Kikyo Mountain Erupts Again

He swept his gaze over the Hidden Sand ninja sprawled across the ground, and the salted-fish-like calmness finally vanished from his face.

"Mm, not bad gains this time. One Jonin captive alone is worth tens of thousands of ryo in bonus money. With these others added in, buying several dozen explosive tags won't be a problem."

He muttered to himself, unable to hide a trace of excitement in his voice.

With practiced ease, he took specially made sealed needles and ropes from his ninja tool pouch and swiftly bound the unconscious captives one by one. His technique was exceptionally professional and practiced.

He prepared to package these people up and ship them off to Konoha's main camp.

It was not that he was softhearted and insisted on taking them prisoner. Captives were simply more valuable, and the mission rewards were higher.

He needed money too.

Of course, the main reason was that Uchiha Lan's Mangekyo Sharingan possessed an ability that calmed souls.

Whenever he killed someone, his Mangekyo Sharingan would instinctively try to suppress their soul and prevent it from returning to the Pure Land.

It was somewhat similar to the Soul Binding Technique developed by the Second Hokage.

He was still unfamiliar with this power, so what should have been an active skill had somehow become a passive one.

"Ah, I still need time to control it. Should I find some lucky fellow to test my new ability on?"

"Forget it. I'll wait until there's a chance later. What if I go blind? I still need my eyes to slowly take in this beautiful world!"

After finishing everything, he dusted off his hands and glanced in the general direction of Konoha's encirclement force.

"Time to head back. I hope there's some valuable intelligence among today's captives. I still want to experience the customs of the Land of Rivers."

He muttered, then vanished into the shadows of the forest after a few leaps.

Continuing his journey of working for money.

Just as Uchiha Lan led his squad onward in high spirits, farming enemies for gold.

The battlefield at Mount Kikyo was gradually evolving into a Verdun-like meat grinder.

In order to quickly secure his position as the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa hastily launched the Second Kikyo Mountain Battle.

Rasa stood atop a sand dune, golden dust swirling wildly around him. A thousand assembled Hidden Sand elites stood ready with massive siege weapons and Fuma Shuriken launchers, waiting only for Rasa's command.

"I'll lead the first assault this time!"

"Magnet Release Secret Technique: Gold Dust Burial!"

Following Rasa's deep and commanding shout, he slapped both hands onto the ground. The endless yellow sand beneath his feet instantly became dyed with a blinding golden gleam, transforming into a towering Gold Dust Torrent.

Carrying unmatched pressure and blade-sharp force, it surged in wave after wave toward Konoha's position.

"Amazing! Lord Rasa is mighty!"

"Haha, who can stop such a Gold Dust explosion?!"

Cheers erupted among the Hidden Sand ninja.

As rocks were crushed and fortifications swept away, several Konoha ninja who had failed to retreat in time were instantly swallowed, crushed, and torn apart by that golden sea of death, unable even to scream.

Mount Kikyo's already fragile third line of defense rapidly crumbled like a brittle sandcastle beneath Rasa's full-power gold dust secret technique.

The explosive-tag shuriken traps carefully set by the Konoha ninja were triggered one after another.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Earth Style squad! Quickly! Combine your Earth Style ninjutsu!"

A Konoha Jonin with a deep scar across his face roared himself hoarse.

"Yes!"

Dozens of prepared Konoha Earth Style ninja formed hand seals and slammed their hands onto the ground.

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

"Earth Style: Multiple Earth-Style Walls!"

"Earth Style: Earth Rampart!"

Rumble—!

The ground shook violently as one thick earthen wall after another rose from the earth, standing between the golden tide and Konoha's position.

Some of the walls were tall and steep, while others were broad and sturdy. Layer upon layer, they formed an unshakable dam against the invading gold dust.

However, Rasa's Gold Dust Burial was no ordinary ninjutsu. It was not loose sand, but gold dust infused with Magnet Release chakra—immensely heavy and sharp as blades!

Boom—crack!

The first and second Earth-Style Walls shattered and collapsed the instant they touched the golden waves. Like cookies struck by a giant hammer, they failed to hold for even a moment before exploding into flying mud and broken stones amid deafening roars.

The Gold Dust Torrent barely slowed, continuing forward with overwhelming destructive force.

"Hold the line! Reinforce it!"

The scar-faced Jonin's eyes were bloodshot as he shouted again. At the same time, he formed hand seals, chakra pouring out wildly.

"Earth Style: Earth Shore Return!"

A massive, heavy slab even larger than an ordinary Earth-Style Wall, its surface gleaming with a rocky sheen, was forcibly lifted from underground and positioned at the front.

The other Earth Style ninja were also fighting desperately. Some formed seals again to raise fresh earthen walls and fill the gaps, while others used the Hardening Technique.

"Earth Style: Hardening Technique!"

The surfaces of the newly raised walls instantly became as hard as stone.

Other ninja tried to alter the terrain.

"Earth Style: Earth Cutting!"

They attempted to create enormous ravines ahead to bleed off the Gold Dust Torrent's impact.

Rumble rumble rumble—boom boom boom!

The Gold Dust Torrent crashed viciously into the second and third waves of defenses that the Konoha ninja had hastily erected.

This time, the earthen walls did not collapse at once.

The heavy gold dust slammed against the hardened earth walls with dull, thunderous crashes.

The walls shook violently, spiderweb cracks spreading across their surfaces. Huge chunks of earth were crushed away and peeled off, but they ultimately were not completely breached.

However, the price was immense.

The gold dust seeped through every opening. Its crushing pressure passed through the walls, turning the faces of the ninja sustaining the Earth Style techniques deathly pale as their chakra poured out like floodwater through opened gates.

"Ah—!"

"Don't lose focus! Hold it! Create an opening for Lord Shinku's squad!"

The scar-faced Jonin bit down so hard that blood seeped from his mouth. Veins bulged along his arms from the excessive strain, and even the ground beneath his feet was sinking.

As long as Shinku Yuhi could seize the opportunity to give Rasa another baptism of genjutsu, perhaps the enemy would retreat again.

Even if they did not retreat, the traps arranged across the mountain and their geographical advantage could still block the Hidden Sand ninja's advance.

"Fire Style squad! Disrupt the gold dust! Don't let it fully converge!"

"Fire Style: Dancing Flame Serpents!"

"Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet!"

Several streams of fire shot out from behind the earthen walls and slammed into the churning Gold Dust Torrent.

Fire Style did indeed have some disruptive effect on Magnet Release. In the struck areas, the gold dust's flow momentarily slowed and became chaotic.

The metallic gleam on its surface dimmed as well, greatly relieving the pressure on the earthen walls ahead.

Seizing the opportunity, the surviving ninja retreated desperately toward the more solidly defended fourth line.

Across Mount Kikyo's third line of defense, earth flew through the air, golden light ran rampant, and flames flickered.

Although Rasa's Gold Dust Burial was arduously slowed and weakened by layers of Earth Style, failing to sweep across the entire position in an instant.

It had nevertheless completely torn apart Konoha's carefully constructed third line of defense, reducing it to a complete mess.

From atop the sand dune, Rasa watched as the Earth Style defensive line the Konoha ninja had desperately erected below swayed on the verge of collapse beneath the Gold Dust Torrent.

Though he had failed to destroy it completely in one push, he had still achieved the intended result.