Danzo's Frustration

Danzo was unaware that Hanzo now viewed him as a threat, just like the Akatsuki Organization, that had to be eliminated. He no longer took Hanzo seriously; having lost many elite members, Amegakure was no longer in a position to negotiate with Konoha. Danzo planned to threaten Hanzo after dealing with the Akatsuki Organization, forcing Amegakure to become a vassal of Konoha.

For now, however, the Akatsuki Organization is the direct threat, and Nagato is needed to deal with Hanzo, so Danzo is temporarily treating Hanzo as an ally.

Nagato is not in a good position right now. Although the battle has not lasted long, every move Nagato makes is consuming a lot of Chakra. The use of Super Almighty Push has not only depleted Nagato's Chakra, but more importantly, his Rinnegan, which is not yet fully developed, is showing signs of abnormality and becoming somewhat out of control.

However, Nagato had no regrets. As long as he could save his two comrades, Nagato didn't care about his own body.

However, Nagato was also aware that he was not in good condition. Although he did not know that Danzo was still a formidable enemy, he knew that Hanzo had not yet made a move and that there would be a fierce battle soon. So when he saw Yichen approaching again and entangled with Yichen's Root, he grabbed Yahiko and Konan and threw them at Yichen.

Yichen was startled, then realized what was happening and immediately flew in front of the two, then used the Light-Weight Rock Technique on them respectively.

The Root member, who had received Danzo's orders, had already climbed back up the Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall. Yichen dared not linger; this position was too close to the ground, and some ranged Ninjutsu could effectively harm them.

Yichen grabbed the two of them and began to ascend into the sky.

Yahiko and Konan didn't struggle; they cooperated perfectly. During the brief but intense melee, they had realized that they were nothing but a burden to Nagato, offering no real help and only hindering Nagato actions.

As expected, after seeing Yahiko and Konan being taken away by Yichen, Nagato stopped defending and counterattacking, and instead began to attack. Relying on the powerful physique of the Uzumaki Clan and the strange nature of his specially made Black Rod, Nagato began to engage in close combat with the Root member.

The Root ninjas were unaware of the Black Rod's abilities, and Nagato killed three or four of them in a single encounter. Fortunately, Root had extensive combat experience and quickly adjusted their tactics, trying to avoid contact with the Black Rod as much as possible. If contact was unavoidable, their comrades had to be prepared to provide assistance beforehand.

Although Nagato's individual strength surpassed that of the Root, his combat experience was far inferior. Without Shinra Tensei, his Taijutsu advantage was also greatly reduced. As a result, after being entangled in close combat by a large number of well-coordinated Root ninjas, he gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

After watching for a while, Yichen understood that Nagato had not systematically learned advanced swordsmanship or advanced Taijutsu; his combat relied entirely on his abnormally high basic attributes.

Yu Yichen shouted, "Nagato, don't stay in the enemy's encirclement! Charge out and kill the lone ones on the outer perimeter first!"

Upon hearing Nagato, Nagato did not hesitate at all. Despite being injured, he broke out of the encirclement and then set his sights on the ninjas on the outer perimeter who were using Ninjutsu to interfere with him.

This had a clear effect. The Root, which had previously held a significant advantage, was unable to maintain its formation because it had to rescue its comrades. Moreover, Nagato had learned his lesson; as soon as there was any sign of being surrounded, he would immediately shift the battlefield. After all, he was fast, and there were always lone or loosely packed ninjas waiting for him to kill on the outer perimeter.

After this back and forth, Nagato killed another five or six Root ninjas. Only about twenty Root remained.

Seeing that Root's tactics were ineffective, Danzo couldn't hold back any longer. However, although Danzo was anxious, he didn't want to risk his life alone, so he let Hanzo watch from the sidelines, as he couldn't trust Hanzo.

Danzo then said to Hanzo with a grim face, "Hanzo, let's attack together. This Nagato is exhausted and injured, and his repulsive technique hasn't recovered yet. It's the perfect time to deal with him."

Hanzo cursed inwardly, "You're clearly dragging me into this because you don't want your men to die. Your men aren't mine, so why should I be in such a hurry?" However, Hanzo didn't want to completely offend Danzo right now, especially since Nagato wasn't dead yet.

Hanzo deliberately dragged his feet and argued with Danzo for a few moments before pretending to reluctantly agree to Danzo's request.

In just a short while, four more members of Root died in battle. Moreover, Nagato was getting better and better at fighting, and his killing efficiency was getting higher and higher. If Root weren't a bunch of madmen who only obeyed Danzo's orders, they would have been terrified by Nagato and scattered in all directions by now.

Danzo was anxious and didn't hesitate any longer. He immediately ordered his subordinates to scatter and at the same time used B-rank Wind Release, Great Breakthrough.

When Nagato heard Danzo's order, he knew that this newcomer was no ordinary person, and when he saw Hanzo following not far away, he knew that the most difficult First Shinobi War of the day was about to begin.

However, Nagato has now found some rhythm in battle and knows how to utilize his strengths. Without Shinra Tensei, Nagato can only rely on Body Flicker Technique, his physique, his Chakra reserves, and his ability to absorb Ninjutsu.

The other abilities of the Rinnegan, namely the four paths of Six Paths of Pain in the original work, are useless at this time. Furthermore, the more advanced Rinnegan Dojutsu are still nowhere near being mastered. Therefore, Nagato in this state is not considered outstanding among Kage Level fighters.

Hanzo's peak strength was among the top of the Kage Level, but the current Hanzo lacks the resolve of Kage-level experts, and can not unleash much power. Coincidentally, Danzo is in the same situation now. Both of them care most about themselves and are extremely afraid of death. Such people, when fighting against opponents of the same level, will be suppressed because they cannot go all out.

