Tenji walked into the hidden cave that Obito and Zetsu had used up to this point. They still didn't have a headquarters, but Tenji was going to take care of that today. As he walked into the section Sasori had taken, he was greeted by a sight that would scar most people forever.
Hundreds of body parts hung from the ceiling or were orderly placed around the room. Sasori was using heads, limbs, torsos and everything in between. He himself was working on his newest puppet, which he made from the corpses of all the Root and Ame shinobi they had killed previously.
Unlike what most people would think, Tenji was unbothered by the sight and even welcomed it. He saw great potential in puppetry and knew that there were still so many things they hadn't figured out in that field, and he was very excited to see what he and Sasori could come up with together. Sadly, he didn't have the time right now, as he was planning and responsible for the survival and thriving of the Akatsuki.
"How are things? "Tenji asked as he walked up to the workbench.
"I am working on the new puppet you gave me the idea for, "Sasori answered.
It was a sign of great respect Sasori had for Tenji to hear him answer while he was working. Usually, Sasori was so engrossed in his work that he never spoke during the process. But Tenji had taken a strange position in his life. In a way, Tenji was Sasori's elder, both in age and skill in puppetry. And that was saying something.
"Seems good. You're already using the new seals I created. Did you test them?" Tenji asked.
"Yes. It works well as long as I infuse it with chakra. They can also reattach again."
Tenji, in his endeavour to advance fuinjutsu, had gone above and beyond what even the Uzumaki thought possible. When he understood how Kamui worked, he was interested in replicating the jutsu using seals. He wanted to show them to Sasori then and have him create puppets with those seals inscribed on them that could use Kamui. Not only did he succeed, but he also went on to do more.
Tenji's last success was creating a seal that allowed a puppet master to split the puppets into their components and then control them from a distance. But not only that. The seal allowed someone to willingly phase each component into a similar dimension to Kamui's and attack from different angles. This dealt with Obito's Kamui's weakness: either he was fully phased out and couldn't attack, or he wasn't and could be hit.
"You are going to become a menace, Sasori."
"You created the seals. This is your success and not mine."
"No one will see it that way. They will see a puppet that can partially phase through their attacks and kill them from blind spots, and then call you the most dangerous puppet master in existence. That's how humans work," Tenji said.
"Then I'll not use it. You should use it instead," Sasori said.
He was unwilling to take away Tenji's credit, which was amusing to the ‚old man '.
"Nonsense. You are a puppet master and will make a name for yourself. I'm just an old man, looking for his lost love, thinking about how everything seemed better 'back in his days'. So don't think about any of that and do your best. By the way, I'm going to Amegakure to deal with Hanzo. We'll take over Ame that way and then expand afterwards."
"I see. Do you want me to accompany you?" Sasori asked.
He knew that Tenji wouldn't need help, so he asked whether he wanted Sasori to accompany him. But Tenji shook his head.
"Not necessary. Nagato and Konan will accompany me, since they have unfinished business with him. You, however, might be able to get another Kage-level puppet soon. We'll see. "
"Very well. I'll remain here in the meantime."
.
"Hm? What's that?" an Amegakure shinobi asked.
Three figures approached the village. Two of them wore black coats with red clouds, and the third one wore baggy pants with a close black shirt. The clothes themselves weren't what unnerved the shinobi guards, but the feeling they got while the three figures approached.
"Halt! State your purp—"
A pulling force gripped the two shinobi guards through the air. They were too surprised and unskilled to do anything about it. The red-haired young man held out his hands. Two black rods appeared, which skewered the ninja.
"Kack…!"
The colour drained from their faces, together with all their chakra, which Nagato then absorbed. His face took on some colour and looked healthier than before.
"How is it?" Tenji asked.
"Better. You were right," Nagato answered.
Konan, who stood next to Nagato, watched this process with worry. Not because she had moral or ethical problems with killing two shinobi, but because she was worried about Nagato's health. After he had used the Gedo Statue, he was basically a corpse. Tenji had used his medical ninjutsu and a bit of Sage chakra to heal him and keep him from attaching himself to the statue.
"Good. Use this chance well," Tenji said and walked forward.
What followed was a show of dominance that no village had ever seen. The Ame shinobi tried everything they could to attack and kill the three invaders, but nothing worked. Konan proved her immense value and talent by using her papers offensively and defensively. Tenji sat down with both her and Nagato and had a heart-to-heart that was very different from the one he had with Obito.
Unlike Obito, Nagato and Konan's ideals were similar to Tenji's, but they were a bit naive. They paid for that naivety with their friend's life. Yahiko could have survived had Nagato not pushed Tenji away while he was healing him. But that was now in the past, and Tenji taught them to plan for the future. He explained to Nagato that, with the power of the Rinnegan, he should be able to do things that many would consider to be… unnatural—even bringing back Yahiko wasn't impossible. But he would need training.
Tenji took their failure and their ambitions and then bundled them to support him and his goal. Because their goals were similar. But only Tenji knew how to go about it, and he alone had the vision that others lacked.
Nagato used the basics of what he had trained in the use of his Rinnegan and absorbed the souls of any ninja that stood in his way. He used the chakra to heal himself and get back to his peak, and the souls he stored, which he would use later. Tenji made sure to tell him that, since he was going to do research and find a way to get Yahiko back.
