Chapter 414: The Power of the Rinnegan
Hanzo stood atop Ibuse's massive back and pulled his chain scythe from a scroll.
The scythe was the weapon he handled best. With a chain attached, its movements became far more flexible, and its reach expanded to a terrifying range.
He had once used this chain scythe to defeat Mifune, the famed samurai prodigy of the Land of Iron, with a single iaijutsu slash.
But Hanzo had no intention of trading blades with Mugetsu up close.
He was afraid he would lose.
From the moment this battle began, Hanzo had been beaten in every exchange. At this point, he no longer believed he could kill Mugetsu alone. He planned to use the chain's range to keep Mugetsu at bay.
His scythe was also coated in a violent poison. Even a shallow graze would let the toxin spread through the body in moments.
Hanzo's strategy was simple.
He would stall Mugetsu, while a hundred elite Rain ninja attacked the Shinobi Sect without caring about their lives, forcing Mugetsu to reveal a weakness.
This was the last method he could think of to kill him.
If Hanzo could start over, he would bring every Rain ninja in Amegakure to this valley.
As long as you were not the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, a human wave would drown you.
His Water Release could not suppress Mugetsu's Fire Release, but if hundreds or even thousands of shinobi used Water Release together, Mugetsu would surely be crushed.
And no matter how strong a technique was, chakra and stamina were still limited. The stronger the jutsu, the more it consumed. Hanzo did not believe Mugetsu could casually unleash Fire Dragon Dance again and again.
"I underestimated your personal strength," Hanzo said in a deep voice. "If I had summoned my beast from the start, perhaps the battle would have been different."
"You will not get another chance now."
From this moment on, Hanzo intended to give everything to holding Mugetsu down, waiting for the instant Mugetsu exposed a flaw, then killing him.
"If you told your subordinates to stop," Mugetsu replied calmly, "your words would carry more weight."
As he spoke, Mugetsu pulled an antidote mask from a scroll and put it on.
Of course he had not come to face Hanzo unprepared. He had brought several antidote masks.
Hanzo's expression turned ugly.
Mugetsu had arrived at the meeting with an antidote mask already prepared. Even if Hanzo had not acted first, Mugetsu might have chosen to strike.
"Poison spray," Hanzo commanded.
Ibuse opened its huge mouth, and a thick purple mist surged outward, rolling toward Mugetsu like a poisonous tide.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Hanzo did not stay idle. He fired three kunai with explosive tags attached straight at Mugetsu.
Mugetsu did not have immunity to Ibuse's poison. If the mask was destroyed, he would be poisoned and paralyzed in moments.
But with the Transparent World active, Mugetsu caught Hanzo's movements instantly and flicked a shuriken to intercept.
As for the poisonous mist, Mugetsu did not have a perfect answer, but with the mask on, he did not need to fear it for now.
A good summoned beast truly could raise a shinobi's strength.
Mugetsu also had a beast, but with Kurohane's level of power, it was far safer to use it as transportation.
After that, Hanzo fought with extreme caution.
If Mugetsu showed even the smallest sign of attacking, Hanzo immediately used a Water Release Body Flicker to evade. Whenever he had space, he used poison mist and ninja tools to wear Mugetsu down.
Yet Mugetsu could not ignore him. If he did, Hanzo would charge into the Shinobi Sect's side with his scythe and butcher them.
Under Hanzo's deliberate evasion, their fight became a slow, grinding chase.
Mugetsu still held a clear advantage, but the salamander's poison mist forced restraint, and the pace of the battle slowed.
Hanzo had never fought a battle this desperate in his life, but he had no choice.
He could not win head on.
Because of Hanzo's order, the fight on Nagato's side became brutally fierce.
The Rain ninja attacked at full power, throwing tools and unleashing ninjutsu nonstop at Nagato and his companions.
Eight against a hundred meant each of them faced about a dozen enemies.
Worse, these Rain ninja were not weak. They were all elite Amegakure shinobi.
Strictly speaking, aside from Kakuzu, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, the remaining Shinobi Sect members might not even beat these Rain ninja in a one on one fight.
Kakuzu smashed a charging Rain ninja with a tentacle strike, but more attacks crashed into him instantly. With so many opponents, even he could not avoid getting injured.
But Earth Grudge Fear let him seize hearts and recover, restoring much of his strength. He could not return to peak immediately, yet he still held back nearly half the enemy by himself.
