The battle in the canyon had reached a fever pitch.
Rain mixed with blood, turning the mud beneath their feet into a crimson sludge.
"Shinra Tensei! (Almighty Push)"
The Deva Path raised his hand. An invisible wall of repulsive force slammed into Hanzō.
The Demigod of the Ninja World was sent skidding backward, his feet carving deep furrows into the rock. However, Hanzō was a veteran of countless wars. He didn't fall. He adjusted his posture instantly, his chain sickle spinning defensively in front of him.
"What a strange jutsu," Hanzō muttered, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. "No hand signs. Invisible force. But..."
He had fought the Sannin. He had fought Chiyo. He had survived decades of combat. His combat instincts were honed to perfection.
"There is an interval," Hanzō analyzed coldly. "Between each use of that repulsive force, there is a gap of approximately five seconds where he cannot defend himself."
It was a terrifyingly accurate observation made after exchanging only a few blows.
"Ibuse!" Hanzō commanded.
The massive salamander beneath him opened its mouth, spewing a thick cloud of purple poison mist. The poisonous gas rolled toward the Deva Path and Konan, heavier than the rain.
"Pain!" Konan shouted, covering her nose and mouth.
"Futile," the Deva Path said calmly. Being a corpse, he was immune to poison. But Konan was not.
He raised his hand again to blow the mist away.
Now!
Hanzō's eyes flashed. He had been waiting for this moment. As soon as the Deva Path used his ability on the mist, his five second cooldown would begin.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Hanzō vanished.
He moved faster than the eye could track. In an instant, he bypassed the dissipating poison mist and appeared right in front of the Deva Path. His kusarigama gleamed with a deadly green light, coated in his most potent venom.
"Die!" Hanzō roared, swinging the blade at the Deva Path's neck.
The Deva Path could not use Shinra Tensei. Konan was too far away to block it in time.
It seemed like a checkmate.
But there was a variable Hanzō had ignored. A variable he considered nothing more than a gnat.
"Destiny."
A calm voice cut through the sound of the rain.
Hanzō sensed something approaching from his right. He glanced sideways and saw the boy—the one who had been killing his subordinates—rushing toward him.
"A brat?" Hanzō sneered. "You seek death!"
He didn't even change his course. He intended to slice through the Deva Path first, then kill the boy with the backswing. A Genin's attack, whatever it was, couldn't possibly penetrate his defenses or stop his momentum.
Uehara Naraku leaped into the air. The cards above his head had already stopped spinning.
A Gold Card shone brilliantly between his fingers.
"Demigod?" Uehara's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Let's see if a Demigod can move while stunned."
He flicked his wrist.
The Gold Card flew out, transforming into a streak of golden light. It was faster than a shuriken, faster than a wind blade.
Hanzō saw the gold light. His instincts screamed at him that it was dangerous, but his logic told him it was just a chakra infused paper. He tilted his head slightly to let it pass or bounce off his armored mask.
The Gold Card hit his helmet.
Ding!
The crisp sound resonated through the canyon.
In that instant, Hanzō's world froze.
His swing stopped inches from the Deva Path's neck. His legs, mid-step, locked in place. His chakra, surging for the kill, went stagnant.
"What... is... this?!"
Hanzō's mind was racing in terror. He tried to move his finger. He tried to blink. He tried to mold chakra. Nothing worked. It was as if his soul had been disconnected from his body.
He was a statue hanging in the air.
For a ninja of his caliber, the loss of control was the ultimate fear. He was completely vulnerable.
The Deva Path did not waste the opportunity created by his subordinate.
The Rinnegan eyes widened slightly. From the Deva Path's sleeve, a black chakra receiver rod slid out.
Thrust.
The black rod pierced straight through Hanzō's chest, pinning him to the ground.
"Gah!"
The stun effect wore off exactly one second later. Hanzō coughed up a mouthful of blood, the pain finally registering.
