Face It Head-On

"Wood Release: Great Wood Pillar Technique"

The man named Zen made a stunning move, with massive wooden pillars, each requiring ten people to encircle, rising from the ground. The bluish-gray rocks were shattered into pieces by the pillars, and the dense forest of protruding pillars forced the Deva Path Clone to retreat and avoid them.

Looking down from a high vantage point, you'll see that the ravine is completely blocked by these towering wooden pillars.

Hanzō stood atop a massive, sturdy wooden pillar, gazing at Zen's retreating figure with a subtle expression. The legend of Wood Release was not merely a legend to Hanzō. As an elder in the Shinobi World, his understanding of Wood Release did not come from stories or legends; he had personally witnessed the First Hokage's battle.

The sight of endless, rampant growth of trees terrified him, a novice new to the battlefield. He realized for the first time how terrifying it was for trees to move. The image of a human body being torn to shreds by vines and branches was deeply etched in his mind, a horror he would never forget.

"How enviable! This kind of power..."

The clamor of the rain drowned out the whispers; the wind blew obliquely, and the top of the wooden pillar was empty, without a single ghost in sight.

The Deva Path Clone retreated rapidly, its wide black robe fluttering in the wind and rain. With a sudden flick of its sleeve, a series of shurikens Shuriken out, Shuriken covered with a layer of high-speed friction wind blades, pressing against the empty rock wall.

"Wind Release: Shuriken"

The shortest cast time for Shinra Tensei is five seconds, so the Deva Path Clone had to use other means to deal with the enemy, since there were quite a few enemies, and they were all incredibly powerful.

Given the environment of the Land of Rain, Fire Style are ruled out first, Water Release Technique have too many hand seals, and in a battle between experts, speed is the key, and Lightning Release Technique are likely to affect oneself in this environment. After all the considerations, Wind Release Technique are the most suitable method.

The Shuriken didn't even touch the rock wall before it was knocked away by the suddenly appearing scythe and iron chain. Hanzō's figure also appeared in front of the rock wall and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

There have been several clashes between Hanzō and Nagato.

They were roughly aware of each other's moves. Hanzō suffered from the various abilities of the Deva Path Clone, so he ran incredibly fast, not wanting to be caught and fight head-on, because he simply couldn't withstand the attack.

Zen and Uchiha Genso also kept their identities hidden, using the massive wooden pillars to conceal themselves. They had learned most of the Rinnegan's abilities from Zetsu and knew that a direct confrontation would be difficult. Before seeing Nagato person, there was no need to show themselves and fight.

Therefore, the battle reached a stalemate.

"Wood Release: Flying Wood".

The Deva Path Clone clearly sensed the powerful Chakra that erupted in that instant and immediately went on guard. However, there was no movement around, which surprised him.

Until a series of sharp, piercing shrieks of air explosions echoed from the sky.

Looking up at the sky, through the wind and rain, I saw those square, incredibly long and huge wooden pillars, like missiles, falling down. The enormous sound showed just how powerful these things were.

"... You can do that?"

The Deva Path Clone was somewhat dumbfounded. It was nothing unusual for wood to grow from the ground, but it was quite mysterious to conjure these things out of thin air, especially from such a high place in the sky.

Shinra Tensei.

With his left hand raised high towards the sky, an invisible and intangible repulsive force erupted, instantly sweeping the rain from a vast area upwards. Even the wooden pillars that could easily split mountains and shatter rocks were sent flying into the sky, then twisted into a pile of wood chips by the repulsive force, which were swept away by the strong winds high in the sky and disappeared without a trace.

Before the Deva Path Clone could even lower its left hand, the ground beneath its feet began to writhe strangely.

"Fire Style: Explosive Flame Formation"

The rubble and soil beneath his feet were pushed aside by layers of Explosive Tag, which moved rapidly, coiling around the legs of the Deva Path Clone like snakes.

Hanzō's figure appeared not far in front of him, under a wooden pillar. His face was mostly covered by a respirator, making it difficult to see his expression. However, his eyes remained as cold and composed as ever.

"Boom!!"

The Explosive Tag detonated.

The explosion of the first Explosive Tag served as a signal, and countless other Explosive Tag were subsequently detonated. From the spot where the Deva Path Clone stood, an area of more than twenty meters around it was engulfed in dazzling Kakkō. Orange-red flames rose and drifted, adding a touch of light and heat to the dark ravine.

"How is it going, Genso? Has it been resolved?"

Behind the wooden pillar, Zen spoke up and asked a question.

"Let me see... No, the Explosive Tag Explosion has disrupted the Chakra fluctuations. I can't see anything until the flames subside." Uchiha Genso frowned. The Eight Gates Sharingan a variety of functions, such as copying Ninjutsu, releasing Genjutsu, and seeing through Taijutsu. Although it is very powerful, it is indeed not as pure as Byakugan.

In terms of insight, it's not as sharp as the Byakugan.

"Still alive."

Hanzō quietly appeared beside the two.

"The Explosive Tag was withstood; the flames rebounded outwards, clearly indicating it was blocked."

"You've even researched this?" Uchiha Genso looked at Hanzō in surprise.

"Hmph! These young people nowadays have no manners at all. Do you think I've survived this long solely because of luck? Kid, having talent is a good thing, but relying solely on talent has its limits... Unless you have the talent of the First Hokage or Madara Uchiha, you'd better learn more."

Hanzō gave the two brats a good scolding. They had never taken him seriously; did they really think he, Hanzō, was made of clay?

"Chase them quickly!"

Uchiha Genso lowered his voice, completely ignoring Hanzō's words, and focused intently on the location of the Deva Path Clone ahead. This attitude infuriated Hanzō, who wanted nothing more than to slash the arrogant brat with his scythe. However, he had more important matters to attend to and could only suppress his anger for the time being, waiting for the reckoning to come later.

Pursuing the fleeing avatar of the Deva Path Clone.

The destructive power of the Explosive Flame Formation was not in vain. The Deva Path Clone withstood the heavy blow and was not blown to pieces, but it still suffered considerable injuries.

The black robe was so tattered it looked more like a burlap sack. Wearing this ragged burlap sack, the appearance of the Deva Path Clone was exposed to everyone's eyes for the first time in such a clear way.

"Pond?"

Looking at the face of the Deva Path Clone, which was surrounded by a ring of black rods, Hanzō called out a name with surprise and uncertainty.

"What? You know each other?"

As Uchiha Genso pursued, he raised his hand and threw out a ball of lightning, asking a question.

"My subordinate... was one of my guards when he was alive, and he died in battle five months ago." Hanzō's voice was calm. "What a bizarre ability... to fight using the corpses of the dead, what kind of ability is that?"

It seemed to be a casual, unintentional question.

"It's classified; this isn't something you can covet."

Zen caught up with the two, his icy gaze almost piercing Hanzō's throat. It wasn't until Uchiha Genso coughed lightly that he turned his gaze to the fleeing Deva Path Clone.