Even so, the remaining Rain ninja placed crushing pressure on Nagato's group. The weaker Kuroda and Ikechou were the first to take injuries.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Yahiko saw Kuroda struggling on the flank and immediately used a jutsu to cover him. Then he rushed in and kicked away a Rain ninja trying to slip behind Kuroda.
Every Shinobi Sect member fought with everything they had.
Kakuzu and Yahiko absorbed the pressure at the front. Nagato formed seals again and again, firing ninjutsu from his hands and mouth, acting as the team's main source of damage.
Konan used Paper Ninjutsu to ease the pressure on Yahiko and the others. The rest assisted Nagato and guarded against sneak attacks.
Under the threat of death, their teamwork sharpened rapidly. Everyone filled their role cleanly, without getting in each other's way.
"How terrifying," Kakuzu muttered, watching them from the corner of his eye. "Even naivety can be contagious."
It was hard to believe these Shinobi Sect members had only known each other for a few months.
In a battle that should have ended in slaughter, even the weakest among them did not flee, did not retreat, and did not betray anyone.
Kakuzu had assumed the cautious Ikechou would run the moment things turned hopeless.
Instead, Ikechou fought with desperate effort.
Of course, in Kakuzu's opinion, it was only effort. Without Ikechou and the others, the fight might have been simpler. Yahiko and Nagato had to hold back to protect them, preventing them from unleashing their full strength.
If Kakuzu had not recovered most of his power and held off half the Rain ninja, there would have been casualties long ago.
"If the village had been like this back then, then the outcome would have…" Kakuzu kicked away a nearby Rain ninja, cutting the thought off before it could finish.
He already knew the answer.
Those profit driven leaders would never act like this.
If Takigakure's higher ups were here, they would abandon the weak without hesitation. They would not waste effort protecting them.
Even with their coordination, the enemy was simply too many and too strong.
Nagato's side inevitably fell into a disadvantage, and it grew faster by the second.
Nagato's chest tightened with panic. He could not break the deadlock. He knew many ninjutsu, but none carried the overwhelming power of Mugetsu's Fire Dragon Dance.
When Mugetsu noticed their situation, he deliberately shifted his battlefield with Hanzo closer to Nagato's group.
Hanzo, battle hardened and sharp, immediately sensed Mugetsu's intent.
He pretended not to notice and allowed Mugetsu to approach.
This was the opening he had been waiting for.
Yahiko's strength was already below Kakuzu's, and unlike Kakuzu, he did not have Earth Grudge Fear. The pressure crushed him, making every movement feel heavy.
Nagato, frantic, surged forward to help Yahiko.
But that meant he could not keep suppressing with constant ninjutsu, and soon Nagato himself was surrounded.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
Mugetsu suddenly stopped pressing Hanzo. He flashed to the side of the Rain ninja and unleashed two razor sharp wind blades, instantly killing the attackers surrounding Nagato and Yahiko.
The Rain ninja knew Mugetsu was the greatest threat. Many immediately redirected their attacks toward him.
But Mugetsu's movements were too fast and too clean. None of their strikes landed.
"Finally," Hanzo thought, a flicker of joy in his eyes. "I have waited for this."
He condensed chakra and fired a stream of water at Mugetsu.
"Teacher, be careful!" Nagato shouted, about to thank Mugetsu but catching the attack in time.
Hanzo's timing was perfect.
By the time Nagato warned him, the strike was already on Mugetsu.
Mugetsu dodged desperately, but he could only avoid a vital spot.
Blood burst into the rain.
A bloody hole opened in his abdomen where the water stream pierced through.
Mugetsu was not far from Nagato. With his sharp eyes, Nagato saw the blood splash and the wound's steady flow.
It was only one person bleeding, yet to Nagato, the entire world turned red, as if the world itself had been cursed.
"What a pity," Kitsuchi said with regret. "If Sosuke had not brought people, Hanzo would have had no way."
Kitsuchi admired Mugetsu's loyalty and righteousness far more than Hanzo's schemes.
But this sneak attack was enough to erase Mugetsu's earlier advantage and swing the battle sharply.
An injury like that would affect Mugetsu's fighting, and poison could seep directly into his body through the wound.
Even so, Kitsuchi would not interfere. The Shinobi Sect was still suspected of killing Iwagakure ninja.
Danzo's smile returned. This was the direction he wanted.
Mugetsu was injured but not dead, still capable of fighting. Even if Hanzo eventually defeated him, Mugetsu would drain most of Hanzo's strength.
Then Root could step in, pretend to be Rain ninja providing support, and claim the reward.
A pair of Rinnegan.
