With an ultra-fast reaction under [Zero-Frame Start], Kei preemptively liquefied the part of his body under attack using the Hydrification Technique, causing it to disperse into flowing water.
More than ten uniquely designed puppets, each equipped with various blades and mechanisms, whizzed past him, splashing water into the air!
Dozens of ninjas stood around, unmoving, yet almost every one of them had one or two puppets floating beside them.
The most crucial force under Chiyo's command! Had she already arrived? Didn't Pakura say she would depart three days later than Rasa, bringing two thousand reinforcements?
No, no—just now, that voice sounded like a man.
Didn't seem that old. Then that means... Rasa?
Kei's mind raced. He reached into his ninja pouch and gripped a kunai in reverse.
He was ready to go on a rampage while also creating an opportunity for his spy, Pakura, to ascend as the next Kazekage. But just then, a low voice came from the puppet masters around him.
"Stop! That's someone from the Hōzuki clan! They're probably here for reconnaissance. We're allies with Kiri now."
Clack, clack—clack, clack—
The puppets, which had been poised to strike again, all stopped in place under their masters' control. Various complex mechanisms subtly locked onto Kei, and hundreds, perhaps thousands, of poison-coated senbon shimmered with a chilling glow under the moonlight.
He glanced at his Konoha jonin vest and the Konoha headband on his arm, suddenly feeling at a loss.
I was about to kill you all, and now you're calling me an ally? Did I wear this outfit for nothing?!
Or are you all so ignorant that you don't even recognize the Flying Thunder God Technique just now?
A faint tremor arose from beneath the ground, and the surrounding puppets slightly shifted.
Sharp golden sand spears shot up from beneath Kei's feet like bamboo spikes! At the same time, Rasa's voice resounded in the ears of all Suna ninjas. "All puppet masters, retreat immediately! This is the Yellow Flash! He is not someone you can handle!"
As an elite squad, the puppet masters were highly disciplined and well-coordinated. Although they couldn't understand why Rasa thought a ninja using the Hydrification Technique was the Yellow Flash, they still followed the order without hesitation, swiftly pulling back dozens of meters with the help of their puppets!
In a battle between ninjas, the worst mistake is underestimating an opponent. If this guy was truly the legendary Yellow Flash, they would be idiots to engage him head-on!
"Me? Minato?" Kei dissolved into a mist of water droplets, evading the Gold Dust attack.
He reformed his body a distance away, emerging from a stream of water. Looking at Rasa, who had stepped out of the shadows of the forest, and at Pakura, who stood beside him with a 'serious' expression, he was utterly speechless.
Is everyone in Suna suffering from some collective eye infection?
First, they misidentified me once. Now they're doing it again?!
And Pakura, you couldn't correct them even once?
You're making all of us lose face here!
As if sensing Kei's frustration, Pakura crossed her arms, leaned toward Rasa, and whispered something in his ear.
Rasa's stern expression faltered for a moment before he quickly regained his composure.
"My mistake. I actually mistook a lackey of the The Darkness of the Shinobi for the Yellow Flash."
If you don't know how to talk properly, just shut up!
Kei gripped his kunai tightly. If he weren't busy practicing the Eight Gates, slowing his progress, he would have already shouted: "Your grandma knocks on the door—OPEN!"
Taking a deep breath to suppress his frustration,
Kei sized up Rasa from head to toe and spoke seriously. "Are you married?"
"Huh? What are you trying to say?" Rasa gestured to the surrounding puppet master troops, signaling them to continue their operation and block the Konoha ninjas' retreat.
Beside him, Pakura's facial muscles tensed as she struggled to maintain her expression.
It seemed like her position as Kazekage was now secured. She had never realized before just how bold Rasa could be.
Kei's face darkened, his last bit of patience completely exhausted. With a flick of his right arm, he hurled a kunai straight at Rasa, while his left hand rapidly formed a one-handed seal.
A thick sea of mist surged and expanded, quickly enveloping hundreds of meters of the forest.
And as time passed, the mist continued spreading outward.
Gaara, Karura—who cares! First, let me break this guy's mouth!
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!" With a deep roar, Rasa formed hand seals and slammed his palms into the ground.
As he faced Kei, the underground gold dust rapidly gathered and surged, rising like a massive golden wave. It swept through a hundred-meter radius, engulfing everything within. Even if his vision was obstructed by the mist, it didn't matter—
as long as his attack covered enough area, his enemy would have nowhere to escape, let alone launch a counterattack.
The golden sand piled up like a small mountain, instantly closing in and compressing the center.
But… There was no scream. There was no sound of flesh and bones being crushed.
Rasa's brows furrowed. Sensing something was wrong, he swiftly leaped backward while forming more hand seals!
"Pakura! Get to the sky!"
A seemingly ordinary black kunai sliced through the thick mist, appearing right in front of him. The memory of his earlier mistake flashed in his mind.
His expression turned grim.
The golden sand beneath his feet, which was originally lifting him above the mist, instantly transformed into a massive golden shield, attempting to encase the kunai.
At the same time, he absorbed more gold dust from the ground, thickening his golden armor!
But, Kei did not appear at the kunai's location, as Rasa had expected.
Instead, a blue streak of light shot toward him from the front!
Kei, now in Sage Mode, radiated an overwhelming and terrifying chakra.
The senjutsu chakra around him took the form of a ferocious azure dragon, roaring as it sank its fangs into Rasa's sand-covered arm.
The next moment, Kei twisted his body into a lunge, driving his elbow straight into Rasa's chest.
A terrifying force exploded from his elbow.
Rasa, his arm trapped in the chakra dragon's jaws, spewed a mist of blood as he was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through countless trees.
Kei glanced at the fading blue dragon's fangs still embedded with Rasa's golden sand.
He immediately understood. Rasa had released his golden sand at the very moment his arm was bitten.
Otherwise, if the attack had landed in full force, even if it didn't punch a hole straight through his chest, it shouldn't have sent him flying so easily.
The once-solid golden sand scattered into fine particles, dispersing into the mist.
Rasa's vision blurred, and as the looming threat of death crept upon him, he forced his body to rise into the sky on a platform of gold dust.
And high above, Pakura stood atop her own floating platform of sand, raising both hands. Above her head, a massive fireball was already forming.
"Pakura! Evaporate him!"
Rasa's voice was laced with hatred, but the moment he finished speaking, he coughed up another mouthful of blood. Most of the ribs in his chest had been shattered—one even nearly pierced his heart. His internal organs had suffered immense trauma under that sheer impact. The excruciating pain, as if his body was being torn apart, surged through his nerves, nearly making him lose consciousness.
Pakura nodded, aiming her attack toward the designated target below. She responded coldly, then hurled the enormous fireball downward!
She had already connected with Kei through the Mind Body Transmission Technique.
Are you going to dodge? Should I intentionally aim a little off?
Just act well. If I weren't worried about making it difficult for you to explain, I'd already be flying away.
Tch~ If you die, don't blame me.
Heh~ If you hit too hard, don't blame me later either.
This spy mission of mine is proving to be quite valuable, huh?