When Fūmori Masaki learned from Hyuga Masato that among the Kaguya clansmen who came this time, there was one who possessed the Shikotsumyaku Bloodline Limit, he felt that what he feared most had truly come to pass. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but he felt he had set up a flag when he was rushing over.
Hyuga Masato felt that Fūmori Masaki might not know what Shikotsumyaku was, so he explained it to him, combining it with his own combat experience to help him understand the power of Shikotsumyaku.
"Lord Hyuga, do you have a way to deal with Shikotsumyaku?" Fūmori Masaki asked.
"Probably not. His use of Shikotsumyaku is not as good as that person from before, but I also cannot compare to my father." Hyuga Masato shook his head. "If it's just containment, it would be fine; in the previous battle, that was also the best method. However, now we have lost the initiative. Hidden Mist will likely not fall for our previous tactics again. They still have the advantage in numbers. After they regroup, the significance of containment will not be great, and instead, it will be disadvantageous to us."
Fūmori Masaki summarized the current situation. The Fourth Division's current combat strength was insufficient. Even though he had brought thirty-six people, the number of Kirigakure Ninja was still slightly higher. The gap in strength between the two troops was large, and Hyuga Masato could only contain Kaguya Nobunaga; if it dragged on, he would inevitably be defeated, and then—
Sure enough, he still had to take out that person named Kaguya Nobunaga, Fūmori Masaki thought to himself. Kaguya Nobunaga was the biggest variable. As long as he was there, the Kirigakure Ninja would not easily retreat.
"If Lord Hyuga and I were to attack together, would we be able to take down Kaguya Nobunaga?" Fūmori Masaki said.
"This..." Hyuga Masato pondered for a moment. "I don't have much confidence. Perhaps we could, but it is very likely we would be entangled with Kaguya Nobunaga for a period of time, and others would be in trouble."
Besides Kaguya Nobunaga, the Kirigakure Ninja actually had quite a few experts. This was why the Kirigakure Ninja could still maintain their vitality after initially facing the sudden attack of composite Ninjutsu. It was evident that the Kirigakure Ninja had gone all out this time; while supporting the Land of Lightning, they could still dispatch such a troop.
If the Kirigakure Ninja were allowed to break through the Fourth Division's defensive line, then Konohagakure would be somewhat in danger—only somewhat, however. There was no need to worry about whether Konohagakure would fall; with Uzumaki Mito, who could use the power of the Nine-Tailed, there was no way the Kirigakure Ninja could truly conquer Konohagakure. However, the process of war might affect other civilians or land, which was the area that needed to be worried about, so it was best not to let the Kirigakure Ninja pass.
Of course, a better method would be to wipe out all these Kirigakure Ninja. They must be the elite of Kirigakure; once they suffered heavy losses, Kirigakure would feel the pain for a while.
Fūmori Masaki thought for a moment and asked, "Lord Hyuga, how great is the strength of Shikotsumyaku? You once used Gentle Fist to shatter those bones, so you should know what it's like."
Hyuga Masato recalled. From his feeling, Kaguya Nobunaga's bones were even harder than the sturdiest armor used by samurai, and they could easily pierce through it. It was the hardest thing he had ever seen in his life.
Fūmori Masaki glanced at the ninja tool placed on the ground. In all fairness, his possibility of defeating Kaguya Nobunaga was higher. It wasn't a matter of strength, but rather compatibility; as someone who excelled in Wind Release Chakra, it was easier for him to inflict damage on Kaguya Nobunaga. In terms of strength alone, Hyuga Masato was actually not inferior to Kaguya Nobunaga, but Shikotsumyaku was indeed the natural enemy of Taijutsu Ninjas, making it difficult for Hyuga Masato's Gentle Fist to be effective.
Fūmori Masaki could not be certain if his Wind Release could cut through Shikotsumyaku, but since Hyuga Masato could shatter Shikotsumyaku with Gentle Fist—although that was after a powerful collision with Rotation, and not necessarily the strongest defense Kaguya Nobunaga could use—his Wind Release had a chance. Just in case, he needed other preparations.
