Unlike someone like Sanshouo no Kamatake, who was hardly noticed, or even the secretive Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hozuki,
Hanzo of the Salamander had always been a major figure closely studied and monitored by every hidden village.
His personal files, growth experiences, personality traits, jutsu, summoned beasts, and even analyses of his friends and family were all essential intelligence materials that every village's information agency possessed.
Although Kei Yamanaka hadn't thoroughly read those reports, he had thoroughly reviewed Danzo's memories. After all, Root had completely uncovered all of Hanzo's secrets.
His summoned beast, Ibuse Poisoning, didn't live in an isolated area like Mount Myoboku or Ryuchi Cave, but instead resided within a toxic swamp located at the edge of Amegakure.
Due to its extremely potent poison, this species faced great difficulty reproducing. Combined with their overwhelming lethality against average ninja, multiple factions targeted them during the Second Great Ninja War. Now, only a handful remained—two or three at most.
Therefore, theoretically speaking, kidnapping Hanzo's summon shouldn't be too difficult.
"Toxic swamp, Summoning Contract Scroll..."
As soon as Kei Yamanaka spoke, the two shadow clones beside him immediately understood his intent.
They simultaneously used Transformation Jutsu, disguising themselves as Amegakure ninjas. Unit One made its way directly toward the central tower, while Unit Two hurried toward the toxic swamp where the salamanders lived.
If Unit One could locate the Summoning Contract Scroll belonging to the Sanshouo clan inside the central tower,
a single Contract Seal would allow Unit Two to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to extract the entire clan instantly.
If they couldn't find it, then Unit Two would have to work harder—applying Contract Seals individually and later negotiating a new summoning pact.
"Everyone fall back!"
As soon as Hanzo reached the mist-covered battlefield, he barked loudly, ordering all his subordinates to retreat.
His right finger traced the exposed edge of the sickle blade slung across his back.
With both hands forming hand seals, he directly summoned Ibuse Poisoning!
"Poison Emission!"
Hanzo formed hand seals once more, funneling his powerful chakra into the summoned beast beneath him.
Thanks to years of battle-tested coordination, Ibuse quickly understood Hanzo's intention, spewing out thick, deep purple venom stored in its toxin sacs.
Under Hanzo's coordination and control,
the dense mist generated by the Hiding in Mist Technique quickly filled with deadly poison that could kill with a single breath.
[Water Release: Body Flicker Technique]!
Kei Yamanaka's figure darted swiftly through the water, dodging the all-consuming toxic fog, and in the blink of an eye appeared beside Hanzo.
Clang~
The ninja blade, cloaked in Water Blade Slash, clashed with the sickle in Hanzo's hand.
Sparks flew.
The weight-shaped weapon attached to the end of the sickle shot straight toward Kei Yamanaka's head.
Splash!
The weight smashed into a large splash of water.
Hanzo narrowed his eyes slightly, and his extensive combat experience allowed him to quickly judge—this wasn't a Water Clone—it was the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique!
Gripping his sickle, he swung sideways.
The hooked blade slashed at the enemy's body while the attached weight swung around to launch a second strike.
At the same time, the summoned beast Ibuse Poisoning beneath Kei Yamanaka's feet instantly redirected the stream of toxic mist, enveloping their surroundings in a deep purple haze.
Kei used the Water Surface Instant Movement Technique to rapidly create distance between himself and his opponent.
He aimed the fingertips of his left hand at the incoming sickle and weight.
[Water Release: Water Gun Technique – Rapid Fire!]
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Though no larger than walnuts, each blast from the Water Gun Technique struck with incredible force, colliding against the sickle and weight.
Hanzo of the Salamander, who had sought close-quarters combat, could only hurriedly defend against the relentless water blasts.
Forced to remain in place, he could only watch as his enemy retreated.
After creating a distance of several dozen meters, Kei stopped atop a protruding part of a steel-framed building.
On the sharp edge of his ninja blade,
already appeared scattered deep purple corrosive marks.
Glancing at his right bicep, which had begun changing color under the Hydrification Technique, he flicked his arm and used the technique to expel the toxins from his body.
He then used [Water Release: Cutting Rain] to absorb the falling raindrops and replenish the moisture lost from his body.
