pertwk Chapter 128 The Suspicious Hanzo
Chapter 128 The Suspicious Hanzo
The firelight flickered in the rainy night, casting glimpses of the Akatsuki members' terrified faces.
Faced with well-trained "wandering ninjas," this group of young people, full of enthusiasm, suffered repeated defeats.
Despite the support of Nagato and Konan, the enemy was too numerous and their coordination was extremely smooth, making them seem like a rabble who had come for money.
"Retreat! Everyone retreat to the main building!"
Yahiko blocked two shuriken and roared. His left arm was slashed open, and blood dripped down with the rain.
Despite the Akatsuki's fierce resistance, the attackers seemed to have achieved their goal.
The warehouse was half burned down, and a large number of Akatsuki members were injured. The effect of establishing their authority was sufficient.
The masked ninja leading the group—actually a squad leader of the Rain Order unit—raised his hand and made a "retreat" gesture.
Lord Hanzo's order was clear: to give them a warning, not to annihilate them. If Yahiko were really killed, then no one would be left to repair the roads for Amegakure.
"Mission accomplished, retreat."
The captain lowered his voice and gave instructions to his subordinates behind him.
The men in black immediately put away their weapons, retreated, and prepared to disappear into the rain.
Seeing the enemy retreat, Yahiko's tense nerves relaxed slightly, but he still gripped his long sword tightly, not daring to be careless in the slightest.
However, just as the captain turned around...
The soil on the ground twitched silently.
A white substance rapidly climbed up the captain's ankle and instantly merged into his body.
The captain's body stiffened abruptly, his hand, which was about to form hand seals to activate the Body Flicker Technique, stopped in mid-air.
His pupils lost focus for a moment, then a strange and fanatical light filled his eyes. It was White Zetsu's consciousness, forcibly taking over the body.
"retreat?"
The "captain" suddenly let out a strange laugh, his voice becoming sharp and distorted.
"No... the real show is just beginning."
The surrounding Rain Ninjas froze, stopping in their tracks and looking at their captain with a puzzled expression: "Captain? The orders are...?"
The "captain" suddenly turned around, and the kunai in his hand was instantly enveloped in water-attribute chakra, transforming into a sharp water blade.
His gaze swept across the crowd and locked onto Yahiko, who was directing the evacuation of the wounded.
"Kill him! Only blood can cleanse the filth of the Rain Kingdom!"
There was no warning whatsoever.
The ground beneath the "captain's" feet shattered, and he shot towards Yahiko like an arrow released from a bow, in a suicidal manner with no regard for defense.
"What?!"
Just as Yahiko was about to breathe a sigh of relief, his pupils suddenly contracted.
The opponent was too fast, and their killing intent was real.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
"Captain" spat out a high-pressure water jet, directly severing the gravitational field that Nagato was trying to use to provide support. Then, with a flash, he dodged Konan's paper shuriken and instantly appeared in front of Yahiko.
"Die!"
The water blade, accompanied by a chilling whistling sound, aimed straight for Yahiko's heart.
The distance is too close.
Yahiko had just swung his longsword when he had no time to defend.
Nagato was still ten meters away, while Konan was in the air.
Death's scythe is already at her neck.
At this critical moment.
Yahiko's hand did not reach for the sword, but instead suddenly reached for a sealing scroll at his waist.
That was sent by Nishikawa Tetsu a while ago, and he was instructed not to use it unless absolutely necessary.
"untie!"
White smoke exploded.
A long, cylindrical weapon, red and black in color, with a menacing design and a metallic feel, appeared in Yahiko's hand.
There wasn't even time to aim accurately, nor was there any time to think.
Driven by his survival instincts, Yahiko pressed the gun barrel hard against the chest of the charging "captain," his finger gripping the trigger tightly.
The indicator light on the battery flashed red instantly, signaling overload mode.
"Buzz—"
"boom!!!"
A blue-white beam of light burst forth at point-blank range, releasing terrifying kinetic energy in an instant.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
The captain's sinister smile froze.
He felt as if a meteorite had struck his chest, and then a huge hole appeared in his vision—it was his own chest.
There was no blood splattering.
Because the high temperature instantly evaporated all the liquid.
The captain, possessed by a White Zetsu, had his upper body vanish completely, leaving only his two legs propelling him forward one step by inertia, and then...
