Sigurd VS Salamander Hanzō

"So, where would Nagato and Konan be right now?"

Sigurd muttered to himself, his mind constantly turning over how he might track down traces of the Akatsuki.

Furthermore, at this point in time, Sigurd wasn't even certain if Nagato had finished his revenge yet.

If he had, then the opponent's location would be easy to find; they would certainly be within Amegakure.

If he hadn't, then it would be quite difficult to track them down.

Although the Land of Rain was a small nation, finding a single person hiding within it was still an incredibly arduous task.

Having failed to come up with any good ideas, Sigurd finally decided to head to Amegakure first to take a look.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Akatsuki was currently in its nascent stage and was in dire need of personnel.

As long as he made a high-profile entrance and demonstrated sufficient strength, Nagato and Konan would eventually receive the intelligence.

When that time came, he wasn't worried about them failing to take the bait.

Moreover, at this juncture, Obito should have already left Zetsu by Nagato's side.

Given Zetsu's intelligence-gathering capabilities, as long as he caused a big enough stir, Zetsu would certainly come to investigate.

By then, his information would surely reach Nagato or Obito, and they would definitely send someone to recruit him.

Once that happened, he could feign reluctance and agree—it would be simply perfect.

"Right! To ensure a smooth infiltration, it's time to stir up some real trouble in Amegakure."

With that, Sigurd headed in the direction of Amegakure.

After traveling for half a day, Sigurd finally arrived at the outskirts of Amegakure before noon.

He reached out to catch the raindrops from the sky, focusing his senses to perceive them, but found no chakra within—they were just ordinary raindrops.

If that was the case, then either Nagato hadn't succeeded in his revenge yet, or he hadn't developed the Rain Tiger at Will Technique.

Walking slowly into Amegakure, Tokiju immediately spotted the tall tower standing in the center of the village.

Looking at the gaudy pavilion built atop the tower, Sigurd immediately confirmed that Hanzō should still be in power.

If that was the case, could he perhaps attempt to challenge Hanzō, the demigod of the Ninja World?

In any case, Salamander Hanzō had given his elder sister a very rough time during the Second Great Ninja War, so it was perfectly reasonable for him to go and settle the score.

What's more, Hanzō was likely a man whose spirit had been broken, living a life of daily indulgence, and his strength should have declined significantly compared to the Second War.

On top of that, the man's poison was useless against him, and he could fly, so even if he couldn't win, he could easily escape.

Thinking of this, Sigurd immediately took off and flew toward the tower.

Meanwhile, inside that tower, Salamander Hanzō was sitting alone in a compartment, enjoying an incredibly luxurious meal.

He was currently in a phase where he trusted no one, and no one was allowed to enter his compartment.

Even if there was intelligence that required his attention, it had to pass through layers of screening before his trusted subordinates could bring it to his door.

Even then, it didn't end there; he didn't even trust his trusted subordinates, allowing them only to stay at the door and forbidding them from entering.

As for the intelligence, it was delivered silently through a mechanism at the door.

During this period, Salamander Hanzō would not have face-to-face contact with anyone, not even his most trusted men.

To ensure his own safety, he had also arranged for many sensory-type ninja within the tower.

The moment there was any disturbance in the surroundings, those sensory ninja would immediately notify Salamander Hanzō through the voice pipes in the room.

Just then, those sensory ninja suddenly opened their eyes, scrambling to the voice pipes and shouting, "Lord Hanzō, there is a chakra signature flying toward you at high speed!"

Hearing the voice from the pipe, the eyes of Salamander Hanzō, who was savoring a delicious sea fish, immediately turned sharp.

In an instant, he drew the kusarigama at his side and looked around vigilantly.

At that very moment, with a loud boom, Sigurd smashed through the outer wall and flew straight inside.

Seeing the blond man wearing a respirator before him, Sigurd immediately descended from the air.

In the environment of the Land of Rain, it wasn't easy for him to replenish solar energy, so he had to save it where he could.

"Who are you?"

Salamander Hanzō's expression was grave as he looked at the man in black before him, unsure of how he had provoked him.

Just then, the Amegakure ninja guarding the tower appeared one after another, drawing their weapons and looking at Sigurd with wary expressions.

Sigurd looked at the large number of ninja surrounding him, clicked his tongue, and said to Salamander Hanzō, "There are too many people here; let's go somewhere else."

Without waiting for the other party to react, he activated the thrusters on his feet and charged fiercely toward Salamander Hanzō.

Salamander Hanzō frowned, quickly raising his kusarigama horizontally in front of his chest, intending to firmly block the opponent.

But to his surprise, the opponent's strength was immense, and upon contact, he was clearly at a disadvantage.

Seeing this, the surrounding ninja also rushed toward Sigurd, shouting, "Everyone, attack together! Follow Lord Hanzō to eliminate the intruder!"

Seeing this, Sigurd first grabbed Salamander Hanzō's wrist with his backhand, intending to take him straight up into the sky.

But before Sigurd could take off, he saw Salamander Hanzō form a seal with one hand and whisper, "Water Body Flicker Technique!"

Salamander Hanzō dissolved into a puddle of water, instantly slipping free from Sigurd's grasp.

Sigurd stared in surprise at the puddle of water before him, having completely forgotten that his opponent possessed such an escape maneuver.

While Sigurd was still reeling from the shock, the surrounding Rain Ninjas launched their own attacks, unleashing a relentless barrage of various Water Style ninjutsu.

"Water Style: Water Bullet!"

"Water Style: Raging Waves!"

"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"

Seeing the various Water Style techniques hurtling toward him with reckless abandon, Sigurd immediately bent his knees and leaped high into the air, narrowly dodging the first wave of attacks.

The moment he reached the apex of his jump, a second wave of Water Style techniques struck.

Seeing this, Sigurd ignited the soles of his feet, and his thrusters began to roar.

With a thunderous boom, Sigurd smashed through the roof of the attic, intending to shake off the annoying Rain Ninjas first.

But just as his vision was obscured by the shattered roof, a pitch-black chain coiled tightly around his arm.

In that very instant, the figure of Salamander Hanzō burst forth from the dust and debris, his sickle raised high and aimed directly at Sigurd.

"Swordsmanship: Chain-Sickle Double Strike!"

Seeing the impending crisis, Sigurd immediately manifested a glowing red Moonlight Flying Sword, parrying the opponent's sickle head-on.

"You truly deserve your reputation as the demigod of the Ninja World; even in your old age, you're quite formidable!"

As he spoke, Sigurd delivered a kick toward Hanzō. This was no ordinary strike, as the joints were boosted by his thrusters.

It could be said that if this kick landed, the opponent would be left either dead or crippled.

Sensing the sheer power behind the blow, Salamander Hanzō exerted force through his sickle, using the impact to propel himself backward.

Taking advantage of the recoil, he deftly retracted the chain-sickle that had been wrapped around Sigurd's arm.

While still in mid-air, Salamander Hanzō performed a rapid series of hand seals, using a Water Body Flicker to return to the ground.

After landing, Salamander Hanzō looked up at Sigurd hovering in the sky and asked with a grave expression, "Who exactly are you?"