"Urokohane, hold this altitude."
"I'm making my move!"
Urokohane had already heard Jinlin and the others lavishly praising Gekko Chizan's strength, and for a moment, she was curious. She quickly stabilized her energy output, keeping her massive body floating steadily in the air.
The Fire Release hand seals were completed in a blur.
In the blink of an eye, Gekko Chizan had already finished weaving seals.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire."
In an instant, fire rained down from the skies. At this stage, Gekko Chizan's ninjutsu and chakra attributes had completely transformed.
A technique that was originally unremarkable became entirely different when unleashed from his hands.
The sheer number of fireballs was astonishing, and each one was quite large.
"Hmph, Chizan, your opponent is me!"
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!"
Within the Sunagakure ranks, Rasa looked up at the descending fireballs and the serpent flying through the skies. His eyes were filled with cold fury.
His hatred toward Gekko Chizan erupted in full force.
Raising his hands, waves of gold dust surged up, forming a massive shield above the army, blocking every last fireball.
"Don't think you're safe just because you're in the sky!"
"Flight is nothing special! Do you take Sunagakure for a pushover?"
Rasa stomped down on the gold dust and soared upward.
His hands crossed, molding the gold dust into long spears.
This was the true advantage of Magnet Release. As long as chakra was sufficient, they could maximize the potential of the objects they controlled.
"Hmph, Rasa, a defeated man like you—why would I fear you?"
"If you want to fight, I'll play with you! Urokohane, go! Bite him apart!"
Though his words were mocking, in the next moment, Gekko Chizan commanded Urokohane to attack.
The serpent's maneuverability was outstanding—Urokohane stood at the pinnacle of it.
Her colossal body exploded forward with unbelievable speed. With a shuddering movement, she was already in front of Rasa.
Yet Rasa's gold dust spears couldn't even graze her.
It was as if an invisible shield coated Urokohane's body, blocking Rasa's strikes.
This scene made Rasa frown slightly.
"A wall of wind?"
"Hmph, then I'll just increase the density! Wind is nothing before my gold dust!"
Standing upon the dust, Rasa demonstrated true Kage-level power. Facing Urokohane's assault, he maneuvered with the dust, blocking while compressing it further into high-density spears.
Seeing the increasingly solidified spears, Gekko Chizan's eyes flickered with surprise.
This guy could compress the dust?
He instantly thought of Gaara's Shield of Shukaku in the future, which was also forged by compressing sand with chakra to extreme density.
Tch, truly a son following in his father's footsteps.
Though his thoughts wandered, his actions didn't pause. He casually hurled a kunai downward.
"Urokohane, pull back. That attack—you won't be able to withstand it."
Even without his words, Urokohane had already sensed danger. She quickly widened the distance.
"I'll skewer you!"
The massive serpent body now worked against her. Rasa didn't even need to aim. With a single swing of his hand, the compressed spear shot forth like a golden beam, piercing straight toward Urokohane.
"Hmph, Rasa, did you forget something?"
"I can fly!"
Gekko Chizan's scornful voice rang out. Just before the spear struck Urokohane, he and the serpent vanished midair.
They reappeared on the ground.
Rasa's attack missed once again, and his face twisted with anger.
"Hmph! If you've got guts, keep running!"
"Go!"
With another surge of chakra, the spear veered downward, chasing after them.
"This won't end… Urokohane, I'll send you to the battlefield's center. I'll deal with Rasa myself."
Urokohane nodded. At once, Gekko Chizan activated the Flying Thunder God.
A kunai marked with his formula lay at the battlefield's center—the one he had thrown earlier from above.
Flying Thunder God activated once more.
Even if Urokohane wasn't a physical combat specialist, her sheer size was overwhelming.
After transporting Urokohane, Gekko Chizan turned back toward the oncoming gold dust spear. He instantly activated Transparent Release, vanishing on the spot.
Rasa's expression darkened. But as the future Kazekage, his strength was unquestionable. He quickly recalled the spear and raised layers of defense with the dust.
"Hmph! Do you think hiding will save you?"
"Shukaku—attack!"
With his immediate target gone, Rasa turned to Sunagakure's greatest weapon.
The One-Tail's jinchūriki, Bunpuku, had already entered the battlefield, surrounded by several Sunagakure shinobi.
Hearing Rasa's command, the shinobi scattered at once.
Bunpuku pressed his hands together in prayer, murmuring softly: "Amitabha."
"Shukaku… I entrust this to you…"
Calling upon Shukaku, he spread his hands wide.
In the next second, a storm of golden sand surged across the battlefield. The monstrous chakra made everyone tremble.
But the Sunagakure shinobi reacted instantly. The moment the chakra erupted, they bolted in all directions, retreating from the battlefield, terrified of being caught in the One-Tail's rampage.
Konoha's shinobi, however, looked grim. Many of them had witnessed Shukaku's power before and already feared it deeply.
"Don't retreat! Behind us lies the Land of Fire!"
"We must hold them here!"
At that moment, a voice full of fighting spirit roared from the rear of the battlefield.
"It's only the One-Tail! Just a single tail! Why fear it?"
Shirakumo reversed his grip on his blade and slashed. Countless invisible strikes tore through the air.
Even the golden sand was ripped apart by the sharp blasts, carving paths through the storm.
"You bastard! Who the hell dares to mock me!"
"I'll swallow you alive!"
Shukaku emerged, his massive body covered in purple markings, radiating a terrifying aura.
"What is this pest! Get out of my way!"
Just as he appeared, Shukaku swung his massive arm. Amidst the swirling sand, a figure was swatted aside like a rag doll.
"Damn it! Chizan! Let me out!"
"That damned raccoon! How dare he treat you like this! I'll tear him apart!"
Chōmei's furious voice roared inside Gekko Chizan's mind.
Yes, the one Shukaku had just swatted was Gekko Chizan.
Shukaku's strength might not be the greatest among the tailed beasts—but it was still a tailed beast.
That one casual swing inflicted a heavy blow on Chizan.
A splash of crimson stood out starkly amidst the golden sand.
"Damn it! Just one step away! Rasa, you bastard!!!"
Yes—Chizan had used Transparent Release once more, charging straight for Bunpuku.
But Rasa's order to unleash Shukaku completely ruined his plan, causing his operation to fail.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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