Attention from the Akatsuki

Sigurd hovered in the air, looking down at Salamander Hanzō from above, and said slowly, "I am Sigurd, merely a nameless nobody."

"I have long heard the name of the Ninja World's demigod, but seeing you today, I am utterly disappointed."

"You court death!"

Upon hearing this, Salamander Hanzō's eyes widened in fury. He quickly formed hand seals and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu!"

Following a burst of white smoke, a massive, grey-brown salamander covered in pustules instantly appeared.

Because the battlefield was currently atop a high tower, there was not enough space for it to find a proper footing.

So, the salamander could only cling to the wall of the tower, appearing incredibly grotesque.

Although the salamander had no eyes, its head remained locked firmly onto Sigurd.

This salamander was named Ibuse, the personal summon of Hanzō. It could spew vast clouds of poison mist and had caused the Konoha Sannin endless trouble during the Second Ninja War.

Seeing the salamander suddenly appear, Sigurd's gaze sharpened.

It was not out of fear, but because this was the heart of Amegakure; if he allowed this creature to release its poison, there was no telling how many people might die.

Thinking of this, Sigurd felt the urge to retreat.

He had come here only to cause a stir and draw the attention of Nagato and the others hiding in the shadows, not to slaughter civilians.

Just as Sigurd was contemplating this, Salamander Hanzō had already leaped onto the head of Ibuse.

Seeing this, Sigurd could only shrug helplessly, saying with a hint of regret, "It seems we won't be able to decide a winner today."

With that, the thrusters at Sigurd's feet increased in power, and he immediately soared toward the high sky.

Seeing this, Salamander Hanzō cursed, "You bastard, are you trying to run?"

Hearing this, Sigurd stopped his ascent and looked back down at the tiny figure of Salamander Hanzō, sneering, "Run? No, no, no. I am sparing your life; you should be thanking me."

With that, Sigurd manifested his Sun Demon Sword, Gram, and aimed the entire blade at Hanzō below.

"The Demon Sword is complete. Let this humble one witness your pride. This is the dawn of destruction—Bolverk Gram!"

As the words fell, Sigurd punched the pommel of the Demon Sword.

In an instant, the entire blade shot out like a cannonball, aimed directly at Salamander Hanzō below.

Seeing Sigurd's attack incoming and sensing the overwhelming pressure descending from the sky, Salamander Hanzō was struck with great alarm.

This scene reminded him of the fear he once felt when dominated by the chakra dragon summoned by Nagato.

Sensing the danger, Hanzō immediately formed seals and performed a Water Body Flicker, instantly escaping from the top of Salamander Ibuse.

After Hanzō fled, Ibuse was left in a miserable state. Sigurd's attack arrived too quickly for it to even cancel its summoning.

BOOM!

A massive explosion echoed through the heavens, and the entire tower was nearly destroyed—and this was only because Sigurd had reduced the total amount of sunlight energy.

Had he injected more sunlight energy into the Demon Sword, the destruction would have been far greater.

The explosion caught most of the Rain Ninjas inside the tower, and the casualties were enough to make Salamander Hanzō's heart ache with pain.

As for the salamander?

The initial blast of the Demon Sword severely wounded it, but at that very moment, it managed to cancel the summoning, which barely saved its life.

However, given the severity of its injuries, it would not be returning to the battlefield for at least a year or two.

Although the salamander had involuntarily leaked some poison gas the moment it took the blast, because of the battle between Sigurd and Hanzō, the residents of Amegakure below had long since evacuated.

This meant that, aside from poisoning a few unlucky Rain Ninjas, the leaking gas did not harm a single civilian.

Sigurd was satisfied with this result. After taking one last deep look at Amegakure below, he turned and flew off into the distance.

Watching Sigurd's figure disappear into the horizon, Salamander Hanzō was so furious his eyes nearly split; ragged, heavy breathing could be heard from behind his mask.

He stared coldly in the direction Sigurd had left, anger and hatred burning wildly in his heart.

He swore to himself that the next time they met, he would make him pay a painful price.

"Someone!"

As Salamander Hanzō's voice fell, a Rain Ninja appeared instantly.

He knelt behind Salamander Hanzō and said respectfully, "Lord Hanzō, what are your orders?"

"Go count the casualties, then issue a wanted notice for that person. Also, circulate his portrait to all the major villages."

"Yes!"

The conversation ended, and the Rain Ninja vanished, leaving Hanzō alone standing in the curtain of rain.

That night, in a hidden cave in the southern part of the Land of Rain, which served as a temporary base for Nagato and Konan.

Nagato sat inside a specialized device, his entire body withered and gaunt; it was clear that the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path took a heavy toll on him.

He was currently tinkering with a corpse before him, inserting specialized black receivers into its body; he was clearly in the process of crafting the Six Paths of Pain.

As for Konan, she was standing in front of a cultivation tank to the side, silently watching the orange-haired youth inside who appeared as if he were merely sleeping.

Just then, a half-black, half-white humanoid figure slowly emerged from the ground—it was Zetsu.

"Leader, something interesting has happened in Amegakure. I believe you will be interested," Zetsu said in a raspy voice.

Hearing this, Nagato remained unresponsive, continuing to fiddle with the corpse in his hands.

Konan, however, walked over to Zetsu's side and asked, "Zetsu, what happened in Amegakure?"

Zetsu gave a faint smile and said, "According to my investigation, a man named Sigurd attacked Salamander Hanzō in Amegakure at noon today."

When he first gathered this intelligence, he had intended to inform Obito first, whether to recruit him or eliminate the threat.

Unfortunately, Obito was currently playing dress-up in Kirigakure and could not return for the time being.

Therefore, he had no choice but to settle for second best and report this news to Nagato and the others.

After all, information of this caliber could be picked up by anyone wandering outside; he could not afford to create a rift with Nagato over such a trivial matter.

After all, Nagato was the most important piece in his plan.

Hearing Zetsu's words, Nagato finally set down his work and turned his gaze toward him.

Seeing this, Zetsu chuckled and said, "I told you the leader would be interested in this news."

Nagato heard this and said in a deep voice, "Enough nonsense. Tell me the specific details."

Zetsu did not say anything more, instead relaying the news of how Sigurd had attacked Hanzō and retreated unscathed to Nagato and Konan.