The Night Sand Clan leader's expression changed completely.
It seemed Rasa had made up his mind: he would not spare the Night Sand Clan tonight.
He gritted his teeth, turned to the clansmen behind him, and shouted, "Fellow members of the Night Sand Clan! The Kazekage wants to destroy our clan, but we can't just sit here and wait for death! For the glory of our clan, fight to the end!"
Though the Night Sand Clan's ninja were in disarray, they still gritted their teeth and stepped forward at their leader's command.
Even though they faced the Kazekage, they still chose to remain loyal to their clan.
"Kill-!"
The Night Sand Clan's ninja roared and charged at Rasa and the Anbu Ninja.
Under their control, puppets swiftly unfolded, and the light of Ninjutsu began to flicker across the night sky.
"You're courting death!"
Rasa sneered and slammed his palms together. His golden Gold Dust instantly transformed into countless chains that danced through the air like enormous golden serpents.
In mere moments, they coiled around the Night Sand Clan's ninja, binding them fast.
"Aah!!!!"
As the chains tightened, the ninja let out piercing screams. Their bodies were squeezed out of shape by the Gold Dust, until they were reduced to pools of blood and flesh.
Hoshino watched it all, deeply shaken.
He had thought that, with the Spirit Control Beads' Tailed Beast Transformation, even if he was no match for a Kage Level powerhouse, he could at least hold his own for a while.
But now, it seemed Rasa's strength far exceeded his imagination.
With the power of the Spirit Control Beads, Hoshino could briefly clash with Shukaku, while Rasa could suppress Shukaku single-handedly.
The gap between them was far greater than he had imagined.
Looks like I still have a long way to go... Hoshino thought with a bitter smile.
He had thought he was close to standing at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World, but now it seemed the path to becoming a true powerhouse had only just begun.
Just then, Rasa's voice rang out again. "Hoshino, take some men inside and find their experimental records and puppet techniques. Don't spare a single ninja you encounter."
Hoshino came back to his senses and promptly nodded. "Understood, Lord Kazekage."
He waved for the Anbu Ninja behind him to follow, and the group quickly rushed into the Night Sand Clan's compound and began searching for their targets.
Rasa, meanwhile, turned his gaze to the Night Sand Clan leader and elders, who were still trying to resist.
"Rasa! Are you really going to wipe us all out?" the Night Sand Clan leader said through gritted teeth.
Rasa narrowed his eyes slightly. Golden Gold Dust flowed slowly around him before forming a giant hand large enough to blot out the sky.
"Your crimes are unforgivable."
At those words, a flicker of madness appeared in the Night Sand Clan leader's eyes, and several elders behind him sprang into action.
"Rasa! Since you won't give us a way to live, don't blame us if the fish dies and the net breaks!"
With the Night Sand Clan leader's roar, dozens of puppets flew out of the ground and buildings, swooping toward Rasa like streaks of black shadow.
The Night Sand Clan's Puppet Technique was renowned throughout Sunagakure.
Every puppet had been painstakingly crafted and was capable of tremendous fighting power.
Yet before Rasa, these puppets seemed so insignificant.
"A mantis trying to stop a chariot. You don't know your own limits," Rasa said coldly, a hint of contempt in his voice.
The giant golden hand of Gold Dust slammed down toward the Night Sand Clan leader and elders as though the heavens were collapsing and the earth was caving in.
Boom-!
A tremendous roar erupted in the night sky, and the figures of the Night Sand Clan leader and elders were instantly swallowed by golden light.
When the light faded, only a huge crater remained. Not a trace of them was left.
Explosions, thunderous crashes, and screams intertwined, continuing for a full half hour before gradually dying down.
The Night Sand Clan's compound had been almost razed to the ground by Rasa's Gold Dust Technique. Thick smoke and dust mingled with the stench of blood among the broken walls and ruins.
A few faint groans could still occasionally be heard, but they were soon silenced by the Kunai of Anbu who appeared without warning.
Rasa stood in the center of the ruins, his expression betraying no emotion, as though the massacre had been no more than a casual act.
Hoshino emerged from the ruins with several Anbu Ninja, carrying a stack of scrolls and several damaged puppets.
"Lord Kazekage, these are the experimental records and puppet techniques we found in the Night Sand Clan's compound."
Rasa took the scrolls and casually leafed through a few pages, his brows furrowing slightly.
The contents of the scrolls were extremely complex, covering many forbidden Puppet Techniques and human experiments.
In their pursuit of power, the Night Sand Clan had even carried out experiments at the cost of their own clansmen's lives.
Even Rasa felt a surge of disgust at such madness.
"Take these records back to the village and hand them over to the council of elders."
Rasa passed the scrolls to an Anbu Ninja behind him, then looked at Hoshino.
"You did well. I'll leave the cleanup to you as well."
Hoshino nodded, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked, "Lord Kazekage, the remnants of the Night Sand Clan..."
He meant the elderly, the young, and the women and children, and he believed Rasa would understand what he meant.
Rasa, however, merely gave him a cold look and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Leave none alive."
Hoshino immediately nodded. "Understood. I'll clean them all up."
Rasa said nothing more. He turned and walked in the direction of the village.
His retreating figure looked especially imposing beneath the moonlight, like an insurmountable mountain peak.
The night breeze swept past, bringing a touch of chill.
Hoshino took a deep breath, then turned to the Anbu Ninja behind him. "Start clearing the battlefield. Don't let a single survivor go."
The Anbu Ninja quickly sprang into action, searching the ruins for surviving Night Sand Clan ninja.
Here at the Night Sand Clan, for instance, the Anbu were only finishing things up.
But at the Black Scorpion Clan's compound, the Anbu had actually assembled eight squads, including more than twenty Jonin, to attack.
Firelight dyed half the night sky red, and explosions rang out one after another.
Though the Black Scorpion Clan's ninja fought back with all their might, their defenses were quickly torn apart under the assault of the Anbu elites.
Surrounded and attacked by several Anbu Jonin, the clan leader finally fell in a pool of blood.
His eyes were full of unwillingness, but he no longer had the strength to change anything.
With the clan leader's fall, the Black Scorpion Clan's resistance collapsed completely.
And the commander's order remained to spare no one.
Any non-Anbu ninja or villager found at the scene was to be killed.
In the firelight, the Black Scorpion Clan's compound gradually became a ruin, leaving only broken walls and corpses strewn across the ground.
The night breeze swept past once more, carrying a trace of blood.
"Mission complete. Prepare to withdraw," Hoshino said, turning to the Anbu Ninja behind him.
The Anbu Ninja around him nodded and quickly assembled. Soon, they left the battlefield, which was steeped in the air of death.
Only two people remained...
Hoshino and Hizuki, who wore a half mask.
Hizuki slowly removed the half mask, revealing half of a cool, delicate face.
The other half was horrifying to behold. The bones beneath her skin were clearly visible, as though some kind of power had corroded it, giving it an exceptionally hideous appearance.
"You didn't have to come with me," Hizuki said in a low voice.
"Well, who told you you couldn't bear it anymore?" Hoshino spread his hands, a gentle smile on his face. "I promised you I'd do it, so I had to see it through."