Gaara Comes to the Rescue!

Pale white bone spikes erupted from the ground, instantly turning the canyon into a dead end!

Sharp bone stubs sealed off every path, trapping the Hidden Leaf Village group in place.

"W-What is this?!" Choji stared at the dense forest of bones growing all around them, his face going white with fear.

"This is bad..." Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Technique had no way to function in an environment like this.

Neji's Byakugan scanned frantically, yet he could not find a single weak point. "These bones contain powerful chakra. Their structure is incredibly sturdy, and... they're still growing!"

Rock Lee clutched his pierced leg, blood soaking through his bandages, yet still tried to struggle to his feet. "I'll open a gap!"

"Don't move! Your leg will be crippled!"

Ling Yue's heart sank as well. Dance of the Seedling Ferns... Kimimaro's ultimate killing move!

In the original story, this terrifying technique had nearly wiped out both Gaara and Rock Lee!

Kimimaro himself stood atop the tallest bone spike, looking down at everyone below.

His breathing was slightly labored. Maintaining this technique was clearly an enormous burden on him, but the killing intent in those green eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

"Struggling is futile. Merge into this forest of bones and become nourishment for Lord Orochimaru's great cause."

The surrounding bone spikes seemed to come alive, stabbing toward the trapped group from every direction! Their angles were vicious, and their numbers overwhelming!

"Protect Naruto!" Shikamaru roared, hurling kunai wrapped with Explosive Tags in an attempt to blast apart the approaching bone spikes. But the explosions merely scorched them slightly and did nothing to stop them!

Kiba and Akamaru were too badly injured and could only barely dodge. Choji used the Multi-Size Technique to endure the attacks head-on, but fresh wounds soon appeared across his body.

Neji's Gentle Fist formed an impenetrable defense, shattering quite a few bone spikes, but there were simply too many to guard against!

Ling Yue pushed [Lightning Flash Body Technique] and [Paper Arts] to their limits, struggling to evade amid the dense bone spikes. Lightning crackled around the kunai in her hand as she precisely sliced apart the incoming bones, but they were too fast and too numerous. Her arms and back were continuously cut open, and her chakra was draining rapidly.

The white glow of [Healing Arts] barely kept her own injuries from worsening, but she had no way to tend to everyone else!

They were about to be completely swallowed by this endless forest of bones!

"Damn it!" Ling Yue gritted her teeth and sank her consciousness into the system, preparing to exchange for that expensive [Boundary-Breaking Needle], even if it could only open a small gap!

Just then, a tremendous roar and violent tremor came from the cliff wall overhead! Countless rocks rained down!

Immediately afterward, an incomparably massive wave of sand poured down from above the canyon!

It was not attacking them. Instead, it mercilessly scoured and crushed the grotesque forest of bones!

Before the absolute force and overwhelming quantity of sand, the sturdy bone forest was crushed and flattened in great swathes!

"What?!" Kimimaro showed shock for the first time and looked up.

Above the canyon, Gaara stood with his arms crossed, expressionless, a massive arm of sand behind him. Temari and Kankuro stood at his sides.

"People from the Sand Village?" Shikamaru was both startled and suspicious.

"Gaara?" Ling Yue was stunned too. Wasn't he supposed to be under strict guard?

The waves of sand precisely avoided the Hidden Leaf Village group, focusing solely on devastating the forest of bones!

In barely a dozen seconds, a large open space had been cleared through that despair-inducing bone forest!

"How did you..." Ling Yue was somewhat taken aback as well.

"Passing by." Gaara's voice remained flat, but his control over the sand was anything but careless. "And while I'm at it, cleaning up some unsightly trash."

His gaze settled on Kimimaro at the tip of the bone spike, carrying cold killing intent.

Clearly, Kimimaro's earlier words—"The Nine-Tails jinchuriki must be eliminated"—had struck a nerve.

Kimimaro's expression darkened. "The Sand Village's jinchuriki... you intend to interfere in Lord Orochimaru's affairs?"

"Orochimaru?" More sand surged toward Kimimaro under Gaara's control. "He betrayed the alliance first."

A gigantic hand of sand came crashing down on Kimimaro like the sky itself!

Kimimaro immediately controlled the bone spikes to meet it! Sharp bones collided with the heavy palm of sand!

The battle between sand and bone erupted in an instant!

Gaara's sand was abundant and inexhaustible, with formidable defensive and controlling power.

Kimimaro's bone blades were sharp and hard, his attacks bizarre and highly penetrating.

For a time, neither could gain the upper hand. Sand and dust filled the air while bone fragments flew everywhere!

The Hidden Leaf Village group watched in stunned silence. They had never expected such a reversal in the midst of their desperate situation—such powerful reinforcements had arrived... though the reinforcements' motives did not seem entirely pure.

