The Snake Talisman

"Wretched brat, you dare?!"

The instant the drainage pipes exploded, Hanzo used the Water Body Flicker Technique to dodge the sewage before it could wash over him.

At that moment, his eyes were filled with murderous intent. First, his village had been invaded for no apparent reason. Then the intruders had ignored him as if he were nothing. And finally, they had outright destroyed Amegakure's tower.

The Shadowkhan's repeated provocations had pushed him to the brink of rage. Hanzo flung off his outer robe, baring his upper body as he entered a battle stance he hadn't adopted in a long time.

—Whoosh!

Hanzo's figure dissolved into a mist of water. In the blink of an eye, he had caught up with the Shadowkhan and reached the lightning rod atop the tower.

"Behold my full power!"

Hanzo raised the bladed end of his Kusarigama high, then bent his body slightly. His pupils quivered, and he began spinning like a top.

The gleaming Kusarigama whirled around him, slicing apart everything it touched. He moved so quickly that the Shadow Ninja couldn't even react before being cut in half.

Watching their comrades fall one by one, the remaining Shadowkhan realized the battle was now pointless. It was time to retreat.

Ignoring Hanzo's pursuit, the surviving Shadow Ninja made straight for the Snake Talisman, whose location they had already set.

Hanzo didn't understand why the Shadowkhan were so interested in a lightning rod, but he chased after them without hesitation.

"Is that... a stone?"

As the Shadow Ninja pried the Snake Talisman out of a groove at the base of the lightning rod, their figures vanished beneath the dark clouds, leaving not even a trace of their presence.

(Because the talismans' abilities in the original Jackie Chan Adventures were inconsistent and somewhat abstract, this novel will make certain adjustments. For example, the Snake Talisman's invisibility will become an area-of-effect ability.)

"They got away?"

Hanzo hurried forward, scanned the surrounding buildings, then focused and sensed the area carefully. Once he had confirmed that the Shadowkhan had escaped, he put away his Kusarigama.

The instant his guard dropped, several shuriken suddenly came flying from all directions. Though he reacted quickly and leapt back to dodge them, they still grazed his skin.

"Who is it?!"

Hanzo clutched the wound, which stung fiercely, and warily surveyed the area below. But aside from the Rain Ninja who had arrived late, there was no one suspicious in sight.

"Does anyone among you have a grudge against me?"

Hanzo leapt down and landed steadily. His sharp gaze swept over the approaching Rain Ninja as the Kusarigama in his hand swayed lightly, as if he might attack at any moment.

"N-no! Lord Hanzo, every one of us here is loyal to you and reveres you!"

Hanzo merely let a hint of his presence show, yet the Rain Ninja's legs trembled uncontrollably. Every one of them acted servile and meek, terrified that Hanzo might be displeased and cut them down.

"..." Seeing his subordinates act so disgracefully and spinelessly, Hanzo said nothing. Finding out who had secretly attacked him took priority.

—Puh!

Just as Hanzo turned around again, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen. His body flew several meters through the air before slamming into a garbage can.

"Lord Hanzo!"

Seeing their revered leader sprawled among the trash, the Rain Ninja hurried over to help him up.

But Hanzo was known as the "pinnacle of the Ninja World." He had never suffered two ambushes in a row like this. He immediately swung his Kusarigama and roared at the sky:

"Who the hell is it?!"

Now was the time for the Shadowkhan to make their reappearance. Hanzo was furious, his emotions at their peak, which meant they could earn more Dimensional Points. There were also plenty of people gathered around. It was time to "close the net."

Rain began to pour. Beneath a bank of dark clouds, the Shadowkhan revealed themselves once more. They stood atop telephone poles, their scarlet eyes fixed on Hanzo below.

"So it was... you lot?!"

Hanzo had never imagined that the ones who had ambushed him were the very Shadowkhan he had been driving back at every turn. Could it be... that all they had to do was take that stone to become invisible and undetectable to him?!

"You brought this on yourselves!"

As he spoke, Hanzo reached for his gas mask. That small movement alone made the Rain Ninja present break out in goose bumps.

"Lord Hanzo! This is the center of the village, you can't—ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, the Rain Ninja who had tried to stop him was cut across the throat by Hanzo's Kusarigama. He fell into a pool of blood.

The rain spread the blood across the ground. The Rain Ninja immediately lost any desire to keep trying to dissuade Hanzo. They scattered to evacuate the civilians.

"Ha..."

As his gas mask came off, Hanzo's face saw daylight again for the first time in years. He exhaled out of habit, and a deep purple miasma drifted through the air.

Having obtained the Talisman and earned their Dimensional Points, the Shadowkhan had no intention of prolonging their standoff with Hanzo. Before the poison cloud could envelop them, they slipped into the Shadow Empire and escaped.

Since the Shadowkhan had blown up Amegakure's tallest tower, Hanzo had to set up temporarily in the second-tallest tower upon his return. There, he also reunited with Danzo, his "partner."

Unlike their previous meeting, guards lined both sides of Hanzo's office, every one of them armed. Danzo sensed that something was amiss and could no longer behave as leisurely as before.

He cautiously began, "Lord Hanzo?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Danzo felt a sharp blade touch his neck. Its icy chill made him imagine what might happen if the blade moved just a little farther.

Danzo immediately lowered his bluster and raised his deference to the utmost as he asked, "Lord Hanzo, what do you mean by this? I represent Konoha, and I came here in good faith to discuss cooperation with you."

"That's a lie!" Danzo was only worried that the old fool Hanzo might have truly lost his mind and strike him down, so he had brought up Konoha to make Hanzo think twice.

Hanzo made no attempt to hide his feelings. He shot Danzo a glare, determined that even if Danzo was going to die, he would at least know why, then slowly spoke:

"Danzo, are you still pretending?!"

"Your Konoha ninjas ran onto my land and took a dump!"

Hanzo slammed his hand on the table in fury and recounted everything the Shadowkhan had done. The enormous accusation nearly scared Danzo to death on the spot, and he immediately began to protest:

"Lord Hanzo! Forgive my bluntness, but this is a conspiracy!"

"A conspiracy?" Hanzo raised an eyebrow. His hand paused, signaling for Danzo to continue.

"The current Hokage of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen, is my dearest friend and sworn brother!"

"I'm also one of Konoha's senior officials. Why would I have my subordinates sneak into your village and wreak havoc while I was visiting? That would be idiotic!"

"You mean... someone is trying to frame Konoha?"