind of…
Gentle Fist.
Kimimaro's current attacks could probably also be called using softness to overcome hardness.
It was just that compared to the Gentle Fist's striking method based on targeting tenketsu, Kimimaro's bone blades were undoubtedly more aggressive and more dangerous. With the slightest carelessness, he could lightly slice off some part of the body.
It might be a hand or a foot.
It might also be a head or a heart.
The Shikotsumyaku taijutsu Kimimaro used could roughly be divided into five types: Dance of the Willow, Dance of the Camellia, Dance of the Larch, Dance of the Clematis, and Dance of the Seedling Fern. In truth, even with the seal restriction on the Shikotsumyaku removed, the latter two were still strictly forbidden techniques.
Because they placed too great a burden on the body.
Take the Dance of the Clematis, for example. When using it, Kimimaro had to pull out his own spine…
Just thinking about it made one's teeth ache.
And its main purpose was to bind people.
Please. For that kind of restraining method, Mirai's Adamantine Sealing Chains would be countless times stronger, all right? The effect would be outstanding, and it would not place any burden on the body. So bondage play was not Kimimaro's job.
As for the Dance of the Seedling Fern, that needed even less explanation. It was almost equivalent to a mutual-destruction ultimate move. Simply put, the Dance of the Seedling Fern required Kimimaro to cover the ground with his own bone spikes…
So there was even less need to use that move.
Compared to the latter two, the first three taijutsu forms could be classified as "usable." As for their effect, judging from the current situation, the Shikotsumyaku could suppress the Eight Gates to a certain degree.
Of course, the words "to a certain degree" were especially important.
"As expected, it's difficult to win with only four gates, isn't it?" Lee said after wiping the blood from his cheek. This was the conclusion he had reached after repeated attempts.
Since four gates would not work, he could only open one more. But if he did that, Lee would truly reach the state of his own limit.
However, Kimimaro seemed to sense his opponent's intention immediately. The bone blades in his palms withdrew. As he brought his hands together and completed the hand seals, dazzling lightning lit up around his body first.
Of course, the Kimimaro of this world did not have the enhancement of a cursed-seal state. Correspondingly, however, he could use refined Lightning Release.
"If possible, I hope this contest can remain only a 'contest,' because once it becomes a battle, the process will be very difficult to hold back," Kimimaro said.
Once Lee opened the Fifth Gate and entered his limit state, Kimimaro would likewise go all out. At that point, he would no longer have the same composure and ability to freely restrain himself as before.
A battle?
No.
What came next should be called a fight to the death.
Lee wanted to win and prove that effort could surpass genius. Under ordinary circumstances, it would not have mattered if Kimimaro chose to give up now. But with Hagoromo watching, the situation was completely different for Kimimaro.
He had to obtain victory, because Kimimaro stubbornly believed that this was where his value in Hagoromo's eyes lay.
"Guy, this is enough, isn't it?" Hagoromo naturally saw the situation in the arena clearly, so to prevent matters from spiraling completely out of control, he spoke to Guy.
His meaning was self-evident.
Right now, the one holding the advantage in the arena was Kimimaro. It was not impossible for Lee to win, but at the very least, he would have to wait until he could open the Sixth Gate and use the Morning Peacock.
This single step of difference was the gulf between victory and defeat.
A trace of struggle flashed across Guy's face, but in the end, he could not help sighing.
"Lee, that's enough."
Otherwise, what else could he do?
What Hagoromo could see, Guy could naturally see as well. Lee had opened four gates, while Kimimaro had used the Shikotsumyaku. In the current battle situation, the latter had the advantage. After this, Lee would have to open the Fifth Gate, but Kimimaro had already activated Chidori Current. From that point on, the battle would become extremely dangerous, yet the balance of advantage would not reverse.
One careless move could mean death.
Of course Guy had to weigh the choice carefully.
This should originally have been an extremely brilliant debut for the Eight Gates.
Unfortunately, it had run into a zombie Greymon capable of using Thunderbolt…
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