Chapter 93: The Price of Defiance
Hanzo stood atop his giant salamander, looking down at the three incapacitated Konoha ninja with a mix of respect and calculation.
"You truly live up to Konoha's reputation, producing so many geniuses," Hanzo declared, his voice echoing across the muddy field. "I, Hanzo, acknowledge your strength. From this day forward, you shall be known as the Legendary Three Ninja of Konoha!" Having bestowed this title, he seemed to consider the matter settled and prepared to withdraw.
He had already killed one of them. Eliminating these three as well would burn all bridges with Konoha and guarantee him a powerful enemy for life. This was the perfect compromise. He had fulfilled his obligation to Ōnoki by participating, and by sparing these three prodigies, he had shown Konoha a measure of mercy. A pragmatic move, or so he thought.
Unfortunately, he was unaware of Kato Dan's significance. Had he known, he would have realized he had already crossed the point of no return.
Below, Tsunade's hands glowed with green chakra as she desperately tried to purge the toxin from Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Her eyes, filled with tears of frustration and grief, were locked on Kato Dan's lifeless body in the distance. There was nothing more she could do for him.
At that moment, Akatsurugi saw what others could not—Kato Dan's soul, lingering by Tsunade's side. Refusing to move on to the Pure Land, the young man's spirit burned with a final desire to protect the woman he loved, even if it meant facing eternal torment.
Just as Kato Dan's ghostly form began to glow, preparing to transfer his last vestiges of chakra to Tsunade, a figure descended from the heavens like a crimson comet. Akatsurugi landed softly, his gaze piercing the veil between life and death, settling directly on the spectral form of his student.
Kato Dan started, his ethereal face shifting from shock to elation. "Teacher!" he cried out, before his expression fell. "But... you can't see me now. I'm already..."
"Stay," Akatsurugi commanded, his voice calm but absolute. "Do not depart for the Pure Land yet."
Kato Dan's eyes widened in disbelief. His teacher could see him. Of course—he had taught Akatsurugi the secret soul techniques of the Kato clan. It made sense that his master could perceive him now. Nodding vigorously, Dan's spirit solidified, obeying the order.
Akatsurugi then turned his attention to the living.
"Captain!" Tsunade choked out, a wave of relief so potent it made her dizzy. Seeing the unwavering back of Konoha's Blaze God, both Jiraiya and Orochimaru finally succumbed to their injuries and poison, collapsing into unconsciousness. The fight was over; their protector had arrived.
"Take care of them," Akatsurugi said, his voice low. Without another glance in their direction, he fixed his eyes on Hanzo.
Hanzo stood frozen on his salamander, his mouth agape. Every muscle in his body locked in sheer terror. Akatsurugi. He was here. Now. A cold dread, more potent than any poison, seized Hanzo's heart. We're finished, was his only, despairing thought.
"Impressive, Hanzo," Akatsurugi's voice was colder than the deepest winter, devoid of any warmth. He merely stood there, yet an invisible, murderous intent washed over the Rain ninja, making them feel as if they'd been plunged into an ice cave, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
"Chief! There's no turning back now!" one of the braver Rain ninja shouted from behind Hanzo. Even a god of fire could be killed. They had no choice but to fight.
As he spoke, his hands flew through hand signs. In an instant, countless microscopic water needles shot up from the puddles on the ground, hurtling towards Akatsurugi like a deadly mist.
Spurred into action, Hanzo nodded grimly, his own hands weaving a familiar sequence. "Fire Release: Detonating Flame Formation!" he roared.
He had prepared this trap for the Sannin, burying explosive tags in three locations. He had used two; the third and final one was buried right where Akatsurugi now stood. The ground beneath the Blaze God's feet glowed with ominous red lines before erupting in a colossal pillar of fire and earth.
As Hanzo initiated the attack, the rest of the Rain ninja joined in, unleashing a torrent of Water Release techniques towards the inferno, hoping to extinguish the flame user through sheer volume.
