The Land of Rain, atop a tower.
Lin Feng watched the three figures in the distance, their backs receding through the rain and looking especially tragic, and couldn't help yawning.
"Honestly, these youngsters just love putting on melodramatic scenes about tearful farewells. They don't know how to be flexible at all."
He stretched, and his bones cracked sharply.
Although he'd manipulated Nagato into becoming a cripple and dug Yahiko's grave for him, and everything was going according to script, Lin Feng still felt restless at the thought of having to wait around here for days.
Waiting was the most boring thing in the world.
Especially for someone who loved putting on a show. What was a stage without an audience, if not a prison cell?
[Host, please wait patiently for the key plot point, 'Yahiko's Death.' This is the best opportunity to earn a large number of Acting Points.]
The system's prompt sounded at just the right moment, cold and devoid of emotion.
"I know, I know." Lin Feng waved his hand impatiently and opened the system shop. Looking at the glittering icons inside, he practically drooled.
[Hashirama Cells (Beginner Version)], [Flying Thunder God Technique Scroll], [Uchiha Reflection Gunbai]...
Every item made his fingers itch.
But when he looked at his pitiful three-digit balance of Acting Points, he couldn't even afford the cheapest item, a [Ration Pill (Deluxe Edition)].
"How long will it take to get rich if all I do is wait around and pick up scraps?" Lin Feng stroked his chin, his eyes darting about.
"No, I need to take the initiative and rack up some achievements!"
He suddenly stood up, brushed the rainwater off his backside, and looked toward the very center of Amegakure, where a towering spire pierced the sky like a sword.
That was the residence of the "demigod," Hanzo the Salamander.
There was nothing he could do to stop Yahiko and the others from going to their deaths.
But that didn't stop him from paying the "demigod" a visit first and collecting a little interest!
After all, the official reason for his trip to Amegakure was to "visit his juniors." He'd already "visited" and "educated" them.
So it was perfectly reasonable to drop by and pay a "friendly" visit to Amegakure's local big shot, make his presence known, and have a little chat, right?
Exactly. Perfectly reasonable!
At the thought, Lin Feng's lips curled upward despite himself.
Inspiration for a grand performance was already playing out in his mind.
"System, locate Hanzo the Salamander. Also, turn the BGM all the way up. I want something that plays when a villainous boss makes his entrance—the most imposing kind!"
[...This system does not provide a BGM function.]
"Tch, you're no fun."
Lin Feng curled his lip and said no more.
The Chakra within him surged once more, vast as an ocean.
This time, he didn't choose to use the Kamui he'd copied to warp through space. That thing made him dizzy and was too unstable.
He would use a more direct, more brutal method—one more befitting "Uchiha Madara"—to appear before the so-called demigod!
"Shinra Tensei!"
Lin Feng pressed his hands together. An immense repulsive force erupted from his body, blasting into the steel tower beneath his feet!
BOOM—!!!!!!
A deafening roar instantly drowned out all the wind, rain, and thunder in the world!
The abandoned tower that had stood in the Land of Rain for decades couldn't withstand that overwhelmingly violent force for even a second. Like a toy block crushed under a giant's foot, it snapped in the middle, collapsed, and shattered!
Tons of steel and concrete were imbued with terrifying momentum by the repulsive force, becoming a destructive storm of metal that swept in every direction!
Meanwhile, Lin Feng rose into the air, bathing in the "meteor shower" he'd created with his own hands, as if climbing invisible steps.
Behind him stood the collapsing tower, with steel raining down from the sky.
Before him stood the silent tower of the demigod, shrouded in rain.
At that moment, the entire Amegakure was jolted awake by the sudden roar and tremor.
Countless shinobi peered out through windows and from the corners of steel buildings, staring in horror at the abandoned tower as it crumbled—and at the figure above it, descending like a demon god.
"W-What is that?!"
"Is it an enemy?!"
"Quick! Sound the alarm!"
The shrill alarm rang out across the oppressive village.
The highest floor of Amegakure's central tower.
A short but unusually sturdy old man sat cross-legged on a tatami mat, meditating with his eyes closed.
A large respirator covered nearly half his face, leaving only a pair of sharp, sinister eyes visible.
He was Hanzo the Salamander, who had ruled Amegakure for decades and earned the title of "demigod."
The roar and alarm outside made him slowly open his eyes.
"What happened?" His voice sounded muffled through the respirator.
An Amegakure Anbu appeared before him with the Body Flicker Technique and dropped to one knee, his voice betraying his terror.
"Lord Hanzo! Tower No. 7 on the western side of the village... It was destroyed by an unknown force!"
"Hm?" Hanzo frowned.
"Where is the enemy?"
"He... He's coming this way!"
The moment the Anbu finished speaking—
BOOM!
An even louder explosion came from above them.
