Chapter 35: Beware of the Spectator (Part 2)
Psychological Warfare
What's going on?!
The salamander... was scared off by that brat's eyes?
Hanzō's mind went completely blank. He'd fought alongside Ibuse for decades and had never encountered such a bizarre situation before.
"Let me give you some friendly advice, Hanzō."
Uchiha Kazuki raised a single finger to his lips, chuckling with deeply meaningful amusement. "Be careful of the Spectator~"
"???"
Hanzō was stunned for half a second, then realized the other party was toying with him. He immediately gritted his teeth with burning hatred. "Uchiha brat! Although I don't know what tricks you used, don't think that without the salamander I'll be at your mercy! How naive!"
Besides Ibuse, Hanzō possessed another identity—one of the world's greatest masters of Water Release!
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Suddenly, cracks spider-webbed across the ground before Hanzō's position.
The next moment, he completed his hand seals. Water surged violently from the fissures, cascading downward to form a tsunami several meters high.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Uchiha Kazuki countered with his own technique.
BOOM!
Towering flames collided with the tsunami in spectacular fashion, the scorching heat distorting the very air between them.
"You're angry, but also afraid, aren't you?"
Through the smoke and steam, Uchiha Kazuki's voice echoed with unsettling accuracy. "As you age, your physical functions and chakra reserves decline continuously, causing you to feel increasingly powerless over everything in Amegakure. More and more people are secretly rebelling against your rule."
"Shut up!"
Hanzō gritted his teeth violently, veins bulging prominently across his forehead. "Damn brat! I'll tear you to pieces!"
He had never hated anyone this intensely.
Every single word from this Uchiha was like a razor-sharp knife, piercing directly into the deepest, most untouchable taboo and vulnerability buried within his soul.
I've given everything to Amegakure!
"I will never allow anyone to trample on my ideals or insult my life's work!"
Hanzō roared furiously, his hands blurring through hand seals as water swirled around him. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
BOOM!
The swirling water formed a massive tornado.
Then, a colossal water dragon roared downward, creating wave after wave of raging torrents that devastated the battlefield.
Breaking the Mind
"Oh, angry now? Looks like I hit the nail on the head."
Uchiha Kazuki continued his relentless provocation. "You rule Amegakure with dictatorial authority, refusing to allow anyone to resist your will—but is your choice really correct? Has Amegakure truly become better because of you?"
"Aaaaaaahhh!"
Hanzō seemed to have completely lost his sanity. His blood-red eyes burst with frenzied, murderous intent.
He swung his kusarigama wildly, unleashing fierce slashing attacks. Each strike carried lethal force, even abandoning portions of his defensive technique—seeking only to kill this foul-mouthed Uchiha brat standing before him.
"You were indeed once the guardian of Amegakure, but now you've become its greatest obstacle."
Uchiha Kazuki effortlessly dodged the increasingly wild attacks. Shallow vortexes appeared in his eyes as he continuously twisted Hanzō's emotions using 'Suggestion' and 'Hypnosis' abilities.
"Ahhh! Shut up, brat!"
Hanzō felt as if a critical thread in his brain had finally snapped.
The emotions he'd suppressed deep in his heart for so many agonizing years exploded like a bomb, triggered by the calculated words of this young man before him.
His remaining rationality completely collapsed, sliding helplessly into an abyss of pure rage.
"What are you afraid of, Hanzō?"
Seeing that the psychological moment was perfectly ripe, Uchiha Kazuki slowly guided Hanzō's destabilized emotions. "Is it that newly emerged organization? Is it that idealistic fool named Yahiko? Why do you fear him so much? Your stated wish is clearly to make Amegakure better."
"It's not just me who's right!"
Hanzō's eyes were completely bloodshot as he panted heavily with exhaustion.
On his face—etched deeply with age lines and wrinkles—dark veins bulged grotesquely. His blood-red eyes burned with homicidal intent. He resembled nothing less than a wild beast driven utterly mad. "They understand nothing! I'm doing this for Amegakure's own good!"
