Meteor Release, Lava Swamp

After Orochimaru left, the forest was frighteningly quiet.

Sasuke knelt on a tree branch, one hand clamped tightly over his neck as the Cursed Seal continued to spread. Sakura supported the unconscious Naruto, her arm scraped raw by bark, blood dripping down from her wrist.

Chiya stood beside Sasuke, his chest tightening in waves.

That battle had drained his chakra far too quickly.

But he still couldn't rest.

"Sasuke." Sakura's voice trembled. "How are you?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, cold sweat covering his forehead. He tried to speak, but only a muffled groan squeezed out of his throat. The next moment, he pitched forward.

Chiya reached out and caught him.

"Find somewhere to hide first."

Sakura nodded and gritted her teeth as she hoisted Naruto onto her back.

They did not go far before finding a relatively concealed spot beneath a massive tree. Its roots tangled together, forming a hollow in the middle that could barely block them from view.

Sakura laid Naruto down, then hurried over to check on Sasuke. He had already passed out, and the black Cursed Seal on his neck still radiated faint heat.

"Chiya, what do we do?"

Chiya leaned against the trunk and caught his breath.

"Don't touch that mark yet."

Sakura's hand froze in midair.

Chiya pulled several Explosive Tags from his ninja pouch and handed them to her.

"Place them on the outside. Don't put them too close. Detonate them if anyone approaches."

Sakura accepted the Explosive Tags.

"Okay."

Her fingers still trembled, but she placed every Explosive Tag with great care.

Chiya also set some wire traps and Explosive Tags nearby.

Once everything was in place, Chiya wiped away his sweat and sat against the tree trunk to rest.

Some chakra had recovered within him by then, but it was still not enough.

He could not help thinking of Kaguya's white chakra. That sensation of power, so full it felt ready to burst, was far too addictive.

Unfortunately, there had been no news from Kaguya for a long time.

Chiya lowered his head to look at his hand. The burning sensation from the Red Rock Bind still lingered in his palm.

A thought suddenly came to him: what if he could turn the entire ground into that kind of scorching rock and soil...

Chiya's eyes shifted.

Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance.

More than one person.

Sakura heard them too and immediately retreated beside the roots, holding her Kunai across her body.

"Someone's coming."

Chiya stood up.

The shadows of the trees swayed, and the next moment, three Sound Ninja emerged from the forest.

Dosu stood at the front, his face wrapped in bandages. Zaku swung his arm as his gaze swept over the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke before finally settling on Chiya.

"What a miserable sight."

Kin stood nearby and sneered.

"That Uchiha Clan brat is already down."

Zaku raised his arm, the hole in his palm aimed at Chiya.

"Hand over your scrolls, or die!"

Sakura tightened her grip on her Kunai and stood in front of Sasuke and Naruto.

Chiya stepped forward.

"Step back."

Sakura looked at him.

Chiya did not turn around.

"Protect them."

Sakura gritted her teeth and retreated to Sasuke's side.

Zaku laughed.

"Want to die? I'll grant your wish."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his arm.

Boom!

The air exploded violently as a sound wave blasted straight toward Chiya.

Chiya's Sharingan spun. He stomped his foot and sharply dodged aside. The sound wave grazed his shoulder and slammed into the tree trunk behind him. With a crack, a huge patch of bark split apart.

Before Zaku could withdraw his hand, Chiya had already thrown two Shuriken.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Zaku tilted his head to evade them. Just as he was about to mock him, a flicker of fire suddenly lit up beneath his feet.

"What?"

Bang!

The Explosive Tag detonated.

Zaku was blasted a step backward.

But Dosu flashed to Chiya's side, and the sound-wave device on his arm came crashing down.

Chiya had no time to dodge. He could only raise his arm to block it head-on.

Thud!

A muffled impact rang out.

Chiya's arm and chest went numb from the shock. His arm hurt as if it had snapped, while his chest felt as though someone had struck it with a brutal punch. Blood immediately seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Chiya formed One-Handed Hand Seals with his right hand.

"Earth Release, Earth Split!"

