The vast sea of gold dust suddenly compressed violently, the crushing force shaking the very earth beneath it.
Boom!
Gold dust was already incredibly heavy, and under this immense pressure, everything beneath it was pulverized to dust. Before the tremors had even ceased, wave after wave of pressure crashed down.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
"This gold dust will be your coffin! I'll bury you alive! [Magnet Release: Golden Prison Burial]!"
The shinobi controlling the gold dust held his hands in a seal before his chest. At the center of the golden sea, the dust suddenly began to swirl, forming a massive vortex. The gold dust sank downward, pulling in everything around it as the rest of the golden waves surged toward the center. Everything caught in its grip was dragged deep underground, entombed far beneath the surface.
The shinobi controlling the gold dust crossed his arms and watched coldly."Hmph! Even if you survive, being trapped two hundred meters underground under the weight of gold dust means you'll never escape! Hahaha!"
He laughed wildly. His short, jet-black hair clung to his head in the rain, and dark rings formed around his eyes whenever he used his Magnet Release to control the heavy gold dust.
"Heh, looks like I won't even need to step in," another shinobi with a massive fan strapped to his back said with a sneer.
"Dosha, we owe this one to you," said Elder Ebizō, looking in shock at the massive golden wasteland dominating the center of the forest.
"This was just a mission assigned to me by my master—and I should thank you all for gathering so much gold dust in one place."
Dosha was the prized student of the Third Kazekage, a prodigy gifted with the kekkei genkai of Magnet Release. Unlike those who controlled sand, he could command the far heavier gold dust—an ability just like the Fourth Kazekage, Gaara's father.
Suddenly, pale yellow liquid began seeping up from the center of the golden sea. Highly corrosive, it ate through the surrounding dust in seconds, releasing white smoke as it expanded rapidly, carving an open path across the golden ground.
"Huh? What is that?" Chiyo and Ebizō both exclaimed.
Boom!
From the corrosive pool, a gigantic slug emerged. From its massive body, Tsunade and the others appeared. Unfortunately, two elite jōnin who had been too far away were swallowed by the golden waves earlier—Tsunade hadn't been able to save them. Their bodies now lay buried deep beneath the sand.
The eight remaining elite jōnin of the Leaf locked eyes on the enemy. Dozens of Sand shinobi had already arrived nearby, keeping to the edges to avoid the deadly gold dust but sealing off every escape route.
"Damn it, we can't retreat now. If we stay, we'll be slaughtered!"
The Konoha elite jōnin knew the truth. Their earlier raid on the supply station had drained much of their chakra, and now they faced multiple strong opponents who had been waiting for them. With the way blocked, their situation was dire.
"Bastards! This was your trap!" Tsunade roared. Having lost four comrades in quick succession, grief and fury burned in her chest.
"That's right. You captured a Sand shinobi and read his memories, and those memories were genuine. But the supply station in his mind was a false location—even he truly believed it was the real one. All to lure you here and kill you, Tsunade-hime!" Ebizō said with a smug grin.
Taking advantage of the moment, Chiyo pulled out a scroll and released ten puppets."[White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets]! Tsunade, you're ours! Dosha, this is your territory—take out the others, then come and help us! Karuro will assist you."
Ebizō and Chiyo joined forces, controlling the Ten Puppets together. Another Sand shinobi, Karuro, reached for the massive fan strapped to his back—the legendary Three-Star Fan.
Dosha raised his hands again, and the gold dust around him began floating, swirling ominously in the air.
Kato Dan, shielded by the giant slug, swallowed several soldier pills at once, pushing himself to recover chakra. The remaining Konoha elite jōnin exchanged glances before standing shoulder to shoulder.
"Fight to the death! A Leaf shinobi fears no death!"
There was no longer any escape—only one final, desperate stand.
(BGM: Hyakka Ryouran, by Takanashi Yasuharu)
As the two sides faced off, dark clouds drifted in overhead. The gloomy sky began to weep, raindrops pattering onto the gold-covered battlefield.
"Tch, just our luck. Gold dust gets even heavier when it's wet," Dosha muttered, frowning.
Hearing his complaint, Karuro smirked. "Then let me lead the attack. You just keep them busy!"
"Go!" Chiyo struck first, sending the Ten Puppets charging straight toward Tsunade.
"Kill them!"
The Konoha shinobi clashed head-on with their enemies.
Dosha swung his crossed arms forward, and a dozen massive golden hands erupted from the ground toward the jōnin.
"[Magnet Release: Hands of Gold Dust]!"
"Move!"
The elite jōnin leapt to evade the massive, lightning-fast hands, but the grasping golden limbs pursued relentlessly. Forced apart and surrounded, each Konoha shinobi found themselves trapped by multiple hands, unable to counterattack.
