This would be a one-sided slaughter dictated by elemental advantage!
Whether it was the aged Uchiha Madara or the Madara who had taken control of Senju Tobirama's body, he never regarded Hanzo of the Salamander as a threat.
And Madara truly did have the right to look down on Hanzo.
Hanzo's ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu weren't even worthy of carrying Madara's shoes.
He was called the Demigod of the Ninja World because of that salamander, famed as the deadliest poison in the shinobi world, along with his fairly impressive Body Flicker Technique. Combined, they were enough to give this generation of ninja endless headaches.
But that salamander's poison was useless against both Susanoo and the Impure World Reincarnation Technique.
Even if the one standing before Hanzo right now was only Madara's withered, dead-tree-like body, Hanzo's only option would still be to run.
And now, with only a small trick, Madara had already sealed off this so-called demigod's last hope of escape, turning him into a lamb waiting for slaughter.
"Yahiko, I'll buy you time. Summon the salamander immediately and have it cooperate with you to use Reverse Summoning."
Swept upward by the rushing water to the top of the barrier, Hanzo of the Salamander, wearing a specially made mask, had no idea death was already closing in.
Standing on his "home turf," he remained calm enough to continue giving instructions.
Yahiko, who had also taken a special mask out of his ninja pouch and put it on, hurriedly said, "Hanzō-sensei, I'm not leaving. I want to stay and help you!"
"It's useless. If you stay, not only will you fail to help, you'll only distract me. The enemy has an immortal body. No matter how many times he's killed, he'll revive. Only a special sealing technique can deal with him. The one controlling him from the shadows may very well still be in Konoha," Hanzo said in a deep voice. "Only if you leave and use Reverse Summoning somewhere else can we both escape."
"I understand."
Only then did Yahiko realize what he meant. He was just about to create a vacuum zone with a technique, then bite his finger and perform the Summoning Jutsu.
Unfortunately, he was too slow.
The water that had filled the entire cubic barrier hadn't even settled for a few seconds before the water below suddenly erupted into chaos.
"ROAR—!"
Then an enormous water dragon—several times larger than an ordinary Water Dragon Bullet—let out a deafening roar and charged upward at Hanzo and Yahiko from below.
Staring at the super water dragon that left them absolutely nowhere to dodge, Hanzo suddenly seemed to remember something, and his face turned extremely grim.
"There's a rumor in the ninja world about the Impure World Reincarnation Technique, invented by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. It summons the souls of the dead back into the world of the living. Although it allows the dead to retain the memories and abilities they had in life and grants them immortal bodies, their abilities are supposed to be limited to only ten or twenty percent of their original power."
"Just ten or twenty percent, and the Second Hokage could still use water release on this level? Or has the technique already been improved?"
"Who exactly is the one behind all this? Could it be that Black Flash again?"
Even as his mind raced, Hanzo's movements didn't slow. He pulled out several kunai with explosive tags tied to their handles, coated them in Water Release chakra, and hurled them at the giant water dragon below.
The kunai flew at incredible speed and entered the dragon's mouth in an instant. But because of the massive size difference, it was like a few grains of rice falling into an adult's mouth.
Forming a one-handed seal, Hanzo barked, "Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation!"
The explosive tags attached to the kunai suddenly multiplied like Paper Style ninjutsu—or like a shuriken shadow clone technique had been used on them—splitting into countless tags before erupting all at once in a giant blaze.
Boom boom boom—!
A chain of explosions detonated underwater.
The terrifying force of the blasts, together with the thick smoke, successfully swallowed up the giant water dragon.
Staring at the vast layer of smoke below, Hanzo maintained his hand seal stance, ready to change signs at any moment. He didn't dare relax in the slightest.
"ROAR—!"
Several overlapping roars exploded through the water.
Then five more enormous water dragons burst out of the smoke and attacked Hanzo from different directions.
Hanzo's expression did not change. He slammed his palms together.