At this time, the Kirigakure Ninja were still regrouping and would not attack for a while.
The Fourth Division's reconnaissance capability was very strong, so there was no need to worry about missing anything. Fūmori Masaki felt he should make good use of this time, so he said to Hyuga Masato, "Lord Hyuga, let me handle Kaguya Nobunaga alone."
Hyuga Masato was slightly taken aback; he did not expect Fūmori Masaki to volunteer to deal with Kaguya Nobunaga. Staring at Fūmori Masaki, he asked, "Do you think you can?"
"I cannot say for sure, but I have at least a sixty percent chance of success," Fūmori Masaki said. "However, I need to ask Lord Hyuga for advice on the issue of Chakra control."
Hyuga Masato nodded slightly; a sixty percent chance was already very high. Even he himself did not have such high confidence. Although Fūmori Masaki was young, he was after all a disciple of the Second Hokage and had even achieved the feat of cutting off one of Kinkaku's arms; he did not seem like someone who would boast. It was just that Fūmori Masaki's request made him feel a bit strange—why ask him about Chakra control?
"I am currently researching a new Jutsu, and it basically has a prototype, but it is still somewhat unstable in terms of control. I hope Lord Hyuga can tell me how to better control Chakra from the perspective of the meridians," Fūmori Masaki said.
The Hyuga Clan was undoubtedly the family most familiar with the human body's Chakra Network. They were the first to discover the Eight Gates that limit human Chakra and also developed some Medical Ninjutsu unique to the Hyuga. In Fūmori Masaki's view, compared to being combatants, they were more suitable to be Medical Ninjas, but the Hyuga Clan, after all, possessed very strong combat capabilities as well as reconnaissance capabilities; it would be a waste to just be Medical Ninjas.
"So you wanted to know this." Hyuga Masato nodded slightly. "I can tell you about some of the functions of the Chakra Network. I hope it can be of some help."
Thus, Hyuga Masato explained the Chakra Network to Fūmori Masaki. As the channel for circulating Chakra, the Chakra Network was closely related to the human internal organs. Under such a complex system, the network could indeed play a certain role in the flow of Chakra, just like hand seals were an aid to a Ninja.
Hyuga Masato told Fūmori Masaki about some meridians that were beneficial for maintaining Chakra stability when using Wind Release. At the same time, he also said that he could use the point-striking method to seal certain Chakra Networks, so that Chakra would not flow to other places, allowing it to circulate more stably, but it would cause damage to the body. Whether it was needed depended on Fūmori Masaki's own thoughts.
Fūmori Masaki thought about it and decided not to seal the Chakra Network. His power relied to a large extent on Senjutsu Chakra, which circulated too intensely. If he really were to seal the meridians, the damage to his body would definitely be great. To pay such a price for some Chakra stability was really not worth it.
Following Hyuga Masato's guidance, Fūmori Masaki tried using Chakra and found it to be even smoother than before. After trying a few times, his confidence in defeating Kaguya Nobunaga increased by a few points.
Meanwhile, a report came from the front that the Kirigakure Ninja had already started moving and were expected to arrive soon. The entire troop began to prepare accordingly. Satomi learned that Fūmori Masaki was going to face Kaguya Nobunaga alone and was somewhat worried. She said, "Why not let Lord Hyuga go with you to deal with Kaguya Nobunaga? Since you have confidence even alone, wouldn't letting Lord Hyuga go with you end the battle faster?"
"The combat style I want to adopt would be useless if Lord Hyuga came; he wouldn't be able to coordinate with me. Instead of wasting effort, it's better to free up a combat force," Fūmori Masaki shook his head and said.
"Can your new Jutsu really win against that guy?" Satomi asked.
"Rest assured, in terms of sharpness alone, there is probably no stronger Ninjutsu in this world; even Shikotsumyaku would not be able to block it," Fūmori Masaki said.