Deep underground in the North Base, the steel-constructed tunnels twisted and deformed amidst violent tremors.
Jūgo had completely gone berserk; his mutated right arm had swelled to three times its original size, and his keratinized skin gleamed with a metallic sheen in the dim light.
"Roar--!"
With a non-human roar, Jūgo his fist into the load-bearing pillar. Accompanied by a tooth-grinding metallic tearing sound, the half-meter-thick alloy wall was ripped open like a piece of paper, and the exposed cables sparked blindingly.
Of the original twenty-three Sound Ninja who were left behind, only five remained, huddled back-to-back at the end of the passage.
The third line of defense has also collapsed!
He actually Chakra like snacks!
The leader of the Sound Ninja team trembled as he raised his Kunai, cold sweat dripping down his Forehead Protector.
Through the billowing smoke and dust, he could see the monster tearing at the Sealing Tags embedded in its shoulder—a spell personally cast by Lord Orochimaru, now peeling off like scraps of paper.
Just as Jūgo was about to break through the last barrier, a perfectly round hole suddenly exploded in the ceiling.
"Whoosh!"
A white shadow fell like a meteorite, creating a ring-shaped shockwave the moment it hit the ground.
Kimimaro stood before them, his white hair flying wildly in a storm of Chakra.
"Step back."
The brief command was like a pardon to the Sound Ninja, but none dared to leave immediately—for Jūgo's killing intent had completely locked onto this unexpected intruder. The monster's mouth was torn open to behind its ears, revealing gleaming white fangs. "Blood... I want more blood..."
Kimimaro's slow ascent was rhythmic, and black Cursed Seal climbed all over his neck like vines.
As he stood up straight, his clothes suddenly burst open, revealing seven translucent bone spurs that fanned out. Each spur was covered with spiral patterns formed by Senjutsu Chakra, gleaming in the dim light of the underground.
"Half-Sage Mode - Activated"
Jūgo's giant claw slammed down with a sonic boom, but stopped abruptly thirty centimeters from Kimimaro's head—a bone spur extending from his index finger precisely blocked the center of his claw. The ground beneath their feet caved in like melted butter, and spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread throughout the entire hall.
"Your rampage... comes to an end."
The Wings of Bones suddenly trembled violently, and hundreds of bone spikes rained down like a storm.
These bone spurs, infused with Senjutsu Chakra, flew towards him from multiple directions, piercing through Jūgo's body from various tricky angles. The two most fatal spurs pierced directly into his brow and heart, and the wounds immediately turned a grayish-white color, representing the erosion of Natural Energy.
"Agh--!" Jūgo's scream shook the ceiling lights off, but surprisingly, the penetrating wounds were healing at a visible speed. Root-like veins emerged beneath the keratinized skin, frantically absorbing the Natural Energy from the air.
Kimimaro's pupils contracted slightly as he noticed that Jūgo's wound had healed, forming a wood-like structure similar to Wood Release.
"I see... In his berserk state, he instinctively used Natural Energy..." The Bone Wings suddenly folded into a cocoon shape, just in time to block the corrosive Chakra bullet spewed by Jūgo.
"Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!"
Ten finger bones transformed into white light and shot out, instantly splitting into hundreds of fine, hair-like bone needles the moment they Jūgo's chest. This improved version of the Ten-Finger Barrage was specifically designed to target regenerative enemies, with each bone needle having barbs that deeply hooked into muscle tissue.
Taking advantage of Jūgo's struggle, Kimimaro formed a complex hand seal with the sequence of Snake-Sheep-Monkey-Boy-Horse-Tiger. The Cursed Seal on his chest lit up, and the entire underground space echoed with a chilling sound of bones growing.
"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of Early Ferns - Modified!"
Suddenly, countless bone spikes rose from the ground, but these bone spikes were completely different from those before—their surfaces were covered with black patterns, and their tips were adorned with lotus-shaped bone clusters.
Jūgo just torn off the bone vines binding his left leg when newly grown bone spurs pierced his foot, pinning him to the spot. Even more terrifying, these bone spurs seemed to absorb his Chakra, and the wounds that had been pierced could no longer heal.
As Kimimaro carried Jūgo, who was sealed in the Bone Prison, out of the base, the rising sun was dyeing his white hair gold. The oval-shaped Bone Prison was covered with runes that suppressed Chakra. Jūgo inside had returned to human form, but traces of woody texture remained on his skin.
The surviving Sound Ninja hurriedly stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
"Send him back to the main base." Kimimaro's voice was colder than the polar winds. "Also... what happened here..."
"We didn't see anything!" The Sound Ninja captain pressed his forehead firmly against the ground.
Kimimaro nodded slightly, and as he turned around, the hem of his white hunting robe brushed past a small, surviving blade of grass.
Shockingly, the blades of grass brushed against by the hem of the garment instantly calcified, transforming into exquisite bone sculptures—a unique phenomenon that occurs when the Sage Art: Bone Release reaches its peak.
On a distant mountaintop, several White Snakes silently disappeared into the morning mist, transmitting footage of this extraordinary battle to a dark underground laboratory.
In the dimly lit laboratory, the flickering candlelight illuminated the numerous scrolls and specimens covering the walls.
Orochimaru slowly opened his golden, snake-like eyes, a sickly smile playing on his lips.
"Hehehe... This is really exciting..."
His voice was hoarse and deep, like a venomous snake hissing. The images transmitted by the summoning snake were still playing— Kimimaro's white bone wings unfolded, and Senjutsu Chakra wrapped around his body, easily suppressing the berserk Jūgo.
That overwhelming power, that near-perfect fighting stance, all demonstrated the terrifying potential of this subordinate.
"As expected... my theory was correct." Orochimaru seemed to be admiring a work of art. "Cursed Seal, Senjutsu, the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku... combined with the cell fusion technology provided by Kabuto, created an existence beyond that of ordinary ninjas."
The images of those monster-level ninjas projected on the Heavenly Screen flashed through his mind— Pain's Chibaku Tensei, Madara Uchiha's Susanoo, Hashirama Senju's Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands... those were powers he had once longed for but could never attain.
But now, Kimimaro's evolution has shown him new possibilities.
"Although he's not quite on par with those legendary ninjas, but..." Orochimaru's smile deepened. "Kimimaro is now strong enough to be considered among the elite."
He recalled Kimimaro's near-death state—the boy afflicted by a bloodline disease, practically with one foot in the grave. Had it not been for Kabuto's Medical Ninjutsu combined with his own forbidden technique, Kimimaro would have long since turned to dust. But now, he not only survived, but had even become stronger.
"Shikotsumyaku... what a fascinating Kekkei Genkai."
"They could be considered the natural enemy of close-combat ninjas..." Orochimaru chuckled. "Even the Kage from various ninja villages, if they rashly approached, would probably be instantly annihilated, wouldn't they?"
He recalled Kimimaro's final technique—"Dance of the Early Fern - Modified"—which was no longer a simple forest of bone spikes, but a "White Bone Domain" infused with Senjutsu Chakra.
Those bone spurs can even absorb the enemy's Chakra and suppress regeneration abilities; even a berserk monster like Jūgo couldn't break free from them.
"However..." A cold glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, "Such power ultimately needs a more perfect vessel."
He looked down at his palms; beneath the pale skin, faint black Cursed Seal patterns writhed. Kimimaro's power was strong, but ultimately it wasn't his. He needed a more perfect body, a more powerful vessel...
"Kabuto's experimental report mentioned that Kimimaro's cells seemed to be undergoing some kind of mutation..." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, "Perhaps, this is the true direction of evolution?"