The ground shook violently, and Dosu stumbled.

Taking advantage of his loss of balance, Chiya quickly retreated.

But the other ninja had already charged toward Sakura!

So he could only try that jutsu.

Chiya formed hand seals with both hands. The next moment, he pressed both palms to the ground.

"Meteor Release, Lava Swamp!"

The moment the words fell, steam suddenly rose from the cracks in the ground. The soil swiftly turned red, gradually glowing like heated iron. In several low-lying areas, crimson mud even began to bubble up, gurgling as it boiled. The scalding ground formed a wide ring around the place where Sakura and Sasuke were!

Zaku's expression changed.

"What is this?"

Scorching heat spread outward in an instant.

Kin was just about to land when her toes touched the ground. She immediately cried out and leaped onto a tree branch.

"Hot!"

Zaku and Dosu were also forced to jump to higher ground.

The ground was no longer safe to stand on.

Sakura stared at the expanse of crimson earth before her, eyes wide.

"Chiya..."

Chiya did not turn back.

His forehead was already covered in sweat.

This move consumed a tremendous amount of chakra.

It consumed far more than Lava Bullet, and the chakra in his body was nearly depleted.

Zaku stood on a tree branch, his expression ugly.

"Just tricks!"

He raised his arm, and another sound wave blasted out.

Instead of retreating, Chiya took a step forward.

Boom!

The sound wave struck him in the chest.

The next moment, Chiya transformed into a wooden log with a puff!

"Substitution Technique!"

Chiya had already appeared behind him. He held an Explosive Tag in each hand and slapped them onto Zaku's back, then kicked him flying.

Dosu reacted quickly as well. The moment Chiya appeared, he moved, raising the sound-wave device in his hand and smashing it down at Chiya!

Chiya had no time to evade. He only instinctively tilted his head as Dosu's device smashed hard into his shoulder.

Sakura's face went pale. "Chiya!"

With a boom, agonizing pain tore through half his body in an instant, sending him flying.

On the other side, Zaku was blasted away by the two Explosive Tags. To keep him from falling into the lava, Kin hurried over, grabbed him, and pulled him onto a tree trunk.

Chiya flew through the air, the entire right side of his body unable to move, pain piercing to the bone.

Just as he was about to fall into the lava, Chiya suddenly yanked with his left hand!

The hidden wires he had set earlier tightened with sharp whistles. With a snap, they caught Chiya and suspended him in midair.

The other ends of the wires were wrapped around several large trees, and several Explosive Tags had already been attached to them!

The next moment, the Explosive Tags detonated with a roar, smoke bursting across the trees.

By then, Chiya's chakra had been completely exhausted.

The red glow of Red Rock Prison slowly dimmed. Heat still rose from the ground, but the lava had vanished.

Chiya returned to the ground, his body swaying.

Sakura hurried over.

"Chiya!"

Chiya opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his vision suddenly went black.

He collapsed.

Sakura had no time to catch him.

Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded from the branches overhead.

"Who is it!"

Sakura spun around, Kunai already in hand.

Shikamaru jumped down from the tree. When he saw Chiya on the ground, then looked at the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke, his expression immediately turned grim.

"This is way too troublesome..."

Choji landed after him, forgetting to eat the chips in his hand.

"They're..."

Ino was the last to jump down.

The instant she landed, she saw Chiya lying on the ground.

Her expression changed at once.

"Chiya?"

Before Sakura could speak, Ino had already rushed over. She knelt on the ground and carefully gathered Chiya into her arms.

Chiya was covered in blood. His chest armor was cracked, blood flowed from his shoulder and the corner of his mouth, and his face was terrifyingly pale.

Ino reached out and touched the blood on his chest, her fingers pausing.

"Chiya?"

No one answered.

Ino gritted her teeth and looked up at Sakura.

"Who did this?"

Sakura's voice was hoarse. "The Sound Ninja."

"Chiya drove them off by himself."

Ino looked down at Chiya in her arms and said nothing more.

At that moment, Sasuke's fingers suddenly twitched.

Sakura immediately lowered her head.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes.