After handing over all affairs to his subordinates, Hanzo once again immersed himself in indulgence.
As for the Akatsuki organization, he would deal with them later.
In a place unknown to him, a cold and disdainful voice echoed.
"It is precisely because of such beings that the ninja world has become so rotten!"
Uchiha Obito stood on a rooftop, learning of the so-called "Demigod's" choice through Zetsu's description.
Beside him, Black Zetsu, shrouded within a venus flytrap, slowly emerged.
"To think that the Demigod who once stood against three nations has fallen to such a state..."
Black Zetsu's tone was filled with lament.
"Perhaps this is the power of time," he added.
Obito glanced at Black Zetsu through his mask and snorted:
"Only the Infinite Tsukuyomi can bring a true future to the ninja world."
Black Zetsu chuckled, licking his lips:
"In that case, we'll have to trouble 'Lord Uchiha Madara' to step in and take control of this Demigod."
"Tch, what a hassle," Obito muttered, his tone dripping with disdain.
Despite his words, Obito's body moved honestly.
With practiced ease, he activated Kamui, and his body was absorbed into a swirling vortex that appeared out of thin air.
The next second, Hanzo, who was enjoying a song and massage, noticed the air in front of him distort.
A mysterious figure wearing a tiger-striped mask and a black trench coat appeared before him.
"How far the mighty have fallen. Has the once-revered Demigod become so cowardly?"
As the words fell, Obito's ocular power surged like a tidal wave.
In just one second, everyone in the room except Hanzo fell under his genjutsu, collapsing to the ground.
"Who are you?" Hanzo quickly rose to his feet, pulling out his weapon from behind his seat—a sickle attached to a chain, also known as a kusarigama.
With his weapon in hand, Hanzo finally exuded a faint pressure.
But Uchiha Obito still didn't take him seriously.
"My name is... Uchiha Madara."
Obito's voice thundered like a bolt of lightning.
Hanzo's first reaction was disbelief.
"That's impossible!"
The legendary Uchiha Madara had been dead for decades. How could he appear here now?
Seeing Hanzo's reaction, Obito let out a cold laugh. He didn't even bother to explain, simply raising his hand to adjust his mask slightly.
Beneath the mask, his Mangekyō Sharingan emerged, and in an instant, a terrifying crimson light erupted!
Obito's overwhelming ocular power engulfed Hanzo like a tsunami, pulling him into a genjutsu world.
As Hanzo found himself in a world of crimson, he quickly realized he was under a genjutsu.
The seasoned ninja, who had once struck fear into the hearts of three great nations, immediately took action.
He disrupted the chakra flow within his body, successfully breaking free from the genjutsu.
The moment he returned to the real world, he saw the masked man charging toward him.
Hanzo unleashed his full power, gripping his sickle tightly and slashing with the force of a seasoned warrior.
A brilliant blade of light erupted like lightning, filling the room with a chilling killing intent!
The mysterious masked man had no time to dodge and was cleaved in two by the blade.
Only then did Hanzo show a glimpse of his former Demigod-like might.
But soon, a voice shattered that fleeting moment of dominance.
"Lord Hanzo, aren't you celebrating a bit too early?"
Hanzo's eyes filled with terror.
Before him, the man who should have been split in two by his sickle was now standing before him, grinning mockingly.
The taunting tone seemed to ridicule his incompetence!
This attitude deeply wounded Hanzo's fragile and sensitive pride.
"This must be some kind of forbidden technique!" Hanzo thought to himself.
"If it's a forbidden technique, then it can't be sustained for long!"
With that in mind, he slashed at his enemy once more.
But the result was the same—his blade passed through the man as if he were nothing but air.
It was as if the man didn't exist in this world at all!
"If swordsmanship won't work, then ninjutsu it is!"
Hanzo refused to give up.
With a Body Flicker Technique, he appeared in another corner of the room.
Quickly forming hand seals, he unleashed a high-speed water jet from his mouth.
Obito didn't dodge or evade, allowing the attack to pass through his body.
After a few seconds, he even yawned in boredom.
"Are you done testing me?"
"If you're done, then it's my turn."
In the next moment, white spores began to grow all over Hanzo's body.
They rapidly absorbed his chakra, and as they grew, they took on the form of White Zetsu.
Hanzo could feel his chakra levels plummeting!
"Damn it, when did this happen...?"
Hanzo's face turned grim.
From the very beginning, he had been played like a fool, with no chance to fight back.
"Damn it, I'm still a Demigod!"
With a burst of rage, he swung his sickle, attempting to cut off the White Zetsu spores attached to his body.
But Obito wouldn't let him.
In an instant, Obito appeared before Hanzo and activated his Mangekyō Sharingan at close range, casting another genjutsu!
His ocular power flooded Hanzo's mind, pulling him into a mental world.
It was a desolate wasteland.
Obito appeared before Hanzo and spoke slowly:
"Do you want to survive?"
Hanzo shuddered.
Obito continued:
"You know as well as I do that you stand no chance against Nagato, the wielder of the Rinnegan, don't you?"
At this, Hanzo finally snapped.
"Don't joke with me! I am the leader of the Land of Rain, the Demigod Hanzo of the Salamander!"
He roared hysterically:
"How could someone with my absolute power lose to a bunch of brats?"
In response, Obito smirked and gave his answer:
"Because you're afraid."
This answer instantly silenced Hanzo's hysterics.
Because Obito was right—he was afraid.
He was afraid that those brats would grow to a level where even he could only look up to them.
He was afraid that his title of "Demigod" would be taken by someone else.
He was afraid that the world would learn that Hanzo of the Salamander had lost the one thing a true warrior must possess...
Courage.
After a long silence, the once-revered Demigod finally let out a deep sigh, as if resigning himself to his fate.
"Can you really help me survive?"
Obito chuckled, as if he had anticipated this outcome, and released the genjutsu.
"As long as you kill either Yahiko or Konan in this battle, I will keep my promise and spare your life."
With that, Obito activated Kamui in front of Hanzo.
As his body twisted and disappeared, Hanzo began to believe—
Perhaps this man really can save me!
Seeing a glimmer of hope for survival, Hanzo's eyes cleared.
At that moment, the guards outside, hearing the commotion, knocked on the door.
"Lord Hanzo, are you alright?"
Hanzo opened the door and ordered:
"Bring me my armor. Prepare for battle!"
Seeing this, many Rain ninja grew excited.
Was Lord Hanzo finally going to take action?
Was the Hanzo they knew finally returning?
"Can he really do it?"
On the rooftop, Black Zetsu watched Hanzo's performance with skepticism.
The sudden awakening of a fallen man was often unreliable.
But Obito had faith in Hanzo.
"It doesn't matter. I've already planted a genjutsu in him."
"If he shows any signs of retreat, I can activate the genjutsu and take control."
What reassured Obito wasn't Hanzo's will or integrity, but the genjutsu left behind by Uchiha Madara.
A terrifying genjutsu that, as long as it was periodically replenished with ocular power, could completely control a person's actions.
He planned to use this genjutsu not only to control Hanzo but also to control the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, and even more leaders.
All to fulfill his ambition of collecting the tailed beasts, reviving the Ten-Tails, becoming its jinchūriki, and casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi to control the entire ninja world.
As for why he wanted Hanzo to kill Yahiko and Konan?
The main goal was to bring Nagato back on track.
Under Danzo's influence, Nagato, the inheritor of Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan, had strayed from the path they had set for him.
He was gradually becoming a second "Darkness of the Shinobi."
Therefore, they needed to kill Yahiko and Konan to make Nagato feel pain, awaken the hatred and darkness within him, and turn him back into their puppet.
"Don't disappoint me, Nagato!"