The ground instantly transformed into a forest of pale white bones, as jagged bone spurs spread wildly at an incredible speed, devouring every inch of the arena.
"Release the barrier, quickly!" Kabuto shouted hoarsely, enduring the severe pain. "The plan failed, hurry and report to Orochimaru-sama!"
Astonishment appeared on the faces of the Sound Four simultaneously, but their instincts, honed through long-term desperate situations, allowed them to act without hesitation, instantly cutting off the supply of Chakra.
The Four Violet Flames Formation covering the arena vanished instantly like melting ice. Once the barrier broke, the Sound Four didn't linger, fleeing in different directions.
Seeing the bone spurs about to reach him, Kabuto grit his teeth, dragged his injured body, and stumbled toward the edge of the arena, leaping fiercely and using Chakra on his soles to stick tightly to the towering wall.
He finally found a moment to look down. The entire arena below was completely occupied by a dense forest of grotesque, interlacing bone spurs. The sight of the white bones carried a heart-pounding silence and shock.
However, in the center of this forest of bones, a figure stood calmly.
Mamoru expressionlessly reached out, penetrating the gaps between the bone spurs, energy gathering at his fingertips.
Blue!
Boom!
Crack...
Crack...
A blue energy sphere shot out, completely destroying Kimimaro and the vast forest of bones behind him, forcibly carving out a path littered with crushed bones.
The surging air currents kicked up bone dust that filled the sky.
Though unscathed, Mamoru looked at the scene created by the Shikotsumyaku and realized a truth: no matter how dead the enemy seems, never forget to deliver the finishing blow.
Having done this, his feet lightly left the ground, and his body levitated, flying straight into the air.
His gaze passed over the jagged bone forest below, quickly scanning the Sound Four rushing up the vertical walls, and finally locked onto Kabuto on the wall.
Kabuto felt that cold gaze, and a chill instantly shot from his spine to his brain. In his current state, he had no power to resist, especially since he was heavily injured. Making a swift judgment, Chakra erupted from his feet, and without delaying a second, he sped along the vertical wall.
"Trying to run?" Mamoru snorted coldly.
His figure flashed in the air, creating a piercing sonic boom as he shot toward Kabuto.
Boom!
Mamoru delivered a swift flying kick, slamming into the wall where Kabuto had just been, sending rubble flying like an explosion.
Kabuto narrowly avoided the fatal blow with his excellent reflexes, but he lost his footing, falling uncontrollably toward the ground covered in bone spurs.
Mamoru didn't stop, turning his body and diving toward the falling Kabuto.
Descending rapidly, Kabuto managed to pull two Kunai from his ninja tool pouch and threw them at Mamoru above.
However, Mamoru didn't even glance at the flying cold steel. Mid-way to his body, the two Kunai were forced to deflect by an invisible force.
"Caught you."
A cold voice rang in his ear as Mamoru's hand grabbed Kabuto's neck like an iron pincer. The descent speed suddenly increased as he slammed Kabuto into the ground.
Boom!!!
Dust billowed from a corner of the arena. The violent impact kicked up dirt and rubble, which, along with the surrounding fragments of broken bone spurs, sprayed out fiercely in a radial pattern.
Amidst the pervasive dust, Mamoru stood proudly, his right hand tightly gripping Kabuto's neck.
Kabuto was on his knees, his hands fruitlessly trying to pry away the arm restricting his breathing. The glasses on his face were shattered, the lenses covered in cobweb-like cracks. His face was flushed, and a painful wheezing sound came from his throat, unable to break free in the slightest.
Just then—
"Roar!!!"
A terrifying howl filled with violence and madness spread through the entire arena like a clap of thunder.
"Mamoru! Where is Mamoru!!!"
The source of the sound was a terrifying monster resembling a tanuki, standing behind the railing of the contestant waiting area. Its massive body seemed to be made of brown clay, covered in eerie deep purple patterns.
Huge claws crudely tore through the sturdy railing of the contestant waiting area like paper, and its mouth let out soul-shaking roars.
Mamoru, in the dust, frowned slightly and muttered, "What a troublesome fellow."
He recognized it as Gaara's voice.
Leaning down, Mamoru got close to Kabuto's ear and whispered in a voice only the two could hear, "You owe me one."
After saying that, his other hand quickly patted Kabuto's shoulder, leaving a hidden mark. Then, exerting force with his arm, he tossed Kabuto toward a corner of the arena like a piece of trash.
Kabuto's body traced a parabola in the air, eventually falling into the thick grass in the corner, his figure instantly concealed by the dense vegetation.
Hidden in the grass, Kabuto coughed violently. Though full of doubt, his survival instinct kept him from overthinking Mamoru's intentions. He immediately activated the Mystical Palm Technique with all his might, the glowing green light in his palm healing his severe injuries.
At this time, the dust in the arena completely cleared, revealing Mamoru's figure.
"Mamoru!!!"
Above, the Shukaku Gaara instantly locked onto him, letting out a high-pitched scream of extreme excitement. With a fierce kick of its legs, it dove toward Mamoru below like a meteor.
Seeing this, Mamoru's lips curled into a disdainful arc, and he suddenly kicked off the ground.
Boom!
The ground beneath him cracked inch by inch, and airwaves surged as he turned into a bolt of black lightning, rushing upward toward the sky.
Just as the two were about to collide violently in mid-air, Mamoru's figure vanished like a ghost.
"What!?"
To Gaara's utter astonishment, Mamoru appeared beside his body without warning.
Gaara's eyes didn't even have time to catch his figure before he felt a force strike his side fiercely.
"Argh!"
With a short shout of pain, Gaara's massive body was shot toward the ground like a cannonball at an even faster speed.
Boom!
The massive impact slammed him into the ground, and he continued to plow forward, shattering the standing bone forest. The continuous sound of breaking echoed through the arena, leaving a messy trench.
"Go play by yourself."
Mamoru didn't even look at the result below, turning his body and flying toward the spectator stands above.
At the same time, from the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke and Naruto jumping down from the damaged contestant waiting area into the chaotic arena.
The spectator stands were filled with people lying everywhere, asleep due to Genjutsu.
Konoha ninjas and the invading Oto ninjas were clashing fiercely, the air filled with the sounds of clashing metal and Ninjutsu explosions.