The water in all directions immediately went berserk, forming five giant water tornadoes that shot toward the incoming dragons.
When the two forces collided, the cubic barrier—now like a giant water tank—shook violently.
Water slammed repeatedly into the transparent purple walls, turning into white steam that dispersed almost as soon as it appeared.
If one looked closely, the water level in the "tank" had clearly dropped.
Hanzo glanced at Yahiko, who had been completely stunned by the spectacular Water Release clash, and shouted, "Yahiko, move faster!"
"R-right—right!"
Yahiko snapped back to his senses and prepared to use Water Body Flicker to rush toward the top.
But before he could move, Hanzo suddenly grabbed the back of his collar and shot sideways like a water arrow, dragging him along.
As Yahiko was yanked backward at high speed through the water, he happened to see a tiny, ultra-high-pressure straight water jet flash past right in front of his eyes.
Rip!
A tearing sound rang out. The barrier that had withstood the collision of Water Release techniques from the two strongest water-style users in the ninja world was now instantly pierced by that tiny straight water jet—so thin it looked as though it could be grasped in one hand.
Then the ultra-high-pressure jet rapidly closed in on Hanzo and Yahiko, slicing a narrow slit through the barrier as it came.
But the moment a crack appeared in the barrier, it began repairing itself with chakra the very next second.
Yahiko's face turned pale from the sight.
If Hanzō-sensei hadn't pulled him away just now, he probably would have already been pierced through and cut apart by that stream.
The ultra-high-pressure water jet was fast, but Hanzo moved even faster underwater. His ability to change direction was so quick that the straight jet seemed unbearably clumsy by comparison.
As he dodged it, Hanzo kept his eyes locked on the water below.
The water beneath had already turned murky, though not because of mud. It was the layer of smoke created earlier by the Exploding Flame Formation, and it still had not dispersed. The moving water jet had merely sliced it into several clusters.
Whether it was because Hanzo had already split his attention to protect Yahiko, or because his gaze remained fixed on that straight water jet and he instinctively assumed "Senju Tobirama" was still at the bottom, or because he couldn't sense any chakra and therefore never suspected the smoke created by his own technique, Hanzo suddenly made a fatal mistake.
He suspected that the ninja maintaining the barrier had been using some special perception to keep track of him the whole time, sharing vision with "Senju Tobirama," which was why the enemy could still lock onto him through the smoke.
So, dragging Yahiko with him, Hanzo rushed into the nearest cloud of smoke, planning to use its cover to perform his specialty—Water Release Shadow Clones—turning himself and Yahiko into duplicates to divide the enemy's attention.
And then—
There was no then.
The battle was over.
Hanzo and Yahiko, both wearing special masks, could breathe underwater. Combined with Hanzo's powerful Water Body Flicker, they were like fish-men from the pirate world once they were in the water.
Other people would choke if they rushed into the smoke. They wouldn't.
But the instant he entered it, Hanzo saw countless tiny particles floating around, like dust left behind by an explosion.
It was those particles that made his expression change drastically.
Because he knew that his earlier Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation had never reached the ground, and the residue from the kunai and explosive tags could never have been this abundant.
There was something wrong with this smoke!
Before he could use Water Body Flicker to escape with Yahiko, those particles suddenly transformed into explosive tags and flew toward him.
Then a blinding burst of fire became the last thing Hanzo of the Salamander ever saw in life.
But just before the flames swallowed him, he instinctively turned and pulled Yahiko into his arms, wanting to shield his disciple—the hope of the Hidden Rain Village—from the attack.
Boom boom boom—!
A ceaseless chain of explosions erupted within the transparent purple water tank, creating an ever-expanding fireball that ultimately swallowed the entire cubic barrier.
The superheated shockwave from hundreds of millions of linked explosions vaporized all the water, blasted apart the entire barrier, and only then did the giant blaze stop expanding and slowly begin to shrink and fade.
When the dust and smoke were finally blown away, the barren plain had already become an enormous crater, still radiating terrifying heat. Rain falling into it instantly evaporated into white steam, and wisps of white smoke drifted into the air.
