"Hyōton: Sōsakugeki (Ice Release: Twin Halberd Spears)!!!"
Chiba crossed his arms, and in that instant, the surrounding temperature plummeted. Vast torrents of freezing chakra surged outward, condensing at an extreme density before taking form. Two enormous halberd-shaped spears of ice erupted into existence, their edges sharp enough to distort the air itself as they tore forward, streaking toward Rasa like twin comets of frost.
"Gold Dust Shield (Kinpun no Tate)!!!"
Rasa reacted without hesitation. A thick wall of gold dust instantly formed in front of him, layering itself into a solid defensive barrier. The impact was deafening. The spears struck with overwhelming force, and although the shield managed to block them, thin cracks rapidly spread across its surface, the gold trembling violently as if it might shatter at any second.
The difference in power was undeniable.
Rasa felt it clearly. Sunagakure's losses in this battle were already catastrophic,so severe that recovery was nearly impossible. Yet even so, as the Kazekage, retreat was no longer an option. He could only fight on.
Only now, staring directly at Chiba, did Rasa truly understand.
It wasn't that he had underestimated the man before him.
He had underestimated him far too much.
With his expression darkening, Rasa gathered his resolve.
"Jiton (Magnet Release): Gold Dust World Law!!!"
This was one of his greatest trump cards,a deadly secret art inherited from the Sandaime Kazekage's Jiton (Magnet Release) techniques, refined into an overwhelming killing move of gold dust.
In an instant, the gold dust exploded outward, transforming into countless elongated, thorn-like spikes. Like a massive metallic web, it spread wildly across the battlefield, expanding in every direction. There were no gaps, no blind spots,anything caught within would be pierced, shredded, and annihilated without mercy.
But,
Before the technique could even reach Chiba,
Crack.
An even more terrifying cold erupted.
For a brief, surreal moment, it felt as though space itself had frozen solid.
The advancing gold dust abruptly stopped midair, suspended as if time had been forcibly halted. White, translucent ice rapidly formed around the brilliant golden particles, encasing them completely. Gold and frost intertwined, frozen together in a dazzling yet ominous tableau, like an exquisite but deadly work of art.
It was stunning.
But Rasa had no time to admire it.
Seeing his ultimate technique rendered completely useless, shock surged through him, followed immediately by rage. Beneath that fury, something far colder crept into his heart,a creeping fear, and a growing sense of despair.
This had never happened before.
Could it be that today… he would truly fall here?
Defeated by this young man?
"No…!"
"That's impossible!!!"
Driven to the brink, Rasa released everything he had left. His remaining chakra erupted violently, his power surging in a final, desperate gamble.
"Jiton (Magnet Release): Gold Dust Grand Burial!!!!"
This was his strongest attack,an ultimate move that carried sealing power within it. Countless waves of gold dust descended from all directions, roaring like a raging storm. The intent was clear: to completely bury Chiba, seal him, suppress him, and end everything in one decisive blow.
This was Rasa's final stand.
"I want to see how you defend against THIS!!!" he roared, his voice filled with madness and resolve.
Chiba merely smiled.
"The one who needs to defend… is you."
In the very next moment, the gold dust filling the sky suddenly trembled. Then, as if seized by an unseen authority, it violently reversed direction. The same overwhelming tide of gold dust turned upon its master, roaring back toward Rasa at terrifying speed.
"What?!" Rasa's eyes widened in disbelief.
No one understood the power of this technique better than he did.
And precisely because of that,
He had no time to react.
In an instant, the Gold Dust Grand Burial engulfed his entire body, swallowing him completely. Crushing force pressed in from all sides, locking his limbs in place and sealing his movements entirely.
And it wasn't just gold dust.
Within it surged an even more horrifying cold.
Freezing chakra invaded his body mercilessly, numbing his senses and freezing his muscles, his blood, even his chakra flow itself.
"Th-this is…!"
"You infused all of my gold dust with freezing chakra?!" Rasa shouted in disbelief.
Chiba's smile deepened. "Of course."
"How does it feel to be sealed by your own trump card?"
Chiba clenched his fist.
Instantly,
RUMBLE,!!!
RUMBLE,!!!
BOOOOOOM,!!!
The frozen gold dust burial slammed downward with catastrophic force, hurling Rasa's sealed body from the sky. He crashed violently onto the frozen sea below, the impact echoing across the battlefield.
For a moment, every Sunagakure ninja stood frozen in shock, terror etched across their faces.
Their Kazekage…
Had been sealed.
Captured alive.
Taken prisoner.
Panic erupted instantly among the remaining Sunagakure forces. Whatever resolve they had left shattered, and one by one, they began to flee in desperation.
"Lord Kazekage!!!" Maki cried out, his voice strained with anguish.
"Maki, run!" Yura shouted urgently. "If you don't retreat now, Sunagakure will be completely wiped out!!!"
But Maki, Rasa's most loyal subordinate, could not bring himself to abandon his leader.
Left with no choice, Yura immediately ordered the ninjas aboard his ship to retreat at full speed.
The frozen sea stretched for dozens of kilometers,ample distance to allow escape.
But Chiba raised his hand casually.
With a single motion, the frozen ocean thawed.
Splash,!!!
Crack,!!!
Yura and the fleeing Sunagakure ninjas plunged straight into the sea. The icy water stabbed into their bodies like countless needles, stealing their breath in an instant.
Ironically, with the ice gone, the ships regained their mobility.
The Sunagakure jōnin Mukade swiftly ordered his crew to retreat without hesitation.
As for the rest of the Sunagakure forces,some lay dead, others gravely wounded, and those who remained unharmed were all captured without exception.
Rasa.
Maki.
Yura.
All taken alive.
This battle ended in an absolute, unquestionable victory for Chiba and Kirigakure.
In truth, from the very moment Chiba unleashed Ice Release: Ice Age, freezing the entire sea along with Sunagakure's fleet and ninja forces, the outcome had already been decided.
Everything afterward was nothing more than a dying struggle.
Chiba calmly issued orders to clean up the battlefield and handle the aftermath.
Not long after, Momochi Zabuza, Ringo Ameyuri, and Pakura arrived to report the final results.
On their side, casualties numbered only thirty to forty.
A victory unlike any seen before.
Sunagakure, on the other hand, suffered devastating losses. More than two hundred ninjas were killed in battle, another two hundred were seriously injured, and over five hundred were captured alive. It could be said that barely one in ten escaped unscathed.
What made the outcome even more catastrophic was the identity of those taken prisoner. Among the captives were the Kazekage himself, Rasa, along with Maki and Yura,figures from the very core of Sunagakure's leadership.
As for material losses, the disparity was just as overwhelming.
Kirigakure lost only a single warship, damaged beyond use.
Sunagakure, however, lost three warships outright, had one manage to flee, and saw the remaining seventeen or eighteen vessels seized entirely by Kirigakure.
This was a victory unlike any seen before.
No one had imagined that the war between Kirigakure and Sunagakure would end so quickly,nor that it would conclude in such a one-sided, crushing manner.
Even fewer had anticipated that Chiba's very first battle after ascending to the position of Mizukage…
…would yield such terrifying, historic results.
For a moment, it felt as though the entire battlefield was swept up in emotion. Countless Kirigakure ninjas dropped to one knee, overcome with excitement and awe, their cheers echoing endlessly across the sea.
"Kirigakure will prevail!!!"
"Long live the Mizukage!!!"