As for what exactly it was, Tsunade could not quite put it into words.
Because her own training in Senjutsu was not particularly outstanding.
"Lady Katsuyu, please keep an eye on Kiyohara's situation. If he gets injured, treat him immediately."
Tsunade made her request to Katsuyu.
"I understand, Lady Tsunade."
Katsuyu nodded.
All of Katsuyu's split bodies were able to communicate with one another.
At the same time, on the battlefield, a middle-aged shinobi wearing a lieutenant's forehead protector watched as Kiyohara continuously hunted down the Amegakure shinobi.
He could not help but shout, "Stop him!"
"Attack together, cover him with ninjutsu!"
Five jonin formed hand seals at the same time, their movements perfectly synchronized.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
A combination technique.
The Water Formation Wall rose to form a barrier, lightning from Earth Walk coursed through the water to amplify its lethality, while the Earth Style Wall surged up from the ground to restrict movement.
It was a very classic encirclement and suppression tactic.
Kiyohara stomped lightly, releasing repulsive force beneath his feet, and instantly accelerated forward using Magnet Release.
At his original position, only an afterimage remained.
The ninjutsu struck that afterimage, blasting a deep crater into the ground.
Meanwhile, Kiyohara's figure had already appeared high in the air.
Suspended midair, he looked down at his enemies below. Rain struck his face and slid down along his cheeks.
Then, he descended.
The moment his feet touched the ground, a shockwave erupted outward with him at the center.
Mud, gravel, and rainwater were all blasted away.
The five jonin were shaken violently, stumbling in all directions as their combination technique collapsed on its own.
Kiyohara's figure flickered within the cloud of dust.
Moments later, all five jonin lay on the ground. On the chest of each of their armors was a clear imprint of a fist.
Kanzo finally realized the severity of the situation.
This young man was not someone ordinary jonin could deal with.
Gritting his teeth, he pulled out a shinobi tool from his chest, preparing to throw it.
Kiyohara had already appeared in front of him.
"Too slow."
Kiyohara spoke calmly.
Kanzo did not even see what happened. He only felt a sharp pain in his wrist as the tool slipped from his grasp and flew away.
Immediately afterward, a violent impact struck his abdomen. His body bent forward like a shrimp, his eyes bulging as saliva uncontrollably dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Kiyohara grabbed his hair and pulled his face close, forcing their eyes to meet.
"Tell me, what promise did Hanzo give to Danzo?"
Kiyohara's voice was soft, but to Kanzo it sounded like thunder.
"I… I don't know…"
"Say it again. What did Hanzo promise Danzo?"
Kiyohara delivered another punch.
This time, the three-tomoe Sharingan activated in his eyes.
Kanzo's entire body trembled. He saw those eyes, the three tomoe slowly spinning within them.
"Mines… the mines…"
Kanzo spoke with difficulty.
"The mining rights to three chakra metal mines in the Land of Rain… in exchange for Root's support… to eliminate the Akatsuki…"
"I thought so."
Kiyohara released his grip, and Kanzo collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
"Thanks."
Kiyohara said.
Then he punched through his throat.
Kanzo's body went limp in the mud, rainwater mixing with blood as it gushed from his shattered throat.
His eyes were wide open, reflecting Kiyohara's young yet indifferent face.
"You… how exactly… did you train like this?"
His voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows, filled with disbelief.
This young shinobi, who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen, possessed such terrifying strength.
It was as if he had been training since he was still in the womb.
Kiyohara shook the blood off his hand and looked at Kanzo's fading gaze.
In his heart, he shook his head.
The answer was actually very simple.
The shinobi world is a grand stage. If you do not have cheats, do not even bother showing up.
Kiyohara stood up, rain washing the blood from his hands until only faint reddish traces remained.
Not far away, Konan reassembled her body, paper fragments swirling around her.
She had witnessed the entire process of Kiyohara killing Hanzo's deputy Kanzo, yet found herself at a loss for words.
Everything had happened too quickly. From Kanzo's sudden resistance to his instant suppression, Kiyohara's combat release was clean and decisive.
"Konan, prepare to face Hanzo."
Kiyohara did not explain. He simply raised his head and looked toward the center of the battlefield.
