Demigod!
Salamander Hanzo—
Had actually been seriously injured by an unknown, nameless figure!
Not only were the shinobi of the Hidden Rain Village shocked, but even Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, who had been worrying about Shippu, found this scene hard to believe.
"Heh… your poison isn't all that impressive, huh," Shippu mocked lightly.
Though he sounded casual, his heart was already pounding in his throat, threatening to leap out from excitement.
The Uzumaki clan carried the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths, sharing distant kinship with the Senju clan.
They possessed incredible vitality, regenerative ability, and immunity.
But Shippu didn't dare bet his life on it—
He couldn't just assume his body would withstand the Salamander's poison.
So during the fight with Hanzo, he secretly left wooden spikes from his Piercing Wood Technique inside Hanzo's body, while also testing the strength of his poison.
Only after confirming he was completely immune to it, did Shippu form his plan for a counter-kill.
Though it looked like Hanzo had total control of the battle, in truth—
He had already fallen into a pitfall laid by Shippu.
He was just waiting for Hanzo to strike—
Then he'd launch the reversal!
---
"Impossible!"
"This can't be! Even I can't neutralize the Salamander's poison—how could you?"
Hanzo cried out in disbelief.
"Strike when the enemy is weak—"
"It's time to end your era."
Shippu said coldly.
He pulled a scroll from his waist—
It was none other than the Sage Art: True Several Thousand Hands!
The moment the jutsu was activated, Hanzo felt himself locked on to, like he was being hunted by a bloodthirsty beast.
An overwhelming pressure choked him, making it harder and harder to breathe.
"This is bad!"
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Hanzo's figure flickered—he tried to flee.
With his combat experience, he knew he couldn't face this head-on.
His only chance was escape.
"Heh… you think you can run?"
CRACK—!
A terrifying power surged from the scroll in Shippu's hand, shattering the barrier, blasting the pouring rain away—
The skies cleared instantly, revealing a cloudless expanse.
The immense chakra burst out like a tidal wave.
Within a hundred kilometers, countless birds, beasts, and insects fled in terror, releasing mournful cries.
"What is that!?"
"What kind of jutsu causes this kind of commotion!?"
"Run! Hurry!"
The cries of panic echoed across the battlefield.
No one wanted to fight anymore.
Even the ground beneath their feet was trembling violently—
The next second, a scene that would forever haunt everyone present occurred.
A towering figure rose from the earth, scraping the sky.
Compared to this giant statue, trees that reached a hundred feet tall looked like bushes.
It was the True Several Thousand Hands, the most powerful jutsu of Hashirama Senju.
Only usable in Sage Mode, it created a massive thousand-armed Buddha capable of both offense and defense.
Its size dwarfed even the Nine-Tails, many times over.
Just one hand could grab Kurama like a toy.
"Th-This is…"
Yahiko opened his mouth in shock, unable to stay calm.
Nagato and Konan exchanged a glance—both were utterly stunned.
"Is this divine intervention…?"
"Or can humans really create such ninjutsu?"
Sacred chants and Buddhist hymns echoed through the air.
Even more incredible—Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were standing atop the statue's shoulder, lifted there by Shippu.
Looking down from above, they saw the Hidden Rain ninjas fleeing in utter panic—
It was a sight that struck deep into their souls.
---
"I won't accept this!"
Hanzo's figure flickered again.
But the sense of mortal danger still lingered—he hadn't escaped!
Was this really the end of his legendary life?
"Hanzo—die!" Shippu said coldly.
The towering Buddha statue raised a mountain-sized palm and slammed it down—
With it came roaring shockwaves, uprooting countless trees in its path.
The overwhelming power… the paralyzing helplessness…
Hanzo's heart froze.
He wanted to dodge—
But he found nowhere to run.
Every escape route was covered by the massive hands of the True Several Thousand Hands.
He was fully sealed in.
"If I'm going to die—then I'll peel off your skin first!"
With a twisted, feral expression, Hanzo released his full strength, unleashing a massive wave of poison from his body.
The poison spread visibly through the air, rapidly infecting a radius of over ten miles.
Trees withered and snapped, the very ground corroded and collapsed, making crackling, hissing sounds as if melting away.
Even the fleeing Rain ninjas caught in it—
Were reduced to pools of blood, without even time to scream.
Then—
BOOM!!
The mountain-sized palm came crashing down onto Hanzo.
The earth shuddered violently.
A massive shockwave blasted outward like a magnitude 12 earthquake.
Hanzo's position collapsed into a bottomless crater.
Distant mountains crumbled, rivers were severed, and the landscape torn asunder.
All of it—
Obliterated by the sheer power of the True Several Thousand Hands.
It was as if the end of the world had arrived.
---
"Is he dead?" Shippu muttered.
After that devastating strike, the chanting stopped.
The giant statue withered, vanishing before everyone's eyes.
Shippu slowly approached.
He saw Hanzo's summoned salamander, crushed into a pulp—
A mangled heap of meat.
Only then was he certain:
Salamander Hanzo was dead.
If even a tough summon like the giant salamander was turned to mush in one hit—
How could a human body like Hanzo's have survived?
"Demigod? It's over."
Shippu whispered.
He exhaled deeply, his tense nerves gradually calming.
He had remained cautious—after all, Hanzo was a legend of the ninja world, respected as a "demigod."
Letting his guard down even a little could have spelled disaster.
---
Suddenly—
A flash of cold light streaked toward Shippu from behind!
SLASH!
A sickle-shaped ninja tool cut Shippu clean in half at the waist.
"Kh… cough…"
Hanzo panted heavily, barely standing, face pale but eyes burning with pride:
"Huff… I almost died…"
"But in the end, the victory… is still mine!"