"Who are you?"
Looking at the mysterious person who suddenly appeared in front of him, entirely wrapped in a cloak, Jokichi heightened his vigilance internally.
In fact, yesterday, the Third Hokage had given him a mission.
If Gaara underwent Tailed Beast Transformation during the match, he was to use Wood Release to subdue him.
And he was just preparing to do so.
When Gaara released Shukaku, he had prepared to use Wood Release to subdue it.
However, this mysterious person suddenly appeared and blocked his path.
This person appeared suddenly, without the slightest warning. He was absolutely no ordinary person.
Facing Jokichi's question, the mysterious person didn't answer. Only the corners of the mouth under the hood could be seen curling up slightly.
Jokichi sensed something amiss and was about to strike first to gain the upper hand.
However, he saw that person raise a hand aimed at him, and Gold Dust surged out wildly from behind him like a tidal wave.
Summer, scorching sun.
Under the blazing sunlight, the Gold Dust gleamed with blinding light.
Jokichi's eyes were stung by the golden light, experiencing brief blindness. His reaction was a beat slow, and he was swallowed by the wave-like Gold Dust.
Struggling to crawl out of the ocean of Gold Dust, Jokichi found himself washed into the space inside the competitor tunnel.
The mysterious person wrapped entirely in a cloak slowly walked in from the tunnel entrance.
"How could I let a kid like you ruin the plan, even though the plan was disrupted by Gaara."
Looking at the newcomer, Jokichi gritted his teeth. "Fourth Kazekage, Rasa."
"Oh!" The mysterious person was surprised.
"Clearly a Konoha kid, yet able to see through my identity so quickly."
While speaking, Rasa pulled down his hood, revealing auburn hair and deep dark circles identical to Gaara's.
"It really is you."
In the entire ninja world, the only person who used Gold Dust attacks was the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
In the original anime.
Orochimaru assassinated Rasa on his way to Konoha to watch the Chunin Exams.
But now, because of the extra variable that was Jokichi.
To ensure the Konoha Crush plan proceeded smoothly, Orochimaru did not assassinate Rasa halfway.
Instead, he chose to cooperate with him, letting him deal with Jokichi.
"Kid, don't blame me if you die. This is war." Rasa stood with his arms crossed over his chest, looking down at Jokichi with the posture of a senior.
"Being so strong at your age and also possessing Wood Release, it's impossible for me to let you go."
"What a coincidence, I was thinking the exact same thing."
Jokichi chuckled lightly, his hands forming seals.
But before he could finish the seals, the Gold Dust under his feet automatically flew up, coiling around his body.
The previous wave of Gold Dust had filled this sizable space with Gold Dust everywhere, including under Jokichi's feet.
Seeing the Gold Dust was about to encase Jokichi, Rasa was preparing to tighten it.
Suddenly, he heard the howling of the wind and immediately erected a Gold Dust shield behind him.
The next second, Jokichi appeared behind him, the long sword in his hand slashing out.
"Clang!"
The echo of metal colliding continuously reverberated in this space.
Rasa controlled the Gold Dust to form a large hand and grabbed toward Jokichi, but Jokichi had vanished from the spot early on.
"So fast!"
Rasa was secretly startled, erecting airtight Gold Dust walls all around himself.
Jokichi flipped backward continuously. After opening a distance of seven or eight meters, his hands rapidly formed seals.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet."
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."
Fierce flames roared like a divine dragon. Then a fierce wind arose, fanning the flames. The intersection of the two was just like a divine dragon descending to the mortal realm.
The indoor environment was illuminated, and the air temperature rose sharply.
That airtight Gold Dust wall suddenly became boiling hot and began to melt.
Seeing this, Jokichi increased his chakra output, making the fire even more ferocious.
However, Jokichi, focused on the front, didn't notice behind him.
A lump of Gold Dust writhed continuously, finally forming the shape of a person, holding a Gold Dust kunai and thrusting it at Jokichi.
"Poof!"
The kunai pierced through Jokichi's neck.
However, no fresh blood flowed out; instead, it turned into a cloud of smoke and exploded.
"Shadow Clone!"
Rasa was alarmed inwardly, realizing things were bad. He quickly erected four gold walls in all four directions.
But it was too late.
While the gold walls were slowly rising, Jokichi shuttled over like a phantom, holding a large, high-speed spinning chakra ball in his hand.
It turned out that when Rasa erected the gold walls earlier, he also lost vision.
Jokichi used a shadow clone at that time, letting the shadow clone attack.
As a Kage-level expert, when Rasa used the gold walls, it was impossible for him not to consider the scenario where the enemy would use Fire Release to roast him.
For him to use it like this, he definitely had a backup plan.
Jokichi, who was a step ahead, used a shadow clone to attack.
If Rasa didn't have a backup plan, he would just roast him thoroughly with high heat like this. If he had a backup plan, then this shadow clone was the bait to draw it out.
And all of this developed just as Jokichi anticipated.
"Massive Rasengan!"
The basketball-sized chakra mass spun at high speed. The airflow it generated destroyed the rising gold walls, charging towards the person inside with irresistible force.
Rasa jumped backward.
However, his speed was originally inferior to Jokichi's, and a panicked retreat was no match for a fully prepared sprint.
Even retreating in time only meant the distance was rapidly closed.
Closer, closer. Just a little more and it would hit.
Nearing victory, Jokichi felt somewhat excited, and his vigilant heart relaxed slightly.
Suddenly, a figure darted over rapidly from behind. The weapon in its hand emitted a chilling, palpable cold light.
Jokichi noticed the attacker behind him.
However, to make him give up the victory in his hands—
"Don't even think about it!"
Jokichi roared, pressing the Massive Rasengan onto Rasa's body. The violently destructive power instantly tore the clothes on his chest to shreds, and he subsequently flew out spinning at high speed.
Meanwhile, Jokichi was also pierced through the neck by the sharp weapon.
That person still didn't plan to stop.
With a turn of the blade, they attempted to chop Jokichi's entire head off.
Enduring the pain of his pierced throat, Jokichi grabbed the thrusting blade tip with one hand, and drew the Sword of Protection with his empty hand.
As chakra was injected, bone-chilling cold air was released. The area centered on Jokichi rapidly froze, and it continuously spread outward.
The attacker had no choice but to release the weapon and retreat.
Having forced back the sneak attacker, Jokichi didn't pursue.
He pulled out the weapon stuck in his neck, and blood gushed out like a turned-on faucet.
However, the bleeding stopped in one second, and it returned to its original state in two seconds.
The healing power of the perfect Sage Body healed this fatal wound in an instant.
Jokichi looked at the weapon in his hand.
It was a bone sword, possessing more toughness than a normal metal sword, and its sharpness far exceeded a metal sword.
Seeing this bone sword clearly, Jokichi knew who the sneak attacker was.
Nowadays, in this world, there was only one person left who would use a bone sword.
Sure enough, when Jokichi looked up at the attacker, the opponent slowly drew another bone sword from his left arm.
White clothes, white hair, a handsome appearance, an expression as placid as water, and an otherworldly aura, possessing an elegance that didn't fit the style of a ninja.
— Kaguya Kimimaro.