Chapter 477: Misconception

Chapter 477: Chapter 477: Misconception

Konohagakure.

BOOM!

Amid a thunderous explosion, Kagami slammed a fist straight into Hiruko’s chest.

The force behind the blow was so tremendous that even Hiruko—whose entire body had turned pitch-black under the reinforcement of his Steel Release—couldn’t help but cry out in pain.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Hiruko was sent flying, smashing through seven or eight buildings in succession. Amid flying rubble and clouds of dust, he finally crashed headfirst into Konoha’s towering outer wall, blasting a huge hole through the sturdy structure!

"Pfft—!"

The moment he sent Hiruko flying, Kagami spat out a large mouthful of blood.

Because he was wearing a mask, the blood didn’t spray outward. Instead, it seeped from beneath the edges of the mask, running down his chin before dripping one drop at a time onto the front of his clothes.

Even without using Shikotsumyaku, this Type-A Wind Release clone of his would periodically cough up blood, so Kagami wasn’t particularly surprised.

Staggering a few steps before steadying himself, Kagami clicked his tongue.

"Tch. That bastard can actually withstand the taijutsu assault of my Type-A Wind Release clone. Seriously..."

Even though he had already tried to estimate Hiruko’s strength as highly as possible, after actually exchanging blows with him, Kagami discovered that Hiruko was even stronger than he had anticipated.

Swift Release and Steel Release weren’t actually that troublesome by themselves.

What truly gave Kagami a headache was the fact that Hiruko had already become extremely proficient in using the Sharingan.

And the stronger the shinobi, the more significant the enhancement provided by the Sharingan became.

It could be said that because of the Sharingan, Hiruko’s Swift Release and Steel Release had undergone a tremendous qualitative improvement. The Sharingan had elevated Hiruko’s overall strength by an entire level.

At that moment, Hiruko’s figure flickered as he leaped out through the massive hole in the wall. Panting heavily, he shouted in furious disbelief,

"Damn it! You actually managed to injure me! How is that possible?! That’s impossible!"

By now, Hiruko’s Akatsuki black cloak with red clouds had long since been torn to shreds. Only a few strips of black cloth remained hanging from his body, exposing the bandage-covered figure underneath.

His right arm was also twisted outward at a ninety-degree angle, while the spot on his chest where Kagami had just struck him was completely caved in.

Compared to him, Kagami on the opposite side looked somewhat more presentable.

The Kamigami cloak he wore—black with gold trim—was also damaged in several places. The entire left sleeve had long since disappeared, and there was a long wound beneath the ribs on his right side.

In the shadows some distance away...

Half of White Zetsu’s body poked out from where he was hiding among the ruins. Clicking his tongue, he remarked,

"I really didn’t expect this guy from Kamigami to be so strong. He’s actually managed to hold out against Hiruko for this long!"

Black Zetsu immediately corrected him.

"Idiot. He’s the one suppressing Hiruko!"

White Zetsu froze for a moment, seemingly unable to believe it.

"Hiruko could actually lose?"

Akatsuki had already made an assessment of Hiruko’s strength.

If one disregarded the fatal weakness of him frequently suffering backlash from the Chimera Bud, his strength had already surpassed that of the Five Kage. Moreover, as time passed, that gap would only become increasingly obvious.

In other words, Hiruko possessed tremendous room for further growth, yet even his current strength already stood above the Five Kage.

He was one of the strongest individuals in the entire shinobi world—

and one of the trump cards in Nagato’s hand.

Watching Kagami from afar, Black Zetsu said, "I can’t draw a conclusion yet. That guy from Kamigami clearly hasn’t suffered any serious injuries, yet he suddenly coughed up blood. That means the battle just now must have placed an enormous burden on him as well. I suspect he either used some kind of forbidden technique that damages his own body, or there’s something wrong with his body to begin with!"

White Zetsu asked, "Then what should we do?"

Black Zetsu replied gravely, "Go inform Nagato. It looks like Hiruko alone won’t be able to complete the mission of retrieving the Box of Ultimate Bliss and capturing a member of Kamigami."

With that, accompanied by a faint rustling sound, Zetsu sank into the ground and disappeared without a trace...

On the battlefield.

Hiruko roared, "You’re dead! You’re going to die tonight! No one can save you!"

Kagami, who was also breathing slightly heavily, smiled.

"If you can do it, then go ahead and try!"

"You think this is all the strength I have?"

Hiruko sneered, his expression twisting viciously.

"My power is something you can’t even begin to imagine!"

As he spoke, numerous gelatinous substances of Chimera Bud emerged from within Hiruko’s body.

The Chimera Bud extended through the gaps between his bandages and wrapped themselves around his twisted and deformed right arm. In an instant, the arm was restored to its original state.

At the same time, the flesh beneath the caved-in portion of his chest began writhing.

Before long, the depression swelled back out, completely returning to normal.

Watching Hiruko’s grievously injured body recover completely in the blink of an eye, Tsunade said with a grave expression,

"That’s definitely not medical ninjutsu. This must be the body modification he specializes in!"

Jiraiya wore a bitter expression.

Part of it came from the sorrow of seeing his childhood friend reduced to an inhuman monster, while another part came from his concern for Konoha’s fate.

Hiruko was already extraordinarily powerful.

Simply injuring him was difficult enough in itself, yet now he had displayed such terrifying regenerative capabilities as well.

Jiraiya could no longer even imagine how they were supposed to defeat him.

"Maybe we could try using genjutsu? But he possesses Dark Release, and his body can absorb chakra in virtually any form, giving him extremely high resistance to genjutsu. Unless... unless I use Senjutsu chakra to cast the genjutsu!"

After thinking it over, Jiraiya quietly formed a plan and exchanged a glance with the two Toad Sages beside him.

Kurenai, who had firmly believed all along that Furin would win, also began to feel somewhat uneasy after witnessing Hiruko’s absurd regenerative ability.

Meanwhile, Kakashi, who had already secretly set up his Flying Thunder God formulas, kept his full attention fixed on the battlefield, searching for an opportunity to intervene.

Although it was still difficult to tell whether Kamigami was friend or foe, dealing with the threat posed by Akatsuki was clearly the most urgent priority.

On the battlefield.

Having completely repaired all the injuries to his body, Hiruko raised both hands and rapidly formed a series of hand seals.

"Storm Style: Storm Demon Dragon!"

CRACK!

The moment the technique was activated, the sky underwent a sudden transformation. Fierce winds surged, dark clouds churned, and thunder and lightning erupted overhead.

Standing atop a broken wall after completing the technique, Hiruko planted his hands on his hips and looked at Kagami mockingly.

"Take a good look. This is my true strength. Now then... enjoy your death!"

Flashes of lightning repeatedly illuminated the sky, echoing the arcs of electricity dancing across Hiruko’s body.

His figure flickered between light and darkness beneath the lightning—

like a demon born from the heart of a thunderstorm.

Tsunade’s brows furrowed.

"That’s Kumogakure’s Storm Release! Everyone, be extremely careful! Once you’re hit by it—even if it only grazes you—you could lose your life!"

Jiraiya, who was attempting to enter Sage Mode once again, stared at the hellish scene before him, filled with flashing lightning and rolling thunder.

"I just hope I can make it in time!"

At that moment, Kagami raised his right hand.

A bone blade gleaming with a cold light emerged from his palm.

Then, in an indifferent voice, he said,

"When did you get the misconception that I was using my full strength just now?"