Chapter 417: One Tail, Shukaku!

Rasa's gaze remained locked on Minato, his heart pounding in his chest. The intensity in Minato's azure eyes sent an involuntary shudder through him. Fear, raw and primal, clawed its way up from the depths of his being.

How could the Fourth Kazekage, a man of immense pride, feel such fear?

The realization burned like acid, igniting a wild desperation within him. His face twisted into a mask of rage as he formed a series of hand seals with feverish speed.

"Puff!"

Blood spurted from Rasa's mouth as the technique completed. The crimson droplets stained the golden sand before him, the sight both eerie and ominous.

Minato's brows furrowed as a wave of immense chakra surged from Rasa, its intensity dwarfing anything he had encountered from the Kazekage thus far.

What is he planning?

The ground beneath Minato began to tremble violently. A ferocious roar erupted, shaking the battlefield and sending a ripple of dread through everyone present.

"Golden Sands Rage!"

With a deafening explosion, the white sand surrounding them erupted into chaos. The layer of snow covering the desert was obliterated, revealing a shimmering sea of gold sand beneath. The radius of the transformation was massive, engulfing the area for dozens of meters.

"Get out of here!" Minato shouted, his voice cutting through the cacophony as he turned toward the Konoha and Sunagakure forces locked in battle.

But his warning was drowned out by the roar of the storm that followed.

The golden sand churned and twisted, rising into a towering vortex that swept across the battlefield. The storm raged with terrifying speed, consuming everything in its path.

The closest shinobi, caught unprepared, had no chance to escape.

"Ahh!"

The screams of the unlucky few were short-lived as the sandstorm engulfed them. The countless grains of golden sand, sharpened and accelerated by the storm, tore through their bodies like countless tiny bullets. Flesh, bones, and blood disintegrated into a crimson mist before being swallowed by the raging tempest.

The sheer brutality of the scene paralyzed the remaining combatants.

"Run!"

The command spread like wildfire among the Sunagakure and Konoha forces. Shinobi abandoned their fights and fled in panic, sprinting as far as they could from the storm.

But the storm was relentless. Its gravitational pull dragged weaker ninjas back, their screams lost in the howling wind. Even corpses were swept into the vortex, reduced to nothing but red mist and fragments.

In the center of the storm, Minato stood within a glowing barrier barely a meter wide. The storm battered the shield relentlessly, causing ripples to spread across its surface.

Minato's expression remained calm, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of surprise.

"As expected of the Fourth Kazekage," he murmured. "To create such a technique is no small feat."

Despite the immense pressure, Minato showed no signs of panic. He had realized early on that retreating would only redirect the storm toward his troops, worsening the chaos.

Konoha can't afford heavy losses, he reminded himself. Every life lost would weaken their already precarious position in the war.

Through the translucent barrier, Minato spotted Rasa enduring the storm's fury as well. The Kazekage's defense of golden sand showed signs of strain, cracks forming along its surface.

Minato remained patient. If the storm continued, Rasa would collapse under its weight long before him.

But just as that thought crossed his mind, the storm's intensity shifted.

Minato's sharp eyes caught the change immediately. The storm's density increased, compressing into a smaller, more concentrated area. The golden sand swirled tighter, creating an almost solid barrier around him.

The pressure on Minato's barrier intensified, cracks appearing faster than they could be repaired.

Outside the storm, Rasa staggered as he retreated further. His golden cocoon fell away in layers, revealing his pale, sweat-drenched face. Gasping for air, he managed a grim smile.

This is my strongest technique, he thought, his confidence wavering. If this doesn't stop Namikaze Minato… nothing will.

Inside the storm, Minato remained focused. His hands moved swiftly, forming seals. A shadow clone appeared beside him, immediately stabilizing the barrier as the original began gathering chakra.

The barrier shuddered under the relentless assault. Minato knew it wouldn't hold for long.

In his palm, a spiraling orb of chakra began to form, its energy dense and volatile.

Rasa watched the storm with bated breath. His body trembled, exhaustion threatening to overwhelm him. If the golden storm failed, his defeat would be certain.

Suddenly, a strange sound reached his ears.

"Ding ding…"

The faint vibrations resonated through the air, a sound that grew sharper and more frequent with each passing moment.

Rasa's eyes widened in alarm.

"Buzz!"

A violent tremor rippled through the storm. Azure light seeped through the dense golden sand, accompanied by a howling wind that drowned out all other noise.

"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"

The shout rang out just as an explosion of unimaginable power tore through the storm. The golden sand disintegrated, reduced to fine particles that scattered across the battlefield like glittering dust.

Minato's figure emerged from the destruction, unharmed, the remnants of the storm dissipating behind him.

The battlefield fell silent, every eye turning to the blond shinobi standing amidst the golden haze.

Rasa stared at Minato, his mind reeling. He recalled the stories of the Second Ninja World War, of the terrifying wind-style ninjutsu that had destroyed Sunagakure's prized steel puppet a decade ago.

"So… this is the technique you used back then," Rasa muttered, his voice trembling.

The surrounding shinobi, both Konoha and Sunagakure, stood frozen. The outcome of the battle now rested on the two leaders.

Minato's gaze shifted to Rasa, who was half-crouched in exhaustion. The kunai in Minato's hand gleamed, but he hesitated.

If I kill him…

The thought lingered. Eliminating the Fourth Kazekage would demoralize the Sunagakure forces, securing victory for Konoha. But it would also escalate the conflict, pushing Sunagakure into a desperate, all-out war.

Minato lowered his kunai, his expression calm yet calculating. Turning away from Rasa, he surveyed the battlefield, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation.

Behind him, Rasa's teeth clenched in frustration.

"Is this how far we've fallen?" he muttered bitterly, shame and anger warring within him.

Reaching into his robes, he retrieved a signal flare and fired it into the sky. The flare burst, drawing the attention of two Sunagakure shinobi.

Minato's eyes flicked back toward the signal, suspicion flashing across his face. He watched as one of the Sunagakure ninja began forming hand seals, intricate patterns glowing on his palm.

"Fuinjutsu?"

The realization hit Minato like a lightning bolt. His figure vanished in a flash as he moved to intercept the shinobi.

But it was too late.

The sealing pattern activated, transferring its power to another ninja. Purple lines crawled across the recipient's body, and a monstrous chakra erupted from within him.

"Bang!"

A force unlike anything before swept through the battlefield, sending shockwaves that knocked shinobi from both sides off their feet.

The oppressive chakra filled the air, followed by a sinister, echoing laugh.

"Hahaha! I'm finally free, you pathetic humans!"

Minato's eyes locked on the towering figure that now stood before him. A massive, tanuki-like creature loomed over the battlefield, its presence suffocating.

"One-Tail… Shukaku," Minato muttered

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