Rasa, Dead

After saying that, Rasa formed Hand Seals again.

"Even though using Magnet Release in the desert doesn't drain my chakra especially quickly, those people outside... I need to finish this kid off fast."

Sensing his Gold Dust Barrier being rapidly destroyed, the killing intent in Rasa's heart surged.

Rasa had driven himself to this point by choosing to go to such lengths just to kill Uchiha Gen.

Under Ebizo's original plan for him, Rasa was supposed to wait until Sunagakure and Konoha had fought to a certain point, then use the Gold Dust he'd stockpiled for a long time to hit the Konoha shinobi with a devastating attack.

Ebizo knew full well that in a contest of raw strength, especially after Chiyo's poison had been neutralized, the Sunagakure shinobi would struggle to defeat Konoha's forces.

So if they wanted to win, they had to outsmart their opponents. Using the terrain was the greatest advantage they had. After fighting for some time, Konoha's front line had already advanced into the Land of Wind.

As long as the Sunagakure shinobi retreated a little farther during this battle, they could make full use of the desert terrain to keep dealing devastating blows to Konoha's forces.

And Rasa was the person Ebizo had specially chosen for the task.

After all, Magnet Release shinobi gained an especially terrifying boost in strength in the desert.

Especially a Magnet Release shinobi who had spent a long time preparing.

At first, Rasa had followed the original plan. The war had reached a fever pitch, and Konoha's forces had advanced deep into the position they had chosen in advance.

He had also used Magnet Release: Gold Dust Tidal Wave in real time, sending it surging toward the Konoha shinobi.

But he had overestimated how quickly his Gold Dust could sweep across the battlefield. It was so heavy that it moved far too slowly. Almost all the Konoha shinobi escaped its range, save for those closest to him.

And the one he had singled out for special attention: the Uchiha boy who had wantonly killed his Sunagakure Chunin.

At first, Rasa had simply wanted to avenge the shinobi of his village by killing Uchiha Gen. But as he fought Gen, his thinking changed.

Gen's talent filled him with fear—a fear for all of Sunagakure. He couldn't imagine what would become of the village if Gen continued to grow stronger.

So Rasa's killing intent surged. His Gold Dust couldn't catch the Konoha shinobi who had escaped, so why not use it to kill this Uchiha prodigy instead?

As for whether it was overkill? That wasn't something a shinobi should worry about.

"Kid, you've got no one to blame but yourself for being so arrogant!"

"This weather really is fitting. It's rare for rain to fall in the desert, yet here it comes, right now. Uchiha brat, let this rain send you to the Pure Land! Magnet Release: Shattered Glass!"

Rasa raised both hands high. Countless streams of Gold Dust surged skyward, crashing toward Uchiha Gen and Charizard. At last, raindrops began falling from the dark clouds above.

High in the sky, Uchiha Gen held out a hand to catch the rain. The corner of his mouth lifted.

Facing the Gold Dust surging toward him like a giant wave, Gen calmly raised his left hand. Lightning flickered across his palm.

At the same time, brilliant flashes of lightning began to churn within the clouds above.

Lightning gathered in the storm clouds, forming a Kirin Thunder Beast that let out a roar.

"Yeah, this really is fitting. The technique I'm about to use is called Kirin. You should feel honored to die to a jutsu created by the Uchiha. You Sunagakure scum, vanish along with the thunder!"

Uchiha Gen stood on Charizard's back, violent lightning whipping around him. The Thunder Beast above responded to his call, rolling through the storm clouds.

As Gen lowered his hand, the Kirin in the clouds descended with it.

The ultimate destructive Lightning Release technique, drawing on the power of nature, descended in an instant!

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Rasa, still controlling the Gold Dust as it surged toward Gen, was stunned by the sight of Gen holding lightning in his hand, with the flashes around him seeming to bow in submission.

He had never heard of anyone controlling natural lightning in the Shinobi World!

In an instant, Rasa reacted on instinct. All the Gold Dust rapidly contracted and covered his body, while the Gold Sand Barrier automatically dissolved.

To withstand this lightning that was like a natural disaster, Rasa used every bit of Gold Dust he could control.

But Gold Dust gathered slowly, while the lightning needed only a thousandth of a second to strike.

The Kirin Thunder Beast, carrying the overwhelming aura of a thunder god descending upon the world, slammed into the sand fortress Rasa had formed. Violent lightning surged in every direction, as if bent on destroying everything in its path.

Terrifying lightning instantly flooded the entire area within the barrier. It poured down like a tide, swallowing this small patch of desert.

"He's not dead?"

On Charizard's back, Uchiha Gen gasped for breath, drained after using Lightning Release: Kirin.

He hadn't heard the familiar notification that he'd earned a new draw, so Rasa had to still be alive.

"Charizard, plow the ground! Use every move you've got and burn that place clean!"

The instant he confirmed Rasa was still alive, Gen made his decision.

His chakra and qi were nearly depleted, but Charizard still had strength to spare.

"Roar!"

At his words, Charizard opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of flames.

Beneath the scorching heat, Rasa—tightly encased in Gold Dust and half-conscious—opened his eyes. Feeling the agony wracking his body, despair flashed through them.

In his current condition, he couldn't escape. He couldn't even get out of the Gold Dust.

Death seemed only a matter of time.

For half a minute, Uchiha Gen kept his eyes fixed on the sand fortress below as wisps of qi within him continued to gather and refine.

He had to prepare for the worst. If Rasa wasn't dead before Charizard ran out of strength, he'd have to prepare for one final fight.

[Defeated an A-Rank target. Obtained 1 draw from the A-Rank Card Pool.]

Only when he heard the familiar notification did Uchiha Gen finally relax and slump onto Charizard's back.

"Gen!"

Just as he lay down, a familiar voice rang out in the distance. Gen turned to look and saw an anxious figure rushing toward him. Several other familiar figures followed behind her.

Seeing who had arrived and knowing he was safe, Uchiha Gen could no longer fight off his exhaustion. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"I need to keep up with the improvements to the Yin Seal, and my life cultivation..."