"You little brats think you can get past me? Stay put in my earth prison and let me drain your chakra dry!"
Jirobo's thunderous laughter exploded across the clearing. As he slapped his hands down, the ground began to shake violently. The soil beneath Shengu Xuan, Naruto, and the others surged upward like an earthen-yellow beast opening its bloody maw. In the blink of an eye, it formed an enormous hemispherical stone dome, trapping Shengu Xuan's group of six inside along with several nearby trees!
"Earth Release: Barrier: Earth Prison Dome!"
The earth prison instantly plunged into suffocating darkness. The thick Rock Wall blocked out all light and sound from outside, and a strong earthy smell filled the air.
"Damn it! What the hell is this thing?!" Naruto shouted angrily. He pulled a kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch and stabbed hard at the Rock Wall beside him. With a sharp clang, the kunai failed to penetrate and instead flew out of his hand from the impact.
"It's no use, Naruto! These walls are packed with high-density chakra. They're as hard as steel!" Shikamaru immediately spoke up to stop Naruto's recklessness, his brow tightly furrowed. He reached out to touch the wall, then suddenly felt a faint suction steadily drawing his strength away through his palm.
"This is bad! Nobody touch the walls!" Neji immediately activated his Byakugan, veins bulging at the corners of his eyes. Through its penetrating vision, he saw an utterly horrifying sight. "This earth prison isn't just a defensive barrier. It's constantly absorbing the chakra inside us! And any damage instantly repairs itself as chakra replenishes it! If we don't break out soon, it won't be long before it drains us dry and kills us!"
"What?! We can't let that happen! I still have to beat