I Cried, I Was Faking

"Hmm... he won't get far in a short time... but it's better to be safe. Five hundred meters should do; that's the sensory limit for a Kage-level powerhouse. Sorry to trouble you..." Uchiha Chiba looked toward a certain spot. After a long moment, he moved, his figure gradually vanishing into the horizon as he slipped into the forest.

In the forest.

"Even after being poisoned, he doesn't forget to cover his tracks. This guy's organization must be highly disciplined, or at least very serious about completing their missions." Uchiha Chiba leaned down and pinched a bit of black soil. Due to the constant rain, the soil here was usually black and damp.

However.

Sharingan! Activate!

His scarlet eyes stared fixedly at the faint, glowing traces of blood on the ground.

"You can clean up your footprints, but what about the toxins? My chakra has been tempered by the venom of Hanzo the Salamander, so I'm extremely sensitive to this poison... Well then, the hunt begins." Uchiha Chiba smiled.

Meanwhile.

In the shadows.

"The hunt begins? That's my line, heh heh heh. The fish has taken the bait." Hannya let out a sinister laugh. He hadn't gone far at all; from the very beginning, he had intended to kill Uchiha Chiba.

However.

He was afraid that Hanzo the Salamander might be following Uchiha Chiba, so he had used his own methods to scout the area, checking to see if that demigod of the ninja world was still trailing the brat. After sensing the area over and over again, he confirmed that Hanzo the Salamander was indeed not following him. That meant he could kill him.

Then.

Uchiha Chiba's figure suddenly came to a halt.

"The bloodstains are gone. Is he nearby?" Uchiha Chiba stood in place, using his chakra to sense the surroundings for any other information.

Under normal circumstances.

A Special Jonin would be unable to sense the presence of a Kage-level fighter. However, the venom of Hanzo the Salamander was a miraculous thing. If it were ordinary poison, he might not have noticed, but this guy had been struck by the purest and most terrifying toxin of the Salamander. The horror of this poison lay in the fact that the victim wouldn't even realize their body was failing unless they were highly proficient in medical ninjutsu... which was impossible.

"Although the Salamander's venom can paralyze the nerves, it doesn't guarantee he'll die, or I wouldn't have bothered chasing him." The Kusarigama in Uchiha Chiba's hand rattled as he attached an Explosive Tag to the handle of the sickle.

The next second.

Seemingly unable to suppress his bloodlust any longer.

Hannya's eyes turned cold.

"Better to finish the mission early. Brat, you've fallen for it. Die!"

As the savage voice came from above.

Uchiha Chiba braced himself, pushing hard against the sickle with both hands.

The short blade scraped against the sickle, sending sparks flying.

The immense force caused the ground beneath Uchiha Chiba to crack instantly, and the terrifying pressure gradually forced his body downward. The sharp pain radiating from the webbing between his thumb and forefinger made Uchiha Chiba realize once again.

He didn't have a system.

He couldn't be like the protagonists in other novels, easily taking down a Kage-level powerhouse by casting some random technique.

"Brat! Die!" Hannya seemed to be losing consciousness due to the poison. He suddenly retracted his short blade and thrust it fiercely toward Uchiha Chiba's heart.

The short blade was strangely shaped, like a cold, venomous snake.

BOOM!!!!

Uchiha Chiba dropped the sickle and leaped backward instantly.

The Explosive Tag ignited.

KABOOM!!!!

As the smoke cleared.

"Explosive Tag... where did that come from? Brat..." Hannya clutched his forehead; in his eyes, everything seemed to be shifting in a bizarre way.

Uchiha Chiba looked at Hannya.

The toxins were already disrupting his mind.

However.

Even with the Salamander's venom weakening him, this guy's strength was still terrifying. As expected, only "chosen ones" and cheaters could easily pull off an upset victory against a stronger opponent.

Drip!

What was that sound?

Uchiha Chiba looked down.

"When?"

He saw that the snake-shaped short blade in Hannya's hand had somehow been plunged into Uchiha Chiba's abdomen. Should he be thankful he was poisoned? Otherwise, with Hannya's ability, that strike would have shattered Uchiha Chiba's heart.

"Damn it... the poison, that dog Hanzo the Salamander's poison... I was wondering why you dared to chase me. Brat, do you think you're some kind of child of destiny? If the toxins hadn't affected my senses, you would have been dead already." Hannya made a decisive move, instantly slashing his own palm, and his pale face seemed to regain a hint of color.

The next second.

Uchiha Chiba fell to one knee.

This wasn't a genjutsu.

He had truly been stabbed.

Watching the figure of Hannya instantly close the distance to Uchiha Chiba, Chiba suddenly laughed. "You don't really take me for some arrogant, prideful child, do you? If I dared to chase you, I certainly had the confidence to kill you. You... you must be one of that old dog Danzo's men from Root, right? To send an Kage-level powerhouse after me—my map must really be held in high regard."

Uchiha Chiba's voice was not loud.

The next second.

A muffled sound of breathing emerged from beneath the mask.

"I admit, you have made me change my perspective somewhat. Did Lord Hanzo see so far ahead when he chose you to be his personal disciple?" In an instant, a figure bearing a striking resemblance to Hanzo the Salamander appeared before Uchiha Chiba, effortlessly catching Hannya's attack.

The newcomer was none other than Hanzo's Right Hand.

Pfft!

A mouthful of black blood gushed from Hannya's mouth.

"Is this your backup plan? A Kage-level fighter? Hahahaha!" Hannya narrowed his eyes; his right eye was already bloodshot, the salamander toxin having paralyzed it.

Uchiha Chiba: So you're the legendary poison-resistance king, huh? You're still not down? I really should give you an award!

"Your resistance to poison is quite high. This cold, sinister feeling—you must be one of the Twelve Maniacs of Konoha's Root, as the rumors suggest." Hanzo's Right Hand formed hand seals with one hand, and several water clones surrounded Uchiha Chiba, immediately securing his protection; no one knew if this maniac might do something desperate.

"Fire Style: Searing Migraine!"

Hannya opened his mouth wide, and terrifying flames surged forth, accompanied by rolling waves of heat!

"Water Style: Water Tornado!"

Hanzo's Right Hand formed hand seals, unhurried. A terrifying tornado, drawing in the surrounding rain, transformed into a deep blue water dragon. The ferocious dragon head collided violently with the flames, causing steam to billow and visibility in the surrounding forest to drop instantly.

Within the mist.

Hanzo's Right Hand vigilantly sensed the flow of chakra in the surroundings.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

A water dragon flew out from behind Hanzo's Right Hand, lunging straight toward a certain spot!

BOOM!

"By the way, Mr. Right Hand, what are the Twelve Maniacs..." Uchiha Chiba clutched his abdomen. Drawing the short blade rashly would cause secondary tearing; it was better to wait and have it treated later, as there were medical ninjas among the Rain ninjas.

"Don't speak. Are you still not in pain? The shape of that blade—it only takes a slight adjustment to tear open your stomach. Don't talk; conserve your strength. That guy hasn't vanished; he's still in the mist." Hanzo's Right Hand scanned his surroundings, but the guy's chakra had actually disappeared...