"Isn't it just Gold Dust? Let's see if I can chop it into powder."
Gripping the Sword of the Thunder God, Kazuyama suddenly felt unstoppable.
After all, this was the Sword of the Thunder God!
As the incoming Gold Dust spikes rushed toward him, he swung his blade, reducing them to dust. Feeling the weapon's power surge through him, he felt like he could take on anything.
"Yulín! Charge!"
"I'm going to cut him down!"
Yulín had no idea why this kid was suddenly so fired up, but with the enemy in front of them, there was no reason to hold back.
A massive serpent lunged toward Rasa, its enormous body blotting out the sky. Above them, Gold Dust and the giant snake filled the air, shrouding the battlefield in chaos.
Below, dozens of Konoha Jōnin surrounded Shukaku, unleashing their fury. Wind, fire, and lightning jutsu erupted one after another.
And water? No one dared to ask. It's Shukaku—who in their right mind would bring water to a desert? Do you have a death wish?
"Hah! You damn loach!"
"Let's see you run now! Desert Burial!"
The entire area had already been transformed into a sea of sand by Shukaku. Even for Manda, moving through it was a struggle.
After all, every grain of sand was under Shukaku's control. With a thunderous clap of his hands, an overwhelming pressure surged through the battlefield.
Manda's instincts screamed danger. The sand around him began converging, pressing down on his massive body, threatening to bury him alive.
"Damn it!"
"This wretched raccoon!"
The crushing force intensified, and Manda's pupils shrank. Without hesitation, he activated his innate ability—skin shedding!
In an instant, he burrowed underground, escaping the zone of greatest pressure.
Shukaku immediately sensed something was off. The way the sand compressed didn't feel right.
"Tch, ran away again?"
"Just like a slippery mudskipper!"
Even though Manda had fled, Konoha's Jōnin were still fighting with everything they had.
"Fire Release! Dragon Fire Technique!"
Fugaku seized the moment, his hands forming rapid seals.
A massive fire dragon erupted from his mouth, its blazing form immense and searingly hot.
"Fugaku, I've got you!"
"Vacuum Sword! Net Slash!"
Shirakumo Jōnen swung his blade in a reverse grip, sending out a Wind Release-infused sword strike that expanded into a massive net.
Wind fed fire, amplifying the dragon's power even further.
The other Jōnin didn't hold back either, attacking Shukaku with relentless force.
"Hmph! You little ants!"
"How dare you attack me? You'll all be buried in the desert!"
Faced with the massive fire dragon and a barrage of ninjutsu, Shukaku didn't even flinch.
To him, this level of attack was nothing.
He simply raised his right hand, which instantly turned to sand, surging like a tidal wave.
If Kazuyama had been watching, he would have immediately recognized it—this was the Quicksand Waterfall Flow that Gaara would use in the future.
Only this time, with Shukaku behind it, the scale was far greater, the power overwhelming.
Fugaku's fire dragon was fierce, but against the endless sand, it was quickly swallowed up.
"Damn it! Fall back!"
The group reacted swiftly, especially the Uchiha, who relied on their Sharingan to retreat the fastest.
But not everyone was quick enough—some were swallowed by the sand, never to surface again.
"Hahaha! A bunch of little ants think they can fight me?"
"Oh? Quite a few managed to escape."
Shukaku laughed maniacally as he looked at the Konoha Jōnin buried beneath him.
But in the next second, a figure suddenly shot toward him.
"Konoha Jōnin, Shirakumo!"
"I will never surrender to a monster like you!"
"Vacuum Sword! Breaking Blade!"
A raging wind gathered into a blade, slashing across Shukaku's face in a flash of sword light.
"Swish!"
The blade struck his skin, but there was no blood—only sand shifting and swirling in response.
"You think that's enough to hurt me?"
"Konoha trash, are you dreaming?"
"Wind Release! Sandstorm!"
Shukaku opened his mouth, unleashing a violent gust.
Already mid-air, Shirakumo had nowhere to escape.
"Boom!"
The howling wind sent him flying straight toward the battlefield where Kazuyama was fighting Rasa.
"Ugh…"
"Shit…"
Blood poured from his wounds, spilling from his mouth and nose.
Even with his sword as a shield, Shukaku's Wind Release was too strong. The slicing winds shredded through him, leaving him powerless against the storm.
His sudden arrival made Kazuyama, who had been relentlessly attacking Rasa with the Sword of the Thunder God, pause.
"Shirakumo?"
"Shit, what happened to you?"
"Yulín! Catch him!"
Abandoning his attack, Kazuyama rushed toward Shirakumo.
With Yulín's speed, he managed to grab him just in time.
Blood instantly soaked through Kazuyama's clothes. Feeling the heat of it, his eyes narrowed.
"Cough… Kazuyama…"
"Sorry…"
Shirakumo lay atop Yulín's head, forcing a bitter smile.
The sight of him struck a nerve in Kazuyama, his face darkening with anger.
Just as he was about to speak, Rasa charged forward again.
"Gold Dust Binding Coffin!"
Hands formed from Gold Dust lunged at Kazuyama and Yulín.
Rasa was clearly seizing every possible opening.
"Rasa, you're dead!"
Kazuyama, already on edge, snapped completely.
From the start of the battle, everything had gone wrong. Now Shirakumo was on the brink of death, and Rasa still had the audacity to attack?
Kazuyama had had enough.
"Hmph! This is war! If you can't handle life and death, then die here!"
"Gold Dust Drizzle!"
Rasa sneered at Kazuyama's bloodshot eyes, casually launching another attack.
A storm of Gold Dust rained down toward Yulín.
"You bastard! Die!"
"Crystal Release! Torrential Pear Blossom Needle!"
"Fire Release! Great Fire Annihilation!"
Kazuyama erupted.
The battle had been pushing him, but this—this was his breaking point.
Crystal Release wings burst from his back, lifting him into the air. A thousand crystal Senbon scattered like a deadly rainstorm.
A roaring sea of flames ignited the sky, dyeing everything red.
In that moment, every pair of eyes turned upward—even Shukaku paused to look.
"That technique…"
"This guy…"
Fugaku stared at the inferno blazing across the sky, his expression one of astonishment.
Fire Release was the Uchiha's domain—he never expected Kazuyama to wield it at such a terrifying level.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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