Chapter 51: I Don't Allow Anyone This Powerful to Exist in the Shinobi World!

"Alright, just rest here peacefully. I'll come and pick you up later."

Hanma waved his hand, bidding farewell to Konan.

A few days ago, the travel-worn Danzo had finally found Hanma after much effort and completed a deal with him to take action against Shukaku.

Facing a tailed beast-level enemy, Hanma could not guarantee Konan's safety.

So, Hanma sent Konan to the Cat Clan's territory for her to stay temporarily.

Konan held two adorable ninja cats, her eyes curved like crescent moons, sweetly waving at Hanma.

"Stay safe! Konan will be good!"

Seeing Konan's cute expression, Hanma felt a warmth in his heart.

Perhaps, he could talk to Tsunade about having children.

But for now, he needed to complete this mission.

After all, he was known as Konoha's "Golden Substitute Fighter."

Handling missions for money was Hanma's professional duty; he couldn't tarnish his reputation.

The border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire.

"Maintain formation! Don't scatter! Retreat orderly!"

"Jōnin, stay behind! Use Earth Release to block the enemy! Intelligence team, contact the Hokage again!"

"What's the Hokage's order? Are we abandoned? We've been driven back to Konoha!!"

The Konoha ninjas were retreating in disarray. The remaining wounded had been left on the battlefield.

Shukaku's endless chakra, wide-range attack ninjutsu, and seemingly invincible sand shield deeply shook the Konoha ninjas, shattering their fighting spirit.

Bunpuku sat on a floating sand platform like an emperor overlooking the battlefield, indifferently commanding the Sand Ninjas to chase the Konoha ninjas.

Wherever he went, the land gradually turned into a desert, becoming his power source.

The Earth Release techniques used to delay the Sand Ninjas were swallowed by the yellow sand, boosting Bunpuku's momentum.

He waved his hand, and arms formed of yellow sand swept away the hidden Konoha ninjas.

"How does it feel, old man? This is the sensation of human slaughter and warfare; you're enjoying it too, aren't you?"

Shukaku let out a sharp howl, looking proudly at the war-torn battlefield, secretly satisfied with Bunpuku.

"This old man respects me and knows how to use my power. If he just shifts from that naive Six Paths way of thinking, my future will be comfortable."

Bunpuku shook his head and responded, "I have no desire for slaughter... but it's true that peace cannot only be achieved through dialogue."

Bunpuku was also astounded; he never thought a Jinchūriki's power would be this strong, nor did he expect the battlefield to be so brutal now.

Since Shukaku's sealing within him, he hadn't left the temple for over thirty years; he was completely isolated from the world.

The brutal fight with Sakumo Hatake, the family tragedy narrated by Chiyo, and now the battlefield strewn with corpses.

To Bunpuku, this was all new.

His understanding of peace began to shift gradually under the baptism of war.

How can humanity "mutually understand leading to peace" amidst the blood grudges war brings?

Bunpuku looked at the battlefield piled high with corpses, shaking his head, remembering Sakumo and Chiyo.

"Even if they could understand each other, their first thought would likely be to sever each other's heads."

Shukaku, sensing Bunpuku's inner change, grinned cruelly and said:

"Old man Bunpuku, you've had enough fun. Next, it's my turn to enter the stage!"

Bunpuku sighed, saying, "Reduce the carnage."

Shukaku derisively rebutted, "You've killed more people in the last two days than I have in a thousand years in the desert!"

Bunpuku stayed silent because Shukaku spoke the truth.

A mass of yellow sand gathered on him, gradually forming a massive raccoon-dog shape.

This was Bunpuku's first time transforming into the tailed beast; he wasn't very skilled and needed some preparation time.

Sakumo watched from afar, his heart sinking.

"That form... no, I can't let this guy release the tailed beast."

Looking back at the nearby border of the Land of Fire, Sakumo slowly drew his White Fang blade.

He prepared himself once again; even if it cost him his life, he would try to stop this Sand Monk.

If the tailed beast was unleashed here, the Land of Fire would face unprecedented destruction!

