"Tsk, that kid's got decent strength, but he's still too green. You don't deal with a summoned beast using that kind of jutsu."
"Exactly! Against a summoning creature, you need wide-area, high-damage techniques. But this... this jutsu... sigh…"
"Get ready we might have to step in soon. That kid just doesn't have the experience."
Even some of the watching shinobi turned away, uninterested. Their strength was too low to recognize the sheer terror of the All-Killing Ash Bones.
"Ignorance really is frightening."
Neji didn't bother explaining. The truth would shut them up soon enough.
Moments later, the bone spear pierced the giant serpent's body. Instantly, fear swept across the serpent's features and everyone else's.
What… what were they seeing?
A plain, unremarkable bone spear had impaled the creature. And now, from the point of impact, the serpent's body began to unravel decaying, disintegrating, and spreading rapidly outward.
The serpent shrieked, a piercing, guttural wail of agony. But it was useless. Nothing could stop it. Death was inevitable.
"Scattered through space and time… decay with the bones."
Neji's hands were clasped behind his back, his voice quiet and devoid of emotion.
But those words only deepened the surrounding shock.
What was he saying? Was he describing the serpent's fate?
Looking at the current situation, the serpent was rotting beyond anyone's understanding. This decomposition… it couldn't be stopped?
"No way…!"
"Could this technique really… kill in a single strike?!"
Moments later, the serpent disintegrated into fluttering scraps then vanished completely.
A stillness fell over the world.
Even those in the middle of combat froze in place, their eyes wide with terror.
What kind of power… could do that?
That serpent had been a menace difficult even for elite jōnin to handle. But this boy had erased it in the blink of an eye.
A teenager had broken the stalemate in an instant, flipping the battlefield on its head.
But it wasn't over.
Neji didn't stop.
Since the battle had begun he would carry the slaughter to the end.
At that moment, everyone stared in disbelief. A white figure blurred through the field, slipping between the enemy lines. Before the shinobi of Konoha could react, the sound and sand nin were already dropping like flies.
Splatter… splatter… splatter…
Blood arced through the air. Heads flew. Neji wasn't aiming for decapitations his raw strength simply couldn't help it.
He had already reached the level of an elite jōnin and with chakra-enhanced strength as his taijutsu base, every strike of his was devastating. Even a jōnin would struggle to endure it, let alone a group of chūnin.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"
"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"
Bang! Boom!
Enemy forces were obliterated in waves. Most didn't even realize what was happening before they lost consciousness or worse.
And now, Konoha saw a bizarre turn: while its own shinobi focused on evacuating civilians, the sound and sand invaders were being driven back in utter chaos.
"Who the hell is that?!"
A cry of panic rang out from among the enemy ranks. They couldn't even react before their comrades were killed around them. Cold dread crept into their bones, making their bodies tremble.
They weren't alone. Many of them instinctively grouped together, standing back-to-back, eyes darting warily in all directions.
"Damn it! What idiot gave us this intel?! This isn't even close to what we expected!"
Curses flew in every direction, a fragile attempt to hide the fear now choking them.
They had never imagined they'd go from hunters to prey. Like sheep walking into a tiger's den.
"Fall back in formation! Regroup with the jōnin!"
But unfortunately for them every word reached Neji's ears.
"There are still survivors?"
In the next instant, he formed a seal. Dragon Fire exploded out, a torrent of flames roaring through the trees. To the sound and sand shinobi, all they saw was a blazing inferno crashing down.
Boom!
They didn't even have time to scream before they were reduced to ash.
"Tch. A bunch of genin and chūnin… what weaklings."
But Neji wasn't unscathed.
The cost of using All-Killing Ash Bones was immense. He found a safe spot, pulled out a ration pill, and began recovering chakra.
"The chakra drain on Ash Bones really is ridiculous. Definitely not something to use lightly."
A short rest later, he rose to his feet and began heading toward the Four Violet Flames Formation.
Konoha's counterattack was about to begin.
Just then, a sharp, piercing screech rang out from beyond the village. Neji paused and turned to look toward the outskirts.
"That chakra… so Gaara's transformed, huh?"
He murmured, completely unbothered.
Let the sky fall Naruto would hold it up.
And with that, he continued on his way.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest
Gamabunta clashed with Shukaku in a titanic battle, their colossal forms shaking the very land. Everyone else could only watch from afar, too afraid to get close.
The ground churned beneath them as sand and dust filled the air. Entire swaths of trees were flattened. The battlefield was rapidly becoming a wasteland.
Gamabunta leapt into the air, drew his blade, and swung down cleaving off Shukaku's right arm.
But in the blink of an eye, a new one grew in its place.
Gamabunta grunted. This damned sand beast it was impossible to cut down for good. He'd already lost count of how many times he'd slashed at it.
Then, from within Shukaku, Gaara's voice echoed out.
"Didn't think you'd last this long. Fine I'll show you what Shukaku's real form looks like."
"What?!"
Temari and Kankurō gasped, trying to stop him but it was too late.
Gaara slipped into unconsciousness. Shukaku's true self awakened.
"Wahahahaha! I'm finally out!"
The beast took a deep breath, savoring the air of freedom. For the first time in years, the world felt bright and alive.
Turning toward Konoha, Shukaku grinned with bloodlust.
After being sealed away for so long, it was time to cut loose. The bratty shinobi from Sunagakure could deal with the aftermath later.
With that carefree thought, Shukaku strutted toward Konoha, eager to vent his long-repressed rage.
But his path was blocked Naruto and Gamabunta stood in his way.
"Oh? Trying to stop me?" Shukaku chuckled like a child, but his words dripped with murderous intent.
He'd been sealed, imprisoned, stripped of his freedom. Now, he wanted nothing more than to slaughter especially these crawling little insects.
"Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullet!"
Shukaku's belly puffed up. Compressed air bullets blasted from his mouth.
Gamabunta responded instantly Water Bullet Technique! A massive water sphere shot from his mouth to intercept.
The air and water collided midair and exploded like a thunderclap, rain falling from the sky in thick sheets.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The barrage didn't stop.
Air and water bullets clashed again and again, splitting the battlefield with a visible shockwave.
"Wahahahaha!" Shukaku howled with laughter. "Stupid toad. You lose!"
"What?!" Gamabunta's eyes widened. That's when he noticed Shukaku had fired one more bullet than him.
BOOM!
The explosion sent Gamabunta crashing to the ground, his massive body battered and torn.
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