Under the curtain of rain, the noise and brutality of the three-way melee reached its peak.
The sounds of exploding ninjutsu, roaring summons, the sharp clang of metal, and the death throes of the dying mixed with the unceasing rain to form a bloody symphony.
At the edge of the battlefield, in the shadow of an inconspicuous tall tower, space suddenly twisted like a vortex.
A figure wearing an orange-red, single-eyed tiger-striped mask and the Akatsuki's black cloak with red clouds emerged from the vortex. His exposed single eye coldly scanned the fierce battlefield in the distance.
It was Uchiha Obito, who had returned after receiving Zetsu's notification.
On the wall beside him, Zetsu's bizarre half-black, half-white body slowly surfaced.
"My, my, it's so lively!" The white half of Zetsu spoke first in his characteristic flippant tone. "That Pervy Sage Jiraiya somehow found his way into Amegakure. Pain and Konan said they were going to kill him, but looking at this... it seems they haven't succeeded yet? Really, even after causing such a big commotion."
Obito snorted coldly. The eyes beneath his mask held no fluctuation, but the name 'Jiraiya' evoked some unpleasant memories.
He remembered that night, Konoha ravaged by the Nine-Tails, and... his teacher, Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Kushina lying in a pool of blood.
The success of that plan was accompanied by an indescribable heaviness, representing his complete break with his former self.
"Hmph, unnecessary interference," Obito's voice, filtered through the mask, was low and hoarse.
The black half of Zetsu analyzed in his more somber voice: "Nagato's goal probably isn't just Jiraiya. He likely wants to use Jiraiya's intrusion and the resulting chaos as an opportunity to lure out that old turtle who's been holed up in his tower-"
Hanzo the Salamander!
Obito's gaze turned to the distance, just in time to see the giant salamander, Ibuse, summoned by Hanzo, and the scene of Hanzo fiercely battling the Deva Path and the Asura Path.
Hanzo's signature chain sickle whirled defensively, but against the Pains' bizarre abilities, he was already hard-pressed.
"It seems Nagato's scheme has succeeded," Obito said flatly, his tone unreadable, neither approving nor otherwise.
His gaze then shifted to another direction, where the invisible Animal Path was still controlling several hellhounds, searching for Jiraiya's trail.
"However..." A cold killing intent flashed in Obito's single eye. "Jiraiya must die here."
His goal was to gather the Nine Tailed Beasts and execute the [Eye of the Moon Plan] to create a world with Rin.
This plan was destined to bring him into direct conflict with the Five Great Nations, who controlled the Tailed Beasts.
Before that, weakening the top-tier combat power of the Five Great Nations was a crucial step.
Whether it was his assistance to Itachi in massacring the Uchiha Clan, severely weakening Konoha's Sharingan Kekkei Genkai, or his current resolve to kill Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, it was all for this ultimate goal.
Eliminating these powerful individuals who could cause trouble in the future would make the implementation of the Eye of the Moon Plan smoother.
...
On the battlefield, Hanzo's situation was worsening.
He was being harassed by the two endlessly splitting, seemingly immortal hellhounds and the giant bird waiting for an opportunity. His armor, symbolizing the [Demigod's] dignity, showed several tears and claw marks.
But he was, after all, a battle-hardened powerhouse. Seizing an opening, his chain shot out like a venomous snake, tightly wrapping around one hellhound's neck and violently slamming it against a wall. Simultaneously, using the force, he advanced like a ghost, his target fixed on the Deva Path, who had been standing motionless atop the tower!
"Chain Sickle: Two-Stage Strike!"
The sharp sickle, with a piercing sound, cut through the rain curtain, aiming directly for the Deva Path's head!
A fierce light shone in Hanzo's eyes. He knew well that to capture the rebels, one must first capture their leader!
And he was convinced it was this 'Yahiko' before him controlling these summons.
Hanzo's eyes burned with frantic killing intent as he roared, "In that case, I'll kill you again! Yahiko!"
However, just as the sickle's blade was mere centimeters from the Deva Path's face… when he could almost 'see' the blade sinking into the other's cheek, blood and brain matter splattering, the Deva Path finally moved.
He merely raised his hand slightly and uttered two cold, merciless words:
"Shinra Tensei."
Hum-!
A terrifying repulsive force, more concentrated and vast than the one that had repelled Hanzo and the Anbu earlier, erupted with a boom, centered on the Deva Path!
Hanzo felt an irresistible, tremendous force smash into his sickle and his entire body!
The seemingly close distance turned into an insurmountable chasm, his sickle could not advance another millimeter!
"What?!" The ferocity on Hanzo's face instantly transformed into utter shock!
Immediately after, his entire body was sent flying backward faster than he had charged, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer. He even spat out a mouthful of blood before crashing heavily onto the broad head of his summoned salamander, Ibuse.
"Hanzo-sama!" The few remaining loyal Anbu cried out in alarm, but they were in no position to help.
The Asura Path had already removed his Akatsuki cloak, revealing his modified, three-headed, six-armed mechanical body. The giant, rotating saw blade extended from his back harvested lives.
Soon, these minor obstacles fell before the Asura Path's machine-like attacks and the onslaught of the summons, becoming cold corpses that tumbled down between the towers, washed by the relentless rain.
Hanzo, leaning on his sickle, struggled to his feet on Ibuse's head. Looking around, aside from this one summon beneath his feet, there was not a single subordinate left standing.
Despair and anger intertwined in his heart.
At this point, he could no longer care that this was the core area of Amegakure, that there might still be civilians who hadn't evacuated in time!
He had to survive, he had to eliminate this threat!
"Ibuse!" Hanzo rasped an order to the summon beneath him. "Toxic Spray!"
The giant salamander, Ibuse, raised its massive head high. A dull gurgling sound came from its throat as it accumulated its deadly venom.
The next moment, it opened its great maw, and a thick, almost tangible purple poison mist surged out like a burst dam, rapidly spreading to cover a radius of several hundred meters, engulfing the Deva Path, the Asura Path Pain, and those troublesome summons!
Where the poison mist passed, even the rain seemed tinged with a strange color. The surrounding metal and stone made sizzling corrosion sounds.
Hanzo stared intently at the churning poison mist, his breathing slightly rapid from tension and anticipation.
He knew the power of this poison gas all too well… even a Kage-level expert would gradually lose their combat ability after inhaling just a mouthful!
"Did it work?" Hanzo, seeing the seemingly motionless figures within the mist, couldn't help but show a trace of relief and elation, as if having narrowly escaped disaster.
As if to bolster his own courage or declare victory, he shouted loudly, "This is poison gas that even Kage-level fighters dread! Even I would be in trouble if I inhaled it! You... Huh?!"
His words cut off abruptly, as if his throat had been seized.
Because, within the thick poison mist, those figures were stepping out, unharmed and step by step!
The Deva Path, the Asura Path, and the two hellhounds and the giant bird showed no signs of corrosion, their movements not the least bit sluggish. It was as if the lethal poison mist was nothing more than ordinary vapor to them!
"No... Impossible! Ibuse's poison gas... how could it fail?!" The elation on Hanzo's face instantly turned into complete shock and incomprehension. This completely overturned his understanding!
'My ultimate trump card... was... ineffective?!'
The Deva Path looked down upon the disheartened Hanzo with those Rinnegan, like a god judging a fallen mortal. His icy voice pierced through the rain curtain, clearly reaching Hanzo's ears:
"Hanzo the Salamander... Once, you fought desperately to drive foreign Ninjas out of the Land of Rain, revered by the people of this country as a guardian deity, honored as the [Demigod]."
His voice held no fluctuation, yet carried a coldness that saw through everything.
"Yet, look at you now. To consolidate your own power, you did not hesitate to collude with Konoha's Danzo, betraying and ambushing the Akatsuki, who once saw you as hope and were dedicated to peace within the country."
"After sensing a threat, you cowered like a coward in your own nest, only daring to rely on the sacrifices of your subordinates to maintain your crumbling rule, even resorting to releasing this indiscriminate, potent poison within your own village..."
The Deva Path slowly raised his hand.
"You, who care only for your own survival and have long abandoned the Land of Rain and its people... are no longer worthy of the title [Demigod]."
"You are merely a pitiful, cowardly... trash."
These words were like the sharpest blades, brutally gouging Hanzo's heart.
Looking at that face belonging to Yahiko, yet devoid of life, he felt an unprecedented pressure and fear emanating from the depths of his soul for the first time.
It wasn't fear of power, but fear of his own crumbling beliefs, the complete negation of everything he had done in his life.
"No... I..." Hanzo wanted to refute, but found himself speechless.
Just then, the outstretched hand of the Deva Path generated a tremendous attractive force!
"Bansho Ten'in!"
Hanzo felt an irresistible force seize him firmly, tearing him from Ibuse's head and pulling him uncontrollably towards the Deva Path!
"Urgh!" Hanzo struggled in terror, but it was useless.
The moment he flew before the Deva Path, the Asura Path beside him also moved!
