Chapter 241: Slash Barrier
A Kage was a Kage. The moment the Third Kazekage made his move, his power was no weaker than back when he had joined the ambush on Li Yao—possibly even stronger.
It was clear: Li Yao had pushed the Third to his limit back then, so much so that he'd spent the years since improving his Magnet Release.
The sheer volume of iron sand being controlled now was unprecedented.
No wonder the Kazekage was so confident—his power was indeed something to behold.
"Come on."
"Let me see what you've got."
Li Yao's Wind Release clone spread his arms, arrogantly facing the Third Kazekage with not a hint of fear on his face.
This time, he wasn't just armed with Wind Release: Slash—he had also made breakthroughs in barrier ninjutsu.
"Are you looking down on me?"
Seeing that Li Yao wasn't even preparing a counterattack, the Kazekage's expression darkened. He was furious at the disrespect.
"Then take this!"
"Magnet Release – Iron Sand Rain!"
With that, the sea of iron sand in the sky began to fall like an endless rain of needle-like senbon. It was a black deluge of deadly force, pouring down like a sword storm from the heavens.
Even three meters underground, Sasori felt unsafe. But it was too late to burrow deeper.
He was curious: how would Kazekaze—who only specialized in Wind Release—survive this?
Faced with an unavoidable storm of iron sand needles, Li Yao's clone responded:
"Ninja Art – Slash Barrier!"
In an instant, a white, translucent barrier formed, protecting both him and the underground Sasori.
As the barrage of iron sand struck, the needles vanished upon contact—like raindrops hitting a shield of searing plasma. They weren't vaporized—they were erased.
"What is that?"
Hovering in midair with iron sand wings, the Third Kazekage halted abruptly, eyes narrowing as he stared at the shimmering white barrier.
A barrier?
Or some other technique?
Frowning, he mentally combed through his intel on Kazekaze and Sunagakure's library of known jutsu.
Nothing matched.
"A newly developed jutsu, then."
"A defense technique that erases high-speed iron sand attacks on contact… Must be similar to the Hyūga clan's Rotation—defense through offense."
"In that case, let's see if this works."
"Magnet Release – Iron Fang!"
The sea of iron sand stopped falling, then formed massive black tusk-like spikes. Each one the size of a small house, they rained down from all directions.
If it was a defensive technique that used offensive properties—then he'd break it with sheer force.
The iron tusks, accelerated by gravity and chakra, slammed into the thin barrier with immense power—
BOOM—
Except… there was no explosion.
"What?!"
The Kazekage's eyes shrank in disbelief.
These massive iron spikes fared no better than the senbon. Like throwing ice cream instead of rain—the result was the same.
They vanished.
The Slash Barrier was like a white void—devouring everything it touched.
What kind of technique was this?
Where did Kazekaze learn it?
Why had he never used it before?
So many questions ran through the Kazekage's mind in an instant.
"Mmm… very nice."
Inside the barrier, Li Yao smiled in satisfaction.
The Wind Release: Slash's extreme cutting power, fused into a barrier technique, created the Slash Barrier. It was like countless ultra-thin blades spinning endlessly across the surface.
Anything that touched it—gone. Even molecules.
Though the Kazekage's Iron Sand was a powerful kekkei genkai capable of offense and defense, it was still just that—a kekkei genkai.
Compared to a technique on par with Dust Release—like Li Yao's Wind Release: Slash—it was still a tier below.
Let alone when used as a barrier.
With this, Li Yao was confident he could even block a Tailed Beast Bomb. It was true absolute defense.
"Magnet Release – Iron Sand Domain!"
If Iron Fang didn't work, then time for something bigger.
The Kazekage poured more chakra into the sky, forming a monstrous pillar of iron sand—fifty meters wide, two hundred meters tall—like a divine pillar of doom.
"Naïve!"
"Is this really all you've got, Third Kazekage?"
Floating above, Li Yao's Wind Clone mocked him, infuriating the Kazekage into dumping even more chakra into the attack.
The massive steel column crashed down onto the Slash Barrier, completely engulfing it.
"Hmph!"
"Kazekaze, your jutsu may be strong, but it's immobile. And… your chakra reserves are your greatest weakness."
The Kazekage tilted the sea of iron sand downward, burying the Slash Barrier completely.
His real strategy wasn't just offense—it was visual and sensory obstruction.
With the clone blinded, the Kazekage began to compress the barrier from all sides, hoping to drain its chakra reserve.
He believed Kazekaze had far less chakra than himself. And the stronger the barrier, the more chakra it consumed.
But what he didn't know—
Kazekaze was no longer Kazekaze. He was Li Yao's Wind Release clone.
And while the clone may have had limited chakra, it possessed Li Yao's absolute chakra control.
Just like with the black iron chains, the cost of maintaining the barrier was nearly negligible.
The Kazekage's plan to drain his chakra? Useless. If anything, he would run out first.
But Li Yao didn't intend to just sit and wait.
If he was going to kill the Third Kazekage, he would do it face to face.
"Wind Release – Slash Wave!"
Shing!
From within the cocoon of iron sand, a massive blade of wind burst out—like slicing open a sea monster's belly.
Li Yao leapt out, carrying Sasori in one arm.
The Kazekage had been right about one thing—
While maintaining the Slash Barrier, Li Yao couldn't move.
But without it, his speed was unleashed again.
"That's… Flowing Wind Armor!"
"He's developed it that far already?!"
Hovering in midair, Li Yao was surrounded by a thin layer of ever-moving wind—a cloak of chakra.
For the first time, the Kazekage felt helpless.
"Besides your Iron Sand… got anything else?"
Li Yao stared down at the Kazekage like a god eyeing a struggling mortal.
The Kazekage said nothing.
His ultimate technique was the Magnet Release.
If even that couldn't work…
Sure, he could try escaping using his ability to fly—
But with Li Yao hovering effortlessly above him, he gave up.
"So this is all you've got?"
Li Yao smiled coldly, raised his right hand, and declared:
"Then this ends now."
He flicked his index finger.
Instantly, countless razor-thin slashes poured out like a tide.
Too fast to react, the Kazekage's body was shredded in an instant, as if caught in a cyclone of blades.
Shhhhhh!
Within a heartbeat, the once-mighty Third Kazekage burst apart like a balloon of red mist, staining the sand five meters in every direction.
(END CHAPTER)
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