Weakness

With Mikoto, who had temporarily lost her ability to fight, behind him, Qingshui faced Hanzo head-on without fear.

But unfortunately, without Mikoto's help, he was no match for Hanzo.

The moment they clashed, Qingshui was sent flying backward.

Even though Mikoto caught him, his momentum carried her several steps back before they could stop.

Hanzo had no intention of giving them another chance. Without slowing down, he continued his assault.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

After forming a Hand Seal with one hand, Qingshui spared no Chakra as he opened his mouth and unleashed a fierce gale. It sent Hanzo flying backward until he crashed into the hillside and finally came to a stop.

But what happened next made Qingshui's pupils contract sharply.

Hanzo, who had crashed into the hillside, suddenly turned into a pool of water. Not only was he unharmed, he charged back at incredible speed.

Water Body Flicker Technique!

In the Original Work, Hanzo had once used this technique to dodge the Chakra dragon attack unleashed by Nagato's Summoning Jutsu of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

This technique was an advanced form of the ordinary Body Flicker Technique. In Hanzo's hands, it reached incredible speeds.

Qingshui didn't even have time to counterattack before Hanzo was right in front of him.

Just as Qingshui was preparing to activate his Rinnegan, no matter the cost, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him and used its own body to block Hanzo's fatal strike.

In the next instant, the figure vanished in a puff of white smoke.

It was none other than Qingshui's Shadow Clone.

He had already taken care of all the men Hanzo had brought with him. The price was that he had almost no Chakra left.

So this was the only way he could help his original self.

Qingshui didn't waste the opportunity his Shadow Clone had won him. A flash of white streaked by as the Ninja Sword in his hand aimed for Hanzo's abdomen.

If he remembered correctly, when Hanzo was young, he had implanted the poison sac of a dead Ibuse into his abdomen, which gave him resistance to poison.

But Ibuse's venom was terrifyingly potent.

If the poison sac in his abdomen ruptured, even Hanzo, with his poison-resistant constitution, wouldn't be able to withstand Ibuse's venom.

With his extensive combat experience, Hanzo wasn't about to let Qingshui hit him so easily. He flashed away, putting distance between them and dodging Qingshui's attack.

It was the first time Hanzo had deliberately retreated from a fight against Qingshui.

Mikoto found it hard to believe.

Qingshui had actually forced the "Demigod," Hanzo, back?

"It seems your abdomen is your weakness."

Qingshui didn't let it go to his head. He simply pointed out the reason.

Hanzo's expression shifted at his words.

"You even figured that out? In such a short time?"

That proved Qingshui was right, and Mikoto finally understood as well. She couldn't help thinking that Qingshui really was impressive.

He had figured out Hanzo's weakness from a single action.

"Konoha really is blessed with remarkable people. Talented young shinobi are always emerging."

As he praised them, Hanzo took off his mask.

Qingshui's expression changed at the sight.

Hanzo didn't wear a mask to hide his face like Kakashi did.

Without it, even his breath could poison and paralyze people, making it easy for him to accidentally harm his own allies.

That ability came from the poison sac he had implanted in his body.

Without hesitation, Qingshui immediately took out two pills. He swallowed one and handed the other to Mikoto.

"This is an Antidote Pill. Hurry and take it."

The Antidote Pill wasn't Qingshui's creation. It had been developed by Tsunade during the Second Shinobi World War to counter Hanzo.

Mikoto, who trusted Qingshui completely, quickly took the Antidote Pill as well.

Hanzo saw this, of course, but he didn't care in the slightest.

The Antidote Pill wasn't a cure-all; its effects only lasted for a limited time.

Once the effect wore off, it would no longer help them.

"Let's see whether you die by my sickle or my poison."

Before his words had even faded, Hanzo launched another attack.

Having taken the Antidote Pill, Qingshui showed no fear and charged straight at Hanzo once more.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

In the briefest of moments, the two exchanged several blows.

Qingshui used every technique at his disposal, but he couldn't cause Hanzo any trouble. Hanzo easily countered everything.

Suddenly, Hanzo opened his mouth and spewed out water, forming a pool that surged toward Qingshui.

Water Release: Wild Water Wave!

This was a basic Water Release technique. With Hanzo's mastery of Water Release, using it was as natural as breathing.

Caught off guard, Qingshui was struck by the surge of water, and his movements stiffened for an instant.

Seizing the opportunity, Hanzo swung the sickle in his hand.

If the blow landed, Qingshui would either die or be gravely wounded!

Bang!

At the crucial moment, Jiraiya finally arrived!

He appeared in front of Qingshui with a Body Flicker and kicked at Hanzo.

The attack had come suddenly, but Hanzo was skilled enough to react. He immediately crossed his arms over his chest to block the kick, then skidded backward more than ten meters before coming to a stop.

Seeing that Qingshui and Mikoto were both unharmed, Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad he hadn't arrived too late.

Then Jiraiya looked at Hanzo and asked in confusion,

"Hanzo, why did you attack us Konoha Ninja?"

"Hmph. I should be asking you that. Why did you kill my subordinate, Aonosuke?"

After landing, Hanzo immediately accused Jiraiya of the crime, his voice growing heavier with anger.

"When did I kill this Aonosuke you're talking about? I've never even met him!"

Hanzo's words left Jiraiya completely baffled.

He was certain he hadn't lost any memories.

"Hmph. You don't have the guts to own up to it?"

Hanzo assumed Jiraiya was simply denying it. He had seen Aonosuke's corpse with his own eyes.

"But I really don't know this Aonosuke you're talking about. You should know I've kept to myself in the Land of Rain."

Seeing that Jiraiya didn't seem to be lying, Hanzo calmed down as well.

Jiraiya was a shinobi he respected, after all. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would refuse to admit to something he'd done.

"We were about to leave the Land of Rain when a group of Rain Ninja suddenly appeared and tried to kill us without asking a single question. So we fought back."

"I also interrogated the Jonin who led them and got some information. They'd been ordered by Aonosuke to kill us at all costs!"

"But just now, someone killed that Jonin to silence him."

Mikoto hurriedly told them what she knew.

After hearing this, Hanzo furrowed his brows.

He realized that there really were strange details surrounding the incident.

If Jiraiya and Mikoto were telling the truth, then Konoha wasn't to blame. Aonosuke had arranged the whole thing.

But why had Aonosuke been killed?

Could there be another mastermind behind this?

Was this mastermind trying to reignite the war between Amegakure and Konoha?

After thinking it over briefly, Hanzo formed a Hand Seal and used Summoning Jutsu to summon an enormous Ibuse.

He couldn't simply take Jiraiya and the others at their word.

"There's definitely something suspicious about this. Once I've captured you, I'll investigate personally and get to the bottom of it."