Chapter 211: The Third Kazekage and Rasa Captured, One-Tail Jinchuriki Nagato
Rasa's heart instinctively skipped half a beat as he went all out, using Gold Dust to protect his back...
But he was still too slow!
Hanzo's high-speed purple water wheel cleanly and sharply sliced open the muscles on Rasa's back. The high-rotation water blade instantly tore a massive wound, and venom immediately seeped inside!
"Poison Water Style: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade"!
After Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Hanzo the Tobirama's Water Style secret technique series, Hanzo, as an expert in Water Style, treated it like a priceless treasure and rapidly absorbed its essence.
Furthermore, he incorporated his own signature element into it—the enhanced and controllable venom of his salamander...
The current Hanzo theoretically didn't even need to wear a respirator mask anymore.
It was just a habit formed over so many years, somewhat similar to Kakashi's preference for wearing his mask even while eating...
It was a matter of personal quirk.
"How despicable!"
The Third Kazekage's pupils shrank as a massive amount of Iron Sand materialized around him. Under the effect of his Magnet Style, it instantly transformed into sharp shapes and hurtled toward Hanzo with extreme speed!
"Physical attacks?"
Hanzo sneered coldly as his entire body merged with the water beneath his feet, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The violent Iron Sand struck nothing but air.
"I see..."
The Third Kazekage's heart tightened. He finally understood why Hanzo had been so aggressive in opening the floodgates.
Although this was the buffer zone between Sunagakure and Amegakure, it was ultimately still within the territory of the Land of Rain. By flooding the Suna shinobi, Amegakure's own land wouldn't be spared either... It was essentially stabbing each other.
But the benefits it brought were also massive.
It was the same principle as him and Rasa keeping reserves of Gold Dust and Iron Sand. Both Water Style and Magnet Style were ninjutsu that could double in power if they could leverage the geographical advantage.
"Iron Sand Drizzle"!
Manipulating the Iron Sand, the Third Kazekage tore apart Sunagakure's central command tent. A sky-blotting barrage of razor-sharp sand needles rained down on Hanzo!
The Suna shinobi throughout the encampment also reacted at this moment.
Enemy attack!
"He can actually deduce my position after using the Water Body Flicker?"
"Although it's not pinpoint accurate, it's still impressive. After all, he is the leader of a village..."
Hanzo dodged the Third Kazekage's attack with slight surprise.
Was it the sensory perception of the Magnet Style?
At this moment, the battlefield terrain Sunagakure occupied had already been completely submerged by the floodwaters.
While the depth couldn't compare to a lake, it was still close to two meters deep.
Coupled with the impact force of the rushing water, the Suna shinobi were forced to split their concentration, channeling chakra to the soles of their feet just to stand steadily on the water's surface.
But for the Rain shinobi, this level of flooding was nothing compared to the torrents that occurred during the Land of Rain's most extreme weather...
With their excellent affinity for water, the Rain shinobi found their mobility actually enhanced in this kind of environment compared to normal conditions.
Following Hanzo and Sakumo Hatake's initial strike—riding the momentum of the floodgates opening to assault the Suna command center with extreme speed—the rest of the Rain shinobi soon arrived as well.
A fierce battle erupted between the two sides!
"Are you alright, Rasa?" The Third Kazekage glanced at his beloved disciple.
"I'm fine, Lord Kazekage, I can still fight..." Rasa's face was pale as he bit down hard on the pill hidden under his tongue.
First, his back was ripped open, resulting in a bleeding wound, and then venom seeped into his body.
As a shinobi whose expertise didn't lie in physical constitution, if Chiyo hadn't developed a broad-spectrum antidote during the Second Great Ninja War, Rasa might not even be able to stand right now...
But even so, Rasa found it extremely strenuous to mobilize his chakra, and a very obvious numbness permeated all his limbs.
Using poison was simply far too despicable!
Their own puppet masters didn't count...
Forget it, they weren't exactly good people either...
The Third Kazekage's heart tightened.
In this condition, it was obvious Rasa couldn't provide much assistance in the battle anymore...
And due to financial shortages, Sunagakure had taken the elite soldier route. The individual quality of the shinobi they had painstakingly cultivated was now being completely negated by the geographical environment...
"Charge with me, brothers!"
"As the right-hand man of Lord Hanzo's right-hand man, I will charge at the very front!"
"Everyone, Lord Hanzo said that Lord Hokage has prepared medical chakra scrolls for us, and we can also enjoy a portion of the welfare benefits given to our Konoha brothers!"
"Those who earn merit can even get full benefits! Just like Lord Nagato, you can have dual citizenship in both Amegakure and Konoha!" roared an Amegakure Jonin nicknamed "Rain-Sheltering Heiji."