Akatsurugi didn't even bother to look at the onslaught. With Tsunade and the others behind him, his body instantly transformed into living flame. With a casual wave of his hand, a wall of blazing fire erupted, shielding the unconscious Sannin and effortlessly blocking the combined ninjutsu of the entire Rain squad.
The area where he stood was consumed by a chain reaction of explosions, but Akatsurugi, now a being of pure element, remained utterly unscathed. The Water Release techniques that followed hit the raging fires, only to sizzle and vanish into plumes of steam.
"Poison Mist!" Hanzo commanded, a last, desperate gambit.
Beneath him, the salamander, Katsuya, obeyed, spewing a thick, violet fog from its maw that rapidly enveloped the entire area, including Akatsurugi. The toxin was potent enough to drop a herd of elephants, but against an elemental body, it was useless. The poison seeped harmlessly through his fiery form.
By now, Tsunade had managed to drag Jiraiya and Orochimaru to a safe distance. Seeing them escape, a cold smile finally touched Akatsurugi's lips.
Now, the hunt could begin.
In a flicker of movement, he vanished from the ground and reappeared in the air directly above Hanzo and his salamander. Ryūjin Jakka came down in a clean, decisive slash.
Hanzo barely managed to block with his sickle-blade, the impact jarring his arms. "Sword Art: Iaido Slash!" he screamed, channeling his chakra into a lightning-fast counter-attack.
Akatsurugi's expression remained one of utter boredom. Instead of parrying with his sword, he simply retracted it and threw a punch, ignoring the deadly slash entirely.
But this was no ordinary punch. His fist expanded violently, transforming into a colossal, sun-bright fist of pure flame. The air itself warped and screamed under the intensity of its power.
With a dismissive flick of his wrist, Akatsurugi launched the fiery fist.
BOOM!
The original Hanzo on the salamander's back dissolved into a splash of water—a Water Clone. The real Akatsurugi's flaming fist connected with the massive salamander itself. The creature had no time to even cry out before it was violently dispelled, banished back to the depths of the summoning realm.
"Water Shadow Clone?" Akatsurugi mused, his gaze already shifting to where the real Hanzo now stood, regrouped with his remaining ninja. "You lot, run! I'll hold him off!" Hanzo yelled, his voice cracking with desperation.
As long as the core of Amegakure survived, the village could live on. As for him? He was a dead man walking. He had earned the undying attention of Konoha's Blaze God. If the Third Raikage couldn't survive that fury, what chance did he have?
The Rain ninja hesitated for only a second before scattering in all directions. Hanzo, standing his ground, formed a long series of hand signs. "Water Release: Water Dragon Blast Technique!" A massive dragon of chakra-infused water erupted from the surrounding marsh, roaring as it charged Akatsurugi.
Akatsurugi merely raised his palm. "Great Flame."
His arm transformed, and a concentrated beam of white-hot fire lanced from his palm, meeting the water dragon head-on. The collision was catastrophic; a deafening hiss filled the air as a massive cloud of superheated steam instantly blanketed the battlefield.
But Hanzo wasn't done. Still weaving signs within the cover of the mist, he suddenly sensed a presence behind him. He spun, but too late. Akatsurugi was already there, Ryūjin Jakka's charred blade stabbing towards his heart.
Hanzo twisted his body, avoiding a direct kill, but the searing blade still punched through his shoulder. Gritting his teeth against the agony, he reached up and grabbed the blade with his bare hand, ignoring the sizzle of his own flesh.
Then, he took a deep, final breath. His gas mask had been lost long ago. This was his last gambit. From his mouth, he unleashed a torrent of water mixed with his own unique, deadly venom, aiming it directly at Akatsurugi's face at point-blank range.
He hoped to force the Blaze God to abandon his sword, to make a mistake, to reveal his tangible form for just a second so the poison could take hold.
It was a desperate move from a cornered man.