"Stay calm, we can win."
Kakashi placed his left hand on the forehead protector covering his left eye, revealing the three-tomoe Sharingan hidden underneath.
"Oh? You're already using your Sharingan, Kakashi?" Kimimaro said with a half-smile.
"Considering my opponent is you, I can't afford to be careless. Otherwise, we might not make it out of here," Kakashi replied, fully aware of the danger Kimimaro posed.
Chiyo, standing nearby, was puzzled. "Kakashi, is this kid really that strong?"
"Lady Chiyo, don't underestimate him. His strength far exceeds mine."
"What?" Chiyo was taken aback. She knew Kakashi's reputation as the son of the White Fang, and if he claimed someone was stronger than him, it had to be serious.
"Lady Chiyo, Sakura, get ready. Kimimaro's taijutsu is powerful, so be careful," Naruto warned just as Kimimaro vanished in an instant.
"Being careful won't be enough."
Everyone was startled, as Kimimaro had suddenly appeared right in the middle of their group, as if he were casually strolling through a park. His speed was so incredible that none of them had time to react.
Quickly, the four spread out, attempting to break their disadvantage. Kimimaro didn't pursue them, instead extending both arms and aiming his fingers at the group.
"Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!"
Ten bones shot from his fingers, wrapped in white lightning.
*Whizz!*
The bones sliced through the air, with three aimed at Naruto, Kakashi, and Lady Chiyo, while the final one targeted Sakura.
*Clang, clang, clang!*
The sound of metal clashing echoed. Kakashi had pulled out a kunai at some point, expertly deflecting the three bones, though the sheer force of the impact caused cracks to appear in his kunai before it shattered.
Naruto blocked the bones with his right hand, now covered by the red chakra of the Nine-Tails, which formed a beastly paw. Though the bones were powerful, they couldn't penetrate the dense chakra cloak, stopping an inch in.
Chiyo summoned a puppet just in time, placing it in front of her. *Thud, thud, thud*—three holes were punched through the puppet, damaging its mechanisms and reducing its effectiveness.
Sakura, in desperation, summoned a chakra scalpel in her right hand, slicing the bone in half as it approached her.
All four had managed to block Kimimaro's casual attack.
"Oh? Not bad," Kimimaro said with a faint smile, complimenting them.
But Kakashi and the others grew more serious.
"He's definitely stronger than before. His speed… I almost couldn't react," Kakashi thought, as the tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly, locking onto Kimimaro.
"This guy is a monster. Such speed, and even though it seemed like a simple attack, its power was terrifying. If those bones had come at me, I would've been injured for sure," Sakura thought with relief but also frustration, knowing that Kimimaro wasn't taking her seriously.
While Kakashi and Chiyo were famed ninjas, far stronger than her, Naruto, too, had become much stronger with the Nine-Tails' power, leaving Sakura feeling outmatched. But as a medical ninja, she knew her role wasn't to outshine them in combat.
Chiyo's face was tense. She finally understood why Kakashi and the others feared Kimimaro. His strength truly couldn't be measured by his age.
"This is the most powerful Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) I've ever seen. And he's even combined it with lightning release, increasing both speed and power. You're no ordinary Kaguya clan member. Most of them wouldn't incorporate chakra nature transformation into their bone techniques," Chiyo observed, summoning two more puppets to guard her.
"Lady Chiyo, the famed puppet master who inherited the White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets… and yet you're only using three puppets against me? I must be underestimated," Kimimaro said, narrowing his eyes.
"I'm surprised a young man like you still remembers my name. Who told you? Was it my grandson, Sasori of the Red Sand?" Chiyo asked, her voice calm but tinged with hope. She had come not just to save Gaara but also to see her estranged grandson one last time. Sasori was all she had left to care about in her old age.
"Yes, Sasori mentioned you. He said you were the strongest puppet master in his eyes and that your White Secret Technique was the greatest. But now, he thinks those are just relics of the past. He believes he's surpassed you and even the puppet master Monzaemon," Kimimaro explained.
"Such arrogance. My grandson isn't as lovable as I remembered," Chiyo muttered with a faint smile, secretly relieved to hear that Sasori was alive and part of the Akatsuki. Her journey hadn't been in vain.
"Lady Chiyo, stop wasting time. His goal is to stall us. The longer we stay here, the more danger Gaara is in," Naruto urged, visibly agitated. His red fox-like eyes reflected his urgency to save Gaara.
"You're more worried about Gaara than anyone from the Sand Village," Chiyo mused, puzzled by Naruto's genuine concern for the Kazekage.
"Don't be rash, Naruto. To defeat Kimimaro, we need to coordinate. Without teamwork, we don't stand a chance," Kakashi advised, standing in front of Naruto. Naruto nodded in agreement.
The real fight was just beginning. The four of them readied themselves for battle. During their three-day journey, they had discussed various strategies, and now Kakashi signaled to initiate the first plan.
Sensing the shift in their stance, Kimimaro watched them with interest, waiting for their attack.
"Take this!" Sakura shouted, charging forward. Her punch, though seemingly ordinary, held incredible destructive force. She roared, increasing her power as she struck the ground three meters from Kimimaro.
*Boom!* The ground cracked, and the force from Sakura's punch rippled toward Kimimaro.
"Impressive strength, as expected from Tsunade's disciple," Kimimaro remarked, leaping into the air to avoid the ground-shattering punch.