"Uncle Sosuke!" Yahiko cried. He pulled bandages from his pouch in panic.
But before he could even hand them over, the Rain ninja and Hanzo's attacks surged again.
Looking at the injured Mugetsu and the endangered Yahiko, despair rose in Nagato like drowning water.
He realized the peace he pursued might have been wrong.
People did not understand each other.
The Shinobi Sect had done nothing wrong to Amegakure, yet Hanzo still lured them into a valley to wipe them out.
Mugetsu was stronger than Hanzo, yet he was wounded by Hanzo's filthy schemes because he protected them.
Was this world truly normal?
An organization doing the right thing was deceived into a crisis, while noble people were hurt by vile people using plots.
"Must everyone feel the same pain to understand each other?" Nagato's fists clenched. Under the weight of negative emotions, his thoughts sharpened into something extreme.
"I could do nothing," he thought. "And I never did anything well."
He looked back on his life and saw failure everywhere.
If he could have used the Rinnegan, maybe he could have stopped the Konoha shinobi from killing his parents, instead of losing control afterward and slaughtering them.
But killing them brought no satisfaction.
No matter how much revenge he took, his parents would never return.
If he could control his power, he would not have killed so many when the Rinnegan went out of control. There were people he did not want to kill. Akatsuki sought peace without relying on war. Killing was supposed to be the last resort, the final extreme when nothing else remained.
Not only could he not use his power properly, he could not even handle small things.
His speeches were never as passionate as Yahiko's. His cooking was never good. If he thought about it carefully, he could not even express his emotions well.
"Even someone like me wants to protect Yahiko. Wants to protect Ninja Master Sosuke."
Nagato's fists tightened harder, his nails digging into his skin until blood beaded.
The massive chakra inside him roared in response to his emotions.
A terrifying aura rose from his body.
Kakuzu turned and saw Nagato's expression, stunned. He had not realized the Shinobi Sect had another monster besides Mugetsu.
Hanzo sensed the change too. He stopped attacking immediately and used a Water Release Body Flicker to retreat.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Nagato's Rinnegan trembled.
An overwhelming repulsive force erupted outward, blasting away all incoming ninjutsu and ninja tools aimed at him and his companions.
Bang, bang!
Several Rain ninja too close were smashed into the stone wall, embedded there by the violent force.
Hanzo, having evaded, frowned deeply.
"I did not expect the Shinobi Sect to have someone like this besides Sosuke."
Their strength had far exceeded his expectations.
"Bansho Tenin!"
Nagato extended a hand toward Rain ninja not far away.
Their faces twisted in horror as their bodies were dragged forward uncontrollably, flying toward him at high speed.
Mugetsu seized the opening.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
He spat a barrage of fireballs, wiping out the Rain ninja pulled into his range.
The sudden reversal stunned everyone.
"So this is the power of the Rinnegan," Danzo thought, greed flashing in his eyes, yet he did not move.
He wanted it desperately, but he had not lost his head. The situation was already slipping beyond Hanzo's control.
"I overestimated Hanzo," Danzo thought, his face darkening.
To provoke conflict, he had lost Root elites, shinobi trained with enormous resources. Even one death angered him.
If the operation succeeded, he could accept the cost.
But the battlefield was moving toward the outcome he least wanted.
"There are still masters," Kitsuchi muttered, shocked.
Hanzo had one hundred elite Rain ninja, traps, and terrain advantage.
Even with that, he failed to crush the nine Shinobi Sect members.
Nagato's mind was chaos. His body moved on instinct alone.
He did not know what he was doing anymore.
Only one voice remained.
Protect your companions.
Make the enemy feel pain.
Nagato flickered forward and appeared in front of a Rain ninja. His palm reached toward the man's abdomen and tore out his soul, killing him instantly.
Nagato's raw strength did not match Mugetsu's, but his methods were so strange and unnatural that fear spread through the Rain ninja like cold poison.
"Water Release: Super Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Ibuse was still gathering poisonous mist, so Hanzo did not dare close in. From above, he unleashed Water Release toward Nagato.
But Mugetsu was injured, not finished.
Mugetsu re entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, and once again reminded everyone who the true strongest on this battlefield was.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Dance!"
He exhaled scorching flames rapidly, creating a small sea of fire that split into blazing fire dragons.
The heat was so intense that the damp valley dried. The pooled water on the ground vanished under the scorching breath.
Those dazzling fire dragons swallowed Hanzo's massive water dragon, proving again that if fire was strong enough, it did not fear water.
