Chapter 163: The Death of Hanzō the Half-God (1 & 2 Update)
The white surge of air gradually faded.
Might Duy, who had looked like a Saiyan warrior, returned to his original appearance.
The Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates Formation was incredibly draining; after using the Daytime Tiger, he had lost all combat capability.
Unless he activated the Eighth Gate, the Gate of Death.
But there was no need to go that far for Hanzō.
Once the white chakra completely dissipated, the devastated landscape was revealed to everyone.
As far as the eye could see, the earth was littered with shattered rocks and devoid of any life.
In the very center was a deep, abyss-like crater, faintly visible in the shape of a tiger's head.
Tsunade stepped forward and peered down, quickly spotting Hanzō.
He wasn't dead, but he was close. His entire body was covered in blood, his face was pale, his breathing was shallow, and he was utterly beaten.
Tsunade leaped down and stood before him. "His name is Might Duy."
When Hanzō heard the name 'Might Duy,' his body involuntarily twitched.
He truly had not expected this obscure Leaf ninja to land such a fatal blow.
If he hadn't been so condescending earlier, he might have had a chance to dodge it.
But now it was too late.
Hanzō watched as Tsunade drew a kunai. He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but blood rushed out instead.
The kunai effortlessly sliced across his throat. He instinctively clutched his neck, but it was useless.
Seeing this, Tsunade threw two more kunai, which accurately struck his heart.
Only after he was completely dead did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Tsunade calculated that roughly ten years had passed since the battle between the Three Sannin and Hanzō.
Truly, how things change.
After a brief moment of melancholy, Tsunade used chakra to lift Hanzō's corpse and tossed it out of the crater.
She then leaped out of the pit herself and shouted, "Hanzō is dead!"
The crowd was utterly silent. The only continuous sound on the battlefield was the rain.
No one had imagined that Hanzō, the man dubbed the Half-God, would meet his end here.
"I—I actually killed Hanzō?"
Might Duy sank to the ground.
Though his whole body was screaming from pain and exhaustion, his spirit was incredibly exhilarated.
"D-Dead?"
Yahiko was in a daze.
Even though the blow had been earth-shattering, he still found it hard to believe Hanzō could be killed.
After all, his legends were too numerous.
Now that he was truly dead, Yahiko felt an inexpressible sense of relief.
Hanzō had always been like a mountain pressing down on the Akatsuki, suffocating them. "The Land of Rain will welcome a new peace!"
Nagato's voice was trembling, filled with excitement.
With Hanzō dead, the Hidden Rain Village would disintegrate, powerless to oppose the Akatsuki.
The Akatsuki could seize this opportunity to take control of the Land of Rain and realize their ideal.
"Yes!"
Konan looked at Tsunade and Hoshikawa and said slowly, "We won!"
The next moment, the members of the Akatsuki erupted in earth-shattering cheers.
In stark contrast, the Hidden Rain ninjas were utterly demoralized.
Someone shouted an order, and they instinctively turned and fled outwards, disorganized, like a pack of beaten dogs.
"Should we pursue them?" Nagato asked, his expression serious.
"No need."
Yahiko shook his head. "They are no longer a threat, and not all Hidden Rain ninjas were loyal to Hanzō."
"Are you suggesting we assimilate them?" Nagato asked, somewhat surprised.
"Mhm."
Yahiko admitted, "Many of our Akatsuki members already came from the Hidden Rain Village in the first place."
"Yahiko is right," Konan agreed.
"Fair enough."
Nagato said no more.
"You two organize people to clear the battlefield," Yahiko said, his spirits lifting. "I'll go meet the Leaf Village ninjas."
"Understood."
Konan immediately turned and began organizing the manpower.
Nagato nodded in silence.
Although he didn't care for the Leaf Village ninjas, their contribution to killing Hanzō was the greatest.
He believed in repaying kindness and vengeance.
At the very least, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Hoshikawa were different.
"Lady Tsunade."
Yahiko hurried over and said gratefully, "The Akatsuki will never forget the aid provided by the Leaf Village today."
"It's nothing,"
Tsunade, feeling good after avenging a decade-old grudge, said with a smile, "After all, the Akatsuki and the Leaf Village are allies."
"I'm ashamed to admit," Yahiko said sheepishly, "that while we are allies, the Akatsuki has been the one constantly receiving help from the Leaf Village."
"There's no need for pleasantries," Tsunade waved her hand. "You should get busy. You have a lot of things waiting for you to handle."
