Volume 1, Chapter 17: The Quicksand Seal Technique

Upon hearing this, Rōsa’s expression darkened. He was well aware of Shisui’s formidable strength and even more so the terrifying power of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Yet, as a shinobi of the Hidden Sand Village, he could not stand idly by while a rogue Konoha ninja acted so brazenly on his turf.

“Shisui, your actions have crossed the line for the Hidden Sand Village,” Rōsa said in a low, resolute voice. “As a ninja of this village, I cannot simply watch and do nothing.”

Shisui met him head-on, showing no sign of backing down. “Lord Rōsa, I understand your position, but please understand my own predicament. Everything I have done is for a greater peace.”

“Peace?” Rōsa scoffed coldly. “Achieving peace by colluding with renegade shinobi? That’s utterly laughable.”

The tension instantly escalated to a breaking point, both sides poised like drawn swords ready to strike. At that moment, Rōsa moved suddenly, launching an attack with his palm turned upward as if summoning the power of the earth itself. With a fierce shout:

“[Flowing Sand Golden Waterfall]!”

A massive surge of golden sand, controlled by an unseen force, transformed into sharp, piercing spikes, crashing toward Shisui and Sasori like an angry tidal wave.

Shisui’s face immediately grew grave in response to the sudden assault. Without hesitation, he activated his [Susanoo] once more. The towering green half-body Susanoo enveloped both him and Sasori tightly, like a mobile fortress radiating an aura of inviolability.

Shisui held absolute confidence in his Susanoo, believing this near-impenetrable defense could withstand any attack.

As the golden sand spikes struck the sturdy armor of the Susanoo like a torrential downpour, a heavy, muffled sound echoed through the night sky. The spikes, upon contact with the armor, seemed to hit an insurmountable barrier and fell helplessly to the ground.

Those seemingly indestructible spikes appeared fragile before the absolute defense of the Susanoo.

Seeing this, Rōsa’s expression darkened even further. He knew Shisui’s strength was extraordinary, but he had not expected him to wield the Susanoo with such mastery.

Yet, as a ninja of the Hidden Sand Village, he would never give up lightly.

“Shisui, do you think this will stop me?”

---

Rōsa roared, gathering more golden sand in the air, preparing a more intense attack.

Shisui responded calmly yet firmly, “Lord Rōsa, I have no intention of making you my enemy. But please understand, all I do is for a greater peace. If battle is unavoidable, I will fight with all my strength.”

“Enough talk, Shisui. I’ve said it before — Sasori will not leave the Hidden Sand Village today, no matter what!”

Rōsa bellowed again, manipulating the golden sand like a raging flood, completely engulfing Shisui’s massive half-body Susanoo.

Then, clasping his hands together, intricate sealing talismans rapidly spread over the vast golden sand, their light shining like stars fallen to earth.

“[Waterfall Sand Sealing Technique]!”

With this shout, the talismans activated, releasing dazzling light as a powerful sealing force wrapped tightly like chains around Shisui and Sasori, along with the half-body Susanoo, trapping them firmly within a vast sealing formation formed from golden sand.

Having completed this, Rōsa’s face turned pale and he panted heavily, eyes fixed intently on the enormous sealing array made of golden sand. A faint smile crept to the corner of his mouth.

“Finally, it’s over…”

Wiping the sweat from his brow, and after a moment’s observation, he saw that the sealed Shisui and Sasori showed no signs of movement, allowing him to finally relax.

“Lord Rōsa, are you alright…?” Maki hurried over from nearby, concerned by Rōsa’s unusual demeanor.

“I’m fine, Maki…”

“The rebellion has been sealed. As for reinforcing the seal, I’ll leave that to the village’s specialist sealing squad…”

Rōsa said this, worry etched across his face as he glanced toward the direction of Gaara in the Hidden Sand Village.

Without hesitation, he gathered a small amount of golden sand beneath him, forming a “sand cloud.” Then, mounting it, he gave instructions to Maki by his side before grimly urging the sand cloud forward, speeding toward Gaara’s location.

He had noticed when Shisui came to aid that Shisui had emerged from inside the Hidden Sand Village, while Sasori attacked from the front gate. This meant that from the very start of their battle with Sasori, Shisui had already infiltrated the village’s interior.

With his keen mind, Rōsa quickly pieced everything together and, after sealing the two, wasted no time rushing toward Gaara.

---

Though he had left two contingencies there, he could not guarantee Gaara’s safety.

It was clear that two enemies were openly present now: Akasuna no Sasori and Konoha’s swift Shisui—both far from ordinary shinobi.

Though temporarily “sealed” by Rōsa, who could say there weren’t a third or even a fourth adversary lurking?

At this thought, Rōsa’s face darkened as he pushed himself to his limits, hastening toward Gaara without pause.

Passing by where Futen was resting, Rōsa was so tense that he did not even notice Futen’s presence.

“Oh? Why is Rōsa here?” Futen muttered, watching Rōsa speed by on his “sand cloud.”

“Could it be that Shisui and the others failed? That shouldn’t be…”

Despite blurred vision, Futen noticed Rōsa’s movements—after all, only Rōsa had the ability to fly within the whole Hidden Sand Village.

Having rested briefly, Futen had recovered some chakra, but the pain and discomfort in his eyes remained excruciating.

Thinking of the possible plight of Sasori and Shisui, he forced himself to activate [Reversal Cause and Effect], restoring his body to peak condition.

Soon, bolstered by this technique, Futen’s body was fully healed, though his Mangekyō Sharingan fell into a dormant state after recovery, likely unusable for a long time.

But that mattered little—after all, he had secured the One-Tail’s chakra and could train again later.

After lightly moving his body to confirm no injuries, he activated the [Flying Thunder God] technique.

His target was the [Flying Thunder God] mark he had previously placed on Shisui.

“What exactly has happened…”

“Shisui, Sasori, don’t die so easily—hold on…”