Hanzo stood atop the giant salamander Ibuse, taking his Kusarigama from the scroll.
The sickle was Hanzo's most convenient weapon. With the chain attached, it became even more flexible, greatly extending its attack range.
He had once defeated the famous genius samurai of the Land of Iron, Mifune, with a single Iai Slash while wielding the Kusarigama.
But now, Hanzo had no intention of engaging Mutsuki in close-range Kenjutsu combat, as he feared losing.
From the start of the battle until now, Hanzo had lost in every aspect to Mutsuki and had lost confidence in defeating him one-on-one.
Hanzo planned to use the length of his chain to keep Mutsuki at a distance.
His Kusarigama was coated with potent poison; even a scratch would allow the toxin to spread rapidly throughout the body.
Hanzo's current strategy was simple: he would hold off Mutsuki while a hundred elite Rain Ninja attacked the Ninja Sect ninja without regard for their lives, forcing Mutsuki to reveal a weakness.
This was the last method Hanzo could think of to kill Mutsuki.
If he had a chance to start over, Hanzo would bring all the Rain Ninja Village ninjas with him.
As long as the opponent was not at the level of the Ninja God Senju Hashirama, a human wave tactic could overwhelm.
His own Water Release alone could not stop Mutsuki's Fire Release, but if hundreds or thousands of ninja used Water Release together, defeat for Mutsuki would be inevitable.
Moreover, no matter how strong a Ninjutsu was, Chakra and stamina were limited. The more powerful the Ninjutsu, the more Chakra it consumed. Hanzo believed that even Mutsuki could not freely unleash Fire Dragon Dance repeatedly.
"I underestimated your individual strength. If I had summoned my Summon Beast from the start, the course of this battle might have been different. From here on, you won't have another chance," Hanzo said in a deep voice.
Next, he would fully commit himself to this battle, putting all his effort into keeping Mutsuki occupied, waiting for the moment Mutsuki revealed a weakness to strike and kill him.
"If you could tell your subordinates to stop, your words would carry more weight," Mutsuki calmly said as he took a gas mask from his scroll and put it on.
Of course, Mutsuki would never come to fight Hanzo unprepared; he had brought several gas masks.
Hanzo's expression darkened. Mutsuki came to meet him yet had a gas mask ready at all times. Even if Hanzo didn't make a move, Mutsuki could still take the initiative to strike.
"Spray poison!" Hanzo ordered the salamander to release its Poison Mist.
The salamander immediately opened its huge mouth, and the toxic purple mist shot out toward Mutsuki.
Swish, swish, swish!
Hanzo himself did not stay idle. Instantly, he threw three Kunai marked with explosive tags toward Mutsuki.
Mutsuki, unlike Hanzo, did not have an immunity to the salamander's poison. If his gas mask was destroyed, he would quickly be poisoned and paralyzed.
But Mutsuki, in Transparent World, immediately noticed Hanzo's movements and quickly threw Shuriken to intercept.
As for the Poison Mist, Mutsuki had no perfect counter, but with the gas mask on, he did not need to worry about it for now.
This demonstrated how an effective Summon Beast could significantly enhance a ninja's combat capability.
Although Mutsuki also had a Summon Beast, given Kuro's strength, it was safer to use him as transportation.
From here on, Hanzo played his "steady" strategy to the extreme. Whenever Mutsuki showed signs of attacking, he would immediately escape using Water Body Flicker Jutsu; otherwise, he relied on poison and ninja tools to wear Mutsuki down.
However, Mutsuki could not ignore Hanzo, because if he did, Hanzo would dare to charge with his sickle directly into the Ninja Sect ninjas and wreak havoc.
Under Hanzo's careful maneuvering, the battle between Mutsuki and Hanzo became a game of cat and mouse.
Although Mutsuki still held a considerable advantage, the salamander's Poison Mist forced him to act cautiously, slowing down the rhythm of the fight.
Hanzo had never fought such a messy battle in his life, but at this moment, he had no choice-he could not win in a direct confrontation.
