Compared to Haseo's clash with the Third Mizukage, Dan Kato's fight was a bit more cut-and-dry.
He fought for a while—and then got taken down. That was it.
Yet the death of the ninja "parasitized" by Dan shouldn't be considered his own defeat; in fact, it could even be seen as a success... After all, it was mutual destruction among enemies. Whether you killed me or I killed you, the result was the same.
When Dan's "Spiritualization Body" was forced out into the open, the Sunagakure shinobi finally understood what had happened—their comrade wasn't a spy nor caught under any genjutsu, but rather hijacked remotely, like someone being hacked.
One of their comrades had unknowingly connected to the enemy's Wi-Fi—and ended up dead.
After getting expelled, Dan didn't panic at all. Obviously, this was something he had experienced countless times on the battlefield. As soon as he materialized, he immediately lunged toward another enemy.
This was the kind of "advancement" that most men wouldn't even think about resisting.
So what started as a two-on-one fight turned into a one-on-one showdown.
Needless to say, the remaining enemy was quite strong. He definitely wasn't some nobody. Compared to when he had just been ganged up on, this one-on-one battle now made things increasingly difficult for Dan.
Even so, Dan's damage output still far surpassed Haseo's. Dan had already taken down one enemy, while Haseo had barely completed an initial round of probing attacks.
Haseo's big challenge was figuring out how to crack the Third Kazekage's "Absolute Defense." Yet even his strongest physical attack—Water Release: Rising Water Slicer—had just been blocked.
Moreover, Haseo had to ensure none of his body got cut by the iron sands during his assault, because he couldn't confirm whether they were poisoned... No, more accurately, there was no reason for the Kazekage not to use poison.
That would've been stupid, and the Kazekage clearly wasn't stupid.
If physical attacks wouldn't work, should he switch to mental attacks instead? If hardware couldn't destroy the enemy, why not hack their operating system directly? This logic was sound. However... The only mind-affecting jutsu Haseo knew was a genjutsu called Consciousness Sealing, which packed an overwhelming amount of power.
Killing a thousand enemies while losing a thousand oneself—if Haseo used such a technique here in the Land of Rain, he might very well die permanently. And if he died here, there'd likely be no coming back... He couldn't completely rely on a ninja like Dan Kato to protect him.
Putting it cynically—wouldn't Haseo's death actually be kind of satisfying?
More importantly, he wasn't trapped in an extreme situation like last time. Therefore, there was absolutely no need to resort to such techniques. Currently, although he seemed unable to deal with the Third Kazekage, conversely, the Third Kazekage also couldn't easily eliminate him.
While attacking the Kazekage, Haseo's speed advantage appeared ineffective. But advantages remained advantages. His extreme velocity at least allowed him free movement across the battlefield, enabling him to maintain control over the combat initiative.
When facing someone like Haseo—who darted about like a wild monkey—the first rule was simple: keep your distance. Otherwise, he'd wear you down bit by bit. The second rule… was to trap him inside a cage.
Luckily, the Third Kazekage happened to be an expert at building such cages.
At this moment, Haseo's position was just perfect for the Third Kazekage to unleash "Zaiwater Discharge."
Then, the Third Kazekage flung both arms wide, and his iron sand burst outward like a spiderweb surrounding him.
From the sky, thorny iron vines extended wildly in all directions, like rampant, overgrown creepers crashing toward Haseo.
It could immobilize enemies, launch attacks, and even enable short-range teleportation. This was [Magnet Release Secret Arts: Iron Sand World Method] of the Third Kazekage.
Haseo's heart immediately tightened.
"Are you the Ancient Thorn King?"
But was it wise to remove all of one's own protections?
Dodging, sidestepping, thrusting—light rain mingled with wildly spreading iron branches, yet the lightning paid no heed to any of it.
Haseo planned to close in and strike the defenseless Third Kazekage, but apparently, the Kazekage wasn't that naïve. If he truly emptied his own defenses just to trap Haseo, it would be like cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.
As Haseo rapidly approached the Third Kazekage, he suddenly stopped. Charging forward meant slamming straight into a barrier covered in sharp iron spikes—equal to suicide.
Haseo couldn't tell exactly how much iron sand the Third Kazekage could control at once, but it was clear—he hadn't hit his limit yet… and just then, more iron sand shot out from beneath the Kazekage's robe.
Any attempt at attacking here was pointless. Worse yet, these wasted moments meant the descending iron net from above was nearly sealed shut.
Without thinking, Haseo suddenly released a burst of chakra from his feet. In an instant, his body shot high upward until it nearly touched the descending metal net. Then he clasped both hands together, forming the "Jin" seal.
Instantly, one of his clones appeared outside the encircling net.
Then, the "original" trapped within the net vanished with a soft puff… Clearly, this was [Ninjutsu: The Second Hokage's Most Embarrassing Jutsu].
Haseo broke free, stepped lightly on the iron net with one foot, then leaped out.
The Third Kazekage narrowed his eyes, beginning to feel that Haseo might live up to his reputation… A ninja this agile was indeed quite troublesome.
Then, with a single hand gesture, fine grains of iron sand gathered instantly in his palm, forming into a long spear, which he hurled directly at Haseo suspended midair!
Of course, Haseo was watching the Kazekage's movements carefully, so he noticed the incoming attack right away.
The trajectory of the thrown spear aimed directly at him.
Yet Haseo didn't make any extreme evasive moves; he merely slightly twisted his body sideways. The spear slid beneath his stomach diagonally before embedding itself in the sky above.
Hmm, he remained composed and calm.
Though admittedly, it felt a bit chilly down there.
Then, the blue glow of Haseo's Lightning Release flared into a blinding white.
And another incoming spear followed.
Unlike the previous attack, this time the Iron Spear began radiating a special lightning aura while still dozens of meters away from Haseo.
Haseo slightly rotated his body. He tilted his head back, lowered his waist, and forcibly shifted himself downward just as the fast-moving spear passed directly above him.
At that exact moment when they aligned vertically, Haseo lifted one foot and gently tapped onto the incoming spear. Immediately afterward, an intense surge of Lightning Release erupted violently beneath his foot.
Using this as a springboard and pivot point, Haseo's body sharply bent downward, plunging rapidly from the sky like thunder itself. The white trail he left behind was straighter and faster than even a falling star.
The Sunagakure ninja locked in battle with Dan Kato suddenly felt the rain behind him stop falling for a brief moment, as though something had swept it all away. Then, just as quickly as it stopped, everything resumed.
Only then did he realize someone had suddenly appeared right in front of him.
No, more accurately, behind him—because at that very moment he hadn't noticed earlier, his head had already involuntarily twisted 180 degrees backward.
A sickening crack echoed through the air, making everyone within earshot involuntarily wince and flinch.
Rain fell normally once more, but for some, the sound of it would never come again.
The enemy hit the muddy ground hard, back first, his chest caved in.
Plop...
Hmm, this wasn't really stealing the kill either. Since Dan Kato had trouble handling that elite enemy ninja, he could only get an assist.
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