Looking at Hanzo proudly standing atop Ibuse Poisoning,
Kei finally understood what Tsunade and others had experienced during the Second Great Ninja War—a feeling of being utterly stumped.
This old man wasn't just using poisonous summoned beasts;
his entire body was loaded with tricks!
To take him down without revealing his identity, he would need to employ the inherited ninjutsu techniques passed down by the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki.
Maybe give Amegakure a little taste of Shōhiganbi no Chikara?
Wait a second…
Why did he suddenly want to massacre the entire Rain Village?
Feeling an indistinct surge of restlessness and bloodlust within his body,
Kei's expression darkened. He forcibly expelled the foreign energy using a surge of Yin Release chakra.
His sensory perception carefully scanned a ten-kilometer radius around him.
A torrent of complex data flooded his mind.
The enhanced perception provided by the Purple-Tier Trait [Source Seer] allowed him to swiftly locate the source of the abnormality.
Deep underground, within a three-kilometer radius centered around the Akatsuki hideout,
three figures completely encased in parasitic White Zetsu maintained a strange formation—its exterior shaped like a ring, while its interior formed a straight-edged triangle.
"That Cult of Xie Shen Jiao again?"
A frown creased Kei's mind.
Madara Uchiha would never resort to such underhanded tactics, but Black Zetsu had none of the pride or ego befitting a strong warrior.
That shady bastard would do anything if it meant saving his mother!
Observing the Rain Village shinobi who had arrived earlier,
he noticed many of them had grown heavy-breathed.
Some individuals with weaker willpower even had red-rimmed eyes, their minds fluctuating wildly between emotions.
Kei inwardly cursed.
Putting the clues together quickly, he realized Black Zetsu's elaborate, layered strategy.
That guy had painstakingly shifted the Hidden Leaf's attention toward the Akatsuki organization.
First, it might have been to achieve some goal using the Transcriptive Seals left on the Akatsuki members.
Second, it was likely meant to drag Amegakure back into the fray once more!
Whether it was any faction of Konoha being distracted, no matter their next target—even if they posed as ninjas from other hidden villages.
As long as they start fighting, Black Zetsu can attract a large number of Amegakure ninja, even drawing Hanzo of the Salamander himself.
Through the Cult of Xie Shen Jiao's special methods, a brutal massacre could be triggered!
As for those drawn here by Akatsuki's presence, whether or not they possess such strength—who cares?
Black Zetsu certainly won't ever lack for soldiers!
Rain Country holds a unique geographical position. During the Second Great Ninja War, it had already served as a battlefield contested by several major nations.
If something were to happen to Hanzo,
Although the great nations may never discover who was responsible, such signs alone would indicate someone is attempting to use Rain Country as a route to initiate war.
When it comes to war, whoever strikes first gains the advantage; whoever hesitates will suffer the consequences.
Faced with a weakened Amegakure that has lost Hanzo, any hidden villages sensing danger won't passively wait for an attack—they'll immediately mobilize for war.
No further provocation will even be necessary. The Third Great Ninja War will fully commence!
And even if Hanzo remains unharmed,
Presenting irrefutable evidence of enemy ninja massacring Amegakure shinobi,
Hanzo, as Amegakure's leader, must respond with decisive force to avoid seeming manipulable and dragging Rain Country into another war.
But once retaliation kicks off, the other villages, already stirred up by the tensions between Cloud and Mist, will surely seize this opportunity.
Under these circumstances,
Regardless of what choice Hanzo makes, the Third Great Ninja War is destined to erupt in full force.
And once the ninja world falls into chaos and the battles grow fiercer, Black Zetsu's mission to capture the tailed beasts in order to save his mother will become easier to accomplish!
"Capture them alive and shatter that formation."
[Kei Yamanaka] activated the Mind Body Transmission Technique to connect with the shadow clones he had previously dispersed around the area.
In the current situation,
Whether he kills Hanzo of the Salamander or not, events are likely to unfold precisely as Black Zetsu predicted.
In that case, why not just cut him down and claim the system reward?
As for the upcoming ninja war—
Tch…
It was bound to happen sooner or later anyway!
Black Zetsu wants to watch the ninja world descend into chaos?
Well, Kei was actually looking forward to the moment he demonstrated power surpassing everyone else in front of rival hidden villages,
Facing off against all those timid villages too fearful to act.
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