Mahoraga!!

Blood Manipulation.

It was a concept long in the making, initially structured during the battle against Chiyo and perfected only after Nara Shikaku provided insights into shadow manipulation.

It had become a secret technique unique to Uchiha Kamizuki, a perfect fusion of offense and defense.

He could freely control the coagulation, shaping, and reinforcement of his blood, even briefly accelerating his heart rate and blood flow to push a body already inhumanly powerful to even greater heights!

It was similar to the Shikotsumyaku, only the medium of the technique had shifted from bone to blood.

"Hundred Convergences: Piercing Blood."

As the name implied, this technique involved firing a highly compressed bead of blood at supersonic speeds, possessing an unrivaled piercing force!

Uchiha Kamizuki had once used this to kill two Iwagakure jonin known for their defensive prowess in a single strike, earning him the title of "Konoha's Red Blood Demon" from Iwagakure!

However...

Hanzo's speed was faster!!

Swish--!!

Even a crimson meteor could not track him; within this space... Hanzo was the fastest in the ninja world!

The poison-mist-coated sickle was like the blade of the Grim Reaper, a lethal weapon that had reaped a thousand Iwagakure ninja not long ago, its killing intent terrifying.

Uchiha Kamizuki, his hands occupied with weaving hand signs, could not dodge, and the sickle blade struck his shoulder blade.

Hanzo could have easily chosen a more lethal target, but he could not afford to do so.

Declaring war on the three great nations was a desperate measure born of necessity, but he understood clearly that if he truly fought the great nations to the death, the Land of Rain would inevitably be destroyed.

The record of slaughtering a thousand Iwagakure ninja seemed horrifying... but in truth, he had intentionally spared many of the younger ones, killing mostly the mediocre.

There was a delicate balance to maintain, one that would not drive Ōnoki into a rage and cause him to retaliate against the Land of Rain at any cost.

Otherwise, even if he could dodge the Dust Release, how could the vast Amegakure hide from it?

To put it bluntly...

Perhaps consuming those Iwagakure ninja was exactly what Ōnoki wanted.

Uchiha Kamizuki was different.

He was a rising genius of Konoha, with a combat record that rivaled even Hatake Sakumo and surpassed his own teacher, Orochimaru, by a hair.

More importantly... he was a member of the Uchiha clan, a prestigious family of the ninja world.

Born before the era of the hidden villages, Hanzo could not simply ignore that surname; it represented one of the two mountains that loomed over the entire ninja world.

The status of such a genius within that clan was self-evident, and the Land of Rain could not withstand the retaliation of the Uchiha clan.

Hanzo was not a lone wolf; for the sake of those behind him, defeating and expelling him was the only choice.

But the next second...

Hanzo felt that his mercy had been somewhat redundant.

Clang--!!

The sickle blade struck Uchiha Kamizuki's shoulder, yet it sparked as if it had struck refined steel!

"Hey... you monster, is there anything about you that's still human?"

Even Hanzo could not maintain his composure, unable to help but remark.

"How rude. It's rare that I didn't start the insults, yet I'm the one being insulted first."

Uchiha Kamizuki tilted his head and smiled: "I'm actually quite confident in my appearance; no matter how you look at it, I'm a perfectly normal, handsome guy."

Is that what we're talking about?

Hanzo wanted to retort, but his instincts sensed a threat, and he once again used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge.

Rip--!!

The blood-red spike he had just avoided had actually curved back; had he sensed it a moment later, he would surely have been pierced!

"Just like the chakra threads of that puppet hag, you can maintain control over it."

Watching the blood threads circling Uchiha Kamizuki, Hanzo frowned slightly: "An indestructible physique, a secret technique that combines offense and defense, speed, swordsmanship, the insight of the Sharingan..."

"I, Hanzo, acknowledge your strength. Among the younger generation, perhaps no one is stronger than you."

"Don't go giving me any titles."

Uchiha Kamizuki walked closer, shaking his head: "There are too many messy titles out there; I only need my own name."

"Uchiha Kamizuki."

Hanzo spoke his name for the first time, chuckling softly: "Indeed, the name Uchiha is enough to say it all."

"However... is it really wise to approach so carelessly?"

The ground Uchiha Kamizuki stepped upon was the very place where Hanzo's toxins permeated, wisps of purple mist being inhaled by Kamizuki with every breath.

"Although it doesn't compare to the toxins implanted in my poison sac, the toxins I exhale are not something an ordinary person can withstand."

