The Third Kazekage's Magnet Release manipulated iron sand into numerous straight lines, dividing this area into large zones. The Sunagakure Ninja rushed in, mercilessly unleashing their ultimate techniques to attack the enemies before them.
The initial chaos caused the Land of Fire's side to retreat, leaving behind many corpses. However, after the Konoha Ninja commanders arrived on the scene, the situation gradually stabilized. Although it remained somewhat disadvantageous for them, at least they were no longer being passively beaten as they were at the start.
After handing Monzaemon over to two of his peers, Fūmori Masaki ran to the gap in the city wall. He saw his other two peers commanding the defense and spotted two familiar figures among the Sunagakure Ninja. He knew in his heart that the Sunagakure Ninja had truly given their all this time.
If they could block this surprise attack by Sunagakure, the outcome of this war would basically be decided. Fūmori Masaki lowered his body slightly, his eyes bright. Defeating the Third Kazekage was something that had to be done.
As he unleashed his full strength, he rushed out of the city like a gale. Others along the way felt a strong wind blow past them, but they did not see a single figure.
Mitokado Haru and Homura Mitokado also felt this wind. Unlike the Sunagakure Ninja, intuition told them who had caused it, and they probably guessed its destination. Among the peers present, only that person was best suited to end the battle quickly.
"We leave it to you, Masaki. We will handle the rest!"
Mitokado Haru and Homura Mitokado exchanged a look, as if encouraged. The moves they used became more flexible and varied, making their opponents, Chiyo and Ebizo, feel uncomfortable for a moment and forcing them into a defensive position.
Chiyo did not know why the woman before her suddenly seemed as if she had taken a secret drug. Perhaps out of a woman's intuition, it reminded her of the wind from earlier, as that wind also gave her a familiar feeling—very similar to what she felt when fighting that man, though she was not entirely sure.
Chiyo thought about it for only a moment before casting it aside. The most important thing now was to destroy everything here as much as possible. Even if the resistance from the Konoha Ninja and samurai was fierce, she believed that victory would belong to Sunagakure. As long as Zhen Ming's Magnet Release Secret Technique was present, this city would definitely fall.
Knowing this, Fūmori Masaki was running towards the Third Kazekage—that is, Zhen Ming's location. In his eyes, there were abnormally active ripples on that iron sand. Since these phenomena converged at a single point, that place was the location of the Magnet Release user.
Fortunately, the opponent also seemed to be approaching. Generally speaking, staying as far away as possible could ensure safety, but from his own perspective, the greater the distance, the more massive amounts of Chakra he had to expend to maintain the power of Magnet Release. Even the Third Kazekage, known as the strongest, might have an extraordinary amount of Chakra, but he would not choose such a wasteful method; therefore, closing the distance was an inevitable choice.
For Fūmori Masaki, this was certainly good news. Although the opponent's actions were also very cautious and he would not get too close—not even entering the danger zone of the battlefield between Tobirama and the Second Kazekage—Fūmori Masaki had to pass through their battlefield to catch up to the Third Kazekage, as it was the fastest path.
Although the Third Kazekage was called the strongest, the Second Kazekage's strength was also extraordinary. These Ninjas who had lived through the Warring States Period were not to be trifled with; even at the peak of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, they would have to deal with these people seriously to defeat them. This remained true in later generations; despite Uchiha Madara dealing with the Five Kage with ease when using his full power, if he had used only the power he displayed when he wasn't serious, and if he were in a living state, he likely would have been severely injured or even killed by the tacit cooperation of the Five Kage long ago. Only with the Edo Tensei body did Uchiha Madara have such a margin for error.
The Secret Technique developed by the Second Kazekage included many abilities that could utilize the terrain. Thus, he used the convenience of the terrain to entangle with Tobirama. The towering waves and the terrain pulled by the gale collided, forming an area that ordinary people could not approach, but it was not a problem for Fūmori Masaki, who possessed Sage Power.
A figure wove through the gaps between the clashing Ninjutsu. Before every powerful impact arrived, he changed his position as if he had foreseen it, and he did so perfectly—neither being affected by the impact nor expending unnecessary energy by going too far. It was simply flawless.