Having cooperated with Konoha for so long, the Rain shinobi were gradually starting to understand...
Whether it was the nobles, the Daimyos, or they themselves, everyone understood Konoha's strength and immense financial power, deeply yearning for their technology and institutional guarantees...
But benefits and obligations were equal.
If you wanted to enjoy them, you couldn't get them without paying the price.
And what Heiji said had been authorized by Hanzo.
He had discussed this with his big brother Hiruzen Sarutobi a long time ago...
At this moment, it was as if all the Rain shinobi had been injected with Hashirama's cells. They launched a fearless charge against the Suna shinobi, utilizing the geographical advantage to frantically unleash Water Style and various other attacks!
For the Rain shinobi, who had long been terrified of poverty, dying with a guaranteed pension was practically a cushy job in the past.
To put it a bit morbidly, a cold family member was transformed into a string of warm, comforting numbers...
On the opposite side, the Suna shinobi's morale was already low due to internal disagreements.
Facing such a ferocious charge from the Rain shinobi, they were easily and completely suppressed across the board.
This perfectly reflected the logic Genji had once used when analyzing Konoha.
Degree of organization was a crucial metric for evaluating a hidden village's combat power.
Sasori's sudden rise as an anomaly had severely damaged the internal organization of Sunagakure, reaching the point where panic spread among the ranks.
However, this was only true for the Third Kazekage's faction; the puppet master camp remained incredibly united...
And at this very moment.
Chiyo arrived, manipulating her "White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets."
Even though her grandson Sasori openly opposed the Third Kazekage and Rasa...
As an elder of Sunagakure, she couldn't just stand by and watch the Kazekage be attacked; that would look far too ugly.
"White Fang and Hanzo..."
"The two people I hate the most, seen together on the same battlefield."
"Live long enough, and you truly see everything!"
She had a blood feud with Sakumo Hatake, and during the Second Great Ninja War, Chiyo and Hanzo had directly faced off.
Chiyo had cracked Hanzo's salamander venom, while her puppet jutsu had been countered by Hanzo's kenjutsu.
"You damned old hag, it looks like you've got even more wrinkles on your face..."
Hanzo cracked his neck and took off his respirator mask. "You could crush a mosquito in those folds..."
Chiyo instinctively wanted to shoot back, wanting to call Hanzo a "poisonous old ghost wearing a snorkel."
But upon looking closer, she froze.
Why did he look so much younger than he did during the Second Great Ninja War?
"A kinjutsu? Or what exactly is going on..."
Chiyo furrowed her brows deeply.
"Living in the vast yellow desert for so long, the sand erodes the human body constantly..."
"Staying in that wretched wasteland of yours, it's unrealistic to maintain your condition..."
Hanzo smiled faintly. "It's still much more comfortable living in forests and plains. The air in Konoha truly nourishes a person!"
After undergoing major overhauls and modifications by Konoha's scientific research department, Hanzo, who had originally been beaten to a state of "total loss" by Hiruzen Sarutobi, actually experienced a blessing in disguise, getting a system upgrade...
Chiyo's face darkened.
For a physical combat specialist like Hanzo, youth equated to an across-the-board enhancement.
And Hanzo was deliberately showcasing this to Chiyo, using it to apply psychological pressure to her and the Third Kazekage.
"We're all old acquaintances. Since we've chatted enough, let the slaughter begin!"
Hanzo suddenly roared loudly.
Ibuse the salamander, leading a swarm of other salamanders, emerged from the underground battlefield in every direction.
The moment they surfaced, they immediately opened their massive maws, frantically spewing dark purple poisonous mist!
Once the salamander venom settled on a Suna shinobi's body, it instantly paralyzed them completely.
The dark purple toxic mist was also absorbed by the water's surface, turning the floodwaters into the fastest and most convenient transmission medium for the toxin.
This allowed every Water Style jutsu cast by the Rain shinobi to evolve into a "Poison Water Style" by leveraging this medium...
The Rain shinobi's expressions grew serious as they immediately dug into their ninja tool pouches, retrieving the specialized "Enhanced Antidote Pills" crafted by Tsunade. They pressed them firmly under their tongues, allowing the medicinal power to rapidly disperse throughout their limbs and bones.
This was a specific cure Tsunade had developed based on salamander serum.
With the cooperation of Hanzo and Ibuse, they had an abundant supply.
Not only were the effects superior, but there was also enough for every single Amegakure Chunin and Jonin to be fully equipped.
Unlike Chiyo, whose production was limited, meaning only high-ranking officials like the Kazekage and Rasa could be equipped with antidotes.
