Chapter 29: Hanzo's Might

Hanzo chased with a murderous expression, his eyes bloodshot and blazing with frenzied anger. A large contingent of Rain Ninja followed behind him, their hearts surging with intense killing intent. This was his son, the apple of his eye, and the future successor of Amegakure. Which bastard dared to lay hands on Iga?

On the other side, even though Hanma was poisoned and couldn't yet determine the severity of the toxin, he had no intention of retreating. First, he wanted to cover the retreat of the ANBU. This wasn't about the Will of Fire; saving a few dedicated juniors when capable was only right. Second, Hanma was also very interested in Hanzo, the Ninja World's "demi-god" who bestowed the title of "Sannin."

Gaining experience against the enemy now would help him handle Hanzo better when the two villages officially went to war later. The main reason, however, was that a samurai-type ninja like Hanzo was not the kind Hanma feared. With his body of steel, reinforced by Lightning Armor and Blood Armor, no secret blade arts could affect him.

If any unforeseen events occurred and Hanzo pulled out some unheard-of secret technique, Hanma could just turn and run. In terms of speed, Hanma currently held the title of "Swiftest in the Ninja World." His favorite disciple, Minato, hadn't even learned the Flying Raijin yet.

When Hanzo was a hundred paces from Hanma, the Rain Ninja troops dispersed orderly. Some pursued the Konoha ANBU, while others maintained a distant blockade around the scene, their formation very loose.

Hanma watched Hanzo with great interest. This ninja, renowned for earning the title "demi-god" in the Ninja World, was someone he had long wished to witness in action. Hanzo's eyeballs almost burst out of their sockets with rage as he saw his son's killer remain indifferent. His fingers danced, and the surrounding humidity grew denser.

"Water Style: Rain Clouds Cover the Sky!"

Thick water vapor, guided by chakra, gathered into clusters, compressing and merging in the air to form massive cumulonimbus clouds. The distant Rain Ninja continuously used Fire Style to heat the ground, making water vapor rise quickly and further swelling the rain clouds.

Instantly, a thousand meters around were shrouded in darkness. The winds, laden with moisture, blew restlessly, filling the air with a gloomy atmosphere. The rain clouds hung low, only about a hundred meters off the ground, but they covered a vast area. The scene of dark clouds touching the ground looked like the apocalypse.

Hanma quietly watched Hanzo's technique, feeling a sense of awe. As expected of a demi-god. This was indeed a spectacular jutsu. Although not performed by one person alone, it still altered the weather. A ninja capable of changing the weather deserved to be called a strategic-level individual.

Hanzo slammed his palms to the ground, and with a puff of thick smoke, a gigantic salamander, about twenty meters tall, appeared. This was his summoning beast, the King of Salamanders—Ibuse. Hanzo leaped onto Ibuse's head, looking down at Hanma and declared:

"Despicable Konoha ninja, bullying the Rain Ninja is unforgivable. I'll use your skull for a bowl!"

The salamander roared, spewing thick purple poison mist into the rain clouds, which quickly took on a sinister purple hue. Hanma marveled at the sight. This technique, which altered the weather and integrated biological and toxic warfare, perfectly leveraged the environment of the Land of Rain. The concept was intricate!

One could say that Hanzo maximized the advantages of being in harmony with the time and place, amplifying his combat capabilities. In the Land of Rain, he was like Magellan in Impel Down, practically invincible.

With a roar, Hanzo erupted in chakra. The distant Rain Ninja, who had been hiding outside the rain clouds, simultaneously formed seals and performed a combined jutsu. The rain clouds spanning a thousand meters unleashed a deluge of dark purple poisonous rain. In this domain, no living being could evade; this was a death trap leveraging nature's power!

Hanma felt the poison rain's intensity and a hint of admiration flickered in his heart. With the "Savage Growth" enhancement and his superhuman physique, Hanma had much higher resistance compared to ordinary people. Moreover, his mastery over blood energy allowed him to keep the toxin on the surface of his body, significantly weakening its potency.

However, even with such advantages, he still felt bouts of weakness. If an ordinary ninja were poisoned, they would have collapsed long ago. This toxic rain, combined with Water Style techniques, was like a harvester mowing down everything below elite jounin level on the battlefield.

Hanzo looked puzzled at Hanma, who stood with arms folded, seemingly admiring the poison rain. This was the first time he had seen someone stand still under his toxic rain, arms crossed. 

In reality, facing the poison rain directly was not meant to disgust Hanzo. It was because "Savage Growth" granted Hanma gradually increasing resistance to any toxin he could withstand. 

"Die for your arrogance!"

With a furious shout, Hanzo swung his chain scythe and instantly attacked. Hanzo's Body Flicker Technique was top-notch. Having defeated all Samurai of the Iron Country, his close-combat skills were among the best in the ninja world. The large chain scythe attacked with a strange angle, combining the range of a scythe with the maneuverability of a flail.

Hanma blocked with a bent arm. A metallic clash rang out, and Hanma's eyes focused as he unleashed all his blood energy. The intense scent of blood filled the battlefield, and crimson light flashed around him, forming a blood-red armor.

The distant Rain Ninja's chakra was brutally drained by the blood energy, flowing back into Hanma's body. Only a handful of elite jounin managed to resist the blood energy's invasion. The sky was covered by thousands of meters of dark purple poisonous clouds, while the ground was filled with violent blood energy. The battlefield had turned into a veritable hellscape due to the war between Hanma and Hanzo.

Hanzo frowned deeply, feeling something was off. 

"This bastard... I read in the ANBU reports that he's Konoha's Blood Wolf. I never thought he had grown to this extent. Damn Konoha, always producing these strange geniuses."

"His body's hardness is also out of place; my chain scythe can't even cut through. Truly troublesome."

"But as long as he's poisoned by Ibuse, death is just a matter of time."

Hanzo continued to swing his chain scythe, and Hanma raised his blood-formed longsword. The two engaged in fierce combat. Slash, thrust, point, break, twist, press, chop, intercept—the clashing weapons sparked violently, increasing the gravity in both their expressions.

The techniques of both Hanzo and Hanma showed influences from various schools. One was the world's greatest samurai, the other a martial art master in the ninja world. At their level, techniques were secondary; what mattered were speed and power, reaction and determination.

As the fight grew more intense, Hanzo used the chain to hook Hanma's arm, and the large scythe slashed towards Hanma's artery! Hanma paid no heed to the scythe's attack. With his blood armor protecting him, it was impossible for such an attack to break his defense. His bicep muscles bulged, and with a terrifying wave of his blood sword, he gave up defense and struck fiercely at Hanzo!