Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

"hiss"

"Lao Mu, what's wrong?"

Feeling the five tails at his waist suddenly shiver, Han, who was leaping between rooftops, looked down in confusion.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt a chill down my back, maybe it's because of the weather."

Looking around and finding nothing amiss, King Mu shook his head, assuming that the dampness of the Rain Kingdom was causing it to be somewhat unaccustomed to the climate.
I will leave here as soon as possible.

"boom!"

Suddenly, a violent explosion interrupted the conversation between the man and the beast. Han, smelling the faint scent of sulfur in the air, knew he had entered a battlefield.
"Oh!"

Sure enough, a dazzling firework mingled with purple mist bloomed above his head. Not far away, under the moonlight, two figures darted past each other, each collision sparking intense heat.

"Who is that guy?"

Han recognized the crimson figure immediately; it was his teammate, Xiao Zi. But he had never seen the other figure before.

It was a strange knight, entirely black with eerie purple markings, his body covered in jagged spikes, the tips of which constantly secreted pungent venom.
Purple venom sprayed wildly with his attacks, corroding everything around him beyond recognition; even Little Purple's Lava Release technique was not spared.
"Hiss, that's some deadly poison. Could this guy be the new Six-Tailed Knight?"

Han looked at the corroded, pitted ground and couldn't help but gasp. According to the village records, only the Six-Tailed Beast could wield poison with such mastery.
Although the black knight before them didn't resemble the Six-Tailed Knight in the files at all, both he and Komurasaki had changed, so it was reasonable for the new Six-Tailed Knight to have a different appearance.

"It's not a slug."

King Mu raised his head, sniffed lightly, and smelled the poisonous gas, which was completely different from the scent he remembered. He shook his head solemnly.

"Not the Six-Tails? There are tailed beasts that use poison?"

"Its power does not come from the tailed beasts."

True Tailed Beast Riders possess a special connection; the unfamiliar rider before them was clearly not from their Tailed Beast faction.

Not a tailed beast?

Han was taken aback. If someone who wasn't a Tailed Beast Knight could fight Xiao Zi to a standstill, what was this guy's background?
"Chinese!"

Komurasaki, who was locked in combat with Hanzo, also spotted Han's retreating figure. Seeing reinforcements arrive, he felt a sense of relief.
"You dare to lose focus in front of me?"

It was in that instant of relaxation that Hanzo seized the opportunity. He brought his five fingers together, and the venom secreted from his fingertips instantly solidified into a half-meter-long hand blade.

"Poison Blade·Iai!"

"Shh!"

A masterful Iaijutsu strike was unleashed; Komurasaki had no time to dodge and could only raise her hands to take the blow.
"Sizzle!~"

The weapon, formed from pure venom, was extremely corrosive; upon contact, Xiao Zi's gauntlets emitted a pungent white smoke.

"what!"

As the poisoned blade drew ever closer to her faceplate, Xiao Zi took a deep breath and roared, unleashing a surge of intense energy. The ground beneath her feet began to churn, and dark red light flickered within the cracks in the earth.

"Molten Release: Great Fireball!"

Feeling the rapidly rising ground temperature beneath his feet, Hanzo immediately turned and retreated. The instant he left, a torrent of scorching lava erupted from beneath Komurasaki's feet.

"Whew, that was close."

Looking with lingering fear at the spot where the pillar of lava had engulfed him, Hanzo thought that if he had hesitated for even a second, he might have ended up taking a bath in the lava.
"What a troublesome ability."

A few seconds later, the pillar of fire disappeared. Xiao Zi, his body still steaming, shook his arm, which had just blocked the poisoned blade attack. Looking at the faint knife marks on his fair skin, he couldn't help but grin.

Everyone says high temperatures can disinfect, but even his lava, which reaches temperatures of over a thousand degrees, couldn't completely remove Hanzo's venom. If even a tiny bit got on her, Xiao Zi couldn't guarantee she could withstand it.
"Another one?"

Hanzo also noticed the Han who had come to intervene. His gaze swept over the man's gray-white armor, and his face was full of solemnity.
He was already struggling to cope with Xiao Zi alone; if another one came along, he probably wouldn't be able to hold on.
"Lord Hanzo, we're here to help you!"

The few remaining Rain Ninja rallied and, led by Hydrangea, came to do their part.

"Are you Hanzo?"

Upon hearing the address of the Rain Ninja, Han realized that the unfamiliar knight who was fiercely fighting with Komurasaki was actually Hanzo, the leader of the Rain Village.
"You despicable Iwa ninja not only stole Amegakure's treasures, but also brazenly invaded our homeland! As long as I, Hanzo, have a breath left, I will not let you bullying nations succeed!"

