Kabuto dispelled all his clones and had Ichikishimahime stand beside him.
Darui didn't seize the opportunity to attack but instead subtly adjusted his ragged breathing, regaining his optimal fighting condition.
With a calm gaze fixed on Darui, Kabuto slowly spoke, "Raikage, I will control the speed of my next jutsu, giving you time to withdraw from the arena if you find yourself unable to defend against it."
Darui, far from displaying any anger at being underestimated, instead wore a deeply serious expression, clearly unconvinced that his opponent was merely bluffing.
From the preceding exchange, Darui had sensed that Kabuto had been holding back, not engaging him with his full strength.
Assuming a battle-ready stance, Darui responded in an equally calm tone, "Then let me witness your true strength!"
Their conversation was audible throughout the arena, making it clear to everyone that Kabuto currently held the upper hand.
Kabuto's words hinted at a potentially decisive, one-hit kill jutsu, piquing the curiosity of the onlookers.
Kabuto released the power of the Two-Yang Seal within his body. Black markings rapidly spread across his skin, imbuing his normally refined appearance with an unsettling, eerie aura.
"Sage Art: Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
With swift hand seals, Kabuto unleashed the Vacuum Sphere, an offensive and defensive Wind Release jutsu, creating a wind shield approximately three meters in radius around his body.
The wind at the edge of this shield, similar to the Rasengan wind pillars used earlier, would instantly pulverize anything it touched using high-speed, rotating wind chakra.
Darui, too, recognized the destructive power of this wind shield. However, just as he was contemplating how Kabuto intended to utilize such a shield to defeat him, Kabuto brought his hands together and bellowed the single word, "Open!"
At that moment, the spherical wind shield, originally three meters in radius, began to expand gradually, steadily extending its reach outwards.
Any ground and sand the expanding shield encountered were instantly pulverized by the wind chakra, leaving a vacuum around Kabuto and Ichikishimahime.
Kabuto could have expanded the shield instantaneously, obliterating his opponent in an instant.
However, his objective was merely to force Darui out of the arena's boundaries, not to kill him, so he opted for a gradual expansion of the shield, allowing Darui a window of opportunity to escape.
Upon witnessing the transformation of Kabuto's jutsu, Darui correctly surmised his opponent's intentions and immediately unleashed a barrage of his most potent ninjutsu techniques against the approaching shield.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang!"
"Lightning Release: Black Panther!"
"Storm Release: Laser Circus!"
Despite unleashing three of his most powerful techniques in rapid succession, Darui was unable to impede or even delay the expansion of Kabuto's wind shield.
Each of his jutsu techniques disintegrated upon impact with the wind shield, leaving Darui with a profound sense of helplessness.
Continuously retreating while simultaneously launching further ninjutsu attacks, Darui, unable to reverse the tide of the battle, was ultimately forced beyond the confines of the arena. Konoha secured another victory.
Observing Kabuto as he dispelled the wind shield, Darui sighed, "I am no match for you. You could control the speed of that jutsu, couldn't you? Had you unleashed it during close-quarters combat, I would have been reduced to nothing more than dust."
Kabuto smiled and nodded, offering no denial. Indeed, had he truly intended to kill Darui, it would have been considerably easier than securing a victory.
However, unlike Itachi, he did not possess such powerful dōjutsu capable of swiftly subduing even formidable ninjas in an instant.
Following this battle, the score in the contest between Konoha and the alliance of the three great ninja villages stood at four to zero. Ōnoki, Mei Terumī, and Darui had virtually abandoned all hope of victory, their sole remaining aspiration being to secure one or two wins before their complete defeat, thereby avoiding utter humiliation.
"Raikage's defeat in this match was not undeserved," Ōnoki remarked from the viewing platform, letting out a sigh.
"That Wind Release, which is referred to as 'Senjutsu,' possesses a destructive power that is nearly on par with my own Dust Release.
To wield a technique of such immense power with such remarkable dexterity… even I myself might not be able to emerge victorious in a confrontation against him."
Mei Terumī, seated beside Ōnoki, furrowed her brow in deep thought. She was scheduled to be the seventh contestant in the lineup. However, a premonition had begun to take root within her mind, suggesting that she might never actually have the opportunity to participate in the contest.
"Following this contest," Mei Terumī stated with a despondent tone, "I fear that the three great ninja villages will become the laughingstock of the entire ninja world."
Their initial intention had been to utilize this contest as a means of curbing Konoha's growth and expansion. However, their plan had backfired spectacularly, resulting in a catastrophic setback for their own ambitions. This outcome proved to be a devastating blow to Mei, who had dedicated herself to the revitalization of Kirigakure.
"The fifth match will be between Izumi Uchiha of Konohagakure and Dodai of Kumogakure,"
With these words from Mifune, the impartial judge, the next pair of contestants made their way into the arena.
Izumi and Dodai were old adversaries, having previously clashed on the battlefield of Kumogakure several years prior. On that occasion, Izumi had emerged victorious, while Dodai had been forced to retreat.
Observing Izumi, whose appearance had matured considerably since their last encounter, Dodai, the cunning strategist of Kumogakure, had already formulated his tactical approach.
Izumi's greatest strength lay in her elusive Shunshin technique. If he could effectively restrict her range of movement and adequately protect himself, Dodai believed that he possessed a substantial chance of securing victory.
"Izumi-sama," Dodai declared with a serious expression, "on this occasion, I assure you that I will not resort to the ignominious act of fleeing as I did in our previous encounter."
"Sir," Izumi responded, a hint of confusion evident in her tone, "have we met before?"
Although Dodai's distinctive hat evoked a vague sense of familiarity within Izumi's mind, suggesting that she might have encountered him at some point in the past, she was unable to recall the specifics of their prior meeting, as she had not encountered him again since their confrontation on the battlefield of Kumogakure.
This phenomenon is often attributed to the fact that individuals tend to retain a more vivid memory of their defeats than of their victories, and victors seldom recall each of their vanquished opponents.
Upon hearing Izumi's query, Dodai's expression shifted to one of embarrassment, as he had not anticipated that she had completely forgotten him.
The moment Mifune signaled the commencement of the match, Izumi immediately launched a preemptive attack.
Activating the "Heart Flash" ability of her Mangekyō Sharingan, Izumi instantaneously appeared behind Dodai, wielding her katana and aiming a swift strike at his back. Dodai appeared to be completely caught off guard and was struck by her blade.
However, despite being struck by Izumi's katana, Dodai did not shed a single drop of blood. Instead, he collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud, subsequently dissolving into a heap of earth, revealing that he had employed an Earth Release clone technique.
It turned out that Dodai had utilized an Earth Release clone technique even before Mifune had signaled the commencement of the match, while his true form had remained concealed beneath the earth.
He was fully aware of Izumi's extraordinary Shunshin technique and understood that without taking such precautionary measures, he might not even have had the opportunity to deploy his Earth Release clone before being incapacitated.
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