Guided deliberately by Dosha's control, the Konoha fighters were driven farther and farther from Tsunade, leaving her isolated for Chiyo and Ebizō to handle.
"Damn it! Trying to cut off Tsunade-sama? Don't underestimate us! [Konoha-ryū Sword Technique: Sweep]!"
One jōnin wielding a long blade slashed sideways, cleaving a golden hand clean in half with a single arc of steel.
He then charged toward the next, sword flashing—
"[Konoha-ryū Sword Technique: Cleave]!""[Slice]!""[Sever]!""[Thrust]!""[Sweep]!"
In a blur, his strikes reduced several golden arms to glittering debris.
"Not bad! [Wind Release: Wind Cutter]!"
From the side, Karuro swung his fan, sending a massive blade of compressed air at the swordsman. The jōnin leapt back just in time to evade.
"My turn! [Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet]!"
Another Konoha jōnin, having dodged several golden hands, exhaled a huge sphere of roaring fire toward Karuro.
"[Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel]!"
Karuro whipped his fan, unleashing a violent tornado filled with countless wind blades. The vortex swallowed the flame, slicing it apart and sending it hurtling back.
"What? Fire Release is supposed to counter Wind Release!" the Konoha shinobi shouted in shock—only to be engulfed by the whirlwind of flames and blades, his body shredded by countless invisible cuts.
Karuro smirked coldly. "Hmph. Fool. Powerful Wind Release can overcome Fire Release—especially vacuum-style winds."
"Damn it!"
Tsunade, locked in combat with the puppets, tried to break free to help her comrade.
"Tsunade! Your fight is with us!" Chiyo's twin-blade puppet swung down. Tsunade sidestepped, smashing another puppet aside.
Meanwhile, the Konoha jōnin who had been hit by the Great Sickle Weasel tumbled dozens of meters before crumbling into a mound of mud.
"Oh? [Earth Substitution], is it? You won't get away!"
Dosha instantly located him, sending two golden hands lunging toward the recovering shinobi. The man tried to flee, but the hands pursued without pause—until one finally wrapped around his leg.
Several teammates moved to rush to his aid.
"Trying to save him? No chance! [Wind Release: Pressure Damage]!"
Karuro inhaled deeply, then exhaled a massive sphere of whirling air that expanded violently, shredding everything within range.
The swordsman of the Leaf pushed against the storm, his clothes tearing under the wind's bite. Using a Body Flicker, he appeared beside his trapped comrade.
"[Konoha-ryū Sword Technique: Sever]!"
One clean strike cut the golden arm, freeing his ally.
"Die! [Magnet Release: Golden Spear of Death]!"
Not far away, Dosha had already formed a massive spear of gold dust. With all his strength, he hurled it like a bullet—piercing the freshly freed jōnin and nailing him to the ground.
The man's life ended instantly. Only seven Leaf shinobi remained.
"No!!"
Fury ignited in Tsunade's heart. She smashed one of Chiyo's white-haired puppets into splinters with a single punch, but Ebizō immediately unrolled a scroll to summon another, reengaging her.
The rain grew heavier, fat droplets pelting the gold dust. The added weight made it sluggish to control, draining far more chakra from Dosha.
"Karuro, I need time to prepare this next move! Keep them busy for thirty seconds!" Dosha called, palms pressed together to focus his chakra.
"Heh, I'll take them all myself! I'll end this in one move! [Shadow Clone Technique]!"
Karuro created two clones, the three of them forming a triangle. All three swung their Three-Star Fans in unison.
"[Wind Release: Grand Net]!"
A towering wall of wind roared forth, countless wind blades woven together into a vast, seamless net. The force was so overwhelming it sliced apart even the raindrops falling through it.
Its range and speed were so immense that even the Third Raikage might not have escaped—let alone the Konoha jōnin.
"Not good! [Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall]!"
A desperate wall of earth rose, but the net devoured it instantly, shearing it into perfect blocks. The Konoha elite jōnin were seconds from being cut to ribbons—
At the last moment, Katsuyu split into smaller clones, wrapping around several shinobi and burrowing underground to safety. Even so, two were caught, their bodies reduced to bloody shreds.
The rain poured harder, soaking everyone to the bone—but no one cared.
The Leaf had been driven to the edge.
"You fall back! I'll hold them off!" Tsunade shouted. Only five Leaf jōnin remained, and Kato Dan's chakra was still depleted—just four could fight. Tsunade resolved to have Katsuyu protect them in retreat while she held the enemy.
"No! We'll never abandon a comrade to die!" one jōnin said without hesitation, and three charged back into the fray.
Under Katsuyu's protection, Kato Dan's anxiety mounted."No… at this rate, we'll all die!"
His eyes went to Tsunade—then to Dosha, still gathering chakra.
"If we can take him out, we might have a chance. Only one option left… I'll have to use it—forcibly… [Spirit Transformation Technique]!"