Earth Release: Sandwich technique!
Kitsuchi opened with his signature high-level Earth Style. The core of this technique involves manifesting two massive earthen hemispheres to sandwich the opponent, grinding their movement to a complete halt.
When utilized by a powerhouse like Kitsuchi, this jutsu isn't just effective against humans; it has the crushing weight to suppress Tailed-Beast-level entities.
It is the pinnacle of immobilization techniques. Against a human, the sheer atmospheric pressure between the two closing "peaks" is enough to flatten a man into a pulp.
While it requires a massive amount of chakra to cast and maintain, Kitsuchi's reserves allowed him to expand the scale to an intimidating degree.
Facing Shikasa's multi-puppet formation, Kitsuchi unleashed a domineering offensive. The ground churned and boiled, trapping all six "Shikasas" within a claustrophobic kill zone.
With his body constricted, Shikasa's fingers twitched, trying to manipulate his threads, only to feel the earth beneath him shift again.
Earth Release: Great Moving Earth Core!
The terrain buckled and rose once more. As Onoki's son, Kitsuchi proved that his mastery of earth went beyond mere defense; his two techniques together created a world-swallowing momentum. Shikasa found himself utterly stifled.
Kitsuchi's right hand, wreathed in dense chakra, formed a massive fist that shattered a Re-Huang Mirror, causing Shikasa to grow pale as he lost control of one of his puppets.
Kitsuchi was a human meat-grinder—a terrifying blend of Earth Style Nintaijutsu and overwhelming chakra potency.
During the war, when the Third Raikage held off ten thousand Stone ninjas, Kitsuchi had been the one leading the charge to blunt the Raikage's advance.
Pinned by the massive earthen mounds, Shikasa looked wretched. After three consecutive high-intensity rounds, his chakra was nearly spent. His intricate puppet maneuvers were useless against Kitsuchi's raw, crushing force.
Shikasa gritted his teeth, refusing to surrender. Just as he was about to play his final, hidden card, Shiraishi's voice echoed across the peak: "That's enough. Come down and rest."
"I..."
"Your ninja way shouldn't be wasted here."
Shiraishi's intervention finally broke Shikasa's stubbornness. He stepped down from the arena, realizing that if he persisted, he would only be exposing the secret techniques Shiraishi had developed for him to the prying eyes of the other villages.
The other Kage noted this with interest. It was clear Shikasa had more in the tank, but the Kazekage had shut him down to prevent further intelligence leaks. After all, the head of the Sand's Jonin Corps was no ordinary ninja.
With Kitsuchi victorious, the challenge resumed. Facing the "mountain" that was Kitsuchi, Arakawa Arashi, who had been silent until now, slowly walked onto the stage.
Shiraishi was momentarily stunned; in his memory, Arashi's win rate against a tank like Kitsuchi wasn't particularly high.
"Another Sand Jonin? This time it's the sand-controller Arashi?" Onoki yawned. While Arashi was talented, his sand manipulation seemed insufficient against Kitsuchi's violent Earth Style.
"You moron, are you trying to die out there?" Arashi cursed under his breath as he passed the battered Shikasa. Shikasa, covered in bruises and exhaustion, couldn't find a retort and retreated to the sidelines.
"Are you here to avenge your comrade?" Kitsuchi asked.
Arashi snorted. "I have no interest in something as boring as revenge. I stepped up because I believe my win rate against you is acceptable."
"With just your sand?"
"Exactly!"
Kitsuchi took the initiative. Mud and stone swirled around him as his muscles tightened. With a thunderous burst of air, he closed the distance in a blur—an Earth Style Body Flicker.
Kitsuchi's left arm guarded his chest while his right arm, reinforced by earth chakra, thrust forward like an iron pillar, aiming straight for Arashi's solar plexus.
Suddenly, sparks of electricity flickered at Arashi's feet. His muscles surged as he pivoted, throwing a shoulder-aligned punch draped in a crackling current.
Lightning Style: Thunderous Palm!
Among Shiraishi's Skill Cards was this unique Lightning technique. Similar to the "Flame Palm" practiced by Uchiha Kaede, it allowed the user to explode electricity through the fist—a potent Nintaijutsu burst.
This unexpected Lightning Style was Arashi's path to victory. As the two made contact, Kitsuchi flicked his wrist, his fist drifting like a feather to parry Arashi's strike before his fingers spread wide, lunging to seize Arashi's forearm.
Kitsuchi was a veteran; he wouldn't trade blows directly with a Lightning user.
But Arashi, with his superior analytical mind, was prepared. He adjusted his shoulder, and a localized electrical burst forced Kitsuchi to soften his grip to avoid the shock. Arashi counter-attacked with a series of fluid, electrified strikes.
Suddenly, Kitsuchi's chakra erupted in a full-body pulse. He sank his weight and slammed his left foot into the ground.
The energy was so violent it seemed to tear the surrounding air. The earth buckled and flipped, cracks radiating outward from his foot like a spiderweb, threatening to swallow Arashi.
Until now, the two had been fighting a high-stakes duel of Taijutsu rather than spamming large-scale ninjutsu. Like true elites, they knew they had to conserve energy for the challenges that followed.
Amidst the flying sparks, Arashi leaped into the air, launching a volley of sand-shuriken at Kitsuchi. As Kitsuchi shattered the projectiles with his fists, a massive wave of sand surged from the cracks in the ground, forming two giant arms that wrapped around him.
During their brief close-quarters exchange, Arashi had secretly buried sand beneath Kitsuchi's feet. Ironically, Kitsuchi's own Earth Style explosion had helped churn the ground, allowing Arashi's trap to snap shut.
This sand... is it absorbing my chakra?
Kitsuchi tried to break free, only to realize Arashi had hidden a secondary threat within the sand. Having finished his hand signs, Arashi retreated several paces, his eyes locked on his target.
"It's over!"
In an instant, countless sharp blades made of sand erupted from the ground, piercing Kitsuchi's shoulder and locking him in place.
This guy... why is he fighting just as desperately as Shikasa? Shiraishi wondered.
Weren't we supposed to be conserving our strength...?