The world I hear is completely different from yours.

Realizing that Ame no longer intended to say anything more, Minato Namikaze could only follow up on Ame no longer's topic, saying, "I haven't seen the Second Hokage for a long time either, so I'll take my leave now."

After watching Minato Namikaze disappear with a Flying Thunder God Technique, Ameharu called out towards the door, "Anbu, go and inform all the elders that we're going to have a meeting soon. I have some things to announce."

It would be great to kill Madara while he was powerless to resist, but it doesn't matter if we can't find him, since our own plan is about to begin anyway.

"I hope you won't be intimidated by Konoha next time we meet, Uchiha Madara-senpai," Tianqing thought to herself.

.............................

At dusk, in a desert somewhere in the Land of Wind, countless grains of sand floated in the air. After a gust of wind blew by, the desert was once again swept up by the usual sandstorm.

The third-generation Kazekage, dressed in a blue Kazekage uniform, walked alone through the sandstorm.

Even though the surrounding air was filled with swirling sand and dust, the Third Kazekage's clothes remained spotless. The wildly flying sand particles would obediently fall to the ground and become part of the desert again after entering the Kazekage's vicinity.

Magnet Release: Iron Sand!

Through the research of successive Kazekage of Sunagakure, the Sand Ninja successfully discovered the ninjutsu for controlling sand within Shukaku. The Third Kazekage combined this sand control technique with his own bloodline limit, creating a completely new power: Magnet Release!

By utilizing his magnetic chakra, the Third Kazekage could control the sand by manipulating the iron within its grains. Therefore, the deserts of the Land of Wind were not an obstacle for him; rather, they became his most powerful weapon. Over the years, the Third Kazekage proved his title as the strongest Kazekage with his formidable achievements!

Today, the Third Kazekage is preparing to carry out one of his daily tasks in this desert: suppressing Shukaku.

Several years ago, after the death of Shukaku's jinchūriki, the monk Bunpuku, Shukaku was resurrected in the desert as a wild tailed beast, wandering around and causing many losses to the Land of Wind. Therefore, the Sand Village had to send elite ninjas to suppress Shukaku.

However, since the Sand Village could not find a suitable Jinchuriki for the time being, the Third Kazekage decided not to seal Shukaku for the time being, but only to temporarily suppress it. In any case, he possessed Magnet Release, a power that was extremely effective against Shukaku, so he could deal with Shukaku whenever he wanted.

"With my current strength, I should be able to compete with the Third Hokage, right?" After easily suppressing Shukaku again using Magnet Release, the Third Kazekage recalled the battle he had witnessed before. The blue giant that broke out of the giant pyramid seal and smashed Shukaku to pieces was deeply engraved in his mind.

Many years later, the incident has been thoroughly investigated by the Sand Village. As a result, many people deeply resent the culprit who bombed the Sand Village from the air and assassinated the Second Kazekage. However, since this culprit is now the Third Hokage of Konoha, the Sand Village does not dare to act rashly for the time being, but buries their hatred in their hearts and waits for the next Shinobi World War.

Click!

Footsteps approached, and a red-haired boy walked towards the Third Kazekage.

"Scorpion, what brings you here?" The Third Kazekage was somewhat surprised. This young man, a rising genius in the village, possessed considerable strength and was also a disciple of Elder Chiyo, which was why he had recruited him into his Kazekage Guard. However, according to the previous plan, he was responsible for suppressing Shukaku alone, while the members of the Kazekage Guard were supposed to disperse and be responsible for guarding the surrounding areas.

Sasori didn't speak, but continued walking towards the Third Kazekage, a strange glint in his eyes.

"Halt!" The Third Kazekage suddenly sensed something was wrong and snapped at Sasori, "Where are the other members of your personal guard? Why weren't you on guard duty with them?"

Seeing the Third Kazekage's suspicious expression, Sasori smiled and tossed an empty bottle: "They can't come. This poison is one I just concocted recently, and even Master Chiyo can't break it in a short time. I originally intended to use it against you, but now I think there's no need to use poison anymore."

Magnet Release: Iron Sand Rain! Countless flying stone-like iron sand erupted from beneath the Third Kazekage's feet, shooting towards Sasori!

