"One-Sword Style — Oni Slash!"
Akihito's blade swept across the battlefield. The Root shinobi responsible for genjutsu was sent flying, coughing blood midair.
Outnumbered—yet unstoppable.
The two Root squads were already on the verge of collapse.
"So even the genjutsu plan failed…"
"Damn it!"
The Root captain's composure was cracking. If this continued, they would be wiped out.
Gritting his teeth, he fired a signal flare into the sky.
After launching it, the assassins' confidence returned.
"You are strong, Uchiha Akihito."
"But this ends now."
"With that lord personally taking action—you will die tonight!"
Akihito's gaze flickered.
External reinforcements?
Someone capable of inspiring such confidence in Root could not be ordinary.
Hiruzen? Orochimaru? Jiraiya?
He mentally crossed off names one by one.
Jiraiya? Unlikely—he barely obeyed the Third Hokage, let alone Danzo.
Hiruzen? Impossible. Even if he acted, he would never appear as Danzo's accomplice.
Tsunade? Busy gambling in the Land of Hot Water.
Orochimaru… plausible. But killing for Danzo? That didn't fit his temperament.
Then—
A slicing sound through the night air.
Before the figure appeared, his voice arrived.
"Root dispatched this many men and still couldn't handle one Uchiha brat?"
"Danzo truly has grown incompetent."
Moonlight revealed the newcomer.
A man bearing a chain-linked sickle.
A respirator mask.
Cold, steady presence.
Akihito's pupils contracted.
Hanzo of the Salamander.
Danzo had invited him.
The Half-God Arrives
Hanzo—the leader of Amegakure.
The man once hailed as the "Demigod" of the shinobi world.
In the Second Great Ninja War, he single-handedly suppressed Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade—bestowing upon them the name "Sannin of Konoha."
Years ago, Hanzo had cooperated with Danzo to crush the fledgling Akatsuki.
Yahiko died.
Nagato and Konan descended into darkness.
This was a true Kage-level powerhouse—arguably on par with Orochimaru or the Third Hokage.
Danzo had spared no expense.
Moonlight shimmered across Hanzo's mask as he regarded Akihito.
"So you are the 'Flame Demon' who defeated the AB Combo of Kumogakure."
"Can you surpass me, I wonder?"
Akihito smiled faintly.
"The so-called pinnacle of the shinobi world… indeed a weighty opponent."
"But every era ends."
"Your time has already passed."
Hanzo's eyes narrowed.
"Sharp tongue."
"Let us see if your strength matches it."
Clash of Kage-Level Forces
Hanzo moved first.
Chains lashed out, binding Akihito's sword.
His poisoned sickle swept down in a lethal arc.
"Sword Art — Chain-Sickle Dual Sever!"
Akihito attempted to break free—failed—
And instantly shifted into elemental form.
The sickle sliced through flame.
Empty.
Akihito countered with a Slash Wave.
Hanzo formed seals mid-motion.
"Water Body Flicker!"
He vanished in a ripple.
The blade carved only earth.
Hanzo observed calmly.
"Unpredictable Fire Release."
"Overwhelming swordsmanship."
"And surely formidable ocular power."
"I must prepare for your Sharingan."
Even the "Uchiha one-on-one invincibility" had limits.
Against someone like Hanzo, arrogance meant death.
Akihito leapt forward again.
"Want to see my ocular techniques?"
"You'll have to earn it."
Hanzo retreated in a sliding step—
Palm slamming the ground.
"Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation."
Explosive tags erupted beneath Akihito's feet.
A chain reaction detonated.
Smoke engulfed the battlefield.
When it cleared—
Akihito stood within a crater, body engulfed in roaring flame.
Unharmed.
Hanzo's gaze sharpened.
"So the rumors are true."
Rain Curtain Barrier
Akihito unleashed a Great Fireball.
Hanzo countered with Water Formation Wall.
Steam surged upward.
Clouds thickened.
Hanzo's lips curved faintly.
"The storm is ready."
He formed rapid hand seals.
"Rain Curtain Barrier — Activate."
Drizzle fell from the heavens.
Though not a water-style specialist, Hanzo's combat ability in rain surpassed even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
It was said his speed in rainfall was unmatched—even beyond successive Mizukage or the Second Hokage.
Within the rain, he was sovereign.
"Water Release: Water Shockwave!"
Tidal force crashed toward Akihito.
Flame met flood.
Steam thickened into heavy mist.
"Hidden Mist Technique."
Visibility collapsed to near zero.
Hanzo struck from within the rain.
"Iai Slash!"
His sickle cleaved Akihito in two—
Only for flame to erupt and reconstitute.
Akihito frowned.
Despite Sharingan, he could not pinpoint Hanzo's exact position.
Yet Hanzo tracked him flawlessly.
Rain.
It had to be the rain.
Sensory detection through rainfall.
Terrain, speed, concealment—all favored Hanzo.
Prolonged battle meant disadvantage.
Akihito closed his eyes.
Rain washed over him.
Hanzo sensed the opening.
"Now."
He surged forward—
Chain-sickle slicing for Akihito's throat.
At the final instant—
Akihito's eyes snapped open.
"Activate."
Mangekyō Sharingan.
Metal clashed.
Hanzo's sickle struck—
Not flesh—
But a skeletal ribcage of chakra.
A translucent, crimson bone armor.
Hanzo's pupils constricted.
"This…!"
Akihito answered calmly.
"The forbidden ocular power of the Uchiha."
"Susanoo."
Hanzo's expression shifted from shock to realization.
"So this is the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"The same power as Uchiha Madara…"
He tightened his grip on the chain.
"Excellent."
"I have long wished to test myself against such a legend."
Under the falling rain,
Chakra flared crimson.
The Demigod faced the heir of the Uchiha—
And the true battle had only just begun.
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