Draws to a Close

"So, have you decided how you'll die?" Erming sneered at Dosuke and Tachie standing side by side.

"Don't worry, you're both prime material. I won't kill you." He pointed at Tachie. "Otherwise, you'd already be dead, little sensor. You're usually the first to go, but you've surprised me."

Erming's desire to claim Dosuke's corpse grew stronger, his cruel taunts relentless. He gestured at Dosuke. "Medical ninjas are rare in Sand Village. You'll make fine material.

While harassing them with trash talk, he manipulated Tai's corpse for close combat. Under Erming's control, bones sprouted wildly from Tai's body, sharp blades erupting unpredictably from his arms and legs.

Tachie's Gentle Fist could only block such an enemy, demanding constant focus to avoid injury.

*Swish.* A thin waterline sliced through the air.

Tai failed to dodge, and the razor-sharp waterline severed his right arm and the bone whip extending from his tailbone. The clean cut showed the technique's precision.

Nearby, Dosuke's hand still bore traces of the chakra scalpel.

He pulled two Soldier Pills from his pouch and crushed them in his mouth. His chakra was still too low.

Long-term use of Soldier Pills could harm the body, hindering natural chakra production, but survival was the priority now.

"Sister Tachie, can you seal Tai's chakra with Gentle Fist?" Dosuke asked.

"No, I tried. Tai is a corpse. I don't know how that guy keeps it so agile, but it has no chakra of its own. Its ninjutsu and bloodline limit are powered by his chakra threads," Tachie replied.

"Sister Tachie, his taijutsu is weak. Even controlling Tai, he relies on the Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit. To win, we need to fight up close," Dosuke whispered, standing back-to-back with her.

"Then I'll target him. You keep Tai at bay," Tachie said.

A new bone whip sprouted from Tai's body, and a spiral spike grew from the severed arm's bone, unsettling and menacing.

"Got it!" Tachie shouted.

She stomped, cracking the ground, and charged forward.

"Air Palm!" A fierce gust forced Tai back, and she surged toward Erming.

"Water Bullet!" Dosuke launched a water orb at Tai.

*Splash.* The water drenched Tai, turning sticky and slowing his movements.

"Thirty-Two Palms!" Tachie struck at blinding speed as she closed in on Erming.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.* Dozens of poison needles shot from Erming's body.

Tachie couldn't dodge in time, and a needle lodged in her arm.

"Argh!" The searing pain forced a cry from her.

The attack disrupted her assault, and she retreated from Erming's range.

"Desert stone lizard venom, low toxicity, but it amplifies pain to unbearable levels," Erming said, grinning at Tachie's agony.

Stone lizard venom was a staple of Sand Village's torture unit. In combat, elite ninjas coated weapons with it to incapacitate foes through excruciating pain. Its rarity limited its use to select operatives.

"Sister Tachie, catch!" Dosuke tossed a test tube of light blue liquid.

*Crack!* A bone whip shattered the tube midair. The liquid evaporated, forming a thin mist between them.

"Anthocyanin extract, said to be invented by Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin. Light blue, it counters stone lizard venom when ingested. Volatilizes quickly," Erming mused, eyeing the mist. "Harder to extract than the venom. I doubt you have another."

Dosuke's face darkened as the anthocyanin mist dissipated.

The venom would cripple Tachie's combat ability temporarily. Soma was unconscious, Takuto was half-crippled, and now Tachie was injured.

They faced a Sand Village special jonin and Tai, a corpse with the Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit. Though less agile in death, it fought fearlessly, its bones unleashed with brutal abandon.

Dosuke glanced at the mist, then discreetly pulled another light blue test tube from his pouch, clutching it tightly. A thin water wall coated his palm, dissolving the tube's contents. If one looked closely, the film shimmered faintly green.

*Swish.* Dosuke flashed to Tachie's side, injecting her with a painkiller.

"Sister Tachie, the painkiller will counter the venom for a few minutes. You hold off Tai, I'll handle the rest," Dosuke said.

Tachie, her pain easing, nodded.

"Water Bullet!" *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.* Three conical water jets shot toward Erming.

With nimble shifts, Erming dodged.

*Swish, swish.* Dosuke fired three more.

"Trying to drain my chakra, kid?" Erming mocked, watching Dosuke swallow two more Soldier Pills.

Dosuke said nothing, focusing on digesting the pills to restore his chakra.

"Water Bullet Barrage!" Dosuke waved his hand, launching hundreds of water orbs at Erming with blistering speed.

Unable to dodge fully, Erming was struck by over a dozen orbs.

"Running low on chakra, kid?" Erming taunted, unscathed.

Water Bullet Barrage was a basic technique, relying on speed and volume to overwhelm. It often served as cover for teammates or to hide Water Bullets within.