Just as Chiyo was about to be cut down—
A flood of black iron sand burst forth.The grains stretched from behind her, wrapping her whole body into a jagged diamond-shaped shell.
"Magnet Release — Iron Sand Defense!"
The shell snapped shut. From inside, Chiyo glared at Hatake Shōmo with pure venom.
White Fang's blade came down, screeching sparks across the black iron diamond. But no matter how sharp the edge, the defense held firm.
Up above—
A black-haired man in a white cloak floated on a disc of iron sand, arms folded, eyes cold and unreadable.
Shōmo immediately retreated, flickering backward past Chiyo's puppets, widening the gap. His face stayed calm, but inside his chest was tight.
The Third Kazekage.The strongest man in Sunagakure.
And he had just stepped onto the battlefield.
This isn't just a border skirmish anymore.If a Kage personally appears, it means one thing—total war. Not defending land. Not probing territory.It means destroying the enemy's will to fight.
Shōmo crouched low, tanto raised across his chest.This was about to become far harder than he expected.
"Hatake Shōmo… White Fang of Konoha."
The Kazekage's voice rumbled, iron sand orbiting him in slow, menacing arcs.
The name "White Fang" had spread ahead of him, whispered by Sand shinobi who had already fallen along the way.
Shōmo tightened his grip. "Lord Kazekage… are you really declaring all-out war with Konoha?"
Even in enemy territory, he gave the title with respect. The Five Kage weren't just powerful ninja — they were the pillars of the entire shinobi world. Every action they took carried the weight of nations.
The daimyo still held ceremonial rule, but it was the Five Kage whose will actually shaped the age. Everyone knew it, even if few dared say it aloud.
The Kazekage's brow furrowed, as though it hadn't relaxed in years. His face was etched with weariness.
"War has already begun," he muttered. "There's no turning back now."
It wasn't that he wanted to be the first Kage forced into open combat. That would be a declaration of weakness for his entire village.But Konoha's power had become overwhelming. Terrifying, even.
Rumors said Orochimaru alone was holding both the Sand and the Stone forces at bay, and even pushing them back. New prodigies kept surfacing under the Leaf's banner.
The Sand had once laughed at Onoki of the Stone for his setbacks. But now, it was their own lines crumbling.
And at the center of it all—Hatake Shōmo, who had shredded their defenses beyond repair.
If Shōmo was allowed to keep rampaging, the whole River Country front would collapse.
So the Kazekage had come himself.
The only option left: kill Konoha's White Fang.
"Stop talking!" Chiyo's furious roar cut the air. "Kill him!"
The iron sand stirred like a black tide.
"Magnet Release — Iron Sand Drizzle!"
A storm of razor-thin needles exploded forward, descending like a black rainstorm.
Shōmo slammed his palm into the ground. "Earth Style — Earth Wall!"
Stone barriers surged up around him, sealing him inside.
But the iron sand tore through them like paper. By the time the needles pierced through, White Fang was gone.
"He's after me—!"
Chiyo leapt away as Shōmo erupted from the ground beneath her. His strike barely missed. Ten of her puppets swarmed back into formation, chasing him down, while the Kazekage's iron sand continued to blanket the battlefield.
"He really is the strongest of the Kazekage," Shōmo thought grimly, weaving between puppet strikes.
Chiyo's voice echoed across the field: "Magnet Release — Iron Sand Attack!"
The iron grains compressed, reshaping into a colossal steel weapon that dropped from the heavens.
The sky itself turned black as the weapon fell.
Shōmo launched upward, using the massive iron construct as footing. But with a twitch of the Kazekage's fingers, the weapon unraveled into a howling black tornado.
The footing vanished. But White Fang had already launched himself higher, kicking off with explosive force.
"He's trying to run!" Chiyo shouted.
"I'll handle it," the Kazekage replied, streaking after him with his sand.
Both he and Chiyo locked their eyes on Shōmo. They knew that if they lost him for even a moment, he'd vanish.
But White Fang wasn't running.
Just as they closed in, the ground beneath Shōmo shattered — and his body shot forward, blade gleaming.
Straight for Chiyo.
The white flash nearly cut her down, forcing her to dive headfirst into the collapsing ground. One of her puppets immediately dropped lifeless, its strings severed.
Shōmo didn't stop. Using the iron sand itself as footing, he pivoted and lunged again — this time at the Kazekage.
The Kazekage's defense came a split second too late.
White Fang's blade was already upon him.
The iron sand exploded outward.
"Magnet Release — Iron Sand World Method!"