Beware the Spectators (1)

"The obstruction is gone."

Uchiha Sōgetsu pushed up his glasses and said leisurely, "Speaking of which, the real players should be making their entrance now."

As for Little Hikari, there was no need to worry.

If he hadn't instructed her beforehand not to reveal herself in front of Tsunade, those few insignificant pests would have been incinerated by Amaterasu before they even got close.

Few people can survive Amaterasu. Minions are definitely not among them.

"Hmm, they're here."

It happened in an instant.

A figure was rapidly approaching.

When they were about ten meters apart, both could see each other clearly. Hanzo suddenly stopped, cautiously observing his surroundings. After confirming there were no issues, he asked, "What happened? Where is Tsunade?"

"Lady Tsunade's disciple was captured by those people."

Uchiha Sōgetsu was also observing Hanzo.

Ten meters... this distance was quite ambiguous.

Retreat, and one could quickly escape; advance, and one could strike a killing blow.

Even if the enemy was just a Jonin, one had to be as cautious and careful as possible.

Even a lion hunting a rabbit requires full effort.

This saying was perfectly embodied by Hanzo.

Uchiha Sōgetsu narrowed his eyes, feeling a grudging admiration. As expected of a veteran who survived the Second Shinobi World War, he remained so cautious and careful even when the situation was clearly in his favor.

Is this person with them?

Hanzo's heart settled slightly as he confirmed Tsunade wasn't present. His gaze shifted to the ground, to the ninja with a broken neck, and he deliberately asked, "Did you find any information on him?"

"Yes."

Uchiha Sōgetsu nodded slightly.

"Oh? What information?"

Hanzo wasn't worried about his plan being exposed; he knew the people from Root. He slowly approached Uchiha Sōgetsu, feigning concern for an ally, and asked hypocritically, "Do you know who he is? What's his purpose in Amegakure?"

Just a little closer...

He could instantly Body Flicker over and cut that Anbu's throat with one slash!

Even the Sharingan wouldn't be able to react.

"Oh, he said he's from Root."

Uchiha Sōgetsu turned his head, looking at Hanzo with a half-smile and a meaningful gaze. "He also said..."

Bang!

Hanzo suddenly lunged forward, the inner edge of his scythe slicing through the air towards Sōgetsu's throat.

Without waiting for the other to finish, he knew he had been exposed.

Since that was the case, it was better to strike first!

However, Uchiha Sōgetsu was clearly prepared, holding a kunai and swinging it out.

Clang!

The kunai collided with the scythe, sparks flying.

"The leader of Amegakure, attacking a junior from Konoha without a word,"

Uchiha Sōgetsu narrowed his eyes and said mockingly, "If this were to get out, your reputation would be ruined."

"Ninjas don't need reputations."

Hanzo lowered his eyelids, his voice hoarse and deep. "As long as I kill you, no one will know."

His weapons were strange: in his right hand, a long-handled scythe with a chain attached to its end, and in his left hand, a chain with a solid weight at the end.

Usually, after using the scythe to restrain an enemy, he would swing the chain and use the momentum to throw the weight.

Whoosh--!

The heavy weight flew through the air, carrying a dull whistling sound.

Hanzo was confident.

Even the Konoha's Legendary Sannin weren't his match, let alone some mere Anbu Jonin?

He had already perfectly rehearsed every step of the upcoming battle in his mind:

"Uchiha will choose to retreat and use the Great Fireball Technique to intercept my pursuit.

But it doesn't matter, I will escape using Water Body Flicker Technique the moment I'm hit, and while he's caught off guard, I'll use Iaijutsu to chop off his head!"

But unfortunately... Hanzo had encountered a "Spectator."

Uchiha Sōgetsu's eyes narrowed slightly, his crimson Sharingan reflecting a faint swirl.

Indeed, the Spectator Pathway's direct combat power in the early stages ranks absolutely at the bottom among the "22 Divine Paths," arguably even last.

Instead, it offers near 'mind-reading' observational skills.

From the target's hidden true emotions, the subtle scent of hormones, to minute facial expressions, Uchiha Sōgetsu could accurately guess every single thought of his target.

If Hanzo was on the fifth floor.

Then he was probably in... the atmosphere!

While shifting his weight to a low center of gravity, he twisted his waist, pushed his hip, and delivered a powerful side kick directly to Hanzo's lower ribs.