Faced with Sasori's obvious hostility, the Third Kazekage didn't waste any words and launched an attack directly. As for the motives and reasons for Sasori's betrayal, it wouldn't be too late to ask after capturing him!

Scroll*Human Puppet!

Before the iron sand could even reach him, Scorpion swiftly threw out two scrolls, summoning his puppets to block his path.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! The flying stone-like iron sands rained down on the scorpion's puppet, penetrating deep into its interior through the joints.

"Have you forgotten? My Magnet Release is the bane of all puppets!" The Third Kazekage suddenly formed hand seals, "Magnet Release: Iron Sand Assault!"

A large amount of iron sand erupted inside the puppets, instantly bursting the Scorpion puppets apart! Then, the iron sand mercilessly pounced on Scorpion!

"I'll incapacitate you for now!" The Third Kazekage formed hand seals again, intending to sever Sasori's limbs with iron sand!

At that moment, Sasori unwrapped the last scroll in his hand: "Saint Cloth activated! Celestial Puppet Saint Cloth!"

Boom!! The iron sand that rushed towards the scorpion was instantly blasted to pieces!

..............

PS: The curtain rises, the show begins, please vote!

In addition, some observant readers may have already noticed that I have slightly adjusted the timelines of certain characters.

Chapter 5 Magnet Release: Tathagata's Thousand Leaf Palm

Boom! The iron sand, blasted into dust, floated in the air before falling to the ground, as if a rain of iron sand had fallen from the sky, enveloping the entire battlefield.

"What was that just now!" The Third Kazekage frowned. "Did you use a special puppet to block my attack? Did you think that would buy you time? A puppeteer can't counter my Magnet Release!"

"That's not necessarily true!" Sasori's voice rang out from the hazy rain of iron sand. "At least I know some puppeteers who aren't afraid of your Magnet Release at all. For example, have you forgotten that the Third Hokage was also a puppeteer?"

"Scorpion, you bastard!" Veins bulged on the Third Kazekage's face. Why did you have to bring up my most formidable enemy? Of course I know he's not afraid of my Magnet Release, but he's not here right now. Can't I just brag a little? Did you have to be so blunt and embarrass me?!

Perhaps sensing the Third Kazekage's displeasure, Sasori added quietly, "Otherwise, why don't you dare to challenge the Third Hokage to a duel?"

Hit the bullseye! Exceptionally effective!

The Third Kazekage's rage gauge was instantly full!

Magnet Release: Sand Manipulation Technique - Maximum Power!

Rumble! Under the control of the Third Kazekage's magnetic chakra, the iron sand that had fallen to the ground came back to life! No! It should be said that the entire desert beneath their feet came back to life!

*Smack!* The iron sand beneath the scorpion's feet, carrying a massive amount of sand, rapidly condensed into a gigantic hand, slamming the scorpion into the ground as easily as swatting a mosquito! Instantly, a human-shaped crater was created in the ground, surrounded by cracks in the earth!

But that wasn't the end of it. At the same time that palm strike was launched, countless tall and thick arms instantly rose up on the desert that had been revitalized by the Third Kazekage, as if a monster called the desert had stretched out its thousands of arms toward the sky, attempting to pierce the heavens!

Then, under the control of the Third Kazekage, these thousands of arms opened their palms and viciously slammed down towards Sasori!

Magnet Release: Tathagata Thousand Leaf Palm!

*Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!*

Dozens of palm strikes, hundreds of palm strikes, thousands of palm strikes—they relentlessly pounded down on the target, aiming to smash it into minced meat, then into meat paste, and finally reduce it to ashes! This was the Sand Thousand Hands, created by the Third Kazekage based on the Forest Thousand Hands of the First Hokage!

Many people are influenced by the battle scenes depicted in the original manga and believe that ninjas who are hit by the enemy's ultimate move can instantly dodge the enemy's damage and escape the enemy's ultimate move by immediately using a substitution jutsu, thus achieving a great reversal on the battlefield. This is simply absurd.

The Substitution Jutsu is not a teleportation spell. As a basic ninjutsu, it only works when your speed far exceeds that of your enemy, or when your enemy is distracted and not paying attention to you. In other words, the Substitution Jutsu, as a basic ninjutsu, is only effective when there is a significant difference in speed between you and your opponent, or when your enemy is distracted by something.

