Chapter 614: Rain Village Changes Owner

As Lord Hanzo took out his weapon, the dozen or so Rain Ninja surrounding him also took out their Kunai or drew their swords.

Seeing this, Nagato silently gathered Chakra, preparing to release Ninjutsu.

Muzuki had reminded him that besides Danzo Shimura, he might also have to fight Lord Hanzo.

The atmosphere on the scene became tense and confrontational.

However, this did not affect Muzuki or cause him to make a move.

Muzuki looked at Nagato and shook his head slightly, indicating that it was better for him to resolve this matter.

Out of trust in Muzuki, Nagato retreated and stood guard as per Muzuki’s instructions.

“All of you, retreat,” Lord Hanzo commanded calmly.

“But…” The Jonin squad leader wanted to say something, but was immediately cut off by Lord Hanzo.

“Kurokawa, I said, retreat!” Lord Hanzo called out the name of the high-ranking Rain Ninja, repeating his command.

Kurokawa opened his mouth, looked at Lord Hanzo’s resolute face, and finally could only nod, saying, “Yes, Lord Hanzo.”

He then dispersed with the other Rain Ninja.

“Danzo Shimura is dead,” Muzuki said.

Lord Hanzo frowned slightly. Was this why Sōsuke hadn’t pursued him? Had he used some powerful Ninjutsu during the battle that Lord Hanzo hadn’t noticed?

Before Lord Hanzo could think too much, Muzuki continued to explain, “He was severely injured. Unless a medical Ninja like Tsunade treats him immediately, he will surely die.”

Everything that had happened so far was within Muzuki’s plan.

To make Danzo Shimura’s death as useful as possible, Muzuki had no intention of killing him directly from the start. From the moment Danzo Shimura took out his Kunai and stabbed Muzuki, Danzo Shimura’s fate was already sealed.

Of course, Lord Hanzo definitely couldn’t guess all this. Muzuki’s explanation to Lord Hanzo was mainly to let Lord Hanzo know the fact that Danzo Shimura would absolutely die.

“So he was that severely injured,” Lord Hanzo did not doubt Sōsuke’s words.

After all, judging from the battle process, it was already remarkable that Danzo Shimura could survive and be rescued; it was to a degree that Lord Hanzo found somewhat incomprehensible.

“So, your answer?” Muzuki asked again.

Although Danzo Shimura had little to do with the Land of Rain, his death on the soil of the Land of Rain and his battle with a Ninja from the Land of Rain would significantly impact the Land of Rain.

“If I don’t get serious now, I’ll truly die!” Lord Hanzo did not answer Sōsuke’s question, but instead raised his scythe and declared war again.

He understood Sōsuke’s meaning; otherwise, he wouldn’t have thought of saving Danzo Shimura before. But if he didn’t settle this today, he might not have the conviction and courage to do the same in the future.

“I understand,” Muzuki nodded, no longer speaking. He stopped refining Chakra and took out a Kunai from his Ninja tool pouch.

After ten seconds of eye contact, both attacked almost simultaneously.

Swish!

Lord Hanzo, holding a poisoned, sharp scythe, burst with Chakra and swung it rapidly towards Sōsuke.

Besides Water Release, swordsmanship was also one of Lord Hanzo’s proud techniques.

He had once defeated many famous samurai from the Land of Iron with just his swordsmanship, swinging his blade so fast that some Ninja didn’t even have time to form hand signs.

Clang!

Muzuki, with his Transparent World activated, precisely grasped Lord Hanzo’s movements and blocked the scythe’s swing with his Kunai.

Lord Hanzo’s expression remained unchanged. When facing an opponent like Sōsuke, he wouldn’t be too surprised by any situation.

After all, this was Sōsuke.

Whoosh!

The iron chain held in Lord Hanzo’s left hand was rapidly flung out, aiming for Sōsuke’s head.

His weapon was not an ordinary scythe, but a scythe with a chain, making it more flexible and harder to use than a regular scythe.

But such an attack was like playing an open hand of poker for Muzuki, who had both Byakugan and Transparent World activated. Muzuki easily dodged it and even took the opportunity to kick Lord Hanzo.

Bang!

A dull thud sounded, and Lord Hanzo’s body retreated rapidly.

“Summoning Technique!”

Lord Hanzo quickly formed hand signs and slammed his hand onto the ground.

Poison was also an important part of Lord Hanzo’s strength. Facing Sōsuke, his strongest opponent, he naturally had to use his Nin-Beast.

