Facing the surging outrage of the Hidden Rain Village crowd, the Konoha group had already realized things were going wrong, but there was nothing they could do about it.
This was an irreconcilable hatred between Konoha and the Rain Village.
Even Jiraiya could only try to "atone" by teaching Nagato and the others, he could never erase it.
The hatred and resentment of the Rain Village had originally been suppressed by Kakashi through a mix of pressure and persuasion. Now, however, it had been reignited by that man.
So the only solution was… kill the bastard that suddenly appeared, and make it the sole choice for Hanzo and the Rain Village.
"You all…"
Faced with the noisy clamor behind him, Hanzo opened his mouth instinctively, but seeing those furious faces, he found himself at a loss for words.
They simply didn't understand what they were facing, or what they were trying to resist.
The power and foundation of the great nations were far beyond what the Land of Rain could match.
'If only… if I were still young…'
"Hanzo, still hesitating?"
Arata sighed and said, "Look at you now, you're like a pitiful courtesan whose beauty has long faded, trying to cover her disgrace with heavy makeup, wiping away the deepening wrinkles at the corners of her eyes."
"How pathetic."
He paused, then looked down at Hanzo with a faint smile.
"I know what you're hesitating about."
"What if I told you… I can restore your body to its peak condition, and grant you power far greater than before?"
The moment those words were spoken, Hanzo abruptly looked up.
"What did you say?!"
Almost at the same instant Arata spoke, Kakashi realized they couldn't wait any longer.
"Move!"
At his low shout, the Konoha shinobi, already prepared, snapped into action, rapidly forming hand seals.
"Water Release: Tearing Torrent!"
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
"Water Release: Surging Sea!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Boom!
The roar of water erupted instantly, a towering wall of water surging dozens of meters high.
A torrent of blue flooded everything in sight, the unleashed water guided by chakra into a spiraling force.
Like a twisting vortex, it coiled around the Konoha shinobi, condensing and shaping into a ferocious dragon head.
"Stop! You-!"
Hanzo hadn't even recovered from Arata's words before seeing the Konoha group unleash their jutsu.
His shout of anger was swallowed by the overwhelming roar of water.
"Lightning Realease: Chidori!" ×2
Kakashi's hands blurred like butterflies as he infused lightning chakra into the water techniques, but suddenly heard someone beside him shout the same name.
"What?!"
He turned in shock, only to see in Arata's palm that familiar, ear-piercing, blue-white lightning crackling violently.
For a moment, Kakashi wondered if he'd fallen under a genjutsu.
'Wait, how do you know Chidori?! Aren't you from the Hyuga clan?!'
But there was no time to question it.
Kakashi poured lightning chakra into the water dragon, and so did "Arata" beside him.
Buzz!!
The shriek of lightning amplified to its limit. The moment Chidori pierced the water dragon, it spread like countless wild blue veins, instantly covering its massive, twisting body!
Roar!
The several-meter-wide dragon of water and lightning raised its head, baring its fangs in a silent roar as it lunged upward at the figure above, carrying a devastating, overwhelming force!
The sheer pressure of the water even cracked the tower walls, threatening to swallow everything like a tidal wave!
Yet atop the web of shadows, the figure showed no sign of panic.
Arata calmly watched the approaching dragon, slowly raising his arm.
A black bead, compressed and shaped by shadows, formed into a shield before him,
Boom!!
The dragon slammed into Arata, water and lightning exploding upward in a violent surge!
Blinding light burst from the impact point, electricity raging wildly, crackling non-stop and turning the dark tower as bright as day!
White steam and black smoke billowed out instantly, and the tower began to crumble under the strain.
"Damn it! Fall back!"
Hanzo shouted with a dark expression, immediately retreating with the Rain shinobi.
But Kakashi ignored the falling debris.
He stared into the lightning and mist, until a figure gradually emerged from the haze, and an icy chill pierced his bones.
"Retreat!"
He roared hoarsely, muscles tensing as he formed hand seals, pushing himself to his absolute limit.
His body blurred into a streak of shadow, shooting backward like an arrow!
Others reacted a split second later, raising their hands to form seals.
But it was already too late.
"Unfortunately… between you and me, distance has no meaning."
Arata's voice carried a faint smile.
The shield before him reverted into a round bead, revealing shadow spikes compressed like springs at their limit.
He flipped his wrist, unclenching his fist, his lips barely moving,
"Bang."
That single sound was like a death knell.
In an instant, countless spikes shot out from around him.
Shrill whistling filled the air as they tore through mist and rain, punching holes everywhere and carving black streaks through the sky.
That speed. That power…
Forget flesh, these would pierce even steel plates!
"…!"
Seeing the descending spikes, the Konoha shinobi's minds went blank.
Their faces twisted in terror, eyes filled only with the deadly points rushing toward them.
'Too fast, far too fast!'
The overwhelming sense of death nearly broke them.
"Ahhh!!"
They swung their weapons wildly, blades flashing as sparks exploded in front of them.
They managed to deflect the spikes aimed at their heads and hearts, but couldn't stop the rest.
Pfft! Pfft! Pshhk!
Blood burst into the air.
Like nails piercing paper, the spikes tore through their bodies, leaving gaping holes!
The sheer penetrative force didn't stop in flesh and bone, it blasted straight through them, embedding deeper beyond!
Blood splattered across the walls, forming crescent-shaped sprays, staining everything into a sea of red.