Kimimaro flicked the bone whip in his hand, sending Jugo flying. After executing a flourish with the whip in mid-air, Kimimaro beckoned toward Jugo—a clear signal to "bring it on."
After landing, Jūgo did not charge in imdiately. Instead, he continued absorbing the natural energy that Hoshiyomi was drawing toward the area.
As the concentration of natural energy steadily rose, Jūgo fully entered his Curse Mark state.
At this mont, Jūgo looked terrifying—like a half-beast from a fantasy novel. A grayish-brown, helt-like exoskeleton had grown over his head, and a layer of stone-like skin had ford over his body.
Even more horrifying were his arms. Both of Jūgo's arms had completely transford into beastly claws, covered in sharp, spike-like rocky scales.
Because of the excessive absorption of natural energy, four strange exhaust-like vents had also erged from his back.
Just as Kimimaro was wondering whether the vents on Jūgo's back served the sa purpose as his own explosive fists, the vents suddenly erupted with massive amounts of chakra. Jūgo shot forward like a low-flying projectile, slamming straight toward Kimimaro.
Kimimaro was startled and hurriedly condensed a bone shield to block.
Boom!
With a deafening crash, Kimimaro was smashed straight into the rock wall.
Seeing Kimimaro embedded in the cliff, the curse-marked Jūgo let out a strange, shrill laugh.
"Kehahaha! Die! Die!"
As he spoke, the rocky scales on his arm suddenly shifted, rging together into the shape of a massive axe—this was Jūgo's signature technique, Axe Slash Explosive Strike.
The gigantic axe-arm ca crashing down, only to be precisely caught by a bone blade.
Amid the dust and smoke, Kimimaro held the bone blade in one hand and pressed down on its spine with the other. With a powerful push from his legs, he forcibly deflected Jūgo's Axe Slash back.
Seizing the mont as Jūgo staggered backward, Kimimaro took the opportunity. His right arm instantly transford into a massive bone drill.
Dance of the Clematis!
The drill on Kimimaro's right arm pierced into Jūgo's abdon, but because of the stone-like skin covering Jūgo's body, it beca lodged there, unable to advance any further for the mont.
Jūgo let out a creepy laugh and shouted at Kimimaro:
"It's useless! I'm going to kill you!"
As he spoke, he raised the giant axe again, preparing to cleave down on Kimimaro once more.
At that mont, Kimimaro smiled.
"Is it really useless?"
As he spoke, eight bone jet nozzles suddenly extended from the very tip of the bone drill on his right arm. As Kimimaro poured chakra into them, a dense, visible burst of chakra blasted outward.
Driven by this powerful thrust, the drill's destructive power surged to another level, and Kimimaro himself was pushed forward several more steps.
Jūgo, who was being impaled by the drill, was knocked to the ground. The combined force of the drill's thrust and Jūgo losing his balance caused the drill—previously stuck only at the surface of his abdon—to plunge fully inside without restraint.
Blood sprayed out in a crimson arc. Such a massive penetrating wound was sothing even the monstrous, transford Jūgo could not endure.
As his vitality drained away, the natural energy rapidly dissipated, and Jūgo gradually reverted to his original human form.
Lying on the ground, Jūgo looked up at Kimimaro, who stood over him, and suddenly smiled.
"Thank you… I can finally go and atone for my sins."
Hearing Jūgo's calm tone and seeing the gentleness in his eyes, Kimimaro froze in place.
"You just said… atone?"
Hearing Kimimaro's question, tears suddenly rolled down Jūgo's eyes.
"Yes… The villagers of Tenbin Village were so kind to , yet I couldn't control my killing urges. I knew full well that I was a monster who couldn't restrain his bloodlust, and yet I still foolishly dread of living together with everyone.
After committing such an unforgivable cri, I should have gone down long ago to atone for my sins."
Hearing this, Kimimaro froze for a mont and instinctively asked:
"So you've been living in this cave to suppress your urges, just to keep yourself from killing again?"
Jūgo did not answer. He rely closed his eyes silently, waiting for death to claim him.
"Lord Hoshiyomi! Please save him!"
Kimimaro suddenly turned toward Hoshiyomi. He didn't know why, but as he looked at Jūgo lying on the ground, waiting for death, he was suddenly reminded of his forr self.
It turned out he wasn't the only one in this world burdened with such loneliness. Jūgo, lying there seeking only death, was so very similar to the version of himself who once didn't know why he lived.
Even without Kimimaro saying anything more, Hoshiyomi had already stepped forward and begun infusing Jūgo with senjutsu chakra.
If senjutsu chakra were infused into an ordinary person, they would most likely turn to stone due to their inability to absorb the natural energy within it.
But Jūgo was different. He was born with the ability to absorb natural energy. Absorbing the senjutsu chakra refined by Hoshiyomi not only wouldn't turn him to stone—it would instead use balanced natural energy to repair his injuries.
Under the infusion of Hoshiyomi's senjutsu chakra, the wounds on Jūgo's body healed at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Feeling his injuries recover, Jūgo suddenly opened his eyes, confusion mixed with anger as he asked:
"Why won't you just let die? A monster like , who can't control his urge to kill, will only bring disaster to others."
Orochimaru, standing nearby, shook his head.
"After absorbing Hoshiyomi-kun's senjutsu chakra, didn't you notice anything different? It's not that you can't control your desire to kill—what you truly can't control is the overwhelming natural energy you absorb."
Hearing this, Jūgo froze. At Orochimaru's words, he finally realized it himself. What Hoshiyomi had infused into him felt extrely familiar—yet completely different from the state he entered when his murderous urges surfaced.
His body felt comfortable and calm, without the slightest desire to kill.
Just as Jūgo's mind was still in a daze, Kimimaro suddenly spoke again:
"I won't be killed by you—because I'm stronger than you. Co with us. Even if you never learn to control natural energy, I'll be your cage. As long as I'm alive, I won't let you be ruled by that urge ever again!"
Jūgo stared blankly at Kimimaro. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
At that mont, he felt sothing that had long been empty inside his heart suddenly filled. It felt like seeing light in total darkness—sothing you couldn't help but reach out and grasp.
Looking at the hand Kimimaro extended toward him, Jūgo no longer suppressed the longing in his heart and firmly grasped it.
Tenbin Jūgo officially joins the Konoha faction.
...
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