In the Konoha camp, one hundred meters away, the gathered ninjas stared at the battlefield in stunned silence. The distance, which was trivial for experienced shinobi, felt insurmountable. Despite their sharp senses, they couldn't keep up with the duel between the two titans.
Even Hyuga Tenki, armed with the Byakugan and a master of taijutsu, could only shake his head in quiet awe.
"This… this is beyond anything I've seen," he murmured, his gaze fixed on the hazy movements.
The two combatants, while not Kage, stood shoulder to shoulder with the strongest figures in the ninja world.
"Bang!"
Atop the salamander, Hanzo formed a quick hand seal. A billowing cloud of smoke erupted, and when it cleared, the massive salamander was gone. Both combatants now stood on the rain-soaked ground, several meters apart, facing each other.
"So, you've dismissed your summoning," Minato observed. His voice was calm, but his sharp eyes revealed his analytical mind at work.
The massive creature had given Hanzo a strategic advantage, but it also constrained his movement. Against someone like Minato, who thrived on mobility, limiting his own range was a critical mistake.
"And the poison…" Minato thought aloud, watching Hanzo closely. "You haven't used it since the beginning. You know Tsunade-senpai has developed a counter for it."
Hanzo's gaze was unreadable, but Minato knew the truth. The Rain Village leader had forfeited one of his greatest weapons at the start of their battle.
Even so, Minato understood the threat he faced. Hanzo, the legendary "Demigod of the Ninja World," was still an opponent who could push him to his limits.
"Clang!"
The sound of Hanzo's sickle slicing through the air broke the tense silence. The weapon gleamed as it cut arcs through the rain, sending crescent-shaped blades of wind chakra flying toward Minato.
Minato's sharp reflexes kicked in, and he prepared to dodge, but Hanzo's stance shifted subtly. His legs bent into a bow step, and his sickle danced with renewed ferocity.
"Here he comes."
Minato swung his kunai, its blade infused with wind chakra, sending his own counterattacks hurtling forward. The opposing wind blades clashed mid-air, causing visible ripples to spread as the rain scattered in all directions.
Suddenly, Hanzo moved.
"The Body Flicker Technique!"
His speed surged, closing the distance between them in an instant. The sickle, now a blur, slashed down toward Minato in a relentless, unstoppable arc.
Minato remained calm. Even at this speed, he trusted his reactions. The kunai in his hand extended, its sharp edge glinting like a short blade.
"Clang!"
The weapons met, sparks flying as the rain sizzled on contact. Hanzo's sickle, imbued with wind chakra, bit into Minato's kunai, the friction between them producing a metallic screech.
"Crack!"
The specially crafted kunai fractured under the pressure, the blade snapping in two.
Hanzo's lips curled into a smirk, and he pressed forward to capitalize on the advantage.
But Minato was already prepared. His free hand flashed upward, forming a perfect sphere of spinning chakra.
"Rasengan!"
The glowing orb of energy collided with Hanzo's sickle, the force behind it shaking the ground. The impact disarmed Hanzo momentarily, but he recovered swiftly, pulling back as the chain attached to the sickle recoiled into his grasp.
Minato used the moment to create space, tossing the broken kunai aside. His sharp gaze fell on Hanzo's weapon, now back in the Rain Village leader's hand.
Minato frowned. That weapon isn't ordinary.
The sickle had withstood direct contact with the Rasengan, a feat that would have shattered most ninja tools instantly. Hanzo's weapon was forged from something special, akin to the legendary swords of the Kirigakure or the infamous artifacts wielded by rogue shinobi.
Hanzo wasted no time, hurling the sickle at Minato again. The chain attached to it whistled as it cut through the air.
Minato sidestepped the attack, but Hanzo was relentless. With a fluid motion, he swung the axe on the opposite end of the chain, aiming to catch Minato mid-dodge.
The blonde shinobi's eyes narrowed as he shifted his stance, intercepting Hanzo's wrist before the axe could complete its arc.
Hanzo's muscles tensed as he tried to overpower Minato, but his opponent's grip was unyielding. Minato's strength, enhanced by his partial transformation with the Nine-Tails' chakra, gave him an edge that even Hanzo struggled to counter.
Before Hanzo could react, Minato drove a swift punch into his chest, sending him stumbling backward.
Hanzo's chain recoiled once more, the sickle hurtling back toward Minato's exposed back.
But Minato was faster. He released Hanzo's wrist, spinning just in time to meet the incoming weapon.
"Rasengan!"
The spiraling sphere of chakra erupted again, smashing into the sickle and deflecting it with a powerful explosion.
Minato didn't let up. He crouched low, sweeping his leg in a fluid motion toward Hanzo's feet.
Hanzo leapt back, narrowly avoiding the attack. But Minato's movements were unrelenting, and he flipped forward, landing behind Hanzo and thrusting a palm toward his opponent's back.
Hanzo twisted his body just in time to meet the strike with his own fist.
"Bang!"
The impact of their blows reverberated through the rain-soaked battlefield. Hanzo gritted his teeth as he felt the force of Minato's strike dissipate the energy in his punch.
Minato pressed his advantage, delivering another punch that Hanzo barely caught with his palm. But Minato's speed was superior, and he shifted his weight to drive his shoulder into Hanzo's chest.
The blow forced Hanzo to stumble backward, creating a brief opening.
Hanzo reacted swiftly, drawing the samurai sword from his waist and slashing across in a wide arc.
Minato leaned back, avoiding the blade by a hair's breadth. As he retreated, his hands formed a rapid series of seals.
"Bang!"
Two shadow clones appeared beside Minato, their identical forms mirroring his movements.
Hanzo's eyes narrowed. He understood the risk Minato had taken. Shadow clones, while effective for diversions, split the user's chakra, potentially slowing their movements.
But Minato's calm expression told another story.
"It's almost time," Minato thought, a subtle smirk playing on his lips.
Unbeknownst to Hanzo, several black markings had begun to creep across the ground around him, intricate patterns converging at his feet.
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