Sakumo, gathering his dwindling chakra, closed his eyes to meditate, preparing to unleash his strongest, and possibly last, attack.

A deep male voice interrupted Sakumo's meditation. Seeing Hanma's large figure, he asked in surprise:

"Hanma-kun, why are you here?"

Hanma smiled slightly, patting his shoulder, saying:

"As Konoha's excellent ninja and honorary captain of the Konoha Police Force, handling this kind of guy is my job."

Sakumo twitched his mouth. So, the Konoha Police Force was also responsible for dealing with tailed beasts?

Although he had a samurai-like temperament as a ninja, he was very aware of the village's dynamics to become a battlefield commander.

He was the leader of the civilian ninja faction supported by the Hokage and was very clear about the friction between the Uchiha and the Hokage faction.

After some thought, Sakumo still reminded him:

"The enemy has an automatic sand defense and can unleash wide-range offensive ninjutsu. Moreover, the Jinchūriki himself knows advanced sealing techniques, making him very difficult to deal with."

"Be careful, Hanma-kun."

Ignoring the village's internal conflicts, Sakumo still conveyed all the information he had to Hanma.

Hanma smiled. Sakumo seemed like a straightforward person after all.

"Thanks. Organize the Konoha ninja retreat. I can handle this alone."

Sakumo looked at Hanma with a grateful gaze, internally sighing:

"I didn't expect the Uchiha clan to have members who believe in the Will of Fire."

Hanma felt a shiver under Sakumo's grateful gaze, hastily saying goodbye, and walked slowly toward the Sand Ninjas.

"Wind Release: Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

As the Konoha ninjas retreated, the pursuing Sand Ninjas were surprised to find only one Konoha ninja here.

"A Konoha ninja left to die..."

They sneered, unleashing their chakra. A violent storm and raging fire rapidly struck Hanma.

Hanma's eyes narrowed, and the thick, fierce blood aura enveloped him, with violent arcs of lightning coiling around his muscular body once again.

The application of the Blood Lightning Armor had been honed to perfection through repeated battle.

Hanma looked amusedly at the approaching flames, compressing his blood armor to stay attached at a height of just over three meters.

His figure flickered, beginning the slaughter.

The leading Sand Ninjas didn't even realize the impending danger before losing consciousness.

Hanma dashed across the battlefield, each exertion causing the ground to cave in.

Elbow, punch, palm, claw, kick.

Each basic taijutsu move, accompanied by Hanma's terrifying strength, devoured the Sand Ninjas' lives.

The Sand Ninjas were terrified. With their eyesight and perception, they couldn't even see Hanma's figure.

In their perspective, all they could hear was the terrifying sonic boom, the ground inexplicably collapsing into giant craters.

What followed was the sight of their comrades either shattered into pieces, turned into puddles, or scattered into fragments across the ground.

This nightmare scenario reminded many of the surviving Sand Ninjas from the last war of Sakumo Hatake's massacre.

"No, this isn't Sakumo Hatake from Konoha; this monster is even faster than him!"

"And why doesn't he dodge ninjutsu?!"

Sakumo had to dodge the wide-range ninjutsu, giving the Sand Ninjas some room to counteract.

However, Hanma's exceptional defense meant he had no desire to dodge these ordinary elemental ninjutsu.

"Damn it, damn it! At least show us some respect!!"

The Sand Ninjas looked at Hanma strolling through the fire with a serene expression. They finally broke down, letting out desperate wails.

In just over ten seconds, the pursuing Sand Ninjas had turned into clusters of ghastly red flowers, decorating the barren sand.

The approaching Bunpuku was awakened by the unusual blood aura on the battlefield, breaking free from his Shukaku transformation.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw a massive fist and a broad smile.

"Boom!!!"

Bunpuku was sent flying, the immense force shattering Shukaku's so-called "absolute defense."

The thick sand shell covering him was pierced, his distorted features unrecognizable.

Hanma sneered, calmly saying, "I don't allow anyone this powerful to exist in the Shinobi world!"

"And you dare close your eyes in front of me?"