"Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
Saplings erupted around the boulder. Roots tore through earth. In seconds, a dense forest surrounded them—thick trunks, sprawling canopy.
Toneri lowered his hands. "That's about all I've got."
Sarada's jaw dropped. Her glasses slipped down her nose. "Uh... what?!"
Mitsuki's smile widened. "Doesn't look like 'a little' to me."
Slither. Snake hands shot from his sleeves, coiled around the supply crate atop the boulder, and dragged it down. He peeled off the sealing tag. Popped the lid.
All three leaned in.
"This... this is—!"
VROOOOM.
Engine roar from the southeast.
Open-top vehicle. Two rows of seats. Driver's seat—hideous puppet. Passenger seat—uglier puppet.
Kankurō sat in back, chakra threads dancing from his fingertips as he checked a map. "There's no forest marked here!"
Temari lounged beside him, chin propped on one hand. "Oversight, probably. Terrain this big? Recreating every detail's impossible."
"Should report it after the Exhibition."
"Or..." Temari stood. Left foot on the seat. Right foot slammed onto the roll bar. Her Three-Star fan snapped open. Wild grin. "...we just erase it ourselves."
WHOOSH.
The fan swung.
"Wind Release: Peerless Slashing Wind!"
WHOOOOSH.
Gale-force winds hammered the trees. They bent—groaned—but held.
Temari's eyes narrowed. "This resilience... Wood Release?"
SWISH.
She swung again. Harder.
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
Trunks splintered. Snapped. Trees launched skyward like missiles—revealing the boulder beneath. And three silhouettes.
SCREECH.
The car stopped. Kankurō's hands moved. "Someone beat us here."
Behind the boulder.
"That's Aunt Temari. And Uncle Kankurō." Toneri's voice stayed flat.
Sarada blinked. "You know them?"
"Family friends. Temari held me when I was a baby."
"So... what do we do?"
"Say hello."
Toneri jumped onto the boulder. Heavy armor encased his body—sleek, reinforced. In his hands: a six-barreled rotary gun twice his height. Muzzle aimed forward.
Kankurō's pupils shrank. "That's a Vulcan Chakra Machine Gun!"
WHIRRRR.
Barrels spun.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Fire erupted. The car exploded—fireball, shrapnel, smoke.
But Kankurō and Temari were already gone.
Swish. Swish.
Mid-air, Kankurō's fingers danced. His puppet—Salamander Mark II—expanded. Arms became shields. They slammed together, crashed into the ground, forming a massive wall.
Chakra threads glowed. Azure energy coated the shields.
Toneri swung the gun. Opened fire.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Meteoric rounds hammered the wall. Defense held—barely. Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface.
"Hard target!" Kankurō's voice came from behind the shield.
"Kid-sized." Temari's tone stayed cool. "Armed Heavy Armor—adaptive model. That crate's loaded."
"Other competitors are watching. Forcing this fight's not worth it."
"Agreed."
Kankurō's finger twitched. Chakra threads latched onto the burning wreckage. He flung it—straight at the boulder.
Toneri raised the gun. Shredded the incoming debris.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Metal fragments scattered. Temari and Kankurō—gone.
Toneri stared at the gun. "This thing's more useful than ninjutsu..."
Mitsuki smiled. "Based on Uchiha Phoenix Sage Fire. Mechanical construction extends range and rate of fire. Sarada—Mind's Eye. Check our surroundings."
She was already doing it.
Eyes closed. Chakra sense expanding. "Behind us. Someone's coming." Her brow furrowed. "Fast. Really fast."
Two figures—wreathed in lightning—blurred through the grass. Alternating. Closing distance.
Mitsuki's eyes sharpened. "Lightning Release Body Flicker. Identical movements. The Leo Brothers from Cloud."
Toneri spun. Sharingan locked onto Rem. Gun swept.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Sparks. Lightning. Rem weaved—impossibly fast—through the hail of bullets.
While Rem drew fire, Om launched skyward. Five swords flew.
Mitsuki and Sarada dove left and right.
THUNK. THUNK. THUNK. THUNK. THUNK.
Five blades embedded around the boulder.
Om's hands blurred. "Lightning Release: Five-Seal Thunder Sword Boundary."
Crackle. Lightning connected the swords. A closed loop. Barrier formed—trapping Toneri and the boulder inside.
Rem's feet skidded to a halt. Seals flashed.
"Sword Boundary Lightning Method: Five Thunders Strike the Crown!"
Black thundercloud materialized overhead. Five lightning bolts descended—one per sword.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The boulder shattered. Ground scorched black.
"TONERI!" Sarada's scream tore through the air.
Lightning faded.
Toneri stood. Heavy armor intact. Electric arcs danced across the metal. Unharmed.
His gun—not so lucky. Barrel bent. Broken. Useless.
"Ninjutsu's more useful after all." He tossed the wreckage aside.
Mitsuki and Sarada flanked him. Battle-ready.
In the shadows—watchers. Dozens.
Elsewhere.
"Hanabi, should we move in?" Konohamaru's voice.
"Wait." Byakugan activated. Hanabi's vision pierced kilometers—locked onto the armored figure. Her gaze penetrated the metal. Saw the face beneath.
"...Toneri?"
Another location.
Rock Lee's eyes blazed. "MY YOUTH CANNOT BE CONTAINED! CHARGE!"
He sprinted toward the chaos.
"Wait for me!" Tenten shouldered an Explosion Release Rocket Launcher, scrambled out of her trench, and chased after him.
"Ho ho... young people..." A short old man rose from the grass. Floated forward.
Distant mountaintop.
Young Mist ninja peered through a sniper scope. "Master. Former Tsuchikage Ōnoki—spotted."
Mei Terumī lowered her binoculars. "Confirmed."
The disciple's finger hovered over the trigger. "Should I shoot? Exposing our position's risky, but eliminating a veteran like Ōnoki..."
"He's a regular here. He knows supply drops become kill zones." Mei's voice stayed calm. "Probably a clone."
The disciple swallowed. "I'm... taking the shot."
BANG.
Water Iron Cannon round. Hundreds of meters. Precise.
Ōnoki's temple exploded.
He dropped.
Body turned to mud.
Mei shook her head. "Clone."
In the grass.
Real Ōnoki's eyes glinted. "Found you. Akatsuchi—give me a hand."
"You got it!"
"Earth Release: Super Multiplied Rock Fist!"
Massive stone hand erupted beside Akatsuchi's arm. Grabbed Ōnoki. Launched him toward the mountain.
WHOOSH.
Ōnoki shot through the air. Hands formed seals. Translucent cube materialized between his palms.
"Raw power? You've got it, young lady. But on a real battlefield, one mistake means death—even if it's not your mistake. Remember that."
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
WHOOOOSH.
Particle beam swept across the mountaintop.
The entire peak disintegrated.
Torrent City—spectator stands.
Crowd erupted.
"BEAUTIFUL COUNTER-AMBUSH!"
"ŌNOKI'S STILL GOT IT!"
Control tower.
"Former Mizukage Mei Terumī's disciple—Mizuura Sankawa—confirmed eliminated."
Naruto turned to Obito. "Condolences. Looks like Mist's at the bottom this year."
Obito stood. Space-time vortex swirled around him. "Too early to call."
He vanished.
Hanabi and Konohamaru intercepted Lee and Tenten.
Toneri's team defeated the Leo Brothers. Stole their supplies. Fled.
The second poison circle closed in.
Supply drop battle—over.
Three days. Two nights.
The final circle approached.
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