"White Secret Technique: Three Treasures Suction Crush!"
Simultaneous with the salamanders' attack, Chiyo also threw herself into the battle.
Three puppets, engraved with the seals for "Buddha," "Dharma," and "Sangha," formed a triangular formation. A violent, massive white hurricane instantly blasted toward Hanzo!
Hanzo's expression turned serious.
This was the very reason he was wary of Chiyo...
Although a puppet master, Chiyo was highly proficient in sealing jutsu, seamlessly integrating massive amounts of "sealing" and "poison" elements into her puppet techniques.
When used properly, Hanzo's Hydrification Technique granted him immunity to physical attacks, but it was highly vulnerable to sealing jutsu.
Or rather, in the shinobi world, sealing jutsu always had the highest priority...
But in this moment.
A massive blade of light, resembling a crescent moon, struck from the flank with blinding speed, instantly severing the chakra threads connecting Chiyo to her puppets!
A faint cyan-white glow radiated from Sakumo Hatake as he darted toward Chiyo like a bolt of lightning. The blade of his White Light Chakra Sabre gathered a layer of ultra-compressed Storm Style chakra...
Even with identical kekkei genkai, the way each individual developed them could differ vastly.
Like Magnet Style; Fugaku chose to use it for body tempering and generating force fields.
Sunagakure's Magnet Style faction focused on manipulating objects.
In his development of Storm Style, Sakumo did not emphasize "compression and range" like Hizashi did.
Instead, he amplified the Lightning Nature aspect inherent in Storm Style, combining it with the Lightning Style Chakra Mode to develop his very own, unique "Storm Style Chakra Mode"!
In this state, Sakumo's speed was drastically augmented, making his Storm Style kenjutsu even more ferocious.
It was as if solidified auroras wrapped around his blade, unleashing terrifying Storm Style slashes with every swing!
Chiyo's ten fingers danced in a blur.
The metallic puppets of the Chikamatsu Collection lunged at Sakumo from every angle simultaneously!
The chakra threads formed a dense web, but the moment Chiyo tensed her fingers to apply force, a sky-filling flurry of blade light swept across!
All ten chakra threads snapped simultaneously. The puppets froze mid-air, their momentum causing them to crash heavily into one another.
Chiyo's heart went cold.
As a puppet master, it was common knowledge throughout the shinobi world that chakra threads were their weakness.
But in reality, specially reinforced chakra threads possessed incredible resilience.
In the past, even kenjutsu masters like Sakumo and Hanzo couldn't guarantee they would sever a large number of chakra threads with every strike, and Chiyo would also actively maneuver her puppets to evade.
But the problem was...
Sakumo's slashes now flew from his blade!
He could completely cover multiple angles in a very short time...
Chiyo ran rapidly, barely finding an opening within the network of slashes to reconnect her chakra threads to the puppets.
But Sakumo was already closing in on her!
Chiyo yanked her hands back forcefully, and the Chikamatsu Collection rushed back to defend their master at top speed!
Sakumo sneered coldly. Bolstered by Storm Style, his speed was sufficient to evade the puppets' attacks with relative ease.
Sakumo didn't rush to attack Chiyo's main body. Instead, he first targeted the specific puppets that formed the "Three Treasures Suction Crush."
His short sword slashed diagonally, another flurry of crisscrossing blade light instantly severing the chakra threads pulling them, rendering them inert.
In the blink of an eye, the joints of these three puppets were cleanly sliced off, sending them spinning and crashing into the water.
With a beautiful pivot, he brought his blade down heavily on another puppet!
Yet another member of the Chikamatsu Collection was scrapped...
The masterpiece inherited from the First Puppet Master, Monzaemon, actually appeared incredibly fragile before the perfect combination of Hatake Kenjutsu and Storm Style.
"I'm completely countered!"
Chiyo's heart sank, and she couldn't help but recall the ideology Sasori constantly preached.
'If puppet masters want to achieve further breakthroughs, they cannot be limited to ten fingers as their control units. Using chakra threads is just too outdated...'
'Flesh is pain; puppet ascension is the true limit!'
Chiyo previously thought Sasori was too extreme and that partial modification was sufficient...
Looking at it now, it seemed she, an old woman, was the one stuck in her ways!
Konoha's technology had already allowed Hanzo to reverse his aging and granted Sakumo Hatake Storm Style...
And here she was, still playing around with traditional puppet techniques...
"Puppet Mechanism: Light Shield Seal!"
Facing Sakumo Hatake's short sword slashing down towards her head, Chiyo's arms abruptly split apart, revealing an array of hidden mechanisms.
Massive amounts of light spilled from them, instantly forming an azure protective shield.