The offensive of the Amegakure shinobi fell into brief chaos due to Kanzo's death, but they quickly regrouped.
And the true threat stood atop that massive salamander, watching everything with cold indifference.
At the edge of the battlefield, Kurenai had just used genjutsu to knock down three Amegakure chunin.
Her breathing was slightly heavy. Consecutive use of genjutsu consumed a great deal of chakra and mental energy.
She looked toward the center of the battlefield. That enormous salamander filled her with unease.
Hanzo of the Salamander, a name that had once resounded across nations during the Second Great Shinobi War. Even if he was no longer at his peak, his remaining might was still formidable.
"Kurenai, are you alright?"
Kiyohara's voice suddenly sounded beside her.
Kurenai turned her head and saw that Kiyohara had already arrived at her side.
"I… I'm a little worried."
She spoke honestly.
"That is Hanzo of the Salamander, a legendary figure. Can we really win?"
Kiyohara looked at Hanzo's distant figure as rain dripped down his dark hair.
"It does not matter if we cannot win."
Kiyohara said.
"If things go wrong, I will take all of you away. A few people are not much of a burden for me."
He made it clear that if the situation turned bad, he could retreat at any time, bringing Kurenai and the others with him and escaping immediately.
However, he felt there was still room to wait and observe, at least until Nagato returned.
Nagato could summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, a monstrously powerful existence.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path could be considered the husk of the Ten-Tails. Even though the tailed beast chakra had been extracted, it still retained immense vitality and could perform various techniques.
Kurenai was stunned for a moment, then understood what Kiyohara meant. His ability to fly indeed allowed him to evacuate multiple people.
Kiyohara took out a soldier pill from his shinobi pouch, asked Kurenai to open her mouth, and fed it to her.
Then he turned and walked toward the center of the battlefield.
Hanzo had also seen Kiyohara's actions just now.
Kiyohara had dared to kill his deputy, and this alone had already ignited Hanzo's killing intent.
However, due to Tsunade unexpectedly moving to the rear, Hanzo refrained from acting rashly out of caution.
"Tsunade, since you are here, why hide? One of the legendary Sannin, and you act like a coward?"
His voice carried obvious mockery.
The Amegakure shinobi, upon hearing this, were greatly encouraged. Even one of Konoha's legendary Sannin did not dare face Lord Hanzo directly.
Kiyohara stopped walking.
He looked up at Hanzo, who stood atop the giant salamander.
A gas mask covered most of Hanzo's face, leaving only his eyes exposed.
They were eyes that had weathered countless battles, yet remained as sharp as an eagle's.
"Hanzo."
Kiyohara spoke, his voice not loud but clearly reaching Hanzo's ears.
"My teacher is unwell and unable to fight. If you have something to say, say it to me directly."
Hanzo's gaze shifted to Kiyohara, sizing him up from head to toe.
"So you are Kiyohara."
Hanzo said slowly.
"The Uchiha prodigy who rose to prominence during the Third Shinobi War."
"I would not dare call myself a prodigy."
Kiyohara replied calmly.
"I am just an ordinary shinobi of Konoha."
"Ordinary?"
Hanzo laughed, his voice muffled through the gas mask.
"Someone who can easily kill my deputy is far from ordinary."
He paused briefly before continuing, "Tsunade has taken in a fine disciple, but some matters are not something you should interfere with."
In the next moment, without waiting for Kiyohara to respond, Hanzo suddenly flung his right hand without any warning and three shuriken coated in a dark purple poison shot rapidly toward Kiyohara.
Kiyohara drew his blade with his right hand, and the silver-white edge carved a semicircle through the rain.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three crisp collisions rang out, almost merging into a single sound.
The poisoned shuriken were knocked away, embedding themselves into nearby tree trunks and rocks, their toxin diluted and washed away by the rain as it flowed downward.
Beneath his mask, Hanzo slightly raised his brow.
That sneak attack just now had used seventy percent of his strength, and the timing had been perfectly chosen at the moment their conversation shifted.
Yet this young man had not only reacted in time, he had effortlessly blocked all of it.
"It seems Lord Hanzo only knows how to use such underhanded sneak attacks."
Kiyohara flicked the poison off his blade.
In the original story, Hanzo truly was the type to scheme in the shadows.
