113. The Fall of Hanzo

"Die!"

After regaining his composure, Hanzo poured all of his boundless rage upon Kisame, that despicable and shameless ambush artist.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two clashed over a hundred times in a mere instant. Yet, as the fierce battle wore on, Hanzo’s anger rapidly extinguished, replaced by a sense of profound alarm. He realized that every one of his attacks was being perfectly parried by Kisame. It was as if the opponent had an intimate knowledge of his techniques, seeing through them before he even initiated a move.

This enemy was as if he possessed the power of mind reading.

Forced to switch from offense to defense, Hanzo was driven back step by step under Kisame’s relentless onslaught. With his taijutsu suppressed, the "Demigod" flashed his eyes, intent on removing his mask to spray a toxic mist at close range using the poison sac of the salamander within him.

But Kisame had long since discerned his intentions and gave him no opportunity to remove the mask.

Suddenly, Kisame seized a lapse in Hanzo’s defense and lunged with his blade, aiming directly for the abdomen—the location of the poison sac, if his deductions were correct. Hanzo’s pupils contracted sharply; he desperately utilized the Body Flicker Technique, narrowly dodging the strike and putting some distance between himself and Kisame.

Unwilling to concede, he fixed a sharp gaze on his opponent. Gripping his kusarigama, he channeled chakra into his feet and charged at Kisame once more, moving at a speed that pushed the limits of his body.

"Kenjutsu: Flash."

This was Hanzo’s most potent sword technique, designed to pierce the opponent with the kusarigama at blinding speed to decide the outcome in a single stroke.

Kisame’s eyes narrowed. He did not dodge or retreat, but instead gripped his long sword, Samehada, and surged forward at an equally terrifying speed to meet Hanzo.

Whoosh.

The two collided for a fleeting moment, brushing past each other, before their momentum carried them forward in opposite directions.

A brief silence ensued.

Snap.

Hanzo looked down in astonishment to see his kusarigama shattered, broken in two. Kisame, however, remained completely unscathed.

"Has even this move been seen through?"

Hanzo turned around with a somber expression, staring intently at Kisame. He had to admit: his opponent’s taijutsu was superior to his own.

"No, I cannot let this continue."

With that—

"Fire Style: Exploding Flame Formation!"

He rapidly wove hand signs and slammed his palms against the ground, intending to repeat his old tactic and destroy Kisame with this large-scale fire jutsu trap.

Unexpectedly, Kisame was faster. Without even weaving a sign, Kisame pressed his left hand to the ground, triggering his Explosion Release. A surge of chakra traveled beneath the earth to erupt beneath Hanzo’s feet.

Boom!

With a violent explosion, a crater several meters wide was blasted where Hanzo had been standing. Had he not sensed the danger, forced himself to abandon his hand signs, and escaped once more using the Body Flicker Technique, he would likely have been vaporized.

Facing the approaching Kisame, Hanzo, now running low on options, pinned his final hope on his ultimate Water Style ninjutsu. He summoned a gargantuan dragon of water, which lunged toward Kisame with claws bared.

Kisame was unfazed; he quickly wove his own signs, and a massive water dragon rose up behind him as well.

Water Dragon vs. Water Dragon.

It had to be said that in terms of sheer technical mastery of water, Hanzo was superior to Kisame, having spent decades immersed in the field of Water Style ninjutsu. The dragon Hanzo produced was not only lifelike but also faster and more agile. In comparison, Kisame’s dragon appeared sluggish and cumbersome.

However, the moment Hanzo looked at Kisame’s dragon, his expression changed drastically.

Kisame’s water dragon was more than three times the size of Hanzo’s, crushing it through sheer, overwhelming volume of chakra. Kisame had no interest in competing on technical finesse; he simply won through raw power.

"Roar!"

Kisame’s water dragon let out a heaven-shaking bellow. Like a giant serpent consuming a small one, it swallowed Hanzo’s dragon in a single strike and continued its momentum, surging toward Hanzo.

Hanzo used the Body Flicker Technique once more to narrowly and somewhat clumsily escape, creating a greater distance between them.

"How is this possible?!"

This Demigod of the Ninja World, who had been invincible throughout his life, was filled with terror. He had never imagined that there would come a day when he would be comprehensively suppressed by an opponent in every aspect. Taijutsu, Fire Style, Water Style—he had lost them all.

Only now did Hanzo truly see Kisame’s face clearly. The man appeared young, perhaps in his twenties, tall and sturdy, dressed in a black suit with distinct, peculiar features.

He looked... like a shark.

After scouring his memory, Hanzo was certain he had never seen this man before.

***

Kisame walked toward Hanzo, shaking his head. "Hanzo, you disappoint me. It seems you are truly old. Your strength and your spirit are not what they once were. It is time for you to be laid to rest."

Hearing this, Hanzo suppressed his rage and shook his head at the man as well.

"There is no need for this battle to continue. Let us end it here for today; we shall meet again."

With a cold sneer, he flashed away, vanishing with the Body Flicker Technique.

Such was Hanzo’s style. When he held the upper hand, he never recklessly pressed his advantage, opting for the safest path; even when facing an unknown novice, he would exert his full power to defeat them. But when he realized he could not win, he would immediately and decisively flee, never letting his pride cloud his judgment.

He was a ninja who never allowed himself to be placed in a dangerous situation. In this regard, Hanzo and Kisame were not just similar; they were identical.

One minute later.

Hanzo continuously employed the Body Flicker Technique, sprinting desperately, and could already see the distant coastline. Fortunately, he was significantly faster than Kisame, allowing him to shake off his pursuer and secure his escape.

However, whenever he recalled the fight, he could not help but feel a lingering fear. In his fifty-plus years of life, he had never felt the brush of death so closely.

Just as Hanzo breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had escaped with his life, a massive shadow suddenly eclipsed the moonlight above him. At the same time, he heard the sound of wings beating.

As Hanzo turned his head, his pupils contracted. He saw countless black feathers, sharp as arrows, raining down from the sky to envelop him.

This time, Hanzo could not dodge, for his chakra was completely exhausted; he could no longer use the Body Flicker Technique.

Thwip, thwip, thwip!

In utter despair, Hanzo’s body was pierced by the feathers, and he fell backward, stiff and lifeless. Before losing consciousness entirely, he saw, through a blur, a massive, winged black monster slowly descending from the air...

Then, Hanzo closed his eyes forever, his breath fading away.

A legend of the ninja world had fallen, dying on this small island.

Tonight, an era came to an end.