As for Hanzo, Yahiko, and "Senju Tobirama" inside the barrier, they had long since vanished.
"—Hanzō-sensei!"
Who knew how many days had passed.
Inside a dim underground space, a boy's cry suddenly rang out, followed immediately by sharp gasps and cries of pain.
"Hiss—! It hurts, it hurts—!"
As the view closed in, the "vanished" Yahiko could be seen sitting on the cold ground. Of his entire body, only the right half of his face was exposed. Everything else was covered in a white substance.
If he were crawling on the floor, he would have looked just like a white worm.
Now awake, Yahiko found that because half his mouth was also covered by the white substance, his voice sounded different from usual. It also seemed to pull at his wounds, making the pain so intense that tears streamed from his eyes and his face twisted in agony.
Before he could recall what had happened before he passed out, or even take in his surroundings, a weak and aged voice suddenly came from beside him.
"So you survived? Not bad. A lucky one indeed—someone who didn't die even after having a poison sac implanted in his body. Twice brought back from the brink of death. At least those Hashirama cells weren't wasted."
"Who's there?!"
The sudden voice made Yahiko's expression change. He quickly turned toward the source of the sound.
What entered his sight was a wooden chair as large as a bed. Sitting on it was an old man in a black robe, with graying hair and white tubes connected to his back.
The old man was also looking at him, and in his eyes were three black tomoe set in crimson irises.
The moment he saw those eyes, Yahiko—who had learned far more than ninjutsu by following Hanzo all these years—turned pale again and cried out in shock, "The Sharingan… you—you're from the Uchiha clan!"
His body instinctively tried to move backward, but the motion pulled at his wounds, sending excruciating pain through his whole body.
And that pain made Yahiko remember what had happened before he lost consciousness.
The explosive tags that had appeared out of nowhere. The blaze of the explosion that filled his vision in an instant. The image of Hanzō-sensei turning around and pulling him into his arms to protect him—
Yahiko's expression suddenly twisted with rage. But still clinging to a sliver of hope, he glanced around wildly, then shouted at Uchiha Madara, "Where is Hanzō-sensei? What did you do to him?!"
"He's dead."
Madara mercilessly extinguished Yahiko's hope. Those cold words shattered his illusion.
Yahiko's eyes instantly dimmed, only to be filled again a moment later with hatred. Glaring at Madara through gritted teeth, he said, "You're an Uchiha from Konoha. It was you! You killed Hanzō-sensei! You're the one behind all of this!"
This time, you're actually right, Madara thought to himself.
But outwardly, his expression did not change as he said coldly, "It's understandable for hatred to cloud your judgment. But if you don't even know gratitude, then my saving you was truly wasted."
Perhaps it was Madara's gaze, far too overwhelming, or perhaps the influence of invisible Yin Release chakra—but Yahiko suddenly calmed down.
He recalled the scene before he lost consciousness and compared it with his current condition.
That explosion had expanded in an instant. Even Hanzō-sensei hadn't been able to dodge it. He could only hold him tight and shield him from the engulfing flames.
Even then, Yahiko had lost consciousness immediately.
Now, only the right side of his face was free from pain. The rest of his body was covered in that white substance, and even the slightest movement sent waves of agony through him.
Clearly, his body had suffered severe burns.
The fact that he had not died likely meant he had been removed from the blast before he could be burned to charcoal, or perhaps some technique had blocked the explosion and saved him.
And the person who had saved him was most likely the old man in front of him.
But looking at the man's condition, he didn't seem capable of doing such a thing himself.
So Yahiko kept his eyes full of caution as he asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is Uchiha… Madara."
Hearing that name, Yahiko's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Uchiha Madara? You're the Asura of the ninja world that Hanzō-sensei mentioned—the only person from the Warring States era who could rival the God of Shinobi? Impossible. Didn't that legendary figure die decades ago? Even if you didn't die, how old are you now?!"
