Hanzo vs. Danzo

Faced with Hanzo's "invitation," Kagura and the others clearly had no right to refuse.

Without saying much, everyone silently followed the two men out of the cave.

The still-injured Jiraiya could only move forward with Orochimaru and Kagura supporting him.

The rain that had seemed as though it would never end gradually weakened before finally stopping.

Although the sun was still nowhere to be seen and the sky remained covered in Dark Clouds, the long-awaited rainless weather improved Kagura's mood somewhat.

Hanzo naturally had no intention of paying special attention to Jiraiya's Footsteps. He maintained his own pace as he headed toward an unknown destination.

Kagura and the others, at the rear of the group, consciously did their best to keep up.

Although Hanzo neither urged them on nor looked back at them.

Kagura and the others understood very clearly that if they fell behind under the excuse of Jiraiya's injuries.

This seemingly amiable enemy would probably bring down his butcher's blade on Jiraiya's head the very next second.

Thus, even though Hanzo did not say a word Along the Way, they voluntarily quickened their pace.

In the Land of Rain's gloomy, rainy weather, it was difficult to distinguish daytime clearly.

After walking for roughly most of a day, the sky had unknowingly been replaced by a Pitch Black curtain. Hanzo, walking at the front of the group, stopped for the first time.

He raised his head and looked at the sky. Having grown up in the Land of Rain, he instantly judged that tonight would also be a rare rainless night.

He casually walked beneath a large tree and sat down without saying anything.

Though he gave no Instructions, everyone behind him understood that this meant they were resting here.

Breathing lightly, Kagura set down Jiraiya, whom he had been carrying on his back, and helped him sit propped against the tree.

Although Tsunade had treated him, Jiraiya had been injured twice within a Short period of time and had lost a great deal of blood. His body was now exceedingly weak.

At first, Kagura and Orochimaru had indeed supported him as they walked.

But as Hanzo's pace quickened, that method of moving was simply unable to keep up.

In the end, Kagura decided to carry Jiraiya on his back.

When he looked up and saw the apologetic look in Jiraiya's eyes, Kagura Smiled Slightly and Shook Head gently.

Seeing that Hanzo had no intention of lighting a fire, and that even without rain, it was indeed impossible to ignite a flame in this damp forest.

Kagura and three others silently took out their Rations and lowered their heads to eat.

At a time like this, replenishing their strength as quickly as possible was the right thing to do.

Watching the four of them, Hanzo nodded inwardly.

He had always appreciated clever people like them.

At last, he spoke.

"I will let you leave by noon tomorrow at the latest."

After saying that, he closed his eyes and leaned against the tree without making another sound.

Though a trace of viciousness flashed across Shota Futa's face upon hearing Hanzo's words, he ultimately said nothing.

As for Kagura and the others, it was as though they had not heard Hanzo at all. They continued silently eating the Rations in their hands.

Time gradually passed into Deep Night, and the Dark Clouds that seemed as though they would never disperse finally faded away.

Bright moonlight poured over the land, coating the forest in a silver glow.

By then, everyone had closed their eyes, breathing evenly as they rested against the trees.

Suddenly, Hanzo, who appeared to be asleep, Opened his eyes.

"Whoosh~"

The instant he opened his eyes, accompanied by a faint sound, a black Kunai suddenly shot toward his upper body.

"Thud!"

A dull sound of wood being pierced rang out. Hanzo, who had been sitting there moments ago, had vanished, and the Kunai was embedded deeply in the Tree Trunk.

Yet a burst of hissing came from the Kunai. An ignited Explosion Tag was tied to it!

"Boom!"

With a tremendous blast, the Kunai erupted in a violent explosion.

Kagura had already awakened the moment the Kunai struck the Tree Trunk.

His first reaction was to grab Jiraiya beside him and swiftly retreat.

Orochimaru and Tsunade were a step slower than him, but they also rushed out before the explosion occurred.

A huge cloud of smoke rose up. Even with his Sharingan activated.

Kagura could only barely make out two Black Shadows continuously crossing within it, while the sounds of weapons colliding rang out from time to time.