"Lady Tsunade," Yahiko hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "Please give me your advice."
With Hanzō dead, the Land of Rain was leaderless.
As Nagato had said, the Akatsuki could smoothly take over and bring peace to the Land of Rain.
But what did the Leaf Village think? Did they harbor no designs on the Land of Rain?
"You've truly grown into a competent leader," Tsunade looked at him and said with a light chuckle.
Yahiko, whose thoughts had been seen through, looked a little embarrassed.
"A stable Land of Rain is more beneficial to the Leaf Village," Tsunade mused. "You should hurry and suppress the chaos, then take control of the Hidden Rain Village."
Before this, the presence of Hanzō made the Land of Rain feel like a ticking time bomb to the Leaf Village.
No one knew when it might explode and reignite a Second Great Ninja War.
Now that Hanzō was replaced by the Akatsuki, the danger was greatly reduced.
Setting aside the fact that Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were Jiraiya's students, their personalities and ideals meant they wouldn't proactively start a war.
Furthermore, the Akatsuki had become an ally of the Leaf Village. If the Leaf Village was ever embroiled in a war, they could ask the Akatsuki for assistance.
If the Leaf Village tried to forcefully intervene in the Land of Rain, they would not only turn the Akatsuki into an enemy, but also arouse suspicion from the Hidden Sand and Hidden Stone Villages.
After all, the Land of Rain was located at the border of the Land of Earth, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Fire—its geographical location was highly critical.
"Yes," Yahiko breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade!"
"Mhm."
Tsunade acknowledged him and then walked over to Hoshikawa.
He was sitting on the ground resting, the bloodstains and rainwater making him look quite a mess.
Tsunade pursed her lips, finding it hard to stay angry.
She squatted down, raised her hand, and flicked him on the forehead.
"Ow, what was that for?"
Hoshikawa looked at her blankly.
His attention had been focused on the Status System, so he didn't understand her action.
When the Salamander died, Hoshikawa had unexpectedly acquired a new talent keyword.
[B-Rank Talent Keyword: Rain God.]
[Trigger Condition: Kill the Salamander.]
[Effect: Water Release Power increases by 100% in a rainy environment.]
Although it was limited to a rainy environment, when combined with the B-Rank keyword [Water Release Special Jōnin] which boosted Water Release power by 100%, it meant a total of 200%.
In other words, his Water Release would reach an incredibly terrifying level in the Land of Rain.
And even if he wasn't in the Land of Rain, he could find ways to meet the rainy condition.
Take Sasuke Uchiha's Kirin, for example.
This S-Rank Lightning Release Jutsu required the use of natural lightning.
So, Sasuke Uchiha came up with a method.
He used the Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique to rapidly heat the air, creating an updraft.
The rising air then generated cumulonimbus clouds, which finally produced lightning.
Cumulonimbus clouds could generate lightning, and also sudden rain.
This perfectly fulfilled the condition for rain.
Of course, in the heat of battle, this process could be disrupted by the enemy, so it wouldn't be perfect.
But Hoshikawa was satisfied just to gain a new keyword.
"What do you think I'm doing?"
Tsunade glared at him and asked, "What is wrong with you? Look at the state you're in."
"Oh, this? It's nothing."
Hoshikawa said dismissively, "A little dirt is normal when you're fighting."
"Don't think I don't know what you did!"
Tsunade looked displeased, but still reached out and wiped his face.
Hoshikawa looked at her and couldn't help but smile.
The rain beat down on his face, adding a kind of messy beauty.
Tsunade's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly pinched him and said, "Still smiling? Don't you ever do anything that dangerous again!"
"Yes, Sensei!"
Hoshikawa said with a serious expression, "I promise!"
His reckless action this time was purely due to insufficient strength, or perhaps, a lack of time.
Once he acquired the Strength of a Hundred Seal, Wood Release, Lightning Release Chakra Mode, or higher-level keywords, he naturally wouldn't have to be so desperate.
"But you did do a very good job this time. When we go back, I'll have the old man reward you."
Tsunade gently stroked his face, her tone softening. "You should know that even the Leaf Village couldn't handle that Salamander back in the day."
Everyone knew Hanzō's most frightening weapon was his summon, the Salamander.
Especially during the Second Great Ninja War, the Leaf Village had tried to kill it numerous times, but many died without success.
"Mhm."
Hoshikawa blinked, then suddenly noticed something and asked, "Sensei, do you want to wear a raincoat?"
"No need—"
Tsunade instinctively looked down and immediately realized the problem.
