Chapter 90: One Thousand Years of Death... Strikes Rasa!

"Damn it!"

Even with the defense of his golden sand, Rasa could feel the intense heat creeping against his back. He took a few sharp steps forward, and the golden sand coalesced into massive hands that lunged toward Kazuyama. However, by the time his attack landed, Kazuyama had vanished again.

A string of failed strikes forced Rasa to calm himself. Pressing one hand over his eyes, the golden sand floating in the air condensed into an eyeball and slowly rose into the sky.

Kazuyama couldn't help but smirk when he spotted the gleaming eye.

"An eye of golden sand, perfect for observation... Chōmei, your new Scale Powder could come in really handy!"

Indeed, the first thing Kazuyama thought of upon seeing the eye was Chōmei's Hiding in Scale Powder. That technique relied on a blinding powder to emit a brilliant light—perfect for neutralizing this type of reconnaissance.

"Oh, an eye!"

"Hahahaha, I think this'll do the trick!"

As Kazuyama and his partner laughed, Rasa's attack came once more. The large golden hands surged forward again—this time more numerous, surging from every direction.

"Hmph. Just teleportation based on set coordinates? With my Third Eye watching you, I doubt you'll escape me this time!"

Every Kage-level ninja is extraordinary, and Rasa was no exception. After being outmaneuvered twice, he had deciphered a clue in Kazuyama's movements.

Armed with his Third Eye's aerial vision, Rasa could track every move Kazuyama made and organize a more effective assault.

But what Rasa failed to anticipate was the sheer audacity and cunning of Kazuyama's tactics.

"Ninja Art: Hiding in Scale Powder!"

This time, instead of using the Flying Thunder God Technique to evade, Kazuyama leapt high into the air, heading straight for the Third Eye. As he ascended, he flung a kunai toward Rasa and brought his hands together, spitting out a mouthful of Scale Powder.

The powder erupted into a dazzling burst of white light.

"Ahhh! My eyes!"

Rasa was the first to be blinded by the intense flash. Worse, the light was absorbed by his detached Third Eye and transmitted directly to his vision, doubling the agony.

What does it mean to "trap yourself in a cocoon"? This was exactly Rasa's predicament. The sharp vision he relied on to suppress his opponents had turned into his greatest weakness, leaving him completely blinded by Kazuyama's flash technique.

The "Third Eye" was an extraordinary jutsu, allowing Rasa to transform his own eyes into floating constructs of golden sand for reconnaissance. But now, it had turned against him.

Clutching his eyes in pain, Rasa left himself open to attack. Kazuyama didn't waste the opportunity.

Using the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the kunai he had thrown, Kazuyama appeared right in front of Rasa. Though still at a slight distance, he bridged the gap in an instant with the Body Flicker Technique, appearing behind Rasa in a blur.

Then, Kazuyama struck with the infamous One Thousand Years of Death!

"Ahhh!!!"

The searing pain forced a scream from Rasa's lips. Reflexively, he commanded the gold sand to envelop him in a protective barrier.

Kazuyama looked at him with a mixture of pity and amusement, as though he hadn't yet had his fill. But his objective had been achieved. Without hesitation, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, vanishing into the distance to wait for Rasa to recover.

"Bastard! How dare you pull this stunt!"

"I'll get you! I'll kill you!"

Blinded by rage and still reeling from the pain, Rasa unleashed a wild, indiscriminate assault. The gold sand surrounding him morphed into a barrage of senbon-like projectiles, firing in every direction with devastating force.

Kazuyama quickly took cover behind a tree, but he underestimated the sheer power of the attack. The senbon tore straight through the thick tree trunk as if it were nothing.

"Damn, is it really this strong?!"

"I've got to dodge!"

Reacting instantly, Kazuyama activated the Flying Thunder God Technique once more, teleporting several kilometers away to escape the devastating attack.

The relentless barrage of senbon continued for what felt like an eternity—nearly a full minute—before finally coming to a stop. The battlefield fell eerily silent, and only then did Kazuyama cautiously reappear. However, his expression darkened the moment he surveyed the aftermath.

At least four or five of the kunai he'd planted as teleportation markers were gone, obliterated.

Each kunai bore the intricately inscribed formula essential to his technique. For them to be destroyed outright meant the senbon had been overwhelmingly powerful, strong enough to pierce and shatter the reinforced metal. The sheer destructive force left Kazuyama quietly impressed.

Meanwhile, Rasa was in agony. The stinging in his eyes was beginning to subside, but the searing pain coursing through his body was only getting worse. His face contorted with fury and pain, his bloodshot, crimson-tinged eyes blazing with hatred.

"I'll kill you!!!"

Rasa's enraged roar echoed across the battlefield, but Kazuyama didn't flinch. From a safe distance, he stood calmly, his confidence unwavering. Beneath his mask, a sly smile crept across his face.

"Oh, that's right," he thought with amusement. "He can't even see my grin."

Kazuyama's voice was calm but laced with mockery as he spoke, taunting his furious opponent.

"As the heir to the Kazekage, I'd have thought you'd know Konoha's secrets better."

"You've heard of Konoha's White Fang, haven't you? Surely, you're familiar with the devastating might of the legendary One Thousand Years of Death technique?"

It wasn't just the technique's physical impact that made it infamous—it was the utter humiliation it inflicted. And judging by the way Rasa's face paled, Kazuyama's words had hit their mark perfectly.

"Damn it!"

"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!"

Through the pain, Rasa unleashed another attack. The golden sand, which had scattered into senbon moments earlier, surged together once more and charged toward Kazuyama with relentless fury. The sheer volume and speed made it clear—Rasa intended to entomb Kazuyama completely beneath the crushing weight of gold.

But Kazuyama wasn't about to let that happen.

With the Flying Thunder God Technique, he teleported to the only remaining coordinate he had left. However, the few coordinates left behind were dangerously close together, giving the golden sand less distance to cover as it surged toward him.

"Kazuyama, your chakra is almost gone! You should retreat!" Chōmei's voice echoed urgently in his mind.

"No, it's not enough!" Kazuyama shot back.

And of course, it wasn't. The lack of any system prompt signaled one thing—he hadn't done enough yet! This wasn't just a fight. He was up against the future Fourth Kazekage, and he wasn't about to let this chance slip by without squeezing every last advantage out of it.

That said, Chōmei was right. The chakra he'd borrowed had been almost entirely spent. It hadn't even been enough to reach the level of a Tailed Beast's cloak, and he'd burned through it quickly—constantly teleporting, attacking, and countering.

Before the fight even began, he had used a significant amount of chakra to transport the gold. The relentless attacks afterward had left him utterly drained. His breaths were ragged, his muscles burning with exhaustion.

But this was Kazuyama, the man who prided himself on keeping trump cards hidden better than anyone else. If the Flying Thunder God Technique was no longer an option, he'd simply rely on something else—something far more dangerous.

"Chōmei," Kazuyama said, his voice resolute. "I'll show you what it means to go beyond human limits!"

Chōmei's eyes widened with confusion as Kazuyama faced the oncoming tide of golden sand.

Without hesitation, Kazuyama crossed his arms, palms facing outward, and crouched low, his voice ringing out loud and clear.

"Eight Inner Gates! First Gate: Gate of Opening! OPEN!"

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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