The Weakness of Magnet Release

Walls of Gold Sand rose one after another like tombstones. When the final wall stood just over ten meters from the edge of the canyon, the raging flames were finally blocked completely, then slowly dissipated.

The group of Sand Ninja breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Thank goodness, the Konoha fire-style offensive had finally stopped.

Yet, Rasa felt not a shred of joy; instead, his face remained grim.

Crack!

The walls of Gold Sand shattered and collapsed one by one, eventually turning back into a sea of sand that filled the entire hundred-meter area.

However, some partially collapsed and mangled sections of Gold Sand remained standing on the ground.

This portion of Gold Sand had been melted and reshaped by the Konoha ninjas' fire-style, and it had slipped from his control!

"How did they do it?" Rasa's brows furrowed tightly; he couldn't fathom it at all.

His most prideful Kekkei Genkai, Magnet Release, had been countered!

Because of this, he had lost over a dozen subordinates the moment they made contact.

His mission this time was to launch a Surprise Attack on the Konoha Base Camp, so the number of Sand Ninja he brought was small, but every one of them was an elite.

Because the Feudal Lord of the Land of Wind had been continuously slashing their military budget, the number of ninjas in Sunagakure had been steadily declining, to say nothing of the number of elite ninjas.

For such ninjas, every death was a massive loss, and yet he had lost over a dozen in one go...

Turning his head, he saw the last batch of Sand Ninja about to cross the canyon, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Their speed should have been faster, but they had been dragged down by one person.

As his gaze returned to the Konoha ninjas, Rasa's eyes turned icy, and a thought emerged in his mind: he had to wipe this group out entirely!

Otherwise, the flaws in his Magnet Release would be exposed.

On the other side, the ninjas of the Konoha surprise attack unit looked at Sen Chisato with eyes full of adoration.

As expected of a disciple of Orochimaru!

They had been blind to judge Captain Sen Chisato based on his age earlier.

Not only had he analyzed the enemy's plan through intelligence, but he had also led them to intercept the enemy, and he had achieved massive results using only two offensives.

The Fourth Kazekage had led the team personally; the opposition was clearly the elite of Sunagakure. Being able to instantly kill over a dozen elites was, by any measure, a heavy blow to the enemy.

Furthermore, the strength the captain had displayed was formidable enough!

It had won them over completely.

"Captain, what should we do next?" Someone changed their address immediately, and the others waited for orders, no longer harboring any doubts about Sen Chisato's command.

But Sen Chisato didn't answer; he stared intently behind Rasa, his heart blooming with joy.

Behind Rasa, among the group of ninjas on the Gold Sand bridge spanning the canyon, one person stood out like a crane in a flock of chickens.

It was an old monk with white hair and a white beard!

There was no mistake; that had to be the current Jinchuriki of the One-Tail Shukaku—the monk Bunpuku!

Sen Chisato had bet correctly.

One Rasa, one Bunpuku—what did a thousand or so men on the front lines matter? He had hit the jackpot.

Seeing Bunpuku and the others about to cross the Gold Sand bridge, Sen Chisato immediately ordered: "Launch another fire-style offensive!"

The ninjas of the surprise attack unit didn't hesitate in the slightest and unleashed their fire-style once more.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Clusters of fireballs in various shapes lunged toward Rasa and the others.

"Naive." Rasa sneered. With a wave of his hand, he manipulated the Gold Sand to form a massive hemispherical shield, blocking all the flames on the outside.

Without the aid of wind-style, he could easily block these fire-style attacks.

"Now!" Sen Chisato's eyes lit up. He immediately performed the Body Flicker Technique, bypassed the Gold Sand shield, and rushed toward the edge of the canyon.

The moment he saw the Gold Sand bridge, Sen Chisato finished his hand seals in sync: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Boom!

A flame several times more exaggerated than a normal Great Fireball flew rapidly toward the Gold Sand bridge, targeting Bunpuku and the others.