A puff of white smoke flashed, and a giant Salamander appeared beneath Lord Hanzo’s feet.

“Shadow Clone Technique!”

Muzuki did not pursue but instead formed hand signs to create a Shadow Clone.

“Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!”

Lord Hanzo did not immediately have the Salamander spray poisonous mist, because he knew that Sōsuke possessed powerful Wind Release, and if he sprayed poison directly, Sōsuke’s Wind Release could easily disperse the poisonous mist.

The Salamander could only spray poisonous mist once every five minutes. Lord Hanzo couldn’t guarantee that he could last until the Salamander’s second poisonous mist, so the timing of the poisonous mist’s use was crucial and could not be used casually.

A large stream of water swirled around Lord Hanzo, and under the effect of a large amount of Chakra, a gigantic Water Dragon rapidly formed.

“Fire Release: Fire Dragon Dance!”

Muzuki formed the Tiger hand sign and continuously exhaled high-temperature flames, rapidly forming a dark sea of blazing fire.

Rumble!!

At this moment, Lord Hanzo’s Salamander burrowed underground, while Lord Hanzo ran, continuously outputting Chakra.

Soon, the Water Dragon and sea of fire met, a red and a blue colliding together.

Sizzle!!

Steam continuously rose from the giant Water Dragon, and its body continuously shrank, while the flames of the sea of fire gradually diminished.

Just as Muzuki’s Byakugan penetrated the ground and saw the Salamander moving beneath his feet, Muzuki held his breath and suddenly leaped up, preparing to evaporate the Water Dragon in one go and create a sea of fire.

And Muzuki’s Shadow Clone remained in place, then rapidly gathered Chakra, preparing to use Wind Release.

Rumble!

The gigantic Salamander burst out of the ground, its position directly beneath Muzuki’s main body and directly in front of the Shadow Clone.

The Salamander opened its large mouth, and a faint purple mist permeated within it.

“Wind Release: Vacuum Hurricane!”

The Shadow Clone rapidly formed hand signs, and a large amount of Chakra was converted into wind-nature Chakra.

“Fire Release: Exploding Flame Array!”

Just then, Lord Hanzo canceled the Water Dragon Bullet’s output and quickly formed hand signs to use his unique Fire Release.

Whoosh! Whoosh!!

A large number of explosive tags flew out from the Salamander’s abdomen, then exploded.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!

A dazzling white flash of explosion passed, and both the Salamander and Muzuki’s Shadow Clone were affected by the blast.

The Shadow Clone, unable to withstand too heavy an attack, directly turned into white smoke and disappeared, while the tough-skinned Salamander merely wobbled its body.

Whoosh!!

Hiss! Hiss!!

A large amount of dense purple poisonous mist was sprayed by the Salamander, enveloping everything around, including the leaping Muzuki.

“Are we going to win?” Kurokawa looked at the battlefield with excitement.

Having seen Sōsuke utterly defeat Danzo Shimura, even if he trusted Lord Hanzo, he didn’t hold much hope for the battle’s outcome, because Sōsuke’s Ninjutsu was simply too strong.

But now, it seemed a miracle was happening?

“Poison?” Nagato had intended to step forward, but then remembered something and stopped.

Whoosh!

Lord Hanzo, holding his scythe, rushed forward rapidly. At such close range with such dense poisonous mist, even holding one’s breath was useless, because the poisonous mist could also enter the human body through the skin.

Whoosh! Whoosh!!

Suddenly, a strong wind arose, and a powerful storm dispersed the purple poisonous mist, revealing Muzuki’s figure.

Muzuki was seen holding a syringe containing an antidote in his left hand, while his right hand maintained the hand sign for Wind Release.

“Hiding explosive tags under the Salamander was indeed a good idea,” Muzuki said, discarding the used syringe and praising.

Muzuki would not underestimate any Ninja who had made a name for themselves in the Ninja World.

Because he knew that no matter how many methods he had, he was still human, with all the weaknesses of a human, and could be killed.

So during this time, Muzuki was not only researching how to deal with Danzo Shimura, but he had also prepared a lot for Lord Hanzo.

The antidote he had just used was one of Muzuki’s preparations.

“Even the Salamander’s poison has been deciphered…” Lord Hanzo gripped his scythe tightly and sighed slightly.

His swordsmanship would be seen through by Sōsuke, his Water Release couldn’t overcome Sōsuke’s Fire Release, and now even his poison had lost its effect. Lord Hanzo felt a sense of frustration that everything about him had been deciphered by Sōsuke.

Whoosh!

