Wiped Out
Call--
A bleak wind blew by, carrying with it a foul, bloody stench. The atmosphere was gloomy and oppressive, weighing heavily on one's emotions.
As the Cursed Seal dissipated, the grotesque flesh spikes and overgrown tissue on the remains of Sakon and Ukon disappeared, and the black tadpole-shaped runes faded from their bodies, revealing pale skin that contrasted sharply with the dark red bloodstains.
Unlike ordinary clones, Ice Release, being a higher-level attribute, creates clones whose strength is closer to the original body. Because they are composed of hard ice, the clones can withstand greater force, and their Taijutsu is stronger than that of Water Clones, which are only one-tenth the strength of the original body. They also don't shatter easily when attacked, unlike Water Clones and Shadow Clones. Furthermore, similar to Wood Release clones, Ice Clones can use Ice Release Ninjutsu and can move between the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals. Those unfamiliar with Ice Clones, seeing that Ice Clones doesn't dissipate when injured and can still use Ninjutsu, often mistakenly believe it to be the original body.
My teacher, Tsunade, being the granddaughter of the First Hokage, naturally had access to Hashirama Senju's Wood Release techniques. I created the Ice Clone by drawing inspiration from the principles of the Wood Clone; it's not a particularly difficult Ninjutsu. Haku and I perfected this tactic of using clones to lure the enemy and then exploding ice crystals in the Land of Snow in just a few hours.
As the first victim of this technique, Sakon can rest in peace even in hell!
Kimimaro stared intently at me and Haku, tensely confronting us. Having just unleashed his ultimate attack, beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead, and his breathing became rapid.
"A bizarre clone..." Kimimaro looked at Hakudo, "Is this her ability?"
"That's right, it's Ice Release... just like your Bone Release, it's Kekkei Genkai!" I said with a faint smile.
"Your stamina is already depleted, and even Bone Release can't break through my defenses. What's the point of continuing like this? Surrender! There's no need to waste time. Let us go and bring Sasuke back, and you can live too!"
"I didn't have much time left to live, there's no point in living any longer..." Kimimaro stated the fact that he was terminally ill, "Moreover, to sacrifice our lives for Lord Orochimaru's dream, that is our ideal!"
Those who have someone they are willing to give their lives for are not truly evil... Kimimaro is essentially a good person too. I greatly admired his character in my past life—proud yet loyal! If his object of loyalty hadn't been Orochimaru, perhaps we would have been good friends! But now our positions are reversed, and no matter how much I admire him, I won't show him any mercy!
Although I had considered bringing Kimimaro back to Konoha to be treated by Tsunade, and even considered leaving Kimimaro in Konoha, I'm long past the age of being a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) student, and I clearly distinguish between ideals and reality... It's truly regrettable that, to uphold his loyalty, I can only take his life!
"What a pity..." I said coldly, "I can only say that Orochimaru is not worth your life! Since you want to be loyal, I'll grant your wish!"
As soon as I finished speaking, I quickly formed hand seals, and at the same time, I sensed a large fluctuation of Chakra from the forest on both sides!
Hundreds of spiders descended from the sky above, spitting out long, tough silk threads to entangle Bai and me, accompanied by dozens of long arrows whistling through the air; at the same time, the bone forest in front of us split into countless sharp bone spikes, densely stabbing towards us!
Kimimaro, who was speaking to us, vanished into smoke with a bang. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kimimaro's true form emerge from the thick bone spikes behind me, raising his sharp bone spear and thrusting it at me!
The real killing move came from beneath my feet! A dozen intangible Yin Release Chakra monsters suddenly burst forth from the ground! -- No, they didn't "burst forth," but silently emerged from the earth, opening their mouths full of sharp teeth to bite!
Unlike the previous attacks that repeatedly probed and compressed the space for evasion, this time the Sound Ninja launched an attack from all directions, with both physical and illusory attacks coming at the same time. Apart from having to manipulate a large number of Chakra monsters and having no energy left to blow out sound Genjutsu, all the means of attack were used at once, leaving me powerless to defend and always unable to defend against one attack at a time!
If you defeat the Chakra monster, you'll be hit by Kimimaro and Kidomaru; if you use Azure Water Release to defend against physical attacks, you can't stop the monster controlled by Tayuya!
There's no way to defend against it, and there are no substitutes or clones to use as substitutes!
However, they probably don't know that, like Bai, I can use Ice Release. Just like Bai dodged their attack, I can do it too!
Bai and I completed the hand seals together.
"Ice Release Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
The icy mirrors that appeared beneath our feet froze the Chakra monsters that were about to emerge. My body and Shiro's body sank, and we simultaneously entered the icy mirrors, dodging this flawless attack! The next instant, Kimimaro and Kidomaru blasted both icy mirrors into pieces!
In the forest Tayuya Chakra's chakra was sensed, Haku and I emerged from two adjacent ice mirrors.
Although I can't yet move between multiple ice mirrors continuously, I can now move between them one-on-one very smoothly!
"Tayuya... now, is anyone still going to protect you?" I said with a sneer!
