Chapter 278: Saori and Dark Owl's Battle
A short time earlier, on another battlefield, the fight had been white-hot from the very beginning.
Hyuga Saori and three of her most powerful clansmen had launched a fierce assault on Dark Owl. But against an endless barrage of Wood Release ninjutsu, they were unable to land a single effective blow.
Saori, who also possessed a Sage Body, had a deeper understanding of her opponent's strength. She could tell that "his" Sage Body was far more perfect than her own.
Wood Release... who is he?! she had tried several times to ascertain his identity, but to no avail. She finally decided to abandon the attempt and focus on killing him.
"Spread out!"
Dodging a series of sharp, wooden spikes that shot up from the ground, the three of them followed her command, surrounding their target. They then attacked simultaneously from all four sides.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm!" x4
Faced with such a swift and unexpected attack, an ordinary shinobi would have been instantly defeated. But Dark Owl was far from ordinary. She was about to summon her Susanoo, but then decided to test one of her newly acquired abilities instead.
With a rapid series of hand signs, a wooden shield with a demonic, fanged face materialized around her, just as the four attacks connected.
"Wood Release: Wood Expulsion Jutsu!"
It was a technique of Hashirama Senju, learned from the Scroll of Seals. In the original story, it had been able to perfectly defend against the slash of an Armored Susanoo. While Dark Owl had not yet mastered it, her opponents' attacks were not nearly as powerful.
Just as she had expected, the attack did nothing to the demonic wooden shield. She emerged from it unscathed.
"It was worth the trouble of stealing it. A useful ability indeed," she mused, ignoring the wary looks from her opponents. "Now, to test the others."
Her chakra exploded outward, and with the boost from her Sage Body, she unleashed another of Hashirama's signature techniques.
"Wood Style Secret Jutsu: Deep Forest Emergence!"
An endless forest of trees erupted from the ground, their branches twisting and coiling, and in an instant, the four of them were completely engulfed.
Seeing her three clansmen being crushed to death, Saori, her heart filled with a burning rage, could only focus on her own survival.
An invisible Eight Trigrams pattern appeared at her feet. To her fully activated Byakugan, the world seemed to slow to a crawl.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Two Hundred and Fifty-Six Palms!"
"Break!!!"
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Her hands were a blur, and countless trees were shattered into splinters. But it was a drop in the ocean. If Dark Owl had pressed her attack, Saori would have eventually been overwhelmed. But at the critical moment, she stopped.
Saori seized the opportunity and escaped from the forest's grasp.
"What's wrong? Weren't you going to execute me on the spot? Why are you running away?" Dark Owl's voice was dripping with scorn.
She had stopped not out of mercy, but out of a twisted sense of amusement. To simply kill her would have been too boring. She wanted to show this woman that she was nothing compared to her.
The moment she had seen Saori, all thoughts of reinforcing Obito, of the greater plan, had vanished from her mind. All she wanted was to kill this woman, to make that "imposter" feel the same pain that she had felt, and then to kill him as well.
She would destroy them both, body and soul.
Driven by this all-consuming hatred, she abandoned her long-range ninjutsu and charged forward, determined to crush her in close combat.
Saori, hearing her taunts, was not angered. A strange feeling washed over her. It was as if... this wasn't just a random encounter. It was as if this was personal.
This person... he's one of the key players in the 'great change' that Kyosuke spoke of. But... it feels as if he's targeting me specifically. Could it be... someone who holds a grudge against me?
Sigh. No time to think about it now.
Whoever you are, to challenge a Hyuga in close combat is a foolish mistake.
She met her charge with a palm strike aimed at her chest. Her opponent raised a hand to block, and in that instant, Saori's body shifted, her fingers striking at a series of vital tenketsu points.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Gates Breakdown!"
But the attack was dodged. The Mangekyo Sharingan's predictive abilities were still a step above the current Byakugan.
With the distance now closed, Dark Owl sneered and threw a punch.
Her Sage Body was on a higher level than Kyosuke's. It granted her not only powerful Wood Release and an immense life force, but also... an unparalleled, monstrous strength.
From the sonic boom that accompanied the punch, Saori knew she couldn't take it head-on. She had already anticipated that her own attack might miss. Using the momentum of her failed strike, she spun on her heel.
"Rotation!"
In that single, infinitesimal moment, the fist of peerless strength and the secret technique of absolute defense clashed.
"BOOM!"
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