As the Konoha ninja, led by Tsunade, advanced towards the Suna camp, the Third Kazekage led his troops to intercept them. Without any warning, the battle erupted.
Bunpuku wasted no time, immediately transforming into Shukaku to confront Tsunade. She, too, didn't hold back, her body enveloped in a crimson-red Tailed Beast cloak as she activated her three-tiered buff.
"Today, I will tear you apart alive!" Shukaku roared, charging directly at Tsunade. Knowing long-range attacks were ineffective against her, he shifted to hand-to-hand combat—his weakness, and the reason he had suffered so many defeats lately.
"I see you haven't had enough of getting beaten up," Tsunade taunted, leaping high into the air. With a fierce cry, she brought her foot down to strike Shukaku's opening with overwhelming force.
Nearby, Sakumo was locked in a tense standoff with Pakura and the Shadow Guards. Both sides remained cautious, knowing the battle would hinge on who made the first critical mistake.
"Kawakaze Hatake, we meet again," came a voice from above. The Third Kazekage hovered in midair, his back-facing iron sand wings glinting ominously.
"You're healed," Kawakaze observed coldly, his sharp eyes fixed on the Kazekage. "That makes things more interesting."
"Try me, and you'll see." The Kazekage wasted no time, launching an attack. "Magnet Release: Giant Iron Needles!" High-density compressed iron sand formed into razor-sharp spears that shot toward Kawakaze with deadly speed.
Kawakaze didn't even draw his sword. With a flash of movement, he dodged effortlessly, the black spears sinking deep into the yellow sand, leaving no trace behind. Their immense power was undeniable.
"It's even better that you're healed. Now we can have a proper fight," Kawakaze said, closing the gap between them in an instant. Lightning crackled across his body, and the faint markings of the red seals glimmered at the edges of his skin.
Bang!
Kawakaze's powerful strike pierced through the iron sand barrier, forcing the Kazekage to retreat. Despite the attack's ferocity, Kawakaze was unable to land a decisive blow.
"So what if I'm injured?" The Third Kazekage smirked, unconvinced he had been injured.
"You will see." Kawakaze replied, forming a hand seal to summon a lightning-infused clone. The shimmering figure, composed entirely of lightning, bore only the outline of a human form but lacked any substance.
Without hesitation, the two streaks of lightning—Kawakaze and his clone—rushed toward the Third Kazekage. They made no effort to conceal their approach, as an eye of condensed iron sand hovered above the Kazekage, observing every move. Kawakaze's true body struck the iron sand wall with a powerful kick, while his clone closed in on the Kazekage.
The clone's image loomed larger in the Third Kazekage's pupils, prompting a slight smirk.
A mere shadow clone dares to challenge me?
With his right palm facing outward, the Kazekage conjured a massive iron sand spear, instantly impaling the lightning clone.
"I got it," Kawakaze murmured after landing, his figure flashing forward again.
"Boom!"
The clone exploded, its violent lightning attributes enveloping the Third Kazekage as he sneered.
"Ahhh..."
Electricity surged through the Kazekage, his body convulsing as the iron sand coating him failed to repel the lightning. Losing balance, he plummeted from the sky.
Kawakaze moved swiftly, appearing above the Third Kazekage. The lightning gathered around his right foot grew even more ferocious. Desperate, the Kazekage barely managed to wrap himself in his iron sand wings.
"You're looking for death," Kawakaze snarled, stomping onto the wings. The lightning coursed through the iron sand, reaching the Kazekage's body. Yet, there was no scream of agony.
"Huh?"
Kawakaze sensed something was amiss and leapt back, but it was too late. The iron sand wings detonated, releasing countless tiny grains that surged toward him.
"When?" Kawakaze exclaimed, his disbelief palpable. Despite his efforts to evade, the iron sand struck him as he retreated.
Kawakaze moved away from the blast zone, assessing his injuries. The punctures had already begun healing, though traces of iron sand remained embedded in his body, requiring expulsion. The injuries, however, had minimal impact.