"thump."
The mangled body lay in the mud and water.
Yahiko was also suffering.
The immense recoil sent him flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall behind him. The barrel of the electromagnetic cannon in his hand was already red-hot and emitting white smoke.
"Cough cough..."
Yahiko coughed up a mouthful of blood, feeling as if his shoulder was shattered, but he was still alive.
The rainy night was deathly silent.
Whether they were members of the Akatsuki organization or the Rain Ninja who were preparing to retreat, they all stared blankly at the half-corpse on the ground and the strange weapon in Yahiko's hand that was still smoking.
"That...that is..."
One of the rain ninjas swallowed hard, his voice trembling.
"The captain... is gone?"
one strike.
With a single strike, a Jonin was instantly vaporized.
Even detonating tags don't have such terrifying pinpoint lethality.
"Monsters...they have monster weapons!"
I don't know who shouted.
The Rain Ninjas, who originally came only to "give them a warning," had their mental defenses crumble instantly.
Even the captain died so mysteriously, are these people just going up there to their deaths?
"Retreat! Retreat now! Take the intelligence back with you!"
The remaining rain ninjas no longer cared about establishing their authority; they turned and ran, wishing they had more legs, disappearing instantly into the dark rain.
The White Zetsu clone had already detached itself the moment the corpse fell and disappeared underground.
"What a terrifying weapon."
The white Zetsu on the ground clicked its tongue.
……
Akatsuki's base.
Nagato and Konan rushed to Yahiko's side immediately.
"Yahiko! Are you alright?!" Konan anxiously checked Yahiko's injuries.
"I broke... I broke a few bones."
Yahiko grimaced in pain, but his eyes were unusually bright.
He looked at the electromagnetic cannon in his hand, a hint of lingering fear flashing in his eyes, but more so, shock.
"That guy Che... is this what he calls 'science'?"
Yahiko struggled to sit up, watched the retreating enemy, and gripped the scorching weapon tightly.
……
Rain-Hidden Village.
"Splash!"
The precious porcelain was smashed to the ground, shards flying everywhere.
Hanzo the Salamander stood amidst the shattered porcelain shards, his chest heaving violently, his gas mask emitting heavy breathing sounds.
"Dead?"
Hanzo turned around, his single eye burning with fury as he stared intently at the several Rain Ninja who had fled back and were kneeling on the ground.
"I sent you to teach them a lesson! To establish your authority! Who gave you permission to kill? Who sent you to your deaths?!"
"Lord Hanzo, we don't want to kill anyone!"
A rain ninja looked mournful and trembled all over.
"It's the captain! The captain suddenly went crazy, ignoring orders and determined to kill Yahiko. We couldn't stop him!"
"And...and that Yahiko has a strange weapon!"
Rain Ninja raised her head, her eyes still filled with fear.
"It was just a red and black tube, no hand seals, no chakra fluctuations, just a flash... and the captain was gone, his upper body was completely blasted away!"
"Red and black pipes?"
Hanzo paused.
He recalled the information Danzo had sent, as well as the recent rumors circulating on the black market about the "Lightning Release artifact" of Konoha Heian Co., Ltd.
Why are Konoha's weapons in the hands of the Akatsuki?
"Could it be...?"
Hanzo's eyes turned incredibly sinister.
"That Jiraiya guy not only taught them ninjutsu, but also left behind such a powerful weapon?"
"Or is it that Konoha has actually been secretly supporting Akatsuki all along, wanting to install a puppet to replace me?"
Once the seeds of suspicion are sown, they will grow wildly.
Why did the captain suddenly go berserk and disobey orders? Why does the Akatsuki organization possess Konoha's top-tier equipment?
Hanzo saw all of this as a conspiracy.
It was Konoha, or ambitious figures like Danzo, who wanted to use Akatsuki to weaken Amegakure.
"Okay, very good."
Hanzo paced back and forth in the room, his anger burning even more intensely than when he faced the Sannin.
"Pass down the order! Cease all operations against the Akatsuki!"
"Do not act rashly before we understand the details of that weapon. Also, strengthen the defenses along the Konoha border!"
"Oh, right, send Danzo's letter to Konoha, and also pass on a few words for me."
"I want to see who is trying to plunge our Rain Kingdom into civil war."