The Devil's Whisper
"Look at yourself, Hanzō. You're getting old."
Uchiha Kazuki deliberately lowered his voice, using a seductive, almost demonic tone. "It won't be long before they discover that the invincible Hanzō the Salamander is no longer the legendary warrior he once was. And then... guess what will happen?"
"Kill! Kill! Kill you all!!!"
In an instant, terrifying killing intent surged forth like a tidal wave, seemingly staining the entire surrounding area crimson with bloodlust.
"Yes, they will kill you."
At this critical moment, in Hanzō's fractured mind, he seemed to see countless Amegakure shinobi—all revealing cruel, sinister smiles. Loudly mocking him. Ridiculing him. Trampling everything he'd built!
He was like an aging lion king.
Covered in scars and wounds, his mane no longer magnificent, his fangs and claws no longer razor-sharp. He could only rely on his fading reputation to intimidate the ambitious young males prowling at the edges of his territory.
But... one day, his disguise would be violently torn away.
The gradually maturing young lions would use their sharp fangs to tear through his throat, raising his severed head high to prove they were the new kings.
"Hanzō! Look into my eyes!"
Uchiha Kazuki roared with commanding authority, unleashing his spiritual power like a thunderclap.
Hanzō—already mentally confused and destabilized—felt a devastating thunderclap explode within his mind. He instinctively looked up, obediently meeting the young Uchiha's gaze.
In those crimson eyes, three tomoe spun rapidly in hypnotic patterns!
Genjutsu: Battle Hypnosis!
The Sharingan's genjutsu combined with advanced 'Battle Hypnosis' techniques instantly shattered Hanzō's remaining mental defenses like glass.
Whoosh!
Hanzō's eyes glazed over completely, his body frozen rigidly in place.
The Spectator's Victory
"I warned you to be careful of the Spectator."
Uchiha Kazuki adjusted his glasses calmly. The Sharingan pattern in his eyes faded back to normal as he spoke with complete composure. "Unfortunately, you didn't listen to a single word."
While it might be somewhat morally questionable to use Talk-no-Jutsu on an elderly man already under immense mental pressure...
Well... sorry about that.
This is how a Spectator fights!
Suddenly, Uchiha Kazuki froze for a few seconds, his expression turning peculiar. If this pattern continues, will I eventually become a Talk-no-Jutsu specialist ninja?
"Fine, let's embrace Talk-no-Jutsu then. The Spectator pathway's abilities are too weak for direct combat in the early sequences anyway."
Uchiha Kazuki shook his head with resignation, then focused intently on Hanzō. He began directly implanting a 'psychological suggestion' deep into the demigod's subconscious mind.
"After going through all this elaborate trouble, I hope you won't disappoint me later, Hanzō the Salamander."
He muttered to himself, his calculating gaze shifting playfully toward a certain distant location. A faint, knowing smile slowly spread across his features. "Perfect timing—almost exactly as I predicted. I'll leave the rest to you now, Lord Hanzō~"
The Performance Begins
The next moment, Hanzō's eyes suddenly sharpened with renewed focus, his killing intent as fierce and tangible as a physical blade.
"Konoha brat! Let this old man send you to your death!"
A sharp kusarigama flashed through the air with blinding speed.
To any observer's apparent astonishment, it sliced cleanly across Uchiha Kazuki's exposed throat.
SPLURT!
Blood spurted outward like a crimson fountain.
Uchiha Kazuki clutched desperately at his neck, his eyes filling with theatrical terror. Strangled, gurgling sounds emerged from his mouth.
"Don't blame me, kid."
Hanzō's eyes gleamed with cold arrogance as he gripped his bloodied kusarigama. He spoke with icy finality. "Blame Danzō instead—he's the one who ordered me to take your life!"
[End of Chapter 35 - Part 2]
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