The three-way battle

Gaara formed Hand Seals and used Sand Shower to envelop Kimimaro. Then he clenched his hand and shouted, "Sand Burial!" Bang! Blood seeped out of the sand.

Uzumaki Hane knew Kimimaro was not dead, but he made no move, watching quietly.

Wrapped in sand, Kimimaro found memories of the past surfacing in his mind. He murmured, "All I have to do now is fight." Bang! The sand burst apart, and an arm emerged. Then another arm reached out of the sand, and Kimimaro pushed it aside and stepped out.

All that remained in Kimimaro's mind now was the will to fight. He said to Gaara, "That was incredible pressure. If I hadn't created a layer of bone membrane beneath my surface, I'm afraid I would have been crushed to powder in an instant."

Gaara had not expected anyone to withstand his Sand Burial. Somewhat surprised, he said, "What a monster."

Suddenly, Kimimaro coughed, and blood flowed from his mouth. But he paid it no mind and said arrogantly, "It seems I underestimated you. But I won't let you catch me again." He charged at Gaara.

Gaara controlled streams of sand, blasting them at Kimimaro, but Kimimaro dodged every one. Seeing this, Gaara rapidly formed Hand Seals and shouted in a low voice, "Quicksand Waterfall Flow!" Quicksand surged up around his feet and swept toward Kimimaro in a mighty torrent. Kimimaro dodged several times, but there was too much quicksand. One dodge came too late, and he was swallowed in an instant. The quicksand did not stop; it engulfed the surrounding forest as well, changing the entire landscape.

Uzumaki Hane was somewhat surprised. Gaara's move did not seem particularly powerful as an attack, but the all-encompassing quicksand could easily restrain an opponent. Combined with his Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral, it was immensely powerful. Hane did not seem to have a wide-area attack of his own yet. Looks like I need to learn that move soon. I'll definitely defeat you in our next battle, Gaara. Uzumaki Hane's heart was filled with fighting spirit.

After burying Kimimaro in the quicksand, Gaara formed Hand Seals and shouted, "Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral!" Visible waves of sand spread outward from Gaara, one after another.

Uzumaki Hane knew Kimimaro would not die so easily and stared intently at the quicksand.

Gaara soon sensed that Kimimaro was not dead either. He murmured, "What a troublesome opponent."

Kimimaro lay in the quicksand and, for some reason, thought of the past again. I'm really prone to getting lost in memories today. Countless memories surfaced. When he remembered Orochimaru, Kimimaro felt power well up inside him. He activated Curse Mark Stage Two and burst out of the quicksand, only to cough several times, blood flowing from his mouth.

When Gaara saw Kimimaro escape the quicksand, he immediately used it to envelop him again, but Kimimaro broke free. Kimimaro charged at Gaara, moving incomparably faster than before. Gaara quickly directed streams of sand at him, but none managed to hit him.

Uzumaki Hane said to Gaara, "I'm his opponent." His figure flashed, and he appeared in front of Kimimaro, shouting, "Canine Red Lotus!" His right hand rapidly turned to lava and took the shape of a hound, charging at Kimimaro.

Kimimaro did not hesitate for an instant and continued charging. Bang! He smashed through the lava, reached Uzumaki Hane, and slammed into him, sending him flying.

Although Uzumaki Hane managed to block with his lava-transformed hands in time, he was still sent flying ten meters back.

After knocking Uzumaki Hane away, Kimimaro stopped where he was and looked at Gaara. "You're next. I'll show you my fourth dance... Dance of the Clematis: Flower." He pulled his spine from his back, turning it into a bone whip that bound Gaara. But the sand automatically protected Gaara's body, leaving him unharmed, though he was restrained.

Kimimaro transformed his right hand into a bone spear and was about to attack when he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His gaze hardened. He knew he did not have much time left, but he did not waver and thrust at Gaara.

Gaara shouted, "Ultimate Absolute Defense: Shield of Shukaku!" Using the hardest minerals underground and mixing them into the sand with Chakra, he created a massive Shukaku-shaped Sand Release barrier in front of him.

Bang! Kimimaro's bone spear struck the Sand Release barrier. The two remained locked in a stalemate for a while, but the spear could not pierce it. Cracks slowly appeared in the spear, and it finally shattered.

Gaara sensed that he did not have much Chakra left and thought, I'll finish you with this. Sand Waterfall Burial. He formed Hand Seals and created a patch of quicksand beneath Kimimaro's feet. Kimimaro noticed immediately and began to struggle, but he could find no leverage in the quicksand, and the more he struggled, the deeper he sank. In the end, Gaara buried Kimimaro two hundred meters underground, intending to crush him to death.

But Kimimaro had been brainwashed by Orochimaru, and his obsession with him ran too deep. Even at death's door, he forced his body to hold on, wanting to bring Sasuke back; that alone showed as much. Kimimaro could be said to be near his limit, but he still shouted in a low voice, "Dance, Dance of the Seedling Fern!"

Uzumaki Hane and Gaara stared at the quicksand. Even Uzumaki Hane was unsure whether Kimimaro was dead. Suddenly, Kimimaro's voice came from underground. "Dance, Dance of the Seedling Fern!" The two sensed a deadly threat almost simultaneously and flashed backward.

Countless bone spikes erupted from the ground, soaring into the sky over an area even larger than Gaara's Quicksand Waterfall Flow. Fortunately, Gaara used sand to create two stone blocks in time, carrying them both into the air. Otherwise, the bone spikes would surely have pierced countless bloody holes through them.

Suspended in the air, Uzumaki Hane looked at the dense forest of bones below and knew that, if he had been alone, he would definitely have been no match for Kimimaro. Should he say Kimimaro was worthy of his name? If Kimimaro had not been terminally ill, he would surely have been a worthy opponent.

Gaara looked at the bone forest below and said, "He was a troublesome opponent, but it should be over." His body went limp, and he realized his Chakra was almost completely exhausted.

Uzumaki Hane did not know whether Kimimaro was dead either. If he was still alive after that, just how powerful was his will?

Underground, Kimimaro no longer had the strength to move. "Lord Orochimaru, I'm sorry..." he murmured. But memories of everything he had shared with Orochimaru kept surfacing in his mind. Orochimaru was the only person in this world who understood him, the person most important to him, the reason he kept living. Suddenly, Kimimaro roared, "I want to find the truth of this world with Orochimaru..." With terrifying willpower, he appeared behind Gaara, transformed his right hand into a bone spear, and thrust it at him.

By then, Gaara's Chakra was almost exhausted, and his movements were somewhat sluggish. Uzumaki Hane flashed in front of him, rapidly turned his right hand to lava, and grabbed the bone spear. But he discovered that there was no force behind it.

Uzumaki Hane looked at Kimimaro and murmured, "Is he dead?"