Inside the Rain Curtain Barrier, Uchiha Yusuke and Hanzō the Salamander stood facing one another across the soaked battlefield.
Susanoo's skeletal frame shielded Yusuke from the falling rain, and its immense chakra pressure pushed back much of the surrounding mist.
With a single thought, Yusuke advanced Susanoo into a more complete form—the Karasu-Tengu shape took form around him. A spectral blade condensed in its grasp.
He swung once.
A violent gust tore outward, ripping through the battlefield and dispersing the layered mist.
The Hiding in Mist Technique was broken.
Yet Hanzō showed no panic.
The sky remained heavy with storm clouds, rain still pouring relentlessly. Even without the mist, this terrain favored him.
Terrain decided battles.
Suigetsu of the Hōzuki clan could be crushed on land—but in water, he could contend even with a fully transformed Eight-Tails.
And Hanzō was no Suigetsu.
He was the man who once suppressed the young Sannin.
Yusuke's reputation was formidable—
but to Hanzō, reputation meant little.
Even Kisame Hoshigaki, feared among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, had withdrawn the moment he encountered Jiraiya.
True strength commanded respect.
Under the rain, Hanzō's silhouette sharpened into view.
Though rainfall still interfered with normal vision, Yusuke's Sharingan allowed him to distinguish chakra signatures clearly.
Locking onto Hanzō was no longer difficult.
After enduring suppression for several exchanges, Yusuke finally moved to seize momentum.
"One-Sword Style: Twin Flash!"
Two blazing slashes screamed forward in rapid succession.
Hanzō instantly retreated.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Even while evading, he formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A pale water dragon surged upward, roaring as it collided with Susanoo.
Yet Susanoo's defensive power was overwhelming. The impact dispersed without meaningful damage.
Hanzō's brow furrowed slightly.
Was he, Hanzō the "Demigod," truly unable to break through this defense?
That possibility was unacceptable.
His eyes sharpened.
Hand seals shifted.
A low growl echoed from his throat.
"Come forth… Ibuse."
"Summoning Technique!"
A burst of white smoke erupted.
Yusuke's gaze hardened.
So the legendary salamander had arrived.
From within the rain, a massive black-brown beast emerged, its body like a moving hill. Toxic aura lingered around it.
Hanzō stood atop Ibuse's head, looking down.
"Young man, you possess considerable ability."
"But my salamander's poison is not something you can ignore."
Yusuke understood.
Most ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu could be mitigated by elementalization or ocular power.
But poison was a different matter.
True poison specialists were rare in the shinobi world—Tsunade among Konoha's Sannin, Chiyo of Sunagakure, and later Sasori.
If he could not directly neutralize the poison—
then he would end this swiftly.
If Hanzō fell, Ibuse would disappear as well.
Yusuke's chakra surged violently.
"One-Sword Style: Flame Demon!"
Flames engulfed Susanoo. The spectral armor transformed into a towering infernal warrior—a blazing avatar dominating the battlefield.
Hanzō's gaze sharpened.
"A quick finish?"
"Very well."
Hand seals blurred.
"Ibuse—Poison Mist!"
The salamander opened its maw.
Thick purple-brown toxic fog burst outward, rapidly blanketing the area.
Hanzō watched calmly.
"To fall within my poison mist…"
"…is no shame."
"Even the Legendary Sannin suffered under this."
Yusuke remained composed.
Perhaps the Sannin once struggled against this technique—
but he was not bound by the same limitations.
He had faced masters of poison before.
Chiyo's toxins.
Even corrosive techniques like Mei Terumi's Boil Release.
As the poison surged toward him, Yusuke sealed Susanoo's frame more tightly, isolating himself from direct inhalation.
Long-term, it would restrict oxygen—
but short-term, it rendered him immune to the mist.
Time was limited.
He had no intention of prolonging this fight.
Chakra roared within him.
"One-Sword Style: Heat-Haze Impact!"
The flaming Susanoo blade descended.
Hanzō evaluated instantly.
He could dodge with Body Flicker—
but Ibuse would take the strike.
