The Third Kazekage had earned the title of the strongest largely because of his "Magnet Release: Iron Sand"
It allowed him to manipulate iron particles with extreme precision, combining both offense and defense into a single, highly versatile ability.
Rasa, on the other hand, became the Fourth Kazekage not just because of his Gold Dust technique...
But because of where he fought.
In the desert, his ability gave him a massive environmental advantage, even enough to suppress the One-Tail.
As for Gaara...
Even after losing his tailed beast, he still retained control over sand.
Exactly how that worked wasn't entirely clear, but it certainly didn't seem to reach the same level of refinement.
All of them possessed Magnet Release.
But in reality...
What they used were only fragments of it.
Limited applications.
Incomplete control.
What Ethan now held...
Was different.
He possessed the complete form of Magnet Release.
At its highest level, it could manipulate anything with magnetic properties.
Something closer to full-spectrum control than any single variation seen before.
Of course...
He was nowhere near that level yet.
Not even close.
But even now...
Controlling heavy metal objects at high speed, reinforcing them, increasing their effective weight and impact...
That alone was already more than enough.
Based on his earlier test...
The speed he could achieve was easily multiple times the speed of sound.
And under Magnet Release, the density and force behind those weapons increased dramatically.
High mass.
Extreme speed.
Together...
They became devastating.
Outside of the truly absurd monsters that appeared later in the timeline...
Ethan couldn't think of many who could withstand that.
And even those few...
If they weren't actively defending...
They wouldn't come out of it unharmed.
This was only the beginning.
Once upgraded further...
It would only grow stronger.
Eventually...
It might even evolve beyond Magnet Release entirely.
That thought alone filled him with a sense of security.
Satisfied, Ethan turned and headed toward the bathroom.
.
.
Several kilometers away...
Inside another house...
"Are you still not going to sleep?"
Yashalei stood at the doorway, looking at her sister.
Karura sat by the window, her chin resting lightly on her hand, her gaze fixed on the distance.
She glanced briefly at Yashalei...
Then, they returned to staring outside.
Something in her expression felt… distant.
Yashalei's concern deepened.
She walked over quietly and rested her head against her sister's shoulder.
"What's wrong? You've been like this ever since dinner."
Karura didn't respond immediately.
Her eyes remained fixed on the far horizon.
Even from this distance...
Through rows of buildings and shifting desert winds...
She imagined she could still see him.
Busy.
Focused.
Moving forward.
After a long pause...
She finally spoke.
Her voice was soft.
Almost fragile.
"I wish we were stronger."
"If we were… maybe we could actually help him."
"Instead of worrying about getting in the way…"
"Or hesitating to even go see him."
Yashalei frowned slightly.
Her sister had always been gentle.
But not like this.
This wasn't just gentleness.
It was uncertainty.
She understood immediately who Karura was talking about.
For a brief moment, conflicting emotions stirred inside her.
But she quickly pushed them aside.
She took a breath.
Then reached out, gently but firmly turning her sister to face her.
"Then why are you sitting here overthinking everything?"
"Why not just go see him and ask?"
Karura's eyes flickered with light...
Then dimmed again.
She looked away.
"We've only met a couple of times."
"What would he think if I suddenly showed up like that?"
"Wouldn't it seem… opportunistic?"
Yashalei's patience snapped.
She grabbed her sister's hands and pulled her toward the door.
"I can't stand seeing you like this!"
"You're worrying about what he might think instead of doing anything at all!"
"Even if he misunderstands you...so what?"
"Explain yourself."
"Talk to him."
"That's better than sitting here, as you've already lost something!"
Karura froze for a moment...
Then flushed slightly at her sister's blunt words.
"Yashalei! You can't just say things like that!"
She pulled her back, trying to regain control of the situation.
Yashalei lowered her head obediently as she got scolded...
But when she glanced up briefly...
She noticed something.
The heaviness in her sister's expression was gone.
And that was enough.
.
.
Elsewhere...
Pakura lay quietly in bed, listening to the sound of wind and sand outside.
She reached up, touching her forehead slightly.
A faint frown appeared.
"…That's strange."
"For a moment, I felt like I remembered something… but it doesn't make sense."
"Chiyo ordering a full search across the Land of Wind?"
"That shouldn't even have happened."
"Ethan already stopped that earlier… and everyone agreed."
Her voice faded into the quiet room, swallowed by the sound of the desert wind.
Back in his room...
After finishing his shower, Ethan lay down and closed his eyes.
He hoped for a good dream.
Preferably one involving Tsunade.
She was still fresh in his mind.
And this time...
He got exactly what he wanted.
In his dream...
He stood at the center of a life he had never imagined before.
Surrounded by beauty.
Control.
Indulgence.
Everything felt vivid.
Too vivid.
Then...
He saw her.
Tsunade.
His expression shifted immediately.
He walked toward her slowly, a faint smile forming.
She noticed him at once.
Her face flushed, and she instinctively moved to guard herself.
"What are you doing?"
Her voice was sharp, defensive.
But Ethan didn't stop.
The dream bent around him.
Obeyed him.
And in that moment...
All restraint faded.
The scene intensified...
Blurring the line between imagination and sensation.
Until...
At the very peak...
He woke up.
Ethan stared at the ceiling.
Then glanced down.
"…Again."
He let out a quiet breath, shaking his head.
"Always right at the end."
Still...
This one had felt different.
More vivid.
More real.
He sat up slowly, rubbing his face.
"A dream like that…"
A faint smile appeared.
"Guess I know what I'm thinking about too much lately."
With that, he stood up, grabbed fresh clothes...
And headed back toward the bathroom.
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