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Shin and the Third Kazekage faced each other. The other Suna Shinobi formed a circle around them.
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"Kazekage-sama, do you need assistance?" Chiyo asked.
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"No." The Kazekage refused. He wasn''t going to gang up on a kid.
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Chiyo frowned. They couldn''t underestimate this boy. He had injured the Kazekage with a single blow.
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She felt the Kazekage was being arrogant. This could end badly.
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"Vacuum Slash!"
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Shin swung his sword with full force, slicing through the air. A blade of compressed air shot towards the Kazekage.
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Creating an air blade with a sword was far more difficult than with a punch.
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The air blade was incredibly fast. The Kazekage''s eyes widened.
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"Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method!"
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Iron Sand swirled around the Kazekage, forming an impenetrable sphere.
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The air blade struck the Iron Sand, sparks flying. It slowly cut through the Iron Sand, but the defense was thick, over thirty centimeters.
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The air blade managed to penetrate twenty centimeters before dissipating.
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"Couldn''t break it. Disappointing." Shin sheathed his sword.
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"But since you like staying in there so much, why don''t you stay there forever?"
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"Ice Release: Ice Age!"
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Shin''s hands flew through a series of hand seals, fifteen seals in two seconds. An icy chill emanated from him.
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Ignoring the Chakra cost, frost spread from his feet, covering the ground in a thick layer of ice.
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The Iron Sand sphere encasing the Kazekage was instantly frozen. The ice continued to spread outwards.
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"Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"
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Chiyo yelled, leading the Suna forces in a hasty retreat. Those further away were fine, but the Shinobi near the front couldn''t escape.
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The stronger ones managed to flee, but the Chunin were too slow. They were frozen solid, encased in ice. Within moments, a one-kilometer radius was transformed into a world of ice.
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Hundreds of ice pillars stood frozen in this icy wasteland. They were the Suna Shinobi who hadn''t been able to escape.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
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"Still not as powerful as Kuzan''s Hie Hie no Mi."
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Shin observed his Ice Age Jutsu. He had developed it based on Kuzan''s Devil Fruit ability, but it was still far weaker.
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Kuzan could freeze dozens of kilometers of ocean with ease.
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But Shin''s Ice Release was still developing. Perhaps one day, he would surpass Kuzan.
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Shin wasn''t completely satisfied, but the Suna and Konoha Shinobi were stunned.
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"That''s Ice Release?! When did he get Ice Release? He didn''t tell me!" Tsunade was indignant.
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"What incredible power..." Orochimaru''s eyes widened in shock.
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"Damn that brat!"
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Chiyo almost fainted, seeing her frozen comrades.
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"Quick! Save the Kazekage!"
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Ebizo, Chiyo''s brother, yelled, his eyes filled with worry. The Third Kazekage was trapped in the ice.
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If they didn''t rescue him soon, he would suffocate.
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They had to break the ice. If the Kazekage died here, Suna would be in danger.
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Ebizo charged forward, using Wind Release to attack the ice encasing the Kazekage. But the ice was as hard as steel.
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Shin watched them calmly. They wouldn''t be able to break it. He wondered if the Kazekage could escape from the inside.
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The Kazekage had deactivated his Iron Sand defense. He looked at the ice surrounding him, his face pale.
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He manipulated the Iron Sand, forming various weapons, and attacked the ice from the inside.
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With attacks from both inside and outside, and with some Shinobi using Fire Release, the ice finally shattered. The Kazekage emerged, gasping for air.
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The space within the sphere hadn''t been large; the air had been thin.
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"Retreat!" the Kazekage ordered.
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He didn''t try to attack Shin. He chose to retreat.
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The Suna Shinobi wanted to save their frozen comrades, but they knew the chances of survival were slim.
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"You think you can just retreat? Did you ask me?"
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Shin charged towards them, his sword flashing. A massive air blade sliced through the ice.
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"Puppet Technique: Human Puppet!"
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Chiyo used the Human Puppet Jutsu to defend, and the Third Kazekage used his strongest Iron Sand defense.
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The other Suna Shinobi also used defensive Jutsu. The sight was spectacular, even more so than when Shin had faced the combined might of Kirigakure.
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The air blade sliced through ten puppets and broke through the Kazekage''s Iron Sand defense. The air blade was too large, and the Kazekage''s Iron Sand wall wasn''t thick enough.
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But after breaking through the Iron Sand, the air blade''s power was spent. It was easily blocked by the other Suna Shinobi''s defenses.
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The Suna forces retreated hastily, abandoning their frozen comrades.
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The chances of survival for those trapped in the ice were slim. The Kazekage wouldn''t risk further losses to save them.
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If Shin used another Ice Age Jutsu, the consequences would be dire.
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Chiyo winced as she retrieved the broken Human Puppet. It was a masterpiece by the previous generation''s Puppet Master, Monzaemon Chikamatsu. It was irreplaceable, and now it was damaged.
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She didn''t know if she could repair it.
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As she collected the puppet, she suddenly felt a chill, a sense of danger. She instinctively leaned to the side.
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A flash of white, and a sword pierced through her body.
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She had dodged slightly, avoiding a fatal blow. The sword, aimed for her heart, had missed, piercing her side instead.
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"Too bad."
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Shin deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan, disappointed. He had almost killed Chiyo.
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He had used Yomotsu Hirasaka to open a small, invisible portal and thrust his Kusanagi sword through it.
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The sword had emerged from another portal near Chiyo, stabbing her from a distance of several hundred meters.
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This was another application of Yomotsu Hirasaka.