Feeling the fervent gazes of the Rain Ninja, Hanzo straightened his back, his tone filled with unwavering determination.

"We stole the lemons."

Hearing Hanzo's baseless slander, Komurasaki was furious and couldn't help but curse. But before she could finish speaking, Han, who had suddenly appeared beside her, raised his hand to stop her.
"There's no point in explaining this to him. Don't forget our mission."

Han shook his head at his disgruntled teammates, then stared intently at the man in the distance who wielded the power of a knight despite being only human.
"Take care of him quickly!"

"I don't need your help. I was just warming up."

Slightly annoyed, Xiao Zi pushed aside Han's large hand that was blocking her way, took a step forward, and her body once again unleashed an aura far greater than before.

That's right. He was just curious and wanted to test Hanzo's new power, so he had been deliberately suppressing his own strength.
Now, Komurasaki has pretty much figured out Hanzo's strengths. He's stronger than the average ninja, but not strong enough to rival a genuine Tailed Beast Rider. Aside from the mechanics of his venom, which can cause him some trouble, there's nothing else particularly noteworthy about him.

"Well"

At the same moment he spoke, Hanzo, who was surrounded by Rain Ninja, suddenly felt a sharp twitch in his face beneath his mask, and a wave of emptiness emanated from the poison sac at his waist.

He had already exhausted most of his strength in the battle just now, and the effects of that dose of Tailed Beast Potion were about to wear off.
It's estimated that he'll likely be exposed for what he truly is at the start of the next round.
"Lord Hanzo?"

As a researcher, Hydrangea keenly noticed Hanzo's unusual behavior and quickly asked in a low voice,

"Is there any more medicine?"

Hanzo's heart was now beating at over 200 beats per minute. His exhausted body was barely able to maintain his transformed state, and he needed to replenish his energy immediately.
I brought three with me when I came out.

How could Hydrangea possibly carry so much of such precious research material as purified tailed beast medicine with her?
"So that means there's one left?"

Upon learning of his predicament, Hanzo did not blame Hydrangea. Instead, he pondered how to turn the tide with the last remaining dose of medicine.
Based on the intensity of the battle just now, each dose of the potion should allow him to transform and fight for approximately five minutes.
So, he needs to deal with Xiao Zi, who is his equal, and Han, who is clearly not weak, in less than five minutes.

"We have no choice but to fight!"

Now that things have come to this, Hanzo has no choice but to take a desperate gamble to have any chance of survival.

"Hydrangeas, the battle ahead is beyond your control. Take the survivors and leave as soon as possible." Having understood this, Hanzo urged them gravely.

"Huh? Lord Hanzo, how could we abandon you?"

"Follow my orders; you'll only be a burden to me here."

Deeply moved, Hanzo shook his head. His ability not only harmed enemies but also had a high chance of accidentally injuring friendly forces; otherwise, he wouldn't have always worn a gas mask, never taking it off even while sleeping or showering.
"Yes."

Sensing the determination in Hanzo's words, Hyakki Yako nodded first after a brief moment of thought. Her strength was only that of a Chunin; staying would be of little help.

The remaining Rain Ninja, though capable of fighting, were nothing more than a series of cold, hard numbers in the face of the Tailed Beast Riders.
Moreover, she also knew that Hanzo's greatest weapon was poison, and this ability wouldn't be avoided just because you were a teammate.

"Everyone, listen up! Evacuate with the wounded!"

A ninja's duty is to obey, and the Rain Ninja ultimately followed Hanzo's orders, searching for survivors under the direction of Hydrangea.
"There's a fat guy here I've never seen before!"

"There's another guy who's unconscious!"

"here."

"This"

Soon, a defeated force withdrew from the battlefield, leaving the stage to Hanzo and his two companions.

Why aren't you making a move?

Only after the hydrangea's figure disappeared into the distance did Hanzo, his body tense, turn around, his eyes filled with confusion as he looked at Xiao Zi and Han.
Logically speaking, allowing the enemy to retreat right in front of you is absolutely unacceptable on the battlefield.

"Our goal has always been only you."

Xiao Zi shook her head slightly upon hearing this; ordinary Rain Ninjas were not worth his time.
His and Han's sole objective in coming here was to behead Hanzo and plunge the Land of Rain into chaos.

"Me? They actually sent two tailed beast riders for me. Onoki really thinks highly of me, Hanzo."

After hearing Xiao Zi's explanation, Hanzo's lips curled into a bitter smile.

