Kazekage Ninja: The Rise of the Hidden Sand

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"Damn it, this woman is relentless!" Jinghang ran at full speed, his Lightning Release Chakra Mode activated, while the persistent Kazama Kaze followed closely behind, matching his pace with ease.

When Jinghang realized they were about to be surrounded by Iwagakure forces, he decisively ordered a retreat. Despite his quick response, a few unlucky subordinates were caught in Kazama Kaze's Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, leaving nothing but empty space where they once stood.

Damn it, I'm just here to stir up trouble, not to die here! Jinghang dodged another Dust Release attack and shouted, "Scatter and break through! Regroup at the old point!" The group dispersed like startled birds.

The speed of Jinghang's imitation Lightning Release Chakra Mode was nearly on par with the real deal. Before long, he had left most of the Iwagakure ninjas far behind. Only this crazy woman, Kazama Kaze, remained hot on his heels.

Jinghang wasn't particularly afraid of her Dust Release. Although he had confidence in his abilities since arriving in this world, his true expertise lay in Magnet Release and Wind Release. His body's natural attributes dictated this, and there was no changing it. After all, freaks like Hashirama Senju and Hiruzen Sarutobi, who mastered all elemental ninjutsu, were rare even in the ninja world.

Jinghang was confident he could defeat Kazama Kaze, but looking at her skill level, he knew that without using his Iron Sand Techniques, killing her would be nearly impossible. If he got entangled with her, escape would be out of the question. Moreover, his mission was to provoke conflict between Iwagakure and Kumogakure, forcing Iwagakure to withdraw. Even though the recent attacks weren't his doing, the results were close enough.

Right now, in Kazama Kaze's eyes, he appeared to be a Kumogakure Jonin on a sabotage mission. If his identity were exposed, it wouldn't just mean a failed mission—it would completely backfire. For the first time, Jinghang felt a headache coming on. His options were clear: either shake her off completely or create an opportunity for a decisive, single strike.

Suddenly, a mountain appeared in Jinghang's line of sight. Judging by its elevation, it seemed quite high. Jinghang quickly calculated his options and came up with a plan. Without hesitation, he bolted toward the mountain summit.

The two of them, one chasing and one fleeing, quickly reached the mountaintop. Without a second thought, Jinghang leapt off the cliff.

Seeing him jump, Kazama Kaze sneered coldly. Trying to play tricks like this? Against my mastery of the Light-Weight Rock Technique, jumping off a cliff is meaningless. Without hesitation, she floated down after him, only to find Jinghang hanging from a crooked tree halfway down the cliff.

"Comfortable hanging there?" Kazama Kaze asked playfully, her tone dripping with mockery.

Jinghang didn't waste words. He simply flung open his cloak, revealing seven or eight burning explosive tags inside.

"Earth Release: Rock Arm Technique!"

Kazama Kaze reacted swiftly. Her right arm transformed into a massive stone appendage, shielding her entire body.

"Boom!" A deafening explosion erupted. Splinters of wood and shards of rock flew in all directions. After a while, the smoke cleared.

Kazama Kaze retracted her stone arm and carefully examined the shattered remains of the crooked tree.

"Escaped, huh?" As an experienced ninja, she naturally didn't believe the self-destruction was real. It had to be a shadow clone or a trap created with the Transformation Technique.

Kazama Kaze meticulously searched the entire cliff three times but found no trace of anyone. She even left briefly, only to double back, but the cliff remained unchanged.

"Looks like he really escaped. Quite the slippery one," Kazama Kaze muttered irritably before floating away.

After a long while, a section of the cliff a few meters from the explosion site began to crumble like sand, revealing a small cave just tall enough for a person to crouch inside.

"Thank goodness this area is full of black basalt. Using Iron Sand to block the entrance was practically invisible unless you looked closely. That woman finally left," Jinghang sighed in relief.

He was lucky the cliff had a crooked tree and a small cave. During his fall, Jinghang had taken advantage of Kazama Kaze's momentary distraction to reassess his plan. (Originally, he had intended to use an Iron Sand AOE attack to finish her off the moment she descended.) He quickly created a shadow clone, fashioned a makeshift trap from his cloak, and then performed an acrobatic maneuver to dive into the cave, sealing the entrance with Iron Sand.

Jinghang crouched in the cramped space, watching the outside carefully while recovering his strength and refining his chakra.

"Well, hello there, stranger."

A strange voice sent chills down Jinghang's spine.

He could never have imagined that in this tiny, half-height cave halfway up a cliff, there would be someone else! What's more, Jinghang prided himself on his keen sensory abilities, yet he hadn't noticed a thing! For the first time in this world, Jinghang felt a deep sense of fear.

Slowly, he turned his head, only to find himself face-to-face with a half-black, half-white humanoid creature.

Oh, it's him. That explains it.

"Bang!" A massive hand slammed down on a sturdy wooden desk, shattering it instantly and sending up a cloud of dust. When the dust settled, a towering man with dark skin, long blonde hair, and a flowing beard stood there. His muscular frame was covered in scars, including a lightning-shaped one across his chest. On his right shoulder was a tattoo of the kanji for "雷" (thunder). This was none other than the Third Raikage, A!

"Ōnoki, that bastard, has gone too far!" A roared furiously.

"Please, Raikage-sama, calm down," Dodai, his secretary, said as he skillfully cleaned up the mess. As someone who had worked with the Raikage for years, Dodai was all too familiar with his destructive habits. The office budget for furniture alone had been astronomical this year.

As Dodai gathered the broken table legs, he continued his report.

"The outposts near the border with the Land of Earth were indeed attacked. Based on the evidence, the attackers primarily used Earth Release techniques. However, this doesn't necessarily mean Iwagakure is responsible. After all, they're currently at war with Konoha. Starting a conflict with us wouldn't benefit them. I suspect—"

"Hahahaha!" The Third Raikage's booming laughter interrupted Dodai mid-sentence.

"My dear Dodai, how can you be so naive?"

"Hmm?" Dodai looked puzzled.

"When I go to war, I don't care about the reasons. I only care about who's the most advantageous target to fight. Understand? As for the reasons, someone will always come up with them. Got it? Hahahaha!"

"Isn't that exactly what I, your secretary, am here for?" Dodai replied with a hint of resignation.

"Hahahaha! Now you're getting it."

After laughing for a while, the Raikage's expression suddenly turned sharp.

"Assemble the ninja forces immediately. Have them infiltrate the border of the Land of Earth. Two hours after we issue our declaration of war, launch a full-scale attack on Iwagakure."

After reading the urgent report from Kazama Kaze, Ōnoki fell into deep thought. Beside him, his three disciples—Kitsuchi, Akatsuchi, and Shirakuchi—didn't dare make a sound, fearing they might interrupt their master's contemplation.

"Order the entire army to retreat to the Land of Earth by midnight," Ōnoki finally commanded, his voice firm.

"What?!" The three disciples were shocked. Shirakuchi, in particular, stood up in protest.

"We can't! Danzō is on the brink of collapse. One more push and—"

Ōnoki raised a hand, cutting them off.

"I know what you're going to say, but I have my reasons. You don't understand the Third Raikage. By the time he decides to attack, it'll already be too late to dodge his fists."