(No wonder he rose by stepping on Sunagakure and built an entire Hidden Village from scratch—truly a giant of the ninja world.)
Even the usually arrogant members of the Military Affairs Division found their view of Amegakure fundamentally changed.
Just Hanzo of the Salamander's poisonous mist alone was devastating enough to wipe out any force that lacked a Shadow-level powerhouse.
Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Shihō remained calm, unmoved by Hanzo's display.
The former was a perfect jinchūriki, possessing power that outright crushed Hanzo's level.
The latter wielded Flame Release, Lava Release, and the Sharingan simultaneously—one of the strongest among the Shadow-class elite.
Most of their attention, instead, was fixed on the massive screen and the crystal orb.
The Heaven's Eye System, freshly developed by the Scientific Institute, had stunned them the moment it debuted. From now on, the Military Affairs Division's control over regional forces would increase dramatically.
Battlefield intelligence gathering, command coordination, and real-time support would all see massive gains in efficiency.
With the Heaven's Eye System combined with the Teleportation Network, Konoha's ninja forces—and even the ninja world as a whole—had effectively clenched into a single, unified fist. Their overall strength had skyrocketed.
At present, there were only two flaws.
First, sound transmission was impossible.
Second, chakra consumption was enormous—requiring two Zero-Tails just to sustain Heaven's Eye for a single battlefield.
Uchiha Soren rested his chin on one hand. Beside him, Uzumaki Minako looked composed, while Kaori Minamoto closed her eyes. As for Hanzo's massacre, she neither liked it nor hated it.
On the screen, just as Hanzo of the Salamander was about to pursue the knight Renass, his movements paused. He raised his head, eyes flashing with caution.
"You've gone too far. Don't you think?"
A figure arrived via Tier V Magic · Teleportation.
Floating in the air, Fluder gazed at the ruined granaries, the devastated city, and the lifeless land. Deep anger surfaced on his aged face.
"Too far?"
Standing atop the salamander's head, Hanzo coldly stared at the white-haired mage radiating danger. He removed his gas mask, deep-purple poison seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"In war, victory demands every means possible. You've lived for over two centuries—don't you find those words laughable?"
Hanzo abandoned his pursuit of Renass and locked his gaze onto Fluder.
Kill him here… and the Empire is finished.
"Soldiers dying on the battlefield is only natural," Fluder replied coolly.
"But slaughtering innocent civilians with large-scale magic… so this is the ninja stance."
Sensing Hanzo's undisguised killing intent, Fluder subtly adjusted his position in midair to avoid sudden assassination.
He raised one hand toward the violet sky.
"Tier IV Magic · Cloud Manipulation!"
The purple clouds dispersed instantly. Golden sunlight poured down upon the land.
The surviving imperial knights and civilians collapsed to their knees, worshiping Fluder—his backlit figure resembling a god descending to the mortal realm.
"Retreat immediately!"
Fluder vibrated the air with magic to project his voice across the battlefield. The crystal orb necklace at his neck glowed, and the two magic rings on his right index finger flared brightly.
"Tier IV Magic · Ice Burial Knight Lance!"
"Tier IV Magic · Thunderstorm Knight Lance!"
"Tier V Magic · Summon Undead!"
Two knight lances materialized from the rings—one forged of ice crystal, the other crackling with lightning—shooting straight toward Hanzo, who intended to use civilians and knights as cover.
At the same time, eight heavily armored skeletal warriors, each at the Hero realm and comparable to jōnin, clawed their way out of the ground and charged Hanzo.
"Pathetic."
Hanzo didn't even frown.
He opened his mouth and unleashed Water Release · Water Dragon Bullet, drawing in the surrounding poisonous water. A pale-purple venomous dragon roared forward, smashing into the two incoming lances.
As the skeletal warriors closed in, Hanzo drew his scythe. With a single iaijutsu slash, he cleaved one skeletal warrior cleanly in half from head to toe, extinguishing the soul-fire in its skull.
The remaining seven engaged the salamander, but against its massive body and brutal blows, they shattered one after another.
The salamander itself fared no better and was forcibly dispelled back to the ninja world.
During the chaos, Hanzo's position shifted from where he had originally stood.
"Tier IV Magic · Rib Cage Binding!"
Fluder didn't relent. With a gesture, massive ribs burst from the earth, lunging like a tiger toward Hanzo. Though he split them apart, the bones suddenly expanded—forming a white skeletal prison.
(An opening!)
Both men thought it at the same time.
Just as Fluder prepared to press the attack, the warning spell permanently engraved in one of his rings flashed.
His heart skipped.
He immediately abandoned the spell and shot upward.
The very next second, a blinding explosion erupted from the ground where he had been hovering.
"Fire Release · Explosive Flame Formation!"
Fluder looked at the figure inside the bone prison—now reduced to a puddle of water—then turned his gaze to Hanzo, who stood on the ground staring back at him.
Their killing intent collided midair, the atmosphere growing heavy and oppressive.
(Flight magic… truly troublesome.)
After his explosive tag trap failed, Hanzo had few remaining ways to deal with the airborne mage.
Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu—none could easily reach Fluder. The old man's combat experience and magic equipment were formidable, and prolonged stalemate would only allow him to escape via teleportation.
Worst of all, Fluder—over two hundred years old—could slowly grind him down with countless methods.
(The objective has already been achieved. No need to continue.)
Hanzo withdrew, retreating in the opposite direction of the ninja forces.
"Trying to leave? Have you asked this old man yet?!"
Fluder saw through his intent and immediately gave chase, magic flaring once more.
"Tier VI Magic · Thousand Bone Spears!"
Countless bone spears erupted outward from Fluder like a torrential storm, sealing off every possible escape route.
Hanzo's expression darkened.
He activated Water Formation Wall and Great Waterfall Technique.
A surging wave rose, intercepting the bone spears. Their terrifying penetration power pinned them deep into the ground beneath the water.
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