Because of Hanzo's orders, the battle on Nagato's side became extremely intense.
All the Rain Ninja were giving their all, launching continuous attacks with ninja tools and Ninjutsu toward Nagato and his team.
It was eight against a hundred, meaning that on average, each person on Nagato's side faced about twelve opponents.
The key was that these Rain Ninja were no pushovers-they were all elites from the Rain Ninja Village.
Strictly speaking, aside from Kakuzu, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, the remaining Ninja Sect ninjas might not be able to defeat these Rain Ninja one-on-one.
Kakuzu killed an incoming Rain Ninja with a Tentacle Fist but was quickly attacked by others. Due to the overwhelming numbers, even Kakuzu inevitably got injured.
However, Kakuzu had Earth Grudge Fear, allowing him to quickly take a heart and restore his strength. While he could not return to full power immediately, he could recover most of it, single-handedly holding off half of the enemy ninjas.
But the remaining half of the Rain Ninja still put enormous pressure on Nagato's team. Weaker members like Kuroda and Ike Masaya quickly began sustaining injuries.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Seeing Kuroda trapped on the flank, Yahiko immediately used Ninjutsu to help him and rushed forward to kick away the Rain Ninja trying to ambush him.
Every Ninja Sect ninja was fighting with all their might. Kakuzu and Yahiko resisted the pressure, while Nagato's hands formed seals continuously, releasing Ninjutsu from both hands and mouth, serving as the main output force of the team.
Konan used her Paper Secret Jutsu to relieve some of the pressure on Yahiko and the others, while the remaining ninjas supported Nagato and kept an eye on Rain Ninja trying to sneak attacks.
Under the life-or-death pressure, their coordination skyrocketed. Each person played their proper role without interfering with the others.
"This is terrifying-innocence can really be contagious," Kakuzu observed the Ninja Sect ninjas with his peripheral vision and murmured in awe.
Kakuzu could hardly imagine that these Ninja Sect ninjas fighting alongside him had only known each other for a few months.
Faced with such an almost suicidal battle, even the weakest Ninja Sect ninja did not flee, retreat, or betray their comrades.
Originally, Kakuzu thought the cautious Ike Masaya would run, but Ike Masaya fought with extraordinary effort.
Of course, it was still effort; in Kakuzu's view, without Ike Masaya and the others fighting, things might have been easier. Yahiko and Nagato, trying to protect their fellow Ninja Sect members, could not fully unleash their own strength.
If Kakuzu had not restored most of his power to hold back half of the enemy ninjas, the team would likely have already suffered casualties.
"If only the village had been like this back then, the outcome would have been..." Kakuzu kicked a nearby Rain Ninja away, deliberately interrupting his own thoughts.
Because he knew that the profit-driven Elders would never behave that way.
If the Waterfall Ninja Elders had been present, they would have surely chosen to abandon the weaker ninjas and would not have bothered to protect them.
Although their coordination was excellent, the enemies were far too numerous and powerful. Nagato and the others inevitably fell into a disadvantage, and that disadvantage was rapidly growing.
Nagato was extremely anxious, but he had no way to turn the situation around. Although he knew many Ninjutsu, none had the destructive power of Mutsuki's Fire Dragon Dance.
Noticing the situation on Nagato's side, Mutsuki deliberately drew his battlefield with Hanzo closer to Nagato's position.
The battle-hardened Hanzo quickly realized Mutsuki's intention. Hanzo remained calm, pretending not to notice, allowing Mutsuki to approach the valley.
This was exactly the opportunity he had been waiting for.
Yahiko's strength was far below Kakuzu's, and without Earth Grudge Fear, the immense pressure made it hard for him to hold on.
The anxious Nagato rushed forward to help Yahiko relieve some pressure, but this prevented him from frequently using Ninjutsu to suppress the enemy, and soon Nagato himself became surrounded by Rain Ninja.
"Wind Release: Blade of Wind!"
Mutsuki suddenly stopped engaging Hanzo and appeared beside the Rain Ninja, swinging out two sharp wind blades that instantly killed the Rain Ninjas surrounding Nagato and Yahiko.