"That isn't important."
Madara had no intention of explaining. He continued staring at Yahiko and said calmly, "Whether I'm truly Uchiha Madara or not, you can go investigate for yourself once you leave here. But let's assume I am. Since you know the story between me and Hashirama, then you should also know about my grudge with Konoha. That is one of the reasons I saved you."
Yahiko thought back to the stories and history Hanzo had taught him. He also knew that if not for Madara, he probably would have died alongside Hanzō-sensei.
His wariness toward Madara faded considerably, though not completely.
Yahiko was no longer the ignorant child he once was. Looking at Madara seriously, he asked again, "Why did you save me? What do you want me to do for you?"
"—White Zetsu."
Instead of answering, Madara suddenly spoke a name.
In the very next second, a white creature burst out of Yahiko's body, scaring him half to death.
"Y-you… what are you?!"
Like Nawaki, Uchiha Obito, and Uzumaki Naruto, Yahiko was the same kind of person at heart. He instantly went wide-eyed in shock, his voice trembling and stammering.
"Hellooo— I'm White Zetsu."
The White Zetsu clone hopped around beside Yahiko in a ridiculous, almost comical manner.
Madara explained flatly, "This is one of White Zetsu's clones, a mutated human I created using Hashirama cells. The technique he attached to you is called the Spore Technique. It possesses one of the greatest concealment properties in the ninja world, and all the clones can share information. They are my eyes and ears across the shinobi world, and the main reason you could be saved at the critical moment."
"And now, you also have Hashirama cells in your body. It is similar to the poison sac implanted in you before—a trial of surviving after facing death."
"Since you lived, that means your body has already awakened Wood Release, the kekkei genkai the God of Shinobi used to pacify the chaotic age."
"Now that you possess Wood Release, you finally have the qualifications to repay me—and to learn certain truths about this world."
Madara's three-tomoe Sharingan stared straight at Yahiko as he asked coldly, "So then, will you choose to do some things for me, repay the debt of me saving your life, and receive my investment so you can use great power to take revenge on Konoha or on the one behind the Impure World Reincarnation Technique? Or will you reject my rescue and let me reclaim the Hashirama cells inside your body?"
Meeting Madara's cold gaze, Yahiko's expression went slightly dazed, and then his body shivered involuntarily.
After spending so many years at Hanzo's side, Yahiko might not have seen much real bloodshed yet, but he had entered illusionary worlds and killed there, and he had felt the killing intent of the Demigod of the Ninja World many times.
Madara wasn't releasing any killing intent, but that gaze made Yahiko feel as if he were seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood. It was killing intent from an entirely different realm.
When he came back to himself, Yahiko's eyes were full of fear as he looked at Madara, and he believed his identity a little more.
At twelve years old, with such a limited worldview, Yahiko accepted Madara's words—he believed Madara had saved him.
And because his personality was the same type as Naruto's—and because in the original story he had even been willing to die for Hanzo's promise—Yahiko was also the kind of person who repaid kindness and thought in simple, direct terms.
Once he believed Madara was his savior, and with his determination to avenge his master, he quickly made his choice. His gaze firm, he said, "I'm very grateful that you saved me. If I've really awakened the legendary Wood Release, then I truly do need this power right now to avenge Hanzō-sensei. As long as it doesn't harm the Land of Rain or the Hidden Rain Village, I'm willing to do anything for you."
"Very good."
At last, a faint smile appeared on Madara's face.
"I have no interest in the Land of Rain or the Hidden Rain Village. Saving you was merely a whim. Over the years, there have been countless Wood Release test subjects like you. But the number who actually survived can be counted on one hand."
"In this era, you are the third ninja to possess the Wood Release bloodline."
"The third?"
Yahiko instantly understood what Madara meant, and his eyes widened.
"Besides me, there are two other people in this ninja world who possess the legendary Wood Release?"
For the first time, Yahiko felt that even legendary power could somehow seem cheap.