Hanzo waved his massive hand, and the surrounding White Zetsu immediately sprang into action.
They dispersed in an unusual formation, taking positions around the altar. Then with a swift hand seal, countless beams of white light flared up around the altar, spiraling upward like neon lights from the mortal world.
Frowning deeply, Hanzo fixed his gaze on the center of the altar.
There, layer upon layer, lay countless children—some as young as seven or eight, others up to fourteen or fifteen years old—all sleeping soundlessly. Whether they were unconscious or dead was unclear.
"Tsk, what a shame for so many kids. But for that thing, I have no choice," he sighed.
Suddenly, a young girl at the edge opened her eyes.
She looked to be around thirteen or fourteen years old, with neatly tied short hair. As soon as she woke up, she rushed straight toward the nearest White Zetsu.
[Earth Release - Super Heavy Rock Technique!]
The girl shouted fiercely, and instantly, countless rocks surged toward her hands as if drawn by magnets. In less than a second, a giant rock-covered fist had formed over her arm.
"One of them is already awake?" Hanzo briefly showed surprise. A White Zetsu at the edge was still busy forming hand seals when the girl punched its head clean off.
He immediately dashed toward her.
The two clashed fiercely, blow for blow—neither gaining the upper hand immediately!
This shocked Hanzo.
Though he wasn't giving it his all, very few ninja could manage even a few blows against him, let alone being just a little girl!
"You're Onoki's granddaughter!" Hanzo realized suddenly.
Onoki, being the Tsuchikage, naturally made his family members well-known—just like how meeting King Baby would make you acquainted with his wife, Maji!
The girl shouted again, "Give my grandfather back to me! Chōjūrō, attack!"
"Uh-oh!"
Hanzo's mind snapped to alertness.
Moments later, several youths wielding various weapons stood up. Just awakened, they launched themselves at the distant White Zetsu who were activating the teleportation array.
And the latter couldn't withstand even a single strike!
"These White Zetsu are truly useless!" Sanshouo Hanzo roared in anger. Back then when he faced Ye Liang, his subordinates had been pathetic, and now these White Zetsu were just as disgraceful.
That old saying fits perfectly — unnamed grunts are total garbage.
Suddenly!
Hanzo's expression changed drastically. He spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward instantly!
Standing where he had just been hit was a blond boy wearing a yellow outfit, grinning happily.
[Rasengan!]
He murmured the move's name.
"Great job, Naruto!" The girl cheered excitedly.
This blond boy had met the girl along her journey—he claimed to be searching for his father. They hit it off instantly and quickly teamed up as partners.
Then, those youths who attacked the White Zetsu approached them. Though wielding different weapons, their styles strongly resembled those of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
"Chōjūrō, you did great too," the girl praised once more.
"Stop talking already—the enemy isn't dead yet," Chōjūrō replied helplessly, shaking his head.
He was a genin from the Mist, sent out to search for kids who had gone missing in nearby villages.
It all happened by coincidence.
As Chojuro's team left the village, they immediately encountered a group of children searching for their families.
According to her introduction, she was actually the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage, named Kurotsuchi, and she even had some skills.
So, the two groups decided to join forces.
Since the enemy targeted children, Chojuro and Kurotsuchi disguised themselves as children and were captured and brought inside.
Watching Hanzo blasted away by a Rasengan, Chojuro gulped hard.
"What the hell is going on!"
Who could've thought that a kidnapper would turn out to be the Ninja God himself from Konoha!
I mean, with such an impressive reputation, why on earth would you kidnap children...
Chojuro instantly drew both of his blades. Facing Hanzo, he dared not take any chances.
"Dance, Fatsubara!"
The flat weapon behind him resembled a giant sword slicing forward, blooming like a flower toward Sanshouo Hanzo. But the latter vanished into thin air.
It was as if he'd never been there at all.
Chojuro's heart tightened as his blade swung into empty air.
Suddenly, a whistling sound hit his ears. Instinctively, he swung his weapon around, but before he could even see anyone, the blade stopped dead in its tracks!
"Good reflexes," Hanzo coldly commented. "But your strength is still too weak."
His voice echoed chillingly from behind Chojuro, followed by a powerful grip. The legendary ninja sword, Fatsubara, snapped clean through without leaving even a scratch.
"Oh no!"
Seeing their leader disarmed and defeated, the others instantly rushed forward.
They were candidates for the Seven Swordsman of the Mist; after the previous generation was wiped out by Might Duy, the new Mizukage Terumi Mei resumed training replacements!
After all, they represented the village's top fighting force.
Peng! Peng!
Weapons clashed noisily around the altar. Hanzo's figure flickered like a ghost, disappearing at times and reappearing behind them again.
Soon enough, these genins gradually weakened.
"Hmph! You really think you can fight against the Ninja God?!" Mocking bitterly, Hanzo dashed forward several times, defeating all the Mist genin.
These were just children, after all. Though wielding power granted by the swords, none could match the sly and seasoned Hanzo!
Angrily, Hanzo turned his gaze toward Kurotsuchi, the one who ruined his plan first.
"Tsuchikage's granddaughter, nice to meet you!"
Kurotsuchi's expression changed dramatically—she panicked!
Though bold at heart, upon facing an opponent even more fearsome than a Jonin—a Kage-level master—she naturally knew her limits. Her legs slightly trembled.
Naruto suddenly dropped flat on the ground.
"My dad said, if you see a bear, just lie still and play dead!"
Kurotsuchi: "..."
Furious, Hanzo picked up half of the broken blade.
Actually, losing some White Zetsu wasn't a big deal.
But today's White Zetsu were different. Besides serving as free muscle, they were special kinds of White Zetsu!
They had mastered a sacrificial ritual!
By sacrificing these children, they could summon the real master of the White Zetsu.
Hanzo did all this because he cut a deal with their leader—offering the sacrificed child in exchange for a special item!
Now that White Zetsu is dead, no one else knows this Sacrificial Ritual anymore.
"Damn punk kid, I'm ending you right here!" Hanzo bellowed, raising his thick arm and hurling the broken blade straight at her!
Even without Ninjutsu, as a Kage-level master, his raw strength alone was way too much for this girl to handle. That flying blade strike was about to be deadly!
Just at this moment—
Suddenly, the wall Hanzo had sealed shut exploded open with a powerful kick!
"F***ing coward! Still think you can hurt people?!" A booming voice roared in fury.
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