Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe

Orochimaru hadn't even finished speaking when he made his move. From his right arm, more than twenty black snakes shot out, their fanged jaws wide open as they lunged toward Rasa and his two ANBU guards.

Although Rasa had been on alert ever since Orochimaru appeared, he hadn't expected such a quick attack. Caught off guard, he lost the initiative. Seeing the mass of snakes rushing at him with a putrid smell on the wind, Rasa had no choice but to retreat.

"Retreat!" Rasa shouted, leaping backward from the water's surface. His two ANBU guards, both skilled warriors from the Sand Village, reacted quickly and followed him into the air. Rasa had come to the Leaf to carry out the Konoha Crush Plan, so his bodyguards were among the best in the village.

"Finger Bullets!" As Rasa and his guards soared into the air, Kimimaro attacked from behind. His ten fingers fired off bone bullets in rapid succession, three volleys aimed to completely block Rasa's escape routes from every angle.

Bang!

Still airborne, Rasa quickly unrolled a sealing scroll. From it emerged a two-meter-long golden cube. As soon as it appeared, the gold melted into a shimmering curtain, forming a barrier that shielded Rasa and his guards from Kimimaro's bone projectiles.

"As expected of a Kage—none of them are easy opponents," Daniel, observing from his mirror dimension, nodded in appreciation at the golden curtain.

The cube was made of gold dust, controlled by Rasa's Magnet Release. Unlike his son Gaara, who carried sand in a gourd on his back, Rasa stored his gold dust in a sealing scroll to avoid the inconvenience of constantly carrying it.

Though powerful, Magnet Release had significant limitations. Unlike other nature releases like water or earth, which could be conjured with chakra alone, Magnet Release required specific materials—gold dust for Rasa and iron sand for the Third Kazekage. Chakra was versatile enough to create water or mud, but it couldn't directly produce sand.

The Sand Village's Magnet Release was unique but not exclusive to them. The Cloud Village also had Magnet Release users, but their version focused on manipulating weapons rather than metals like gold or iron.

"Come to think of it, Eustass Kid from the pirate world probably has the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, doesn't he?" Daniel mused briefly before refocusing on the battle.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!" Orochimaru unleashed a water-style jutsu, taking advantage of Rasa's elemental weakness. No matter how skilled Rasa was with gold dust, it was still vulnerable to water, which would weigh it down and make it harder to control.

Even the Sand-Sand Fruit, wielded by Crocodile, had its power diminished when faced with water.

Orochimaru was proficient in all five elemental releases, though he favored his Snake Techniques in battle. However, in a fight, versatility mattered. If his snake techniques weren't enough, he could adapt by using other elements—like now.

Water Dragon Bullet was a difficult jutsu, requiring 44 hand seals to perform. Only highly skilled ninja could use it. However, Orochimaru, using the version improved by the Second Hokage, needed just four hand seals to summon the massive water dragon.

In the ninja world, the number of hand seals required for a jutsu could vary greatly depending on the user's talent, power, and familiarity with the technique. For instance, Itachi could cast the Great Fireball Jutsu with a single hand, while others needed both hands. Even the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, used by Orochimaru, the Third Hokage, and the Fourth Hokage, had variations in how it was performed.

Bang!

The water dragon crashed into Rasa's golden curtain. Though Rasa managed to block the attack, his face darkened. The water had mixed with the gold dust, making it heavier and requiring more chakra to control.

"Orochimaru, what are you doing?" Rasa demanded, keeping the gold dust hovering defensively around him as he glared at Orochimaru, who was now approaching.

Rasa was confused. Why would Orochimaru attack him? They had been planning the Konoha Crush together for a long time. The plan benefited both of them. If Orochimaru intended to betray him, doing so after the plan had started would make more sense. But to attack now, before they'd even begun? It made no sense.

"Or could it be… you're a spy for the Leaf?" Rasa voiced his suspicion.

The great nations' ninja villages were highly distrustful of outsiders, often with good reason. It wasn't uncommon for other villages to plant spies. Itachi, for instance, was a double agent, pretending to serve the Akatsuki while gathering information for the Leaf.

This kind of deep cover espionage had historical precedent, too. In ancient times, assassins like Yao Li, one of the Four Great Assassins, had used brutal tactics such as sacrificing his own family to gain the trust of his target. Rasa couldn't help but wonder if Orochimaru was playing a similar game.

"It's a reasonable guess," Daniel thought from the mirror dimension. "If I didn't know Orochimaru's true motives, I'd suspect the same."

After all, it was illogical for Orochimaru to kill off a key ally before the plan even began. If Orochimaru had wanted to take Rasa's place, he could have asked. Rasa would have gladly let Orochimaru fight the Third Hokage while he focused on causing as much damage as possible to the village.

