Gold Dust and Iron Sand

In the Land of Wind, amidst the vast desert.

A hawk descended from the sky, dropping a scroll toward the ground below.

Waiting where the scroll was destined to land, a young figure clad in a cloak patterned with blood-red clouds had been standing for some time.

This young man had short red hair and a strikingly handsome face; he was none other than Sasori of the Red Sand, who had defected from the Sand Village to join the Akatsuki.

Sasori reached out, effortlessly caught the falling scroll, and immediately opened it to inspect the contents.

"Rasa has finally left the village, and for such a remote location. This is truly a golden opportunity delivered right to my doorstep."

After learning of Rasa's movements through the eyes he had planted within the village, Sasori did not linger, setting off in pursuit of the Fourth Kazekage.

Not long after Sasori departed, a somewhat hunched figure arrived at the spot. After a brief inspection, this person followed in the direction Sasori had taken.

So, this person's true target was me?

Hah!

What incredible arrogance. What does he take the Kage of a village for?

Since when has the Ninja World been filled with such boastful fools?

Rasa glared at the figure wearing the Gale Mask, deeply incensed by the other's brazen words.

He no longer cared to uncover the stranger's identity; once he captured him, the village had a hundred ways to force him to talk.

Rasa slowly raised his hand. As he opened his palm, countless grains of gold dust rose from behind him, floating in the air like golden clouds.

With a flick of his hand, the clouds of gold dust churned, transforming into countless bullet-like droplets that surged toward the masked man. This was the Magnet Release: Gold Dust Rain.

Not far away, the Anbu members of the Sand Village watched Rasa unleash his Magnet Release, their expressions filled with excitement.

The Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai was extremely rare throughout the entire Ninja World. Currently, Rasa was the only one in the Sand Village who commanded the power of Magnet Release: Gold Dust. It could be said that in the Sand Village, mastering this bloodline naturally granted one the qualifications to become the Kazekage.

It was precisely because of this fanatical recognition of the Magnet Release that when the Anbu members saw the masked man remain motionless as the Gold Dust Rain descended, they assumed he had been paralyzed by fear and had forgotten to flee.

Of course, in their eyes, such a wide-scale and dense attack left no room for escape anyway.

Rasa watched the mysterious masked man, who still hadn't moved, with a flicker of doubt in his eyes. He certainly didn't think like the Anbu; he didn't believe the man was simply too terrified to defend himself.

The stranger's composure suggested he had some sort of trump card. However, the Magnet Release attack was now right before him; even if he tried to weave signs to defend, it would likely be too late. What would he do now?

Just as Rasa was speculating, chakra began to surge from the masked man. When Rasa sensed the nature of that chakra, his eyes widened in shock, as if he had seen a ghost.

Without any visible movement from the masked man, a mass of black sand erupted from beneath his feet, forming an Iron Sand Shield that blocked the path above him.

Clang, clang, clang...

The droplets of gold dust struck the Iron Sand Shield incessantly. Under the dense barrage, the surface of the shield became pitted and scarred, but it was quickly restored by the replenishment of iron sand.

And so, the seemingly overwhelming gold dust attack was completely defended by the masked man's Iron Sand Shield.

"This... this is Magnet Release: Iron Sand!"

"How do you possess such power?"

Looking at the black iron sand swirling around the masked man, Rasa could not control his emotions.

It was no wonder he was so rattled; the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai held profound significance for the Sand Village, and the fact that this person wielded the ability to control iron sand made it even more alarming.

The last person to possess the power of Magnet Release: Iron Sand was the missing Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest Kazekage in history.

The masked man before him, the identical ability—could he have some unknown connection to the Third Kazekage?

Or was he, in fact, the Third Kazekage himself?

This thought was impossible for Rasa to accept. He had already become the Fourth Kazekage; even if the Third were to return, he would never relinquish his position.

To become the Kazekage, Rasa would do anything, and he would make anyone who threatened his position disappear.

While Rasa was stunned by the masked man's Magnet Release, the observing Anbu members were also left dumbfounded.

They had considered many outcomes, but they never imagined the mysterious masked man would also be a user of the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai.

Furthermore, the black iron sand inevitably reminded them of the once-famed Third Kazekage. At this moment, they could not help but speculate on the masked man's identity.

Because Magnet Release users were incredibly rare in the Ninja World, and the only one known to control iron sand was the Third Kazekage, the masked man's appearance cast doubt on the reports of the Third's demise.

Could it be that the Third Kazekage never died, and the mysterious figure before them was none other than him?

In truth, Rasa and the Anbu were not wrong; the masked man before them was indeed the Third Kazekage.

However, it was the Third Kazekage who had been killed by Sasori and turned into a human puppet, and at this moment, it was Lan who was controlling the Third Kazekage Human Puppet.

Although the Tenseigan possessed the ability to imbue puppets with spiritual consciousness, allowing them to act freely, Lan's current Tenseigan ocular power meant the consciousness he bestowed was not particularly strong. It was fine for dealing with weaklings.

To contend with elite Jonin or even Kage-level existences, relying solely on the puppet's own consciousness was insufficient. Even though the Third Kazekage Human Puppet had been perfectly modified by Sasori, it could not hide this weakness; the strength of a puppet ultimately depended on the puppeteer.

Lan was currently using the power of the Tenseigan to project his spirit into the Third Kazekage Human Puppet. In this way, he could wield the abilities of this human puppet as he pleased.

By controlling the human puppet through spiritual possession, Lan could draw out power even greater than when Sasori controlled it, enough to rival the Third Kazekage in his prime. This was why Lan was confident in dealing with Rasa.

"Instead of trying to figure out my identity, you should be more concerned with your own current situation."

With that, Lan controlled the Third Kazekage Human Puppet to raise its hand, mimicking the exact motion Rasa had used earlier.

A massive amount of black iron sand surged from the desert floor, gathering in the sky like a dark cloud that loomed over Rasa and his men.

"This... this scale is just... too absurd, isn't it?"

The members of the Sand Village Anbu squad watched the same Magnet Release technique, yet the disparity in power was incomparable, and they began to panic.