The thoughts in his mind did not cause Lord Hanzo to pause for a moment. His body transformed into water and rapidly appeared in front of Sōsuke, flinging out his chain.

This was another of Lord Hanzo’s close-combat fighting styles: using the chain for entanglement. As long as he bound the opponent’s weapon or body, his scythe would surely take away a part of their body, or even their life.

The Salamander raised its palm and swung it towards Sōsuke.

Its massive size was also one of its assets, not just for spraying poison.

Muzuki entered Wind Breathing Chakra Mode to enhance his Wind Release, then formed a hand sign with one hand, extending his pinky finger straight and diagonally, while bending the other four fingers, forming the Dragon hand sign.

“Wind Release: Vacuum Hurricane!”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

A terrifying strong wind erupted centered around Muzuki, like a giant white dragon about to burst from underground and rush into the sky.

The storm of the White Dragon’s appearance directly blew away the gigantic Salamander.

Crack!!

The iron chain flung by Lord Hanzo came into contact with the wind storm slash and instantly broke.

The experienced Lord Hanzo immediately unleashed Chakra to stabilize his body, avoiding being blown away.

Swish! Swish!

But the continuously incoming Wind Release slashes also left Lord Hanzo’s body riddled with wounds.

Sōsuke’s Ninjutsu was simply too fast and too powerful.

Among the opponents Lord Hanzo had fought, Sōsuke was the fastest at releasing Ninjutsu, and also the one with the strongest Ninjutsu power.

Fortunately, the Wind Release slashes did not hit any fatal spots, and Lord Hanzo still managed to swing his scythe, which was stained with his own blood.

Clang!

The attack was, as expected, blocked by Sōsuke.

“Phew,” Lord Hanzo panted. The battle hadn’t been going on for long, yet he felt inexplicably tired.

Lord Hanzo swung his left hand towards Muzuki’s abdomen. Just as Muzuki also extended his left hand, Lord Hanzo suddenly released the scythe in his right hand and thrust his right hand fiercely towards Muzuki’s heart.

Pfft!

Without the scythe to block, Muzuki’s Kunai inevitably pierced into Lord Hanzo’s body.

At the same time, Muzuki’s right hand burst with terrifying power, directly pushing Lord Hanzo to fall heavily to the ground.

How could the injured Lord Hanzo’s speed compare to Muzuki in Breathing Technique Chakra Mode? Trading injuries was not feasible.

After this strike, Muzuki did not pursue but quietly watched Lord Hanzo.

At this moment, Lord Hanzo was in terrible condition, not only covered in wounds of various sizes all over his body, but also with a Kunai plunged into his chest.

Lord Hanzo picked up his scythe, struggled to his feet, and walked slowly, one bloody step after another, towards Sōsuke.

“Lord Hanzo!” A Rain Ninja, unable to bear it, drew his sword again, wanting to rush forward and help Lord Hanzo.

“Are my words no longer valid in the Amegakure?!” Lord Hanzo shouted without turning his head.

The Rain Ninja gripped his sword tightly, his eyes slightly red, but he finally stopped.

As if wanting to take a last breath of fresh air, Lord Hanzo removed the mask he had been wearing, then continued to advance towards Sōsuke.

Muzuki did not attack, he merely silently took out an antidote, preparing to give himself another injection when the time came.

Lord Hanzo’s body contained a Salamander’s poison sac, which could produce toxic gas when he breathed. Although not as potent as a true Salamander’s poisonous spray, it was more than enough to poison those in close proximity.

“I’ve been completely seen through, haha.” Seeing Muzuki take out the antidote, Lord Hanzo’s advancing steps paused slightly, and he uncharacteristically laughed.

He had removed his mask precisely to release toxic gas through his breathing.

“After all, the opponent is a Demigod. If I’m not careful, I could really die.” Muzuki also smiled and replied.

“Hahaha.” The smile on Lord Hanzo’s face grew more intense.

Since his defeat in the Second Shinobi World War, he rarely smiled, but this time, he truly had reason to smile.

Because he had found an excellent successor for the Amegakure, because a Ninja who was comprehensively stronger than a Demigod had appeared in the Land of Rain.

Lord Hanzo truly gave his all in this battle; he almost expended all of his personal strength to kill Sōsuke.

His tactical planning during the battle, his own abilities—he had brought everything to its best performance.

But Sōsuke still survived, and was virtually unharmed.

With Sōsuke like this becoming the Chief of the Amegakure, Lord Hanzo believed Sōsuke would do better than him.

