Iron Sand Defense!
With Ryūnosuke unleashing all of his chakra, the ground beneath them shattered apart. Iron sand buried hundreds of meters underground was dragged upward in a massive surge.
All the iron fragments frantically gathered around him, compressing tightly with his iron sand wings as the core, forming a gigantic iron sand sphere.
Under Ryūnosuke's control, the sphere did not expand even after absorbing all the iron sand—instead, it was continuously compressed. Piece by piece, he crushed the iron sand until it nearly became a solid iron mass. At such terrifying density, its hardness was no different from solid steel.
Against most types of attacks, this Iron Sand Defense would surpass even Gaara's Absolute Defense.
But unfortunately for him, he faced someone who could wield Lightning Release with perfect mastery—Hoshiyomi.
As the massive iron sphere loomed closer, Hoshiyomi's eyes narrowed. He began channeling Lightning Release chakra into the Mikazuki Munechika. This time, however, it wasn't a simple coating.
Through absolute control over chakra nature transformation, the lightning wrapped around the blade began to flow.
Yes—flow.
The Mikazuki Munechika had now become a roaring lightning chainsaw. Lightning chakra condensed into countless miniature serrated blades, which spun at incredible speed under Hoshiyomi's precise manipulation.
Slash!
From afar, shinobi of both Sunagakure and Konoha saw only a flash of blinding thunder across their vision. Terrified, they turned their heads—just in time to see two intersecting arcs of lightning.
A massive X-shaped sword energy—like the wrath of a thunder god descending from the heavens—came crashing down upon the tightly compressed iron sphere.
The brilliance of the lightning was so intense that many were momentarily blinded, tears streaming from their stung eyes. Yet they still rubbed furiously, desperate to see the outcome.
All eyes were locked on the battlefield, breathless. But the combatants themselves were calm—or rather, Hoshiyomi was calm. After the blinding flash of lightning, the entire battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
An unknown amount of time passed. A gentle breeze blew across the field. As it brushed past, the previously motionless iron sphere suddenly emitted a hiss.
Everyone's vision was still filled with afterimages of the lightning, but they paid it no mind, their eyes wide as they stared.
Under their anxious gazes, the iron sand sphere finally showed movement. The hissing sound grew louder and louder.
Upon closer inspection, they collectively sucked in a cold breath of astonishment. They realized the source of the hissing sound: it was the sound of the high heat trapped within the shattered iron sand sphere meeting the cold air.
As the hissing grew louder, the cracks on the iron sand sphere—its hardness comparable to steel—spread wider and wider, until it finally shattered completely.
A torrent of sand iron scattered outward like flowing water. The Iron Sand Guard, that the Third Kazekage, Ryūnosuke, had condensed with all his might, broke down into fragments, much of it drifting away on the wind.
Then came a dull thud—the sound of Ryūnosuke, the Third Kazekage, crashing to the ground.
A few Suna shinobi forgot they were still on a battlefield. Instinctively, they rushed forward a few steps, desperate to check on their Kazekage's condition.
But when they saw what was on the ground, they couldn't help but stumble backward.
No, this is impossible. That charred "human figure" on the ground couldn't possibly be their Third Kazekage.
The Third Kazekage was in a truly miserable state. His entire body was charred black, both arms had been severed cleanly, and waves of heat still rose from his scorched flesh.
He lay motionless on the ground—no one could tell if he was alive or dead. Hoshiyomi stood not far away, but he paid it no mind; whether Ryūnosuke lived or died, he no longer posed any threat.
Iron sand compressed to such density was no different from solid steel. To lock oneself inside such a sphere and then be struck by high-voltage lightning—no matter how much chakra armor an elite Kage-level shinobi had, he'd be lucky to cling to a single breath of life.
Even if Ryūnosuke were miraculously saved, with both arms gone he was essentially crippled, incapable of ever threatening Hoshiyomi again.
Ryūnosuke: defeated for not understanding physics.
Hoshiyomi had no intention of pitying this loser. All that mattered was one undeniable fact: Sunagakure was finished. This war was over.
Just as he was about to turn and declare this truth, two figures came rushing from the distance. Sensing the immense chakra they carried, Hoshiyomi's eyes narrowed, his hand lightly settling on the hilt of Mikazuki Munechika.
Surely Sunagakure couldn't be so brainless—did they really intend to keep fighting when even their Kazekage had fallen? Did they want to risk reducing the Five Great Shinobi Nations into Four?
As this thought crossed his mind, a voice rang out from afar:
"I am Bunpuku, the One-Tail's jinchūriki of Sunagakure. On behalf of Sunagakure, I am willing to surrender. I ask that Konoha show mercy…"
Though Bunpuku's words were humble, but the chakra radiating from him conveyed the rest: if Konoha pressed them too far, then Sunagakure would fight to the death and tear away a piece of Konoha no matter the cost.
In truth, Bunpuku hadn't come with the intention of surrender. The cautious old man originally set out, alongside Chiyo, to reinforce Ryūnosuke.
But halfway there, they witnessed that terrifying pillar of lightning. The moment Bunpuku saw it, his heart sank—things had gone terribly wrong. He abandoned his plan to reinforce and chose surrender instead.
When he arrived and saw Ryūnosuke's half-dead state, Bunpuku only felt relief that he hadn't made the wrong choice.
Hearing his words, Hoshiyomi relaxed his hand from the hilt. Though this old man hardly appeared in the original story, any shinobi capable of taming the unruly Shukaku—and earning Shukaku's praise as "a man with the air of the Sage of Six Paths"—was surely trustworthy in character.
With that in mind, Hoshiyomi shook his head at the questioning looks from Orochimaru and Tsunade, signaling them to stop. Then he turned toward Bunpuku and said:
"Since Sunagakure is willing to surrender, Konoha has no wish to prolong the bloodshed. But let me make this clear: the details must still be reported to the village. Until we receive word from Konoha, we will not withdraw from the Land of Wind. I hope you can understand."
Bunpuku was taken aback by how reasonable Hoshiyomi was. He had expected the young man to be arrogant and reckless—he'd even prepared to lay down his life today. But Hoshiyomi proved surprisingly easy to talk to.
With their Kazekage in such a state, Bunpuku certainly didn't want to continue fighting. While motioning for Chiyo to go and provide aid, he said:
"That is only natural. But I ask that Konoha not make things harder for our Sunagakure shinobi. I, Bunpuku, give my word—Sunagakure will not attack your camp again."
Hearing this, the Konoha shinobi erupted into cheers. They knew the war had finally reached its end.