The ground beneath his feet was now a terrain warped by explosions and assaults. The rain still fell, but it could no longer extinguish Pakura's furnace.
Hanzo sidestepped, narrowly avoiding a mechanical blade that burst from the ground. A puppet had burrowed beneath the earth, like a patient predator. He grabbed a metal capsule from his belt and hurled it into the air—it exploded into a rain of black needles, soaked in paralyzing poison.
Three puppets collapsed, short-circuited.
Eleven left. Plus Pakura. Plus Chiyo…
Hanzo flexed his leg muscles, leaped backward for height, then propelled his chain forward. It wrapped around a flying puppet's torso. He yanked sharply: the machine slammed into two others, disarticulating them in a spray of sparks.
A glass projectile hurtled toward him.
He recognized it: Acid Steam Bomb.
He pivoted to his side, letting it burst into the void, but the shockwave knocked him off balance. He landed heavily, rolling into a puddle mixed with blood and rain.
Pakura seized the opening.
"Shakuton: Sekka Shōdan!"
Five spheres of pure heat rose around her, then plummeted like meteors. Hanzo summoned a water clone—it was instantly vaporized. But it bought him just enough time.
He slammed his hand to the ground:
"Suiton!"
A series of earthen spikes burst forth like a jaw beneath Chiyo's feet.
She barely retreated, but one of her legs was severely injured.
Hanzo lunged at her.
He drew a short kunai, coated in toxic gel, and aimed for her clavicle.
But a puppet shield closed in front of her.
*Clang!*
For a moment, their eyes met.
Chiyo, cold-eyed. Hanzo, pupils dilated with adrenaline.
Then an explosion behind him.
Pakura. Again.
He hadn't seen the fifth sphere.
It struck his left flank. A white-hot, searing pain ripped through his body.
His flesh charred.
"Fuck—"
He collapsed to one knee.
But he didn't scream.
He lifted his head, gasping, his hair plastered to his forehead.
The rain, this time, wasn't enough to dull the burn.
Chiyo didn't waste time.
"V-Formation. Intercept."
Seven puppets rose into the air, forming a perfect semicircle. They spun at high speed, blades out, chakra concentrated in their fists. It was a dance of death.
Hanzo slowly rose, one leg trembling.
I can destroy two. Maybe three. But then…
His fingers had already closed around the last capsule strapped to his right leg.
A light bomb.
*BAM!*
A blinding flash of light. A deafening detonation.
He charged into the light.
His body slid diagonally between two mechanical puppets with jerky movements and three ninjas spinning, unbalanced by acrid smoke.
The Suna Jonin barely raised a dagger. Hanzo's blade struck the back of his neck, cleanly severing the cervical vertebrae. He spun as a Kunoichi narrowly dodged the first strike. But the whirling metal chain that followed sliced her head off with precise circular motion.
But in the heat of battle, a kunai pierced his clavicle as he delivered a brutal kick to Pakura's chest.
The system flickered in his mind:
[Status: Critical]
[Chakra Remaining: 23%]
[Muscle Tension: Extreme]
"One day, we'll make Ame a place of peace. Even if it has to be through blood."