And maintaining the poison mist required Ibuse's presence.
He formed hand seals rapidly.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
With rain enhancing the environment, Hanzō's water technique became exceptionally potent.
The swirling barrier of water rose and clashed against the flaming assault.
Steam exploded into the air.
Yusuke's eyes flickered with acknowledgment.
Hanzō's water control was refined—approaching the caliber of the Second Hokage's mastery.
From a distant high ground, the surviving Root operatives watched.
A Kage-level confrontation meant large-scale devastation. Remaining nearby would be suicide.
One Root operative whispered anxiously,
"Captain… can Lord Hanzō truly defeat Uchiha Yusuke?"
The captain hesitated briefly.
"Yusuke is formidable."
"But Lord Hanzō once suppressed the Legendary Sannin alone."
"That is not a legend."
The operatives forced themselves to steady their nerves.
They had already paid a heavy price.
Several elite members incapacitated.
Multiple casualties.
Yet Danzō had always believed Root could be rebuilt once he regained authority.
The Decisive Shift
Within the Rain Curtain Barrier, the battle intensified.
Though Susanoo shielded Yusuke from the poison for now, prolonged exposure and sustained chakra consumption would eventually turn the tide.
Yusuke's gaze hardened.
Enough.
He would end it here.
He activated the deeper power of his Mangekyō Sharingan.
His right eye revealed a dark crimson pupil, spinning with ominous light.
"Mangekyō Sharingan: Epitaph."
For a fleeting moment, Yusuke's perception slipped beyond the present.
He saw several seconds into the immediate future.
In that predicted timeline, Hanzō would shift to his left flank and prepare a high-speed thrust.
The present snapped back into focus.
Yusuke moved.
In the same instant Hanzō initiated his advance, Yusuke had already repositioned.
His blade pierced forward.
A clean thrust through Hanzō's chest.
Thud.
Hanzō dropped to one knee atop Ibuse, breath faltering.
"You…"
"How…?"
Yusuke's tone remained calm.
"A minor space-time application."
"Nothing extraordinary."
Hanzō's eyes widened.
"Space-time… like the Fourth Hokage?"
"So that is your secret…"
Yusuke withdrew his blade.
He believed the fight concluded—
but Hanzō's body dissolved into water.
A Water Clone.
Yusuke's eyes narrowed sharply.
To execute such a substitution under Sharingan scrutiny—
Hanzō's experience was indeed formidable.
In the instant of that realization, Hanzō appeared behind him.
"Your space-time trick startled me."
"But this ends now."
"Weapon Art: Iaijutsu Slash!"
The scythe flashed toward Yusuke's back at lethal speed.
Ordinarily, evasion would have been impossible.
But Epitaph carried a passive trigger—any imminent lethal danger automatically reactivated predictive perception.
Time seemed to fracture.
Yusuke shifted slightly.
The scythe missed its intended mark.
Hanzō's expression tightened.
He had exhausted nearly every option.
This Uchiha youth possessed ocular power rivaling legends.
If the fight continued—
he might die here.
No alliance with Danzō justified such risk.
Hanzō made his decision instantly.
"That is enough."
"This ends here."
Yusuke's lips curved coldly.
"Now you wish to retreat?"
"Isn't that too late?"
He launched multiple flaming slashes in succession.
Hanzō failed to evade all of them.
Blood scattered.
Yet pride meant little compared to survival.
With swift Body Flicker movements, dragging his wounded form, Hanzō retreated into the darkness beyond the Rain Curtain.
Yusuke paused.
He could pursue—
but fatigue had begun creeping through his limbs.
Mangekyō usage drained chakra heavily.
And greater battles lay ahead.
Besides—
in time, Hanzō's fate would be sealed by others.
There was no need to risk unnecessary depletion tonight.
The Rain Curtain dissipated gradually.
Ibuse vanished in smoke.
The battlefield fell silent.
Under the moonlight, Uchiha Yusuke stood alone amidst scattered debris and fading flames.
His power had been revealed.
And Root had witnessed it.
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