"Huh? A Sharingan!" The moment Hanzo noticed the distinctive red eye, his expression changed and he quickly averted his gaze.
As a pinnacle figure in the shinobi world, Hanzo had no intention of staring into the eyes of a Uchiha. He knew better than anyone—one glance was all it took to fall victim to their powerful illusions.
During the Third Great Ninja War, he had fought Uchiha Fugaku, then the leader of the Uchiha clan. Although Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan during that battle, it was only thanks to his comrades risking their lives that he managed to survive. Hanzo had walked away the victor.
"I see," Obito muttered. "You're even denying me the chance to cast a genjutsu…"
Bang!
The two clashed at close range before separating. Hanzo flipped gracefully through the air, landing with a heavy stomp. His hands moved in swift succession.
Ninjutsu: Earthbound Venom Curse!
Gurgle! Purple venom erupted from beneath the ground like a flood, engulfing the bodies of Jiuzuke and Daibutsu. In mere seconds, they had turned into lifeless, skeletal husks.
Konan hurried to support the weakened Nagato, helping him retreat—but the poisonous miasma was already spreading toward them, dissolving the very ground under their feet.
Up above, Obito narrowed his eyes. "He's poisoned the entire battlefield, limiting even my movements. He's targeting everyone, even his own enemies. Ruthless…"
Susanoo!
Crack!
Blue chakra flames ignited and wrapped around Obito's body, forming the skeletal frame of Susanoo. Upon landing, the armored colossus shielded both Konan and Nagato from the encroaching poison.
"Who are you?" Nagato asked weakly. "Why save me?"
"My name doesn't matter. What matters is this—you're not meant to die here. You haven't even tapped into the true power of the Rinnegan yet," Obito replied from behind the mask, his voice steady.
"You… know about my eyes?" Nagato said in disbelief.
"In time, you'll understand."
High above, Hanzo had returned to stand atop the giant salamander, Sanshōuo. His gaze hardened.
"Mangekyō Sharingan… Susanoo… And it's resisting my poison?"
"Could there really be someone like this still hidden within Akatsuki…?"
Fire Style: Great Exploding Flame Array!
Fwoosh!
The ground where Susanoo stood trembled and detonated as thousands of explosive tags erupted from beneath the soil, clinging to Susanoo's armor like an inferno of paper and flame.
Obito's Sharingan spun rapidly. "Over a thousand explosive tags… They weren't pre-placed—he conjured them with a technique. The power behind this is on another level..."
Nagato's eyes narrowed. He recognized the technique—it was a stronger version of the one that had crippled his legs. The scale now was far greater than before.
"Perish!" Hanzo shouted, slamming his hands together.
RUMBLE!!!
Flames burst skyward. The heatwave evaporated the surrounding rain, creating a dome of dry air in the downpour. Then—
Buzz! Two glowing golden orbs flickered within the flames.
They were Susanoo's eyes.
As the fire faded, Hanzo and the surrounding Hidden Rain shinobi were stunned.
Susanoo's charred bones began to regenerate. Blue chakra restructured the missing pieces, and then—muscles and sinew formed over the frame, wrapping the skeleton in armor.
Susanoo: Second Form!
Shing! Shing!
A massive, dark shuriken materialized in Susanoo's hand.
"What… is that?" Hanzo whispered, eyes wide.
"Kamui Shuriken."
FWOOOM!
With a surge of power, Obito hurled the shuriken.
"Damn it!" Hanzo leapt away, but the spinning vortex struck the giant Sanshōuo he was riding.
KRK!
A gravitational field appeared—the Kamui Shuriken had distorted the surrounding space.
"SKREEEE!!"
The giant salamander shrieked as its body was twisted and crushed into a grotesque spiral. Then, with a thunderous BOOM, it exploded into a mist of blood and poison.
Nearby Hidden Rain shinobi were immediately felled by the toxins—even their gas masks failed.
Hanzo's face grew solemn. "A space-warping dojutsu… even more terrifying than the Rinnegan. He killed Sanshōuo in an instant. Just how deep does Akatsuki's power go?"
FWOOM! The Kamui Shuriken curved back—heading straight for Hanzo.
"It's coming again!"
"Don't let it touch anything!"
The Hidden Rain shinobi scattered in panic.
"Hmph… Earth Release: Earth Dome Rebound!"
Hanzo pressed his palms to the ground. A massive slab of earth tore free and launched into the sky.
BOOM! The Kamui Shuriken struck the boulder. A spatial field formed, crushing and pulling the rock into a warped void.
Inside Susanoo, Obito raised an eyebrow. "He figured out the trick. When Kamui Shuriken hits something solid, the space-warp effect triggers. So he fed it bait…"
His voice dropped. "But—what will you do about the second one?"
FWIP!
Another Kamui Shuriken shot out from the shadow of the first—camouflaged perfectly.
Kamui: Shadow Shuriken!
"What!?" Hanzo's pupils shrank. "A second one?!"
It was too fast.
BOOM!
The shadow shuriken struck. Hanzo's body was shredded in the spatial distortion—but instead of blood, dirt crumbled from the wound.
"…An Earth Clone?" Obito muttered. "So he used the explosion's mist as cover. Even my Sharingan didn't catch it… Where's the real one?"
CRACK!
The ground beneath Susanoo split open. A chain shot up and coiled around Obito's weapon—his signature war fan.
Hanzo had been waiting.
He had discovered Susanoo's weakness—its feet. Most incomplete forms had limited protection there.
Taijutsu: Twin Strike Chain Scythe!
The sickle attached to the chain sliced toward Obito's throat—coated in venom potent enough to kill instantly.
But—
Kamui.
SWOOSH! The scythe passed through Obito harmlessly, as though he were a ghost.
"What…!?" Hanzo gasped underground.
"It's time to end this," Obito growled.
He reached downward, palm glowing.
Wood Release: Forest of Chaos!
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
A dense thicket of wooden spikes erupted from the ground like a storm of spears.
"AHHHHH!!"
The Hidden Rain shinobi screamed as the wood tore through them. Chūnin or jōnin—it didn't matter. They were skewered instantly.
BOOM! Ten seconds later, Hanzo burst from the ground. His armor was shattered, and his left arm was mangled and dripping blood.
He had barely suppressed the rampaging wood chakra inside him using his own powerful chakra reserves. Any slower, and he would have been reduced to mulch.
Huff… huff…
For the first time in many years, Hanzo was afraid.
He'd fought countless powerful opponents—but this? This was different. His tactics were sound, but none had worked.
Mangekyō Sharingan. Space-warping jutsu. Susanoo—both offensive and defensive. And now Wood Release?
Even his last-resort technique might not be enough to kill this enemy. And if it failed… he'd be finished.
With heavy breath, Hanzo stared at Obito and said with unshakable gravity:
"You… are one of the few warriors I've met in my life who surpass even the Legendary Sannin of Konoha. I will remember you."
Obito stood tall, voice echoing with authority.
"Uchiha… Yu."
Hanzo nodded solemnly. "Uchiha Yu… From this moment on, I, Hanzo of the Salamander, will recognize you as my equal. Your name will be known throughout Amegakure and the Five Great Nations. And next time… when we meet again…"
He narrowed his eyes.
"We will settle this—for real."
With that, Hanzo vanished in a swirl of teleportation, his presence fading into the blood-soaked rain.