Hyuga Kagami looked down. In the enhanced field of vision granted by his Tenseigan, he spotted a massive sandworm hidden beneath the dunes.
Not only was the creature huge in size, but it also possessed an extraordinary amount of chakra. Among the many ninja beasts Hyuga Kagami had encountered, this one stood out as exceptionally powerful.
"Hmm..."
With a soft sound of interest, he made no move. Since he had already activated the Tenseigan Chakra Mode, he had no intention of letting the Sand Village ninja go—but he also wouldn't waste the opportunity to test his skills.
Especially his control over the Truth-Seeking Orbs.
Since acquiring the Tenseigan Chakra Mode, Hyuga Kagami had only used the Truth-Seeking Orbs a handful of times. Most of those occasions were during dire situations, with little time to truly grasp their function. And in other cases, his chakra had been too limited to wield them properly.
Now, however, he had both chakra and time. He wasn't about to waste this chance. Once he returned to the village, finding such an ideal scenario to train would be much harder.
Meanwhile, Daura from the Sand ninja side exchanged glances with his comrades, then nodded to Jinosuke.
After a silent exchange of cues, the eight Sand ninjas coordinated their next tactic.
"Wind Style: Wind Tornado!"
Two Chunin from the Sand Village launched the first strike.
Positioned on opposite flanks, they unleashed Wind Style techniques while the sandworm below spewed a pillar of sand upward. The wind techniques swept the airborne sand into a massive vortex, shrouding the area in darkness as if night had fallen.
Hyuga Kagami smiled slightly. "Trying to blind me with a sandstorm, huh?"
Daura pulled two scrolls from his gear pouch and unfurled them simultaneously.
*Poof! Poof!*
Two bursts of smoke revealed two puppets.
One resembled a segmented snake, each joint moving independently, giving it a disturbingly fluid motion. The other looked like a giant umbrella, spanning over two meters when fully opened.
Despite the swirling sand, Hyuga Kagami's Tenseigan cut through the storm with ease.
One glance revealed the snake puppet was packed with explosive tags between its segments, while the umbrella puppet's interior was loaded with countless poisoned senbon needles.
With a twisted grin, Daura shouted, "You fool! You dare underestimate us? Die!"
That roar marked the beginning of their full-on assault.
The snake puppet launched upward, propelled by a burst of compressed air from its underside, flying toward Hyuga Kagami like a missile.
Simultaneously, the umbrella puppet fired a storm of poisoned senbon needles at him.
Calmly, Hyuga Kagami waved both hands. The five Truth-Seeking Orbs floating around him merged into a spherical black barrier, enclosing him completely.
*Ting! Ting! Ting!*
The senbon struck the orb barrier with a chorus of metallic clinks. Yet, the black sphere didn't budge. The steel needles shattered like twigs against a boulder.
Then the snake puppet coiled around the black sphere—and the sizzle of explosive tags rang out.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
A series of violent explosions shook the landscape, the shockwaves dispersing the sandstorm. The blast forced the Sand ninjas to shield themselves and leap back.
Daura growled through clenched teeth, "That puppet held ten thousand explosive tags. There's no way he survived!"
Jinosuke closed his eyes to sense chakra. Suddenly, he gasped. "Something's wrong!"
"What do you mean?"
All the Sand ninjas turned toward him.
"The sandworm... it says the target's chakra is still there!"
"Impossible!"
"Who could survive that kind of blast?!"
"Even Lord Kazekage wouldn't come out unscathed from that!"
The Chunin muttered in disbelief.
Daura frowned. "Jinosuke, are you sure the sandworm isn't mistaken?"
Jinosuke's face grew grim. "It's not wrong. The sandworm says... it's afraid."
Daura blinked. "That beast... is *afraid*?"
In the desert, giant sandworms had no natural predators. They were apex creatures. The idea that one could feel fear was almost laughable.
As the smoke cleared, Hyuga Kagami's figure reappeared—completely unharmed.
The Sand ninjas stared at each other in stunned silence. A being that could withstand a ten-thousand-tag explosion without a scratch? In their minds, such a monster shouldn't exist.
Hyuga Kagami ignored their reactions and calmly analyzed the Truth-Seeking Orbs' response to the explosion.
Taking a full blast of explosive tags at close range was not pleasant. Any other ninja, even the Kage-level elites, would likely be severely injured if not outright killed. But with the protection of the Truth-Seeking Orbs, Hyuga Kagami had only lost a significant amount of chakra—nothing more.
After a pause, he spoke coldly: "Is that really the best you can do?"
Having spent a large portion of his chakra, he decided against continuing the test. After all, they were still deep within the Land of Wind. A true ninja knew when to be cautious.
Daura wiped the sweat from his brow. "We can't handle this monster. Retreat!"
With that command, the terrified Sand ninjas scattered in every direction.
Hyuga Kagami smiled faintly. Then he raised his right hand and slowly clenched his fist.
In an instant, all eight fleeing Sand ninjas were yanked back as if pulled by an invisible force.
"Wha—?!"
Even Daura, a battle-hardened elite, trembled.
"Earlier... didn't you call me a fool?" Hyuga Kagami said flatly. "Then I'll turn you into the fool you claimed I was."
With a gesture, he pointed at Daura.
One Truth-Seeking Orb shot forward like a bolt of darkness.
Daura tried to defend himself, drawing two kunai and attempting to block the attack.
*Crash!*
The orb tore through him as if he were made of paper. The kunai snapped like twigs. Daura's body crumbled instantly, effortlessly torn apart by the force of the Truth-Seeking Orb.