As the smoke gradually dispersed, everyone finally saw the exact Circumstances of the battle.

Hanzo and a man were locked in a stalemate, gripping their weapons against each other. That man was Danzo, who had left the previous day.

In truth, Danzo had been following them from the very beginning.

After breaking out that day, before he had even reached his destination, he received news from the Ninja Pet of the Anbu's shadow that the target had escaped.

He had been the Main Objective planner of This time's scheme, and he was the one who had proposed to Hiruzen Sarutobi that they use bait to clear out the spies in the village.

Shota Futa had never actually been his Main Objective target. The Companions who had helped Shota Futa carry out this theft were the Main Objective purpose of his scheme.

He was only a Chunin. Since they already knew his identity, he could not possibly stir up much trouble under Anbu surveillance.

But the other spies connected to him were the real big fish hidden behind the scenes.

He simply had not expected that, in order to avoid giving Konohagakure any leverage, Sunagakure would actually hire Ninja from the Land of Rain to help him escape during this operation.

Although Along the Way, they had captured quite a few traitors or spies who had escaped Konohagakure alongside Shota Futa, they were all Chunin or lower-ranking Characters.

The true organizers behind the scenes had not revealed any traces.

As a result, Shota Futa's existence became more important than expected.

As long as they captured him and used ninjutsu to interrogate him, they would surely gain some unexpected information.

Therefore, upon receiving the message from the Anbu, he immediately stopped advancing and began searching the area.

As the Leader of an organization like Root, Danzo's tracking abilities were naturally among the best.

What was more, the weather favored him. The rain, which was most capable of disrupting Footsteps, had stopped.

Thus, three hours earlier, he had already discovered this rather large group.

Though he was puzzled by why Kagura and the others were among them, it was Hanzo's presence that drew his attention.

As a Ninja who had survived the battlefield, he could naturally sense the scent of danger from the youth at the very front.

After a brief consideration, he sent information to the Anbu behind him and followed alone.

It had to be said that in terms of Tracking and concealment, Danzo was among the very best.

After following them for several hours, Hanzo had not noticed him at all.

Danzo was also an extremely patient person. Even after seeing them stop to rest, he did not Make a Move, merely hiding above and watching.

Only as the night deepened did he finally launch the strike he had waited so long to make.

The two locked in stalemate suddenly exerted force and quickly leaped back.

While still retreating, Danzo suddenly threw several Shuriken, then formed a One-handed Hand Seal. They instantly multiplied into a sky-filling mass.

Faced with this dense Kunai assault, Hanzo's response was very simple.

Without panic, he used the Kunai in his hand to knock aside every hidden weapon that came before him.

However, several seconds later, his expression abruptly changed.

The Shuriken he had knocked away followed an unnatural trajectory and curved around behind him.

Kagura, standing not far away, saw through the trick with his Sharingan.

Every Shuriken Danzo had thrown had an almost imperceptible thread attached behind it.

Danzo suddenly pulled back with his other hand, and streaks of Silver Light flashed.

The Shuriken Hanzo had knocked away suddenly flew toward his back.

At the critical moment, Hanzo twisted his body and avoided the attack.

But when he came back to his senses, he discovered that he had already been bound by those seemingly thin yet incredibly tough threads and Shuriken.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss~"

The familiar sound came again. The dozens of Shuriken binding him suddenly ignited.

Looking closely, every Shuriken had a yellow Explosive Tag tied to it.

"Boom!"

An explosion even louder than before rang out, and a massive fireball erupted where Hanzo had been standing.

The explosion kicked up enormous Gray Mist that instantly Pervaded the entire forest.

Danzo, having landed a successful blow, paid no attention to the outcome over there.

He pushed off hard with his feet and rushed toward Kagura and the others.

Ahead of him stood Shota Futa, his face filled with shock.

From beginning to end, Danzo had never intended to determine Victory or defeat with Hanzo. Every attack had merely been meant to delay that Strong Person's Footsteps.

Danzo's target had been Shota Futa from the very beginning.

Before Shota Futa's disbelieving eyes, the Kunai in Danzo's hand viciously plunged into his body.