In truth, the Konoha Crush Plan didn't end up causing much harm to the Leaf Village beyond the death of the Third Hokage. The Sand Village, on the other hand, suffered significant losses, with many of its elite ninja killed. The plan ultimately benefited the Leaf more than it hurt them, serving as a catalyst for the next generation, including the Twelve Guardian Ninja, to rise.

But Orochimaru's true goal was simple—he just wanted to kill his old teacher. To ensure he could fight the Third Hokage one-on-one, he went to the lengths of setting up the Four Violet Flames Formation.

"Dead men don't need to know the details," Orochimaru replied coldly. "Myriad Snake Net Formation!"

With a few quick hand seals, Orochimaru unleashed a swarm of countless snakes from his mouth, surging toward Rasa.

"This technique is…" Even separated by the mirror dimension, Daniel felt a chill. The sheer number of snakes made the attack unnerving.

"Finger Bullets!" Kimimaro attacked again, firing more bone projectiles. Faced with the combined assault, Rasa's expression grew grim. Glancing at the water around him, he realized he had no choice but to expand his gold dust into a protective sphere around himself and his two ANBU guards.

Bang, bang, bang!

Kimimaro's attacks struck first but were blocked by the golden sphere. Then, the horde of snakes covered the sphere, creating a writhing mass that obscured everything.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rocked the battlefield as the snake swarm detonated, creating massive waves on the water's surface. The shockwaves shattered nearby rocks, sending debris flying.

"As expected of a Kage," Orochimaru licked his lips as the dust settled, revealing Rasa's golden shield still intact, though cracks were beginning to form. Emerging from the mouths of several black snakes were glowing blades—multiple copies of the Kusanagi Sword.

Dozens of snakes, each holding a Kusanagi Sword in their mouths, lunged at the golden sphere. When the blades collided with the sphere, a metallic clanging echoed through the air. Most of the snakes shattered upon impact, but a few managed to pierce the weakened gold dust barrier.

The Kusanagi Sword wasn't a single unique blade in Orochimaru's possession. It was a series of swords with varying abilities. The one Orochimaru typically wielded could extend in length, while Sasuke's version enhanced chakra-based attacks.

"Rasa's really getting outplayed here," Daniel observed. "Without his element working for him, he's in trouble."

Finally, Rasa's barrier shattered, and three identical figures rushed out, splitting in different directions. Each one looked exactly like Rasa.

Kimimaro moved to intercept one, Orochimaru another, and the remaining snakes blocked the third.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The three Rasas were quickly intercepted, revealing them to be decoys—puppets, in fact.

Boom!

Another figure shot out from the remains of the golden sphere, once again resembling Rasa.

"Puppets, huh?" Daniel mused as the final decoy was revealed.

Boom!

Just as the real Rasa was about to escape the ambush, another figure appeared in front of him, chopping at him with a hand strike. Rasa had no choice but to block with his right arm.

The clash sent both fighters stumbling back. The newcomer was none other than Kabuto, who had been lying in wait for the right moment.

Smiling, Kabuto looked at his trembling right hand. "As expected of the Fourth Kazekage—taking my strike head-on without a scratch."

Despite Kabuto's words, Rasa's expression grew darker. Though he appeared unharmed, his golden dust armor had taken a blow. Fine particles of gold were beginning to flake off, falling into the water below.

Like Gaara, Rasa could use the Gold Dust Armor to protect himself, but his version was stronger. His gold dust also had the advantage of being denser and heavier than Gaara's sand, making it a better defense against attacks.

However, Rasa was running out of chakra after defending against Orochimaru's relentless attacks.

Ninja battles, for most, were contests of attrition. Only a few, like Naruto, Sasuke, Madara, the First Hokage, or members of the Ōtsutsuki clan, had nearly unlimited chakra. For everyone else, battles often ended when chakra reserves ran dry.

Even the mighty Second Hokage had been overpowered and killed by the Gold and Silver Brothers due to running out of chakra.

"This is getting troublesome," Rasa muttered, summoning the last of his Gold Dust Armor to form three spears, which he launched at Kabuto, Kimimaro, and Orochimaru.

But by this point, Rasa had no strength left to continue fighting. As the three spears shot through the air, Orochimaru unleashed his Hidden Shadow Snake Hands again. Kimimaro fired more bone bullets, while Kabuto threw a barrage of kunai and shuriken, some laced with explosive tags.

With no choice but to abandon his escape attempt, Rasa leapt down from the air, returning to the battlefield on foot.

"It's over for him," Daniel thought, shaking his head slightly. Even a Kage-level shinobi was powerless when their chakra was depleted and their surroundings worked against them.

In his prime, Rasa might have been able to hold his own against Orochimaru and his subordinates, but the environment, the ambush, and the relentless attacks had worn him down.

Though Rasa tried to fight back, it was clear that he was fighting a losing battle. Eventually, he was forced back onto dry land. However, by that point, he was barely holding on.

"To think… he's the father of Gaara and Temari," Daniel mused as Rasa, now cornered, faced his inevitable defeat.

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