"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
Kuchiki Byakuya's sword blade suddenly withered like a flower, and pink cherry blossom petals drifted around him.
"Flowers?"
Tsunade murmured softly.
Hanzou's eyes narrowed slightly, "What's happening? The blade disappeared..."
As soon as his voice fell, Hanzou's body suddenly stiffened.
Pfft—
Shoulder, chest, lower abdomen, back, wrist, thigh, calf!
Almost simultaneously, a large amount of blood gushed out, like a blooming blood flower!
Hanzou's eyes widened, his pupils shrinking into black dots!
With a thud, his legs gave out, and he fell to his knees!
His lips moved, disbelievingly saying, "...When, did this happen?"
How could a mere captain from the Uzushigakure... He... He was the half god of shinobi!
Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were stunned by this sudden turn of events.
Tsunade's lips parted slightly, stammering, "What, happened?"
Orochimaru's heart pounded violently, adrenaline suddenly surged, and his body trembled with uncontrollable excitement.
"So strong!"
So strong that he couldn't even figure out what method he used to attack and injure Hanzou so suddenly!
But he knew that it must be greatly related to that sword whose blade suddenly disappeared!
Jiraiya stared, somewhat dazed.
Staring at the blood-soaked Hanzou, he suddenly felt a sense of unreality.
In just an instant, the half god of shinobi, Hanzou, was defeated just like that?
Hanzou, who had just been so arrogant, easily defeating the three of them, and even condescendingly sparing their lives...
Just as they were sinking into shock, unable to pull themselves out,
Hanzou's summoned creature, the Salamander, sensed its master's danger.
It suddenly opened its massive maw from underground, swallowed the Hanzou whose fate was unknown, and submerged back into the earth, making a clean getaway.
Tiny blade fragments resembling cherry blossom petals flew back from the surroundings to the hilt, reforming the blade, which was then sheathed by Kuchiki Byakuya.
"Were those the cherry blossom petals?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, noticing the change in Kuchiki Byakuya's sword.
Only now did he understand that the blade hadn't disappeared; it had transformed into countless cherry blossom petals.
Could Hanzou's sudden state be caused by these cherry blossom petals?
Kuchiki Byakuya looked coldly in the direction the Salamander had fled and said indifferently, "The half god of shinobi? Merely a seeker of cheap fame."
What made the half god of shinobi so difficult to deal with was the Salamander's poison mist, but once that poison lost its effectiveness, the so-called demigod lost most of his strength.
"Merely a seeker of cheap fame..." This phrase entered the ears of Orochimaru and the other two, making them feel extremely uncomfortable.
If Hanzou was merely a seeker of cheap fame, then what did that make them?
The Konoha Three Great Shinobi who were mercilessly beaten by a seeker of cheap fame?
It's still better to be called the Konoha Three Great Shinobi who were mercilessly beaten by the half god of shinobi!
It's over. They felt they were about to be eternally nailed to the pillar of shame known as the Konoha Three Great Shinobi...
Kuchiki Byakuya paid no mind to the thoughts of the others. He walked back to Uzumaki Nagato and said plainly, "The fellow who injured you has been repaid. Come back to the Uzushigakure with me."
Uzumaki Nagato stared blankly at the poker-faced man before him, finding the situation somewhat unreal.
Having lived in the Amegakure for half a year, he had heard plenty about Hanzou's legendary reputation.
And today, he had indeed witnessed Hanzou's power.
Hadn't those three Konoha Shinobi, despite their various flashy and powerful Ninjutsu, been easily handled by Hanzou?
Yet, this man who suddenly appeared and told him to return to the Uzushigakure, simply because Hanzou had injured him, beat that legendary powerful man until he was covered in blood, his fate unknown?
This... Is he really someone from the Uzushigakure?
Why doesn't he remember the Uzushigakure being this powerful?
Could he be a human trafficker?
But thinking about it, someone this powerful probably wouldn't stoop to doing such a low-class thing, right?
Uzumaki Nagato hesitated, but couldn't help asking, "Uh... are you really from the Uzushigakure?"
Kuchiki Byakuya glanced at him without speaking, merely waving his hand, and a giant golden gate appeared out of thin air.
When Orochimaru and Tsunade saw this gate, they couldn't help but exchange looks.
Tsunade said seriously, "This must be that Space-Time Ninjutsu, right?"
Orochimaru nodded, his eyes fixed intently on the structure of the gate, seemingly trying to figure out its mechanism.
Only Jiraiya looked completely confused. "What Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
Kuchiki Byakuya gently pushed the door open and said plainly, "Let's go."
"Huh?"
Uzumaki Nagato paused, then asked timidly, "Where, where are we going?"
Kuchiki Byakuya, uncharacteristically, explained, "Pass through this gate, and you will be in the Uzushigakure."
Uzumaki Nagato's eyes widened. "How amazing!"
However, Uzumaki Nagato did not move his feet.
Seeing his conflicted expression, Kuchiki Byakuya said plainly, "Is there something else?"
"Uh..." Uzumaki Nagato lowered his head and said, "Can I, can I bring my companions too?"
Hearing this, Kuchiki Byakuya glanced briefly at the orange-haired youth and the light blue-purple-haired girl who were struggling to stand up.
"My mission is only to bring you back."
The implication was that his mission did not include these two people.
Yahiko and Konan smiled and advised:
"Nagato, don't worry about us. Since people from your home came to pick you up, hurry back! We'll be fine even without you, okay!"
How could that be... Uzumaki Nagato refuted internally.
There is war here every day, people die every day, and who knows when Yahiko and Konan might...
His eyes became resolute, and he said, "I apologize, but I cannot go back right now."
"Nagato..."
Yahiko and Konan were touched, but also worried.
They, as people at the bottom, knew best what the Amegakure was like.
Staying here, they might be killed by passing Shinobi any day, just like their parents were...
Nagato clearly had a chance to escape this quagmire; he couldn't give it up!
Kuchiki Byakuya remained expressionless, but sighed internally.
Children are truly troublesome... "In that case, come along together."
Uzumaki Nagato suddenly looked up, his purple ringed eyes suddenly shining brightly. He was even worried that he might have misheard.
Just as he was about to ask for confirmation, he realized the man had already walked into the golden gate.
Having no time to think, Uzumaki Nagato hurriedly said, "Quick, Yahiko, Konan, let's go in together!"
"Huh?"
Yahiko and Konan were dragged in by Uzumaki Nagato, looking utterly bewildered.
Just as the senkaimon was about to close, a voice traveled from far away, drawing nearer.
"Wait for me! Captain Kuchiki! I haven't gone inside yet!!!"
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