Compared to Naruto and Gaara's earlier clash, this battle was a whirlwind—those fights seemed like two sluggish sloths by comparison.
But for most spectators, this wasn't a thrill. It was pure terror.
The power on display shattered their understanding.
Even Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki struggled to process the scene.
Every combatant wielded terrifying strength. Unlike the inexperienced Kado, these were elite ninja, massively enhanced by cans. Frankly, if Itachi and Kisame faced this onslaught, they'd likely be reduced to ash.
"Is this power… from him?" Kisame lifted his shark-like eyes to Shen Mo, fear flickering in their usual stoicism.
At his level, he'd fight any foe to test the outcome.
But now?
He didn't need to fight to know he'd lose.
"We don't know his goal yet," Itachi said, forcing calm. "If he granted them this power, he has a purpose. That's the intel we need."
"Itachi-san…" Kisame turned, grinning despite himself. "You stay cool even now."
True strength shone in any crisis, even world-ending ones. Fear didn't linger long.
Kisame steadied himself. The situation was simple: an unknowable, invincible man with unknown origins and motives. That's all.
He fell silent, and both resumed watching the battle.
Could Rasa, transformed into a colossal bear, withstand that assault?
The smoke began to clear.
The arena was unrecognizable. The once-flat ground was torn up, a jagged crater littered with crystalline sand, scorched by intense heat, glinting strangely.
Konoha's team emerged, slightly disheveled but intact, each wielding unique skills to weather the blast. Hiruzen stood out, a massive golden character glowing like a shield, protecting him and Asuma.
Only then did the crowd notice: Hiruzen's weapon was a giant brush.
"Lord Kazekage!" Sunagakure ninja cried out, frantic.
Some pounded the invisible barrier trapping them, using ninjutsu or their bodies, desperate to aid their leader.
If the Kazekage fell, Sunagakure was doomed.
They'd trade every life to save him.
Gaara watched, unnoticed. His allies' faces burned with worry for Rasa.
His father—a cruel, ruthless man—commanded such loyalty?
Gaara had always thought Rasa's Kazekage title came from brute strength and fear.
Now, he wasn't so sure.
The arena's smoke finally dissipated.
In its center stood a tree, steadily growing, sprouting green buds.
"Where's Father?" Temari slammed the barrier, her eyes scouring the arena.
Everyone searched desperately.
"Is it over?" Tsunade scanned the field.
After that onslaught, Rasa's annihilation wouldn't surprise her. But a death should leave a floating Membership Badge.
"The battle's not done. Stay sharp," Hiruzen's aged but commanding voice rang out, audible to all.
The crowd erupted.
"Not over? Impossible!"
"Surviving that?"
"Is the Kazekage that strong?"
"No, the Hokage, Lady Tsunade, Kakashi—they're all stronger than ever. Maybe the Kazekage is too!"
Some ninja began to grasp it: this battle defied logic.
Tsunade and her team eyed their surroundings warily.
Only the growing tree remained.
A minute passed.
Jiraiya stared at it, a hunch sparking. "That tree—it's the Kazekage!"
"What?" Tsunade and the others gasped.
"It's possible. That tree's too strange," Jiraiya said.
"Let me handle it!" Asuma growled, raising his palm in a stance. "Buddha's Palm, Second Form—Golden Summit Buddha Lamp!"
A blazing palm print, like a fiery beacon, formed above his head.
It descended with mountain-crushing force toward the tree.
This wasn't ordinary fire—Buddha Fire, burning flesh outside and demons within, a skill from Asuma's Level 3 cans.
Its flaw? Too slow.
The tree sensed the scorching heat and shuddered violently. Before everyone's eyes, it yanked its roots from the earth, writhing to dodge. A face appeared on its trunk, roaring, "Konoha's gone too far!"
That face, that voice—unmistakably Rasa.
Yet his furious roar couldn't mask his panic.
He knew now: even with his many cans, he couldn't withstand Konoha's full might. The earlier attack, despite his Blue Rare Shadow Bear transformation, nearly killed him. Wounded, he'd shifted to Treant form to heal.
But his injuries lingered, and Konoha's forces closed in again.
"Lord Kazekage," Hiruzen said, pulling a black inkstone from his robes. He faced Rasa solemnly. "I didn't want this, but here we are. Have no fear—go in peace. When this ends, we'll ensure your revival."
Rasa, even as a tree, felt rage surge, as if his heart might burst.