A sudden spatial rift immediately put the Third Kazekage on high alert.
With a mere flick of his hand, an Anbu member hidden in the shadows leapt forward. The puppeteer summoned his puppet and sent it into the rift.
The puppet entered the black hole–like portal, but the Anbu puppeteer quickly furrowed his brow and reported to the Third Kazekage, "Kazekage-sama, I've lost all control over my puppet after entering the portal."
"I see," the Third Kazekage nodded, gazing intensely at the dark spatial rift.
He could clearly tell—this was a trap, a provocation meant specifically for him. Whoever dared use such an eerie jutsu right before his eyes must fear no consequences, and this ignited an intense fury within him.
"Let's see who dares provoke me right under my nose."
As the Kage of the village, he couldn't afford to show hesitation. If word got out that he failed to respond decisively, he'd surely become a laughingstock.
Besides, this Space–Time Ninjutsu was bizarre and unpredictable—its destination was unknown.
Leaving it unchecked inside the village could spell disaster.
Quickly forming a series of hand seals, the Third Kazekage released a torrent of black iron sand from his body, each grain infused with potent magnetic chakra.
[Iron Sand Drizzle]
The magnetic chakra-infused sand surged toward the rift's entrance, aiming to seal it shut.
However, the moment it touched the vortex, the iron sand was instantly pulled inside.
Witnessing this, the Third Kazekage frowned deeply.
"It seems I'll have to go in myself then."
He realized that whoever controlled this strange temporal technique wouldn't be easily defeated unless confronted directly. And that person was likely waiting for him inside the rift itself.
Fully aware of the potential dangers ahead, the Third Kazekage encased himself in a protective sphere of his Iron Sand, stepped into the void.
This ensured he had a defensive measure should he face any ambush or attack upon entry.
Needless to say, his mastery over iron sand was a truly versatile technique—a technique equally adept at offense and defense.
Taking one step forward, everything around him spun wildly before landing him into a jet-black space.
Opening his eyes again, he saw Pakura bound and shackled, with a man standing beside her.
Rather than focusing on Pakura, the Third Kazekage fixed his gaze on Satori Hyūga.
"Who are you, and why are you creating chaos in Sunagakure?"
Upon seeing the Third Kazekage appear, Satori laughed aloud and began clapping mockingly.
He only wanted to test things out, never expecting the other to actually dare enter.
"You truly live up to your title as the legendary strongest Kazekage. Actually came inside! Aren't you afraid of what I might do to you?"
"This is Sunagakure," the Third Kazekage declared loudly. "Why should I fear anyone here?"
Gazing at Satori's young, handsome face, the Third Kazekage fell into thought.
He was trying to figure out just who this bold youth was, someone daring enough to speak so brazenly toward him.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall ever hearing about such a figure in the ninja world.
It was mainly because Satori had remained well-hidden—he rarely appeared in public, leaving little intelligence available about him.
Especially since he reached adulthood, he hadn't appeared in public at all.
This left the Third Kazekage, one of the Five Great Villages' Kage leaders, equally uncertain about Satori Hyūga's true abilities.
Pakura, standing nearby, quickly became alert upon seeing the Third Kazekage. She urged Satori, saying, "The Kazekage is the strongest. I advise you to surrender."
"If you surrender now," she continued, "I can still intercede on your behalf with the Kazekage and perhaps save your life."
In Pakura's eyes, the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure was the most powerful ninja—a belief instilled by the village's propaganda and exaggerated storytelling. After seeing the Third Kazekage in person, Pakura actually began worrying about Satori and hoped he would surrender to avoid being killed.
As for that, Satori simply smiled faintly.
Out in the world beyond, taking down the Third Kazekage might be troublesome—but here, this was his turf, fully under his control.
Satori said, "Little Miss Pakura, if you could reason with your Third Kazekage, I might even show mercy and spare him."
Pakura snorted in disbelief. "I know you're strong, but the Third Kazekage truly is invincible."
The village's excessive praise had convinced most within Sunagakure that their own Third Kazekage was the ultimate shinobi. Though this included exaggeration and self-delusion, it also indirectly reflected the Third Kazekage's real strength—it couldn't be denied.
His power was no weakling's.
Noticing Satori casually chatting with Pakura, the Third Kazekage seized the opportunity. He silently activated his ninjutsu, manipulating a wave of iron sand that surged forward like a deadly tide.
The swirling iron sand spun through the air like giant grinding stones, attempting to swallow Satori whole.
There was a relentless storm of iron sand, covering the sky like towering tidal waves.
Witnessing this sight, Pakura instinctively shut her eyes.
She had seen the Third Kazekage fight before. She knew how terrifying that iron sand could be—impenetrable and unstoppable. Anyone caught inside would be torn apart, flesh and bone crushed to dust.
In her mind, there was no way Satori could escape.
"A solid Magnet Release. It reminds me a bit of Magneto [Magnet King]," Satori remarked with a smirk. "But limiting it just to manipulating iron sand? That's underestimating the true potential of this bloodline limit."
To him, Magnet Release was essentially controlling magnetic fields—capable of manipulating all kinds of metals.
Limiting its use to just iron sand seemed to stem from the Third Kazekage's personal choice, since it worked well in battle. But in Satori's hands, he would fully unlock its potential, becoming a figure like Magneto.
With a single thought, he could command countless metals, assemble them into metallic constructs, or even manipulate metallic traces within living beings.
Reaching that level would make him unstoppable across the entire ninja world—an unrivaled sovereign of the ninja world.
Unfortunately, such a promising bloodline limit had fallen into the hands of the Third Kazekage, limited only to war and slaughter.
And Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, took it even further—he used Magnet Release for gold mining? Honestly, it was like a shining pearl buried beneath dirt.
Satori wore a serene smile as he raised one hand, proudly declaring, "Let me show you the power of a god."
He mimicked the Six Paths of Pain from the future, unleashing an invisible wave of repulsive energy—an unseen pressure that disrupted his opponent's magnetic field.
Repulsion and attraction are fundamental aspects of magnetism. Using pure repulsive force against Magnet Release was like pitting water against fire—a perfect counter.
There was no need to directly overpower the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release; disrupting his chakra would be enough to rob him of most of his combat effectiveness.
The moment the [Repulsive Force] emerged, the very space around him distorted instantly.
The iron sand that had been surging forward like a tidal wave froze midair as it made contact with the [Repulsive Force], paused for a brief moment before dropping lifelessly to the ground.
Lalala...
As the iron sand clattered down, the Third Kazekage's eyes narrowed sharply in shock.
Pakura, hearing the commotion, opened her eyes wide and gazed at the scene in stunned disbelief.
"How could this happen?"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>