Shinra Tensei

"How could ninjas from Kirigakure be here?"

"That strange blade... could it be the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"

"We can't escape now. What should we do?"

It was at this moment that the psychological fragility of the Akatsuki members became apparent; under pressure, they were like scattered sand, their past ideals and goals no longer firm.

"I said it before: today, all of you will remain here."

Seeing Yahiko and the others refusing to show respect, Hanzo of the Salamander stared gloomily at the Akatsuki members from the cliff. Since they could not be used for his own purposes, not a single one could be allowed to escape.

"Attack! Kill them all."

Under Hanzo's cruel command, the Amegakure forces present launched an assault on the Akatsuki ranks.

"Water Style: Water Flow Whip."

"Water Style: Water Severing Wave."

"Shuriken Jutsu."

In an instant, a dense barrage of attacks covered Yahiko and his companions.

"Quick, organize a defense!"

"Water Style: Water Wall."

Although the B-rank defensive water jutsu cast jointly by Yahiko and Nagato blocked a portion of the Amegakure attacks, many jutsus and hidden weapons still flew toward the crowd behind them.

"Ah! My thigh has been pierced!"

"My eyes! My eyes..."

"Someone stop those Amegakure ninjas! Why are they attacking us?!"

At this moment, the low combat effectiveness of the Akatsuki members was fully exposed, revealing them to be nothing more than a rabble.

Faced with this situation, Yahiko wanted to protect them, but he lacked the strength to do so, leaving him no choice but to ensure the safety of himself, Nagato, and Konan.

Before long, blood and severed limbs stained the mud beneath their feet.

"Biwa Juzo, shall we move in now?"

Biwa Juzo was the first wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, characterized by the red vertical markings on his mouth. He was currently listening to his subordinate's inquiry.

"Suikazan Fuguki, what do you think?" Biwa Juzo turned his head to ask.

Suikazan Fuguki was a burly middle-aged man with green shark-like markings on his cheeks; he was the first wielder of the Great Sword: Samehada.

Standing nearly two and a half meters tall, the Samehada did not look particularly large in his hands.

"It makes no difference to me. You should ask Raiga Kurosuki instead," Suikazan Fuguki grunted.

Raiga Kurosuki was the first wielder of the Kiba blades; his long green hair and thick dark circles under his eyes made him highly conspicuous in the crowd.

"The Mizukage only ordered us to assist Hanzo of the Salamander; he didn't specify to what extent. We should just do our job and ensure no one escapes," Raiga Kurosuki said.

Indeed, these three were the survivors of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Over a month ago, the three had received orders from the Fourth Mizukage and rushed to the Land of Rain to assist Hanzo of the Salamander in eliminating an organization called Akatsuki. Their mission today was to guard the escape routes of the Akatsuki members.

In truth, the three had yet to emerge from the shadows of the Third Shinobi World War.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who executed special operations for successive Mizukages and were said to be capable of destroying a small nation with just seven men, had actually lost four members to a single genin from Konoha. This forced the survivors to re-evaluate their own strength, and their personalities were no longer as arrogant as before.

The hesitation of the Kirigakure ninjas gave Akatsuki a chance to catch their breath.

"What are Suikazan Fuguki and the others doing?" Seeing the Kirigakure ninjas remaining idle while his own men began to suffer casualties, Hanzo felt extremely displeased.

In his view, if the Kirigakure ninjas had coordinated with his forces to attack from both sides, wiping out the Akatsuki group would have been a matter of minutes. The casualties on his side were entirely due to the inaction of the Kirigakure ninjas.

Hanzo could not blame them openly, however; after all, the other side represented one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, and Amegakure, having just emerged from the Third Shinobi World War, lacked the strength to oppose them.

On the battlefield, under the organization of Yahiko and Nagato, the Akatsuki team began to counterattack.

"Paper Shuriken!" Even Konan, who appeared to have the lowest combat strength, was able to take down one or two Amegakure ninjas.

Finally, Hanzo could no longer stand by and decided to enter the fray himself.

"Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave." A massive amount of chakra gathered in Hanzo's hands, forming a swirling vortex of water. Combined with the unique rainy environment of the Land of Rain, it seemed as if all the surrounding rain was converging into his hands.

As Hanzo thrust his hands forward, the vortex was released, and a pillar-like water torrent flew rapidly toward Yahiko and the others.

"Yahiko, look out!" Konan, who had been keeping a close watch on her companions' safety, rushed to Yahiko's side and blocked the path of the incoming attack.

"Konan!"

Yahiko and Nagato's gazes shifted toward Konan, and seeing the water vortex about to strike her, they were frantic with worry.

"Shinra Tensei!"

In a moment of desperation, Nagato hurriedly activated the power of the Rinnegan, and a powerful repulsive force erupted from his palms, deflecting the water vortex away from Konan.

"Thank goodness..." Yahiko watched as Konan's crisis was averted, and his heart, which had been hanging by a thread, finally settled.

"My attack was actually deflected so easily... Is that also a power of the Rinnegan? It seems none of these brats can be left alive today."

Upon seeing the legendary eyes of the gods for the first time, Hanzo's heart was in turmoil; after all, the legendary powers of the Sage of Six Paths were on a level that mortals could never hope to reach.

"It seems I must deal with that brat first." Realizing the threat Nagato posed, Hanzo prepared to focus his full attention on him.

"Did you see that?! That red-haired brat's eyes."

The three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who were watching the battle from the sidelines, had witnessed the moment Nagato repelled Hanzo's ninjutsu.

"Those look like the eyes of the legendary Sage of Six Paths." Suikazan Fuguki's gaze was locked onto Nagato; they had never expected such a windfall from a routine mission.

"Should we move in to seize those eyes?" Raiga Kurosuki asked. Even if they couldn't use those eyes themselves, bringing them back to Kirigakure would be a monumental achievement.

"How about we wait and see a little longer?" Suikazan Fuguki replied. Although he was just as covetous of those eyes, his previous experience fighting Konoha served as a constant reminder to remain cautious.

The fear instilled in them by Might Dai still loomed over them.

"I agree." Biwa Juzo seconded the proposal, and the group from Kirigakure remained in place to observe.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet."

Refusing to believe what he was seeing, Hanzo unleashed another A-rank ninjutsu at Nagato while simultaneously drawing the weapon from his back and charging forward.

"Shinra Tensei."

Facing the incoming water dragon, Nagato activated the power of his Rinnegan once more to protect Yahiko and Konan behind him. Even at such close range, the water dragon was shattered by a powerful repulsive force.

Seizing the brief opening while Nagato was occupied with the Water Dragon Bullet, Hanzo hurled his weapon at him.

"Go."

The sharp scythe glinted with a cold light, the chain attached to its handle trailing behind as it flew straight toward Nagato. If the strike landed, Nagato would be cut in two at the waist.