"It seems the enemy is also a sensory-type ninja!"
Shippu's figure flickered as he dodged a thrown shuriken.
Whoosh!
The shuriken struck the tree trunk beneath his feet with a heavy thud.
At the same time, Shippu quickly formed hand seals and shouted in a low voice, "Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Zzzra!
In an instant, several golden chains shot out from Shippu's back, swiftly rushing toward the Rain Ninja stationed at the outpost.
This sealing technique, once used by Uzumaki Kushina to restrain even the Nine-Tails, now descended upon a mere Chūnin-level ninja—there was no escape.
"Enemy—"
The ninja didn't even finish his sentence before the chains reached him, tightly wrapping around his body.
A crushing force surged through the chains, shattering all his bones. He coughed up a massive mouthful of blood, dying with a look of disbelief frozen in his eyes.
"I originally planned to snatch the Daimyō without making a sound, but that's clearly impossible now."
Hayate let out a heavy breath, his eyes narrowing to sharp slits.
"In that case, I'll take him by force! A perfect opportunity to feel the heat of a true ninja battle."
With a flicker of his figure, he charged straight toward the Daimyō's mansion.
But ahead of him, several figures burst out from the mansion, shouting loudly:
"Enemy attack! Protect Lord Daimyō!"
"Capture him immediately!"
"Water Style—!"
In the blink of an eye, torrents of water, slicing wind blades, and scorching fireballs surged toward Hayate.
A full-scale battle erupted instantly!
Meanwhile, on Yahiko and Nagato's side, the two had broken through the last line of defense and finally laid eyes on Salamander Hanzō.
Puddles of rainwater filled the uneven ground around them.
In the reflective surface of one puddle, Yahiko's extremely grim expression was visible, with Nagato closely following behind. On a high ground opposite them came a burst of unrestrained laughter.
"Hahaha! Go ahead, hate me all you want. It doesn't matter—her life is in my hands."
Salamander Hanzō held a scythe to Konan's neck, forcing her to kneel. One wrong move from Yahiko or Nagato, and she would die on the spot!
In the next moment, Hanzō applied slight pressure with his weapon, causing Konan to let out a pained groan.
"Don't do anything rash!"
"Konan!"
Yahiko and Nagato both turned pale, their faces full of horror.
"Hanzō, didn't you say you wanted Akatsuki to propose peace agreements to the great nations? Now you're taking Konan hostage and luring us into an ambush—what is your true goal?"
"You call yourself a demigod. Doesn't this despicable behavior tarnish your name?"
Yahiko raised his head, face filled with rage.
Around them lay the bodies of many dead ninjas, proof of a fierce battle just moments ago. Behind Hanzō stood many of his elite forces, all wearing gas masks.
In both numbers and strength, the odds were grim.
"Hmph?" Hanzō curled his lip. "Your organization is a nuisance to me. Yahiko, as the leader, you'll die here."
With that, he casually flicked a kunai from his hand—
Thunk!
The kunai landed upright in a puddle just before Yahiko and Nagato.
"That red-haired one—use this to kill Yahiko!" Hanzō's cold voice echoed like a demonic whisper into their hearts.
Nagato's pupils widened, and his body went rigid.
Then Hanzō added, "If you do, I'll spare you and the woman."
"Stop! Nagato, don't worry about me—just run!" Konan screamed in panic.
Bang!
Hanzō struck the back of Konan's head with his weapon, making her cry out in pain.
Bright red blood slowly trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Shut up!"
Seeing Konan suffer again, Yahiko shouted anxiously at Nagato, "Don't hesitate! Nagato—do it!"
"Kill me!"
Nagato turned his stiff neck to look at Yahiko, panting heavily.
"I…"
Seeing Nagato hesitate, a trace of menace flashed in Hanzō's eyes as he barked, "Hurry up! Or does her life mean nothing to you?!"
"The young clan leader… he hasn't arrived yet…" Nagato seemed to seize a final sliver of hope and exclaimed, "Yahiko! You don't have to die! The young lord will find a way!"
Yahiko sighed deeply.
Even if the young lord had a solution, with Hanzō resorting to such vile tactics—using Konan's life as leverage—it would be useless.
This was an inescapable trap.
"There's no time!"
"Even if the young lord arrives, there's nothing he can do now."
"I said, even if I die, I'll protect you and Konan." Yahiko's eyes were filled with desperation as he shouted, "Nagato, kill me!"
The downpour drenched Nagato's stunned face.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Step.
Nagato began to move. Like a puppet, he slowly walked toward the kunai.
He bent down and picked it up.
Panting heavily, overwhelmed with panic.
"Konan, I… Yahiko…"
The next second, Nagato's vision went black—a figure flashed in front of him.
Yahiko, without hesitation and full of resolve to die, hurled his weak body toward the sharp kunai.
"Yahiko!" Nagato screamed in shock.
"Huh? I'm… not dead?" Yahiko's confused voice rang out, causing Nagato to turn his head in disbelief.
Unbeknownst to them, Shippu had arrived!
With one arm, he caught Yahiko, stopping him from committing suicide. But—
His back was firmly pierced by the kunai still in Nagato's hand, and blood poured down his body, mixing with the rain.
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone present.
"Ugh—" Shippu grimaced in pain, then turned to Nagato and said,
"Don't just stand there—can you please pull the kunai out? It hurts like hell!"