Chapter 414: The Power of the Samsara Eye

Hanzō stood on top of the Salamander Ibuse, taking out his chain-scythe from a scroll.

The scythe was Hanzō’s most comfortable weapon to use; with the added chain, the scythe became even more flexible, greatly increasing its attack range.

He once used his chain-scythe to defeat Mifune, the famous genius samurai of the Land of Iron, with a single Iai Slash.

But Hanzō was not prepared to engage Muzuki in close-quarters combat and swordplay, because he was worried he would lose.

From the beginning of the battle until now, Hanzō had lost to Muzuki in every aspect, and he had already lost confidence in killing Muzuki alone.

Hanzō planned to use the length of the chain to contend with Muzuki.

His scythe was also coated with a potent poison; even a mere graze would quickly spread the toxin throughout the body.

Hanzō’s current strategy was simple: he would hold back Muzuki, while a hundred elite Rain Ninja would attack the Shinobi Sect without regard for their lives, forcing Muzuki to expose a weakness.

This was the last method Hanzō could think of to kill Muzuki.

If Hanzō were given a chance to start over, he would choose to bring all the Amegakure Ninja with him.

As long as one wasn’t as strong as God of Shinobi Senju Hashirama, they would be overwhelmed by a human wave tactic.

His single Water Release couldn’t stop Muzuki’s Fire Release, but if hundreds or thousands of Ninja used Water Release together, then Muzuki would surely be defeated.

Moreover, no matter how strong a Ninjutsu was, Chakra and stamina were limited; the stronger the Ninjutsu, the more Chakra it consumed. Hanzō believed that even Muzuki certainly couldn’t casually unleash Fire Dragon Dance.

“I underestimated your personal strength. If I had summoned my Nin-Beast from the start, perhaps the battle would have been different. You won’t have another chance now,” Hanzō said in a deep voice.

Next, he would truly dedicate himself to this battle, fully committing to holding Muzuki back, waiting for the moment Muzuki revealed a weakness to kill him.

“If you could tell your subordinates to stop, your words would have more impact,” Muzuki calmly took out an anti-poison mask from a scroll and put it on.

Of course, Muzuki wouldn’t come to fight Hanzō unprepared; he had prepared quite a few anti-poison masks.

Hanzō’s expression turned somewhat ugly. Muzuki had brought an anti-poison mask with him to their meeting; even if Hanzō didn’t make a move, Muzuki might take the opportunity to attack.

“Poison Spray!” Hanzō commanded the Salamander to spray poison mist.

The Salamander immediately opened its large mouth, and a highly toxic purple mist sprayed out, surging towards Muzuki.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Hanzō’s main body was not idle either, instantly firing three Kunai with explosive tags attached towards Muzuki.

Muzuki did not have the Salamander poison antibody like him; as long as the anti-poison mask was destroyed, Muzuki would quickly be poisoned and paralyzed.

But Muzuki, with Transparent World activated, discovered Hanzō’s movements immediately and swiftly threw a Shuriken to intercept.

As for the poison mist, Muzuki didn’t have a great countermeasure, but wearing an anti-poison mask, he didn’t have to worry about the poison mist for now.

It can only be said that a good Nin-Beast can indeed effectively enhance a Ninja’s strength.

Although Muzuki also had a Nin-Beast, with Kurohane’s strength, it was safer to use it as a mode of transport.

Next, Hanzō played it extremely safe. As soon as Muzuki showed any sign of attack, he would immediately use Water Instant Body to escape, and when he had nothing to do, he would use poison gas and Ninja tools to wear him down.

But Muzuki truly couldn’t ignore Hanzō, otherwise Hanzō would dare to rush directly into the Shinobi Sect Ninja’s side with his scythe and slaughter them.

Under Hanzō’s deliberate evasion, the battle between Muzuki and Hanzō turned into a cat-and-mouse game.

Although Muzuki still held a considerable advantage, he was somewhat constrained due to the Salamander’s poison mist, and the pace of the battle began to slow down.

Hanzō had never fought such a desperate battle in his life, but at this moment, he had no other choice, because he truly couldn’t win a head-on fight.

Because of Hanzō’s command, the battle on Nagato’s side became incredibly fierce.

All the Rain Ninja exerted their full strength in attack, continuously throwing Ninja tools and Ninjutsu towards Nagato and his companions.

