Chap.43 Cooking lesson

Wrapped in paper, there was rye bread, tomato, lettuce, cheese, tender meat, onion...

"Crescent Moon Burger," Tony told them. "Eat it while it's still fresh."

(Let's see who understands the reference! What series is it from?)

Since Kimimaro wouldn't die mid-fight at a critical moment, it was best to try to be in the best possible state to face him. This hamburger should help Lee move normally for a bit and it would also help Gaara.

Lee knew full well how useful Tony's meals were, so he said nothing and gave it his all to send the appetizing burger all the way down his stomach.

"Try not to choke," Tony reminded him when he saw his enthusiasm.

His warning came late when Lee suddenly began to beat his chest as his face turned red. He had to throw the canteen of water at her to help him.

Gaara next to him, stared at the burger for a few moments, before taking a cautious bite. Her eyes widened imperceptibly and she continued eating calmly, as if she had nothing to do with him.

But she did not leave a single crumb.

Kimimaro did not attack during this time, because he assumed that he was throwing bombs or some kind of weapon at them and it could be a trap. When he saw that it was hamburgers, he felt somewhat annoyed.

It smelled and looked so good and they didn't offer him any…

Nope!

It has to be a tactic so that they lower their guard and they can attack, sure!

Focus Kimimaro, this is all for Orochimaru-sama!

"Don't make fun of me!" He," he yelled as he swung the bone whip at Gaara.

The sand wrapped around him preventing an indirect grab of the weapon. Kimimaro smiled and began to grow the bones in his left hand until it formed a bone drill. Gaara didn't take chances and created the best defense he had.

Desert Tanuki Shield!

While they were both immersed in their own world competing between the strongest defense and the strongest attack, Tony watched speechlessly as the two faced off.

Why did they seem to continue as if their arrival will not change anything?

Didn't they take it seriously? And why was Lee just standing still after eating the burger?

Or was a rivalry brewing out of pride and respect?

…Nah.

-Hey! —Tony was not willing to be ignored— Do you know what time it is?

He clasped his hands together and began to rapidly make seals.

-Adventure Time! Ahem! I mean, it's time for the cooking lesson!

"Gluttony: White Vinegar!"

Gaara, Lee, and Kimimaro's eyes widened as a large amount of water-clear vinegar rushed toward them like a tsunami.

Lee was able to jump in time to avoid the impact, but Gaara had to withstand the collision with his sand and Kimimaro was unable to evade in time.

The battlefield changed and now it was as if they were standing in the middle of a lake of vinegar. The smell was…

"Why did you do that Tony?" Lee asked, standing in the top of one of the nearby trees.

Gaara wasn't too happy either after getting out of the vinegar as he floated on a sand platform, he looked at him aggrieved.

He Now he couldn't keep drilling the ground to replenish sand!

"Like I said, it's time for the cooking lesson," Tony replied as he walked on the liquid surface using chakra in his feet. "Did you know that bones can be softened with vinegar?" He —he explained with a smile— Acetic acid together with calcium from the bone forms calcium acetate. While the bone is immersed for several days in vinegar, the bone becomes depleted of calcium. I just have to increase the acidity of the vinegar to reduce that time," he pointed to the point where Kimimaro was coming out.

Gaara and Lee noticed that the bone spikes on Kimimaro's back no longer seemed as strong and were even slightly sagging, as if they had lost their rigidity.

Kimimaro was the most sensitive, noting firsthand the changes the vinegar from his surroundings was causing to his bones. Although his expression was still fierce, inwardly he was quite stunned by the development of events.

His Kaguya clan, a clan that on its own could threaten a small country despite its low numbers thanks to its battle potential and powerful bloodline, was it weak against vinegar?

How is that possible?!

He had only been submerged for a few seconds and his bones had softened by ten percent! Not only that, the vapors cause progress to continue in a slow but steady fashion.

Now it was a real race against time. The longer it takes to eliminate Konoha's ninjas, the less strength his bones will have.

He raised his hands and pointed the fingertips at Tony and Gaara before starting to fire bone projectiles as fast as he could. Both were the biggest threat right now.

"I didn't expect him to realize what a bad situation he's in so quickly," Tony admitted as he dodged the flying bones. "Lee, are you planning to join?"

-Yes! Lee replied. Perhaps his chakra control is lousy, but after much effort he had managed to walk on water. Everything for when situations like the one now arose.

The match turned into an exchange of physical blows between Lee and Kimimaro's tail, with Gaara backing up with his sand from the harder blows and protecting the green ninja from bone projectiles. Tony on his side, was limited to dodging and controlling the vinegar like whipping tentacles and coating Kimimaro with more acetic acid, which accelerated the weakening of the bones.

The fight lasted for about half an hour before Lee couldn't continue any longer and had to withdraw. Gaara was also tired and was only holding out for the benefits of the hamburger he ate. Tony was also feigning exhaustion, after taking care of Kimimaro, he had no intention of revealing that he could still move.

May the fight between Naruto and Sasuke happen as it should.

He initially wanted to see the matchup firsthand as a spectator, but he couldn't remember exactly when Kakashi arrived at the venue.

What if he blamed him for not helping Sasuke get back?

"Is that all you have?" Kimimaro was puffing a bit, he could still fight for a few more hours if necessary. "By now, the clone boy must have…" He couldn't finish his statement as he spat blood due to the two knives sticking out of his chest. without prior notice. Startled, he struggled to turn his head to see Tony at his back, holding the knives.

"You finally let your guard down," he said with a sigh of relief.

Tony dropped the knives into the vinegar during the fight and created a vinegar clone and made it approach Kimimaro as if he was using the Hozuki clan's hydration jutsu. Only when he noticed the tiny lapse of relaxation after several minutes of waiting, he quietly got up and stabbed into his vital points.

"Orochimaru-sama…" Kimimaro muttered in a barely audible voice before collapsing into the vinegar. Tony sealed the body in a storage scroll before it sank and went with the rest to sit in the tree branches to rest.

"Do you still have another one of those burgers?" Gaara asked suddenly.

Tony smiled.