Because she was worried about Hoshikawa, she hadn't used chakra to repel the rain.
Coupled with her half-crouching position, her clothes were now soaked through.
Her back was fine because of the tea-green outer robe stamped with the character for 'Gamble.'
But the side facing Hoshikawa, her clothing was semi-sheer and clinging, hinting at details that drew the eye.
Tsunade was uncharacteristically overcome with a rare wave of shyness.
She quickly covered Hoshikawa's eyes, saying with a hint of annoyance, "Close your eyes!"
"I wasn't looking."
Hoshikawa said with a straight face and pulled out a raincoat.
He didn't want anyone else to see.
Fortunately, the Akatsuki were busy clearing the battlefield.
Might Duy was lying on the ground resting after activating the Seventh Gate.
And the only others nearby, Yūhi Kurenai and Nohara Rin, were tending to the injured.
Tsunade took the raincoat and immediately put it on.
She let out a silent sigh of relief.
But looking at Hoshikawa, she felt a subtle sense of awkwardness.
She inexplicably felt that the relationship between the two of them had undergone a subtle change.
"What should we do with Hanzō's body?" Hoshikawa cleared his throat, changing the subject.
"We'll take it back to the Leaf Village and hand it over to the Yamanaka Clan."
Tsunade composed herself and looked at Hanzō's corpse. "He must know a lot of secrets."
"Sensei killing Hanzō is definitely going to shake the entire ninja world," Hoshikawa said with a smile. "They might even give you the title of 'God-Slayer.'"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes at him. "Killing Hanzō wasn't just my doing. Duy was the key."
"True."
Hoshikawa nodded slightly.
Hidden Rain Village Entrance.
Shimura Danzō stood in the rain, waiting for the results.
Though his expression was calm, a hint of anxiety lingered in his heart.
He was worried that Hanzō might fail, even if the possibility was slim.
Shimura Danzō had not gone with them.
After all, there were too many eyes around.
If he appeared, it would confirm his involvement.
As for the Root members, he could easily pin the blame on Hanzō.
He would claim Hanzō had misled them and that he was completely unaware of the plot.
Just then, a figure rapidly approached.
Shimura Danzō's heart tightened. He looked up and saw it was a Root member.
"Lord Danzō!"
The Root ninja knelt down. "Hanzō is dead. The Hidden Rain Village has been utterly defeated!"
"Wha—What?!"
Shimura Danzō instinctively took half a step back. "Tsunade's strength alone shouldn't be enough to kill Hanzō. Was it Nagato?"
He had seen Nagato and knew the boy possessed the same eyes as the legendary Six Paths Sage.
"No."
The Root ninja said gravely, "It was Might Duy."
"Huh?"
A look of confusion crossed Danzō's face. "Who is that?"
"Might Guy's father," the Root ninja reminded him. "He's a Genin."
Shimura Danzō grabbed his collar. He roared, "Are you mocking me?!"
"I wouldn't dare," the Root ninja quickly replied. "He used the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates Formation."
"Someone actually reached the Seventh Gate?"
Shimura Danzō's eyes widened.
The Eight Gates Formation was recorded in the Forbidden Scroll.
He had read it and tried to learn it, but quickly gave up because the difficulty was too high.
The Root ninja didn't know how to answer and could only remain silent.
"We're returning to the Leaf," Shimura Danzō said, his expression grim.
With things having reached this point, killing them to silence the witnesses was impossible.
The only option left was to deflect the blame.
But he had to reach Hiruzen Sarutobi before Tsunade and make his framed narrative look like ironclad evidence.
Otherwise, he wouldn't escape punishment.
Though he wouldn't die, given Tsunade's temper, she would likely make him pay a heavy price.
Due to Hanzō's presence, various ninja villages had spies stationed in the Hidden Rain Village.
When the defeated Hidden Rain ninjas began to return, they quickly learned the shocking news of Hanzō's death.
In an instant, various intelligence operations were activated in the Hidden Rain Village.
Leaf Village, Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced out the window; dusk had arrived.
Just as he was preparing to leave for the day, he heard a knock on the door.
"Lord Hokage."
An ANBU ninja walked in and said, "Urgent report from the Land of Rain."
"Did Tsunade run into Hanzō?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi hurriedly opened the scroll, then froze in place.
The contents were simple: Hanzō had been killed by Tsunade and Might Duy.
His first reaction was that it was impossible.
But the ANBU would never dare to lie to him.
So, it's true?
Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand holding the scroll trembled slightly.
.......................
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