The entire tower shook violently, and dust sifted down from the ceiling.
Hanzo and the Anbu snapped their heads upward.
The incredibly sturdy alloy ceiling was torn open by an invisible force as easily as paper!
Cold rain mixed with rubble poured through the hole.
A figure descended slowly through the opening, bathed in wind and rain.
Long, wild black hair. Ancient, deep-purple armor. Arms crossed over his chest, expression indifferent.
His purple eyes, marked with strange ripples, calmly regarded the room's master.
The kneeling Amegakure Anbu felt his soul being sucked into those eyes the moment he saw them. His mind went blank, and he even forgot to breathe.
Hanzo's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
His "demigod" instincts were screaming an alarm!
Danger!
Extreme danger!
The man before him was the most terrifying being he had ever seen—even more dangerous than Senju Hashirama had seemed back then!
"Who... are you?"
Hanzo leaped to his feet and assumed a fighting stance, his voice dry as he asked the question.
Lin Feng touched down lightly, without making a sound.
He glanced around the room, then fixed his gaze on Hanzo's face, hidden behind the respirator.
He didn't answer Hanzo's question. Instead, he spoke with an air of curiosity mixed with mockery.
"You're Hanzo the Salamander?"
"I hear you're called a demigod?"
"Do you even deserve that title?"
"Cowering in the shadows and clinging to life—what happened to the man who once wanted to free the Land of Rain from its wretched fate?"
Hanzo's body jolted.
Who was this man before him?! How did he know so much about him?
"Weren't you wondering who I am?" Lin Feng read his thoughts, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
He slowly raised his hand and pointed a finger at Hanzo.
"Then see for yourself."
Humm—
A strange wave of ocular power spread through the room.
Before Hanzo could react, it felt as if a massive hammer had struck his head. His vision went black, and his consciousness was dragged into a strange space by an irresistible force!
The next moment, he found himself standing on a blood-red wasteland.
The sky was dark red, and a huge blood-red moon marked with nine tomoe hung high overhead.
Beneath that crimson moon stood a giant who towered between heaven and earth.
The giant wore blue armor and held a pair of massive blades, radiating an aura that could destroy everything.
Susanoo!
The Complete Body Susanoo!
For the first time, an expression of "fear" appeared on Hanzo's face.
He recognized the armor. He recognized the wild hairstyle.
A name that should have been buried in the dust of history forced its way from his throat.
"Uchiha..."
"Madara?!"
Susanoo's head slowly lowered. Its enormous Mangekyō Sharingan gazed coldly down at him, as a god might look upon an ant.
The genjutsu space shattered in an instant.
Hanzo's consciousness abruptly returned to reality. He staggered backward several steps and fell hard onto the floor, drenched in cold sweat and gasping for breath.
The genjutsu had lasted only a second, yet it had felt like a century.
That crushing pressure from the depths of his soul had completely robbed him of the courage to resist.
"Now you know who I am?" Lin Feng slowly lowered his hand, his voice calm.
"Uchiha... Madara..." Hanzo's voice trembled uncontrollably. "You... You didn't die at the Valley of the End?!"
"Die?" Lin Feng chuckled. "To me, that was only a brief slumber."
He took two steps forward and looked down at Hanzo, who was still sprawled on the floor.
"I heard you've been getting close to a rat from Konoha lately, a man named Shimura Danzō?"
Hanzo's heart lurched again, and his face turned deathly pale.
He knew even that?!
"You're apparently plotting to deal with a few insignificant brats?"
A trace of icy killing intent entered Lin Feng's voice.
"Here's a word of advice, Hanzo."
"My juniors aren't for trash like you to discipline."
"Cancel your plan with Danzo. Otherwise..."
Lin Feng didn't finish the sentence, but the threat was unmistakable.
He turned away, apparently unwilling to waste any more words on a "demigod" who'd already been scared witless.
"Oh, right." He walked beneath the hole he'd blasted in the ceiling, as if suddenly remembering something, then turned and grinned at Hanzo. "It's only polite to bring a gift when you meet someone for the first time."
Before he finished speaking, he thrust out his hand.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
A terrifying force of attraction erupted!
Hanzo didn't have time to react. He felt a chill on his face.
The respirator he'd worn for decades was ripped away by the force and sent flying into Lin Feng's hand like a shooting star!
Lin Feng weighed the respirator in his hand and curled his lip in distaste.
"This thing is so ugly."
With Hanzo watching, his face twisted with shock, fear, and fury, Lin Feng gently clenched his hand.
Crack!
The respirator, made of special alloy and built to be incredibly sturdy, was crushed in his hand like a cookie.
With that done, Lin Feng slowly rose into the air and flew out through the hole, leaving behind words that echoed through the tower.
"I'll spare your life for now."
"Three days from now, my junior will come to claim it. Wash your neck and wait."
Before you continue