"Kakuzu-san!" Yahiko shouted urgently.
"I got it."
Kakuzu grumbled irritably but still moved to stand by Konan's side. He understood that Yahiko wanted him to ensure her safety.
In truth, if he could avoid it, Kakuzu wasn't eager to clash with a formidable opponent like Hanzō. The only thing about Hanzō that piqued his interest was the bounty on his head in the black market.
Still, that baby-faced ninja gave him a sense of danger that only true kage-level opponents could evoke.
"One opponent each!"
Yahiko and Nagato exchanged a glance, immediately splitting up. Yahiko took the initiative to confront Hanzō directly.
As Yahiko charged toward him, Hanzō's eyes flickered. With a gesture, the Rain Ninja in the hall moved to surround Yahiko.
"We won't let you interfere with Yahiko!"
Konan's back extended a pair of wings made of paper. As the wings flapped, her body was lifted into the air, spinning violently.
As her body turned, paper shuriken, rotating like feathers, flew out from the paper wings.
The dense rain of paper shuriken covered the entire area where Hanzō and the Rain ninjas were, a concentrated and relentless attack that lasted for about ten seconds before stopping.
When the attack ended, most of the Rain ninjas Hanzō had with him were wiped out. The remaining ones were all injured, looking at Konan, who had stopped her attack in mid-air, with lingering fear.
Clang!
The kunai and Hanzō's scythe collided, and feeling the immense force from the kunai, a look of surprise flashed in Hanzō's eyes.
Compared to their previous encounter, this person called Yahiko now had greater strength, even stronger than before he was injured!
"His fighting skills are too crude!"
Although surprised by Yahiko's strength, Hanzō quickly reacted, unloading the force and delivering a powerful kick to Yahiko, sending him flying.
Yahiko's body, carried by swirling air, crashed heavily into the wall of the hall, causing part of it to collapse. His body was buried beneath the shattered stone.
"Yahiko!" Konan wanted to check on Yahiko's condition but was suddenly attacked by several Mist ninjas that appeared out of nowhere, seizing the opportunity to strike.
Whoosh!
As she was attacked, Konan's body turned into paper and was blown away by the wind still circulating in the hall.
The flying paper slammed into the faces and bodies of the attacking Mist ninjas, sticking to them like glue.
In the next moment, seals quickly appeared on the blank paper in the air and then ignited.
One after another, explosions of fire erupted. The Mist ninjas, wrapped in paper like mummies, rolled and struggled on the ground for a moment before finally dying from the flames.
The remaining paper gathered again in another corner of the hall, forming Konan's slightly pale face.
Paper Clone!
This technique could be used to dodge large amounts of purely Taijutsu damage when necessary.
Hanzō didn't pay attention to the scene that had just unfolded. He quickly formed hand signs with his fingers and released a powerful jet of water toward the direction where Yahiko had fallen.
The water flow swept away all obstacles in its path, and by the time it reached its destination, it had scattered not only the debris but also the rocks that were pressing down on Yahiko.
When the flow subsided and the scene beneath the rubble was revealed, Yahiko, who should have been crushed under the debris, had disappeared without a trace.
Earth Style: Heart-Severing Technique!
In the next moment, Hanzō sensed an ominous chakra reaction suddenly appearing beneath his feet. With a slight push, he jumped into the air, lifting his body off the ground.
In the very next instant, a pair of arms brushed past his ankle as he leaped.
Yahiko, completely unharmed, shot out from the ground and glared at Hanzō, who had landed at a distance.
Hanzō, holding his chained sickle, engaged in a fierce battle with the returning Yahiko. The sounds of their weapons clashing echoed loudly as they fought.
After several rounds of fighting, Hanzō's perception of Yahiko had undergone a complete transformation.
In the time that Yahiko had been missing, someone who should have been dead was now alive and well, and even more surprisingly, had made significant progress in strength.
Though Hanzō still didn't believe Yahiko, whose power had greatly increased, could be his match, the potential and talent that Yahiko displayed made him deeply uneasy.
If he failed again this time, and gave Yahiko even more time, would the next time Yahiko appeared before him, he be able to fight on equal terms or even pose a threat to Hanzō's life?
Yahiko was once again knocked back by Hanzō.
Before Hanzō had time to catch his breath, Yahiko charged at him again, as though Hanzō's power had no effect on him at all.
Hanzō looked at Yahiko with a cold, sharp gaze. Under his pressure, Yahiko's taijutsu was growing and transforming at an astonishing rate, almost as though he was trying to imitate Hanzō!
What angered and shocked Hanzō even more was that Yahiko's imitation wasn't just superficial; he had grasped the essence of the techniques.
"How did you learn this?"
During one of their clashes, Hanzō finally couldn't hold back and asked. His movements were understandable, but the fact that Yahiko had begun to master even the technique's power and execution was beyond Hanzō's comprehension.
Could it be that this person before him was like the Uchiha clan, who always used their opponent's techniques against them?
But as he looked into Yahiko's eyes—dark and devoid of any sign of the Sharingan—Hanzō's doubts deepened even more.
"Your chakra, I can sense it all!" Yahiko suddenly swung his fist toward Hanzo's face.
Hanzo slightly tilted his head, and the punch narrowly missed him. But the next moment, a sharp pain, accompanied by the real and undeniable feeling of being struck on the cheek, landed on Hanzo's puzzled face.
Hanzo's cheek sank deeply under Yahiko's punch, and then his whole body was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall.
"I clearly dodged your attack."
Hanzo tasted the blood in his mouth as he slowly stood up from the ground. He stared at Yahiko, who charged at him again, analyzing Yahiko's abilities while defending against his strikes.
After once again experiencing the sensation of dodging the attack but still feeling the blow, Hanzo had his answer.
Is it some kind of invisible attack?
Hanzo analyzed inwardly.
Yahiko was clearly inferior to him in terms of Taijutsu skills. In their previous Taijutsu fights, Hanzo had easily suppressed Yahiko with his superior techniques.
If it weren't for Yahiko's astonishing defense and recovery, the attacks Hanzo landed would have been enough to cause fatal damage, leaving him on the ground, unable to stand.
Once Hanzo realized Yahiko's remarkable defense, he held nothing back.
But now, with Yahiko's invisible attacks and strange, almost eerie Taijutsu techniques, this kid was able to engage in close combat with him, even managing to land blows.
This once again caught Hanzo off guard.
Water Style...
Hanzo blocked Yahiko's attack with one hand, while his other hand quickly formed hand seals. His chest expanded as he prepared to unleash a jutsu at the close-range Yahiko.
But just as the jutsu was about to be unleashed, Hanzō's chakra suddenly became chaotic, causing the jutsu to fail.
Hanzō immediately reacted by blocking Yahiko's descending kick with his arm in the handseal position. As his body staggered backward, his gaze grew more incredulous as he looked at Yahiko.
It was only a C-rank Water Style technique. There was no way it should have failed!
The sudden chakra disturbance not only affected his jutsu but also significantly weakened his Taijutsu techniques.
The reason for all of this was undoubtedly something Yahiko did!
This troublesome brat!
Seeing Yahiko's sudden power boost after not seeing him for a while, a rare feeling of regret stirred in Hanzō's heart.
****
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