Belief!

It was unclear when it had begun.

Hanzo had forgotten the Land of Rain he carried on his shoulders; he had forgotten that he was the leader of Amegakure.

Facing such a pure opponent, to hold back would be a grave discourtesy!

How long had it been...

No! It had never happened before!

To breathe so recklessly, to shout so recklessly, to pour out everything one possessed so recklessly!

The curtain of rain was violently torn asunder, and even the clouds retreated!

Wrists locked, hilt pressed against the sickle blade, their bodies were pressed together.

Close enough to see one's own reflection in the other's pupils, close enough to feel the thunderous heartbeat of the other.

"What a magnificent will. There are not many left who dare to meet my gaze!"

The mental pressure inherent in Kaminazuki's Sharingan was useless against the current Hanzo; if he were to concentrate his Pupil Power to cast a genjutsu, Hanzo's extreme speed would allow him to evade it with ease.

He was enjoying this, feeling a profound joy at such a gaze!

Battle intent burned in Hanzo's eyes as he roared, "Who do you think I am?!"

"I am Salamander Hanzo!!"

Emotions are infectious, and Hanzo had lost the foundation he had always stood upon: caution.

But he had also gained the courage to break through his limits!

Click—

Kaminazuki exerted sudden force to shove aside Hanzo's block, viciously slamming his head into Hanzo's.

Without hesitation, without dodging, Hanzo performed the exact same motion.

Bang!!

Fresh blood drew a crimson arc in the air as Salamander Hanzo fell.

Blood streaming from his forehead flowed into his eye sockets, and through the torn scalp, one could even see the ghastly white bone.

"Hah!"

Hanzo let out a low, guttural growl, pulling the chain once more as the sickle blade tore through the air.

But Kaminazuki's figure had already appeared at his side, a clenched fist slamming into Hanzo's temple.

Hanzo's vision went black, and his body staggered back a step.

Immediately following—

A knee strike like a battering ram slammed into Hanzo's abdomen, a right fist smashed into his lower back, and a left elbow landed on his shoulder blade; the three strikes were completed almost simultaneously!

Swish—!

Kaminazuki formed his fingers into a sword, thrusting directly at the center of Hanzo's brow!

Hizuki Style: Quench!

Bang!!

Hanzo shattered into a mist of water, his blood-stained face appearing behind Kaminazuki, his eyes calm and rippleless.

Iai: Three Slashes!

Silver light flared brilliantly!

Fast! Fast! Fast!!

With incredible speed, Hanzo unleashed a three-stage combo!

The specially crafted armor, capable of withstanding the aftermath of explosions, offered no resistance against such sharpness.

Blood bloomed across Kaminazuki's back, three wounds appearing as if torn by the claws of a wild beast.

A long-forgotten, searing pain washed over him, and Kaminazuki grew even more excited.

The temperature of his blood was rising, accelerating.

This was not a description, but a fact.

Shing— Shing— Shing—

At the wounds Hanzo had carved, the splattered blood completed the process of gathering and condensing in an instant, the droplets of blood erupting with blinding light.

"Hundred Refinements: Meteor."

The next second, BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!!!

The blood droplets collided, and the terrifying explosion sent Hanzo flying, while Kaminazuki, who was even closer, was also slammed heavily into the ground.

The battle not far away was even more tragic and incredibly brutal.

Within a radius of several hundred meters where Salamander Ibuse stood, even the rocks had turned a dark purple; raindrops were tainted by toxins while still in mid-air, forming a massive, highly poisonous domain.

If the Iwagakure survivors from earlier had seen this scene, they would have been scared out of their wits.

But what it faced was not Iwagakure, nor could it even be considered human.

Mahoraga stood at the center of the toxic miasma, its grayish-white body covered in festering black spots, its black tentacles flailing wildly as the spots on its skin visibly faded.

It possessed no concept of pain, and the infusion of Kaminazuki's flesh and blood had granted it immense resistance.

The unethical taboos of Takigakure, the wisdom of Orochimaru that transcended the limits of the era, and the flesh-and-blood programming of a Heavenly Restriction user.

Almost instinctively, it began to analyze the toxins, adapting step by step.

Salamander Ibuse knew the terror of this monster well. At first, like its master, it chose to dodge and maintain distance.

But no matter how many times it burrowed underground, it was instantly caught up to, met by those wings of black tentacles and the terrifying power capable of splitting mountains and shattering the earth.

When the strongest poison attacks lost their decisive edge, and even its speed and strength were inferior, what was the result?

In the natural world, when two beasts had such a massive disparity, the result was clear: a one-sided slaughter!

The Salamander's claws were ripped off, its tail was smashed to pieces, and its thick skin was punched through with deep holes, flesh and blood flying everywhere!

ROAR!!

Salamander Ibuse roared in fury, its primal ferocity fully ignited.

Having followed Hanzo through countless battles, it was by no means a coward who would retreat just because the opponent was strong!

That was how it should have been...

If Mahoraga had roared, shown anger, or even displayed a look of contempt, Ibuse could have fought until its dying breath!

But it had no voice, no superfluous movements, and not a shred of emotional expression...

It was silent, cold, and mechanical throughout.

It wasn't even a beast; it was a walking weapon of slaughter with the sole purpose of annihilating the creature before it.

Whoosh—

Within that dark, deep, and hideous maw filled with black tentacles, a lava-like glow ignited.

Wuu...

Ibuse opened its mouth, no longer gathering toxic mist, but emitting a sound like the wailing of an infant.

This was a signal for help, the first time in its life it had let out such a mournful cry.

Hanzo heard its voice and climbed up from the ground, his knees still bleeding.

His body was trembling; he could feel his internal organs rupturing, and a crack had formed in his internal poison sac, allowing lethal toxins to spread.

The numbness in his body grew heavier, but his eyes grew brighter.

He knew his physical constitution was far inferior to Kaminazuki's and that he would be at a disadvantage in close-quarters combat, yet he had done it anyway.

Intuition.

For a powerhouse who had reached this level, intuition was indispensable.

There had never been a strong person who grew without experiencing battle; combat was the only way to obtain answers.

"A person's end is not death, but the moment they lose their conviction."

To be able to say such words meant that, in terms of character, Hanzo already stood at the pinnacle of the ninja world.

Between powerful ninjas, it was not just a collision of techniques, but also a contest of convictions.

If the goal had merely been to kill the other, the battle would never have developed to this point.

Kaminazuki's constitution naturally isolated most sensory ninjutsu; as Orochimaru had said, he should have been the perfect king of assassination.

If he wanted to kill Hanzo, he could have easily laid in wait, summoned Mahoraga at the right moment, and surely found an opportunity for a one-hit kill.

But he did not want to do that.

To put it in the style of the ninja world...

This was Kaminazuki's Ninja Way, where his conviction lay.

To defeat everyone with the posture of an absolute powerhouse and ascend to the highest point of the world!

And what of Hanzo's conviction...

Born in the cracks between great nations, having witnessed his compatriots suffer, and having had a salamander poison sac implanted in him as a child, he had suffered from toxins his entire life.

He overcame hardship and solidified his own convictions.

To halt war with strength, and to unify the world through harmony.

Just as the First Hokage once did, to end this chaotic era and bring peace to everyone!

For this sake... I need to overcome my weaknesses once again.

For the sake of this dream, the strongest power is indispensable!

I can do it!!

I will definitely be able to do it!!