"Lord Shiraishi!"
At the assembly corridor leading to the Ancient Kingdom of Roran, Arashi Arakawa and Teisui had already arrived. Unlike Shikasa's casual demeanor, Arashi maintained an attitude of profound respect toward Shiraishi.
After Shiraishi briefly outlined the mission details regarding the ancient kingdom, the trio wasted no time and set off toward Roran with great haste.
"The ancient puppet techniques of Roran belong to a different school than those of the Hidden Sand.
While their style allows for the simultaneous control of a greater number of puppets, their weaknesses are far more glaring," Shikasa remarked. As a member of a puppet-master lineage, he was intimately familiar with the various schools of puppetry within the Land of Wind.
Stopping mid-stride, Shiraishi turned to his companion. "Weaknesses?"
Shikasa lightly twitched the chakra threads on his fingers as he explained, "By infusing chakra into a kunai or senbon, one can easily slice through their chakra threads. Because of this, while that school of puppetry exists in the Sand, very few people choose to practice it."
Chakra threads that were easily severed were an intolerable flaw for the mainstream puppet masters of the Sand; they preferred to control fewer puppets to ensure perfect mastery and durability.
"But puppets bolstered by the power of the Dragon Vein will be entirely different," Shiraishi noted. He didn't care much for Roran's ancient puppetry; rather, his interest lay in the Dragon Vein itself and its ability to influence the power of space and time.
Before executing a mission, one required sufficient intelligence. The power and destructive potential of a Dragon Vein-enhanced puppet army were still unknown variables, so Shiraishi needed to make a further assessment.
"Then, let's go!"
As Shiraishi moved his hands, his silver Magnet Release manifested into a large disc that swiftly lifted the three of them. Without any hindrance, the disc levitated and soared toward the location of Roran at extreme speeds.
This level of Magnet Release control... far surpasses the previous head of the Arakawa clan.
Arashi Arakawa, a fellow practitioner of Sand Control, was struck with awe as he witnessed the fluid transformations of Shiraishi's silver sand. Such an ingenious application of Magnet Release was unlike anything he had ever seen.
In truth, Akita Arakawa had attempted to develop Magnet Release as well, and though he had successfully condensed some iron sand, its effectiveness and versatility paled in comparison to Shiraishi's sophisticated methods.
Standing on the floating disc, Shikasa looked delighted. "Wow, this way of moving is so stylish! At this rate, we'll reach Roran in no time!"
Shiraishi's levitation speed was remarkable. He had previously made the trip from the Land of Rivers to the Southern Coast to kill Moro in just a few hours; now, with his control refined, his travel speed had increased significantly.
The three Jonin crossed the desert expanse at high velocity. Throughout the journey, they saw nothing but the blur of yellow dunes as the landscape shifted rapidly before their eyes.
"Shiraishi, do you need to rest?"
"No need..."
Thanks to the Sand Gathering Art, Shiraishi's chakra supply in the desert was virtually infinite. He activated the art to replenish himself while simultaneously converting a portion of the environment into silver sand.
"There it is—Roran!"
At a glance, the Kingdom of Roran, with its forest of towering spires, gave off a mysterious and solemn atmosphere. Within those massive towers, the ninja from the future, Naruto Uzumaki, had just encountered Queen Sara.
But before he could ask her any questions, he was suddenly attacked by mysterious puppets.
After years of practice, Anrokuzan's puppetry had far surpassed his original abilities as Mukade, especially after merging Roran's ancient techniques with his own. His puppets' combat capabilities were now far superior to standard models.
Two puppets, moving like high-speed automatons, pincer-attacked Naruto. Amidst a violent explosion, Naruto, holding a chakra-infused kunai, managed to sever their threads.
Following Captain Yamato's previous teachings, Naruto had found a way to deal with the puppets. However, the number of puppets controlled by Anrokuzan was overwhelming, and Naruto was soon surrounded.
Just as Anrokuzan focused his attention on Naruto, Shiraishi's team arrived at the outskirts of the kingdom.
"Roran has a barrier erected..." Arashi reported after checking the perimeter, identifying the barrier's anchor points.
Generally, one does not lightly probe or destroy another nation's barrier, as such an act is equivalent to a declaration of war. But Roran had long since weakened, and the Sand represented the Land of Wind—a regional superpower.
Confirming the existence of the protective barrier, Shiraishi took action personally. The surrounding area transformed into a sea of silver sand, rising like a furious wave that roared forward and shattered Roran's external barrier in a single strike.
Immediately after, massive silver walls of Magnet Release sand erupted around the outskirts of the ancient city, forming a set of colossal fortifications that completely blockaded the kingdom, leaving no way out.
Pushing up his glasses, Shiraishi said, "Roran is now locked down by my technique; ordinary ninjas will find it impossible to break through. Let us enter and investigate."
Looking at the magnificent, sprawling silver wall complex, Teisui clicked his tongue in wonder. When did this guy's style become so simple and violent?
The moment the silver walls rose, the interior of Roran was shrouded in shadows, as if the end of the world had arrived.
As the desert floor turned to silver and the barrier shattered, Naruto—who was still locked in combat with the puppets—looked up at the massive silver ramparts in shock. He hadn't expected Sand ninjas to appear. "This jutsu... It's a lot like Gaara's..."
"How is this possible?! Sand Control on such a scale!"
Anrokuzan's eyes widened in shock. He never expected the Sand to act so quickly, let alone use Magnet Release to blockade the entire nation. Was this the same Hidden Sand he remembered?
In his original timeline, the only one capable of such feats was the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, but Rasa used Gold Dust, not this silver sand.
Furthermore, the Fourth Kazekage's strength shouldn't have reached this level. Could it be that 'Black Mist Shiraishi'? Right, the silver sand must be him.
If his true identity was revealed by the brat from the future, things would get complicated. He had to kill that kid first!
Anrokuzan commanded a larger legion of puppets to swarm Naruto. Faced with the sudden surge in enemies, Naruto fell into a dire crisis.
As the number of puppets grew, Naruto struggled and was wounded in several places.
As Naruto was forced back step by step, thousands of silver needles suddenly rained down from the sky. Infused with the dominant chakra, they instantly shattered the chakra threads of countless puppets.
This is...
When Naruto looked up, he saw three ninjas wearing Hidden Sand forehead protectors floating in mid-air, standing atop a silver disc of sand.
"A Leaf ninja?"
Shiraishi frowned as he looked at the blonde boy below. Why was a Leaf ninja here? Had Konoha already begun taking action against Roran on their own?
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