The Rain Ninja knew that Mutsuki was the greatest threat in this battle, and many immediately launched attacks against him.
But Mutsuki's movements were agile; not a single attack from the Rain Ninja landed.
"Finally, the moment has come." A glint of delight appeared in Hanzo's eyes as he condensed Chakra and threw a water stream at Mutsuki.
"Sensei, watch out!" Nagato, just about to thank Mutsuki, noticed Hanzo's attack and shouted a warning.
But Hanzo's timing was perfect. By the time Nagato shouted, Hanzo's attack was already close to Mutsuki. Mutsuki dodged with all his might but could only avoid the vital point; blood splattered as the water stream pierced his abdomen, leaving a bleeding hole.
At that moment, Mutsuki was not far from Nagato. With his excellent eyesight, Nagato could clearly see the spurting blood and the bleeding hole in Mutsuki.
Even though it was just blood from one person, in Nagato's eyes the whole world seemed dyed in red, as if cursed.
"What a pity. If Sosuke hadn't brought people, Hanzo would have no way to deal with him." Kitsuchi's face showed regret.
On a personal level, Kitsuchi admired the loyal and righteous Mutsuki more than the ruthless Hanzo.
Hanzo's sneak attack this time was enough to wipe out all of Mutsuki's previous advantages and establish a huge advantage for himself.
A wound of this severity would affect Mutsuki's combat effectiveness, and Hanzo's poison could enter Mutsuki's body directly through the injury.
Although Kitsuchi admired Mutsuki, he would not intervene. After all, Mutsuki's Ninja Sect was still implicated in killing Hidden Rock ninjas.
Danzo smiled as the situation moved toward the outcome he most desired.
Although Mutsuki was injured, he still had combat capability; even if defeated by Hanzo, he could still consume most of Hanzo's strength.
At that time, Danzo would have his subordinates pose as Rain Ninja to assist, with the reward being a pair of Rinnegan.
"Uncle Sosuke!" Yahiko, seeing Mutsuki injured, looked anxious and took out bandages from his ninja tools pouch.
But before Yahiko could place the bandages in Mutsuki's hands, attacks from the Rain Ninja and Hanzo struck again.
Looking at the injured Mutsuki and Yahiko, who had once again fallen into danger, Nagato felt a sense of despair.
He realized that the peace he sought seemed to be a mistake-people could not truly understand one another.
Even though their Ninja Sect had done nothing to wrong the Rain Ninja Village, Hanzo had lured them into the valley with deception, intending to destroy them.
Mutsuki-sensei possessed strength greater than Hanzo, yet he was injured by the despicable and cunning Hanzo because he was protecting them.
An organization doing the right thing was trapped by deceit, and noble and righteous people were harmed by vile and cunning schemes-was such a world really normal?
"Must everyone experience the same pain firsthand to understand each other?" Nagato clenched his fists, and under the influence of negative emotions, his thoughts grew extreme.
"I can do nothing. I've accomplished nothing." Looking back on his life, Nagato realized that his entire life was written in capital letters: FAILURE.
If he could wield the Rinnegan properly, perhaps he could have prevented the Konoha Ninja from killing his parents, instead of losing control afterward and killing the Konoha Ninja in a frenzy.
Killing the Konoha Ninja did not bring Nagato the satisfaction of revenge, because no matter what, his parents would never return to his side.
If he could master his own power, he would not have killed so many enemies in the Rinnegan's rampage.
There were some people he did not want to kill. The Akatsuki aimed to achieve peace through nonviolent means; killing was always the last, extreme measure.
Not only could he not use his power properly, but he also failed at ordinary daily tasks: he could not deliver speeches with the passion of Yahiko, his cooking was not tasty, and, thinking carefully, he could not even properly express his own emotions.
"Even if I am like this, I still want to protect Yahiko. I still want to protect Mutsuki-sensei..."
Nagato clenched his fists tighter and tighter, and even as his nails dug into his flesh, he did not loosen them at all.