The cyan-blue blade of light struck the shield, producing a deafening clash of metal, and a spiderweb of cracks instantly covered the shield's surface.
Sakumo Hatake felt a slight pang of surprise.
So this old hag finally started modifying her own body?
Turning a portion of her limbs into puppet parts...
This appearance looked somewhat intimidating, as if hidden mechanisms were concealed everywhere on her body.
But Sakumo didn't let the pressure get to him at all, simply focusing entirely on hacking away at the protective shield strike after strike!
Body modification?
Perhaps it was rare in other hidden villages, enough to intimidate inexperienced shinobi and create pressure through an information gap...
But for Sakumo, who spent his time in the village, he was already thoroughly accustomed to such sights.
Kakuzu with his black threads and five hearts, Orochimaru with his Soft Physique Modification, Hiruko with who-knows-how-many kekkei genkai by now, Shio Uzumaki's Tailed Beast transformations, Jiraiya's Sage Mode...
Even Danzo had developed a Wind Style Chakra Mode; nearly every Konoha Committee Member possessed a "second phase"...
It could be said that in Konoha, if you didn't know how to "transform," you weren't even worthy of being considered a high-end combatant in the village!
The moment the "Light Shield Seal" shattered, Chiyo whipped her sleeves, launching dozens of highly toxic senbon at Sakumo's face like a torrential downpour!
Sakumo chuckled, his short sword dancing into a wheel of cyan-white light.
The silver needles were precisely parried away, clattering onto the sandy ground and instantly corroding small craters.
But this brief respite was enough for Chiyo to re-establish control over her remaining puppets.
She increased the density of her chakra threads to the absolute maximum, making each thread incredibly thick.
Yet, it was all in vain.
Sakumo's Body Flicker had become so fast it left multiple afterimages. The cyan-white blade light wove through the swarm of puppets, and with every swing, several chakra threads were severed, immediately followed by the scattering of puppet parts...
Chiyo's puppets were being rapidly decimated.
In this one-sided beating, Chiyo's chakra reserves were pushed near their limit, and her body was covered in several bone-deep gashes caused by flying puppet shrapnel and stray slashes.
"If I make it back alive this time..."
"I definitely have to support Sasori in aggressively researching new-style puppet jutsu!" Chiyo thought regretfully.
The puppet jutsu she was so proud of, the White Secret Technique that made the entire shinobi world wary, was completely countered and left without the slightest ability to fight back against the enhanced Sakumo Hatake...
Not far away, the situation was equally one-sided.
Rasa's face was an ashen blue. Enduring the burning sensation in his internal organs, he forcibly erupted his chakra!
Golden waves of sand swept outward like a tide.
Hovering atop his Iron Sand, the Third Kazekage formed hand seals.
Black Iron Sand coalesced into countless sharp spears, crashing toward Hanzo like a meteor shower.
This was the combined Magnet Style technique of the Kazekage master and disciple!
Combining pinpoint strikes with area-of-effect coverage, it had once suppressed countless invading enemies in the deserts of the Land of Wind, easily overwhelming even the One-Tail.
But Hanzo merely sneered, his figure instantly dissolving into a watery phantom.
"Have you ever seen the Water Body Flicker modified by the Second Hokage?"
Hanzo's voice echoed from all directions, dripping with mockery:
"Your wide-area ninjutsu are indeed powerful, true weapons of war. But unless you can use your sand to instantly absorb all the water from this opened dam, you'll find it very difficult to even touch the hem of my clothes..."
Just as Hanzo's words faded, Rasa's expression changed, and he spun around violently.
Hanzo appeared behind him like a water demon. In an environment with sufficient water, he could teleport instantly within the fluid.
The kusarigama lashed toward Rasa at a bizarre angle, flipping and twisting in Hanzo's hand like a venomous snake, constantly altering its angle of attack.
Rasa gritted his teeth, forming a heavy sword out of Gold Dust to clash blades with Hanzo!
Perhaps due to an extraordinary burst of potential drawn from the line between life and death, combined with the hovering Gold Dust acting as an on-demand shield, Rasa actually managed to withstand Hanzo's ferocious kenjutsu for a rapid exchange of four or five clashes!
Hanzo was mildly surprised.
"This kid isn't entirely useless. No wonder he's rumored to be the strongest contender for the title of Fourth Kazekage..."
Just as Rasa marveled at his own newly awakened potential, his eyes firmly locked on Hanzo's dancing kusarigama, thinking that if he could just hold out for two more exchanges, the Kazekage would be able to back him up...
Hanzo abruptly spat a dense volley of water needles from his mouth!
These water needles, laden with massive amounts of venom, moved incredibly fast. The Gold Dust hovering in the air to protect Rasa didn't even have time to react before the needles buried themselves deep into his chakra pathways.