The battle between Tobirama and the Second Kazekage was fast-paced, but every step they took was well-considered, almost utilizing their full analytical capabilities. It was at this moment that Tobirama noticed Fūmori Masaki passing through. In a short time, he understood Fūmori Masaki's goal. If not for the ongoing battle, he would have truly wanted to give Fūmori Masaki an appreciative look; in this situation, to quickly determine the priority enemy and then take action himself—both his judgment and his ability to act were excellent.
"I hope you deal with that person who manipulates iron sand as soon as possible; otherwise, the balance of the war will tilt toward the Land of Wind."
Carrying the expectations of others, Fūmori Masaki emerged from the battlefield unscathed and continued, without slowing down, toward the Third Kazekage's location. Only a blurry black line streaked across the ground.
While Zhen Ming was on his way, he placed iron sand around himself. As long as something passed through the iron sand, it would be fed back to him; this could also be considered a means of perception. Suddenly, Zhen Ming felt a slight impact coming from the iron sand, causing his brow to furrow slightly.
The impact was so slight that one might be tempted to ignore it, but at a time like this, Zhen Ming did not want to overlook any suspicious detail. The result proved that this thought was correct.
Just as Zhen Ming made a move, he saw a blurry shadow appear in front of him, and then a gust of wind blew against his face. His eyes widened, and almost subconsciously, he manipulated the iron sand to form a barrier in front of him, while simultaneously covering the areas to his sides.
But in the blink of an eye, Zhen Ming saw a cold light pass through the barrier, tearing it apart. Although he could manipulate the iron sand to recover quickly—and normally, cold weapons would be useless—the opponent's movements were so fast that he almost failed to react. Even when using Magnet Release at his fastest speed, he discovered that there was a wind within the torn gaps that hindered the iron sand's ability to repair itself.
However, a small gap was not enough for a person to slip through. Although Fūmori Masaki was like a black line when moving at high speed, that did not mean he was actually a black line. Of course, he still had other ways to launch an attack through that small gap.
A faint light flickered before his eyes, and Zhen Ming instantly felt a threat of death. He hurriedly manipulated the iron sand to move his body and dodge, but it was too late. The light came very quickly, grazing Zhen Ming's right shoulder. He felt no pain, but the next moment, his right shoulder was severed.
A delayed, excruciating pain tormented Zhen Ming. He pressed down hard on his right arm, manipulating the iron sand to cover it, barely maintaining it so it wouldn't fall off. The blow just now had chilled him to the bone; if it had struck anywhere else, he surely would have died. That rapid attack had been too fast for his body to react, but in a way, it had helped him. Before his Chakra Network was completely severed, he had been able to manipulate the iron sand to compensate, preventing him from losing his arm and becoming unable to form seals.
Even so, Zhen Ming felt that the situation had not improved at all. The enemy's strength was beyond imagination; he should have chosen to put some distance between them, but the opponent had not given him the opportunity.
Fūmori Masaki felt that the Third Kazekage's strength was indeed powerful. By mastering the Secret Technique of Magnet Release, he could easily exert combat capabilities against armies and cities. If he had been prepared and at a medium distance, perhaps victory would not have been guaranteed. However, because of the suddenness of the encounter, the Third Kazekage had been pulled into his most proficient field—close-quarters combat—where he could not leverage the advantages of Magnet Release. In terms of difficulty, Fūmori Masaki felt that the current Third Kazekage was no better than Chiyo.
Just as Fūmori Masaki had thought before, given enough time, Chiyo would have died by his hand. This time, with no one else to interfere in his battle with the Third Kazekage, there could only be one outcome.
The Third Kazekage's response was excellent. Although iron sand was not as flexible and varied as pure sand, the shapes he created were not only powerful but also fast, even capable of pursuing enemies. However, in this high-speed close-quarters battle, none of that mattered.
Zhen Ming's body stopped mid-movement. A wind cutter pierced through his body, then was withdrawn. A moment later, blood gushed from the wound in his chest; his heart had been destroyed. Unless one was the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, had an immortal body like Hidan, or possessed multiple hearts like Kakuzu, it was impossible to survive.
"Heh, I didn't expect such an ending," Zhen Ming said self-deprecatingly, looking at the man who had appeared clearly before him for the first time. "You must be Fūmori Masaki, right?"
Fūmori Masaki nodded.
As if relieved, Zhen Ming smiled lightly. With regret in his heart, his body fell backward. The iron sand at his sides, having lost the power of Magnet Release, poured down like water, covering him like a magnetic tombstone.
the new third hokage of konoha