Naruto: Kurotsuchi Mayuri

Hanzo remembered the scene clearly. Not far away, the furious man glaring at him was Yahiko, the leader of the Akatsuki. Yahiko had been gravely injured by Hanzo's Exploding Flame Formation.

Based on Hanzo's experience, even if Yahiko had survived, he should have been left crippled. Yet, seeing the man standing before him full of life made Hanzo frown slightly.

It seemed, just like last time, something was beyond his control and understanding.

Was there a powerful medical ninja who healed the three of them? 

Could it have been Tsunade from Konoha? 

Or perhaps Shinnō, the so-called healer who once roamed the Land of Rain?

"Hanzo!"

Yahiko roared and tried to charge forward, but Konan and Nagato quickly grabbed his arms to hold him back.

"Kakuzu, as a bounty hunter, why are you involving yourself in this matter?" Hanzo ignored Yahiko's furious expression and turned his gaze to Kakuzu standing nearby.

Last time, Kakuzu had ruined his plans entirely. Kakuzu's strange and unpredictable immortality was something that Hanzo indeed found troubling.

"Someone gave me a mission, and I took it, that's all," Kakuzu replied, sighing. He could feel the two vigorous hearts beating energetically inside his chest.

"Are these the three?" Yagura Karatachi asked. His attention had been fixed solely on Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato from the start.

Yagura had no interest in analyzing the grudges between Hanzo and the others, nor did he care. For him, his only goal was to complete the mission assigned by the Mizukage as quickly as possible.

Paper Shuriken!

Konan made the first move. Dozens of sheets of paper floated out from her body, rapidly folding into spinning shuriken in midair. With a sweep of her arm, the paper shuriken whistled through the air, flying straight toward Hanzo.

Water Style: Water Formation Wall!

A rapidly spinning stream of water rose in front of Hanzo, creating a flowing water curtain. The paper shuriken hit the water wall, quickly soaking through before being swallowed by the flowing currents.

Suddenly, a sense of danger surged in Yahiko's heart. His gaze quickly shifted to the child standing beside Hanzo under the cascading water curtain—a small, unassuming figure.

The child, Yagura Karatachi, had his fingers poised like a gun, pointing directly at Yahiko. A single water droplet pierced through the water curtain, hurtling toward him with astonishing speed and eerie silence.

"Shinra Tensei!"

Before Yahiko could react, Nagato, standing beside him, raised his hand almost simultaneously with Yagura. Each unleashed their respective jutsu in unison.

An invisible repulsive force emanated from Nagato's outstretched hand, forming an oval-shaped barrier in front of them. 

Yagura's Water Iron Cannon collided with the repulsive shield and was deflected away.

Yagura's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise as he witnessed this.

The Water Iron Cannon was a signature technique of the Second Mizukage and a secret art of the Hozuki clan. Yagura had learned this technique with the approval of the Third Mizukage.

During the Third Mizukage's reign, the Hozuki clan handed over some of their secret techniques along with several ninja swords kept in their safekeeping.

The Water Iron Cannon was notoriously challenging to master for those outside the Hozuki clan. However, its destructive power was proportional to its difficulty.

Highly compressed, incredibly penetrating, and silent in its execution, it was ideal for assassination—perfectly suited for the Mist ninja's specialty. Ordinary shinobi stood little chance against its attack.

For the mission target to perceive the danger at the same moment and nullify the Water Iron Cannon with an unusual technique proved that they were far from ordinary fodder.

Realizing this, Yagura reached for the long staff strapped to his back, gripping it firmly with both hands.

Hanzo also tightened his grip on his scythe.

"Hiding in Mist Technique!"

As Yagura formed hand seals, chakra-infused mist began spreading throughout the hall. For the Mist ninja, the fog and assassination were their true domain and forte.

Yagura wasn't afraid of direct confrontation, but a ninja's strength lay in creating a battlefield advantageous to their skills, pushing their offensive capabilities to the maximum.

This was also a probing maneuver.

As expected, when he attacked, the one who had neutralized his Water Iron Cannon responded with a Wind Release technique, countering his move with precision.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

Nagato's chest swelled as he took a deep breath. Once the hand seals were complete, he exhaled with tremendous force, unleashing a fierce and turbulent gale from his mouth.

The howling wind surged through the control room, circulating back and forth. It scattered the opposing shinobi like leaves in a storm and swept away the rising mist in an instant.

The chakra was immense, and the technique was executed with masterful precision.

Yagura Karatachi raised one hand to shield himself from the roaring wind while silently analyzing Nagato's abilities.

To disperse his Hidden Mist Jutsu required either a powerful amount of chakra or an exceptional level of skill in controlling jutsu.

Without enough chakra, one could only clear a small portion of the mist, achieving nothing substantial. Without skilled control, the mist could only be dispersed temporarily, as it would quickly reform.

Only someone possessing both qualities could completely nullify the technique.

Additionally, Nagato's sharp insight and quick reactions added to Yagura's growing interest.

Yagura's move seemed to signal the beginning of the battle. Mist and Rain shinobi surged into the corridor, attacking Nagato and his team through the dissipated mist.

Even without the mist to obscure them, the Mist shinobi, unable to use their signature Mist Body Flicker Technique, moved with such agility that their forms appeared ghostly and elusive to Hidan and the others.

Shinra Tensei!

Nagato stepped forward, his arms spreading wide in a fan-like motion. A massive repulsive force erupted outward, flinging the incoming shuriken, kunai, and even nearby enemy shinobi away in one swift motion.

Yagura and Hanzo vanished instantly from their positions, avoiding the powerful repulsion.

The next moment, Hanzo reappeared behind Konan, his hand reaching for her shoulder with precise and deadly intent.

The last encounter had already made Hanzō realize that the kunoichi named Konan held extraordinary significance to Yahiko and Nagato.

During battle, the two would go to great lengths to protect her.

Hanzō decided to seize this crucial hostage first, intending to use her to threaten Yahiko and Nagato.

However, a strong sense of danger forced Hanzō, who was just about to succeed, to teleport away, narrowly dodging a black spear that whistled past him.

The spear buried itself deeply into the wall, its fletched tail vibrating violently. Hanzō's gaze fell on Kakuzu, the one who had launched the attack.

"Despicable!"

Nagato and Yahiko, currently locked in a standoff with Yagura and unable to assist, belatedly noticed Hanzō's actions. Furious, they were enraged at his underhanded attempt to target Konan.

"How ridiculous! What do you think being a ninja means? Winning by any means necessary is the ninja way! Blame yourselves for exposing your weakness."

Hanzō dismissed their disdain with indifference. This was the creed he adhered to.

****

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