Eight against a hundred, Nagato’s side averaged about twelve opponents per person.

The key was that these Rain Ninja were not weak; they were all elites of the Amegakure.

Strictly speaking, apart from Kakuzu, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, the remaining Shinobi Sect Ninja might not even be able to defeat these Rain Ninja in a one-on-one fight.

Kakuzu killed a charging Rain Ninja with a Tentacle Punch but was quickly attacked by other Rain Ninja. Due to the sheer number of opponents, even Kakuzu was inevitably injured.

However, Kakuzu possessed Earth Grudge Fear, allowing him to quickly seize hearts and recover his strength. Although he couldn’t immediately return to his peak, he could recover most of it, and he alone held back half of the Ninja.

But the remaining half of the Ninja also put great pressure on Nagato and his companions. The weaker Kuroda and Ikechou quickly sustained injuries.

“Water Release: Wild Water Wave!”

Yahiko saw Kuroda, who was struggling on the flank, and immediately used Ninjutsu to help him out, then rushed forward and kicked away a Rain Ninja who was trying to sneak attack Kuroda.

Every Ninja of the Shinobi Sect fought with all their might. Kakuzu and Yahiko strenuously resisted the pressure, while Nagato continuously formed hand seals, unleashing Ninjutsu one after another from his hands and mouth, serving as the main damage dealer of the team.

Konan used her Paper Ninjutsu to alleviate pressure for Yahiko and the others, while the rest assisted Nagato and watched out for any Rain Ninja attempting sneak attacks.

Under the stimulation of life-and-death crisis, the cooperation between the few of them surged. Everyone played their proper role and did not interfere with others.

“How terrifying, naivety can actually be contagious,” Kakuzu observed the Shinobi Sect Ninja out of the corner of his eye and sighed.

Kakuzu found it hard to imagine that the Shinobi Sect Ninja fighting side-by-side now had only known each other for a few months.

Facing such a seemingly certain-death battle, even the weakest Shinobi Sect Ninja did not flee, retreat, or betray their comrades.

Kakuzu originally thought that the cautious Ikechou would run away, but Ikechou fought extraordinarily hard.

Of course, it was only effort. In Kakuzu’s opinion, without Ikechou and the others, the battle might have been easier. Yahiko and Nagato, in order to protect their Shinobi Sect comrades, couldn’t unleash their full strength.

If Kakuzu hadn’t recovered most of his strength and held back half of the Ninja, there would probably have been casualties in the team long ago.

“If the Village had been like this back then, then the outcome would have been…” Kakuzu kicked away a nearby Rain Ninja, deliberately interrupting his own thoughts.

Because he knew that those profit-driven high-ranking officials would never be like this.

If the high-ranking officials of Takigakure were present, they would definitely choose to abandon the weaker Ninja directly and wouldn’t bother to protect them.

Despite their coordinated efforts, the enemies were simply too numerous and too strong. Nagato and his companions inevitably fell into a disadvantage, and the disadvantage was rapidly expanding.

Nagato was extremely anxious, but he had no way to break the deadlock, because although he knew many Ninjutsu, none of them had the power of Muzuki’s Fire Dragon Dance.

After Muzuki noticed the situation on Nagato’s side, he deliberately moved his battlefield with Hanzō closer to Nagato.

The battle-hardened Hanzō quickly discovered Muzuki’s intention. Hanzō feigned ignorance, pretending not to notice, and allowed Muzuki to approach the valley.

This was precisely the opportunity he had been waiting for.

Yahiko’s strength was already inferior to Kakuzu’s, and he didn’t have Earth Grudge Fear, so the immense pressure made Yahiko’s struggle very difficult.

The anxious Nagato rushed forward to help Yahiko alleviate the pressure, but this prevented Nagato from frequently using Ninjutsu for suppression, and soon Nagato himself was surrounded by Rain Ninja.

“Wind Release: Wind Blade!”

Muzuki suddenly stopped fighting Hanzō, flashed to the side of the Rain Ninja, and unleashed two sharp Wind Blades, instantly killing the Rain Ninja surrounding Nagato and Yahiko.

The Rain Ninja knew that Muzuki was the biggest enemy in this battle, and many Rain Ninja immediately launched attacks on Muzuki.

But Muzuki’s movements were agile, and none of the Rain Ninja’s attacks were effective.

