In the center of the Hidden Sound Village's ruins, on a wide plaza covered with broken stones.
Sasuke slowly drew a kunai and lightly clenched his left hand at his side.
"Chidori!"
With a sharp crackle, pale blue lightning wrapped around it, turning into the piercing cry of the Chidori.
Kimimaro stood opposite him. His pale face showed little expression, but his body was tense.
He lowered his head slightly. Crisp sounds of bones rubbing together came from inside his body as sharp white bones slowly pushed out from his shoulders and arms.
"Begin."
Arisu slowly clapped his hands and spoke calmly.
The moment he finished speaking...
Sasuke activated his Sharingan and pushed off the ground, instantly disappearing.
"Flying Thunder God!"
Almost at the same time, a Flying Thunder God mark that Sasuke had placed on the ground beside Kimimaro lit up.
Accompanied by the piercing cry of Chidori, Sasuke appeared directly on Kimimaro's left and thrust his lightning blade toward his neck without mercy.
"Too fast!"
A trace of seriousness flashed through Kimimaro's eyes, but he remained calm.
With a crack, a large mass of bone spikes burst from his left shoulder, forming a shield in front of him.
Crackle!
The Chidori slammed into the bone shield, sending sparks flying everywhere.
Sasuke's attack was blocked, but the powerful current still traveled through the bones, making Kimimaro's body go numb for a moment.
"Chidori Stream!", Sasuke shouted.
Lightning instantly spread from his palm, covering his entire body like a web of electricity.
Kimimaro was just about to counterattack when the current surged back through the bone spikes, making his body stiffen for an instant.
Sasuke seized the chance.
His figure flashed again, repeatedly using Flying Thunder God to leave several afterimages around Kimimaro.
Every appearance was followed by a fierce Lightning Blade thrust.
Kimimaro pushed his Shikotsumyaku to the limit.
Bone spears shot out from his back like rain, while a forest of bones began growing beneath his feet, trying to restrict Sasuke's movement.
"Dance of the Camellia!"
Countless long, sharp bones shot up from the ground like a storm of needles.
Sasuke's eyes sharpened.
Lightning burst from his left hand as he directly used Chidori Stream's large-area release, entering Lightning Release Chakra Mode and forcing his way through the bone forest.
Every flash of movement let him dodge the deadly bone spears with perfect accuracy while constantly changing positions with Flying Thunder God to look for an opening.
"Heh... Master was right to teach me Flying Thunder God..."
An excited smile appeared at the corner of Sasuke's mouth.
Especially when Flying Thunder God was combined with Chidori and the Sharingan.
It allowed him to kill most opponents instantly.
The four Sound ninja watching from outside were stunned.
None of them had expected Sasuke, who was younger than Kimimaro, to actually suppress him.
Arisu wasn't surprised.
This was simply the level Sasuke should be showing.
BOOM!
A Chidori struck Kimimaro's crossed bone shields head-on, blasting him backward for dozens of meters while carving two deep trenches into the ground.
Cracks appeared in the bone shields covering Kimimaro's arms, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
"...So strong.", Kimimaro murmured quietly.
"As expected of someone chosen by the Hokage."
Kimimaro took a deep breath.
His body erupted with a series of cracking bones.
"Dance of the Young Ferns!"
A huge forest of bones burst wildly from the ground.
Sharp bone spears rose like a forest, instantly covering the entire plaza.
At the same time, Kimimaro himself became a white blur, blending into the bone forest as he launched the close-range attacks he excelled at.
Sasuke frowned slightly but didn't retreat.
He formed hand seals with both hands.
His chakra exploded, and the lightning gathered into an even sharper form in his palm.
Then he charged straight toward the densest part of the bone forest.
Every movement was accompanied by Flying Thunder God's teleportation, forcing a path of lightning through the sea of bones.
Crackle!
The current from Chidori Stream exploded again and again, shattering every bone spear blocking his way.
With Flying Thunder God boosting his speed and reactions to their limits, Sasuke predicted Kimimaro's close-range attacks several times in advance and escaped each one with teleportation.
Finally, Sasuke appeared behind Kimimaro.
He leaped high into the air, concentrating the lightning in his right hand to its limit.
The piercing cry echoed throughout the ruins.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
A thick spear of lightning shot from his hand, piercing straight through Kimimaro's right shoulder and pinning him to the ground.
Kimimaro dropped to one knee, breathing heavily as blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
He tried to form another bone spear, only to find that his body had already reached its limit.
Shikotsumyaku already placed an enormous burden on his body, and Sasuke's lightning was continuously damaging his nerves and muscles.
Sasuke landed several meters away.
The lightning slowly faded, and his chest rose and fell slightly.
His forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat.
The battle had ended even faster than expected.
Arisu slowly walked forward.
His gaze first rested on Sasuke for a moment.
He nodded slightly, showing satisfaction.
Then he looked at Kimimaro.
"Not bad, Kimimaro."
Arisu praised him as well.
If he had been the one to train Kimimaro, he might have been able to bring the All-Killing Ash Bones back into the world.
Kimimaro gave a bitter smile, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, lowered his head, and said, "Lord Hokage... I accept my defeat completely."
Sasuke put away his kunai.
He stood there breathing lightly, but the fighting spirit in his eyes still burned.
Turning to Arisu, he spoke with excitement he could barely suppress.
"Teacher... I won."
Arisu smiled, reached out, and rubbed Sasuke's hair.
"You fought well. But don't get carried away. Kimimaro wasn't in his best condition. If you had faced him at his peak... it wouldn't have been this easy."
Not far away stood Sakon, Jirobo, Kidomaru, and Tayuya.
Sakon's eyes were wide open, and his mouth hung slightly open in disbelief.
"...No way... Lord Kimimaro... actually lost? And he lost... that fast?"
Jirobo said,n"That's Lord Kimimaro... the greatest genius among us. Even Lord Orochimaru praised his Bloodline Limit... and yet he lost to a kid who looks even younger than us..."
Kidomaru unconsciously tightened his grip on his spider thread. His throat felt dry.
"That technique... was that Lightning Blade? And that strange teleportation... I couldn't follow his movements at all... He actually tore straight through Lord Kimimaro's bone forest."
Tayuya bit her lip, her face full of shock and frustration.
"We always thought Lord Kimimaro was the strongest in the Hidden Sound... but now..."
The four exchanged looks.
Their eyes were filled with shock and disappointment.
To them, Kimimaro had almost been the symbol of invincibility.
He was Orochimaru's greatest creation, the genius they could only chase but never surpass.
Yet now, that genius was kneeling on one knee.
His right shoulder had been pierced by lightning.
Blood stained half of his white bone armor red.
He breathed heavily, clearly unable to continue fighting.
Kimimaro himself was the calmest of all.
He slowly raised his head.
A bitter yet relieved smile appeared on his pale face.