Boom!
Nearby, Sōmi was far from idle. Controlling golden sand, he caused it to erupt from the ground like a fountain, shooting straight toward Gamahiro's hind legs.
"Hm?"
Gamabunta's successor, Gamahiro, swung its two massive blades while glancing downward.
But Sōmi's attack left no room for escape.
The golden sand coiled tightly like steel cables, and if it managed to bind Gamahiro's legs, they would likely be crushed outright!
Yet, in the next instant, with a sudden sound, the giant toad vanished from its spot.
This was, of course, Minato Namikaze's doing. In the blink of an eye, they reappeared dozens of meters away.
However, Scorpion's Raiga Kurosuki puppet followed close behind. Surrounded by a thick layer of purple lightning, its presence was as menacing as a thunder god descending upon the battlefield.
Zzzap!
A streak of purple light flashed, and the puppet was already upon Gamahiro. Its right-hand short sword slashed viciously toward the giant toad.
Gamahiro blocked with one blade, while raising the other to counterattack.
But the puppet's movements were ghostly and unpredictable. Before Gamahiro's blade could strike, the puppet had darted to the front of the toad.
Crackle!
The puppet crossed its dual blades, generating a purple lightning orb the size of a human head, which it hurled directly toward the two shinobi atop Gamahiro's head.
"Minato! Just hold them off for a while longer! Using Flying Thunder God to move with Gamahiro consumes too much Chakra!"
Jiraiya, hands still clasped in a seal, now bore distinct toad-like features on his face. The warts on his nose had become even more pronounced.
"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
With a toss of his head, Jiraiya's long white hair exploded outward, extending in all directions like steel cables, and struck fiercely at the purple lightning orb.
Boom!
A dull explosion echoed as the lightning orb was smashed apart. However, part of Jiraiya's hair was scorched and frayed, with blackened marks left where it had contacted the orb.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Gyroscope!"
A deafening roar erupted from above. Taking advantage of the earlier chaos, the Kazekage had formed a massive iron sand gyroscope several meters wide above Gamahiro.
The high-speed spinning gyroscope emitted a piercing whine as it mercilessly descended toward the two shinobi.
This was no time to conserve Chakra. Just as Minato was about to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape again, two massive golden sand arms shot up from the ground, tightly binding Gamahiro.
The golden sand arms were covered in dense black runes, which began to climb up Gamahiro's legs.
"Is this a forbidden sealing technique?" Minato paused briefly, surprised that a Sunagakure shinobi could so seamlessly combine Magnet Release with sealing techniques.
In that brief hesitation, the Kazekage's iron sand gyroscope slammed down toward Gamahiro's head.
Fortunately, Gamahiro reacted quickly, raising its twin blades in a cross to block the attack.
The clash between the iron sand gyroscope and the blades produced a violent, ear-piercing screech, as if it would shatter eardrums.
Sparks flew in all directions, causing Gamahiro to squint slightly.
Crack!
A faint cracking sound reached Jiraiya's ears. He immediately realized that Gamahiro's blades were beginning to fracture. His expression turned anxious—if they delayed any longer, the iron sand gyroscope would drill straight through them!
Thankfully, Minato acted just in time. He had already leapt to Gamahiro's knee joint, where the black rune-covered golden sand had climbed and was tightly constricting the toad's body.
Minato quickly formed several hand seals and pressed his hands onto the golden sand, shouting, "Release!"
In an instant, the black runes on the golden sand halted their spread.
Moments later, all the runes on the golden sand dissipated entirely.
Crack! Crack!
The fractures on Gamahiro's blades grew wider, and under the relentless force of the iron sand gyroscope, the blades finally shattered.
Jiraiya controlled his lion-like white hair to strike the gyroscope from multiple directions.
However, the high-speed spinning gyroscope remained unaffected. Instead, the hair that got too close was nearly sucked in, causing Jiraiya to stumble slightly.
This almost disrupted his efforts to gather Natural Energy.
Whoosh!
The gyroscope, spinning so fast it seemed to ignite the air, showed no signs of stopping. After breaking through the shattered blades, it continued drilling toward Jiraiya atop Gamahiro's head.
But Gamahiro displayed extraordinary loyalty. It crossed its arms, intending to use its flesh and blood to block the iron gyroscope forged from pure iron sand!
While Gamahiro was preoccupied, the lightning streaks from Scorpion's puppet struck its abdomen.
Zzzt! Zzzt!
Electric currents surged into Gamahiro's body, wreaking havoc on its internal organs. Yet, Gamahiro stood firm, only swaying slightly despite the damage.
Swish...
The anticipated gruesome scene of blood and flesh being torn apart did not occur. Minato had once again used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport them away, breaking free from the trap.
Boom!
The gyroscope, now without a target, slammed into the ground, drilling a massive crater that revealed the golden sand churning beneath the surface.
It seemed that this area's underground had been almost entirely converted into golden sand by Sōmi.
"Sensei... Minato Namikaze's mastery of sealing techniques surpasses mine. There's no way to capture them here!"
"We should regroup at the location Rasa has prepared and finish the battle there!"
Standing on his golden cloud, Sōmi flew to the Kazekage's side and relayed his suggestion.
The Kazekage's face showed frustration. Facing an opponent like Minato, it felt as though every effort was wasted, as if punching into thin air.
However, Sōmi didn't share this sentiment. He had secretly confirmed with Scorpion that their contingency plans were ready, which gave him peace of mind.
For now, Sōmi was prepared to retreat if their current strategy failed.
The Kazekage's sharp gaze swept across the retreating Jiraiya and Minato. The toad beneath them had disappeared, likely unsummoned.
Taking Sōmi's advice, the Third Kazekage refrained from pursuing further. Instead, he flapped his iron sand wings and flew back.
"Rasa, how's the preparation going?"
Back at the initial battlefield, Rasa crouched on the ground, pale-faced and gasping for breath. His forehead was drenched in sweat—a clear sign of excessive Chakra consumption.
"...It's ready!"
"This is... the purest gold sand I've ever refined in my life!"
Rasa was utterly exhausted, barely able to speak.
"Well done, Brother Rasa!" Sōmi leapt from his golden cloud and pressed his fingers into the ground, sensing the results of Rasa's work. His expression lit up with satisfaction.
"Scorpion, take Brother Rasa to safety first."
Scorpion nodded silently. A Chakra thread extended from his fingers into the ground, summoning a lizard-shaped puppet with a bloated belly. The puppet emerged, wrapped Rasa inside its body, and burrowed back underground.
Sōmi then pulled out several soldier pills and distributed them. After all, the upcoming battle would be critical.
The more Chakra they could recover, the better their chances of victory.
After all, what if they won?
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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