"Elder Chiyo!!! Magnetic Release: Gold Dust Realm Art!"
Midair, Rasa's eyes nearly split from fury.
He abandoned all thoughts of conserving chakra and unleashed a storm of gold dust across a radius of dozens of meters. Countless razor-sharp spears erupted like bamboo shoots from every direction, raining down in indiscriminate waves.
He knew precise attacks were useless against Kushina's speed.
So he chose quantity over accuracy.
If he couldn't hit her directly, he would erase every possible escape path.
The tactic worked.
Even Kushina, in her six-tailed cloak, had no choice but to abandon pursuit and flicker backward to evade the suffocating barrage.
"Do not panic. I'm still alive."
Chiyo's voice emerged from a heap of shattered puppets some distance away.
She appeared battered, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, breathing unevenly.
At the critical instant, she had used a substitution technique to avoid being crushed outright. But Kushina's strike had still landed partially. The impact alone had rattled her organs violently.
Rasa finally exhaled.
Chiyo was not like Konoha's ceremonial elders. She was Sunagakure's true pillar. Medical arts, puppetry, strategic advisory—her influence ran deeper than any title.
If she fell here, Suna would bleed for decades.
"Rasa," Chiyo said grimly, eyes sharp despite her injury. "This battle cannot be salvaged. It's time to retreat. Organize the main force. I will stay behind."
She meant to die here.
To buy him time.
To buy Suna time.
Rasa's gaze flickered.
"I refuse," he said coldly. "We'll leave a thousand to cover the withdrawal."
Compared to Chiyo, expendable soldiers meant nothing.
Most of the raiding force here belonged to Iwagakure anyway.
Chiyo studied him for a moment. She had considered something else as well—dragging Kushina down with her.
But her puppets were nearly depleted.
The odds were no longer acceptable.
Silently, she acquiesced.
"Magnetic Release: Golden Sand Tidal Wave!"
Gold dust surged like crashing tides, forcing Kushina to retreat and widening the distance.
"All units! Raiding force squads One, Two, Six, Seven, Twelve—"
"BOOM!!!"
A thunderous explosion shattered his command.
Rasa turned.
Far behind them, at the original D-position mountain, a colossal purple serpent had coiled around the slope, crushing part of it beneath its massive body.
"—That's Manda. Orochimaru's summon!"
Chiyo's heart dropped.
Orochimaru was supposed to be reinforcing the southern coast.
If he was here—
Then the two thousand Konoha troops under him were here too.
They had been flanked.
"Rasa! It's a trap! Signal retreat immediately!"
No hesitation.
Rasa launched a flare skyward.
A dark, dense smoke-bloom exploded in daylight—clear for miles.
Moments later, Iwa and Kumo flares followed.
They hadn't reacted slower.
They had simply hesitated.
Ten thousand versus six thousand. It wasn't hopeless yet.
But once Suna withdrew—
The coalition collapsed by default.
Without Suna, continuing meant annihilation.
Still, the frontline shinobi were locked in brutal close combat. When the retreat signal suddenly ignited overhead, confusion rippled through their ranks. Formation broke. Casualties spiked instantly.
"Magnetic Release: Quicksand Waterfall!"
Rasa poured chakra recklessly into the battlefield. Gold dust erupted from beneath the earth, slicing through combat zones, partitioning space and creating corridors for retreat.
And then—
Whistle.
A kunai tore through the air.
It reached Rasa in a blink.
He twisted instinctively.
Too slow.
The blade grazed his cheek, carving a thin line of blood.
His pupils shrank.
This was no ordinary kunai.
It was engraved.
A Flying Thunder God kunai.
Before the realization fully formed—
Flash.
Minato appeared in front of him.
A clean motion.
A passing stroke.
Their bodies crossed.
Rasa felt a cold sensation at his throat.
Minato's gentle voice drifted into his ear.
"When cicada wings brush your neck…"
"They don't draw blood."
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