“After I die, Sōsuke will be the Chief of the Amegakure!” Lord Hanzo reined in his smile, looked around at the Rain Ninjas, and shouted.

“Yes!”

All the Rain Ninjas bowed their heads in assent.

Before the battle began, Lord Hanzo had already informed them of this matter; the high-ranking Rain Ninjas and Anbu basically all knew.

Only the ordinary Rain Ninjas were unaware of this.

Having said that, Lord Hanzo continued to walk towards Sōsuke with his scythe; he was still alive, and the battle was not over.

“Hold this secret medicine in your mouth, and you can also be the wandering Ninja Hattori.” As Lord Hanzo approached, Muzuki took out a pill.

This was a secret medicine Muzuki had once drawn from the system. Muzuki had experimented with it before, and its effects were extremely potent, comparable to a one-time Mitotic Regeneration.

Even a dying person, upon taking it, could quickly become lively again.

Although the system rewarded him with the manufacturing method, the ingredients for this secret medicine were all extremely rare. Muzuki only had ten of them on him currently.

However, Lord Hanzo’s strength was worth Muzuki giving him one secret medicine.

“But there is no Hattori in this world, only Lord Hanzo.” Lord Hanzo raised his scythe towards Sōsuke.

He did not doubt the effectiveness of Sōsuke’s secret medicine, but Hattori was ultimately a false identity. Ninja disguises were for deceiving others, not for deceiving oneself.

Muzuki respected Lord Hanzo’s choice. He put away the secret medicine, swiftly retreated, and began to form hand seals.

“Fire Release: Fire Dragon Dance!”

A terrifying sea of fire descended, but it precisely avoided Lord Hanzo.

Deep red flames surrounded Lord Hanzo, their scorching heat making Lord Hanzo exceptionally dazzling, and the bloodstains on his body less noticeable.

Immediately after, the flames split into multiple fire dragons, sealing off Lord Hanzo’s position from all directions, then charging towards Lord Hanzo simultaneously.

The intense heat assailing him from all sides made Lord Hanzo exceptionally clear-headed, emphasizing one thing to him—he was going to die.

Facing the impending death, Lord Hanzo did not show expressions of hatred or pain, but rather a smile of liberation.

Because this was the outcome he had chosen himself, he had no reason to hate anyone.

Before the battle began, Lord Hanzo had already anticipated the outcome.

He certainly could win against Sōsuke, but the probability was very small, almost impossible to achieve.

To have fought to this extent, Lord Hanzo was already satisfied. This was much better than the first battle, and could be considered not to have wasted his years of cultivation.

It wasn’t that he was incapable, but that Sōsuke was stronger.

Perhaps because he was on the verge of death, Lord Hanzo’s mind constantly flashed through his memories from birth to the present.

Although ever since Sōsuke appeared, Lord Hanzo was always the one being stepped on, for the vast majority of Lord Hanzo’s life, he had always been the number one genius in the Land of Rain.

His talent, which was considered excellent even among the Five Great Ninja Villages, was a dimension-crushing force when applied to the Amegakure.

This outstanding talent allowed Lord Hanzo to become the strongest Rain Ninja early on, and the Chief of the Amegakure.

However, Lord Hanzo was a man with great ambition, and he was not content with the status quo.

The Land of Rain, being bordered by three great nations, was often plagued by war.

To change this situation, Lord Hanzo vigorously developed the Ninja forces of the Land of Rain, attempting to break the invincible myth of the great Ninja Villages, so that they would no longer dare to harass the Land of Rain.

At this point, Lord Hanzo reached the lowest point in his life.

He underestimated the power of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Even though he single-handedly caused great slaughter on the battlefield, he still could not stop the decline of the Amegakure on all fronts. In the end, the Amegakure was so devastated that even basic operations became difficult, and Lord Hanzo reluctantly surrendered.

From then on, Lord Hanzo’s spirit largely dissipated.

In fact, Lord Hanzo was grateful to Sōsuke, because he had thought about what it would have been like without Sōsuke.

To be honest, it was so embarrassing that Lord Hanzo didn’t want to think about it.

Without the immense pressure brought by Sōsuke, it would have been difficult for him to have this current composure to face death.

As time passed, he would become increasingly greedy for power, more afraid of death, and would try every means to eliminate all unfavorable factors that could affect his power.

For the dignified Demigod of the Ninja World to end up like that, it would be better to die in battle at Sōsuke’s hands; at least the one who killed him would be the Ninja World’s strongest Fire Release user.

