Buzz!!
Under Ryūnosuke's control, the power of Magnet Release erupted. The sword in Hoshiyomi's hand, Mikazuki Munechika, trembled violently, on the verge of being torn from his grasp.
The force was tremendous. Even Hoshiyomi could only barely hold his ground, his strength matching the magnetic pull. In this situation, attacking with his sword was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Feeling the immense pressure traveling through his blade, Hoshiyomi raised an eyebrow. So this was the true might of the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release—it really was impressive. For any ordinary close-combat shinobi, it would be impossible to even hold onto their weapon in the face of such overwhelming force.
Behind the wall of iron sand, Ryūnosuke's expression brimmed with smugness. This was the very foundation of his confidence—the terrifying restraining effect Magnet Release had against weapon-wielding shinobi.
No matter how strong Gekko Hoshiyomi might be, once he lost his sword, he would be at Ryūnosuke's mercy. In fact, Ryūnosuke had already plotted the scene in his mind:
After taking Hoshiyomi's sword, he would turn the Iron Sand Wall into a long spear and drive it into Hoshiyomi's body. Once the iron sand infiltrated him and left him paralyzed, he would use Hoshiyomi's own sword to end his life.
The thought of being killed by your own weapon... that's a thrill, isn't it?
"Konoha's Silver Moon, you are too arrogant. Knowing full well my Magnet Release counters you, you still dared to block the Land of Wind's border and provoke me. Now you shall pay the price," Ryūnosuke spoke from behind the Iron Sand wall. He could almost imagine Hoshiyomi's ugly expression on the other side.
Hoshiyomi, hearing Ryūnosuke's voice, smiled. "Are you sure you can control me?"
As he spoke, his chakra suddenly shifted—converted in an instant into Lightning Release.
――――
Meanwhile, across the battlefield, where Orochimaru and the others were locked in fierce combat against the Suna shinobi, their expressions darkened at the stalemate between Hoshiyomi and Ryūnosuke.
The very outcome they dreaded was unfolding before their eyes. If Hoshiyomi truly failed to resist and lost Mikazuki Munechika—or worse, if he fell—this war would surely swing irreversibly in Sunagakure's favor.
At that thought, Orochimaru nearly abandoned his current opponent to rush to Hoshiyomi's aid. Though he hadn't thought of a perfect counter to Ryūnosuke, his Great Serpent Body Substitution technique could at least withstand the iron infiltration.
But just as he prepared to move, a piercing crackle of electricity erupted in the distance. The sharp, electrifying sound immediately reminded him of another dear friend still in Konoha—Sakumo Hatake.
Everyone turned toward the sound, only to see Mikazuki Munechika blazing with lightning in Hoshiyomi's hand, the entire blade transformed into a sword of pure thunder.
What shocked and delighted Orochimaru's group even more was that Hoshiyomi's strained expression had completely vanished. Those with keen eyesight, like Minato, could even see the sword steadily carving its way into the iron wall, trying to split it apart.
Hoshiyomi couldn't hide the smile on his face. His gamble had paid off—Ryūnosuke's Magnet Release could indeed be neutralized by Lightning Release.
The intense lightning disrupted Ryūnosuke's magnetic fields, unraveling the cohesion of the iron sand. What was once an impenetrable barrier now crumbled—less sturdy even than a simple Earth-Style Wall.
Under Ryūnosuke's stunned gaze, Hoshiyomi poured more lightning chakra into his blade and struck with his full might. With a thunderous slash, the iron wall was completely shattered.
Ryūnosuke reacted swiftly, retreating the moment he sensed the strange current coursing through his wall. Hoshiyomi's strike failed to injure him—but the shock written across Ryūnosuke's face was impossible to hide.
Impossible… My Magnet Release… was broken?
Ryūnosuke's eyes were wide with disbelief. Everything happening before him had completely overturned his understanding.
Ever since Ryūnosuke first developed his Magnet Release, he had never once encountered a true counter. Though he never fought the Third Raikage directly, he had crossed blades with a Jōnin from Kumogakure.
The result? That Jōnin had been shredded into a sieve by his iron sand.
A kekkei genkai… This must be some kind of new kekkei genkai!
With that thought, Ryūnosuke's face darkened as he shouted,
"What is that kekkei genkai of yours? That's definitely not ordinary Lightning Release. How could Lightning Release possibly overcome my Magnet Release?"
Hearing Ryūnosuke's question, Hoshiyomi almost burst into laughter. But in truth, he knew he was only standing on the shoulders of giants, so he stifled the urge to mock him. Instead, he assumed a proud, cool expression—like Sasuke showing off—and replied calmly:
"Sorry… but my understanding of Magnet Release surpasses yours."
And indeed, he wasn't wrong. To be frank, although the Third Kazekage possessed such a terrifying power, his applications of Magnet Release were unimaginative—merely shaping iron sand into cones, cylinders, or at best using Iron Sand World Method or injecting it into enemies' bodies to paralyze them temporarily.
Such unimaginative applications wasted the true potential of this kekkei genka.
If this ability were in Hoshiyomi's hands, he would've already developed techniques on the level of an electromagnetic railgun. If that were the case, would Sunagakure be suffering such humiliation right now?
Ryūnosuke froze as if struck by lightning. He had spent nearly thirty years refining his kekkei genkai, and now someone dared to claim to understand it better than he did. Was there any insult more cutting?
His first reaction was disbelief. His second—an uncontrollable rage. His body trembled with fury, and all pretense of Kazekage dignity was cast aside as he roared out a curse:
"Bullshit!"
In his mind, Hoshiyomi clearly possessed some advanced kekkei genkai, yet instead of admitting it, he was humiliating him further.
Falling into this vicious spiral of thought, Ryūnosuke could no longer think rationally.
With a sweep of his arm, an even more powerful surge of Magnet Release chakra burst forth. The fallen iron sand on the ground was pulled back under his control, and he drew even more from deep beneath the ground.
The sheer mass of iron sand gathered into a massive black cloud. Ryūnosuke glared at Hoshiyomi, his voice trembling with wrath and shame:
"I'll kill you, you lying bastard—Iron Sand Drizzle!!"
In an instant, the cloud of iron sand morphed into countless sharp needles, which, at Ryūnosuke's command, rained down on Hoshiyomi like a storm.
But Hoshiyomi remained utterly calm. Relying on Nature Transformation, he swiftly cloaked his body in a layer of lightning armor.
It wasn't on the same level as the Third Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode—it couldn't stimulate cells to enhance speed and durability—but as a protective covering, it was already more than enough.
Shrouded in lightning armor, holding his blade Mikazuki Munechika blazing with lightning, Hoshiyomi began spinning rapidly. His rotating chakra cloak of lightning whirled with him, transforming him into a spinning sphere of thunder.
The countless iron needles struck the lightning sphere, but before they could pierce him, their magnetism was neutralized by the current and they fell harmlessly to the ground as ordinary grains of sand.
With this pseudo–Lightning Armor combined with a pseudo–Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation, Hoshiyomi easily nullified Ryūnosuke's Iron Sand Drizzle.
…Though admittedly, all that spinning left him feeling a little nauseous.