A mocking smile curled at the corner of Hoshino's mouth.
Against the backdrop of the Iron Sand storm, his figure seemed especially imposing, like a god of death who controlled life and death.
Akasuna Arashi's face turned ashen in an instant. He glared at Hoshino, his eyes filled with fury and indignation.
"You Anbu... you despicable bastards!"
Hoshino sneered and slowly raised both hands. Under his control, the Iron Sand particles circled him like living things.
"Your Red Sand Clan sacrificed its own members in pursuit of power, even working with Root to conduct forbidden experiments.
"These results were built on the suffering of countless innocents.
"Now you're reaping what you sowed. It's nothing more than the turning of heaven's justice."
Akasuna Arashi's expression grew even uglier. His fists clenched, his nails digging deep into his palms.
"Don't get cocky!" he roared. The Gold Dust puppet suddenly erupted with dazzling light, its enormous body swinging again as it smashed down at Hoshino.
Hoshino snorted and rapidly formed Hand Seals. Under his control, the Iron Sand particles swiftly gathered into a massive barrier in front of him.
Boom-
The Gold Dust puppet's fist slammed into the Iron Sand barrier with a deafening roar.
"Akasuna Arashi, your struggle is meaningless."
The Iron Sand particles spun rapidly, forming a massive spear that shot straight toward the Gold Dust puppet's chest.
The Gold Dust puppet's movements suddenly froze. Then it slowly toppled, breaking into a pile of Gold Dust fragments that scattered across the sea.
"Akasuna Arashi, it's over."
Hoshino formed Hand Seals again, and the Iron Sand particles swiftly condensed into several enormous spears that shot straight at Akasuna Arashi.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A massive wind blade burst from Akasuna Arashi's mouth and hurtled toward the Iron Sand spears.
But the wind blade seemed so fragile before the Iron Sand spears that it was shattered in an instant, unable to slow them in the slightest.
"Pffft!"
The Iron Sand spears mercilessly pierced Akasuna Arashi's body, sending blood gushing out.
"The Red Sand Clan... won't end here..."
Akasuna Arashi's voice was faint. His body slowly fell, finally plunging into the icy seawater.
Hoshino watched coldly until not a single ripple remained on the surface.
After confirming that Akasuna Arashi was completely dead, he slowly turned around and looked toward the ninja forces still struggling in the distance.
"Kill them. Accept no surrender. Leave no one alive!"
His cold words echoed across the sea, followed by a sky full of sand and dust that paved a road of death.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Senbon!"
Countless tiny Iron Sand Senbon shot toward the Red Sand ninja like raindrops, moving too fast for them to react.
Screams rose one after another. Many ninja were pierced by Iron Sand Senbon before they could even form Hand Seals to defend themselves, their blood staining the sea red.
"Run! We're no match for him!" a Chunin shouted in terror, turning to flee.
But before he could take a step, the Iron Sand particles had already formed a spear that pierced him through the back.
"Run? You've already lost your chance."
Hoshino moved among the Red Sand ninja like a phantom, taking a life with every strike.
Under his control, the Iron Sand particles became spears one moment and sharp blades the next, mercilessly harvesting his enemies' lives.
"We surrender!" a Red Sand ninja shouted in despair, throwing his Ninja Blade into the sea.
But Hoshino merely gave him a cold glance and said, "The price of betraying the village is death. This is the path you chose yourselves."
Before his words had faded, the Iron Sand particles had already condensed into a spear that pierced the ninja's chest.
The screams over the sea gradually faded. The Red Sand Clan's ninja forces had been utterly crushed.
The few remaining ninja tried to dive into the sea and escape, but the Anbu soon caught up to them and killed them.
The fighting over the sea finally came to an end.
The entire force of nearly two hundred ninja had been wiped out. Battered ships and ninja corpses floated on the surface, blood stained the seawater red, and the heavy stench of blood filled the air.
Hoshino stood on the sea, his gaze cold as he surveyed the battlefield. He did not have a single wound, and even his breathing remained steady.
The Anbu Ninja around him quickly got to work, clearing the battlefield and collecting the spoils.
In the end, they gathered a few letters and a small amount of supplies.
With just this much, they planned to establish themselves in the Land of Tea? Wasn't that a joke?
Hoshino took the letters from Qingya and leafed through them. They were mostly correspondence between Akasuna Arashi and the other factions of the Red Sand Clan.
As for the supplies, he divided them directly among the Anbu!
His gaze then swept across the battlefield, finally settling on Hizuki.
She stood at the bow of a battered ship, staring coldly at the sea, as if pondering something.
"Hizuki, let's go. It's time to head back," Hoshino said softly as he walked over to her.
Hizuki nodded. "Let's go!"
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Hoshino led four squads of Anbu Ninja all over the Land of Wind, seizing large quantities of experimental records, scrolls, and supplies.
Whether secret bases hidden deep in the desert or temporary outposts attached to small villages, all were dealt with one by one.
But the Red Sand Clan's influence was far greater than expected.
Although most of its ninja had been eliminated, some remnants had fled to other countries or taken refuge under the protection of nobles.
Meanwhile.
The Red Sand Clan's destruction caused quite a stir in the Land of Wind.
It directly caused the deaths of over a thousand ninja, and countless others were affected.
Although the Red Sand Clan had betrayed the village, such a large-scale purge still left the village's various factions uneasy.
Voices of doubt began to emerge within the village, claiming that the Anbu's actions were too extreme.
The short Anbu member with Magnet Release became known throughout the village in particular.
He was exceptionally ruthless, killing any ninja connected to the Red Sand Clan. Even surrender was useless.
Once the last of the Red Sand Clan's outposts had been cleared, Hoshino ordered the team to withdraw.
The Anbu Ninja quickly assembled, preparing to return to the village.
Hizuki stood at the back of the group, gazing coldly into the distance.
In the light of the setting sun, she looked especially lonely, as if she did not belong in this world.
The Red Sand Clan's destruction did not seem to have brought her the slightest joy.
The sun gradually sank below the horizon, and the Land of Wind's desert grew peaceful once more.
In a room in Sunagakure.
Hoshino, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara sat around a table.
Three objects lay on the table: a necklace strung with three beads, a fan the size of a forearm, and a dark golden cube.
Each one gave off a distinct Chakra fluctuation.
These were the magic artifacts Hoshino had custom-made for the three of them using the resources he had gathered during this time.