“Finally, I’ve waited for this opportunity,” a hint of joy flashed in Hanzō’s eyes as he condensed Chakra and shot a stream of water towards Muzuki.

“Teacher, be careful!” Nagato was about to thank Muzuki when he noticed Hanzō’s attack and quickly shouted to warn Muzuki.

But Hanzō’s timing was too perfect. By the time Nagato warned him, Hanzō’s attack was already close to Muzuki. Muzuki desperately dodged, only managing to avoid a vital spot. Blood splattered, and a bloody hole appeared in Muzuki’s abdomen, pierced by the water stream.

At this moment, Muzuki was not far from Nagato. Nagato, with his excellent eyesight, could clearly see the splashing blood and the continuously gushing blood from Muzuki’s wound.

Although it was just blood flowing from one person, in Nagato’s eyes, the entire world was stained with blood, as if the whole world had been cursed.

“What a pity. If Sōsuke hadn’t brought people, Hanzō would have had no way,” Kitsuchi said with a look of regret.

Personally, Kitsuchi admired Muzuki, who was full of loyalty and righteousness, more than Hanzō, who resorted to unscrupulous means.

Hanzō’s sneak attack this time was enough to erase all of Muzuki’s previous advantages and establish a huge advantage for himself.

This level of injury would affect Muzuki’s combat ability, and Hanzō’s poison gas could also directly enter Muzuki’s body through the wound.

Although he admired Muzuki, Kitsuchi would not help, after all, Muzuki’s Shinobi Sect was still suspected of killing Iwagakure Ninja.

Danzo Shimura’s face showed a smile; the situation was moving in the direction he most desired.

Although Muzuki was injured, he still had combat ability, and even if defeated by Hanzō, he could still deplete most of Hanzō’s strength.

At that time, he would have his subordinates come forward and pretend to be Rain Ninja to help, with the only reward being a pair of Rinnegan.

“Uncle Sōsuke!” Yahiko, standing nearby, saw Muzuki injured and anxiously took out bandages from his Ninja tool pouch.

But before Yahiko could even hand the bandages to Muzuki, the Rain Ninja and Hanzō’s attacks came again.

Looking at the injured Muzuki and the re-endangered Yahiko, Nagato felt a sense of despair.

He realized that the peace he pursued seemed to be wrong; people simply couldn’t understand each other.

Even though their Ninja Sect had done nothing wrong to the Amegakure, Hanzo intended to deceive them into the valley to eliminate them.

Ninja Master Sōsuke, who was stronger than Hanzo, was injured by the treacherous and insidious Hanzo because he was protecting them.

Is such a world truly normal, where an organization doing the right thing is deceived and falls into crisis, and noble, upright people are harmed by vile, insidious individuals using schemes?

“Must everyone experience the same pain to understand each other?” Nagato’s fists clenched, his thoughts becoming extreme under the influence of negative emotions.

“I couldn’t do anything, and I didn’t do anything well.” Nagato looked back on his life and found that his entire existence was a monumental failure.

If he could have used the Rinnegan, then perhaps he could have stopped the Konoha Ninja from killing his parents, instead of going berserk afterwards and killing the Konoha Ninja.

Killing the Konoha Ninja didn’t give Nagato the satisfaction of revenge, because no matter how much he avenged them, his parents would never return to his side.

If he could control his own power, he wouldn’t have killed so many enemies due to the Rinnegan going out of control.

There were some people he didn’t want to kill. The Akatsuki Organization was committed to achieving peace through non-military means; killing was a last resort, an extreme measure when there was no other option.

Not only was he unable to properly utilize his own power, but he also couldn’t do everyday small things well. His speeches weren’t as passionate as Yahiko’s, and his cooking wasn’t delicious. Thinking about it carefully, he couldn’t even express his own emotions very well.

“Even someone like me wants to protect Yahiko, wants to protect Ninja Master Sōsuke…”

Nagato’s fists clenched tighter and tighter, not relaxing even slightly as his fingernails dug into his flesh.

The massive Chakra within Nagato rioted with his emotions, and a terrifying aura rose from him.

Kakuzu turned back, seeing Nagato’s surprised expression. He hadn’t known that there was another strong Ninja in the Ninja Sect besides Ninja Master Sōsuke.

The keen Hanzo also sensed something amiss, immediately stopped his attack, and performed the Water Instant Body Technique.