The massive amount of Chakra within Nagato surged violently along with his emotions, a terrifying aura rising from his body.
Kakuzu turned around in surprise at Nagato's expression, unaware that there was another strong Ninja in the Ninja Sect besides Mutsuki.
The perceptive Hanzo also sensed something amiss and immediately stopped his attack, activating Water Body Flicker Jutsu.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Nagato's Rinnegan eyes trembled violently, and an immensely powerful Repulsion erupted, sending all incoming Ninjutsu and weapons flying away.
Bang! Bang!
Some of the nearby Ninja were directly slammed into the surrounding rock walls by the sheer force of the Repulsion.
"I didn't expect there to be a Ninja of this level in the Ninja Sect besides Sosuke." Hanzo, having dodged the attack, furrowed his brows; the strength displayed by the Ninja Sect far exceeded his expectations.
"Bansho Ten'in!"
Nagato extended his hand toward the nearby Rain Ninja, and the Rain Ninja were instantly terrified as their bodies uncontrollably accelerated toward him.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
Seizing the opportunity, Mutsuki unleashed a barrage of fireballs, annihilating all the Ninja being pulled in.
This sudden turn of events left all the Ninja present utterly shocked.
"Is this the power of the Rinnegan?" A glint of greed flashed in Danzo's eyes, though he did not take any action.
Although he desired the Rinnegan, Danzo had not lost his reason; the current situation was clearly slipping out of Hanzo's control.
"I overestimated Hanzo's strength." Thinking of the cost he had paid in this operation, Danzo's expression darkened.
To incite conflict, he had sacrificed several elite Root operatives-each trained at great expense and effort-and losing even one displeased him greatly.
He could accept it if his goals were achieved, but the situation on the scene was moving in the direction he least wanted.
"There's another expert." Kitsuchi was shocked by the strength displayed by the Ninja Sect.
Hanzo led a hundred elite Rain Ninja Village Ninja, with pre-set traps and terrain advantage, yet even with such thorough preparation, they could not take down the nine Ninja of the Ninja Sect.
At this moment, Nagato's mind was in chaos, and his body acted purely on instinct. He didn't know what he was doing; the only voice in his mind was to protect his comrades and inflict pain on the enemy.
Nagato's figure flashed in front of a Rain Ninja, his palm grabbing at the opponent's abdomen, ripping out their soul and instantly eliminating another enemy.
Although Nagato's displayed strength was not on par with Mutsuki, his eerie methods made the Rain Ninja feel a strong sense of danger.
"Super Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Since the Salamander was still gathering Poison Mist, Hanzo did not dare advance and used Water Release from above to strike at Nagato.
But Mutsuki was only injured, not incapacitated. Re-entering Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, he once again made everyone aware of who the true strongest on the battlefield was.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Dance!"
Mutsuki unleashed a torrent of scorching flames, rapidly expelling fire to form a small blaze, which then split into fire dragons.
The flames were so hot that even the humid valley began to dry, and the puddles on the ground vanished without a trace under the intense heat.
The dazzling, blazing fire dragons engulfed Hanzo's massive water dragon, once again proving that sufficiently strong flames fear no water.
No Rain Ninja in the valley dared to attack Mutsuki and his allies, all hastily creating distance for fear of being caught in the terrifying flames.
After all, these were flames even Demigod Hanzo could not stop.
Only Mutsuki's Shadow Clone used Water Release to attack, standing out brightly on the battlefield as all the Rain Ninja collapsed.
If it had been ten years ago, Hanzo might have praised Mutsuki as the strongest Fire Release user and helped elevate his reputation.
But now, Hanzo only wanted to know how he could kill Mutsuki.
The Ninja Sect had demonstrated immense strength: besides Mutsuki, the top-tier powerhouse, there was also Nagato, an exceptionally skilled Ninja.
This Ninja Sect was already enough to threaten the position of the Rain Ninja Village in the Land of Rain.
Hanzo racked his brain but realized he had already lost the chance to kill Mutsuki.
