Chapter 72: Mifune vs. Hanzo – The Duel of Belief, Hanzo's Mercy, and Naraku's Shadow
"What is that weapon in your hand?" Hanzo, full of question marks, finally couldn't hold back and asked. He really couldn't understand how a wooden sword could be so powerful—especially since this wooden sword could automatically turn iron-black.
At this moment, Hanzo also recalled the rumors he had heard in the past year: Konoha had produced a forging master whose weapons were tricky even for him.
"This blade is called Tōya Lake. As for more information, forgive me—I cannot tell you," Mifune said, once again assuming his stance against Hanzo.
He was determined this time to sever Hanzo's scythe. In truth, if it were ordinary iron, he could easily cut through it. But this iron in Hanzo's hands, combined with the original owner's force-dispersing technique and chakra reinforcement—plus the weapon itself not being ordinary—greatly increased the difficulty.
Otherwise, that previous slash might have injured Hanzo.
In ninjutsu, Mifune wasn't even fit to carry Hanzo's shoes. But in swordsmanship, Mifune was confident he could clash with Hanzo.
Mifune and Hanzo once again engaged in fierce combat. Due to the previous sword clash, Hanzo became far more protective of his weapon.
Mifune's swordsmanship had been honed through thousands of repetitions. With the enhancement of dual-color Haki, he revealed not a single flaw.
The watching samurai saw Mifune fighting evenly with the legendary demigod of the ninja world and couldn't help cheering for him!
"Lord Mifune! Well done!" "Lord Mifune! Full of spirit!" "Lord Mifune! No shame at all!"
The more skilled samurai—especially those who had sparred with Mifune before—noticed Mifune was different from before. Whether it was his far superior reaction speed or the blackened fist, it all indicated Mifune had mastered some technique that didn't seem like ninjutsu.
After fighting for a while, Hanzo realized ordinary moves couldn't take down the enemy in front of him. Moreover, he felt Mifune's techniques were a bit off—sometimes he would start parrying before Hanzo's slash was fully executed.
Hanzo prepared to unleash his unique sword technique—Chain Scythe Two-Stage Strike.
He planned to first entangle Mifune's Tōya Lake with the chain, then slash downward with the scythe from top to bottom.
To everyone's shock, Mifune showed no fear of Hanzo's chain. He held his breath and swung a full-power slash at the chain.
Directly cutting Hanzo's scythe-attached chain in two.
Then, with extreme speed, Mifune parried Hanzo's full-force downward slash.
An even more coincidental thing happened—this might have been the consequence of Hanzo's full-power strike—Hanzo's scythe finally broke completely.
Now was the moment. Mifune seized this rare opportunity and unleashed Iaijutsu Slash with full force toward the weapon-broken Hanzo!
Unfortunately, as a demigod of the ninja world, Hanzo relied on more than just swordsmanship and his salamander—he also possessed Water Release at the pinnacle of ordinary ninja level.
In fact, according to the Book of the Ninja, Hanzo specialized in Water Release ninjutsu. With his breathing mask, he could move freely underwater, and no one could surpass his mastery of Water Release.
"Water Body Flicker Technique!"
Hanzo formed a single-handed seal, turning himself into a pool of water to dodge Mifune's attack.
At this point Hanzo had completely given up on defeating Mifune with swordsmanship alone. Pulling distance, Hanzo quickly formed seals.
"Water Release! Great Waterfall Dam!"
Hanzo's version of Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave appeared. A fierce torrent erupted from Hanzo's mouth, attempting to form a massive elliptical water prison to trap the enemy.
In the face of this terrifying Water Release, the samurai were scattered in all directions—even Mifune was no exception.
He could only grip Tōya Lake tightly and move rapidly upstream against the current.
But the terrifying water flow disrupted his judgment. Hanzo suddenly appeared in front of Mifune and slashed at him. Mifune barely blocked this strike and quickly counterattacked.
After all, Hanzo now only had a broken scythe. But when Mifune struck Hanzo's body—Hanzo turned into a pool of water. It was Hanzo's Water Clone. The real Hanzo was hidden within the water flow and delivered a slash toward Mifune's back.
Mifune's Observation Haki detected it, but he was too late to react. A large gash was cut across Mifune's back.
This battle declared Mifune's defeat.
The fallen Mifune thought: if his Observation Haki or Armament Haki were just a little stronger, perhaps the outcome of this fight would be different. Unfortunately, his path ended here. Mifune did not blame Naraku for not saving him—he simply looked toward Naraku.
In his heart he thought: I can no longer serve my lord.
Mifune looked at Tōya Lake in his hand and said: "A man is his sword. So in the end, I was just a slowly dulling blade? I'm sorry, Tōya Lake!"
Meanwhile, Hanzo felt that although this battle had some twists, he had achieved his goal of deterrence. Moreover, he admired Mifune. His victory just now had involved a somewhat unfair sneak attack. But this was the way of ninjas!
Before executing, Hanzo began his sermon: "The end of a person is not death, but the moment they lose belief. Even if you die on the spot, you are not a dull blade. I will proclaim to the world that you are a hero. And solely in terms of swordsmanship, I—Hanzo the Salamander—am willing to call you the strongest in the Land of Iron!"
"I hope to use my death to exchange for one promise from you," the fallen Mifune slowly requested.
Hanzo's expression remained blank: "Speak."
"Do not kill my comrades!" Mifune thought in his heart—this might be the last thing he could do as a subordinate.
This single sentence directly pierced Hanzo's heart. He decided not to kill Mifune.
He slowly walked toward Mifune, took out the antidote, and said: "Whether a person has belief cannot be easily seen. Some things can only be seen in battle. People like you—I haven't seen in a long time. This time, I choose to spare you."
Then Hanzo fed the antidote to Mifune.
It could be said that at this time, Hanzo still held some idealistic thoughts. Unfortunately, in the countless battles that followed, seeing no hope for peace, combined with the erosion of time, would eventually shatter the belief of this demigod of the ninja world.
Before leaving the battlefield, Hanzo glanced at the masked figure who had been standing quietly on the side—Naraku.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt the person in front of him was unusual. Under his Water Release, he could still remain in place.
Ordinary fodder samurai would have been washed far away long ago. Moreover, the man before him gave him a faint sense of fatal threat.
He shook his head—what kind of person could give him, a demigod of the ninja world, even a slight sense of threat?
Naraku showed no fear of Hanzo. He walked straight over, helped Mifune up, and instantly vanished.
Hanzo's eyes widened. Naraku's terrifying speed—perhaps a rare space ninjutsu in the ninja world!
--------------------------
Support us on Patreon and gain access to 100 chapters in advance!
patreon.com/inkshield
Special Offer: Badass Tier – 20% OFF
Use code: STAR20