A colossal white tiger of air roared out, and though the attack hadn't landed, the sheer force caused Kimimaro's robe to flutter violently.
Tiger Roar Accompanies the Strike!
What a terrifying punch!
Guy, having opened the Seventh Gate, unleashed a full-power strike strong enough to kill an average Kage-level opponent.
Even Kimimaro didn't dare to show the slightest carelessness in the face of such an attack.
The swirling cloud pattern on his forehead emitted a faint golden glow as Kimimaro raised his left hand, forming a sword-like gesture with his fingers. He touched the swirling cloud mark and slid his hand downward, stopping at the bridge of his nose.
As his fingers moved, a mask of bone rapidly formed.
Once it covered the upper half of his face, the mask solidified.
The white mask bore strange black patterns, giving it an eerie appearance.
In that instant, his aura underwent a dramatic transformation.
Kimimaro gripped his bone sword tightly in his right hand, and in a flash, the pale bone sword turned jet black.
The Immortal Void Mode was activated!
Upon fully manifesting the Void Seal, Kimimaro's power skyrocketed. He had also divided the strength of the Void Seal into different stages.
The mask's design in this Void Mode was the same as the power he displayed in his battle with Pain two years ago.
In this form, Kimimaro could sustain himself indefinitely, without worrying about time limits.
If he advanced the Void Mode to the next stage, the energy consumption would increase exponentially. Of course, the strength boost would also multiply, and the mask would take on a different appearance.
Against Guy in his Seventh Gate state, this mode was more than enough.
The mask formed in an instant, and by then, the Daytime Tiger was already closing in.
Kimimaro's lips curled into a cold smirk, far more arrogant than before.
"Ha! Come on!"
It was as if two voices overlapped, creating an unsettling sound.
Sword Strike!
A massive black dragon took shape with the swing of his sword, letting out a thunderous roar as it charged at the translucent white tiger.
Immortal Void: Azure Dragon Strike!
The dragon's roar shook the heavens!
For a moment, it completely drowned out the tiger's roar.
Guy, with his eyes turned pure white from the intense energy flow, flinched upon seeing the massive black dragon.
From that dragon, he could feel an overwhelming and terrifying power.
"This guy…"
As Guy reeled in shock, the battle between the tiger and the dragon began.
Roaring tiger, bellowing dragon—the two forces were evenly matched for a moment.
But soon, the Daytime Tiger began to falter, while the black dragon grew increasingly frenzied.
"You're finished! Hahaha!"
Kimimaro's wild laughter echoed as the jet-black bone sword pierced through the Daytime Tiger!
Boom!
The Daytime Tiger shattered!
The black dragon, though unstable, remained intact.
Kimimaro darted through the dissipating tiger, swinging his sword at Guy once more!
Clang!
Guy had somehow managed to pull out his nunchaku in time to block the attack.
Their gazes locked, and in Kimimaro's eyes, Guy saw an almost maddened battle lust.
"Who the hell are you?"
The Kimimaro before him was entirely different from the calm, white-robed youth he had faced moments ago. Guy was utterly stunned.
In the briefest of moments, Kimimaro seemed like a completely different person.
But what shocked Guy even more was Kimimaro's terrifying strength.
No one understood the power of the Daytime Tiger better than Guy.
That punch was a guaranteed kill.
Yet, Kimimaro had shattered it with a single swing of his sword.
To Guy, this was utterly incomprehensible.
Kimimaro's smirk deepened.
"The one who'll defeat you! Void Flash!"
In the next instant, Kimimaro's left hand suddenly formed a crimson chakra sphere, which he hurled at Guy at close range.
"Damn it!"
Guy was alarmed and immediately dodged.
But he was a split second too late. The crimson sphere grazed him, sending him flying.
This Void Flash wasn't the Cero from the Shinigami world but a new ninjutsu Kimimaro developed after entering Immortal Void Mode.
Using the principles of the Cero as inspiration and the Rasengan as its foundation, he had created this Void Flash.
Its power far exceeded that of the Rasengan.
Guy groaned, clutching his wounded right side, his face grim.
The blue steam of his aura continued to rise, but his condition was deteriorating.
"This guy is strong. Even in my Seventh Gate state, I couldn't suppress him. At this rate, I'll have to open the final gate."