It was as if Mutsuki knew about his Salamander; even when Mutsuki was injured, the Salamander's Poison Mist still had a full four minutes of cooldown.
Nagato erupted and cleared a batch of Rain Ninja, Mutsuki killed some more, and with the Rain Ninja Kakuzu had previously taken out, only about twenty Rain Ninja remained capable of fighting on the battlefield.
Seeing Mutsuki's terrifying power, the heavy casualties among his subordinates, and Nagato's strange methods, Hanzo couldn't help but feel a desire to retreat.
Based on this battle experience, although he could not defeat Mutsuki, because of Ninjutsu countering and his Summon Beast's deadly poison, it was not so easy for Mutsuki to beat him either.
Back in the Rain Ninja Village, there were still many more Rain Ninja who could fight for him, while the Ninja Sect, though they had strong individuals, had very few Ninja and could never face the entire Rain Ninja Village head-on.
"For the Land of Rain and the Rain Ninja Village, I cannot die," Hanzo murmured to himself as if trying to convince himself.
With this in mind, Hanzo no longer hesitated and decided to abandon the plan to annihilate the Ninja Sect; he would retreat.
"Plan canceled. Retreat!"
Hanzo cast one last glance at the dazzling fire dragon. As the strongest Water Release user, he had been defeated by Fire Release-an unforgettable loss for the rest of his life.
Finally, Hanzo dissolved into a pool of water and disappeared from the spot.
The Rain Ninja who had received Hanzo's order also retreated at top speed, as if granted amnesty.
After today, no matter how much the Rain Ninja respected Hanzo, they had to admit that the strongest position in the Land of Rain had changed-Ninja Master Sosuke was the strongest Ninja in the Land of Rain.
The strength between Sosuke and Hanzo was indeed different-not that Hanzo was stronger than Sosuke, but that Sosuke was stronger than Hanzo.
Danzo watched the dazzling fire dragon with a heart full of apprehension.
At this moment, Danzo's evaluation of Hanzo plummeted. He never expected that Hanzo would accomplish absolutely nothing, and not a single member of the Ninja Sect was killed.
This left Danzo extremely frustrated. Mutsuki was only injured, the Rinnegan Ninja was at full strength, and his Root elite had died in vain, achieving nothing at all.
"You stay behind and wait for the opportunity," Danzo said before leaving without hesitation.
The Rinnegan was powerful, but Danzo valued his own life more. If he personally participated in the battle, it could be dangerous.
It wasn't that Danzo feared death-he believed his death would be a huge loss for Konoha. For the sake of the village, he could not die.
"Hiruzen is far too indecisive; Konoha cannot afford to lose me," Danzo thought.
Although he hadn't obtained tangible results, Danzo still believed his operation was meaningful.
Without this operation, he wouldn't have known the strength of the Ninja Sect, wouldn't have known they possessed the Rinnegan, and wouldn't have known that the leader's Fire Release was the strongest in the ninja world.
A single failed operation could not shake Danzo. If this attempt didn't work, he would find another way next time.
"The Land of Rain is about to change."
Kitsuchi gave one last glance at the dazzling fire dragon before leaving with his subordinates. He needed to bring this intelligence back to Hidden Rock Village. Even without counting the other Ninja Sect members, the combined strength of Mutsuki, Kakuzu, and Nagato was no small force.
Although Hanzo attacked the Ninja Sect to give Hidden Rock Village an explanation, there were still some doubts about the incident, and Kitsuchi would not act rashly.
Moreover, considering the strength Mutsuki and his allies had displayed, the force Kitsuchi brought was insufficient.
If he truly had to deal with Mutsuki, Kitsuchi believed it would either require his father to take action personally or to send a jinchuriki; otherwise, it would be extremely difficult to handle.
"Sensei, are you okay?" After regaining consciousness, Nagato, ignoring his own weakness, hurriedly asked about Mutsuki's condition.
"Just a minor injury," Mutsuki replied with a gentle smile.
If Mutsuki wanted, he could have avoided being injured; but sometimes getting hurt can bring more benefits.
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