"Wind Release: Infinite Wind Cutter!"
Ice Release: Million-Strike Annihilation of Water Flight!
A sudden gust of wind arose! Countless wind blades spun around me, shooting out in all directions and slicing through everything in their path!
Sharp ice Senbon continuously condensed and took shape around Bai, then, propelled by the wind, were wildly shot out in waves in all directions!
For a full five seconds, the wind blades and the Senbon raged wildly, repeatedly piercing and shredding everything within a radius of hundreds of meters! The lush forest was reduced to a clearing littered with shredded leaves and broken branches!
A map-wide attack level Ninjutsu!
These Sound Ninja are too troublesome; we can't keep dragging this out! Naruto might have already caught up with Sasuke, and the two of them might already be fighting! We have to finish them off quickly and catch up; we can't keep playing hide-and-seek with them in the forest indefinitely. Even if it takes a lot of Chakra, we have to use this level of Ninjutsu!
"Hoo--!" I let out a long breath! After unleashing such a powerful Wind Release in one breath, I couldn't help but breathe slightly heavily.
"We have the results!"
On the ravaged green clearing, Tayuya's white clothes and skin stood out starkly! Tayuya lay motionless on the ground, the Cursed Seal fading from her body, revealing a body covered in wounds, blood flowing continuously from the piercing wounds left by the Senbon and the tearing wounds from the wind blades!
Tayuya injured and unconscious, unable to fight!
"Tayuya!" Kidomaru landed on the ground with a whoosh, and cried out in grief as he saw Tayuya lying on the ground covered in wounds.
"Ah! I'll kill you all--!" Kidomaru roared furiously, his eyes burning with intense rage! So agitated, could they be a couple?
Then, he lost his composure and charged at us frantically! He conjured a large bow and a long arrow as thick as his wrist in his hand, leaped into the air, and drew the bow and nocked the arrow from above!
How foolish! Jumping into the air, wouldn't that just make him a sitting duck? I scoffed inwardly, calmly forming hand seals. Before Kidomaru could even fire his arrow, my Ninjutsu struck first!
Water Release: Super Water Gun Technique!
A jet of ultra-high-pressure water shot out from between my fingers, aiming straight for Kidomaru in mid-air!
The instant I pointed at him, Kidomaru suddenly rose into the air, dodging my Ninjutsu, and his Water Line Shot flew through the air!
Kidomaru concentrated all his Chakra into the long arrow, drawing the bowstring taut.
"The strongest attack!" Kidomaru roared as he fired the arrow!
Boom--!
With a slight lift of my finger, the water jet changed direction and collided with the long arrow! Even the arrow, harder than steel, couldn't withstand the ultra-high pressure jet and was instantly blasted into dust!
Even the strongest attack was blasted away by the Water Gun Technique. Kidomaru's angry mind was as if it had been splashed with a bucket of cold water, and he finally realized the danger of rashly appearing in my sight!
Kidomaru suddenly turned around in mid-air and flew quickly towards the distant forest, constantly changing direction to avoid being locked onto by my Water Gun Technique! This time, I saw it clearly: several transparent spider silks connected Kidomaru to the distant trees. It was with the help of these thin threads that Kidomaru was able to change direction in mid-air.
The sight before me gave me a sense of déjà vu—was he Spider-Man?!
"Whether you're Spider-Man or Iron Man or whatever..." I muttered to myself, "Now that you're out here, don't even think about running away!"
Ice Shuriken condensed in my hand, imbued with wind -Nature Transformation Chakra. With a casual flick, the Shuriken shot out, severing the spider silk! Losing his ability to gain momentum in the air, Kidomaru had to stop and land on the ground. Still unwilling to give up, he continued to run and change direction on the ground, trying to escape into the forest!
"Ice Release Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
Ice Release: Ice Clone!
My clone passed through the ice mirror and appeared behind Kidomaru, wielding Kunai and aiming for Kidomaru's back.
Clang! The Kunai through Kidomaru's clothes, but was blocked by a layer of milky white hard armor; at the same instant, Kidomaru turned around sharply, and a long arrow that suddenly appeared in his hand pierced the clone's left breast and penetrated the clone's heart!
"You think I can only dodge?! Gotcha!" Kidomaru laughed maniacally and excitedly after landing a successful attack!
Clatter—Seeing ice shards fall from the wound instead of blood, Kidomaru's smile froze on his face as his shoulders were firmly gripped by his clone!
"The one who succeeded... is me! This time, you can't escape!" The Ice Clone smiled cruelly at Kidomaru.
Kidomaru is too slow. If it were Kimimaro, his clone wouldn't even have time to attack before he dodged it!
"Damn it! Let go!" Kidomaru severed the clone's hands with a single strike, then turned to run away.
Water Release: Super Water Gun Technique!
The water jet shot out from behind the Ice Clone, first severing the clone's body, then the hard armor on Kidomaru's body, and finally Kidomaru's skin, muscles, and bones.
With a thud, Kidomaru flew up with a confused expression and landed on the ground.
The Sound Four wiped out.