Rasa collapsed instantly, the venom within him rapidly detonating. His back arched like a cooked shrimp as his body convulsed uncontrollably.
"Capture him alive..."
"We can trade him for Rouran! After all, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind will lose face if we just take it forcefully, and that guy has provided way too much gold; he's someone who understands the situation."
"If the circumstances are right, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind might even seize the opportunity to kneel before Big Brother..."
"When that happens, Big Brother will be the Grand General of three nations!"
Hanzo kicked Rasa high into the air, launching him into the arms of a distant Rain shinobi.
"How despicable..."
"To actually use a trick like that? And to think you were once hailed as a shinobi who stood at the pinnacle!"
The Third Kazekage hadn't even found an opportunity to separate Rasa and Hanzo before seeing his beloved disciple captured.
His face turned as dark as his Iron Sand.
"What are you talking about? This is a perfectly legitimate Water Style!"
"Passed down from Lord Second Hokage, 'Water Style: Heavenly Weeping'. Haven't you heard of it?" Hanzo stated with utter seriousness.
And it wasn't a lie, it was the absolute truth...
The Third Kazekage laughed out of sheer fury. "You just said it was Tobirama Senju's jutsu, and you still have the nerve to call it legitimate?!"
Hanzo laughed it off, but his offensive instantly became ferocious.
Dissolving into a water phantom, he vanished and reappeared instantly at the Third Kazekage's flank.
Hanzo drew the kusarigama from his waist and hurled it viciously at the Third Kazekage's neck. The weapon screamed through the air, its blade now coated in a thick layer of dark purple venom.
"Magnet Style: Iron Sand Binding"!
The Third Kazekage's eyes narrowed, and black Iron Sand surged forth instantly.
Before the kusarigama even touched him, the magnetic force imbued in the Iron Sand firmly seized Hanzo's weapon.
The Third Kazekage smiled coldly as the kusarigama was swallowed by the Iron Sand:
"Rasa's skills were inadequate, making a fool of himself before you. Now, let his master show you..."
"Metal is meaningless before me!"
"Is that so?" Hanzo's face betrayed not a trace of panic.
"Water Style: Double Water Gun!"
Two high-pressure bullets of venomous water shot simultaneously from Hanzo's fingertips!
The Third Kazekage remained expressionless as the Iron Sand formed a shield before him, easily blocking the attack.
"Magnet Style: Giant Iron Sand Pillars"!
Dozens of black Iron Sand pillars, several meters in diameter, erupted from the water's surface!
Fueled by his rage, the Third Kazekage fully erupted his chakra, forcibly using his Magnet Style to break the "Starch Syrup Capture Field's" hold over his reserved Iron Sand.
The massive Iron Sand pillars descended from the sky, crashing down frantically in the direction of Hanzo's retreat.
The roar of the Iron Sand pillars slamming into the ground was deafening!
Every giant pillar left a crater over ten meters deep upon impact.
But Hanzo's Water Body Flicker had reached perfection.
Like a slippery loach, he darted nimbly between the dense barrage of Iron Sand pillars, easily evading every lethal strike.
Hanzo didn't clash head-on with the Third Kazekage, instead constantly shifting his position.
He moved left, then right, then abruptly doubled back, keeping the Third Kazekage's attention firmly fixated on him.
It was undeniable that against a kenjutsu master, the Third Kazekage's masterful Magnet Style was leagues above Rasa's and placed tremendous restrictions on Hanzo.
Even with Water Style, dense Iron Sand inherently served as the ultimate defense.
And the Third Kazekage, possessing the ability to fly, boasted extraordinary mobility.
"The strongest Kazekage? Judging solely by his wide-area destructive capability on a battlefield, he certainly lives up to the name..."
Hanzo increasingly recognized the sheer power of Magnet Style; it was a highly versatile composite kekkei genkai, capable of performing multiple roles if developed properly...
"I wonder how Fugaku will develop it in the future? I have a feeling he'll take it in a very strange direction..."
A bizarre thought crossed Hanzo's mind.
While the range of Magnet Style was immense, catching Hanzo—given his speed and Body Flicker—in an environment completely flooded with water was an exceptionally difficult task...
Without first destroying the battlefield terrain, unless the Third Kazekage possessed the comprehensive versatility and raw stats of his Big Brother Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hanzo was confident he could just string the Kazekage along in circles...
However, Hanzo wasn't just wasting time; with every Body Flicker, he covertly laid down a matrix of sealing tags.
After dozens of exchanges, the Third Kazekage's anger intensified.
Hanzo displayed none of the demeanor expected of a powerhouse; all he did was run around!
"I have to end this in one strike!" The Third Kazekage took a deep breath.
"Magnet Style: Iron Sand World Method!"
Countless fine threads of Iron Sand wove together in the air, forming a massive black net that descended from the sky, rapidly enveloping a hundred-meter radius around Hanzo.
The mesh was as fine as gauze, its edges sharp as blades; once entangled, one would be sliced to ribbons instantly.
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave"!
A compressed blade of water spewed from Hanzo's mouth, tearing through the Iron Sand net before him.
Hanzo quickly slipped through the gap.
However, his back was still grazed by the razor-sharp edge of the Iron Sand, leaving a long, bleeding gash.
"Is running away all you can do, Hanzo of the Salamander?!"
The Third Kazekage's voice burned with monstrous rage; he was completely infuriated by Hanzo's tactics.
"Magnet Style: Iron Sand Rain!"
Countless finger-thick needles of Iron Sand rained down on Hanzo like a torrential downpour, dense enough to blot out the sky.
Hanzo appeared battered and exhausted as he constantly fled.
Yet his eyes remained unnervingly calm, constantly calculating distances and positions in secret.
He deliberately lured the Third Kazekage toward the trap zone he had continuously laid out. Every dodge was perfectly timed, neither allowing the Third Kazekage to catch up nor letting him escape his control.
This was to prevent the Kazekage's terrifying battlefield firepower from catching other Amegakure shinobi in the crossfire.
Finally, when the Third Kazekage flew to a specific position, Hanzo suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The ground abruptly split open with a massive fissure, and a giant salamander over twenty meters long rocketed upwards from beneath the earth, jaws wide open, lined with razor-sharp teeth, lunging viciously at the Third Kazekage.
The salamander's skin was brownish-purple, covered in thick scales, and its two crimson eyes gleamed with malice.
"Finally playing your trump card, are you?"
A contemptuous smile appeared on the Third Kazekage's face.
With a wave of his right hand, the Iron Sand surrounding him instantly coalesced into a giant black spear, stabbing viciously down into the salamander's skull!
Simultaneously, a dense, hemispherical shield of Iron Sand hovered in front of the Kazekage.
The offensive and defensive capabilities of Magnet Style were perfectly demonstrated in his hands.
The giant black spear pierced through the salamander's skull as easily as cutting tofu!
"Is this all you've got?"
The Third Kazekage's tone dripped with disdain. "Hanzo, what else do you have—"
His words were cut short.
Because the Third Kazekage saw a cruel, eerie smile creep onto Hanzo's face.
An earth-shattering explosion erupted from within the salamander's body.
The Third Kazekage's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
The body of the salamander skewered on the Iron Sand spear swelled unnaturally.
Buried deep within the salamander's body was a forged Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tag array created by Konan!
The explosions chained together.
The first tag triggered the second, the second triggered the third...
Like dominoes, the entire salamander's body transformed into a massive powder keg in an instant!
More terrifyingly, the massive venom sac within the salamander was completely ruptured in the explosion.
This was an artificially induced, colossal whale fall explosion!
The concussive force violently dispersed immense amounts of venom, which then contacted the intense heat of the explosive tags, instantly vaporizing into a dense cloud of poisonous mist that swallowed the Third Kazekage whole!
The Third Kazekage let out a roar of absolute despair.
He desperately pushed his chakra, forming an airtight armor of Iron Sand around himself while covering his nose and mouth, attempting to break out of the toxic cloud.
But it was too late.
This was the contingency Hanzo had prepared for himself after repeatedly studying Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.
'A powerhouse's combat system must be unique, and they must always keep a trump card hidden.'
This specific salamander had been meticulously selected by Hanzo for its exceptionally large venom sac.
The Third Kazekage's skin turned a sickly blue-black.
The chain explosions had shattered his physical defenses, allowing the highly pressurized venom to rapidly enter his chakra pathways through his wounds.
Engulfed entirely by the toxic mist, the venom frantically seeped in through his pores.
"Salamander: Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags: Whale Fall Explosion Technique!"
The Third Kazekage barely managed to land on the ground, but his vision began to blur, his limbs rapidly stiffened, and he couldn't even mobilize his chakra properly.
He stumbled forward a few steps before ultimately collapsing heavily onto the ground.
"You..."
The Third Kazekage struggled to lift his head. "Why did you..."
He wanted to scream out, asking why every single technique used was some sinister, underhanded trick belonging to the First Shinobi of Darkness!
But his tongue was numb, preventing him from even finishing his sentence.
"Lord Second Hokage's jutsu truly are incredibly effective..." Hanzo crouched down, flashing a bright, sunny smile:
"You see? Didn't I manage to capture you without even using kenjutsu? If it works well, it's a good ninjutsu!"
Hanzo was mimicking Minato, the polite young man he quite liked...
The Third Kazekage felt an unbearable tightness in his chest.
That smile felt even more virulent than the poison, infuriating him to the point of death!
"If the One-Tail had participated in the battle, would it have made a difference?"
"Hanzo and Sakumo Hatake's offensive was too aggressive! We didn't even have time to deploy it. Even if we released the One-Tail now, it wouldn't change the tide of battle; Rasa and I are in no condition to support it..."
The Third Kazekage watched helplessly as the Suna shinobi routed.
With him, their Kazekage, defeated, the resolve of his subordinates to fight back was naturally utterly shattered.
"Elder Chiyo as well..." The Third Kazekage forced his head to turn.
Over there, Sakumo Hatake had already dismantled Chiyo's Chikamatsu Collection!
But right at that moment.
Sasori and Pakura arrived!
Sakumo Hatake narrowed his eyes slightly; he saw the shadow of an old acquaintance in the face of this beautiful youth.
But to Sakumo's utter surprise.
After saving Chiyo, Sasori didn't immediately launch a counterattack. Instead, he shot Sakumo a highly inexplicable wink.
Immediately after, Sasori tossed out a tea kettle.
The seal shattered, and the One-Tail materialized on the battlefield!
Seeing the One-Tail appear, expressions of identical pleasant surprise blossomed on both Sakumo and Hanzo's faces.
They were both burdened with the mission of collecting Tailed Beast chakra for Lord Hokage...
A complete One-Tail was even better!
Hanzo and Sakumo Hatake had just been feeling a pang of regret, wondering if they had pushed too hard and denied Sunagakure the chance to unleash their Tailed Beast...
The Kazekage's venom-ravaged face twitched uncontrollably.
Was Sasori insane?!
Why would he release the Tailed Beast now?
Their forces were scattered, they lacked proper support—this was practically handing the One-Tail over on a silver platter!
And that was exactly what Sasori was thinking.
Sasori quickly secured his grandmother, Chiyo, carefully protecting her with puppets, before rapidly collecting the scattered fragments of the Chikamatsu Collection.
He then ordered Pakura to use her Scorch Release to cut off the battlefield while leading the puppet masters to form a defensive array, escorting the broken Suna forces in an orderly retreat.
Sakumo Hatake made no move to stop Sasori's actions...
This kid hadn't been acting right for quite a while now!
Sasori's actions could easily be interpreted as "using the One-Tail to cover the Suna shinobi's retreat," and the vast majority of the shinobi he saved believed exactly that.
They looked at Sasori with eyes full of overwhelming gratitude!
But to Sakumo Hatake, it was crystal clear that this kid was simply using the One-Tail to pay for Chiyo's life!
Sakumo Hatake found the situation slightly amusing.
It was precisely because of Sasori's lack of aggression on the battlefield that Sakumo hadn't gone all out to execute Chiyo, attempting instead to capture her alive as a bargaining chip.
He never expected to trade her for a whole Tailed Beast!
It was a highly profitable exchange!
"The great me is going to start killing! Hahahaha!"
The shrill, grating laugh of a tanuki echoed across the battlefield.
The fully realized form of Shukaku, the One-Tail, burst forth from the seal, its massive body quivering with excitement.
"Finally, I'm out again!" Shukaku let out a hoarse, maniacal cackle, slamming its massive claws against the ground.
But a crimson figure had already launched into the sky.
Nagato had been waiting for far too long...
His designated task was to wait for the appearance of the One-Tail, Shukaku, which was why he had delayed joining the fray.
Nagato had thought he wouldn't get a chance to show his stuff!
He never expected such a dramatic turn of events!
Nagato erupted with a chakra reserve as vast as the ocean. Adamantine Sealing Chains burst from his back, tightly wrapping around his right fist and gleaming with an unsettling dark gold hue.
An immense volume of chakra enveloped his fist...
The raw stat power of the Senju Clan's Monstrous Strength, combined with the penetrating techniques of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist!
Nagato's facial features were completely contorted from the overwhelming burst of chakra, his entire vibe undergoing a drastic shift...
Shukaku was still laughing when this earth-shattering blow landed squarely on its head!
BANG!!!
Shukaku's maniacal laughter cut off instantly. The Tailed Beast was driven straight down, sinking significantly into the earth as if it had been hammered like a nail.
The hardened sand armor covering its body shattered instantly, sending countless grains of sand flying in all directions. The ground trembled violently, and the rainwater was launched upwards in a reverse deluge!
Shukaku's head rang violently, its vision completely blacking out.
"Storm Style: Phantom Sword Dance"!
Sakumo Hatake swiftly joined the fray, countless cyan-white blades of light weaving together to relentlessly carve into Shukaku's body.
Every flash of the blade easily sliced open Shukaku's exterior, leaving deep, gaping wounds.
Shukaku let out an agonizing screech of pain, attempting to retaliate.
But the chakra currently spewing from Nagato's back, utilizing the Hyuga Clan's chakra release techniques, resembled the exhaust flames of an aerial fortress!
Nagato unleashed blow after devastating blow, hammering Shukaku deeper and deeper into the ground...
Simultaneously, Hanzo launched his own assault.
"Water Style: Poison Dragon Bite Explosion," "Salamander Swarm: Poison Mist"!
The salamanders surrounded Shukaku, continuously spewing massive clouds of purple vapor.
A colossal water dragon, saturated with venom, blasted into Shukaku, rapidly seeping into the wounds Sakumo had carved open. It was so intense that the yellowish Shukaku actually began to turn purple...
Under the combined assault of the three men, Shukaku was forced entirely onto the defensive. It didn't even attempt to attack with its claws anymore; it merely squatted in the crater Nagato had hammered it into, trying desperately to cover its face...
It had just broken free from its seal, only to be instantly concussed by Nagato's punch, followed immediately by relentless, savage beatings from Sakumo and Hanzo. It had literally opened its eyes only to be surrounded and mercilessly stomped on...
The rest of the Amegakure shinobi watched the scene unfold, utterly dumbfounded.
It was just too brutal...
Was the Tailed Beast Protection Society really not going to say anything about this?
Sasori, who was currently covering the retreat, watched the scene unfold through a small reconnaissance puppet and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
Even though he could already be considered half-human, half-puppet...
Nagato looked like a deranged demon—one eye blood red, the other stark white, both arms wrapped in dark gold chains, chakra violently erupting from his back as he relentlessly delivered savage blows... It left Sasori completely numb!
Where did this monster come from?
That thing was what should be strictly sealed away!
"Retreat! Retreat!"
Sasori rapidly barked orders, privately rejoicing that he had listened to Mr. A-Huo and those old Warring States fossils.
Ignore the words of the elders, and suffer the consequences right before your eyes...
The wartime decisions Sasori was currently executing, including exchanging the One-Tail for his grandmother Chiyo, had all been meticulously crafted for him by A-Huo and the Kage.
The Third Kazekage might possess some political maneuverability, but he was no match for the sheer volume of masterminds standing behind Sasori...
Pakura was equally stunned. Why did Konoha have so many freaks?!
"I say, are we still going to rescue Lord Third Kazekage and Rasa?" Pakura asked meekly.
"Rescue them, of course we must rescue them."
Sasori stated firmly, but then let out a light cough:
"But we must rescue them slowly, deliberately. Let's wait for a good opportunity."
Pakura's mouth twitched. "Right, right, wait for a good opportunity..."
The two fell into a tacit silence.
Under such a savage, relentless beating, Shukaku couldn't even maintain its physical form, its exterior constantly rupturing and breaking apart.
"Hey, hey, hey..."
"Nagato, stop hitting it! Stop!"
Sakumo swung his blade one final time with exquisite precision, getting his fill of the action, before shouting to Nagato, who was still delivering rapid-fire punches:
"Try to seal it! Since we can't find that sealing tea kettle, just seal it inside your own body, Nagato! If you keep beating it like this, you're going to pummel the One-Tail to death..."
Only then did Nagato stop, realizing he had gotten a little too excited.
His primary motivation was to show Lord Hokage just how capable he was of serving Konoha...
After all, it had been his mother's dying wish before returning to the Pure Land.
Moreover, Nagato genuinely wanted Amegakure to bathe in the Will of Fire. Having finally found such an opportunity, he had overexerted himself.
At this moment.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains on Nagato's body snaked out and wrapped around Shukaku. Without applying too much force, he utilized the power of the seal to dissolve the One-Tail's physical form, converting it into streams of earth-yellow chakra...
"He's going to become my Jinchuriki?"
Shukaku was terrified!
It had originally been planning to go bully some brat named Gaara!
Now things had gone horribly wrong...
During the process of being converted into chakra and drawn into Nagato's body, Shukaku was further shocked to discover that this monster possessed both a Sharingan and a Byakugan, and his visual prowess was outrageously potent...
"Who the hell's reincarnation is this?!"
"Didn't that old geezer have a brother? Did his brother have kids?"
Shukaku abandoned all resistance.
It truly had no answers against the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths...
Why did it feel like all of them were in Konoha?!
☆☆☆
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