"Don't just stand there! Hurry and treat Naruto's wounds! We'll leave while we have the chance!" Shikamaru was the first to react. He did not understand why the Sand Village was helping them, but this was their only opportunity!

Neji and Choji vigilantly guarded their surroundings. Ling Yue also breathed a sigh of relief, put away the exchange interface, and quickly used [Healing Arts] to administer emergency treatment to herself, Kiba, and Rock Lee, who were the most seriously injured.

However, Kimimaro clearly had no intention of letting them leave so easily.

"Don't even think about it!" He took a Sand Funeral from Gaara head-on and coughed up blood, yet pressed his hand against the ground!

"Larch Dance!"

More and thicker bones erupted from his body and the ground. They not only blocked the sand's attack, but some split off and coiled toward the Hidden Leaf Village group once more! He actually intended to fight two sides at once!

"Troublesome!" Gaara's brow furrowed as his sand returned to defend a fraction too slowly.

The bone serpents were about to coil around the group again!

"Get lost!" Ling Yue's gaze sharpened as the [Void Threads] she had quietly scattered around them suddenly went taut!

Several invisible thought-threads precisely wrapped around the joints connecting the bone serpents' segments, then yanked hard!

The bone serpents slowed, their structures creaking under unbearable strain!

She could not tear them apart completely, but that momentary delay was enough!

"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!" Seizing the chance, Neji struck from a distance, sending a powerful palm blast directly into a bone serpent's head!

The bone serpent's head exploded!

"Partial Multi-Size Technique: Foot!" Choji stomped down as well, crushing another bone serpent to pieces!

Their brief coordination actually worked!

Kimimaro let out a muffled groan. The destruction of his technique had clearly affected him too.

Gaara glanced at Ling Yue, seemingly surprised by her methods, but his hands did not stop. The sand lunged toward Kimimaro once more!

"There's no time..." Kimimaro's face grew increasingly pale, and his breathing became unstable. His body had clearly reached its limit.

He looked at the Hidden Leaf Village group, then at Gaara closing in step by step. A flash of unwillingness and resolve passed through his eyes.

He suddenly abandoned all defense and poured all his power into one final attack!

An enormous spear made from his spine, condensed from all his life force, shot toward Gaara! It was a desperate strike!

Gaara immediately mobilized all his sand to defend!

The bone spear violently collided with Absolute Defense: Shukaku Shield! The sand shield trembled violently as the spear bored through more than half of it!

In the end, it stopped from exhaustion only a few centimeters from Gaara's forehead, turning into shattered bone and falling away.

At the same time, Gaara's sand instantly engulfed the exhausted Kimimaro completely, crushing him...

After the sandstorm subsided, Kimimaro's figure had vanished. Only a pool of blood and a few bone fragments remained where he had stood.

The battle... was over.

Silence filled the canyon, broken only by the rustling of retreating sand and everyone's heavy breathing.

Gaara slowly descended to the ground, his face somewhat pale as well. He had clearly expended a great deal.

Temari and Kankuro immediately jumped down and guarded him from either side.

Still shaken, the Hidden Leaf Village group looked at the three of them with wary, complicated expressions.

As the team leader, Shikamaru forced himself to step forward. "...Thank you for your help."

Gaara merely gave him an indifferent glance. His gaze swept over the unconscious Naruto and the battered group before lingering on Ling Yue for a moment. Without saying anything, he turned and prepared to leave with Temari and Kankuro.

"Wait!" Ling Yue suddenly called out.

Gaara paused and turned his head toward her.

"You..." Ling Yue hesitated before asking, "Are your injuries... all right?" She remembered that Gaara had also suffered severe backlash from Shukaku earlier.

Gaara seemed to freeze for a moment, not expecting her to ask that. He was silent for several seconds before answering quietly, "...I'm fine."

With that, he leaped up the canyon without looking back and disappeared.

Temari and Kankuro exchanged a glance before following after him.

The Sand Village group had arrived suddenly, and they left just as decisively.

Leaving the Hidden Leaf Village group staring at one another.

"They really are... a strange bunch." Shikamaru rubbed his brow and let out a long breath. "Still, we were saved in the end."

He looked at his exhausted teammates and the unconscious Naruto, then pulled himself together. "All right, stop wasting time. Let's get out of here and return to the village!"

Supporting one another, they began their journey home, carrying both the relief of surviving the ordeal and the heavy burden of their failed mission.

Ling Yue looked back at the place where Kimimaro had vanished, then toward the direction Gaara had left, her heart in turmoil.

This world was far more complicated than she had imagined. Enemies and friends were not always separated by such clear boundaries.

And strength was the only true pass.

She touched the SR card voucher, the remaining four thousand-plus points, and another SR card in her ninja tool pouch.

It was time to carefully plan the road ahead.