Chiyo and Sasori

The person who arrived was Pakura. After repelling Baki and the others, she didn't bother chasing them down, choosing instead to quickly rush over and rendezvous with Hyuga Lan. After all, Rasa was her primary target.

Looking at the black Iron Sand and golden Gold Dust scattered across the ground, along with the drastically altered landscape, Pakura felt a wave of emotion.

Who could have imagined that a battle between just two ninja could reach such an exaggerated scale? The environmental destruction here was something even a fierce clash between two squads of jonin would struggle to achieve. The environmental advantage for a Magnet Release bloodline ninja in this vast desert was truly absurd.

Fortunately, it was Hyuga Lan who had primarily dealt with Rasa this time. If it had been her alone, she would never have been a match for Rasa in an environment like this desert.

Pakura scanned her surroundings but failed to see the person she was looking for, so she asked in confusion, "Where is Rasa?"

"Did you let him get away?"

Hyuga Lan didn't speak. With a wave of his hand, a massive Iron Sand structure in front of them began to shake. As the iron spikes spread to both sides, the glittering gold pyramid inside was revealed.

"This... this is the Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral Seal! Could that guy Rasa have hidden himself inside?"

Hyuga Lan nodded, pointing at the pyramid as he said, "That's why you've come at the perfect time. If I open a breach and you follow up with your Scorch Release, this Gold Dust Imperial Funeral won't be able to hold out for long."

Facing Hyuga Lan's suggestion, Pakura nodded. As she quickly formed hand seals, four orange-red Scorch Release fireballs were summoned.

The four fireballs then converged, merging into a single sphere several times larger than before. Its color grew more vivid, and its size continued to swell, looking as if it could detonate at any moment.

Seeing that Pakura had prepared her technique, Hyuga Lan didn't delay any further.

Clap.

He pressed his palms together, his chakra surging. A massive amount of Iron Sand gathered before him, quickly forming a giant iron drill two to three meters in diameter and ten meters in length.

He pressed one hand against the base of the drill and shoved it forward, driving it fiercely into the pyramid formed by the Gold Dust.

Hum, hum, hum!

Accompanied by the frantic spinning of the giant drill, its tip bored straight into the interior of the pyramid, advancing at high speed.

It didn't stop until the drill had penetrated almost to the very center of the pyramid. By this point, the giant drill was severely worn down, and the chakra cost to advance even a fraction further increased exponentially; it had clearly reached its limit.

Hyuga Lan signaled to Pakura beside him. As he pulled the giant drill back, a large hole at the center of the pyramid was revealed.

Inside the hole, gold dust surged from within, seemingly trying to plug the gap.

But the moment the giant drill was withdrawn, a massive orange-red fireball flew into the opening.

"Scorch Release: Extreme Steam Killing!" Pakura shouted.

For this Extreme Steam Killing, she had poured in more than half of her chakra, determined to make this single strike count.

Carrying Pakura's burning rage, the fireball detonated inside the pyramid.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed out, followed by a massive cloud of thick smoke that shrouded the area, making it nearly impossible to see one's own hand in front of their face.

Huff, huff...

As Hyuga Lan released a Wind Release jutsu to whip up a hurricane and disperse the smoke, the scene after the explosion was finally revealed to them.

The top of the pyramid that had stood there was completely gone, and the central area had collapsed entirely; the structure was now a broken, unrecognizable mess.

Yet, there was no sign of Rasa anywhere in sight. Had he been reduced to ashes in the Extreme Steam Killing?

Just as Pakura was feeling puzzled, Hyuga Lan waved his hand, and a mass of black Iron Sand flew into his palm, forming a long spear.

He raised the spear and threw it with force toward a spot behind the pyramid. With a whoosh, the spear pierced deep into the sand.

Bang!

A deep crater was blasted where the spear struck the ground, and a disheveled figure leaped out, rolling across the dirt.

The man's short red hair was mostly scorched, his clothes were in tatters, and his left cheek along with half of his body was a deep, angry red—the mark of severe burns. Blood flowed incessantly from the corner of his mouth, and he looked to be in critical condition.

This wretched figure was none other than the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

It seemed the combined effort of Hyuga Lan and Pakura had not only broken the defense of the Gold Dust Imperial Funeral but had also left him severely wounded.

Rasa's aura was now withered, and his chakra was nearly exhausted. Looking at the approaching Hyuga Lan and Pakura, a look of despair flashed in his eyes. Was he truly going to fall here today?

Giving Rasa no chance to catch his breath, Hyuga Lan channeled his chakra again to condense four long iron nails. His goal was to capture the man alive, so these nails weren't aimed at Rasa's vitals, but at his limbs.

In Rasa's current state, if his limbs were pinned by these nails, he would have no hope of escape.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Hearing the sound of the projectiles closing in, Rasa tried desperately to dodge, but his battered body refused to obey. He could only watch helplessly as the four nails drew nearer.

Just as Rasa closed his eyes in despair, he didn't notice several thin chakra threads flying in from behind him to connect to his body.

The next moment, the supposedly immobile Rasa miraculously dodged backward, narrowly avoiding the attack of the iron nails.

This bizarre scene left Pakura stunned. She knew very well that in Rasa's current state, it was impossible for him to have dodged that attack. What was going on?

Just as Pakura was about to step forward to investigate, Hyuga Lan reached out a hand to stop her, while a mass of Iron Sand flew in front of them, forming a wide barrier.

The moment the Iron Sand barrier appeared, countless senbon, kunai, and even explosive tags slammed into it, creating a continuous, deafening cacophony of clanging metal and explosions.

When the assault ceased, the Magnet Release: Iron Sand barrier appeared tattered, with fine iron sand trickling down from it incessantly. However, Hyuga Lan and Pakura, who had been shielded beneath, remained completely unharmed; it was evident that the previous attack had failed to affect them.

The iron sand barrier then dispersed, transforming into a black cloud that hovered around Hyuga Lan. From the direction where the attack had originated, a young figure clad in a Blood-Red Cloud Robe stepped out—it was none other than Sasori of the Red Sand.

Sasori of the Red Sand glared at Hyuga Lan, the fury in his eyes nearly leaping out. Although Hyuga Lan was disguised and wearing a mask, the iconic power of the Magnet Release: Iron Sand allowed him to recognize at a glance that what Hyuga Lan was wielding was his very own masterpiece: the Third Kazekage Human Puppet.

On the other side, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, having narrowly escaped death, caught sight of the person who had just saved him. It was an elderly woman—the elder of the Sand Village, Chiyo.

Ignoring the pain in his body, Rasa hurriedly relayed the intelligence he possessed to Chiyo, urging her to be extremely cautious of Hyuga Lan.

In truth, Chiyo did not need Rasa's explanation; the mere sight of Hyuga Lan manipulating iron sand had already left her deeply shocked and vigilant.

Observing the expression on her grandson Sasori's face, it was not difficult to discern that the two clearly knew each other and shared some sort of history.

Who exactly was this mysterious Magnet Release ninja?

And what was his relationship with Sasori?