"What the...?" Aizen, momentarily startled by the oncoming golden sand, quickly burrowed out of the ground.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Wave!" Just as Aizen emerged, a wave of golden sand, like a tsunami, surged towards him, blocking all escape routes!
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!" Unfazed, Aizen unleashed a prepped Water Severing Wave from his mouth, effortlessly slicing through the sand wave.
"What?!" The person behind this ninjutsu was taken aback, their consecutive attacks so easily countered. This combination of techniques had slain many Konoha special Jonin on the battlefield. Even an ordinary Jonin would likely be caught off guard!
The attacker was a young man, two or three years older than Aizen. He wore a black ninja outfit with mesh armor underneath, had short brown hair, and a rather ordinary appearance. Several other Sand shinobi surrounded him. Clearly, this young man wasn't just anyone.
"Third Kazekage's disciple, Magnet Release user Rasa?" After escaping the sand wave and assessing his attacker with his spiritual network, Aizen made an educated guess.
This was their first encounter, but Rasa was already a renowned genius ninja on the battlefield, his fame rivaling that of Minato Namikaze. In the future, this young man would become the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure and the father of Gaara.
"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu!" Regardless of his identity, anyone who dared to attack Aizen had to be prepared to face death. As soon as Aizen landed after breaking free from the sand, he reversed his grip on his Zanpakuto, pointing Kyōka Suigetsu downwards!
With a soft whisper to Kyōka Suigetsu, a burst of blue light erupted, and a strange, dense fog began to envelop the area within a few hundred meters of Rasa and his companions.
"This is the Konoha Mist ninja, Aizen!" Rasa's eyes lit up with excitement at the sight of this iconic ninjutsu, showing no fear.
Upon sensing the hidden chakra fluctuations in the ground earlier, he had initially assumed it was a mere pest hiding in the shadows. Unexpectedly, he had snagged a big fish! Over the past six months, Aizen's impressive performance on the battlefield had caught the attention of Sunagakure.
Although Aizen wasn't as famous as Minato Namikaze due to his low profile, he was still quite renowned. After all, a genius ninja who had achieved the rank of special Jonin at the age of twelve undoubtedly possessed the potential to become a Kage! Even for a major ninja village, such a talent couldn't be ignored.
Therefore, if he could eliminate Aizen here. It would undoubtedly be a major blow to Konoha!
Perceiving Rasa's eagerness through the fog, Aizen knew exactly what he was thinking. However, he didn't rush to unleash his full power and immediately kill this foolish opponent. A mere Rasa wasn't worthy of him using Kyōka Suigetsu just yet!
Aizen moved through the dense fog, Kyōka Suigetsu in hand, swiftly dispatching the surrounding Sand shinobi with his swordsmanship!
Shing! Shing! Shing! A few flashes of cold light pierced through the fog, followed by a series of screams! Hearing the cries around him, Rasa's initial excitement gradually subsided. He quickly clapped his hands together, first disrupting his chakra flow to break free from the mental interference within the fog.
Then, he swiftly formed a hand seal, exhaling a powerful gust of wind that dispersed the surrounding mist! As the fog cleared, Rasa saw his fellow Sand shinobi lying in pools of blood. Rasa's face hardened at the sight.
"Damn you, Aizen! You'll pay for the lives of my comrades you've taken!" Rasa roared at Aizen, his eyes filled with unconcealed killing intent.
"Hmph!" Aizen, observing the scene from a distance, merely scoffed disdainfully. This further fueled Rasa's rage.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Funeral!" Rasa channeled the magnetic force within him, manipulating the surrounding golden sand and launching it towards Aizen in a torrential downpour!
"Water Style: Water Wall!" Facing this wide-ranging ninjutsu, Aizen calmly formed a hand seal and unleashed the Water Style defensive jutsu that he knew by heart.
In an instant, a torrent of water several meters high surged around Aizen, forming a protective barrier! It perfectly deflected the onslaught of the golden sand rain!
"Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!" Aizen's signature move! Every time he used Water Wall, he would follow up with a wide-ranging Water Style jutsu to control the battlefield! A massive surge of water, like a raging torrent, swept towards Rasa with overwhelming force!
"Magnet Release: Desert Suspension!" Faced with such a powerful Water Style jutsu, Rasa didn't dare to engage directly. He quickly gathered a layer of golden sand beneath his feet and used its magnetic force to levitate into the air.
However, another characteristic of Aizen's cunning tactics was that after using a wide-range ninjutsu to control the field, he would always hide in the water with the Water Body Substitution Technique and seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack while his opponent was distracted!
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!" Just as Rasa had evaded the impact of the Exploding Water Shockwave and ascended into the air, several high-pressure water blasts erupted from the water below! They shot towards his back, head, the soles of his feet, and other blind spots.
These attacks were launched from tricky angles and with surprising speed! With Rasa's strength, it seemed impossible to evade them all!
Thud! As expected, Rasa managed to hastily dodge two of the Water Severing Waves, but he was ultimately struck by a water blast, resulting in a dull thud.
However, instead of bright red blood, golden sand poured from Rasa's wound. Then, his entire body crumbled into golden sand and fell into the water below.
Moments later, Rasa, clutching his left eye and sweating profusely, reappeared in the distance, standing on a platform of sand.
"That was close! If I hadn't used the Sand Eye to scout ahead before the large-scale Water Style jutsu hit, and spotted the high-pressure water blasts coming from my blind spots, I wouldn't have been able to use the Sand Substitution in time. That attack would have definitely taken me out!"
Rasa's face was etched with the lingering fear of a near-death experience. Behind him, a strange eyeball floated in mid-air. It was thanks to this eye's reconnaissance that Rasa had narrowly escaped the attack.
"No, I still can't sense his position in the water. I need to stay away from this water. Once it's all drained, I'll come down and fight that guy to the death!" Rasa used his sensory abilities to carefully observe the area, his heart filled with apprehension towards Aizen.
He then manipulated the sand platform beneath him, preparing to utilize his flight advantage and conceal himself high in the air.
However, just as Rasa was about to retreat temporarily, Aizen's figure suddenly materialized behind him.