“Shinra Tensei!”

The Rinnegan in Nagato’s eyes suddenly vibrated, and an incredibly powerful repulsive force erupted, repelling all Ninjutsu and Ninja tools that were attacking Nagato and his companions.

Bang! Bang!!

Some Ninja who were close by were directly embedded into the nearby rock wall by this powerful repulsive force.

“I didn’t expect there to be a Ninja of this level in the Ninja Sect besides Sōsuke.” Hanzo, who had dodged the attack, frowned tightly. The strength displayed by the Ninja Sect far exceeded his expectations.

“Bansho Tenin!”

Nagato extended his hand towards the Rain Ninja not far away, and the Rain Ninja instantly discovered with horror that their bodies were uncontrollably moving forward at high speed.

“Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!”

Ninja Master Sōsuke seized this opportunity, spitting out a large number of fireballs to eliminate all the Ninja who were pulled towards him.

This sudden turn of events shocked all the Ninja present.

“Is this the power of the Rinnegan?” Danzo Shimura’s eyes flashed with a hint of greed, but he didn’t act.

Although he greatly desired the Rinnegan, Danzo Shimura had not lost his reason; the current situation had clearly somewhat exceeded Hanzo’s control.

“I overestimated Hanzo’s strength.” Thinking of the price he paid for this operation, Danzo Shimura’s face turned grim.

To provoke conflict, he had lost some Root elites. These Root elites were trained by him at great expense of money and resources; he was displeased at the death of even one.

If the goal was achieved, Danzo Shimura could accept it, but the situation on the ground was moving in the direction he least wanted to see.

“There are still masters.” Kitsuchi was shocked by the strength displayed by the Ninja Sect.

Hanzo led one hundred elite Rain Ninja, had set up traps in advance, and had the advantage of the terrain. Such ample preparations failed to take down the nine Ninja of the Ninja Sect.

At this moment, Nagato’s mind was chaotic, and his body was acting purely on instinct. He didn’t know what he was doing; there was only one voice in his mind: protect his companions and inflict pain on the enemy.

Nagato’s figure flickered, appearing in front of a Rain Ninja, his palm reaching for the opponent’s abdomen, directly pulling out the opponent’s soul, instantly eliminating another person.

Although Nagato’s displayed strength was not as great as Ninja Master Sōsuke’s, Nagato’s bizarre methods made the Rain Ninja feel a sense of foreboding.

“Super Water Dragon Bullet Technique!”

Since the Salamander was still condensing its poisonous mist, Hanzo dared not advance, and from above, he used Water Release to attack Nagato.

But Ninja Master Sōsuke was only injured, not incapacitated. Ninja Master Sōsuke, who had re-entered Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, once again let everyone know who the true strongest on this battlefield was.

“Fire Release: Fire Dragon Dance!”

A large amount of scorching flames was exhaled by Ninja Master Sōsuke. Ninja Master Sōsuke rapidly exhaled flames, forming a small sea of fire, which then split into fire dragons.

Due to the extremely high temperature of the flames, the humid valley also became dry, and the accumulated water on the ground disappeared without a trace under the scorching heat of these flames.

The incredibly dazzling, blazing fire dragons swallowed Hanzo’s massive Water Dragon, once again letting everyone know that if the flames were strong enough, they would not fear water.

No Rain Ninja in the valley dared to attack Ninja Master Sōsuke and his companions anymore. They were all rapidly putting distance between themselves and him, fearing to be affected by these terrifying flames.

After all, these were terrifying flames that even the Demigod Hanzo couldn’t stop.

Only Ninja Master Sōsuke’s Shadow Clone attacked with Water Release, standing out conspicuously on a battlefield where all the Rain Ninja were in disarray.

If it were Hanzo from ten years ago, he might have praised Ninja Master Sōsuke as the strongest Fire Release user and actively spread his fame.

But the current Hanzo only wanted to know how to kill Ninja Master Sōsuke.

The strength displayed by the Ninja Sect was too great; besides Ninja Master Sōsuke, a top-tier expert, there was also Nagato, a formidable Ninja.

Such a Ninja Sect was already enough to threaten the Amegakure’s position in the Land of Rain.

Hanzo racked his brains but found that he had already lost the opportunity to kill Ninja Master Sōsuke.

