CHAPTER 190: THE TSUCHIKAGE'S AMBUSH
The golden palm of the Great Buddha descended without hesitation, Ragnar pushing every ounce of his remaining strength into the strike. The massive hand blotted out the sky above, its five fingers reaching toward the heavens like pillars of pure light, radiating an intense golden radiance that painted the entire battlefield in amber hues.
The irresistible power of heaven itself seemed to flow through that palm.
At this moment, the Third Kazekage remained frozen in confusion.
Pure gold. The Great Buddha was constructed of pure gold—a metal his iron sand could not manipulate, could not control, could not defend against.
By the time his mind processed this terrible truth, the Buddha's palm was already upon him. It carried the crushing pressure of thunder, and the sheer force of its descent created gale-force winds that howled across the battlefield. The air itself seemed to scream, and the Kazekage's face trembled under the assault of that pressure.
But he was a Kage-level powerhouse. In the final instant between life and death, instinct took over.
The Third Kazekage summoned his iron sand from the earth below!
Grains of black sand rose around him like a swarm of furious insects, countless in number, forming an instant barrier between himself and oblivion.
"Do not underestimate a Kage!"
The Third Kazekage's roar cut through the wind. In that same moment, his Magnet Release condensed the black iron sand into a massive shield that materialized in the air before him—a wall of darkened metal standing against the golden light.
BANG!
DONG!
The Buddha's palm crashed against the iron sand shield. The impact created a deafening shockwave that radiated outward in all directions, distorting the very air until it became unstable, rippling like the surface of a disturbed pond.
ZZZZ—
Sharp, piercing frequencies cut through the atmosphere. Ninja across the battlefield clutched their ears in agony as the sound waves assaulted them. Blood seeped from mouths and noses involuntarily. The earth beneath their feet cracked and split from the invisible pressure.
"Shockwave!"
Ragnar's voice thundered despite his exhaustion. He had pushed himself beyond normal limits in this battle—the Five-Tails, the Kazekage, the thousand kneeling enemies—and now his physical strength was nearly depleted. Only scraps remained.
But he needed to end this. Now.
The shockwaves intensified, waves of concussive force hammering the iron sand shield again and again. For several seconds, the barrier held.
Then, with a sound like a tremendous bell shattering—
CRASH!
The iron sand shield exploded, blasted apart into individual particles that scattered across the sky like black snow. The Third Kazekage's ultimate defense had failed.
Behind Ragnar, the Great Buddha form began to flicker and fade. His strength was dropping rapidly, his body no longer able to sustain the colossal manifestation.
But the Kazekage had no time to celebrate this reprieve.
The moment his shield collapsed, the remaining shockwave struck him directly.
BOOM!
His body became a cannonball, launched violently into the earth below. He struck the ground with terrible force, burying himself deep in the crater his impact created. Blood flowed from every orifice—eyes, nose, mouth, ears. For a moment, he lay completely still.
"Lord Kazekage!"
Sunagakure's medical ninja rushed forward immediately. When they reached him, buried deep in the shattered soil, his eyes suddenly snapped open. He coughed, expelling scarlet blood that splattered across the ground.
His pupils were dilated to their absolute limit, the whites of his eyes so bloodshot they seemed ready to burst at any moment.
The medical ninja dropped to their knees around him, hands already glowing with healing chakra as they began emergency treatment.
As they worked, they noticed something remarkable—a thin layer of light black sand was shedding from the Kazekage's skin surface.
Iron sand armor.
The Third Kazekage had condensed a protective shell of iron sand against his skin long before the Buddha's palm fell. It was similar in concept to the sand armor Gaara would later develop—a final line of defense, meant to prevent instant death from overwhelming attacks.
Sunagakure's Kazekage lineage had always specialized in sand-based abilities. They excelled at long-range combat, and among the Five Kage, they were perhaps the most technically sophisticated in their approach to defense.
"Lord Kazekage's internal organs are damaged! Severe damage throughout!"
"Excessive blood loss—this may be life-threatening!"
"Dozens of broken bones! Ribs, spine, arms—multiple fractures everywhere!"
"By the Sage, the injuries are too severe!"
The more the medical ninja assessed, the greater their horror grew. Under normal circumstances, a man with wounds like these would already be dead. Only the iron sand armor had preserved him—and even that had nearly failed.
Without that shield, Lord Kazekage would certainly have perished.
From across the battlefield, Ragnar watched the scene unfold. He observed from a distance, noting the Kazekage's condition with clinical detachment. It was unfortunate—the timing had been just slightly off. He hadn't quite managed to kill the Kage with that final strike. His physical strength had given out at the worst possible moment.
