No one had expected Hanzō of the Salamander to flee. This was the man who once stood at the very peak of the shinobi world, who had defeated Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure in succession—none dared take him lightly. Even Nagato and Kyoichi had steeled themselves for a fight to the bitter end against him.
Yet in the end, Hanzō ran.
Decisively, without a trace of intent to stay behind for a desperate last stand, to slay Nagato and Kyoichi and turn defeat into victory—he simply chose escape.
"Don't think you can run!"
Nagato froze only for a heartbeat before his eyes surged with killing intent. There was no way he would just let Hanzō of the Salamander go. At long last, Hanzō had left the safety of Amegakure's lair, and with Kyoichi's help his wings had been clipped.
This was the best chance to kill him.
If they seized this opportunity and cut Hanzō down, then Akatsuki would have no rival in the Land of Rain. With Yahiko's methods, whether it was replacing Amegakure's leadership or directly taking control of the village, neither would be difficult… Therefore, Hanzō had to die.
"Summoning Technique."
Nagato formed the seals and slammed his hand down.
A massive crab emerged in a swirl of smoke. Nagato leapt onto its back in one smooth motion, and just as he was about to set off—
"Nagato, take me with you."
Kyoichi called out.
Nagato did not refuse. He waited a couple of seconds for Kyoichi to land atop the crab's shell, then set the creature into motion. Eight crimson legs blurred like lightning as it scuttled across the battlefield, bearing down on Hanzō and Akaishi's group in relentless pursuit.
It wasn't just Nagato and Kyoichi who were stunned by Hanzō's retreat—even Akaishi and his men were taken aback. But their shock quickly turned to dread. Hanzō's flight crushed any last illusions Akaishi had clung to; there would be no miraculous turnaround with Hanzō leading the way.
They no longer dared hesitate.
Akaishi and Iwami immediately sank into the earth, fleeing north with Earth Release. But perhaps shaken too deeply by Hanzō's sudden escape, they failed to notice they had chosen the same direction as Hanzō himself—allowing Kyoichi to share Nagato's "free ride on the crab."
The crab's eight legs propelled it at incredible speed, far beyond what the underground escape of Akaishi and Iwami could match.
In truth, the Earth Release Hiding Technique was never fast. Unless mastered to perfection, it couldn't rival even ordinary shinobi sprinting on open ground.
Akaishi and Iwami were both jōnin, and not weak ones, so their speed underground wasn't slow—but it was still nothing compared to the giant crab's relentless pursuit. In no time, Nagato and Kyoichi had closed in on them.
"I'll take care of those two Iwa-nin first, then I'll help you with Hanzō—though you may not need my help."
Seeing Nagato remain silent, Kyoichi explained proactively.
"Fine."
Nagato's reply was brief.
In the next instant, Kyoichi leapt from the crab's back, landing firmly on the ground below. His hands had already finished weaving seals in midair.
"Sage Art: Earth Release — Moving Earth Core."
Fueled by Sage Chakra, a jutsu Iwa-nin often used for digging trenches erupted with astonishing power. The ground before Kyoichi heaved upward in a massive swell, and Akaishi and Iwami were trapped inside the rising earth.
Forced to the surface, they immediately caught sight of their pursuer.
"Damn it!"
Akaishi's face paled.
"Akaishi, go! I'll hold him off!"
Iwami wasn't some greenhorn. He knew at once that it was impossible for both of them to escape alive. The best they could hope for was one dead, one free… and Akaishi's life was clearly the more valuable. His survival mattered more for the village.
"No."
Akaishi shook his head, refusing. "Iwami, you can't stop him. If you stay, neither of us will escape. I should be the one to hold him off. You run west, don't use Hiding Technique, just run—make sure you survive and report back to the Tsuchikage. Tell him Koeda Kyoichi has come fully into his own. Unless a force of a thousand or more is deployed, or the Tsuchikage himself takes the field, no one can suppress him."
He spoke quickly, then shoved Iwami hard before unleashing Earth Release: Bronze Bell, charging headlong at Kyoichi. He had clearly resolved to buy time with close combat.
It all happened so fast that Iwami had no chance to argue.
"You… bastard!!"
Iwami's eyes burned red.
He cast one last look at Akaishi already clashing with Kyoichi, then turned and sprinted west without hesitation, just as ordered.
From the corner of his eye, Akaishi saw his comrade's retreating figure, and a faint comfort surfaced in his heart. So long as Iwami escaped and delivered his warning to the Tsuchikage, it would be better than total annihilation and would stop Iwagakure from continuing to bleed at the hands of the Koeda Clan.
"Akaseki—you're distracted."
Kyoichi's voice came with a jet-black fist, faintly wreathed in golden chakra. Though Akaseki managed to raise his arm to block in time, sharp pain stabbed through his bones.
"Koeda Kyoichi, what kind of technique is this?"
Gritting his teeth, Akaseki tried to withstand the storm of blows, unwilling to yield as he questioned him.
He couldn't understand—why could Kyoichi maintain such a heightened state for so long without faltering?
"The kind that kills you."
Kyoichi had no intention of satisfying his curiosity.
He knew that once he used Sage Mode, its true nature would eventually be discovered—there were shinobi who had mastered Sage Arts, and plenty of records to be investigated. But that didn't mean he had to announce it himself.
After all, the underworld existed. The dead could still leak secrets.
So better to let secrets rot in the gut. Sometimes silence was worth more than a thousand words.
"Kill me? Then I'll see how you try!"
Akaseki's face twisted with ferocity.
He poured everything into his Earth Release: Bronze Bell, preparing to fight to the death.
Kyoichi, meanwhile, had no shortcut but attrition. Even Sage Chakra wasn't enough to elevate Earth Release: Earth Spear beyond the hardened defense of Bronze Bell—after all, Earth Spear already pushed hardening to its near-ultimate limit. To surpass it required breaking out of the mold entirely.
Still, Akaseki's chakra reserves were limited.
Locked in this brutal close-quarters clash, he had no time to take soldier pills to squeeze out more chakra. And by the time Kyoichi's last shadow clone in the rear had burned through a third of its stored Sage Chakra, Akaseki's aura finally plummeted.
The crimson sheen coating his skin faded away. He could no longer sustain Bronze Bell.
But even then, Akaseki's ruthlessness showed.
At the instant his left hand shattered under Kyoichi's punch, his right hand plunged into his pouch and—without hesitation—triggered a stack of explosive tags.