Lord Hanzo’s mind rapidly recalled past events, and the fire dragons also arrived before him.

Lord Hanzo could clearly see the deep red flames dancing on the fire dragons, because the closest fire dragon was only eight centimeters away from him. He felt as if he could see himself being burned to ashes by the flames.

He had witnessed the terror of Fire Release: Fire Dragon Dance several times; being burned to ashes was not an exaggeration, but a description.

Lord Hanzo was not nervous; he didn’t need to be. Even if his life ended here, he had lived it splendidly enough.

He was once the Demigod of the Ninja World who made enemies tremble and was respected by all Ninjas in the Land of Rain.

Even at the lowest point of his life, the one who killed him was Sōsuke, who was destined to shine brightly in the Ninja World in the future.

Lord Hanzo smiled and looked at Sōsuke, saying in an extremely subtle voice, “Thank you.”

He truly had to thank Sōsuke.

Sōsuke not only gave him many opportunities to live, but also gave him final respect.

If Sōsuke had used Water Release, defeating him would have been much easier and would have saved a lot of Chakra, but Sōsuke did not use it. At least at the moment of his death, Lord Hanzo was still the strongest Water Release Ninja in the Ninja World.

The next moment, the flames disappeared like brilliant fireworks after an explosion.

Just as Lord Hanzo showed a look of astonishment, a transparent surge of energy passed through Lord Hanzo’s heart. Lord Hanzo’s vision instantly went black, and his consciousness plunged into chaos.

Blood splattered, and Lord Hanzo’s body fell backward.

Muzuki flashed forward and supported Lord Hanzo, preventing Lord Hanzo’s body from falling to the ground.

Edo Tensei was an annoying Ninjutsu, but it wasn’t necessary to burn Lord Hanzo to ashes just to prevent it.

“Lord Hanzo!” A Rain Ninja, seeing Lord Hanzo completely dead, couldn’t help but kneel on the ground and shed tears.

Lord Hanzo was a very special existence for the Land of Rain.

Unlike the Chiefs of other small Ninja Villages, Lord Hanzo gave the Amegakure a visible hope, even if it was not realized until his death.

Pfft!

Several high-ranking Rain Ninjas successively pulled out short swords and unhesitatingly stabbed themselves in the heart.

Again, several splashes of blood, and several high-ranking Rain Ninjas fell to the ground.

This was Lord Hanzo’s command, and also their own decision.

They couldn’t work for Sōsuke, who had killed Lord Hanzo, but they held high positions and power. To avoid affecting Lord Hanzo’s arrangements, their best outcome was to die with Lord Hanzo.

“Sōsuke, no, Chief.” A Rain Ninja Anbu walked up to Muzuki, knelt on one knee, and handed a scroll to Muzuki.

…

When Lord Hanzo opened his eyes again, he found himself in a pitch-black wasteland.

“Sōsuke brought me back to life?” Realizing his state, Lord Hanzo shook his head. “There really is an afterlife.”

He looked around to observe the situation and found a firelight not far away, so he walked over. As he got closer, he realized that the people there were all wearing Rain Ninja uniforms.

The Rain Ninjas noticed the newcomer, turned their heads, and their eyes widened when they saw his face clearly.

“Lord Hanzo!” The Rain Ninjas all shouted excitedly.

“Heavy Rain, Filial Crow…” Lord Hanzo looked at the Rain Ninjas and was also stunned, his expression somewhat moved. These people were actually his subordinates who had sacrificed themselves during the Second Shinobi World War.

“Lord Hanzo, how did you get here? Did something happen?” A Rain Ninja couldn’t help but ask.

Since Lord Hanzo appeared here, he must have died.

Hearing someone ask about his death, Lord Hanzo smiled and said, “Nothing happened.”

He couldn’t let dead Ninjas worry about the Village.

“Lord Hanzo, how is the Amegakure? Has it become the Sixth Great Shinobi Village?” Another Rain Ninja asked.

Lord Hanzo looked at the bonfire, and the deep red fire dragons from before his death appeared in his mind. He showed a serious expression and said:

“It hasn’t become the Sixth Great Shinobi Village, but the Amegakure is doing very well. I handed it over to a very excellent junior.”

“No matter how excellent, they can’t be as powerful as you, can they?” A Rain Ninja said.

Lord Hanzo looked at that Rain Ninja, smiled, and nodded: “Now, he has surpassed me.”

All the Rain Ninjas showed expressions of shock, then transitioned to excitement.

“Lord Hanzo, please tell us about the deeds of this great one.”