The Thunder's Fall

Crack! Crack!

A steady stream of Gold Sand flew toward Souya, who hovered low in the air. The grains compacted and compressed, gradually forming a slender golden spear in his loosely clenched hand!

By now, most of the Thunder Dragon's body had been dragged into the sand vortex. Its once-bright blue form had turned somewhat transparent, and the scales covering its body had grown indistinct, barely visible as faint patterns.

The Thunder Blade embedded in the dragon's head could no longer release lightning. Black Hoe Raiga looked anxious, too. After all, he had poured nearly all his Chakra into the Thunder Dragon, yet it still couldn't escape this Sand Purgatory.

He could only remain standing atop the Thunder Dragon. Without the ability to fly and with almost no Chakra left, falling into the sand vortex below would surely mean being buried on the spot.

Pfft!

At last, with a soft sound, the two enormous arms formed from Gold Sand tore the Thunder Dragon in half. As it disintegrated, water sprayed in every direction, reflecting dazzling colors in the sunset. Faint arcs of electricity still seemed to flicker across the droplets.

After tearing the Thunder Dragon apart, the Gold Sand arms curled upward and wrapped around Black Hoe Raiga in midair.

"Lightning Burial? Lightning Feast!"

Black Hoe Raiga gripped his Thunder Blade, trying to summon one last bolt of lightning to strike himself. Clearly, being captured alive by the enemy would have been a disgrace to him, so he chose a spectacular way to leave this world.

But Souya wasn't about to let him have his way. His body would still be useful.

Souya raised both hands and slammed the Gold Sand arms against the Thunder Blade, knocking it away. Gold Sand then covered Black Hoe Raiga's hands and spread across his body. Before long, his limbs and torso were bound tightly, leaving him unable to move. He couldn't even reach the Thunder Blade as it fell away.

Souya clearly had no intention of chatting with his enemy. As soon as Black Hoe Raiga was bound, he hurled the golden spear, its surface gleaming with a golden sheen.

Pfft!

With a sharp whistle, the spear plunged into Black Hoe Raiga's head in an instant. Like a watermelon suddenly pierced by tremendous force, his skull sprayed a thick stream of red and white fluid behind him.

"Haah! Haah!"

Souya's legs gave way, and he gasped for breath, collapsing onto the Gold Cloud. Facing such a formidable foe had left him with barely any Chakra.

Fortunately, his cautious nature had led him to store a large supply of Gold Sand here in advance. During the battle, that had saved him the Chakra and time it would have taken to refine more.

When he'd crashed into the earthen hill earlier, the Gold Sand had protected him, but the impact had still badly shaken his internal organs.

He used the Gold Sand to thoroughly inspect Black Hoe Raiga's corpse before carrying it over to himself.

After all, some ninja were desperate enough to set off a large number of Explosive Tags just before dying, or inscribe a Sealing Technique meant to take both themselves and their enemy—at the very least, the bridge—with them.

Souya had to check first whether Black Hoe Raiga had any such habits before he could safely search the body.

Two scrolls, some coins, and two ninja tool pouches containing things like smoke bombs and Explosive Tags.

One of the scrolls was a mission scroll. It detailed the purpose of their trip and included a map of the area.

The other recorded the location of their contact.

"These Secret Ports could be useful. I'll have Sasori take control of them later."

Souya rubbed his chin. He hadn't expected to find some peerless secret technique or a fortune on Black Hoe Raiga.

After all, when ninja went on missions—especially during wartime—they were risking their lives. They generally wouldn't carry money or ninjutsu scrolls with them.

"This is the most useful thing here!" Souya picked up the Thunder Blade, Fang, which had fallen to the ground, and separated it into two short swords. After he infused them with Chakra, the blades touched, and several silver-white arcs of electricity crackled to life, dancing along the blades.

Of the Seven Ninja Swords, Souya had always thought Thunder Blades and Samehada were the most valuable. Honestly, even if he got his hands on the others, he couldn't see much use for them.

Pop!

A cloud of white smoke appeared, and Black Hoe Raiga's corpse and the Thunder Blades were sealed away together in a Sealing Scroll.

This was also why Souya had always trained hard in Sealing Technique. Only by mastering the use of Sealing Scrolls could he enjoy the thrill of having a storage ring like those in fantasy worlds.

After stowing the Sealing Scroll and popping a Military Rations Pill into his mouth, he stepped onto a Gold Cloud and flew toward Sasori.

If Sasori hadn't finished his battle yet, Souya would still have to help.

"What..." Souya hovered in midair on his Gold Cloud, his mouth slightly agape as he stared below in disbelief.

An earthen hill as wide as a city wall rose across the landscape, an abrupt feature amid the surrounding mountains.

Below the earthen hill, a river about a meter deep flowed slowly. From above, the area appeared to be low-lying, so the water released by Suikazan Fuguki hadn't completely drained away. Instead, it was soaking into the ground.

But the strangest thing was the color of the water. Its mottled hues seemed to scream danger, as if a mischievous child had wildly splashed every color of watercolor across a sheet of white paper.

Anyone who dived beneath the surface would find that the strange, colorful liquid wasn't merely dangerous-looking. In reality, it was a deadly mixture of various poisons.

Even the soil beneath the water seemed unable to withstand the corrosive toxins. Bubbles rose from it continuously, as if it were howling in pain.

On top of the earthen hill, which stretched across the landscape in a straight line, the clanging of metal drew Souya's attention.

Sasori was directing a Puppet in a fierce clash with Juzō Biwa. Kubikiribōchō and the sickle attached to the Puppet kept striking each other, sending sparks flying in all directions.

The other two Iwagakure Human Puppets were no longer with Sasori. He had no idea where they'd gone.

Souya spotted Suikazan Fuguki behind Juzō Biwa. He was lying face-down on the earthen hill, his body covered in splashes of red, blue, and green, as if someone had poured paint over him. It was impossible to tell whether he was alive or dead.

Samehada was bouncing around nearby like a live fish that had been hauled ashore.

"Sasori! Get up here!"

Souya flew straight over to Sasori on his Gold Cloud. Sasori leaped up, and Souya carried him into the air.

"Are you all right?" Souya asked.

"What could possibly be wrong? What about your guy? Have you taken care of him yet?" Sasori replied in his usual affected tone.

"Come on. If I hadn't killed him, would I have come here to save you?" Souya teased.

"You think I need you to save me?"

They traded remarks without turning their heads, keeping their attention fixed on Juzō Biwa.

Sasori flicked his right hand, still controlling the Puppet as it fought.

Meanwhile, Souya pressed his hands together and drew Gold Sand up from beneath the water. There wasn't much of it, but it would still help hold the enemy back.