Nagato, on the other hand, was completely different. With Yahiko and Konan's safety guaranteed, Nagato was determined to die and kill the two people in front of him no matter what, so as to eliminate two major enemies for Yahiko and Konan.

So although Hanzo and Danzo had a clear advantage in physical condition, and even outnumbered each other, the difference was reversed in terms of mental fortitude and fighting determination.

Facing two Kage Level, Nagato was the one on the offensive, and every move he made was a life-or-death struggle. He first used the Body Flicker Technique to get close to Danzo, then, disregarding the Ninjutsu Danzo was about to use, he held Black Rod and prepared to die together with him. This made Danzo abandon even the idea of using Ninjutsu to force Nagato. He could only retreat, moving towards Hanzo while trying to divert the trouble, and loudly calling out to Hanzo to join forces.

Meanwhile, Hanzo loudly responded to Danzo, indicating that he was preparing a powerful attack, while simultaneously using the Body Flicker Technique to distance himself from Danzo. After several unsuccessful attacks on Danzo, Nagato turned his attention to Hanzo, who, like Hanzo, only dared to dodge and not take the hit head-on. This was because Hanzo saw Danzo not far away forming an A-rank Wind Release, which, judging from his posture, seemed to indicate that he intended to take care of both Hanzo and Nagato.

And so, the three of them chased each other, creating a comical scene. Nagato felt that fighting two Kage Level Jonin.

Danzo and Nagato were caught up in the situation and didn't notice anything amiss, but Yichen was just an observer. After watching for a while, Yichen sensed something was wrong. It seemed like all three of them were deliberately stalling for time. Nagato's stalling was understandable; he was waiting for the cooldown of Shinra Tensei.

Danzo's stalling tactics are understandable; he currently has the most manpower, so the only option is to continue attrition. Even if all three are severely injured, his subordinates can still complete the mission.

But why isn't Hanzo in a hurry? Even if Hanzo is wary of the Root members, given his personality, he should be leading Nagato to kill the Root members.

After thinking for Nagato while, Yichen suddenly had a guess: Hanzo was going to play dirty tricks. He chuckled and then shouted to Nagato, "Yichen, cooperate with Hanzo to kill Danzo's men! They've all been poisoned by the Ibuse!"

Nagato was taken aback. Cooperate with Hanzo? Would Hanzo cooperate with me?

But Nagato was clearly too inexperienced; Yichen's words were obviously not meant for him, but for the other two.

Yichen's meaning was clear: you two stop cooperating, Hanzo has already made his move.

As expected, Danzo's body trembled upon hearing Yichen's words. He immediately broke away from the battle and looked at his subordinates. The Root members, upon hearing Yichen's words, immediately checked their bodies, and were shocked by what they found. They were indeed poisoned. Although it wasn't severe yet, the poison from the Ibuse seemed difficult to treat, and Chakra was ineffective against them.

One of the Root member took out some antidote pills and swallowed a few, but they clearly had no effect. He then said to Danzo, "Lord Danzō, we are indeed poisoned, and the Antidote Pills are ineffective; they can only suppress the poison for a short time, not cure it."

Danzo was now completely enraged. He cursed inwardly, "Hanzo! I also planned to act, but I intended to do so after the battle. You, however, act now with the enemy at hand!" He then shouted at Hanzo, "Hanzo, what do you mean? Do you want to start a war with Konoha?"

Hanzo cursed Yichen for meddling. "If you had waited a little longer to reveal the poison, I would have succeeded. Actually, with the poison of the Ibuse, it should have taken effect long ago. It's just that Danzo's Wind Release was too powerful during the battle, which dispersed a lot of the poison from the Ibuse."

"Danzo, I'm targeting the Akatsuki Organization members. I'll naturally provide the antidote for your subordinates after the battle."

Hanzo didn't believe a word Danzo said and said directly, "In that case, give me the antidote first."

Hanzo naturally refused to give it to him, and the two began arguing again.

Yichen exposed Hanzo's poisoning not for the sake of the Root members, but because Nagato's current situation was too dangerous. The Root members would be poisoned, and Nagato, who was fighting Hanzo in close combat, would naturally also be poisoned. However, Nagato had a large amount of Chakra, so the impact would not be significant for the time being.

But if Nagato continues to be weakened, something bad might happen. Therefore Yichen would rather spare the Root members than allow the chaos below to continue.

Seeing his two most troublesome enemies bickering, Yichen took out four gas masks from his Ninja Tool Bag, one for himself, one for Yahiko and one for Konan, and threw the last one to Nagato below.

Without hesitation, Nagato took the gas mask and put it on.

The current situation is rather awkward. Hanzo is practically all alone. Although he still has a dozen or so subordinates, he doesn't take any of them seriously. No, Yichen is more concerned about their lives, since they all Contribution Points.

Nagato appears to be the bravest, but he knows his own limitations. Now that Nagato's realized the problem, it seems he doesn't have to die. So, if the fight continues, Nagato probably won't fight as desperately. However, Nagato has an advantage: his Shinra Tensei is almost back to normal, and his strength will soon rise from Weak Kage Level to Strong Kage Level.

Danzo is the most powerful figure on the surface, with more than a dozen elite Root, and more than half of them are still alive. However, the poison of the Ibuse is too incurable. Under normal circumstances, Danzo would not care about the lives of his dozen or so subordinates, even if half of them are Jonin.

Danzo was willing to sacrifice himself as long as he could complete the mission and achieve his goal. But things were different now. Most of the elites he brought from Konoha were already dead. If he were to abandon these dozen or so men, Danzo would once again be suppressed by Hiruzen Sarutobi and unable to move.