In the narrow basin, the Akatsuki and Amegakure were engaged in a fierce battle.
The cause of the fight was not just a mere misunderstanding; the deeper reason was a clash of ideologies. As the new faction in the Land of Rain, the Akatsuki were not satisfied with their current status and challenged Amegakure.
Amegakure, being an established power, was also unwilling to see the rise of the Akatsuki, as it threatened their position.
To the observer, Danzo, it did not matter who would win or lose. He was only concerned with weakening Amegakure and gaining enough benefits from the situation.
Standing on a cliff, Danzo looked down at the battlefield below while waiting for the right moment to step in.
Among the combatants, he focused particularly on Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
These three ninjas, who had been taught by Jiraiya, were exceptionally strong. Each had the strength of a Jonin, and together they could hold their own against Hanzo.
This fact made Danzo frown.
It was worth noting that the last ninjas who had fought Hanzo to a standstill were called the Sannin of Konoha, who now held significant positions in the ninja world.
Although Hanzo's strength had diminished with age and he had not yet summoned his salamander, his signature summoned beast, it still proved the potential of Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan. It was a grave mistake that Jiraiya had nurtured such ninjas in an enemy nation and not brought them back to Konoha.
After both sides would exhaust most of their strength, Danzo would give the order to assist Hanzo's forces.
However, he stayed on the cliff, with no intention of joining the fight, which puzzled Ryoma Aburame standing beside him.
After all, Danzo usually acted alongside them.
Danzo glanced at Ryoma, understanding his thoughts but feeling no obligation to explain.
The reason he had not joined the battle was that he sensed something was amiss.
Just moments ago, he had witnessed the explosion of an explosive tag array, but the person at the center of the explosion was not Byakuya, but someone else.
So where exactly was Byakuya? What was Byakuya planning?
These doubts made Danzo hesitant. The current situation was completely out of his control, and his instincts told him not to act rashly and to be ready to retreat at any moment.
Down below.
Utilizing his Instant Water Technique, Hanzo dodged the explosion of the explosive tags and reappeared several meters away. He wiped the water off his face and looked in the direction of Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, with his eyes filled with wariness.
Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato all possessed the strength of Jonin.
Yahiko was the easiest to deal with. His style was the most traditional, relying on one or two signature jutsu and passable taijutsu. Hanzo could take him down in less than a minute in a one-on-one fight.
But Konan and Nagato were much more challenging.
Konan's Paper Release Secret Technique could neutralize Hanzo's taijutsu. To counter her, his Water Release techniques were not significantly effective against her. He could only rely on his advanced Body Flicker Technique to continually dodge.
Nagato's taijutsu was poor, even worse than an average Chunin, but he possessed many strange abilities.
Hanzo did not even try to get too close to Nagato, always avoiding direct confrontation with him.
When the three of them joined forces, Hanzo felt unprecedented pressure, greater than he had felt when fighting the Sannin in the past.
He couldn't tell if it was because he had grown old or because these young ninjas were exceptionally strong.
"Bansho Ten'in! (Universal Pull)"
Hearing Nagato's muffled chant, Hanzo quickly used his Instant Water Technique to dodge, landing on a rock. He looked up at the cliff, his heart filled with anger and helplessness.
What kind of jutsu were these mysterious gravitational and repulsive forces?
Why hadn't Danzo joined the fight himself? Wasn't he worried that after Hanzo was taken down, these brats would gang up on him? Or had Danzo secretly allied with the Akatsuki?
"Shinra Tensei! (Almighty Puch!)"
Barely dodging the repulsive force attack, Hanzo was hit directly by an explosive tag, causing his internal energy to surge, breaking several ribs.
Wiping the blood from his mouth, Hanzo glanced at his heavily wounded subordinates.
He had used all his conventional jutsu and still couldn't deal with these Akatsuki brats. The only option left was to rely on his salamander and unleash an indiscriminate poison attack.
Even though it would kill many of his own men due to its indiscriminate nature, there was no other choice left.
Using his Substitution Technique again, Hanzo put several hundred meters between himself and his opponents. Biting his finger, he slammed his hands on the ground and shouted, "Summoning Technique!"
Instantly, a thick white smoke formed at the spot.
Upon seeing the white smoke, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato immediately pulled back and called out to their subordinates, "Everyone, fall back five kilometers and put on your gas masks."
The Amegakure ninjas and Konoha's Root members also quickly donned their masks as well, all having heard of the deadly poison of Hanzo's salamander.
A few seconds later, the dense white smoke dispersed, revealing the salamander's axolotl-like true form. Standing on its head was a young figure chewing on a grass stalk.
The young figure was Byakuya.
When the salamander was summoned, Byakuya jumped onto its back, being transported to the battlefield along with it.
Byakuya's striking entrance drew everyone's attention.
Seeing Byakuya appear with the salamander, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato were stunned. They had never expected him to show up in such a manner.
"Byakuya, so you're okay, but how did you end up here?" Yahiko asked worriedly. Nagato and Konan also expressed their concern, but more than that, they were shocked.
"We'll catch up later…"
Byakuya leaped off the salamander and looked at Hanzo ahead, speaking in a calm tone:
"Hanzo-sensei, I'm here to inform you that I've taken over Amegakure! If you don't want to die, it's best to surrender as soon as possible. I don't want to be known as a teacher-killer, although my reputation isn't that great to begin with."
Taken over Amegakure?
Even Yahiko was stunned by this revelation. He had been fighting on the front lines, planning how to rescue Byakuya and even engaging in battle with Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure.
And now, he was being told that Byakuya was not only safe but had also taken control of Hanzo's village. The twists and turns of the situation and the sheer volume of information left him struggling to comprehend it all.
However, Hanzo quickly pieced it together.
Byakuya had not only managed to deceive him but had also, in just one morning, gained control of his summoning beast and taken over Amegakure!
After accomplishing all this, Byakuya now stood before him, claiming he did not want to kill him!
Feeling an indescribable sense of humiliation, Hanzo gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of Byakuya, slashing down hard.
However, Byakuya merely glanced at Hanzo before the adamantine chains behind him blocked the attack.
"If Hanzo-sensei wants to fight, then as your student, I have no choice but to experience the might of a demigod firsthand."
===
500 PSs = 5 Additional Chapters!
Also, read 20+ chapters in advance here:
www.patr eon.com/OberonLA