Tenji, on the other hand, used the base state of his O-katana to cut through anyone who stood in his way. His method was far less interesting, but no less effective. He was thinking about what he would do and not how he could kill cannon fodder with style.
.
The inner sanctum of Hanzo's quarters was where the strongest and most skilled shinobi were located. But the fight was no less easy for the three. They ploughed through the opposition with ease until they finally reached Hanzo himself. Tenji motioned for the others to stand back, since this was his fight.
Hanzo didn't say anything. He grabbed his scythe and charged forward.
Tenji blocked the scythe with his sword. Hanzo used all of his strength, but Tenji, despite holding his blade with one hand, didn't budge in the slightest. Hanzo tried to front kick Tenji, but was blocked. He used the leverage to jump back and create distance, and then attack again.
They traded several blows one after another, with Hanzo being surprised that Tenji didn't move from his spot. He was like an immovable wall. But not only that. With each exchange, Tenji went from reacting to predicting, and then to anticipating where Hanzo would be before he was there. He wasn't just reading Hanzo's moves, but knew what would happen.
'He's toying with me!'
Hanzo grew angry. He weaved through handseals in quick succession.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The building broke apart as a massive salamander, known as Ibuse, large enough for Hanzo to ride on its head, appeared. Tenji moved back, creating some distance and looked at Hanzo with a troubled expression. The salamander opened its mouth, and a deep purple gas was released into the air.
Poison.
Seeing the poison in the air, Tenji didn't move for a moment, and Hanzo thought that he was already affected by the paralysis. But he was wrong. Tenji breathed some of the poison in and then reacted when he felt the poison's effect. He infused his O-katana with wind nature transformation chakra. Then, the strangest thing happened.
Holding the sword in front of him, the blade suddenly dissolved into wind in front of everyone's eyes. Hanzo frowned seeing this, but didn't care about it, as he was certain that the poison would work. The blade, which literally had become wind, followed Tenji's movements. It picked up speed and surrounded Tenji, creating a protective wall, similar to how the water had done in his fight against Obito.
The wind grew stronger, surrounding the poison in the air and trapping it in an air bubble. Hanzo's eyes widened at the scene, but he was powerless to do anything about it. So he ordered the salamander to attack physically. Tenji saw this and raised the sword handle. Then he brought it down in a simple slash.
A monstrously large wind blade materialised. It travelled forward and cut through the Salamander, narrowly missing Hanzo in the blink of an eye.
To Hanzo's credit, he reacted quickly. He pushed himself off the head of the salamander, using the body flicker technique and attacked Tenji, while he thought he was defenceless. His sword was currently turned into wind, and that wind had just cut through the salamander, so it wasn't here to save him… right?
Weeelll…
Time seemed to slow down as Hanzo appeared in front of Tenji. He swung his scythe through the air, and it closed in more and more. Just as it was about to hit Tenji, though, his blade was stopped by an invisible barrier.
"WHAT?!"
He looked at Tenji, who raised his palm towards him. A golden ring appeared in front of his palm. Without the use of hand seals or a word, a monstrous wave of energy hit Hanzo's stomach. Hanzo shot through the air, crashing through several buildings before coming to a stop. He had a large hole in his stomach and was bleeding heavily. He looked up and saw Tenji standing there, looking down on him.
"W-who… are you…?" he asked.
"It's ironic to see you like this. Last time we saw each other, you had your blade aimed at me as well. Granted, that was a long time ago, but you haven't changed."
"…What… are you…talking about?" Hanzo coughed.
"The soul is a fascinating thing, but so is the human will. So strong were your regrets that they remained and were passed on through the ages. And with the same fascination for salamanders as well. How quaint."
"You--"
"You started with good intentions. Willing to follow a greater purpose and fight and die for your conviction. Only to then have your intentions twisted and get you to betray what you stand for through lies. Fear was always your biggest weakness… Hanzo."
Hanzo's eyes widened. Memories assaulted his mind, dripping through the wall between his soul and his mind. He saw pictures of a different land and dialogue with other people, which he had never seen before. But most of all, he saw the back of a man who seemed to reach the sky. The sun was blocked, and the image overlapped with reality.
"Tenji…"
"Ah, so you remember. Do you remember what happened last time? Do you remember how you betrayed me and everything you used to stand for and protect?"
"…I … remember."
"And the same thing happened again. You lost your way and betrayed your ideals out of fear of being replaced and losing your power. You could have used this opportunity to grow stronger and broaden your horizons."
"I'm…. Sorry…"
"I know. But we only get one chance. Getting a second one is already something that most people don't get. But both of us got it."
Tenji didn't look pleased at all. He was angry to see his former commander succumb to his fears once again.
"Please… I can help… y-ou…"
Hanzo was losing blood and desperately tried to hold on to his consciousness.
"No, Hanzo. The difference between us is that I learned from my mistakes and will not repeat them. I will not allow betrayal ever to touch my loved ones or me again. You had a second chance, and you blew it. Now, you will deal with the consequences."
Tenji turned around to Nagato and nodded, walking away and leaving the young man to his revenge. This was a small mercy and all that he would allow Nagato to have. Revenge was alright, as long as it didn't cloud your judgement and blind you to everything else.