The giant, rapidly rotating saw blade on his back stabbed out fiercely!
Squelch-!
Accompanied by the grating sound of tearing flesh, the sharp saw blade easily pierced through Hanzo's body!
Blood instantly spurted, staining the Asura Path's mechanical arm and the rainwater at his feet.
Hanzo's body stiffened violently, excruciating pain sweeping through him.
He looked down, disbelief in his eyes at the blood-soaked saw blade protruding from his chest, then laboriously raised his head to look at the face... Yahiko's face... so close.
Yahiko... that youth once full of ideals and vigor, who, even when ambushed by him, was willing to sacrifice himself for his comrades...
In a daze, Hanzo's thoughts drifted back to long ago.
He remembered his youth, his passion and high spirits when he challenged half the Ninja World to save the Land of Rain from its tragic fate as a battleground for great nations.
From initially being alone to more and more Amegakure's Ninjas following him, until neither the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, nor the Land of Fire could afford to underestimate his power.
He also remembered, a few years ago, how he had masterminded that bloody ambush on the Akatsuki, swayed by Danzo's honeyed words and temptations of power...
An indescribable emotion, mixed with regret, sorrow, and immense irony, washed over him like a tide.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end, only a stream of blood mixed with bubbles overflowed from his gas mask.
The light in his eyes rapidly dimmed, his head drooped powerlessly, all signs of life extinguished.
Thus, the once-renowned [Demigod] of the Ninja World, the ruler of the Land of Rain, ended his complex and contradictory life in this dramatic and tragic manner.
With Hanzo's death, his summon, the salamander Ibuse, let out a low, mournful cry before transforming into a puff of white smoke and disappearing.
The Asura Path coldly retracted the saw blade, casually holding Hanzo's corpse in his hand.
This body might have other uses in the future.
The Deva Path Pain slowly turned, directing his Rinnegan towards the area where Jiraiya had disappeared earlier.
While he dealt with Hanzo, those splitting hellhounds had not stopped their search.
The Animal Path, hidden within the chameleon, was still watching covertly, and Konan flew in the air, her eyes like a white angel's, repeatedly scanning the ruined walls and rubble below.
Just then, Konan's gaze sharpened, locking onto the depths of an especially dark alley filled with discarded pipes.
From there came clear, unhurried footsteps.
The sound of geta clogs stepping on the wet ground made a unique noise, exceptionally distinct in the rain-filled silence that had temporarily settled over the battlefield after the fighting ceased.
Accompanying the footsteps were the voices of two seemingly elderly individuals, engaged in conversation with robust vigor.
An old woman's voice, filled with obvious dissatisfaction and complaint: "Jiraiya-chan, every time you summon us, it's in such noisy, filthy places! Good giref, have you no consideration for your elders!"
An old man's voice, gentler and more forgiving, tried to mediate: "Now, now, Wifey. I'm sure Jiraiya-chan only summoned us because he's facing a very troublesome enemy, right, boy?"
The old woman immediately retorted: "Hubby, you always take his side! Honestly, at our age, having to come to a place like this to fight..."
Then, Jiraiya's apologetic voice chimed in: "My sincere apologies, Fukasaku-sama, Shima-sama."
"It's been so long since we last met, and our reunion has to be like this, troubling you both. But this time, the opponent is extraordinary."
"They... possess the legendary Rinnegan, the [Eyes of the Sage of Six Paths]."
"What?! The legendary Eyes of the Six Paths?!" The toad elder known as Shima cried out in surprise, the dissatisfaction in her voice instantly replaced by gravity.
Fukasaku's voice also deepened. "The Eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, you say... It seems we've really encountered major trouble this time."
Under the astonished gazes of Konan in the distance and the hidden Animal Path, a figure vastly different from before slowly emerged from the alley's shadows.
It was still the same wild white hair, but the comical oil-paint patterns on his face had vanished, replaced by red markings resembling toad eyes around his eye sockets.
His nose bridge seemed broader, faintly taking on toad-like characteristics.
Most striking of all, perched on his left and right shoulders were two small, old toads, emanating powerful waves of natural energy!
The old toad on the left had eyebrows extending behind its ears and sharp eyes… the one on the right had a topknot-like head and wore purple lipstick, its expression serious.
The current Jiraiya's aura was unified, subtly resonating with the surrounding natural energy, exuding a profound and powerful pressure!
He raised his head, his toad-like eyes gleaming with intensity, calmly meeting Konan's gaze in the air and the seemingly empty space before him, his fighting spirit blazing!
Sage Mode, Jiraiya, present!