As he jumped, Chiyo launched her attack. Her two puppets leapt into action, spitting poisoned needles at him. Most people would find it impossible to move midair, but Kimimaro used his unique step technique to push himself higher, dodging the needles with ease.
But Chiyo wasn't done. Her puppets continued to accelerate, pulling out five razor-sharp wires, which were sent flying toward Kimimaro with terrifying speed.
"Binding Spell #39: Enkosen!"
A golden shield appeared in front of Kimimaro, but the wires sliced through it easily. Kimimaro raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sharpness of the attack. Even with reduced chakra, he hadn't expected this level of power.
With quick reflexes, Kimimaro twisted his body, narrowly dodging the wires as they grazed past his face. Simultaneously, he pointed his finger toward Chiyo.
"Destructive Spell #63: Raikōhō (Thunder Roar Cannon)!"
Golden lightning erupted from his finger, speeding toward Chiyo. Her eyes widened, not expecting such a fast and powerful lightning release. She quickly summoned her remaining puppet, which extended its hands to form a shield.
"Chakra Shield!"
The shield took the brunt of the attack, shattering on impact, but Chiyo was safe, though visibly shaken by the close call.
Meanwhile, Sakura had leapt into the air, ready to strike with her iron fist. Kimimaro barely had time to react as she came crashing down.
"Take this!"
The familiar pre-battle words, followed by an even more terrifying force behind the punch.
Kimimaro could even feel the gust of the fist sweeping across his face.
Just as the punch was about to land, he suddenly twisted his body, directly facing Sakura's strike.
With his left hand clenched into a fist, he met her punch without hesitation.
Fist against fist!
One punch had been building power for a while, bursting forth with 120% of its potential.
The other was from someone mid-air, barely able to stabilize themselves before throwing the punch, with likely less than half the power.
At first glance, Sakura seemed to have the advantage.
Especially since Sakura's punch technique was passed down from Tsunade, known for its unmatched strength.
She was confident in her punch.
If it landed, at the very least, she could break Kimimaro's left arm.
Boom!
The two fists collided!
A shockwave suddenly exploded!
Sakura flew back at a speed even faster than when she had charged forward.
"Sakura!"
Naruto, who had been preparing to attack, was shocked.
Boom!
Sakura crashed into the ground but managed to steady herself, unharmed.
However, her right hand was trembling.
She lost!
She actually lost in a head-on punch clash!
Sakura was stunned.
Since mastering the monstrous strength punch, the only person she had ever lost to in a punch clash was Tsunade.
No one else dared face her punch directly.
But just now, in a situation where she had the clear advantage, she was sent flying with one punch?
Could Kimimaro's punch really be that strong?
Sakura had the illusion that she had just been fighting Tsunade.
As Kimimaro landed, before he could even catch his breath, Kakashi was already attacking.
Lightning flickered from Kakashi's body, his speed far exceeding what it had been before.
Using lightning to stimulate his body, Kakashi unleashed even greater speed to counter Kimimaro's terrifying speed.
With his remarkable taijutsu skills, Kakashi managed to fight Kimimaro to a standstill for a moment.
Kimimaro could tell that Kakashi was far stronger than he had been two years ago.
It seemed his previous failure had pushed him to improve.
"Your taijutsu is impressive, but it's not enough to beat me," Kimimaro said quietly.
"You're right, but if I can hold you for just a moment, it's enough!"
Kakashi shifted his attack into a hold!
He grabbed Kimimaro's hands with his own, his body twisting like a snake, locking Kimimaro in place.
"What is this..."
Kimimaro was momentarily surprised, not expecting Kakashi to have such a trick.
Imitating Orochimaru?
Before he could think further, Naruto's overwhelming chakra surged from a distance.
"Massive Rasengan!"
Naruto had summoned a shadow clone without anyone noticing, and together they formed a Rasengan several times its usual size.
Its terrifying power was enough to split mountains.
Kimimaro tried to break free from Kakashi's hold, but found himself tightly restrained, with no sign of being let go.
"Is he planning to sacrifice himself?"
Just as this thought crossed Kimimaro's mind, he realized that the Kakashi behind him had transformed into a bolt of lightning.
"A Lightning Clone?"
Then, a surge of lightning power coursed through Kimimaro's body.
An electric shock!
And following that was Naruto's terrifying Massive Rasengan!
Boom!
A double impact!
With an explosion, a cloud of dust rose from Kimimaro's location.
From Naruto's side, Kakashi emerged from the ground.
No one knew when he had hidden himself there.
The one fighting all along had only been the Lightning Clone.
"It worked!"
Sakura was overjoyed.
"Did we win?"
Naruto asked uncertainly.
Kakashi furrowed his brow, also unsure.
The sequence of moves had been perfect.
Sakura and Chiyo's support had been spot-on, Kakashi's hold and the heavy hit from the Lightning Clone were executed flawlessly.
And Naruto's Massive Rasengan had definitely made solid contact.
But Kakashi couldn't shake an uneasy feeling.
As the dust settled, Kimimaro's figure was nowhere to be seen.
"He's gone? Did we miss?"
Naruto was shocked.
"So close, just a little more," a voice said.
Everyone looked up toward the sky.
Kimimaro was standing in mid-air, his black cloak with red clouds completely unharmed.
Even after that attack, he was entirely unscathed!
(End of chapter)