"Kagami-sama, we also want to withdraw."
Yakushi Kabuto led Gaara by the hand, with Yamato following behind him.
He started adopting orphans at such a young age; no wonder he's Yakushi Nonō's adopted son.
What? You're saying Gaara isn't an orphan?
With a father like that, he'd be better off as an orphan.
Seeing that Yakushi Kabuto was about to take Gaara away, Rasa panicked.
Clutching his severed arm, he hurriedly said, "Kagami-sama! Gaara is my son, a treasure of Sunagakure!"
Swish—
A colorless and invisible dividing line splits Rasa in two.
The look of terror that had just appeared in his eyes quickly faded.
The torso fell precisely to either side, with the remaining limbs scattered.
Blood was everywhere.
The leader of Sunagakure, a little over a month ago, was the Fourth Kazekage.
He died just like that.
Kagami Uchiha's indifferent gaze fell on Chiyo.
"Does Sunagakure have any other plans?"
Not long ago, his younger brother died at the hands of Konoha ninjas, and before that, Sasori's parents also perished at the hands of Konoha ninjas.
Now...
Shukaku was taken away, and Kazekage died.
Chiyo's heart sank lower and lower, seeing no possibility of the revival of Sunagakure.
But now she can't even express her disappointment.
An answer is required.
Otherwise, the last spark of hope in Sunagakure will be extinguished.
"Sunagakure ...no objection..."
The Moryo hidden among the crowd couldn't help but sneer.
These ignorant humans actually dared to provoke that man.
That's a monster that even after I obtained the Dragon Vein Crystal and devoured the Priestess, I still wouldn't dare to be its enemy!
Several more people with serious injuries chose to withdraw from the competition.
Among them was Might Guy.
He didn't want to withdraw from the competition, but the aftereffects of opening the seven gates left him exhausted, and it would be too dangerous to seamlessly transition to the second match.
Hatake Sakumo took it upon himself to help him withdraw from the competition, as did Asuma and the others.
The first round was this brutal; it was predictable...
The mortality rate will be even higher in the second round.
"Um, Kagami-kun."
"Can I claim the extra reward now? It would be a shame if I died in the second match and didn't get the reward."
Orochimaru chuckled as he spoke, though he also seemed a little nervous.
The method by which Kagami Uchiha killed Rasa was completely undetectable to him and Tobirama Senju.
If he were in that situation, he felt that he would be instantly defeated as well.
If it weren't for the fact that many of his soul imprints were scattered, he wouldn't dare to ask for a reward now.
Kagami Uchiha stroked his chin and nodded, saying, "Okay, what do you want?"
"Severance Release Cultivation Manual!"
Without hesitation, Orochimaru revealed what he wanted most.
In his view, neither Yin-Yang Release nor Dragon Vein Crystal were as valuable as Severance Release!
He was self-aware enough not to think that just because he obtained the cultivation method, he could learn how to use the Severance Release.
But!
This is the only way to glimpse the power of the gods!
He believed that with Kagami Uchiha's magnanimity, he would never offer anything worthless. Since it was ranked first among the final rewards, it must have its corresponding value.
All eyes were on Orochimaru.
It feels like watching someone else win the lottery.
One group of people had a fiery look in their eyes; if they could fight, they would have torn Orochimaru to pieces and eaten him by now.
"OK."
Kagami Uchiha looked at Shisui: "Give him your scroll, I'll write another one for you later."
Shisui summoned a slightly worn scroll and gently handed it to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru received the item with both hands with even greater care, as if he were receiving a priceless treasure.
No, it's not like that.
This is priceless!
It may seem like a casual gift, but everyone understands the importance of this secret scroll.
Listen to what Kagami Uchiha means...
This might be a unique Severance Release Cultivation Manual!
The eyes of the crowd burned with desire; it wasn't just one group, but everyone who looked at Orochimaru with greedy eyes.
Almost everyone made a decision: in the second round, forget about any tokens, kill Orochimaru first, and seize the Severance Release!
Noticing the gazes of the crowd, Orochimaru knew that he was in trouble for possessing a treasure.
He dared not begin now.
In front of everyone, he summoned a white snake.
After wrapping the scroll in several layers, they placed it in the white snake's mouth.
With a puff of smoke, the white snake disappeared.
Haha, did you think that way you wouldn't become a target?
Nagato narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking to himself.
If Orochimaru doesn't hand it over obediently, I'll extract his soul and search his memories.
He was confident of winning the final spot; his original plan was to Severance Release and Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.
Having acquired the Severance Release Technique gives you another option, so why not?
Let's choose the Dragon Vein Crystal; it has very strong chakra energy.
"So... can I have the prize money given to me now Kagami-kun?"
Orochimaru had already anticipated that he would likely lose a life in the second match.
It doesn't matter.
The few people from Hidden Fire Village were forced to participate anyway, and since they had already achieved their ultimate goal of Severance Release, withdrawing from the competition wasn't a big deal.
If we can also get 5 billion in research funding, then it's even better!
"Bonus? What bonus?"
Kagami Uchiha frowned in confusion.
The lure of the high amount of funding made Orochimaru unable to resist saying, "Is this the 5 billion ryo you promised before?"
Kagami Uchiha nodded. "You mean that one?"
"That was a bet between me and Kakuzu, what's it to you?"
"When did I ever say that anyone who kills Mahoraga would receive 5 billion?"
"Kakuzu, you tell me, did I say that?"
Kakuzu walked out of the crowd.
I breathed a sigh of relief, and the frustration in my heart eased considerably.
"Kagami Uchiha never said that!"
"Do you understand?"
"... I misunderstood, I'm sorry..."
Kagami Uchiha clapped his hands. "Alright, those who wanted to leave have left. Those of you here will now be the heroes to participate in the second round."
Thud—
After a puff of white smoke, a huge scroll was unfurled in front of Kagami Uchiha.
Everyone noticed that there were three large characters on the large blank page.
Shikkotsu Forest.
Isn't that one of the three great sacred sites for spiritual communication...?
Could it be that Kagami Uchiha has also become a contractor of the Holy Land?
Orochimaru and Jiraiya had seen Tsunade's Summoning Scroll; it wasn't like that...
They noticed that below the three large characters "Shikkotsu Forest" were two smaller characters.
Katsuyu.
Wrong.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya exchanged a glance, realizing something.
It wasn't Kagami Uchiha who made a contract with Shikkotsu Forest!
Instead, Shikkotsu Forest already belongs to Kagami Uchiha!
Katsuyu is the name of the Slug Sage!
No wonder...
No wonder the participants of the Shikkotsu Forest Sect weren't required to join this martial arts competition.
He's already Kagami Uchiha!
Kagami Uchiha chuckled softly.
"Ordinary venues can't withstand your tinkering, so I've found a great spot."
"There, you can fight to your heart's content."
Snap!
Kagami Uchiha clasped his hands together, unleashing an extremely terrifying chakra surge that sent several people flying.
Even Hashirama Senju had to raise his hand to defend himself.
"Summoning Technique."
"Shikkotsu Forest!"
——
The world changed drastically, and a ghastly white color began to spread.
Like massive, bone-colored branches that blot out the sky.
The air was filled with a lethal dose of pale blue toxic fog.
An enormous shadow filled everyone's view.
Standing atop the Katsuyu Sage's head, Kagami Uchiha looked down at the crowd, waving one hand forward, and ten azure crystals scattered and flew out.
"Then, let's begin the second round of the Shinobi World Martial Performance."
"Start."