The Great Buddha form was disappearing now. He descended slowly to the ground, landing on the broken earth. Behind him, only a faint golden shadow remained, flickering like a dying candle flame.
On the Sunagakure side, the Third Kazekage struggled to speak through his injuries. His voice was weak, each word costing him immense effort.
"If I cannot... continue... remember this. The next Kazekage must study... iron sand techniques... that can counter metals. Find a way... to counter them."
After forcing out these words, he coughed again, several mouthfuls of blood spilling from his lips.
"We understand!"
"We will remember, Lord Kazekage!"
"Please don't speak—you need to conserve your strength. The treatment can still work."
The medical ninja worked frantically as they spoke, and the Third Kazekage finally lost consciousness, his body going limp in their hands.
On the Iwagakure side of the battlefield, Onihei—the Tsuchikage's assistant—watched everything with an expression of profound relief. The Third Kazekage was young, still developing as a leader, and Onihei had seen the terror in his eyes during that final moment. Now the young Kage was disabled, unable to continue the fight.
Surrendering had been the wisest choice Onihei had ever made.
Yes, surrender carried shame. But shame was preferable to death.
Ragnar took a slow, deep breath, steadying himself. Then, with deliberate purpose, he raised his gaze to scan the distant mountain peaks.
There, miles away, two figures stood outlined against the sky.
"Uchiha Madara?"
Ragnar murmured the name softly. Even across dozens of miles, his eyes met the ancient Uchiha's gaze.
On the mountaintop—
"Madara-sama, is Rakshasa looking at us?" Black Zetsu asked, his voice careful, uncertain.
"Yes."
"But that's... that's impossible. From this distance? And we're hidden so thoroughly!" Black Zetsu's voice carried genuine shock.
"Powerful spirits recognize each other," Madara replied simply. "Come. The battle is over for now."
The old Uchiha turned, preparing to withdraw. But suddenly he paused, frowning. His gaze lifted—and a faint smile crossed his aged features.
Above the battlefield, a figure was descending through the sky a thousand meters up.
"Oh?" Madara's voice carried amusement now. "This could be interesting."
On the battlefield below—
Ragnar had been preparing to rest, to recover his strength before dealing with the aftermath of the battle. But suddenly, his Observation Haki flared to life without conscious effort—a warning signal screaming through his mind.
This feeling...
This was a crisis equal to anything he had faced today. A threat on the level of life and death itself.
But who could still pose such a danger? The Sand ninja were broken. The Iwa ninja had surrendered. Konoha was friendly.
The answer came from above.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
The voice that thundered from the sky was old, furious, and filled with killing intent. Ragnar looked up—and his blood ran cold.
A square pillar of white light was falling toward him from the heavens.
It looked almost beautiful—like pure, ordinary light given form. But it moved too fast, far too fast for any normal reaction. And the aura emanating from it made everyone who sensed it tremble with instinctive fear. It was as if nothing in existence could stand before that light.
Nothing could block it. Nothing could stop it. Everything would simply cease to exist.
The source of that terrible light was a short, elderly ninja suspended in the air high above. He wore earthen armor and had the distinctive large nose of his clan. Despite his small stature, he radiated power that made the very atmosphere feel heavy.
Dust Release. The bloodline limit that combined three chakra natures into something beyond normal jutsu. The power to disintegrate matter at the molecular level.
The Tsuchikage himself. Onoki of Iwagakure.
In that frozen moment, Ragnar had no time to wonder why the Tsuchikage was here instead of guarding his village. No time to question how he had arrived unseen. No time for anything except the certain knowledge that death was descending upon him.
Dust Release. The bloodline ability that claimed it could destroy anything.
The next instant, the light was all around him. The crystalline cage of Dust Release had already formed, completely enclosing his body.
"Lord Tsuchikage!"
Onihei's voice cracked with emotion as he spotted the figure standing proudly in the sky a thousand meters above the battlefield. Tears streamed down his face.
"RAGNAR!"
The battle had shifted in an instant. Konoha's forces had no time to react, no chance to intervene. Tsunade's face went pale with horror as she watched the white light consume her little brother.
"Rakshasa, is it?" Onoki's voice carried cold satisfaction. "Let's see how well you burn to ashes before this old man's Dust Release."
He floated in the air, ancient and immovable, his hands extended as the technique completed its deadly work.
The white light began to expand.
(End of Chapter)
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