Chapter 259: Closing the Gap

Kidōmaru flew backward from the Vacuum Palm. As Neji's Shadow Clone dissolved, another figure appeared behind him.

"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

The first strike landed before Kidōmaru could turn. Then came another, and another, each driving chakra through the golden coating into the pathways beneath it.

Neji's palms did not strike at random. Byakugan guided each one to a tenketsu, while the momentum from Vacuum Palm denied Kidōmaru the distance required to use his bow. Six arms tried to defend six angles, but closing a chakra point weakened every limb downstream from it.

Kidōmaru's body convulsed. Blood rose from his throat while Neji completed the sequence with merciless precision.

"How is this possible? A Konoha ninja..."

His voice failed before the sentence ended. The second Cursed Seal state receded, and Kidōmaru fell dead among the torn webs.

Neji drew a deep breath and forced his pulse under control. He took a military ration pill from his pouch and chewed it while watching the corpse. Only after Byakugan confirmed that the enemy's chakra had stopped did he turn toward Shikamaru's trail.

He left at once.

Tonbo's clone emerged after him and examined Kidōmaru's body.

"Every internal organ is destroyed. The chakra circulatory system has been severed, and all sixty-four points are sealed. This is the true power of Gentle Fist."

The Hyūga clan's inherited art could not be as limited as it had appeared in the future Tonbo remembered. The chakra network spread through every organ and tissue in the human body. Even an incomplete strike could disable part of it; a perfect sequence could destroy a target from within while leaving far less damage on the surface.

That made Gentle Fist terrifying against opponents whose visible armor invited confidence. Kidōmaru's gold had stopped blades and shuriken, yet Neji's chakra passed through the damaged layer and turned the protection into a shell around failing organs.

Neji's sixty-four palms had reached the corresponding organs one after another. Beneath the collapsed second state, Kidōmaru's body was already ruined.

Tonbo smiled.

"And another complete set of Cursed Seal data. I am close to Sage Mode."

He admired Orochimaru's ability to find shinobi with extraordinary gifts. Tonbo's own intelligence network had never gathered so many rare abilities: Yoroi Akadō's chakra absorption, Kabuto's Yin Healing Wound Destruction, the four different transformations of the Sound Four, and perhaps Kimimaro beyond them.

Now their data benefited Tonbo.

He straightened.

"I need to warn the other clones. Neji is catching up, and Sasuke's route may be drifting."

Tonbo formed seals. Two seconds later, the clone disappeared and reappeared beside the one shadowing Shikamaru's group.

Flying Thunder God was not yet smooth enough for Tonbo to rely upon it during combat, but it remained useful for travel between prepared positions.

The two clones touched. Their memories merged, passing Kidōmaru's data and Neji's unexpected speed into the next observer.

Normally a clone returned memories only when it dispersed. Tonbo's developing nerve methods let two intact copies synchronize through contact instead. He preserved both observers while moving the crucial information forward, a useful compromise during a pursuit spread across many kilometers.

"Should I delay Neji?"

Tonbo considered the possibility while both clones resumed the pursuit.

From the opposite direction, Kabuto and Kimimaro hurried through the forest.

"Faster," Kabuto said. "I have a bad feeling."

Kimimaro increased his pace without questioning him. If Kabuto sensed trouble, the retrieval force had probably encountered resistance beyond its ability.

The moon had already fallen behind the mountains, leaving the last darkness before dawn.

Ahead, Sakon heard movement closing behind him and scowled.

"Kidōmaru and Jirōbō are useless. Orochimaru should never have placed them on a team with us."

As he ran, Sakon formed seals. Formulae resembling explosive tags appeared wherever his feet touched the ground.

Tayuya looked back. "At this rate, Orochimaru's goal may fail. There are only two of us left."

"Leave them to me."

Explosions rolled through the forest behind them.

Sakon smiled. "They reached the Exploding Kill Formation. It fades with time, but while active it is harder to break than an ordinary trap. I have sent plenty of Orochimaru's enemies to the Pure Land with it."

A pale figure appeared directly in their path. White hair fell in two long locks, and red markings stood upon his forehead.

"Kimimaro?" both exclaimed.

"Give me Sasuke," he said. "You two remain behind and kill the Konoha squad."

Tayuya bristled. "We can finish the mission without you and earn Orochimaru's favor ourselves."

Sakon disliked the command just as much, but he understood the timing.

"Forget it. Give him the barrel. Orochimaru's mission matters more."

If Sasuke did not arrive before the reincarnation, Orochimaru would have to take another vessel and wait three more years. Their pride could not repair that failure.

Kimimaro's arrival also proved that Orochimaru no longer trusted the original team to finish. Tayuya heard the insult in every word, but the barrel in her hands contained the only result their master valued.

Tayuya threw the barrel to Kimimaro with a resentful scowl.

Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kiba broke through the remaining explosions moments later.

Naruto saw the barrel in Kimimaro's hand. Flecks of orange-yellow appeared in his blue eyes.

"You bastard! Give Sasuke back!"

"My apologies," Kimimaro said. "Sasuke belongs to Orochimaru. I cannot grant that request."

He vanished east with the barrel.

Naruto tried to charge after him, but Shikamaru stopped him.

"Careful. He is enemy reinforcement."

"Then what do we do?"

Kiba sniffed the air. Kimimaro's scent carried illness, medicine, and danger.

"You two handle the pair here. I will chase the new one."

"You think we will let any of you pass?" Sakon asked.

He and Tayuya laughed at the idea.

"Show them," Sakon said.

Tayuya formed seals at once and summoned three Doki. One enormous spirit carried a spiked club, another resembled a mummy without arms, and the last had a humanoid body with no eyes. She raised her flute, and the first notes placed all three under her command.

The sequence happened so quickly that the Konoha team reacted only after the giants were already moving.

"Naruto, chase Kimimaro," Shikamaru ordered. "Kiba and I will hold these two."

Kiba hesitated. "Can Naruto handle him?"

"I will do it!" Naruto said. "I learned a new technique too. I am bringing Sasuke back."

His fear for Sasuke left no room for doubt.

"Naruto is stronger than you think," Shikamaru told Kiba. "Do not forget that he defeated you in the Chūnin Exams."

Kiba grimaced, then accepted the decision.

"Fine. Akamaru, we make the opening."

He faced the towering yet agile Doki and began forming seals.

Naruto gathered himself to break past them while Shikamaru's shadow stretched across the ground.