Thinking Inertia!

Hanzō the Salamander froze at those words, then felt a chill shoot straight up his spine to the crown of his head!

His scalp tingled!

If any other ninja had said that, Hanzō the Salamander might have dismissed it with contempt. But the weight carried by the name Uchiha forced him to take Uchiha Jin's words seriously!

"Release!"

Hanzō the Salamander did not dare let his guard down. He immediately stirred his Chakra and broke Uchiha Jin's Genjutsu!

As the world spun around him, Hanzō the Salamander's viewpoint suddenly shifted. He went from looking down on Uchiha Jin to looking up at him!

Hanzō the Salamander's body was bound by his own chains, while Uchiha Jin stood atop Salamander Ibuse's head, looking down at him from above!

Flames burned across Uchiha Jin's body, radiating a blinding light that kept Hanzō the Salamander from seeing his expression clearly.

Those crimson eyes, still dazzling amid the blazing flames, sent a shiver through Hanzō the Salamander's heart!

Meanwhile, Salamander Ibuse lay quietly beneath Uchiha Jin's feet like a lifeless toy. Clearly, he too had long since fallen into the illusion and could not break free!

"When was it...? Ever since we were in the estate, I've been on guard. I never looked you in the eye!"

Hanzō the Salamander could not believe it. He did not even know when he had been caught!

Uchiha Jin spoke in a low, calm voice. "When you focus your attention on one thing, you often overlook many others!"

"Indeed, the Sharinga Genjutsu of the Uchiha Clan stands apart throughout the Ninja World. It inspires fear at the mere mention of its name and has even earned the title of the 'Hypnotic Eye'!"

"So no matter who it is, when facing a ninja of the Uchiha Clan, the first thing they guard against is our Sharinga!"

"You only remember that you cannot look into our eyes when fighting Uchiha Clan ninja, but Genjutsu is not exclusive to the Sharinga!"

"Sometimes, an inconspicuous movement or an offhand remark can drag you into an illusion!"

"Especially when all your attention is fixed on our Sharinga!"

With the Flame-Flame Fruit and the Sharinga, Uchiha Jin did not need to devote too much effort to ninjutsu!

That gave him time to study other things and compensate for his weaknesses!

What Uchiha Jin chose was Genjutsu!

He did not limit himself to the Sharinga, but learned all kinds of Genjutsu!

Back when Uchiha Jin had watched the scene in the anime where Neji fought Kidōmaru of the Sound Four, a question had arisen in his mind.

Because of the Caged Bird Seal, Neji's Byakugan had lost its three-hundred-and-sixty-degree field of vision, leaving a blind spot!

Kidōmaru seized that flaw and repeatedly used the blind spot to severely wound Neji!

But an Ordinary Person could only see clearly within a range of one hundred and twenty degrees, or one hundred and eighty degrees at most when peripheral vision on both sides was included!

Was Neji's one blind spot really his weakness?

If that were true, how were other ninja without the Byakugan supposed to survive?

Besides, if he could see everywhere else and knew the enemy was targeting that blind spot, all he had to do was directly defend against the attack coming from it, right?

In the end, Neji simply relied too heavily on his Byakugan!

He was accustomed to guarding against attacks he could see, but was not nearly as adept at dealing with Sneak Attacks he could not!

Uchiha Jin had also exploited this Thinking Inertia!

Weren't they all guarding against the Sharinga Genjutsu of the Uchiha Clan? Then let them guard against it!

But Uchiha could learn other Genjutsu too!

With such unexpected moves, one could often achieve unexpected results!

Even Hanzō the Salamander, once known as the God of Shinobi, had been caught off guard and trapped within an illusion!

"The waves behind the Yangtze River drive those before them onward. I suppose I really can't refuse to admit I'm old!"

Hanzō the Salamander looked somewhat dejectedly at Uchiha Jin standing high above him.

If Uchiha Jin had wanted to kill him, he would have died countless times already!

He had lost this battle!

But Hanzō the Salamander could lose; the Leader of Amegakure absolutely could not admit defeat just like this!

Hanzō the Salamander roared, violently broke free of the chains around him, and made to charge at Uchiha Jin!

"Bloom, Higanbana!"

Uchiha Jin formed seals with one hand and gave a soft shout, activating the Hidden Move he had left inside Hanzō the Salamander!

Uchiha Jin was not foolish enough to remind an enemy that he had fallen under Genjutsu before he had fully secured the situation!

Uchiha Jin would never pop champagne at halftime like that!

The moment Hanzō the Salamander fell into the illusion, Uchiha Jin had taken the chance to leave a Hidden Move on him!

Hanzō the Salamander halted, sensing his body temperature rapidly rising!

Pulling open his collar, Hanzō the Salamander saw a black mark the size of a fist over his heart. Branch-like black lines spread from it toward the rest of his body, leaving behind one Node after another!

"Senior Hanzō, I advise you not to make any rash moves!"

"While you were trapped in the illusion, I injected a mass of Thermal Energy, sealed with a Cursed Seal, into your heart!"

"Now, all I need to do is undo the Cursed Seal, and that mass of Thermal Energy will flow through your Meridians to your Limbs and Bones before exploding inside your body!"

"In other words, Senior Hanzō, your life and death are in my hands now!"

Uchiha Jin's tone was calm, but his words stirred towering waves in Hanzō the Salamander's heart!

Hanzō the Salamander stared fixedly into Uchiha Jin's eyes and gritted out, "What do you want?"

Now that he was meat on the chopping block, Hanzō the Salamander no longer had any reservations. He openly scrutinized Uchiha Jin's scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan!

Uchiha Jin lowered his hand from its seal and smiled. "I said from the beginning that I bear no ill will toward you, Senior Hanzō, or Amegakure!"

"But I also hope that while I am doing what I need to do, you will not interfere!"

Hanzō the Salamander frowned, seemingly unable to believe it. "That's all?"

"That's all!" Uchiha Jin nodded. "Of course, it would be even better if Senior Hanzō were willing to help me deal with Shimura Danzō!"

At those words, Hanzō the Salamander's expression turned utterly grim. He said in a low voice, "It seems I have no other choice!"

Hanzō the Salamander had never imagined that one day he would fall to such a state!

He was already over sixty years old. His prime had long passed, and he had begun his decline!

The era that belonged to him had ultimately become the past!

"That said... Genjutsu: Sharingan!"

Uchiha Jin spoke, but he took advantage of Hanzō the Salamander giving up resistance to launch a Genjutsu!

The Genjutsu Uchiha Jin had used against Hanzō the Salamander during their earlier battle had not been particularly profound. He had merely gone with the flow, and Hanzō the Salamander could easily break the illusion!

To fully control Hanzō the Salamander, he still needed Sharinga Genjutsu!

Only now could this battle truly be considered over!