Therefore, in the early stages of the manga, when the protagonists were low-level, it seemed particularly amazing when the enemy used the Substitution Technique to easily defeat them. However, by the middle of the manga, when the levels of both sides were not much different, the Substitution Technique was quickly recognized by both sides. In the later stages of the manga, such low-level ninjutsu as the Substitution Technique basically did not appear anymore, because for the high-level characters who appeared later, the Substitution Technique was too easy to be seen through—it was only super-powerful characters like Madara Uchiha who could use it to toy with the Tailed Beasts because of their high level.

This is especially true for someone as experienced in combat as the Third Kazekage. Just as he struck Sasori with his first palm, he was able to determine from the touch and scent that the target he had hit was undoubtedly Sasori himself!

Looking at the large crater in the sand, the Third Kazekage felt a sense of relief.

"This is the retribution for making me lose face just now!" The Third Kazekage cursed inwardly, but put on a regretful expression: "Scorpion, as a genius in the village, you were valued and envied by everyone. I really never thought you would go down such a evil path. I am truly heartbroken!"

As a leader, you must always maintain the demeanor of a master. Even if you hate your enemy so much that you wish you could eat their flesh and sleep on their skin, you must still show your benevolence and magnanimity. After all, only by having such a level of sophistication can you be qualified to be a leader!

Should I strike a few more cool poses and say a few profound words later? The Third Kazekage pondered to himself. When the Sand Ninja who came to his rescue saw his figure standing in the center of the battlefield, "lonely and isolated at the top," his heroic demeanor would surely be deeply imprinted in their hearts, adding another brilliant touch to his title of "Strongest Kazekage"!

"It hurts." Scorpion's calm voice came from the bottom of the pit.

"What?!" The Third Kazekage was shocked, and his magnetic chakra surged forth once more!

Magnet Release: Iron Sand Attack!!

Rumble! Tons of iron sand gathered again and attacked the enemy, but this time, what pressed down on the enemy was an entire mountain of iron sand!

The massive iron sand mountain blocked out the sun from the battlefield, casting a shadow that enveloped the entire area. Then, with an aura of destruction, it pressed down on the boy lying at the bottom of the pit!

Then the Third Kazekage's body trembled, and he was shocked to find that his Iron Sand Mountain was still unable to cross that last distance, and was forcibly stopped on the boy's head!

"Impossible!" The Third Kazekage finally couldn't help but exclaim. "As a puppeteer, you've focused all your energy on puppetry, so you couldn't possibly have had much time to practice physical techniques to strengthen your body. How could you possibly have the strength to lift this mountain!"

Click!

A small fragment fell off Sasori's body, and only then did the Third Kazekage notice the armor Sasori was wearing. The armor that the Third Kazekage had originally thought was just an ornament was now riddled with cracks.

Even before the war began, the Third Kazekage had noticed that Sasori was wearing a strange suit of armor. However, in the world of ninjas, armor was nothing more than outdated equipment that had long been obsolete. After all, no armor could be effective against a ninja's ninjutsu and superior taijutsu.

The armor on Scorpion's body covered his entire body. It was completely black, with an exceptionally smooth and beautiful appearance, radiating a strange luster. Moreover, a pair of small horns extended from his shoulders. Such a flamboyant and eye-catching outfit made him a target on the battlefield, exuding an aura of "Come and hit me!"

............

PS: A belated second update

Chapter Six: The Specters' Poisonous Explosions

Click!

As the cracks in Sasori's armor multiplied, the mountain of iron sand that had been pressing down on him finally collapsed completely due to the depletion of its chakra.

Boom! Countless rains of iron sand once again swept across the battlefield.

Something unusual must be a sign of trouble. On the battlefield, ignoring even the smallest detail can be fatal! The Third Kazekage naturally understood this deeply, so when he noticed Sasori's armor again, which he had previously overlooked, he immediately discovered its peculiarity.

Even after being attacked so many times, Scorpion's body was completely free of iron dust, and not even a speck of dust touched his red hair!