The sky grew even darker, with heavy, dark clouds pressing down on the earth like a dome. A chill touched my face, damp and slipping down my cheek. Then came a second, a third... landing on my shoulders, in my hair.
It's raining. A light drizzle falls from the ground, leaving long, thin streaks of water.
*Thud Kimimaro finally arrived at the battlefield! After using so many powerful moves and fighting for so long, his body finally began to break down, to the point that he could no longer even get to the battlefield quickly!
"Ahhh--" Kimimaro struggled to charge at me!
Kimimaro threw a punch with no speed or power, which I dodged by sidestepping and then kicked him dozens of meters away with a whip kick! Kimimaro fell to the ground in a sorry state, and just as he got up, I punched him in the stomach and then elbowed him to the ground! Kimimaro lay on the ground, his right hand grabbing my ankle, trying to attack again, but I kicked him away hard!
Kimimaro struggled to his feet. In the quiet battlefield, Kimimaro's increasingly heavy breathing became all the more noticeable.
"Huff, huff! Cough, cough!" Kimimaro coughed painfully, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth with each cough!
"Your mission has failed, Kimimaro." I said coldly, staring at Kimimaro. "It seems your body couldn't hold on any longer, even without my intervention!"
"Cough, cough! I, I will never let you pass!" Kimimaro's abnormal condition became more and more obvious, and he knelt weakly on the ground! Even so, he still did not give up!
"Stop laughing, Kimimaro! You can't even stand up anymore, how can you stop us? With words? You're already dead! Enjoy your last moments before you die!"
Kimimaro's breathing grew weaker and weaker. I ignored Kimimaro and turned to leave.
"Aaaaaah--!" Kimimaro's frantic shout came from behind, "I'd rather die than let you get past me!"
I turned around and saw Kimimaro miraculously standing up, his right hand transforming into a bone spear, charging towards me and launching his final attack!
Ka--
The attack was over. The bone spear stopped at the last moment before hitting the water shield, and Kimimaro stood stiffly on the ground, motionless as if he had turned into a bone.
Ka--
The bone spear shattered, Kimimaro's right hand, its flesh turning to bone, broke into countless fragments that fell to the ground along with the spear. His body became completely bloodless, his skin as pale as bone.
Kimimaro was transformed into a sculpture made of bones.
He died.
Even after burning himself out, Kimimaro still couldn't find me.
"He's really amazing." After a long silence, Bai suddenly said.
"Is that so?" I replied casually, then turned and left.
Let's go.
I had to hurry and move forward as quickly as possible! I thought to myself. Looking up at the sky, the color grew even more gloomy.
Splash--
The drizzle gradually intensified into a torrential downpour.
**************************************************************************************
In a dark underground place somewhere in the Land of Rice Fields.
In the dimly lit room, only one candle burned alone, its weak flame flickering in the wind, illuminating the room and the two silent men.
Call--
A gust of wind blew by, extinguishing the candlelight and leaving only wisps of smoke. The room was plunged into darkness.
"... Kimimaro is dead." The man, whose body was wrapped in bandages, suddenly said while sitting in the chair.
"That's right, according to the medicine I gave him, it's about time. His body was already failing; my medicine was just forcing him to ignore his injuries and regain his mobility, but it won't last long... Once the time is up, the injuries will return a hundredfold, and his body will collapse in an instant!" Another man, completely hidden in the darkness, said in a younger voice, "What a pity, such good talent and strength, yet burdened with a fatal disease, unable to dedicate himself to you!"
"There's nothing to regret... All I care about is the Sharingan; everything else is insignificant! The only regret is that Sasuke couldn't get here in time, and I'll have to wait another three years for the next reincarnation!"
"They must have been held back... Although we chose a good time, there might be other powerful ninjas in Konoha who happen to be in the village..." the man hidden in the darkness said, adjusting his glasses.
"You're that girl... I still remember her Water Release vividly!"
The young man with glasses smiled and said, "It's Sakura Haruno... She's Sasuke's teammate. If Sasuke deserts, she'll definitely come after him!"
"Heh heh..." The man with the bandages wrapped around his head chuckled hoarsely, "That's why I sent Kimimaro out! Kidomaru and the other three should be wiped out in a single encounter!"
"You overestimate that girl, Lord Orochimaru! Kidomaru and the others could hold out for a while with their best efforts... However, by now, I'm afraid all five of them, including Kimimaro, have already been killed!" Another man chuckled sinisterly. "It's a pity Sakura Haruno's physical abilities aren't high, otherwise you would have placed Cursed Seal on her too, wouldn't you?"
"Kabuto... are you pretending not to understand? You should know that Sakura Haruno's talent lies in her spirit and mind; she herself has no value for reincarnation..." Orochimaru said coldly, "Once I'm reincarnated into Sasuke, I'll immediately go and kill Uchiha Itachi Sakura Haruno!"
Dou adjusted his glasses but didn't reply, and the two fell silent again.
The room fell into darkness and deathly silence once more.
[Written on the train, some terms may be incorrect~ Update times for the next three chapters are uncertain, but on average there will be one chapter per month.]