"One-Sword Style: Demon Sever!"
Uchiha Yusuke's blade carved through the air in a brutal arc. The Root operative responsible for the genjutsu spat out blood and was sent flying.
Outnumbered, Yusuke moved like the battlefield belonged to him. The two Root squads were already beginning to crumble.
"So even the genjutsu plan failed… damn it."
After being countered again and again, the Root captain felt pressure mounting. Yusuke was far stronger than expected—if this continued, they would be annihilated.
He pulled a flare from his vest and fired it into the sky.
A red streak cut through the darkness.
After the signal went up, the Root operatives shouted once more, trying to rally their resolve.
"Uchiha Yusuke, you really are strong…"
"But this ends here!"
"With that lord taking the field personally, you will die tonight!"
Yusuke's eyes narrowed slightly.
So Danzō had prepared reinforcements.
Someone who gave Root this level of confidence would not be ordinary.
Several names flashed through his mind.
Hiruzen Sarutobi? Unlikely. If the Third Hokage truly moved against him, it would never be under Danzō's banner.
Jiraiya? Impossible. Jiraiya did not even reliably follow the Hokage, let alone Danzō.
Tsunade? Even less likely—she was still wandering outside the village.
Orochimaru… perhaps. He had ties to Root in the past.
But Yusuke's instincts rejected it.
Orochimaru pursued knowledge and immortality—not political assassinations for Danzō's sake.
As Yusuke considered the possibilities, a sharp sound cut through the forest.
The man's presence arrived before his body.
"So Root brought this many men… and still can't handle a single Uchiha brat?"
"Danzō truly has grown worse with age."
A figure stepped forward into the moonlight, a scythe resting on his shoulder, a breathing mask covering his lower face.
Yusuke's pupils contracted.
Hanzō the Salamander.
Danzō had invited him.
Hanzō, the leader of Amegakure—once hailed as the "Demigod of the Ninja World."
During the Second Great Ninja War, he had single-handedly suppressed Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. It was under his shadow that the title "Legendary Sannin" was born.
Years later, he had even cooperated with Danzō to crush the early Akatsuki, leading to Yahiko's death and driving Nagato and Konan down a darker path.
This was no ordinary reinforcement.
Hanzō was a genuine Kage-level powerhouse.
If Danzō had invited someone like this—
he was determined to eliminate Yusuke at any cost.
Under the moonlight, Hanzō stood with his hands behind his back, studying Yusuke.
"Flame Demon Yusuke."
"I've heard you defeated Kumogakure's A–B Combination."
"Can you defeat me?"
Yusuke smiled faintly.
"The so-called 'peak of the ninja world'… you are indeed a heavyweight."
"But eras change."
"The new replaces the old."
"Your time has already passed."
It was not entirely inaccurate.
After staining his hands alongside Danzō and turning his blade inward on the shinobi world's idealists, Hanzō's legend had begun to decay.
He was no longer the feared war god of his youth.
Hanzō snorted.
"Sharp tongue."
"Let's see if your strength matches it."
Yusuke adjusted his stance.
"Try me."
Their chakra pressure surged outward, shaking the surrounding trees. Leaves trembled and scattered.
Hanzō moved first.
Hand seals flashed. A chain shot forward, wrapping around Yusuke's sword.
At the same time, his poison-coated scythe swept in.
"Weapon Art: Chain-Scythe Dual Slash!"
Yusuke attempted to break free—but the chain tightened.
So he shifted instantly.
Fire Release Chakra Mode.
His body became flame.
Clang!
Hanzō's scythe passed harmlessly through elemental fire.
Yusuke slipped from the chain and countered in the same breath.
"One-Sword Style: Wave Sever!"
Hanzō reacted without hesitation.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
He vanished and reappeared at his original position.
The flying slash tore a deep trench into the earth.
Hanzō observed calmly.
"Unusual Fire Release… unpredictable."
"Outstanding swordsmanship."
"And if you truly carry Uchiha blood…"
"Your ocular power cannot be weak."
He lifted his chin slightly.
"Show me."
Yusuke lunged forward.
"You want to see my eyes?"
"Then prove you're qualified."
His blade descended like thunder.
Hanzō retreated—but mid-slide, he slammed his palm to the ground.
"Fire Release: Explosive Flame Formation!"
Explosive tags erupted beneath Yusuke's feet, spreading instantly across the ground and climbing his legs.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
A chain of detonations engulfed him in black smoke.
Hanzō spoke evenly.
"Is it over?"
The smoke dispersed.
Yusuke stood in the crater, flames dancing around him, completely unharmed.
Hanzō's gaze sharpened.
"Impressive."
"To endure my explosive technique without damage…"
"So the 'Flame Demon' reputation is not exaggerated."
Yusuke raised his head.
Scarlet eyes gleamed.
Hanzō immediately distanced himself.
"That gaze…"
"Genjutsu."
Maintaining distance was the simplest counter to Sharingan illusions.
Yusuke spun his sword once before sheathing it.
He formed hand seals instead.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Hanzō responded calmly.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
Flame and water collided, generating a burst of steam.
Moisture rose into the sky. Clouds thickened overhead.
Hanzō's lips curved slightly.
"The rain clouds are ready."
"And you have your Fire Release to thank for it."
His hands moved swiftly.
"Rain Curtain Barrier—activate!"
A drizzle began.
Then steady rainfall.
Though Hanzō was not a water-specialist on the level of Tobirama Senju, within rainfall his combat efficiency rose significantly. His speed in rain was renowned.
With the barrier active, Hanzō had established his domain.
He shifted to offense.
"Water Release: Water Shockwave!"
A surging wave crashed toward Yusuke.
Yusuke did not retreat. He allowed the water to pass through his elemental form.
Wave after wave struck—
yet the flames persisted.
The fog thickened as rain continued.
Hanzō seized the moment.
"Ninja Art: Hiding in Mist Technique!"
Mist layered upon rainfall.
Visibility plummeted.
Even the Sharingan struggled under such interference.
Hanzō moved across the water like a phantom.
"Weapon Art: Iaijutsu Slash!"
His scythe flashed.
Yusuke's body was cleaved in two.
Flames surged—
and the halves rejoined, reforming as if untouched.
Yusuke frowned slightly.
The Sharingan could not clearly track Hanzō's movement.
Yet Hanzō seemed able to read him.
Was he using the rainfall itself to sense disturbances?
If so, this terrain heavily favored Hanzō.
Rain and mist restricted vision.
Hanzō moved freely.
The longer this continued, the more advantageous it became for him.
Even if Yusuke did not fear water, chakra and stamina were not infinite.
If dragged into prolonged combat within Hanzō's domain, defeat was possible.
Yusuke reached a decision.
Break the Rain Curtain Barrier.
He stood motionless beneath the rain, eyes closed.
Hanzō sensed the opening immediately.
"Now."
"Die, Uchiha Yusuke!"
The chain-scythe shot toward Yusuke's throat.
At the moment of impact—
Yusuke's eyes snapped open.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
Clang.
The scythe did not strike flesh.
It collided with a skeletal ribcage forming around Yusuke.
Hanzō's pupils shrank.
"That is—?"
Yusuke's voice was cold.
"The Uchiha clan's forbidden ocular art."
"The power of the gods."
"Susanoo."
Hanzō exhaled slowly.
"So this is the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"The same ocular power Madara Uchiha wielded."
He adjusted his grip on the scythe.
"Interesting."
Rain continued to fall as two monsters faced each other beneath the moonlit storm.
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