Ninja Master Sōsuke seemed to know his Salamander’s information; when Ninja Master Sōsuke was injured, the Salamander’s poisonous mist still had a cooldown time of four minutes.

Nagato’s outburst cleared out a group of Rain Ninja, Ninja Master Sōsuke killed some more Rain Ninja, and adding to the Rain Ninja Kakuzu had killed earlier, there were now only twenty-some Rain Ninja left on the field who could fight.

Ninja Master Sōsuke’s terrifying displayed strength, the heavy casualties of his subordinates, and Nagato’s bizarre methods made Hanzo involuntarily harbor thoughts of retreat.

Based on this battle experience, although he couldn’t defeat Ninja Master Sōsuke, due to the elemental advantage of Ninjutsu and his Nin-Beast’s potent poison, it wouldn’t be easy for Ninja Master Sōsuke to defeat him either.

Back in the Amegakure, there were more Rain Ninja who could fight for him, and although the Ninja Sect had powerful Ninja, they had very few Ninja and definitely couldn’t fight the entire Amegakure head-on.

“For the Land of Rain and the Amegakure, I cannot die.” Hanzo muttered in a low voice, as if trying to convince himself.

With that thought, Hanzo no longer hesitated and decided to abandon this plan to eliminate the Ninja Sect; he would retreat.

“Plan canceled, retreat!”

Hanzo took one last look at the incredibly dazzling fire dragon. As the strongest Water Release user, his defeat due to Fire Release would be a battle he would never forget in his life.

Finally, Hanzo turned into a puddle of water and disappeared from the spot.

The Rain Ninja who received Hanzo’s order also retreated rapidly as if granted a great pardon.

After today, no matter how much the Rain Ninja respected Hanzo, they would have to admit that the strongest position in the Land of Rain had changed hands; Ninja Master Sōsuke was the strongest Ninja in the Land of Rain.

The strength of Ninja Master Sōsuke and Hanzo was indeed different, but it wasn’t that Hanzo was stronger than Ninja Master Sōsuke, but that Ninja Master Sōsuke was stronger than Hanzo.

Danzo Shimura looked at the dazzling fire dragon, his heart filled with apprehension.

At this moment, Danzo Shimura’s evaluation of Hanzo plummeted. Danzo Shimura never expected Hanzo to accomplish absolutely nothing; not a single person from the Ninja Sect died.

This greatly frustrated Danzo Shimura. Ninja Master Sōsuke was only injured, and the Rinnegan Ninja was in full health. His Root elites had died for nothing, without any effect.

“You all stay here and wait for an opportunity.” After leaving this statement, Danzo Shimura left without hesitation.

The Rinnegan was strong, but Danzo Shimura valued his own life more. If he personally participated in the battle, there might be danger.

Danzo Shimura wasn’t afraid of death; he felt that his death would be a great loss to Konoha. For the Village, he could not die.

“Hiruzen is too indecisive; Konoha cannot do without me.” Danzo Shimura thought to himself.

Although he failed to achieve tangible results, Danzo Shimura still felt that his operation was very meaningful.

Without this operation, he wouldn’t have known the strength of the Ninja Sect, wouldn’t have known that the Ninja Sect had the Rinnegan, and wouldn’t have known that the Ninja Sect leader’s Fire Release was the strongest in the Ninja World.

A failed operation could not deter Danzo Shimura. If it didn’t 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 dazzling fire dragon, then left with his subordinates. He had to take this information back to Iwagakure. Even without considering the other Ninja of the Ninja Sect, Ninja Master Sōsuke, Kakuzu, and Nagato combined were a considerable force.

Although Hanzo’s reason for attacking the Ninja Sect was to give an explanation to Iwagakure, there were still some questionable points in this incident, and Kitsuchi would not act rashly.

Moreover, with the strength displayed by Ninja Master Sōsuke and his companions, the force Kitsuchi brought was not quite enough.

If he really wanted to deal with Ninja Master Sōsuke, Kitsuchi felt that either his father would have to act personally, or a Jinchuriki would have to be dispatched, otherwise, it would be truly difficult to handle.

“Teacher, are you alright?” After regaining consciousness, Nagato, despite his weakness, immediately asked about Ninja Master Sōsuke’s condition.

“Just a minor injury.” Ninja Master Sōsuke replied with a gentle smile.

If Ninja Master Sōsuke had wanted to, he could have avoided injury. Sometimes, being injured was better.