No Rain ninja in the valley dared attack Mugetsu and his companions anymore.
They rushed to create distance, terrified of being caught in those flames.
After all, these were flames even the Demigod Hanzo could not stop.
Only Mugetsu's shadow clone continued using Water Release, standing out sharply on a battlefield where the Rain ninja were in disarray.
If this were Hanzo from ten years ago, he might have praised Mugetsu as the strongest Fire Release user and spread his name across the world.
The current Hanzo only wanted to know one thing.
How to kill him.
The Shinobi Sect was too strong. Besides Mugetsu, there was Nagato, a terrifying shinobi in his own right.
This Shinobi Sect already threatened Amegakure's position in the Land of Rain.
Hanzo searched his mind frantically and realized the truth.
He had already lost the chance to kill Mugetsu.
Mugetsu clearly knew about Ibuse. Even with Mugetsu injured, Ibuse's poisonous mist still needed time to build again.
Four minutes.
Nagato's outburst cleared a group of Rain ninja. Mugetsu killed more. Combined with Kakuzu's earlier slaughter, only a little over twenty Rain ninja remained who could still fight.
Mugetsu's terrifying strength, the heavy casualties, and Nagato's bizarre methods planted a thought in Hanzo's chest that he could not stop.
Retreat.
Based on this battle, Hanzo could not defeat Mugetsu.
But with elemental advantage and Ibuse's poison, Mugetsu would not easily kill Hanzo either.
Back in Amegakure, there were still more Rain ninja who could fight for him.
The Shinobi Sect had powerful shinobi, but too few people. They could not fight the entire Hidden Rain head on.
"For the Land of Rain and Amegakure," Hanzo muttered, as if convincing himself, "I cannot die."
Once that thought settled, he stopped hesitating.
He abandoned the plan to eliminate the Shinobi Sect.
He would retreat.
"Plan canceled. Retreat!"
Hanzo took one last look at the blazing fire dragons.
As the strongest Water Release user, being forced back by Fire Release was a humiliation he would never forget.
Then Hanzo turned into a puddle of water and vanished from the spot.
The Rain ninja who received his order also retreated at full speed, as if granted a pardon.
After today, no matter how much they respected Hanzo, they had to admit the truth.
The strongest position in the Land of Rain had changed.
Ninja Master Sosuke was now the strongest in the Land of Rain.
The gap between them was real.
Not because Hanzo was stronger.
Because Mugetsu was stronger than Hanzo.
Danzo stared at the blazing fire dragons, unease filling his chest.
His evaluation of Hanzo plummeted.
Danzo never expected Hanzo to achieve nothing at all.
Not a single Shinobi Sect member died.
That fact made Danzo furious.
Mugetsu was only injured, and the Rinnegan wielder remained fully intact.
Root's elites had died for nothing.
"You all stay here and wait for an opportunity," Danzo said quietly.
Then he left without hesitation.
The Rinnegan was powerful, but Danzo valued his own life more. If he entered the battle personally, there would be danger.
He was not afraid of death itself.
He believed his death would be a great loss to Konoha.
For the village, he could not die.
"Hiruzen is too indecisive," Danzo thought. "Konoha cannot do without me."
Even without tangible results, Danzo still believed this operation mattered.
Without it, he would not know the Shinobi Sect's strength.
He would not know they possessed the Rinnegan.
He would not know their leader's Fire Release was the strongest in the shinobi world.
Failure would not deter him.
If it did not work this time, he would find another way next time.
"The Land of Rain is about to change."
Kitsuchi took one last look at the blazing fire dragons and left with his subordinates.
He needed to bring this intelligence back to Iwagakure.
Even without counting the Shinobi Sect's other members, Mugetsu, Kakuzu, and Nagato together were already a force that could not be ignored.
Although Hanzo attacked the Shinobi Sect partly to give Iwagakure an explanation, there were still suspicious points in this incident. Kitsuchi would not act rashly.
More importantly, the strength Mugetsu's group displayed was too much for the force Kitsuchi brought.
If Iwagakure truly wanted to deal with Mugetsu, Kitsuchi believed either his father would need to act personally, or they would need to deploy a jinchuriki.
Otherwise, it would be extremely difficult.
"Teacher," Nagato asked the moment he regained his senses. He looked weak, but his first concern was still Mugetsu. "Are you alright?"
"It is only a minor injury," Mugetsu replied, smiling gently.
If he wanted to, he could have avoided it.
Sometimes, being injured was better.
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