The Eighth Gate of Death, the strongest of the Eight Gates Formation, came at the ultimate cost—one's life.
Once opened, it burned all the body's blood, guaranteeing death unless healed with Six Paths-level yang release.
Guy was reluctant to use it here.
Not because he feared death, but because activating the Eighth Gate here was pointless.
The situation wasn't dire enough to warrant such a sacrifice.
Even during the Leaf Destruction Plan years ago, he hadn't resorted to it, let alone now.
Kimimaro had no knowledge of Guy's thoughts.
He had already activated the hidden power of his Byakugan, the Mirror Force, observing and replicating Guy's techniques.
The Daytime Tiger, in particular, was worth studying.
If he could develop a taijutsu technique based on its principles, this battle wouldn't have been in vain.
Three years ago, after replicating the Morning Peacock, Kimimaro had already created several new taijutsu techniques.
"This isn't the place to linger. Neji has already decided to return to the Leaf. Our priority should be to leave, not to fight to the death.
A deathmatch would bring no benefit to us."
Guy, seeing the worsening situation, made up his mind to retreat.
He glanced at the distant battlefield where three fighters clashed.
Tenten had already taken Hinata away from the fight, while Neji and Lee worked together to keep Orochimaru at bay, surprisingly gaining a slight advantage.
But Orochimaru wasn't someone who could be defeated so easily. Over time, the tide of battle could shift.
"This is the perfect moment to retreat! Daytime Tiger!"
Without hesitation, Guy abandoned his fight with Kimimaro, firing another Daytime Tiger at Orochimaru before unleashing a terrifying burst of speed to retrieve Tenten and Hinata. He shouted to Neji and Lee:
"Retreat!"
A simple word was enough to illustrate just how dire the situation had become.
Kimimaro stood still, making no move to give chase. It seemed he hadn't anticipated Guy, who had been brimming with fighting spirit moments earlier, to flee so suddenly. For a moment, he was stunned.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru was busy dodging for his life, taking the brunt of Daytime Tiger.
Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring Orochimaru as it engulfed him.
Soon, Team 3 had vanished without a trace.
The mask on Kimimaro's face slowly disintegrated, revealing his true visage. He didn't pursue the fleeing team but instead walked into the settling dust cloud in search of Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru-sama?"
As the dust cleared, Kimimaro found Orochimaru—one of the legendary Sannin—planted headfirst in the dirt, half-buried and looking utterly disheveled.
Kimimaro could barely contain his laughter.
With a whooshing sound, Orochimaru leaped out of the ground, regaining his usual composed demeanor.
"Heh, who would've thought? Might Guy has pushed the Eight Gates to such a level—he's surpassed his father," Orochimaru remarked, immediately acknowledging Guy's strength.
"Our plan is nearly complete. Now we just need to chase them for a while, make it look convincing. I wonder how Sasuke's side is progressing."
Kimimaro didn't respond, instead changing the subject to save Orochimaru's pride.
Of course, Orochimaru likely didn't consider his current predicament particularly shameful.
"Sasuke-kun should be about done as well," Orochimaru replied casually.
Elsewhere, Sasuke's battle with Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato was nearing its climax.
Under the threat of the Sharingan, Kurama recalled unpleasant memories and begrudgingly strengthened its cooperation with Naruto.
Faced with being dominated by the Sharingan, Kurama still preferred being Naruto's sidekick.
Naruto entered his Five-Tails state!
Forcing Sasuke to unleash the full power of his Curse Mark in response.
With his repaired wing-like hand appendages spread wide, Sasuke gazed intently at Naruto, who now resembled a miniature Nine-Tails.
"So this is the Nine-Tails' power... astonishing."
Even now, Sasuke wasn't confident of victory.
Especially with Sakura and Yamato still standing.
Sakura was no longer the helpless genin she once was. With her monstrous strength and medical ninjutsu, she was now a reliable kunoichi in her own right.
As for Yamato, there was no need to elaborate—an ANBU elite and master of Wood Release, he was a rare force in the ninja world.
"Sasuke, it's time to wrap this up."
At that moment, Kimimaro's voice echoed in Sasuke's mind, a telepathic message.
"It seems Neji's side is done. Time for me to finish this too," Sasuke thought to himself as he shifted his gaze back to the trio.
