"Hanzo—today is your end!"
Danzō's eyes were vicious, his blade pressing forward with relentless force. The strain made both his sword and Hanzo's chained sickle tremble violently.
Though he now stood alone, Hanzo was down one arm.
And for a shinobi—
Losing one hand meant no more two-handed seals.
A drastic drop in combat capability.
For Hanzo, it was worse.
His distinctive chained-sickle style demanded two hands to reach its full lethality.
Danzō believed victory was within reach.
"Don't speak too soon," Hanzo sneered coldly. "One hand is more than enough to kill you."
With a sharp twist of his arm, he knocked Danzō's blade aside and retreated.
"Don't run!"
Danzō pursued instantly, sword flashing like a blur. He refused to give Hanzo even a second to breathe.
Hanzo blocked and withdrew in measured rhythm.
Not desperate.
Not enraged.
Not pressing.
Just defending.
Danzō frowned.
Something was wrong.
A wounded predator should lash out more fiercely—not retreat.
He had prepared to endure a final frenzy.
But instead—
Hanzo was stalling.
Why?
Danzō's assault didn't slow, but his awareness widened.
Then he noticed something far worse.
The Root shinobi he had sent to eliminate Ibuse had not succeeded.
Not even close.
Ibuse showed no serious injuries.
And given its subterranean mobility, killing it quickly was nearly impossible.
Was Hanzo buying time?
"Useless trash!"
Danzō's irritation surged.
If Ibuse unleashed poison again—
The battlefield would flip.
There was only one solution.
Kill Hanzo before that happened.
The Turning Point
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Danzō forced Hanzo back with a slash and formed seals.
But—
For the briefest moment—
His body stiffened.
A half-second delay.
That was enough.
"Iaijutsu!"
Hanzo blurred forward.
The sickle flashed.
Danzō dodged with everything he had—
But the blade still carved into his sword arm, slicing deep enough to reveal bone.
His expression turned grim.
He retreated swiftly, transferred the blade to his left hand—
And without hesitation—
Severed his own right arm.
The poison.
He had experienced it once already.
Hesitation meant death.
But even as blood sprayed—
His body tingled.
Numbness crept across his limbs.
His eyes darkened.
"When did you poison me?" Danzō demanded.
Hanzo's smile was savage.
"My blood is more toxic than Ibuse's venom."
"The quantity is small, yes—but once it evaporates into the air…"
"It's enough to paralyze you."
Danzō's heart sank.
Years away from real battle had dulled him.
He had overlooked the most dangerous detail.
Today—
He might truly die.
Poison Returns
As if fate mocked him—
Ibuse roared again.
"Poison Mist!"
A vast tide of purple miasma surged outward.
The remaining Root shinobi immediately disengaged and retreated toward Danzō.
"Danzō-sama! We must withdraw! You cannot fall here!"
Only a handful remained.
Two Tokubetsu Jōnin.
Several Chūnin.
Hardly a defense.
Hanzo shook his head slightly.
"Struggle all you like. None of you leave."
Danzō understood the truth.
If they scattered, perhaps some might survive—
But he, the primary target, would certainly fall.
So there was only one option left.
If he was to die—
He would take Hanzo with him.
A final trump card.
"Hold him. Buy me time—"
He began issuing the order.
To activate—
Reverse Four Symbols Sealing.
But before he finished—
Hanzo suddenly looked up.
Eyes narrowing toward the distance.
Danzō followed his gaze—
But saw nothing.
He was not a sensory-type.
However, one of his remaining Root operatives was.
"Danzō-sama! There's fighting nearby! Based on the chakra signatures—it's those two boys who escaped earlier!"
Danzō's eyes gleamed.
He turned to Hanzo.
"It seems the brats you're protecting are in trouble."
"Will you stay here and finish this?"
"We may be at a disadvantage… but we can still drag you to hell with us."
His voice was steady.
But inside—
He trembled.
This was his last gamble.
No one wanted to die.
Hanzo's gaze sharpened.
Through the torn sleeve of Danzō's robe—
He saw it.
Faint black sealing patterns spreading across Danzō's chest.
The precursor.
The suicide technique.
Hanzo understood instantly.
"So that's your hand."
He didn't hesitate.
"Consider yourself lucky."
And he vanished.
Survival
The oppressive pressure lifted.
Danzō exhaled for the first time.
His aura visibly weakened.
The paralysis crept further.
"Move. We head for the Konoha war camp."
They had survived.
Barely.
But somewhere in the Rain—
A new battle had begun.
And whatever was happening there—
Was enough to make even Hanzo abandon a guaranteed kill.
That—
Was the true unexpected turn.
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