Chapter 153: Summoning Jutsu—Shikkotsu Forest
"Lord Kagami, we would like to withdraw as well."
Kabuto Yakushi held Gaara by the hand, with Yamato following closely behind.
...
He's already adopting orphans at such a young age.
I suppose that's to be expected of Nonō Yakushi's foster son.
Wait—Gaara isn't an orphan, is he?
Well… with a father like Rasa, he might as well be.
As Kabuto prepared to leave with Gaara, Rasa panicked.
Clutching his severed arm, he called out urgently:
"Lord Kagami! Gaara is my son—he is the treasure of Sunagakure!"
—Shwip—
An invisible, formless line slashed through Rasa, splitting him cleanly in two.
His eyes widened in shock, but before he could utter another word—
His lifeless upper and lower halves collapsed separately.
Blood pooled on the ruined battlefield.
…
…
The Fourth Kazekage, leader of Sunagakure… was dead.
Kagami's indifferent gaze shifted to Chiyo.
"Does Sunagakure have any objections?"
Not long ago, her younger brother had been slain by Konoha's shinobi.
Even before that, Sasori's parents had died at their hands.
And now—
Shukaku was gone. The Kazekage was dead.
Chiyo's heart sank deeper and deeper.
She could no longer see any hope for Suna's future.
But even in grief, she couldn't hesitate—
If she didn't answer immediately, the last remnants of Sunagakure might be wiped out on the spot.
"Sunagakure… has no objections…"
Hidden within the gathered crowd, Mōryō chuckled darkly.
These ignorant humans…
Did they really think it was a good idea to provoke that man?
Even if Mōryō managed to obtain a Dragon Vein Crystal and devour the Priestess, he still wouldn't dare oppose Uchiha Kagami.
…
Several more severely wounded contestants chose to withdraw.
Among them was Might Guy.
Initially, he had wanted to continue, but the severe exhaustion from opening the Seventh Gate left him completely drained.
Rushing into the second round in this state would be suicidal.
Ultimately, Sakumo Hatake made the decision for him, forcing him to withdraw.
The same applied to Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, and a few others.
If the first round had been this brutal…
The death toll in the second round would undoubtedly be even higher.
…
"Excuse me, Lord Kagami."
"Can the extra rewards be claimed now?"
"If I happen to die in the second round, it would be a shame to miss out on my reward, don't you think?"
Orochimaru chuckled lightly, but a subtle tension lingered in his voice.
The way Rasa had been slain—with no visible signs of attack—
Neither he nor Tobirama had been able to perceive how it was done.
If the same attack had been directed at him…
Even with his numerous backup bodies, he wouldn't have been confident in surviving.
Kagami rubbed his chin thoughtfully and nodded.
"Sure. What do you want?"
"The Secret Manual on Sword Release!"
Orochimaru answered without hesitation.
Not Yin-Yang Release.
Not Dragon Vein Crystals.
To him, nothing compared to Sword Release.
He was self-aware—just because he obtained the training method didn't mean he could master it.
However…
This was the only path to touching the power of the divine.
There was no doubt in his mind—
If Kagami was willing to list it as the ultimate reward, then Sword Release was beyond any other power in the world.
…
Every pair of eyes locked onto Orochimaru.
It was like watching someone win the grand prize.
Some shinobi burned with envy.
Others?
They were already planning how to kill Orochimaru and steal the manual.
…
"Alright."
Kagami turned to Shisui.
"Hand yours over to him. I'll prepare another copy for you later."
Shisui summoned a slightly worn scroll and gently passed it to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, in turn, accepted it with both hands—
Handling it as if it were a priceless treasure.
No.
It wasn't just like a priceless treasure—
This was a priceless treasure!
Even if no one spoke, it was obvious to everyone—
This Sword Release training manual might very well be the only one of its kind.
And Kagami had just handed it out like it was nothing.
…
Keenly aware of dozens of hostile gazes, Orochimaru knew—
He had become a target.
But he had no intention of opening the scroll here.
Instead, he summoned a white snake, wrapped the scroll in multiple layers, and placed it inside the snake's mouth.
With a puff of smoke, the snake vanished.
…
You really think that will stop us?
Nagato narrowed his eyes, his thoughts racing.
If Orochimaru refused to hand it over, then he would simply extract his soul and read his memories.
Nagato was already confident in securing a final-round slot.
Originally, he had planned to claim Sword Release and the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki as his two rewards.
Now?
If he stole the manual, he could pick something else—like a Dragon Vein Crystal.
The chakra contained within that crystal fragment was immensely powerful.
…
"Now then…"
"Can I have my fifty billion now?"
Orochimaru smirked.
He had a bad feeling about the second round.
He was probably going to die once.
But that didn't matter.
The shinobi from Fire Shadow Village had been forced into this competition, but his ultimate goal was complete.
If he withdrew after the second round, he still had fifty billion ryo in research funds—
It was a great deal.
"Fifty billion?"
Kagami raised an eyebrow.
Orochimaru pressed on, his voice filled with temptation:
"It's the money you promised—the fifty billion ryo for killing Mokushiro (Mōryō's beast form)."
Kagami nodded.
"Oh, that?"
He turned to Kakuzu.
"Kakuzu, remind me—when did I say anyone who killed Mokushiro would get fifty billion?"
Kakuzu stepped forward, clearly relieved.
He exhaled deeply, finally letting go of his pent-up frustration.
"Uchiha Kagami never said that."
…
"Do you understand now?"
"…I misunderstood. My apologies."
…
Kagami clapped his hands together.
"Alright! Those who wish to withdraw have left."
"Now, everyone remaining—you are the chosen challengers for the second round."
—Puff—
With a sudden burst of smoke, a massive summoning scroll unfurled in front of Kagami.
The shinobi stared in shock—
The name inscribed on the empty parchment was—
Shikkotsu Forest.
…
One of the Three Great Summoning Lands.
Could it be that Kagami had become a contractor for the Slug Sage's domain?
But that wasn't right…
Both Orochimaru and Jiraiya had seen Tsunade's summoning contract before—and it didn't look like this.
Then, they noticed something below the words "Shikkotsu Forest"—
Two smaller characters:
"Katsuyu."
…
Orochimaru and Jiraiya exchanged glances, realization dawning on them.
Kagami hadn't merely contracted the Slug Sage's domain.
He owned it.
Katsuyu wasn't just the Sage of Shikkotsu Forest anymore.
Shikkotsu Forest belonged to Kagami now.
…
Kagami grinned.
"Ordinary battlefields can't handle your destruction."
"So, I found a better one."
"A place where you can fight to your heart's content."
Clap!
As Kagami pressed his palms together, a monstrous chakra surge erupted—sending several nearby shinobi flying back.
Even Hashirama had to brace himself against the force.
"Summoning Jutsu—"
"Shikkotsu Forest!"
—
The world twisted.
A sickly white spread across the landscape.
Colossal, bone-colored branches loomed overhead.
A dense, blue-tinged mist filled the air—lethal in even the smallest doses.
A massive silhouette blocked out the sky.
Standing atop Katsuyu, Kagami gazed down at the gathered shinobi.
With a simple flick of his wrist, ten glowing blue crystals shot out in all directions.
"Now then…"
"Let the second round begin."
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