Magnet Release? It's Super Electromagnetic Release

"I'm going to fight all four of you!"

The young man's ringing voice was instantly swallowed by a shriek through the air.

A boulder as large as a small hill traced a smooth path through the air, then bore down on the red-haired youth's small frame with the terrifying force of gravity and momentum behind it.

"How weak!"

Dōmeki chuckled softly, but the ground beneath his feet exploded. Propelled by the recoil, he leaped into the air and forced his way into the boulder's path.

Facing the tremendously powerful boulder, he spun and kicked.

The instant his foot touched the boulder, a layer of black suddenly covered it. The boulder's advance halted for an instant, cracks spreading outward from his foot, and then-

A surging force erupted. The enormous boulder was kicked back along the path it had come.

Jirobo's eyes widened for only an instant before he had to snap out of it. He rapidly formed Hand Seals and slammed both hands against the ground.

"Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!"

With a rumble, a massive stone wall flipped up from the ground in front of Jirobo.

The instant the boulder struck, the wall shattered under the impact. The boulder continued forward unabated, but that moment's delay was enough.

Jirobo dodged out of the boulder's path, and, with a tremendous tremor, it smashed the reinforced wall of the training ground to pieces.

"Kidomaru!"

"Jirobo!"

"Tayuya!"

Sakon and Ukon shouted, and the others, having worked together for years, naturally understood what their captain meant.

With a series of sharp whistles, countless strands of thick, sticky webbing poured from Kidomaru's mouth toward Dōmeki, covering nearly every direction in which the youth could move.

Clang!

Dōmeki drew his blade in an instant. A layer of transparent wind blades coiled around the pitch-black short sword, and a flash of cold light blossomed into a beautiful crescent arc in the air. The currents stirred up by the blade swept all the soft webs into a bundle, then sliced them to pieces in an instant.

"Earth Release Barrier: Earth Prison Dome!"

The training ground abruptly broke apart in patches. Starting from Jirobo's hands pressed against the ground, Earth Release Chakra poured into the earth.

Amid a rumbling tremor, the soft soil in the ground instantly hardened into stone and surged upward, closing around the youth to form a bowl-shaped earthen wall that trapped him inside.

"Got you, redhead!" Tayuya stood nearby with an excited smile and raised her flute. "Let me play the final movement of your life!"

Just then, Jirobo, who was maintaining the barrier with both hands against the earthen wall, turned pale and cried out, "Something's wrong. That brat..."

"Boom!"

The sturdy, self-repairing earthen wall abruptly burst apart as though struck by an exploding shell. An invisible gust swept outward, blowing even Jirobo several steps back.

The youth reappeared before them, strolling leisurely out of the rubble. Only when he heard the four of them mutter "monster" did he raise an eyebrow, seemingly pleased with the assessment.

The Sakon and Ukon brothers suppressed their fear of the monster and found themselves recalling Lord Orochimaru's words.

Time turned back.

Upon receiving Lord Orochimaru's orders, the Sound Four had set aside their tasks and immediately presented themselves before him.

Sakon and Ukon watched in disbelief as he casually ordered all four of them to test the red-haired brat together.

As Lord Orochimaru's sharpest weapons, the four of them had completed countless difficult missions for him despite their youth. Any enemy, even ninja from the great nations, had died at their hands. Yet it took all four of them just to test a brat...

Recalling the information about that brat, although he was Orochimaru's subordinate, he always greeted everyone with a smile, even the ordinary people who did odd jobs around the base, like a certain cook...

That brat did nothing all day and ignored the rules they had set. What right did he have to call that bunch of trash at the base Lord Orochimaru's "Akainu"?

Seemingly aware of the Sound Four's jealousy and disdain, Lord Orochimaru had made a point of leaving them with some meaningful words as they departed.

"To keep my most loyal subordinates from dying pointless deaths, allow me to give you a warning..."

Lord Orochimaru's voice was low and distant.

"Shun-kun's Ninjutsu is not so simple. If you don't want to be killed..."

"I'll allow you to use your full strength, even... that technique!"

Explosive Chakra surged skyward, its chilling, sinister aura almost solid.

Starting with the Sakon and Ukon brothers, the four swallowed something in turn. Amid howls of pain, black markings crawled over their bodies like snakes.

"Senjutsu? No, it's that unfinished technique!"

