The air at the summit of the Amegakure Citadel didn't just carry the scent of rain; it felt heavy with the pressurized weight of a god's presence. As Kaito stepped onto the high balcony, his rhythmic hiss-haaa was the only sound that dared to challenge the roaring storm. Behind him, Team Hiruzen—the future Sannin—stayed in the shadows of the stairwell, their bodies tense, their breath hitched in their throats.
"You know, for a man who rules a country of pipes, you have a surprisingly good view, Hanzo," Kaito called out, his voice light and airy, carrying a cheerful resonance that felt entirely wrong for the setting.
At the edge of the balcony, standing atop the head of the Great Salamander, Ibuse, was Hanzo of the Salamander. The legendary shinobi didn't turn around immediately. He stood with his back to Kaito, his gaze fixed on the burning horizon of his war-torn land.
"I heard the sound of the Citadel gates being launched into the ravine," Hanzo's voice was a muffled, vibrating growl behind his gas mask. "I assumed it was Kagami Uchiha. I did not expect a child who sounds like he's inviting me to tea."
"Tea sounds lovely, but I'm more of a 'demolition and scrolls' kind of guest," Kaito chirped, stepping forward with a lazy, arrogant confidence. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, his Steel Bone Density making every footstep sound like a hammer hitting an anvil. "I've already dismantled your Tamer and his little pets. Honestly, Hanzo, you need to hire better help. It's getting a bit embarrassing."
The Spark of the Sovereign
Hanzo turned. The pressure in the air tripled. Ibuse let out a low, guttural hiss, its purple toxin beginning to leak from its pores in response to Hanzo's rising killing intent.
"You speak with the tongue of a king, but you are still just a whelp of the Leaf," Hanzo said, his grip tightening on his kusarigama. "I have killed Jonin three times your age who showed more humility."
"Humility is for people who can be hurt," Kaito countered, his grin widening into something sharp and predatory. "And as you can see, I'm feeling pretty unbreakable today."
> [System Prompt]
> Warning: Sovereign Presence Detected.
> Condition Met: 'The Unshakable Ego'.
> Activating: [Conqueror's Haki - Fledgling Discharge].
>
Kaito didn't move a muscle, but a shockwave of invisible, crushing "Will" erupted from his core. The raindrops around him were vaporized instantly. The massive Ibuse actually took a step back, its primordial instincts recognizing a predator that didn't belong to the natural order.
Hanzo's eyes widened behind his goggles. "This... this is not chakra. You are forcing the world to bow to your intent."
"It's called standing your ground, Hanzo," Kaito said, his voice dropping an octave, becoming cold and ruthless. "Now, give me the final triggers for the reservoir seals, and maybe I'll let you keep the title of 'Legend' for a few more years."
The Dance of Iron and Void
Hanzo didn't respond with words. He moved.
It was a Body Flicker so fast it defied the human eye, but Kaito's Observation Haki had already mapped the trajectory. The jagged sickle of the kusarigama whistled toward Kaito's neck.
Kaito didn't draw a blade. He didn't even take his hands out of his pockets.
CLANG.
The sickle hit Kaito's shoulder. Instead of blood, there were sparks. The Steel Bone Density combined with a flick of Armament Haki made Kaito's shoulder harder than the legendary weapon.
"Is that it?" Kaito asked, tilting his head with a playful, arrogant smirk. "I've had massages more intense than that."
Hanzo's eyes flared with fury. He swung the weighted end of the chain, imbuing it with a massive amount of Water-Nature chakra. "Water Style: Iron Current!"
Kaito finally took his hands out of his pockets. He took a massive, rattling breath—Total Concentration Overdrive—and met the iron weight with his bare fist.
[Divergent Fist: BLACK FLASH]
The spatial snap was so violent it cracked the balcony's stone floor. The black lightning tore through Hanzo's water-chakra, the distortion sending the weighted chain flying back with twice the force. Hanzo was forced to leap back, landing gracefully atop Ibuse as the balcony edge crumbled into the ravine below.
The Human Perspective
From the stairwell, the future Sannin watched in a state of paralysis.
"He's laughing," Jiraiya whispered, his voice trembling. "He's fighting the man who killed a whole platoon of our best shinobi, and he's laughing."
"He's not fighting a war anymore, Jiraiya," Orochimaru said, his yellow eyes reflecting the black lightning. "He's playing. To Kaito, Hanzo isn't a god. He's a benchmark."
Tsunade didn't speak. She just gripped the stone wall so hard it powdered under her fingers. She saw the boy who had sat on the roof with her, the "Hollow Boy" who just wanted to breathe. But now, she saw a predator who found joy in the dismantling of a legend.
The Ruthless Conclusion
"You are indeed a monster, Kaito of the Leaf," Hanzo said, his voice carrying a new, dark respect. "But even a monster can drown in toxin. Ibuse! Release the Great Fog!"
The salamander opened its maw, and a cloud of purple gas—denser and more lethal than anything Kaito had faced—swallowed the entire summit.
Kaito didn't run. He didn't use a wind-jutsu. He closed his eyes and felt the biological turbines in his legs—the Engine integration—spinning at maximum capacity.
"Hey Hanzo," Kaito's voice echoed through the purple fog, cheerful and mocking. "Do you know what happens when you combine high-pressure oxygen with a vacuum?"
[Refined Soru: Cyclone]
Kaito began to spin in place, his speed exceeding the sound barrier. The centrifugal force, combined with his Total Concentration Breathing, created a localized hurricane that didn't just disperse the gas—it sucked the oxygen right out of Hanzo's lungs.
Kaito appeared in front of Hanzo, the black-and-red lightning of his Conqueror's Haki flickering around his eyes. He grabbed Hanzo by the throat, his Roughness trait shredding the leather of the gas mask.
"The keys, Hanzo," Kaito whispered, his smile gone, replaced by a ruthless, absolute focus. "Or I stop being a 'guest' and start being an 'executioner'."
For a heartbeat, the fate of the Second War hung in the balance. Hanzo looked into Kaito's eyes and saw a void that even his salamander's poison couldn't fill.
Slowly, Hanzo reached into his vest and tossed a set of iron scrolls onto the ground. "Take them. But know this, boy. You are a king without a throne. And the world does not love a king who laughs at its gods."
Kaito let go, his cheerful grin returning instantly. He scooped up the scrolls and gave a jaunty wave. "Thanks, Hanzo! Great talk. We should do this again when you've updated your security!"
As Kaito hopped back toward his stunned teammates, the System hummed one last time.
> [System Status: Integration 6.0%]
> New Title Unlocked: The Sovereign of the Void.
> Current Status: Unstoppable.
>