At the very front of Konoha's formation, Uchiha Fugaku stood with a solemn expression, his gaze fixed on the man facing him across the battlefield.
That man was Rasa—the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, master of Magnet Release and Gold Dust, and the successor to the Third Kazekage. Though Rasa's strategic talent was mediocre, he had chosen to personally take the front lines this time.
In Fugaku's eyes, Rasa himself posed little threat.
His attention drifted instead to the center of the enemy formation, where an elderly woman sat calmly. That was the true core of this war.
Chiyo.
She had lived through all three Great Ninja Wars, a veteran from the era of Hashirama Senju. Her puppetry had reached perfection—calling her the greatest puppeteer in the shinobi world was no exaggeration. But that was merely the surface.
Her true terror lay in poison-making and battlefield command.
Without Chiyo's leadership in past wars, Sunagakure would have been little more than a band of raiders. She was a strategist whose presence alone equaled an entire army.
"Who goes there? State your name!" an Uchiha ninja shouted sharply.
Rasa laughed.
"Rasa of Sunagakure. If you value your lives, step aside. When I slaughter my way into Konoha, I might leave you a path to survive. Resist, and this place will be your grave."
He hadn't always been this arrogant. If someone like Sakumo Hatake were still alive, Rasa wouldn't dare speak so freely.
But Konoha's former giants—Sakumo Hatake, Minato Namikaze, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya—were all dead, missing, or gone.
Konoha's golden generation had vanished. Rasa's arrogance was born from that vacuum.
"Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha Clan," Fugaku replied coldly. "Is that enough status for you?"
"Oh?" Rasa smirked. "So you're that turtle clan head."
The Uchiha behind Fugaku stiffened.
Fugaku snorted. "Watch your mouth."
"Am I wrong?" Rasa laughed loudly, his voice carrying across the battlefield. Sunagakure's shinobi immediately joined in.
"Turtle Fugaku! Everyone knows your name!"
"You hold Konoha's strongest clan, yet you retreat step by step, letting yourselves be pushed to the village's edge!"
"If Madara Uchiha saw this from the afterlife, he'd resurrect just to slaughter you disgraceful descendants!"
"What number one clan? What Uchiha?!"
The taunts were relentless.
The Uchiha clenched their teeth.
"Lord Fugaku, give the order! Let's kill them!"
"Attack!"
Even the Hyuga could no longer endure it.
Only the Ino–Shika–Cho formation remained still. Before the expedition, their clan heads had issued a single order: do not move without Fugaku's command.
Fugaku shook his head.
"They've set an ambush. This provocation is meant to bait us. Don't fall for it!"
"Fugaku! Are you really a turtle?!" an enraged Uchiha jōnin roared and charged forward.
The rest of the Uchiha followed.
Fugaku's face darkened. He knew it was a trap—but morale had already crossed the breaking point.
The Hyuga advanced as well.
Left with no choice, Fugaku gritted his teeth.
"All units—advance!"
On the Sand side, the mockery stopped instantly.
Rasa raised his hand. Chiyo lifted her command flag.
Sunagakure's forces moved in perfect coordination, forming a semicircle that closed around the Konoha ninja.
Rasa rose into the air atop a platform of gold dust. Crossing his arms, he circulated chakra. Gold dust surged from the earth, forming countless razor-sharp spears that shot toward Konoha's rear.
Magnet Release: Gold Dust Sharp Spears!
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
The Akimichi Clan immediately used the Multi-Size Technique, turning themselves into living shields.
The spears pierced deep—into flesh thick with chakra-enhanced fat.
"Lord Fugaku!" an Akimichi shouted grimly. "We can block one more wave at most!"
At the front, puppet troops flooded in. Individually weak, but overwhelming in number. After ten minutes, fatigue began to show across Konoha's ranks.
Rasa's lips curled upward.
"Prepare the senbon!" he ordered.
Just as he spoke—
A blur smashed into him, knocking him straight off his gold dust platform.
Rasa's eyes widened.
Before he could react, a kunai pressed against his throat.
"Don't move," a calm voice said. "Or you die."
Shikaku Nara had arrived—holding the Fourth Kazekage hostage.
From above, Uchiha Ran descended.
"Susanoo!"
A third-form Susanoo erupted from the ground, completely enveloping all Konoha forces.
Ding—ding—ding!
Poison senbon struck the chakra armor, ringing sharply before falling harmlessly away.
Chiyo immediately signaled a halt.
Ran's voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Your Kazekage has been captured. Surrender immediately."
The Susanoo raised its tachi, the blade pointing straight at Rasa.
Shikaku ducked instinctively, cursing Ran inwardly.
Earlier, Ran had grabbed him mid-flight and said only one thing:
"There's no time. Shikaku, I'm giving you a merit."
Then he'd thrown him.
If Shikaku hadn't reacted instantly, he wouldn't have captured Rasa—nor survived Ran's casual sweep just now.
This man… is a monster.
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