Then a terrifying thought flooded the Third Kazekage's mind. Gritting his teeth, the Third Kazekage asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Through this armor, you can also control magnetism?!"

Upon hearing the Third Kazekage's question, Sasori finally raised his head and continued in a calm voice, "The Heavenly Puppet Star Cloth is a Cloth specifically developed to counter metal attacks. It only requires a continuous supply of blood to imbue the user's chakra with magnetism, thereby defending against all attacks containing metal, such as your iron sand."

"According to that one-eyed man, as long as I use this Saint Cloth, I can kill you single-handedly in a head-on battle, even without using poison." Sasori glanced down at the cracks all over the Saint Cloth, his calm voice carrying a hint of disdain: "But as it turns out, this so-called 'completely defensive' Saint Cloth still broke under your continuous attacks. It seems those people in Konoha are still the same as before, always boasting!"

"Konoha!!!" The Third Kazekage keenly noticed the key words in Sasori's words, "This armor was provided to you by Konoha?!"

"Is it because you've been in the Land of Wind for too long that you've completely fallen behind the times?" Sasori looked at the Third Kazekage with a hint of pity in his eyes. "Haven't you realized yet? This Saint Cloth isn't armor at all; it's a puppet equipped on your body!"

"You probably never imagined you could use a puppet like this, did you?" Sasori secretly sensed his own body. The bodysuit he wore underneath was periodically drawing blood from him and then continuously feeding chakra back into his body. Through the bodysuit, he was transmitting his commands to the Saint Cloth draped over his body. Under his command, the Saint Cloth emitted magnetic chakra, blocking the Third Kazekage's attack.

"Without the puppeteer using additional chakra threads, they can control the puppeteer at will; the Saint Cloth covering the puppeteer perfectly avoids the enemy's tactic of prioritizing attacking the puppeteer's body; in addition, the Saint Cloth can exert special abilities simply by providing blood. Such outstanding creativity and ingenious design could probably only have come up with by the Third Hokage, Tensei!"

"That's right, this is the possession puppet that the Third Hokage, Tensei, just developed and created for the elite squad's operations. It's a special puppet designed to counter metal attacks—the Heavenly Puppet Star Cloth!!"

When the Third Kazekage heard the name of his most formidable rival again, his heart calmed down completely. It wasn't that he had become numb or forgotten his hatred for the enemy; it was simply that, as a ninja with extensive combat experience, he had devoted all his attention to the battle against Sasori and had no extra thoughts to be angry!

Magnet Release: Tathagata Thousand Leaf Palm!

Countless arms emerged from the desert once more, slapping towards Scorpion. So what if it's a Saint Cloth that's supposed to completely defend against any attack with metal? It's still riddled with cracks from my attack. This proves that my Iron Sand attack is still effective, just not as powerful.

"Die, Sasori!" the Third Kazekage roared. "This time, I won't stop until I've completely shattered your Cloth!"

There is nothing that the Tathagata Thousand Leaf Palm cannot destroy. If there is, then just unleash another Tathagata Thousand Leaf Palm! The Third Kazekage firmly believed in this statement.

Crimson Secret Technique: Hundred Machine Manipulation!

Hundreds of puppets dressed in red robes appeared around Sasori. Unlike before, this time Sasori controlled all of these puppets with magnetic force, no longer limited by the number of chakra threads created by the human body.

"Your Saint Cloth can only protect you from my Iron Sand attack at best; it can't harm me with just defense!" The Third Kazekage looked at the red-robed puppets summoned by Sasori and couldn't help but laugh contemptuously. "So you plan to use these ordinary puppets to launch an attack? Too bad, under my Magnet Release, these little things probably can't even lift their hands!"

In the blink of an eye, a giant hand slammed down on a red-robed puppet. Under Scorpion's control, the red-robed puppet did not retreat but advanced instead, showing no intention of dodging, and went straight to meet the attack!

boom!!

A huge explosion rang out, and the puppet exploded the moment it was hit, shattering the giant hand into pieces!

Those red-robed puppets were covered with explosive clay rich in earth-attribute chakra!

"Actually, I don't care at all whether they can raise their weapons or not. I just want them to be able to touch you!" At this moment, Scorpion's calm voice slowly came over.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!