Swish, swish, swish!
In the instant that Rasa showed a flicker of surprise, Ryūjin did not slow down even slightly. Instead, Ryūjin Uchiha immediately activated the Body Flicker Technique, his figure blurring as he surged forward.
His speed climbed to its absolute peak.
At that moment, he was moving even faster than Rasa could react with Taijutsu alone.
Fortunately, Rasa was a veteran of countless battles. Panic never appeared on his face. His hands slammed together with practiced precision.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Shigure!"
Chii, chii, chii, chii!
Fine needles formed from glittering gold dust filled the air in an instant. Within a radius of dozens of meters, countless needles rained down like a deadly storm, descending toward Ryūjin from every direction.
There was no escape route.
The attack blanketed the entire area, completely enveloping him.
Not only did this technique possess an enormous range, but through his Magnet Release, Rasa could continuously recycle the gold dust during the attack. As long as his chakra reserves held out, the technique could theoretically continue without end.
Ironically, even though Rasa had not planned it this way, this move happened to be quite effective against the phasing ability of Kamui.
Chii, chii, chii, chii!
Within a heartbeat, the storm of gold needles pierced straight through Ryūjin. His body was riddled like a hornet's nest, and in the face of such overwhelming coverage, Taijutsu seemed utterly useless.
But before Rasa could allow himself even a hint of satisfaction, his eyes widened.
The mysterious man who should have collapsed lifelessly onto the ground suddenly transformed into a dry, lifeless branch.
"Substitution Jutsu!"
Rasa's heart jolted violently.
A basic technique like the Substitution Jutsu had broken through his Gold Dust Shigure?
That was absurd.
Even a Kage level ninja should not be able to escape so easily from such a dense attack.
Crack!
Before Rasa could fully process what had happened, a loud explosion erupted behind him. The earth burst open as if struck from below, and a figure shot out from the ground like a missile.
It was Ryūjin.
He leaped into the air and launched a brutal strike straight toward Rasa.
However, the Kazekage was far from helpless. With another clap of his hands, the massive cube of gold dust that had been floating above suddenly roared through the air and smashed toward Ryūjin.
The crushing mass descended like a falling mountain.
Ryūjin did not dodge.
Instead, he calmly opened his right hand. Chakra spiraled violently within his palm as a sphere of condensed energy formed in an instant.
A Rasengan.
But this was not an ordinary Rasengan.
It was enhanced with senjutsu.
"Sage Art: Rasengan."
Boom!
The instant the gold dust cube collided with Ryūjin, the Rasengan struck it head on. The impact detonated like thunder. A massive crater was blasted directly into the cube, and the entire structure was violently hurled backward by the force of the attack.
The cube itself was nearly the size of a grown man, formed entirely from compacted gold dust. It carried enough weight and pressure to crush a human body into pulp with ease.
Yet now, in front of Ryūjin, it had been blasted away like a useless toy.
Rasa's expression grew darker.
The pressure from the man before him was increasing with every exchange.
Without hesitation, Rasa slammed both palms against the ground. Chakra surged outward as enormous quantities of gold dust were pulled from beneath the earth.
Waves of glittering sand erupted around him, rising and churning like a golden sea. The sheer momentum created an intimidating presence that pressed down on the battlefield.
His eyes locked firmly onto Ryūjin.
"I'll hold him here. The rest of you, release Shukaku!"
Rasa's voice carried across the battlefield as he issued the order to Baki and the others.
At the same time, the surging waves of gold dust roared toward Ryūjin like a tidal storm.
"Prison Sand Burial!"
Under Rasa's precise control, the ocean of gold dust converged on Ryūjin from every direction.
Within that massive tide, Ryūjin looked like a lone boat drifting through a violent storm, something that could be swallowed at any moment.
This was Rasa's true trump card.
With this technique, he could drag an enemy more than two hundred meters underground, completely burying them beneath a vast sea of gold dust. Once trapped, the crushing pressure from every direction would grind even the strongest ninja into nothing.
Meanwhile, Baki and the others did not waste another moment. They rushed toward Shukaku.
Their objective was clear.
Rescue the One Tail.
Earlier, they had hesitated because they feared what might happen if Shukaku was released. Controlling the tailed beast was never easy, and if the mysterious man's restriction was lifted, Shukaku would almost certainly go on a destructive rampage.
Ideally, Lord Rasa defeating the intruder would have been the safest outcome.
Unfortunately, reality was proving far harsher.
It was becoming painfully obvious that even the Kazekage was struggling to suppress the masked opponent.
Since that was the case, they had no choice but to gamble.
They would release Shukaku.
Yet at that moment, something strange happened.
Rasa suddenly noticed that Ryūjin was standing perfectly still.
He was not dodging.
He was not even attempting to escape.
He simply stood there calmly as the mountain of gold dust rushed toward him.
A chill ran down Rasa's spine.
Something was wrong.
But by then it was already too late to change the attack.
The surging gold dust slammed together and swallowed Ryūjin completely.
"Success!"
A flash of relief appeared across Rasa's face. He immediately prepared to compress the gold dust and crush the enemy within.
Then his expression froze.
There was no one inside.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
At the same moment, a familiar voice echoed across the battlefield.
Rasa instinctively turned his head.
His eyes widened.
The mysterious man who should have been buried beneath the sand had somehow appeared beside Shukaku.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Ryūjin hurled a massive shuriken toward Baki and the others.
"How... how did he escape?"
Rasa could not comprehend it.
He had clearly seen Ryūjin engulfed by the gold dust.
The answer, of course, was simple.
Before the sand had fully swallowed him, Ryūjin had used Kamui to transfer himself instantly to Shukaku's location.
Poof!
The giant shuriken burst into blue smoke.
In the next instant, it multiplied into a storm of spinning blades. Countless ordinary shuriken erupted outward, blotting out the sky as they rained down toward Baki and his companion.
The two ninja's expressions changed drastically.
Caught off guard, there was no way they could defend against such a massive attack.
At the critical moment, Rasa reacted.
The gold dust surged upward and formed a towering Sand Wall in front of them, blocking the incoming storm of weapons.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The shuriken collided against the barrier in a chaotic rain of sparks.
Then a calm voice spoke quietly behind him.
"Lord Kazekage, can we end this farce now?"
Rasa's body froze.
A hand had appeared behind him.
Ryūjin was holding a shuriken, its cold blade pressed gently against Rasa's neck.
The icy touch sent a shock through his entire body. Rasa did not dare move even a single muscle.
Poof!
At that moment, the Ryūjin standing beside Shukaku suddenly dispersed into a cloud of blue smoke.
It had only been a Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Rasa's pupils shrank.
"When did..."
With his level of perception, someone had approached from behind without him sensing even the slightest trace.
It felt impossible.
Naturally, if Rasa had known that Ryūjin could freely manipulate space with Kamui, he would not have been so shocked.
After escaping the sandstorm with Kamui, Ryūjin created a Shadow Clone to attack Baki and draw Rasa's focus.
Meanwhile, his real body used Kamui once again, silently appearing behind the Kazekage.
The tactic succeeded instantly.
Not long ago, even Jiraiya had been caught off guard by the same method.
Ryūjin had clearly discovered a very effective way to use Kamui in battle.
And judging from the relaxed look in his eyes, he seemed almost amused by how well it worked.
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