He had first deceived the Akatsuki with false promises, then secretly set up the Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation beneath their feet. Nagato had his legs crippled by that very technique.
Perhaps knowing how devious he was, Hanzo even needed guards around him twenty four hours a day while he slept.
"A sneak attack?"
Hanzo's voice carried no discernible emotion.
"On the battlefield, there is only life and death, no rules. You are still too young."
At that moment, Yahiko stepped out from the Akatsuki formation.
He looked at Hanzo, a sense of disillusionment washing over him.
"Lord Hanzo… a few days ago, did you not say you would acknowledge our existence? Why have you come today with an army to wipe us out?"
This question voiced the thoughts of every Akatsuki member present.
Many of them had once regarded Hanzo as a hero, as the hope of the Land of Rain.
Even though he had grown increasingly authoritarian over the years, even though the state of the Land of Rain was far from ideal, a trace of hope still lingered deep within their hearts.
Perhaps this former hero still retained, somewhere inside, the ideal of changing the country.
Hanzo fell silent for a moment.
Raindrops struck the rough skin of the giant salamander beneath him, making a steady pattering sound.
Finally, he spoke.
"The ideals of Akatsuki are beautiful. Achieving peace through communication, avoiding involvement in the conflicts of great nations, protecting the weak… indeed, very beautiful."
His tone suddenly turned cold.
"But precisely because they are too beautiful, they should not exist. Your very existence challenges the current order. What the Land of Rain needs is not idealists, but pragmatists."
Yahiko clenched his fists tightly.
"So… the promises from before were all lies?"
"Promises?"
Hanzo replied indifferently.
"That was merely a test for you. It seems you have failed. Now I will give you two choices."
He raised two fingers.
"First, Akatsuki disbands on the spot. All members go their separate ways, and I will guarantee no pursuit."
"Second."
His finger pointed directly at Yahiko.
"You, as the leader, will die alone. Use your life in exchange for the survival of everyone else."
Shock spread across the faces of the Akatsuki members.
They looked at Yahiko, then at Hanzo, then at one another.
At that very moment, Nagato hurried over from the rear.
As soon as he entered the battlefield, he moved to stand at Yahiko's side.
Standing beside him, Nagato's Rinnegan glowed faintly beneath his long red hair, its ripple-like pattern visible in the shadows.
He recalled that after walking more than a hundred meters, he had turned back for a glance.
From lip reading, he had understood what "Madara Uchiha" had muttered to himself.
"Pain, loss, hatred… only by experiencing these can humans truly understand the value of peace."
Could it be… that man was right?
No.
Nagato forcefully cast aside the thought.
He did not trust that hidden manipulator, just as he no longer trusted the man before him, whom he had once admired.
"Lord Hanzo…"
"Do you know why I founded Akatsuki?"
Hanzo did not answer.
"Because when I was young, I saw you."
Yahiko continued, his eyes locked onto Hanzo.
"At the edge of the battlefield, you stood alone against the shinobi of three great countries, protecting the borders of the Land of Rain. Back then, you were my idol."
"I wanted to become someone like you, strong enough to protect this country, yet compassionate enough to give everyone a chance at peace."
He took a deep breath, rain and tears mingling on his face.
"But now I understand. You are no longer the Hanzo of those days. Corrupted by power, driven by fear, you have become the very thing you once despised."
No one could see Hanzo's expression beneath the mask, but his eyes flickered slightly.
"Naive."
He uttered the word.
"You think a few ideals can change the world? Ideals without strength are nothing more than the babbling of children."
"Then let me show you our strength!"
Nagato's voice suddenly rang out.
He could not hold back any longer.
Seeing the pain on Yahiko's face, the despair on his companions' faces, and the ugly reality of this fallen hero, he finally erupted.
His red hair lifted without wind, and the Rinnegan was fully revealed, its concentric ripples seeming to contract.
"Nagato!"
Yahiko tried to stop him, but it was already too late.
Nagato formed hand seals, chakra surging violently within his body.
"Summoning Technique: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!"
Boom!
The earth trembled violently.
With Nagato at the center, the ground split open in spiderweb-like cracks.
A monstrous figure appeared before everyone, its skin as rough as tree bark.
Its tall, emaciated body hunched forward, ten protruding pillar-like structures rising from its back.
