Suzumebachi took slow, deliberate breaths, battling the primal fear creeping up his spine. He had confronted perilous foes before and had survived situations that felt hopeless, yet this was different. His instincts were screaming that he was witnessing something deeply unsettling.
Kokushibo advanced steadily, his hand resting nonchalantly on his sword, exuding unwavering confidence even as he approached a fortified position guarded by over a hundred skilled shinobi.
As he crossed the perimeter, the outer ring traps activated. Explosive tags detonated sequentially, as Hachimitsu had crafted, creating overlapping blast zones. The explosions resulted in a massive crater spanning fifteen meters wide and three meters deep, sending a shockwave that knocked several nearby shinobi to the ground.
Suzumebachi pushed his chakra-sensing ability to overcome the chaos.
"Did we hit him?" a voice asked from the middle ring.
"Hold your positions," Hachimitsu ordered. "Wait for visual confirmation."
As the smoke and dust began to dissipate, a figure was revealed at the center of the crater, unmoved from his previous stance. Kokushibo's robes were tattered and scorched, exposing severe burns on his arms, chest, and parts of his face.
A fleeting sense of relief washed over Suzumebachi, quickly crushed as he witnessed the wounds begin to heal right before his eyes. The charred skin regenerated, returning to its flawless, pale hue in mere seconds, leaving no sign of the explosions.
"Impossible," a voice murmured from the defensive line.
Kokushibo inspected his healed arms, flexing his fingers leisurely, and then turned his six eyes toward the camp. He stepped out of the crater, continuing his approach toward the inner defensive ring.
"Explosive tags," Kokushibo remarked. "A traditional shinobi strategy that combines overlapping kill zones and simultaneous detonation to trap the target. Your execution was competent."
His sword remained sheathed.
"Yet, you seem to misunderstand a crucial aspect of your predicament," Kokushibo continued. "Conventional attacks can't harm me. I have risen above the limits of mortal flesh. Fire and force cannot kill me; they can only postpone the inevitable."
"Now!" Jibachi yelled from the eastern line.
A droning sound filled the air as twenty shinobi simultaneously thrust their hands forward. Dark clouds burst forth from their sleeves, coalescing around Kokushibo's position—thousands of bees functioning as a coordinated swarm. The insects created a living wall descending upon him from various angles.
"Secret Technique: Bee Sphere!"
The swarms converged, enveloping Kokushibo in layers of writhing insects, attacking with coordinated stings aimed at any exposed skin.
In one fluid motion, Kokushibo's hand reached for his sword, drawing it faster than the watching shinobi could comprehend. The blade sliced through the air in a horizontal arc, releasing crescent waves of energy that tore through the bee swarms like paper, annihilating hundreds of them instantly.
The survivors withdrew, retreating to their wielder's positions.
Suzumebachi's throat constricted.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears!" shouted fifteen voices in perfect harmony from the middle ring.
Spikes of hardened earth erupted around Kokushibo, forming a cage designed to impale him from every direction at once.
Kokushibo gazed down at the rising earth spears, then circled his sword, creating a spinning shield of steel around himself. The crescent waves of energy tore through the spears as if they were nothing more than dried mud.
"Moon Breathing. First Form. Dark Moon, Evening Palace."
Kokushibo executed a horizontal slash, sending multiple crescent-shaped energy blades erupting from his sword. They spread out in a fan pattern, encompassing the entire eastern line of shinobi.
Five of them were immediately bisected at the waist or chest, blood spraying across the ground. Three more fell victim to secondary crescents, their cries abruptly silenced as their heads were severed or vital organs sliced through.
Suzumebachi felt his stomach churn and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
"Fall back to the inner ring!" Kurobachi commanded. "Stay organized and prepare coordinated strikes! Maintain your formation!"
The shinobi retreated in disciplined patterns, regrouping at the inner ring where the main force was waiting.
Kokushibo, unfazed, continued his leisurely advance in their direction.
"Secret Technique: Beeswax Clone Jutsu!"
Six identical replicas of Hachimitsu materialized around Kokushibo, each crafted from solidified beeswax and animated by chakra. The clones charged simultaneously with kunai from various angles.
With a casual motion, Kokushibo's sword slashed through the clones, shattering them like fragile statues, scattering wax fragments across the ground.
"Secret Technique: Thousand Bee Stingers!"
Dokubachi and five others unleashed a coordinated attack. Senbon needles coated in potent bee venom flew toward Kokushibo in a dense volley that converged from different directions.
Kokushibo moved his sword in a defensive pattern, deflecting or slicing apart every needle before it could reach him.
A moment of silence enveloped the camp, punctuated only by the sound of metal pieces clattering to the ground.
Then Kokushibo took action.
He dashed toward the nearest shinobi in a blur, his sword tracing a horizontal arc. The shinobi's head detached from his body before he had a chance to react.
Kokushibo pressed forward with seamless efficiency, dispatching four additional Kamizuru in quick succession, their bodies collapsing lifelessly with precise cuts to vital areas.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" shouted Dokubachi from the inner ring.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" echoed thirty voices in unison.
Massive earth barriers shot up from the ground, rising to four meters high and forming a maze between Kokushibo and the inner defensive line. Each wall was three meters thick and fortified with chakra.
For the first time since entering the camp, Kokushibo halted his advance, observing the earth walls with what seemed like approval.
"You aim to control the battlefield and restrict my movement," he noted. "This is sound tactical reasoning. However, even the strongest barriers are merely obstacles to be overcome through sheer force."
"Moon Breathing. Third Form. Loathsome Moon, Chains."
Kokushibo executed two rapid slashing motions, releasing massive crescent waves from each swing. These energy blades split into smaller crescents mid-flight, creating a cutting storm.
The earth barriers crumbled under the assault as if they were made of fragile clay. Debris exploded outward, claiming the lives of twelve shinobi positioned behind the barriers.
Suzumebachi's hands shook so violently that he struggled to contain them even when clenched.
"Secret Technique: Bee Bomb Dispersal!"
Three Kamizuru thrust their arms forward. Dozens of bees charged toward Kokushibo, each carrying a micro explosive tag. They spread out to surround him before detonating.
In a spinning motion, Kokushibo's sword created a circular pattern of crescents around him. The bees were cleaved mid-air, causing the explosive tags to detonate prematurely and result in small blasts that produced clouds of smoke but inflicted no real damage.
The subsequent counterattack was almost immediate, as defensive crescents expanded outward, claiming the three shinobi who had initiated the attack with fatal cuts to their throats and chests.
Kurobachi appeared alongside Suzumebachi, her features tense but her eyes sharp with focus.
"He's defending while simultaneously launching attacks with every technique," Kurobachi observed. "His defensive actions are paired with offensive reactions. We must overwhelm his defenses with an abundance of attacks from multiple angles at once."
Suzumebachi nodded in agreement. "We need to strike from various directions simultaneously, forcing him to prioritize targets. If we can create even a brief opening in his defenses, we might have a chance to land a decisive blow."