He looked down at the black rod in his chest, then up at the Deva Path, and finally, his gaze shifted to the boy landing softly on a rock nearby.
Fear.
For the first time since his youth, Hanzō of the Salamander felt genuine fear. Not of the Rinnegan, but of that strange golden light.
"You..." Hanzō wheezed, clutching his wound. "What did you do to me?"
Uehara stood casually, spinning another card in his hand.
"Just a little magic trick," Uehara said lightly. "It's called a Stun. Try not to worry about it."
Hanzō grit his teeth. He realized he had walked into a trap. These people were monsters. A leader with the eyes of a god, a woman who controlled paper, and a boy who could freeze time or space.
"Retreat!" Hanzō roared.
He slammed a smoke bomb onto the ground. At the same time, his salamander, Ibuse, burrowed into the earth, creating a massive tremor to cover his master's escape.
"He's running!" Konan shouted.
"Don't let him get away!" Uehara yelled, more anxious than anyone. If Hanzō escaped now, his Wind Wall reward would vanish.
The Deva Path extended his hand toward the smoke.
"Bansho Ten'in! (Universal Pull)"
A powerful attractive force sucked the smoke and debris toward the Deva Path. But Hanzō was gone. He had used the underground tunnels dug by his summon to escape instantly.
"He escaped," the Deva Path said, lowering his hand.
Uehara ran up to the edge of the hole left by the salamander. He looked down into the darkness, his expression sour.
"Damn it," Uehara cursed. "So slippery."
He checked his system.
[Main Mission: Rise of the Organization] Objective: Assist Nagato/Pain in killing Hanzō of the Salamander.
Status: Incomplete.
He didn't get the reward. Hanzō was still alive.
However, a new notification popped up.
[Side Mission Complete: The Demigod's Fear.] Description: You have successfully terrified Hanzō of the Salamander and inflicted a significant wound.
Reward: 300 Gold Coins.
Uehara sighed. At least it wasn't a total loss. 300 Gold was a lot.
He turned back to Konan and the Deva Path.
"Are you okay, Leader? Teacher?"
Konan looked at Uehara with a mixture of relief and shock. She had seen clearly what happened. Hanzō had frozen. That Gold Card... it was truly an absolute rule.
"We are fine," Konan said. "But Hanzō has escaped. He will rally his forces. Amegakure is now in a state of civil war."
"It doesn't matter," the Deva Path stated cold, pulling the black rod back into his sleeve. "He knows fear now. His reign is over. We will hunt him down."
The Deva Path turned his purple eyes to Uehara.
"You did well, Naraku. That jutsu... it saved me a great deal of trouble."
"It was my duty," Uehara bowed.
On the cliffs above, Shimura Danzō watched the empty battlefield with his remaining eye. His expression was ugly.
"Hanzō lost," Danzō whispered, clutching his cane. "And that boy... that unknown variable."
He had seen the Gold Card too.
"Root needs to investigate him," Danzō decided, turning into the shadows to retreat before the Akatsuki turned their attention to him. "If he cannot be recruited, he must be eliminated before he grows."
Down in the canyon, Uehara sneezed.
"Someone is talking about me," he rubbed his nose. "Probably Danzō. I should have thrown a card at him too."
He looked at his gold count. 650 Gold total now.
"System," Uehara commanded mentally. "I want to buy a new item."
He needed to be faster. If he was faster, he could have chased Hanzō.
[Purchasing Item: Boots of Swiftness] Cost: 900 Gold (Upgrade from Boots of Speed).
"Not enough money," Uehara clicked his tongue. "I guess I'll settle for a Giant's Belt for now. I need more health."
[Item Purchased: Ruby Crystal] Cost: 400 Gold.
Effect: +150 Health.
A warm energy flowed through his body. His skin felt tougher, his vitality deeper.
"Next time, Hanzō," Uehara looked at the direction the salamander fled. "Next time, you won't be so lucky. I want my Wind Wall."