"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Wall!"
A commanding voice rang out with authority.
Sōmi, who had been preparing to form hand seals to raise a golden sand wall, froze in place. In the path of the incoming Dragon Flame, a sturdy iron sand wall had suddenly appeared.
Boom! Boom...!
A series of deafening explosions erupted as the three-meter-high iron sand wall was pierced through.
However, the Great Dragon Fire Technique had reached the end of its strength. Sōmi casually raised his hand, summoning a wave of golden sand that extinguished the remnants of the flames.
"Teacher?!" Sōmi exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the black iron sand, a signature of Magnet Release. There was only one person capable of using this technique—the Third Kazekage!
The Third Kazekage, with his blue hair and yellow eyes, hovered mid-air, wearing a blue ninja uniform. Black metallic wings extended from his sides, their intricate texture adding a menacing aura to his presence.
The Third Kazekage glanced at Sōmi and gave a slight nod without saying a word.
His gaze then sharpened as he formed the "Ram" seal with both hands. In an instant, waves of iron sand materialized out of thin air, transforming into countless fine needles that shot rapidly toward the Konohagakure ninja stationed at the canyon's entrance.
"Ahhh!"
"Charge!"
The cries of the Sunagakure and Konohagakure ninja echoed in stark contrast.
From the forest behind Sōmi, countless Sunagakure ninja emerged, their overwhelming numbers creating an imposing momentum.
Meanwhile, the Konohagakure ninja at the canyon's entrance wore expressions of despair. Their leader, Orochimaru, was nowhere to be found, and the intelligence they had received had severely underestimated the scale of the Sunagakure offensive.
"It's time to finish you off!" Sōmi said coldly.
Ryūhei Uchiha, having just unleashed the Great Dragon Fire Technique, was now panting heavily, struggling to support himself.
But Sōmi had no intention of giving him any chance to recover. He raised his hands slightly, and golden sand rose around Ryūhei, forming a sphere to trap him inside.
Ryūhei's Sharingan scanned his surroundings, immediately understanding Sōmi's intent. He twisted his body with great effort, trying to use his uninjured leg to push off and leap away.
Just as he left the ground, a streak of golden sand shot up from below, morphing into a massive hand that grabbed his injured leg and slammed him back down.
Bang!
Ryūhei was dragged back to the ground, landing with a dull thud. A golden sphere now encased him completely, its surface impenetrable.
Even the bottom of the sphere was sealed with refined golden sand, preventing any potential escape using Earth Release techniques.
With Ryūhei now a bird trapped in a cage, Sōmi began forming hand seals.
Inside the sphere, sharp golden spikes began to materialize in every corner. Simultaneously, the sphere itself started to shrink.
Though engulfed in darkness, Ryūhei's Sharingan allowed him to sense the dense Chakra points of the spikes around him.
Spinning his body, he swung his kunai at the protrusions, the sound of metal clashing ringing out as sparks flew.
His expression darkened—he hadn't expected the spikes to be so incredibly durable.
But he had no time to dwell on this realization. As Sōmi completed his hand seals, the spikes, faintly glowing in the darkness, suddenly extended.
Shk!
The sound of piercing flesh echoed faintly. After carefully sensing the situation for a moment and confirming there was no more movement inside, Sōmi dispelled the technique.
The golden sphere disintegrated instantly, leaving behind a pool of crimson blood. Ryūhei's body lay lifeless, riddled with holes as if he had been turned into a sieve.
However, under Sōmi's deliberate control, Ryūhei's eyes remained intact.
His blood-red Sharingan, wide open, still reflected a frozen expression of rage and terror.
Sōmi retrieved a sealing scroll, pressing one hand onto Ryūhei's corpse. Black runes spread across the body like a spiderweb. With a single hand seal, a loud poof followed.
White smoke dissipated, and Ryūhei's body vanished, sealed within the scroll. Sōmi stood up, satisfied.
"Scorpion? You're here too?" Sōmi turned his head to address a red-haired young man not far away.
"Hm. What's this? You're interested in the Uchiha clan's corpses? I've got another one here. If you want it, take it. If not, I'll keep it for making a puppet," Scorpion replied indifferently, his tone as cold as ever despite Sōmi's cheerful demeanor.
"I'll take it. Turning it into a puppet would be a waste," Sōmi said bluntly.
Scorpion flicked his right hand slightly, and a glowing blue Chakra string snapped into motion. The black ant puppet, its surface gleaming with a dark metallic sheen, swiftly flew to Sōmi's side.
The puppet's abdomen opened, and with the sound of rushing liquid, a thud followed.
Blood poured out from the puppet's abdomen, and another Uchiha ninja's corpse tumbled to the ground.
Sōmi pulled out another sealing scroll, quickly sealing the body. According to Scorpion, this one was also a three-tomoe Sharingan user—what a haul!
Before the Uchiha clan's massacre, it was exceedingly rare for a three-tomoe Sharingan to fall into someone else's hands...
"Scorpion, what orders did you receive?" Sōmi asked, standing shoulder to shoulder with him as they gazed into the distance.
The Sunagakure ninja had completely taken control of the canyon's entrance. The Konohagakure ninja were either dead or fleeing.
If they continued advancing through the canyon, they would reach Kikyō Mountain—a strategic stronghold.
If Sunagakure succeeded in capturing Kikyō Mountain, it would become a thorn in Konohagakure's side.
At that point, Sunagakure would gain the upper hand in the war. At the very least, they could demand a hefty sum from Konohagakure, dealing a significant blow to its resources.
"Advance on Konohagakure," Scorpion replied tersely.
On his back, four scrolls were neatly strapped. The materials used to forge Sōmi's Starfall Rod accounted for only about thirty percent of the rare metals they had acquired.
The majority had been handed over to Scorpion, who used them to craft brand-new puppets.
As Sunagakure's most outstanding puppeteer, Scorpion's combat strength was directly tied to the quality of his puppets. His power had grown far more than Sōmi's.
"I see..." Sōmi muttered, his expression far from relaxed despite Scorpion's concise response.
It was clear that Sunagakure's higher-ups were overly ambitious.
While Sōmi wasn't sure if this attack was coordinated with other villages, he had little faith in their chances against Konohagakure's current strength.
Forget anyone else—just Minato and Jiraiya alone could tip the scales against them.
The higher the hopes of success, the more devastating the failure would be...
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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