His previous eagerness to develop even more powerful forces stemmed from his foresight of today's situation. He wanted to leverage these newfound powers to gain more leverage in his competition with major nations.
The five great nations, which have dominated the ninja world for many years, would never allow a sixth person to rise and divide up the resources and wealth they have already allocated.

But to Hanzo's surprise, Iwagakure's methods were so underhanded that they didn't even consider Amegakure as human beings, brazenly invading a ninja village of a country in broad daylight.

"There's nothing we can do. It's your attitude that's been so ambiguous. If you had accepted our goodwill earlier, all of this could have been avoided."

Komurasaki walked slowly forward, explaining softly as she went. As a trusted confidant personally groomed by Onoki, he possessed at least a basic understanding of politics.
The reason why Amegakure has reached this point is ultimately because of Hanzo's ambiguous attitude. He wanted to play both sides between the three major powers and devour all three at once. But there's no such thing as a free lunch.
"Don't we, a small country, have the right to choose for ourselves?"

Hanzo clenched his fists, his eyes gradually sharpening. As he spoke, he strode towards Komurasaki.

"Sorry, small countries have no choice; large countries can do whatever they want."

"boom!"

As soon as Xiao Zi finished speaking, the two figures collided at an instant, the surging waves of flames and highly poisonous purple gas splitting the entire battlefield in two.
Hanzo braced his hands against Komurasaki's muscular body. Despite his slightly slender frame compared to the Four-Tails Armor, his aura was far more imposing.
"Then let me show you the resolve of a small nation!"

He simply shoved the little purple creature, whose body was bubbling with scorching lava, several meters away. Under her questioning gaze, he pulled out a vial of pale red liquid and plunged it into his own waist.
As the scalding liquid was injected, the nearly shriveled venom sac was instantly activated, and a tangible purple gel-like energy gushed out, flowing entirely into Hanzo's wide-open abdomen.

"Jie Jie"

The belly, gulping down deadly poisonous energy, emitted a chilling laugh. Satisfied, it began to reciprocate the behavior of its parasitic owner, and Hanzo's demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation.

"This is?"

Looking at Hanzo, who was enveloped in a thick purple liquid, he rubbed the spot where the small purple object had been pushed, his brows furrowing.
"Be careful, he's gotten stronger."

The Goku inside the Tailed Beast Card sensed a strange and terrifying energy, and out of concern, it spoke up to warn them.
"Hmph! Get stronger?"

However, Xiao Zi was dismissive of this. How could a mere amateur knight system compare to his official items?
"Playing tricks! Take this Molten Dragon!"

With a flick of her hand, Xiao Zi unleashed a lava dragon several times larger than the previous one. Its massive maw swallowed Hanzo whole before he could even reveal his true form.
"Boom~boom~"

A series of teeth-grinding chewing sounds were quite jarring. Xiao Zi smiled smugly, turned around, and waved to Han not far away.

"Purple, don't be careless."

Han frowned, having been reminded by King Mu, and dared not underestimate Hanzang.

"Heh, even the hardest bone will turn to dust in lava."

Xiao Zi chuckled. He was very confident in his strength; no one could survive in temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees Celsius.
"Boom~boom~boom!"

However, the lava dragon's chewing sound abruptly stopped, freezing his smug expression on his face. A strong, corrosive odor followed.
"Boom~"

Hearing a crashing sound, Xiao Zi turned around in disbelief, only to see the once arrogant dragon now writhing on the ground in agony, spewing thick, poisonous gas from its mouth.
"What?!"

"Oh!"

With a deafening roar, a figure burst forth from the dragon's belly and landed in front of Xiao Zi. It was none other than Hanzo, who had just been swallowed.
However, the opponent's current appearance is more robust and ferocious, and the aura it exudes is also much stronger.

"you"

Before he could react, a hand covered in venom was already pressed against his waist.

A strange purple energy surged in, followed by excruciating pain that spread throughout his body.
"purple!"

Seeing his teammate suddenly stagger back several steps with a pained expression, Han's face tightened. He bent his knees, bracing himself for a step forward to provide support.

"Boom!"

However, as soon as he took a step, he was blocked by a giant, unfamiliar halberd that fell from the sky.

【Horse Riding】

Who goes there?

"Tap tap. Tap."

There's even a third party involved?
Han watched warily as the cold, aloof figure swayed out of the shadows of the distant street, his astonishment no less than when he first learned that the Five-Tails' true form was actually an alpaca.
"I thought it was all over, but why is it still so lively? Which side should I take?" (End of Chapter)