"This game is over."
Black lightning began to crackle around Sasuke, concentrating in his left hand as he prepared to unleash a powerful technique.
Meanwhile, Naruto, overwhelmed by the Nine-Tails' power, began to lose control.
His mouth opened as terrifying chakra rapidly condensed.
Tailed Beast Bomb!
"Naruto, no!"
Sakura cried out in alarm, realizing this attack could kill Sasuke.
Yamato frowned, considering intervening, but hesitated as he felt the immense power emanating from Sasuke.
If he stopped Naruto now, their lives might be at risk instead.
When faced with the balance of their lives and Sasuke's, Yamato would unhesitatingly choose the former—Sasuke's life held no importance to him.
"Chidori of the Heavens!"
Sasuke poured all his strength into his technique. Black lightning surged in his left hand, producing an ear-piercing cacophony of chirping birds.
Yamato was taken aback.
"That's Kakashi's Chidori... I never imagined he could take it to this level."
At that moment, the Tailed Beast Bomb was unleashed.
Boom!
The five-meter-wide Tailed Beast Bomb hurtled toward Sasuke. He countered with the Chidori of the Heavens in a direct clash.
"So strong."
Sasuke could feel the overwhelming power of the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Despite pushing the Chidori to its absolute limit, it was barely enough.
"Damn!"
For a brief moment, Sasuke felt the chill of death.
Kimimaro, watching through his Byakugan, saw Sasuke's peril and prepared to intervene.
But then, the Tailed Beast Bomb veered slightly off course.
"This is..."
Kimimaro was momentarily stunned before smiling faintly.
"Even in this state, Naruto managed to regain a sliver of control and adjust the trajectory."
Indeed, this small shift was Naruto's doing.
Inside his mind, Kurama grumbled as Naruto's clarity returned.
"Naruto, even now, you still want to save him?"
"I trained for three years to bring Sasuke back. There's no way I'd kill him now! You're such a jerk, Fox!"
Naruto's willpower erupted, forcibly suppressing Kurama's power.
"Damn brat! One day, you'll come crawling to me!"
No matter how much stronger Kurama was, as long as the Eight Trigrams Seal remained, it could never overpower Naruto's resolve.
Sealed once again, Kurama was locked away, unable to release even an ounce of chakra.
The Tailed Beast cloak dissipated, and Naruto reverted to his normal self.
However, the strain left him severely weakened.
"Naruto!"
Sakura rushed forward to catch him as he collapsed.
Yamato, visibly surprised, remarked, "He suppressed the Nine-Tails' chakra through sheer willpower. Kakashi-senpai, I see now why you place so much trust in this boy."
Boom!
The Tailed Beast Bomb exploded in the distance.
Sasuke was thrown back several meters, coughing up blood.
Though Naruto had held back, Sasuke was still injured.
The Chidori of the Heavens wasn't Sasuke's strongest technique—it wasn't surprising that it fell short against a Tailed Beast Bomb.
What did surprise Sasuke, however, was Naruto's newfound strength.
"That loser..."
His gaze reflected both frustration and something unspoken.
He didn't want Naruto to be weak, but he also didn't want Naruto to surpass him.
It was a conflicted feeling, one Sasuke couldn't fully understand.
At that moment, Guy and his team returned.
"Orochimaru and his subordinate are coming. They're strong—run!"
Hearing this, Yamato sprang into action.
"Sakura, take Naruto and go. We'll have another chance to retrieve Sasuke."
Sakura hesitated but, seeing Orochimaru and Kimimaro approaching and Naruto's weakened state, made her decision.
"Sasuke! Naruto and I will always wait for you to come back!"
With that, Team Leaf retreated.
"Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
Orochimaru unleashed a final attack.
Countless snakes surged forth, chasing the fleeing team.
But Yamato formed a hand sign and slammed his palms to the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide!"
The ground split open, creating a chasm that separated the team from the snakes.
With this, Team Leaf accelerated their escape.
Orochimaru and Kimimaro approached Sasuke.
"Using the Chidori of the Heavens to block a Tailed Beast Bomb? You're bold. Now you understand how fearsome the Tailed Beast Bomb truly is," Kimimaro quipped.
"My strength isn't enough."
Sasuke's voice was cold.