Rasa stood with his arms crossed in front of Yue Xiong, unmoving, merely controlling his golden sand to launch attacks.
The four Sand Anbu he had brought along were locked in fierce battle with Kenya.
Rasa relied only on long-range combat with gold sand. His style—whether pressing forward or retreating, offense or defense—was strikingly similar to what his future son, Gaara, would one day display.
At that moment, Kenya swung his arm backhand, striking one of the Anbu hard.
"Hadō #31: Red Cannon!"
A sphere of flame burst from his left palm, blasting his opponent away once more.
"Ughhh!!!"
With a cry of agony, the Anbu captain was hurled across the battlefield, crashing into the sand nearly a hundred meters away.
"Golden Sand Shuriken!"
Instantly, the surrounding gold sand rose at Rasa's command, condensing into spinning shuriken midair.
"Hmph!"
With a sharp glare, Rasa unleashed them. Countless golden blades tore forward, bypassing the remaining Anbu and flying straight at Uchiha Kenya.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions shook the field. The golden sand shattered against impact, scattering into clouds of dust.
"Did we get him?"
Behind their masks, the three remaining Anbu Jōnin peered into the smoke with tense eyes.
Clang!
As the dust cleared, a massive bronze gate stood before Kenya, blocking every strike.
"Bakudō #39: Enkōsen!"
Kenya's voice rang out. The bronze gate shimmered, then faded away.
"This brat… always pulling out strange tricks."
Rasa frowned, then abruptly changed tactics. Slamming both hands onto the sand, he barked:
"You three, fall back!"
Magnet Style: Gold Sand Wave!
Chakra surged into the desert. The golden sand heeded his call like a raging tide, crashing forward as if Poseidon himself commanded the sea.
"As expected of Lord Kazekage!"
"With this, no defensive ninjutsu could possibly hold him back!"
The Anbu praised him eagerly, oblivious to what was truly happening.
They hadn't noticed—the Anbu whom Kenya had blasted away earlier had quietly vanished.
Meanwhile, Kenya, standing at the battlefield's center, suddenly abandoned his calm demeanor. His eyes widened as he dodged frantically to avoid the tsunami of gold sand.
"Uchiha Kenya! What trick are you playing!?"
One Sand Anbu, chased relentlessly by the golden waves, shouted in fury toward the figure on the rocks—Kenya, who seemed only to be watching.
He had no idea. In Rasa's eyes—and in the eyes of the other three Anbu—that very Anbu was Uchiha Kenya.
Yes. This was Kyōka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis.
In the original records, Aizen deceived the entire Gotei 13, claiming his Zanpakutō's ability was mere water and mist illusions. But the truth was far more terrifying.
Kyōka Suigetsu, in battle, was absolute.
It could twist perception so enemies mistook wind for fire, fists for blades, friend for foe. Sight, sound, touch, taste, smell—all five senses were puppets under its control.
That was why, only moments into the fight, Rasa and his men were utterly convinced they were battling Uchiha Kenya… while in reality, they were butchering their own comrades.
At that moment, golden sand lashed out like a rope, seizing the ankle of a struggling Anbu—the very one who had avoided hypnosis earlier.
With a ruthless flick, Rasa hurled him skyward, then slammed him down into the earth.
But in Rasa's illusion-clouded eyes, the one crashing into the ground was none other than Uchiha Kenya.
"Damn it! What's happening!?"
The wounded Anbu stared in horror, coughing blood. As the golden sand surged closer, he screamed:
"Stop! Lord Kazekage—it's me! It's me! Kenya's over there! Why are you attacking me!? Do you want me dead!?"
Desperate, he pointed at Kenya, who stood calmly in the distance. His cries were shrill, pleading.
But Rasa and the others couldn't hear him.
The golden sand descended like a predator upon prey.
"Damn it!!!"
Despair overtook him. His saber slipped from his hands as he turned to flee.
Yet in the eyes of Rasa and the other Anbu, it was Kenya who had dropped his blade and turned tail to run.
The three Sand Anbu burst into laughter:
"Hahaha! This is Konoha's S-class rogue? Pathetic!"
"With Lord Kazekage here, enemies like him are nothing!"
"So this is the best Konoha has to offer? What a disgrace!"
"Lord Kazekage, finish him!"
Rasa's lip curled with contempt. He hadn't expected Uchiha Kenya to be so weak.
Pouring more chakra into the sands, he snarled as they engulfed the helpless figure.
"Magnet Style: Golden Sand Burial!!!"
The sand constricted like a vice.
"Pffft!"
A spray of blood spattered scarlet across the glittering gold.
"Hmph. S-class rebel Uchiha Kenya… nothing more than this."
Arms folded, Rasa smirked arrogantly beside Yue Xiong.
Meanwhile, Kenya—wearing the mask of the fallen Sand Anbu—stood silently nearby, inwardly cringing at Rasa's misplaced confidence.
Sliding the mask fully into place, Kenya stepped forward and said respectfully:
"Lord Kazekage, Uchiha Kenya is dead. We should return to the village."
And under the spell of Kyōka Suigetsu, Rasa only saw a loyal Anbu reporting to him.
He gave a cold snort and replied,
"Konoha will answer for this."