"Cough... cough... I'm just returning the favor," the Kazekage said.
The iron sand reassembled into a humanoid figure as the Third Kazekage emerged, standing a short distance from Kawakaze. Faint sparks of electricity still flickered across his body, and his expression betrayed slight discomfort.
"This injury to me..." Kawakaze began, but before he could finish, he suddenly felt his body acting strangely. His movements grew uncoordinated, as though someone else were vying for control of his body.
"Haha, do you feel like you've lost control of your body?" the Third Kazekage taunted. "My Magnet Release isn't that simple."
Stretching his body slightly, the Kazekage's earlier paralysis eased considerably.
Both men seized the moment to rest, neither making any reckless moves. Kawakaze, meanwhile, endured the sharp, piercing pain as he expelled each grain of iron sand from his body. He could feel the sand hindering his healing and restricting his movements.
If I had been hit by a larger amount of iron sand earlier, he might have been able to manipulate me into committing suicide.
As the last of the iron sand was forced out, Kawakaze's wounds quickly healed, and the abnormalities in his body vanished. However, he knew his own control over the lightning attribute was still inferior to the Lightning Release Chakra Mode of Kumogakure.
Even with Sage Mode enhancing my abilities, it wasn't enough to defend against Magnet Release.
He couldn't help but admire the Third Raikage, who could fend off even Wind Release—a natural counter to lightning. Kawakaze felt a strong desire to study Kumogakure's secret techniques.
During their brief respite, Rasa appeared once more, finding Minato and Nawaki. Their last encounter had been inconclusive, and tension flared as the three locked eyes, anger brimming on all sides.
"You two brats—this time, I'll make sure you die without a burial!" Rasa snarled, raising his hand.
Golden sand condensed into kunai in his grasp, but Minato and Nawaki dodged them with ease.
"Don't talk big," Nawaki snapped, planting his sword firmly into the ground and forming a hand seal with both hands.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
This was the most powerful Water Release Ninjutsu Nawaki had learned. He unleashed a super-high-pressure water column from his mouth, cutting horizontally toward Rasa.
Rasa sneered, summoning a Sand Gold Wall in front of him, dismissing the threat of Water Release. Yet, to his astonishment, the water column sliced into the wall with devastating force, its edge as sharp as a blade.
The Gold Sand Wall began to crack and slowly give way, the water advancing relentlessly.
"Damn it," Rasa cursed, realizing the danger. He prepared to retreat.
"Where are you going?" Minato called, anticipating Rasa's move. With a burst of speed, Minato bypassed the crumbling Gold Sand Wall and launched a swift, seamless combo. His attacks landed cleanly, sending Rasa flying.
Nawaki's Water Severing Wave broke through the wall entirely, racing toward the downed Rasa. Golden sand peeled away from Rasa's body as he scrambled to escape the incoming wave.
Underestimating it was no longer an option. Using the Body Flicker Technique, Rasa disappeared just as the water carved a deep groove into the yellow sand.
Reappearing with a pale face, Rasa glared at the two young shinobi, his eyes burning with fury.
"I'm going to get serious now," he growled.
"Magnet Release: Sand Cushion."
Rasa poured Chakra into his Sand Gold, forming a cloud beneath his feet that lifted him into the air.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Long Spear!"
Hovering mid-air, Rasa shaped a massive spear from his Sand Gold and hurled it downward. Gravity amplified its speed, and it hurtled toward Minato and Nawaki with tremendous force.
"Get out of the way!" Minato shouted, leading by example and dodging to the side.
Nawaki, who had initially planned to counter with Earth Release, instead used the Water Body Flicker Technique to evade just in time.
The Gold Dust Long Spear struck the ground where they had stood, driving deep into the earth and shaking the battlefield.
"Let's see where else you can escape to," Rasa snarled from above. Unfazed and secure in mid-air, he unleashed a relentless barrage of Ninjutsu to pursue the two shinobi below.