Shadowkhan Rampage in Amegakure

"Hanzo! Lord Hanzo!"

Just as Hanzo was about to hear Danzo's insights, a Rain Ninja burst in, frantic and breathless, only to be immediately pinned by the guards who followed him in, their short blades drawn.

Seeing this, Hanzo didn't care about the presence of outsiders. He tugged at the chain by his side, gripped the Kusarigama hanging on the wall, and rose slowly. He strolled over to the Rain Ninja and said coldly:

"You had better have a reason for barging in here like your life depends on it."

Hanzo lowered his gaze, the Kusarigama resting nonchalantly on the Rain Ninja's shoulder.

If this were the Hanzo of the past, he might not have acted this way, but having entered old age, his combat prowess had declined, and feeling powerless, he had become obsessed with authority.

In his eyes, a Rain Ninja bursting into his office was no different from a provocation of his majesty. If the ninja said one wrong word, the sharp blade of the Kusarigama would claim his life.

"There... there is a group of ninjas in black invading the village!"

The Rain Ninja swallowed hard, his voice trembling.

If he hadn't said it, it would have been fine, but the news sent the declining Hanzo into a red-faced rage. Had he really become so weak that any random group dared to enter his territory and provoke him?!

He retracted the Kusarigama and roared, "Gather the combat forces immediately! I want to see which bastards dare to challenge my authority!"

Ignoring Danzo sitting to the side, he merely had someone arrange temporary quarters for him before gathering nearly a hundred Rain Ninja to follow him into the village's residential district.

"What are the losses and casualties?"

Hanzo stared fixedly at the ninjas in black, who were clinging to the drainpipes of the residential buildings and darting between houses, and asked routinely.

"Lord Hanzo, aside from causing a bit of chaos among the civilians, those ninjas don't seem to have caused any real damage..."

"Bastard! They're riding on our heads and shitting in my territory, and you tell me there's no damage?!"

He delivered a heavy slap to the Rain Ninja's face. Hanzo's eyes bulged with rage as he shouted, "All of you, attack!"

He absolutely could not allow his image as the leader to be tarnished in the hearts of the Amegakure villagers!

At Hanzo's command, the Rain Ninja swarmed forward, chakra clinging to the soles of their feet as they rushed along the drainpipes toward the Shadow Ninja.

However, the moment the Rain Ninja swung their blades and threw their Kunai, the Shadow Ninja dissolved into shadows and slipped into the walls, completely ignoring the attacks and vanishing into the rain.

"Shadow-style ninjutsu... is it the Nara Clan of Konoha...?"

The Nara Clan was the only one in the entire Ninja World known for shadow-style ninjutsu. Hanzo naturally assumed it was them. "Damn Konoha... it's one thing to act all holier-than-thou all the time... but to actually send ninjas to infiltrate my territory!"

Although Hanzo cursed Konoha, he was powerless to do anything about it. After all, if he truly didn't fear Konoha, he wouldn't have spared the young Sannin during the Second Ninja World War.

However, even if he couldn't openly challenge Konoha, he still had to put on a show to protect the village.

"Water Flicker Technique!"

With that, Hanzo's body transformed into a burst of water, and wielding his Kusarigama, he instantly appeared before the Shadow Ninja.

"This is the consequence of provoking me. Watch yourself in your next life!"

The Kusarigama descended, slicing the Shadow Ninja in two from top to bottom. But instead of falling into a pool of blood as Hanzo expected, the bodies dissolved into black smoke.

"Hm? Has the Nara Clan's secret technique advanced to the point of mass-producing shadow ninjas?!"

Hanzo was somewhat surprised by the performance of the Shadowkhan. Although he could sense that the individual combat ability of the Shadow Ninja was not high, the technique that allowed them to shuttle between shadows was undoubtedly a great tool for infiltration and intelligence gathering.

At the same time, he grew even angrier, the veins on his forehead throbbing. "This is a provocation, a naked provocation!" The hateful Konoha, the hateful Nara Clan—they were just using his Amegakure to test their new secret techniques!

The Shadowkhan ignored the pursuit of Hanzo and the Rain Ninja entirely, keeping their primary goal of "searching for the Talisman" in mind.

Several smoke bombs hit the ground, kicking up a thick cloud that obscured vision and made people sneeze uncontrollably. However, Hanzo and his Rain Ninja wore gas masks at all times, so they only lost sight of the Shadowkhan temporarily. As for the civilians below who were watching the commotion... they couldn't stop sneezing.

"What on earth... are these guys trying to do?!"

Hanzo looked up, quickly searching for traces of the Shadowkhan among the industrial-style buildings of Amegakure.

"Leave a few to evacuate the civilians, the rest, follow me!"

The Shadowkhan were heading nowhere else but the high tower where Hanzo's office was located. After Jack brought the Horse Talisman into the Akatsuki, the Snake Talisman, which symbolized the power of invisibility, had been placed by Qian Yu under the lightning rod at the very top of the Amegakure tower.

The Shadow Ninja slipped into the drainpipes of the highest tower in Amegakure, and Hanzo and his men immediately followed.

Drip, drip...

The drainpipe was pitch black, surrounded by the sticky sound of flowing water and the metallic clanking of the Shadow Ninja's feet against the pipes.

"Lord Hanzo! There they are!"

Darkness surged as the Shadowkhan completely surrounded Hanzo and the Rain Ninja from both the front and the rear. Although the Shadowkhan's mission was to find the Talisman, clearing out the pursuers was necessary.

"Nara Clan ninjas! What is your purpose for infiltrating Amegakure?!"

Even now, Hanzo still believed the Shadow Ninja were Konoha's handiwork. After all, as a native of the Ninja World, it was only logical to think in the most obvious direction.

The Shadow Ninja did not answer, simply drawing their katanas and charging forward.

"Foolish!"

Even with his strength significantly declined, Hanzo's power was not something a few Shadow Ninja who couldn't even use ninjutsu could touch, let alone with a group of Rain Ninja by his side.

"Water Style: Water Turbulence!"

"Ninja Art: Rain of Senbon!"

Hundreds of tiny, hair-thin senbon were carried by the water jets spat from the mouths of the Rain Ninja, quickly covering the front and rear, turning the Shadow Ninja into beehives.

"Alright... now can you tell me your purpose?"

Although the Shadowkhan were endless, a strategy of mass-producing soldiers was not what Qian Yu wanted to do. Tucked away in his bed, he noticed the number of Shadow Ninja rapidly declining and knew they had run into a tough opponent.

"Could it actually be Hanzo...?"

Even though this old man didn't have many years left to live, the Dimensional Points he provided hadn't decreased despite his decline in strength.

"Looks like I can fleece him again..."

Through remote control, Qian Yu ordered the Shadow Ninja to pull out spheres inscribed with the character "Explode" and hurl them with all their might—

"BOOM!"

Thousands of Explosive Bomb detonated simultaneously, sending flames soaring into the sky. Following this, the trembling sound of metal pipes rupturing began to echo along the walls, and the sound of rushing water drew near.

"Oh no!"

The iron plates beneath their feet began to vibrate violently, making it difficult for everyone to even stand. As the continuous explosions ceased, the structure finally buckled under the strain and collapsed completely.

The frenzied water possessed an unrivaled, brute force. The torrent erupted and surged forward, instantly overwhelming the vision of the Rain Ninja. They felt their eyes, ear canals, and entire bodies being scoured by the sewage. By the time they regained their senses, they were already submerged in the trash-filled Sewage Treatment Plant.