Bang!

Hanzo never expected that the battle he'd envisioned in his mind wouldn't happen, and instead, he was sent flying.

This kick struck his liver.

The intense pain from his ruptured liver caused cold sweat to bead on Hanzo's forehead, his facial muscles twitching and contorting, his mind almost blank.

"The legendary Hanzo of the Salamander is nothing more than this," Uchiha Sōgetsu didn't choose to pursue, but stood his ground as if waiting for Hanzo to recover, his eyes filled with defiant arrogance. "As expected, even the strongest ninja can't resist time."

"Brat."

The other party's words struck Hanzo's sore spot directly. "I'll make you regret saying that!"

"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll be waiting."

Uchiha Sōgetsu crossed his arms, his arrogant attitude further infuriating Hanzo.

"Very well, brat, you've successfully angered this old man," Hanzo bit his finger and pressed it onto the ground, his eyes filled with intense killing intent. "I didn't want to make too much of a scene, but now I've changed my mind. Summoning Jutsu: Salamander: Ibuse!"

Bang!

A massive cloud of smoke appeared out of nowhere.

Then, accompanied by the howling wind, the smoke dissipated, revealing a giant black salamander, standing like a mountain on the earth.

"Is this the salamander?" Uchiha Sōgetsu observed the summoned beast without a hint of nervousness. "Hanzo's famed summoned beast, let me see it."

"Ibuse, Poison Mist Spray!"

Hanzo, standing atop the black salamander's head, coldly issued the command.

The salamander's abdomen bulged, and it spat a cloud of purple poisonous mist from its mouth, mixed with Hanzo's chakra, so dense that even the Sharingan couldn't see through it.

But the more troublesome problem was that the poisonous mist showed no signs of dissipating over time; instead, with the help of the wind, its range grew larger and larger, almost engulfing an area of nearly a hundred meters.

"This way, your Sharingan won't be of any use, brat."

Hanzo's voice echoed through the poisonous mist, his voice heard but his person unseen. "With the salamander's poison, an ordinary person would stiffen and die of heart paralysis after inhaling it for half a minute!"

He had absolute confidence in the salamander's poison.

After all, nearly all his honors to date stemmed from the salamander; it was precisely this troublesome poison that allowed him to reach his current position.

"Just to interrupt you."

Uchiha Sōgetsu, standing at the center of the poisonous mist, said calmly, "Lady Tsunade already developed an antidote for your salamander poison. Do you have any fresher moves?"

Hanzo, within the poisonous mist, fell into a long silence.

"Ah, what can I say about you, Lord Hanzo?"

Uchiha Sōgetsu felt embarrassed for him, sighing and covering his forehead. "You once defeated Konoha's Legendary Sannin, but that was six years ago. Your proud salamander poison was cracked by Lady Tsunade long ago, yet you're still standing still, even treating this outdated move as your trump card?"

"Shut up! You Uchiha brat!"

Hanzo, his defenses shattered, veins bulged on his forehead, bloodshot appearing in his pupils. "Just because you cracked the salamander's poison, you really think you can defeat me!"

Rumble!!!

The massive salamander's limbs shook, crushing forward like a black mountain.

"Heh."

Uchiha Sōgetsu snorted coldly, a golden glint flashing in the depths of his pupils.

Intimidation!

In an instant, the salamander stopped.

In its eyes, the tiny ninja before it transformed into a gray dragon.

The depths of those light golden vertical pupils seemed to contain a vast, dark ocean, raging with extreme ferocity, exuding a pressure as terrifying as the abyss.

"Begone!"

Uchiha Sōgetsu's eyes glowed with a faint gold, his lips parting slightly as he uttered a single word.

A psychic shock of extreme ferocity, like a spear thrown by a god.

Bang!

Fear completely consumed its senses, and the salamander, terrified, returned to the summoning space.

"???"

Hanzo, left behind, was completely bewildered.

December 17th, Sunny

The boss held an all-hands meeting today and displayed everyone's salaries from last month on the screen. Afterwards, I didn't see mine, so I went to ask the boss, "Why don't I see my salary?" The boss glanced at me and said, "What exactly do you do here again?" Sob sob sob... I'm so miserable, please, kind sirs, spare some change for me~