Chapter 87: The Gold Digger Appears! It's All Money!

Haru and Rinkaku exchanged a quick glance.

"What should we do? Attack or retreat?"

"Retreat without even trying to fight? That doesn't sit right with me."

They chuckled softly before stopping, balancing on the thick tree trunk.

"Rokudenashi, can you handle traps?"

Kazuyama gave a confident nod. Setting traps was second nature to him—something he excelled at.

"Perfect. Haru, shall we get started?"

"Let's do it!"

The three got to work immediately, setting up traps with practiced precision. Wire snares and explosive tags were arranged in perfect sync, their teamwork seamless. They wanted to make the traps more elaborate, but the enemy was closing in fast. Time wasn't on their side.

When the traps were ready, they split up and took cover, each finding a hiding spot to wait for the enemy's approach.

"Chōmei, can you sense how strong the other side is?"

"You'd better ask Nine-Tails about that. I can only sense emotions, nothing more. When it comes to the other Tailed Beasts, I've got nothing at all."

Chōmei popped a fat insect into his mouth and crunched down, looking far too pleased with himself.

"Alright, then. Prepare some Scale Powder for me, just in case."

"Sure. What type do you need? Sleep? Paralysis? Or straight-up death?"

Chōmei perked up at the mention of Scale Powder, grinning.

"Kazuyama, I've been meaning to tell you—I recently cooked up a new Scale Powder. It can blind people, just like your flash bombs, but it's way stronger!"

Kazuyama's heart skipped a beat. Blind people? Scale Powder? It sounded just like the Hiding in Scale Powder technique used by Fū, the original Seven-Tails Jinchūriki.

Still, it wasn't exactly his style. For his purposes, powders that caused unconsciousness or paralysis were far more useful—they made stealing a lot easier.

Chōmei handed over the powder in no time, giving a toothy grin. "Here you go. Quick, aren't I?"

Kazuyama barely had time to respond. His Hive Mind had already detected the enemy approaching.

Rasa led the group into the trap zone, his sharp eyes scanning their surroundings. He stopped abruptly, narrowing his gaze with a faint sneer.

"Stop," he ordered.

The five others behind him froze without question. When Rasa gave an order like that, it was never without reason. Danger was ahead.

"Come out," Rasa called, his voice calm but commanding. "Why bother hiding if you've come this far? Do you think a trap like this is enough to stop us? Or is this really the best Konoha ninja can do?"

He stood motionless, arms crossed, as the gold buried beneath the ground began to shift and flow.

"Very sharp," Haru muttered under his breath, his voice laced with cold annoyance.

He turned to Kazuyama and gave him a hard, pointed look.

Kazuyama froze. He recognized that look—it was the same one he'd seen before, in the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Wind. It was the look of someone who had decided to fight to the death.

Haru's expression was a clear signal: Leave. Notify the village.

"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!"

With the trap having failed, Haru didn't hesitate. He quickly formed hand seals, unleashing a violent flame that surged toward Rasa and his team like a torrent of blazing light.

Seeing the technique in action, Kazuyama sighed internally. The Sarutobi Clan…

The Great Flame Technique was the Sarutobi Clan's signature—a Fire Release Secret Technique passed down through generations. Its flames were so intense that anything caught in the inferno would be reduced to ashes in an instant.

Haru's mastery of the technique went even further. He infused his nature transformation, causing the roaring flames to condense into a sharp, focused line. The result? Higher temperatures and a piercing intensity that made the attack even deadlier.

"This is starting to look good!"

"Gold Dust Imperial Funeral."

Rasa acted swiftly. Large quantities of golden sand surged from the ground, forming a massive wall under his control. The wall absorbed the flames, illuminating the dark forest with a radiant golden glow. Even the trees were bathed in shimmering light, the golden hue reflecting against the night sky.

Kazuyama was momentarily stunned by the sight. His thoughts wandered.

Steal it all! Steal all this golden sand! Money! So much money!

But before he could act on his greedy impulse, Haru and Rinkaku were already in motion. They descended from the treetops, their long swords gleaming as they slashed downward, aiming directly for Rasa's head.

The Sunagakure Jōnin, however, were far from defenseless. They reacted swiftly, prepared for battle.

"Kill them, and don't make a sound!"

The fiery spectacle from Haru's earlier attack had drawn attention but caused no serious damage, leaving Rasa determined to finish this quickly. He was still focused on his mission and opted for a ruthless, decisive approach.

"Magnet Release? Damn it!"

"Konoha Style: Kenjutsu—Maple Leaf!"

Rinkaku's blade danced through the air like falling leaves, its erratic trajectory slicing toward the enemy with precision. The Sunagakure ninja, startled, instinctively retreated—save for one, Umahara, who charged straight at Rinkaku.

The rest of the Suna ninjas made their move toward Haru.

Umahara raised his right hand, gathering an invisible gust of wind.

"Blade of Wind!"

A sharp gale burst forth, forming an ethereal blade infused with a deadly edge.

"Clang!"

The wind blade collided with Rinkaku's sword, creating a metallic clash that reverberated through the forest. The force was immense, instantly shattering Rinkaku's blade.

Yet Rinkaku's reflexes were sharp. In the split second before the wind blade could hit him, he used the Body Replacement Technique, narrowly evading the attack.

"They're both Jōnin-level!"

"Damn it!"

Rinkaku's heart sank as he stepped back cautiously. From the very first exchange, it was clear—his opponents were unquestionably all Jōnin.

Among them, the one wielding Magnet Release had to hold a high rank in Sunagakure. After all, the current Kazekage himself was known for his mastery of Magnet Release.

"Retreat!" he barked, knowing they had no choice.

But their enemies weren't about to let them escape so easily.

"Don't let them get away!"

"Gold Dust Imperial Funeral—Trap!"

A massive wave of golden sand erupted from the ground, encircling Rinkaku and Haru. Within moments, they were completely trapped, the shimmering walls of gold forming an inescapable cage.

The two looked utterly miserable, like birds caught in a snare with no room to flee. Yet, neither panicked. They still had a glimmer of hope. Rokudenashi, also known as Kazuyama, was outside the golden prison. If he could get away and call for reinforcements, these Sunagakure shinobi wouldn't stand a chance.

What they didn't know, however, was that Kazuyama had other ideas.

Standing before the glittering gold, his eyes practically gleamed with greed.

"Chōmei, can your chakra isolate the gold?" he asked, his voice calm but tinged with excitement.

"Huh? What do you mean, isolate it?" the voice of Chōmei, his partner, echoed in his mind.

"Come on, think for once. This is Magnet Release gold. I want you to use your chakra to sever the link between the caster and the gold. Can you do that?"

"Hmm… yeah, I guess that's doable. My chakra's powerful—no human chakra could compete with it. But what's the point? Can't they just reconnect their chakra to it afterward?"

"Just do it! Leave the rest to me," Kazuyama replied with a smirk.

His grin widened as his eyes lingered on the shimmering gold. To him, it wasn't just a trap; it was a treasure.

"Today's my lucky day," he muttered, practically salivating at the thought. "They've already delivered the gold right to my doorstep. No way am I leaving without it!"

(100 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake