"I was waiting for the poison mist to cut off all your escape routes. What were you waiting for?"
Hanzo of the Salamander fixed his piercing gaze on Yamanaka Shinno, who had yet to launch another attack.
Even with the interference of Water Release, nearly a full minute of standoff had passed—more than enough time for his summon, the salamander Ibuse, to spread its poisonous mist and seal off all the surrounding streets and exits.
"Three... two... one!"
Under Hanzo's wary eyes, Shinno began counting down.
Boom!
The moment the countdown ended, a sudden burst of chakra smoke erupted beneath Hanzo's feet.
Ibuse, who had been silently accumulating more poisonous mist, vanished without warning—the Summoning Jutsu had been canceled.
"Damn it! You have an accomplice!"
Hanzo instantly suspected a diversion tactic.
He barked orders to the surrounding Ame-nin without hesitation.
"Teams Two, Three, and Four—head to the poison pool immediately! Teams Five and Six—reinforce the Rain Tower! Everyone else, send the signal and lock down all exits of the village!"
"Yes, Lord Hanzo!"
One after another, voices responded in unison.
Flare signals with unique markings shot into the sky, exploding high above.
Despite the unstable mental states of the Ame-nin, Hanzo's unrivaled authority ensured that they obeyed without question.
When his gaze returned to Shinno, Hanzo's killing intent was nearly palpable.
With a swift flick of his scythe, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow.
While he had implanted a poison sac within his own body, he did not possess Ibuse's ability to generate lethal toxins in vast quantities within a short time.
If something happened to Ibuse, his ability to decimate large groups of enemy shinobi would be severely diminished.
And without that deterrent, given the current state of the shinobi world, Amegakure could easily be plunged back into endless war!
"Bastard! You better pray Ibuse is safe! If not, you'll regret ever being born!"
Hanzo slit open the poison sac at his waist, his scythe slashing straight for Shinno's throat.
He knew full well how vital Ibuse was, but the brief exchange earlier had also shown him that this shinobi, skilled in assassination and Water Release, posed a significant threat to ordinary ninja.
If left unchecked, the Ame-nin present would suffer heavy casualties.
He had to take this opponent down quickly and locate Ibuse!
Vacuum Blade!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
A barrage of vacuum slashes clashed against Hanzo's scythe and counterweight chain.
Compared to Uchiha Madara's combination of scythe and gunbai, Hanzo's weapons were much shorter. Though they allowed for quicker, sharper attacks, they lacked the ability to block incoming strikes and force a direct breakthrough.
Under Shinno's relentless Vacuum Blade attacks, Hanzo's momentum was stalled.
Slash!
Blood spurted from Hanzo's toe.
The sudden activation of Invisible Execution Slash severed his left big toe clean off!
Hanzo's brows furrowed deeply. At first, he thought he had simply grown complacent after years of dominance, allowing an enemy's hidden strike to slip through his defenses.
With sheer willpower, he suppressed the pain and pushed his chakra to its limits.
Forming a one-handed seal, he activated Water Body Flicker Technique, accelerating his approach once more.
In his judgment, given the lethal potency of the toxins seeping from his waist, the moment this battle turned into close combat, his opponent wouldn't last a minute.
If they continued trading jutsu from a distance, however, the fight could drag on for far too long.
He wasn't willing to wait that long!
Moreover, while Vacuum Blade was a formidable sword technique, using it continuously would place a significant strain on the user's body.
A few more breaths, at most.
Then his opponent's offense would slow down!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Deflecting the incoming vacuum slashes with well-placed parries, Hanzo charged forward.
As he noticed the attacks slowing and the gap between them shrinking to just eight meters, a cold gleam flashed in his eyes.
With his right hand gripping the scythe, he crouched low, muscles coiling like a spring. His left hand swung the chain's weight to deflect the final strike.
Slash!
A sudden, sharp pain flared between his legs.
(T/N: Invisible Execution Slash (Blue)]: A lifetime of dedicated swordsmanship has granted you insight into an unknown realm. When attacking a target with any form of slash, there is a small chance to activate this power, randomly severing one of the target's 'heads.' While wielding bladed weapons, proficiency, power, and speed are enhanced.)
Though he didn't look down, the warm sensation of blood trickling from his inner thigh told him exactly where he had been hit.
"YOU BASTARD!"
Hanzo's eyes went wide with rage, veins bulging at his temples.
With adrenaline surging through his body, he channeled his fury into a Iaido Slash, unleashing a strike far beyond his usual peak.
His form blurred into a streaking shadow, his scythe hurtling toward Shinno's neck.
"If I say it wasn't on purpose, would you believe me?"
Shinno's eye twitched as he saw Hanzo's pants stained with blood.
Shit.
He had been hoping to avoid this exact scenario.
If this had been a friend instead of an enemy, this move alone would have turned them into lifelong nemeses!
"DIE!"
Hanzo's bloodshot eyes burned with pure fury—he wasn't listening to anything anymore.
The poisoned scythe was already within a breath's distance from Shinno's throat.
With Zero Frame Startup, Shinno had already predicted Hanzo's attack trajectory before he even swung.
Whoosh!
Flying Thunder God Technique activated!
Hanzo's target vanished before his eyes, leaving only a limp Samehada behind.
His scythe struck nothing but air.
For a split second, shock flickered across his face.
Not Body Flicker. Not a clone or an illusion. And he hadn't fallen under a genjutsu.
That movement technique… could it be—
Before he could piece it together, his battle instincts kicked in.
Slapping his poisoned sac, he released a thick cloud of toxins to protect himself from a potential sneak attack.
Just as he twisted his body to scan for his opponent—
A flicker in his peripheral vision.
Shinno reappeared—right beside the discarded Samehada!
Hanzo immediately swung his scythe to defend his back.
But in that instant of distraction, two hands burst from the ground, grabbing his ankles.
An intense sense of restraint locked his body in place for a brief moment.
This was—
Konoha's Yamanaka Clan's Mind-Body Switch Technique!
Slash!
Blood gushed from a headless neck.
Hanzo's severed head spun through the air.
As his lifeless eyes registered the three shadow clones surrounding him, realization struck him.
Flying Thunder God Technique!
The legendary space-time ninjutsu created by Tobirama Senju, once hailed as the fastest technique in the shinobi world.
His head hit the ground with a dull thud.
A shadow clone swiftly sealed it inside a scroll tossed over by Shinno.
"If you had just left some subordinates around, I might've had to hold back a little."
Shinno sighed, stuffing the scroll into his pouch.
Even in death, a shinobi's head contained valuable intel. Retrieval was a necessity.
A system notification flashed.
Ding! Important character eliminated. Worldline progression has shifted slightly. Rewards: Trait Extraction ×1, Trait Gift ×1, Trait Removal ×1.
As Hanzo's body dispersed, fate energy flooded into Shinno, further strengthening his destiny trait Fate Weaver.
Glancing at the evolving trait and the valuable reward he had just earned, Shinno clenched his fist.
This was more than worth it.
With a massive summoning contract scroll in hand and Samehada slung over his back, Shinno activated Flying Thunder God—disappearing from Amegakure.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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