The moment the words fell, the entire desert began to tremble violently.
Countless thick roots and vines burst from the sand and swept toward the Allied Shinobi Forces with unstoppable force.
The vines writhed and tangled, tearing apart, overturning, and crushing everything in their path.
Ning Xue's gaze sharpened. His hands flashed through Hand Seals, then he slammed them against the ground.
"Ice Release."
Cold spread from his palms like a white wave, racing in every direction across the uneven ground.
Countless ice spikes thrust up in layers, forming a crystal forest that surged toward the oncoming Tree Vines.
The two wave-like assaults collided fiercely in the gravel desert.
The Tree Vines crushed countless ice spikes, while the spikes pierced countless Tree Vines.
Shards of ice and splinters of wood flew everywhere. The impacts boomed like thunder across the open desert.
For a time, the battlefield was forcibly divided into two extremes.
Brown Tree Vines spread, climbed, twisted, and writhed across the ground like a mass of intertwined snakes, replacing dunes and grinding rocks to dust.
The white ice spikes formed an ever-growing crystal forest. Each time the Tree Vines broke through the ice, thicker walls of ice closed in from the sides and impaled them.
The two forces remained locked in a stalemate, completely reshaping the gravel desert.
"Not bad."
Madara Uchiha stood on the raised platform, looking down at the desert torn apart by Tree Vines and ice spikes. A faint smile touched his lips.
"Your strength makes this little test worthwhile."
As he spoke, he slowly raised a hand. More Tree Vines spread from beneath his feet, advancing like a brown tide.
"You can still keep dancing, can't you?"
Everyone's expressions grew more solemn at his words.
Gaara was silent for a moment before turning to Temari