Its eyes were wrapped in long cloth, leaving only its mouth and jaw exposed.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"What… what is that?!"
An Amegakure shinobi staggered backward in terror.
Even Hanzo, a veteran of countless battles, felt his pupils contract sharply the moment he saw it.
He could sense that this was no ordinary summoned creature.
"Nagato!"
Yahiko rushed to his side, only to see Nagato's face turning pale at a visible rate, his body growing thinner.
The price of summoning the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was the caster's life force.
"I… I'm fine."
Nagato gritted his teeth, maintaining his hand seals.
"Yahiko… this time… listen to me."
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path moved.
It raised its withered arm and brought it down toward the Rain shinobi.
The motion seemed slow, yet was astonishingly fast.
"Scatter!"
Hanzo shouted sharply.
But it was already too late.
Three Amegakure jonin attempted to defend with Earth jutsus, but their earthen walls shattered like paper under the Demonic Statue's palm.
The massive hand slammed into the ground, sending up waves of mud several meters high. The three jonin did not even have time to scream before being crushed into pulp.
"A monster… it is a monster!"
Fear spread rapidly among the Rain shinobi.
Konan looked at Nagato's gaunt profile, paper fragments fluttering around her.
She wanted to say something, but was stopped by Shizune.
"Now is not the time to lose focus."
Shizune said calmly, her hands already filled with poisoned senbon.
"Kurenai, we deal with the small fry."
Kurenai nodded and formed hand seals.
"Demonic Illusion: Mist Servant Technique!"
Her figure blurred in the rain, as if multiple versions of her appeared at once, confusing the enemy's vision.
The Akatsuki members also snapped out of their initial shock.
They saw the monster Nagato had summoned slaughtering the Amegakure shinobi.
Although its appearance was terrifying, it was attacking their enemies.
"Fight alongside Brother Nagato!"
"Protect our home!"
Their morale reignited.
Kiyohara watched all of this, rapidly assessing the situation.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was powerful, but Nagato would not be able to sustain it for long.
It was time.
Kiyohara closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his mind.
Inside the urn, the spiritual body of Toad Kiyohara opened its slit pupils.
"Going to borrow my power?"
"Yes."
Kiyohara's consciousness responded.
"Partial possession. Let me enter the Sage Mode of Mount Myoboku. I want to stack another layer on top of the curse mark."
"Can your current body handle it?"
"That is why I need you to possess me, to stabilize the situation."
Kiyohara replied.
The toad spirit let out a croaking sound that resembled laughter.
"Interesting. Then let us do it. But remember, you are human, not a toad. I cannot be sure what form my power will take on your body."
The moment Kiyohara opened his eyes, his body began to change.
First was his skin, his originally fair complexion gradually turning dark brown.
Then his hair, his black short hair grew at a visible speed, extending down to his shoulders in an instant.
Most striking was behind him, where a tail formed from condensed chakra slowly took shape, thick and powerful, its surface covered in scales.
Curse Mark Transformation, State Two.
But it did not end there.
As the toad spirit possessed him, orange pigmentation appeared around Kiyohara's eyes, like painted markings.
Natural energy began gathering toward him.
"This is…"
Konan stared at Kiyohara in shock.
How had he suddenly transformed into such a strange form?
Was it some kind of secret technique?
Or perhaps a bloodline limit?
She remembered that in the Land of Rice there was even a six armed spider clan.
Then what exactly was Kiyohara's situation?
Not only Konan, but Kurenai and Shizune were equally stunned.
It was also their first time seeing Kiyohara in this form.
"Sage Art?"
Hanzo's voice sounded again. He stared at Kiyohara, and for the first time, his expression beneath the mask truly changed.
He had fought Jiraiya before and knew that Jiraiya could use Sage Art.
The feeling Kiyohara gave him now was very similar.
Kiyohara did not answer Hanzo.
He simply felt the power surging within him, a completely different sensation from the curse mark.
The curse mark felt more like something passive, something used without truly understanding it.
But Sage Mode was different. It was the active utilization of that power.
If one had to describe it, it was a much higher level of control over senjutsu chakra.
Kiyohara could also feel his physical capabilities rising once more.
He took a single step forward.
The ground beneath his feet exploded outward in a ring of airwaves.
(End of Chapter)