The Sand Ninja responsible for protecting Bunpuku became flustered.

They had no ability to resist such an exaggerated fire-style, and the Kazekage who could handle it was being held back by other Konoha ninjas!

"Damn it!" A Sand Ninja immediately shielded Bunpuku behind him, gripping his long sword with both hands, his face resolute.

No matter what, he had to protect the Jinchuriki behind him!

Although he lacked the ability to cleave through such an exaggerated fireball, he had to hold on at least until the Kazekage could provide support.

As he thought this, the fireball was already right before his eyes.

Just then, a surge of Gold Sand suddenly erupted from the Gold Sand shield; not only did it block the flames completely, but it also transformed into a giant palm and lunged toward Sen Chisato.

"Caught you!" Rasa closed his right eye and smiled triumphantly.

High above the battlefield, in the one spot everyone was most likely to overlook, an eyeball encased in sand stared fixedly at Sen Chisato.

From the very beginning, every move Sen Chisato made had never escaped his control!

Not only that, but he had also discovered the weakness of the Magnet Release: "Gold dust is gold, but it is also sand. It should be best countered by Water Style, especially since this guy's Water Style is quite formidable, yet he has used Fire Style twice in a row."

"Therefore, what restrains the Magnet Release is flames... no, it's high heat!"

As the last group of Sand Ninja arrived, Rasa waved his right hand, and the entire bridge of gold dust flew into the air, crashing down toward Sen Chisato.

Sen Chisato was retreating rapidly, dodging the pursuit of the gold dust. As the massive shadow fell over him, he didn't even look up, quickly forming hand seals: "Earth Style: Earth Style Wall!"

Four sturdy, thick earthen walls rose instantly, reaching a height of seven or eight meters in the blink of an eye, enclosing him within.

"You think this makes you safe? Naive!" Rasa's expression was cold, his lips curling in disdain.

Bang!

The massive gold dust bridge slammed down heavily onto the four earthen walls. In an instant, the walls were more than half shattered; mud and stone rained down, and the sky was completely blotted out.

Furthermore, a grinding sound echoed from all around as cracks began to spread across the remaining sections of the walls.

The flowing gold dust was tearing the earthen walls apart!

In such a perilous situation, Sen Chisato remained calm, his hands forming seals once more: "Earth Style: Earth Rising Spears!"

Sharp, massive earthen spikes erupted around the walls, not only tearing through the surrounding flowing gold dust but also propping up the gold dust bridge from above.

Rasa frowned, praising, "You are truly not to be underestimated."

First, he had identified the flaw in his Magnet Release, and then he had commanded a force of Konoha ninja, half the size of their own, to intercept them here.

He had caused them trouble time and again, yet the opponent was merely a teenager.

In terms of strength, command ability, and combat intelligence, the boy was worthy of his praise.

A true genius!

If only he were a child of Sunagakure... Rasa thought, though his strikes remained merciless as he released his control over the gold dust bridge.

Losing the restraint of his chakra, the gold dust bridge suddenly collapsed, transforming into a massive volume of quicksand that crashed down instantly.

Boom!

The earthen walls were submerged, and the space within was filled.

It still wasn't enough!

Rasa waved his hand, and the shimmering gold dust began to flow rapidly: "Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!"

The Earth Rising Spears scattered across the land and the earthen walls buried beneath were instantly pulverized, the immense impact contained within causing the gold dust to explode continuously wherever it passed.

At the same time, the attacks from the Konoha ninja at the front ceased.

The massive gold dust shield collapsed, and the gold dust returned to a loose state.

For hundreds of meters around, the entire area had become a world of gold dust.

Rasa slowly lowered his arm, his gaze sweeping over the ninja of the Konoha surprise attack unit: "The most troublesome fellow has finally been dealt with. Now then..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly froze.

If that brat was already dead, why did his Shadow Clone still exist?