Hoo—

Kamizuki deliberately took a deep breath, seemingly savoring the sensation.

"Get serious, brother Salamander; this purity isn't even as potent as the secondhand smoke in the Hokage Office."

He exhaled a light puff of air.

His formidable internal organs directly absorbed and decomposed the toxins; what would be lethal to a normal person was, to Kamizuki, merely air with a slight sting.

Hanzo was not particularly surprised, having heard the rumors that Kamizuki possessed a resistance to toxins.

He formed a seal with one hand.

"Then... how about this?"

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—

At the spot where Kamizuki stood, the faint sound of ignition crackled.

With a heavy shift in his hand seals, Hanzo shouted, "I told you, you approached too carelessly!"

The water flowing over the bluestone slabs transformed into countless Explosive Tags, wrapping around Kamizuki's feet!

"Fire Style: Explosive Flame Formation!"

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!

A terrifying explosion echoed throughout Amegakure, flames soaring into the sky!

Tap... tap...

Steady footsteps rang out from within the thick smoke.

"That old hag didn't lie to me; the quality is truly excellent. I'll have to settle the final payment later."

His outer coat had been shredded into rags by the explosion, revealing the attire beneath.

A black, low-collared short-sleeved shirt exposed his neck and part of his chest, the muscle definition clear and sharp.

The exposed muscles of his forearms were not the overtly bulky type seen in Kumogakure; they looked incredibly fluid, brimming with a sense of power.

On his lower body, he wore loose, deep purple trousers, with a white sash featuring a scabbard for his blade.

The overall look was simple, yet it exuded an ostentatious aura that defied the standard tone of a ninja.

Hanzo didn't care about the attire; he was staring intently at Kamizuki's physical condition.

Regrettably...

He was completely unscathed!!

He really just tanked it with his physical body...

He could have at least used a blood secret technique to block it symbolically!

Close-quarters combat was originally Hanzo's forte; his powerful swordsmanship and toxins made others avoid getting close to him at all costs.

But having witnessed Kamizuki's body and monstrous strength... that advantage had vanished entirely.

He could not engage in melee combat with him; it was too dangerous!

Hanzo's respirator was meant to prevent ordinary people from being poisoned by his breath, but now that it served no purpose, he simply removed it.

It was the face of a very ordinary middle-aged ninja.

He leaped away toward the outskirts of Amegakure, bit his fingertip, and his hands flew through a series of seals: "Let's change locations."

You fellow, you are worthy of me, Hanzo, treating you with seriousness!

Kamizuki followed quickly, and the two arrived at a vast, open area.

"Summoning Jutsu!!"

A massive, dark brown salamander was summoned; Salamander Ibuse was the vital assistant behind Hanzo's great renown.

Hanzo stood atop the salamander, looking down as he spoke: "When dealing with an enemy, going all out is the most basic form of courtesy."

"Salamander Ibuse is my summoning partner; its toxicity is far beyond the level you just experienced."

"I apologize, but I cannot defeat you while ensuring your safety, Uchiha Kamizuki."

The corners of Kamizuki's mouth curled upward.

"I am growing fonder of you by the second."

"If it is you, you are qualified to witness it... allow me to introduce my summoning partner."

He flicked his finger, and the small white snake not far away opened its maw wide, spitting out an object far larger than its own body, wrapped in white bandages and silk threads.

As the bandages fell away from what one might tentatively call the "head" of that giant humanoid object, a hideous, gaping maw was revealed, and deep crimson hellfire erupted outward!

The intense fluctuation of Chakra drew Hanzo's gaze, but in the very next instant.

That "monster" appeared behind Kaminazuki.

It stood roughly four or five meters tall, its skin a cold, bone-like hue, covered from head to toe in dark purple cursed seals that flowed with a ghostly light.

It possessed no organs other than a mouth, and black tentacles surged from where its eyes should have been, intertwining like a pair of twisted black wings.

The humanoid silhouette lacked a single ounce of excess flesh, and its lower body was composed of surging black tentacles that formed a battle skirt, radiating an incomparable malevolence.

The Salamander let out an uneasy drone; Hanzo could feel its fear.

Even he himself felt a sense of dread toward this monster, his instincts screaming that something was wrong.

"I even used my own flesh and blood for this; it is truly a masterpiece..."

"The name was chosen by Master Orochimaru."

Kaminazuki placed a hand on the monster, smiling faintly: "The Yama Demon born from the void, its name is—"

"Mahoraga!"