A glint flashed across Kabuto Yakushi's glasses. As Orochimaru's most important assistant, the silver-haired young man naturally knew the power of the technique, even if it had not been perfected...

Kabuto spoke softly. "Isn't this going a little too far?"

A smile curved Orochimaru's lips. "For Shun-kun, it's still nowhere near enough!"

On the field, the atmosphere changed abruptly with the appearance of the transformation.

"The Cursed Seal?"

The red-haired youth tilted his head in puzzlement. Something doesn't seem quite right. I've never met a certain good-natured big guy around Orochimaru before, have I?

Oh well. It's Orochimaru, after all; nothing he produces would be surprising. But...

Dōmeki looked at the Sound Four, whose auras had changed dramatically, and blinked with a touch of envy. After all, a chance to personally experience Natural Energy was rare in the entire Shinobi World!

Uncontrollable savagery and madness shone in the eyes of the four ninja as they turned toward the youth almost simultaneously.

Swish, swish, swish!

Four indistinct black streaks suddenly stretched through the air. One swung down from above on a spider thread, another charged straight ahead like a rampaging bison, while the others coordinated to flank the youth along two curving paths.

The one shocking thing was that their speed was beyond anything they had shown before. Almost simultaneously, attacks from every direction slammed into the youth.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

In an instant, fists swept like wind and legs flashed like fire. Their strength, enhanced by a mysterious energy, had multiplied, and every movement sent the wind howling.

"Smack!"

Facing the onslaught, Dōmeki's expression did not change. Black Earth Release Chakra once again covered both fists. He swept a palm across, knocking aside a fist aimed straight at his eye socket, then drove his elbow back into his attacker's face.

His left hand flipped over and seized Jirobo's right hand. With a low shout, the red-haired youth stopped Jirobo's tremendous charge with one hand.

Jirobo felt an immense force, and his view turned upside down in an instant. The youth swung his entire heavy body through a graceful arc in midair and hurled him straight at Kidomaru, who was hanging upside down from the ceiling with his bow drawn.

Dōmeki turned sideways and sent Ukon flying with a kick, then stopped a straight punch just short of Tayuya's forehead as she raised a Kunai to stab him.

Whoosh!!!

Her long hair fluttered in the wind from the oncoming fist, and Tayuya's body stiffened.

"Miss Tayuya, I don't want to beat up a beautiful lady!"

"Really?" Tayuya swallowed. "You little redheaded-"

A finger flick struck the girl's forehead, and Tayuya's entire body instantly flew backward.

In the blink of an eye, the youth had dealt with the Sound Four's assault. They all fell to the ground howling, especially Miss Tayuya, who clutched her reddened head and cursed nonstop.

"Bastard!"

The four climbed to their feet and glared at the brat. Since they had been utterly outclassed in Taijutsu, then-

They quickly moved to four positions around Dōmeki, bit hard through their thumbs, and rapidly formed Hand Seals with their bloodied hands before slamming them against the ground.

"Summoning Technique: Four-Beast Surrounding Formation!"

"Boom!"

White smoke spread across the entire field. Amid a thunderous roar, a giant earthen idol that nearly broke through the ceiling, a legendary, exceptionally evil monster, a gate of evil spirits returned to the world of the living from the underworld of Yama, and a giant spider baring its fangs and claws, ready to devour people, abruptly appeared on the field.

"Here it comes?"

Orochimaru's eyes shone with excitement, and his long tongue unconsciously licked Kabuto Yakushi's face. Kabuto, too, looked horrified.

"That's-"

The youth stood with his arms folded on a rapidly rising stone platform. Dōmeki, whose smile had always been warm and genial, now looked as though he had cast off the disguise of a savage dragon, an unrestrained smile spreading across his lips. At that moment, the Sound Four finally understood the meaning of the title "Akainu."

"With iron and lightning as the pact, bind the gods in chains!"

"Ninja Art: Chains of Heaven!"

The words echoed slowly across the battlefield like a sentence being passed. The four turned pale as an unceasing clatter of chains suddenly filled their ears.

The moment they looked down, they saw that they and the powerful summoned beasts were wrapped in countless layers of iron chains extending from the earth. No matter how much strength they unleashed, it was transmitted into the ground, and they could not break free in the slightest!

"Iron chains? That's the Kazekage's Magnet Release!" The Sound Four looked horrified.

"No, it's Super Electromagnetic Release!"

Dōmeki shook his head helplessly, electricity flashing over his hands.