At this moment, Kimimaro looked like a demon awakened—not unlike a Super Saiyan, except instead of changing hair, his entire body transformed.
Thick, pale bones erupted across his body, sharp and solid, reflecting a cold gleam even beneath the darkened sky.
CRACK! CRACK!
A gray, lizard-like tail slammed into the ground behind him with vicious force. Every impact deepened the cracks below, testifying to its destructive power.
Kimimaro stared coldly at Kaito, lifted his arm, and in the blink of an eye, a massive bone spear grew from it.
Whoosh!
Like stepping on air itself, Kimimaro vanished—then reappeared right in front of Kaito.
With a thunderous swing, he drove the colossal bone spear toward Kaito's chest.
BOOM!
The spear passed clean through Kaito's body.
Kimimaro frowned, glancing up.
Kaito stood before him, completely unharmed, his expression calm.
Before Kimimaro could withdraw his weapon—
CRACK! CRACK!
A burst of red lightning exploded from the point of impact, dancing across his bone spear.
SNAP!
The intense current didn't just electrify—it disintegrated.
In mere seconds, the spear corroded into fragments of charred bone.
Kimimaro quickly yanked his arm back. His gaze grew more serious.
This guy... He didn't just phase through my attack—he transformed into lightning itself!
Cough, cough!
A violent cough erupted from Kimimaro's throat. Blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth.
Time's almost up, he realized. If I can't defeat him… at least I can slow him down!
He made up his mind.
Chakra surged violently within his body. The very air around him warped from the pressure.
Kimimaro flashed through a string of hand seals. At the final sign, his expression turned ferocious.
"Dance of the Seedling Ferns!"
Pfft!
As soon as the words left his mouth, blood sprayed from his lips.
BOOM!
The earth trembled violently, like a localized earthquake.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
From the ruptured ground, enormous bone spires burst upward, quickly spreading across a thousand-meter radius.
Each bone spike was as thick as a tree trunk and radiated killing intent. Their sharpness was unmatched. Kaito could feel the menace from them.
The entire forest was swallowed by a field of bone, the white spears blotting out the sky and caging him in completely.
"You really think this can hold me?" Kaito said calmly, glancing around at the sea of spikes.
Hahh...
Kimimaro knelt to one knee, his breathing ragged. Blood smeared his lips.
"I knew I couldn't defeat you… that was never my goal," he whispered. "I just had to buy time... for Sasuke."
The second state of his cursed seal faded. His pale body was soaked in sweat, shaking from the massive chakra expenditure.
He was collapsing—physically and spiritually.
"You really think this will stop me?" Kaito said flatly. His body shimmered and then phased through one of the bone spurs like vapor.
"It won't… but how many times can you do that?" Kimimaro coughed again, forcing a smile. "With this many spikes… it'll wear you down eventually."
He closed his eyes, content.
Even if just for a while… he'd delayed a monster like this.
Kaito narrowed his eyes.
"You're underestimating me."
He walked up to one of the spires and calmly placed a hand on it.
A strange energy pulsed from his body—an aura that surged across the entire bone field.
CRACK!
The bone he touched instantly turned red and shattered—transformed into pure lightning.
In the next instant, red thunder erupted across the entire battlefield, sweeping outward from Kaito in waves of destruction.
Every single bone spire, once white and deadly, now became crimson arcs of lightning, burning away like paper under flame.
In moments, the entire domain of bones was reduced to nothing but scorched earth and the echoes of thunder.
Kimimaro watched in disbelief.
His mind struggled to process what he had just seen.
Kaito raised his hand, and the red lightning dissipated, revealing a cratered, blackened landscape.
Kimimaro chuckled weakly, the corners of his lips twitching into a bitter smile.
Another mouthful of blood spilled out.
He looked up at Kaito, his voice barely a whisper. "What was that move called?"
Kaito took a step forward. His voice echoed faintly.
"Thunder Awakening."
"It converts any matter within my reach into lightning… my lightning."
The sound faded with each step as Kaito walked away.
"Thunder… Awakening…" Kimimaro repeated softly. He raised his gaze toward the sky—somehow the sun had broken through the clouds, casting its final light on him.
"...Orochimaru-sama… forgive me. I can no longer serve you."
His lips parted in a soft breath… then he collapsed.
Kimimaro died with a smile, knowing he had fulfilled his final mission.
---
Far away, Kaito paused in his tracks.
Then, in a flash of red lightning, he vanished.
His destination—The Valley of the End.
He could feel it. Naruto and Sasuke… they were already fighting.
"I hope I'm not too late," he muttered. A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. "Uchiha Sasuke…"
This time, he wasn't going to hold back.
That traitor had thrown everything away—his friends, the village, the people who cared about him—just to chase power in Orochimaru's darkness.
Because of Sasuke, Shikamaru and the others had nearly died.
Kaito clenched his fists. Fury burned in his chest.
And Naruto… that idiot…
Even if Sasuke had been kidnapped, he could have understood Naruto's desperation. But the truth? Sasuke chose this.
He chose to betray them all.
And still… Tsunade-sama sent Naruto to rescue him?
Was she blinded by pity? Or just easily swayed by Naruto's pleas?
If he hadn't arrived when he did, Shikamaru—
Though they survived in the canon, Who knows what my appearance can alter.
"Forget it," Kaito muttered, exhaling to clear his mind. "No more distractions."
He shot forward again, a streak of red lightning racing across the sky.
He only hoped the battle wasn't over yet.
---
100 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Powerstones = 3 Bonus Chapters
Let's gooooo.