"Renya?" Hanzō of the Salamander subconsciously repeated. The name did sound somewhat familiar, as if he had really heard it somewhere before.
Looking at Renya's handsome features, he suddenly recalled something. His pupils shrank sharply, and the exposed eyes behind his mask revealed a look of alarm.
"You… you're the 'Deadly Poison Master'?!"
It was said that back then on the battlefield, Konoha's "Deadly Poison Master" had, through his own power, pressed Sunagakure to the ground, leaving them unable to raise their heads. Even the mighty Kumogakure had lost many powerful shinobi to him.
And all of it began with the poisons he created…
When Hanzō had first heard that news, he had been utterly shocked.
It was precisely because of the "Deadly Poison Master" that the idea of a small country standing against great nations was born within him. If Renya could defeat two great nations through poison alone, then he, Hanzō of the Salamander, could do the same!
He had never believed that the poison sac in his body was inferior to anyone else's. As long as he defeated the great nations in future wars, Amegakure would never again suffer their humiliation.
He never expected that the very "Deadly Poison Master" who had once inspired him would personally come to Amegakure today to test the poison in his own body.
Originally, Hanzō had thought Renya came here to seek death. But now, after realizing his true identity, the contempt he'd felt earlier vanished instantly.
A man who could poison and defeat Sunagakure and Kumogakure, and earn a fearsome reputation across the battlefield, could never be a fool.
For him to dare such things only meant one thing—absolute confidence!
"How do you want to test my poison?" Hanzō asked, suspiciously eyeing Renya.
"Simple. I'll fight you," Renya explained. "Then we'll see just how potent your poison really is."
Hanzō frowned upon hearing this, his voice deepening: "The poison I release is extremely powerful. Even my antidote cannot always cure it."
The implication was clear: Renya might very well die from it.
No matter what, Renya was a powerhouse of Konoha. If he were to die carelessly at Hanzō's hands, the Second Hokage would surely be enraged, and would never let Amegakure off so easily.
If that happened, Amegakure would be doomed.
...
Though Hanzō had long prepared himself for the idea of small nations resisting the great powers, now was not the time to start a war. Amegakure was still in its development stage, in no way a match for Konoha.
He had no desire for Renya's death to plunge Amegakure into crisis.
After all, who in the shinobi world didn't know that Konoha's "Deadly Poison Master" was the adopted son of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama?
If Renya were truly to die here, Konoha's wrath would descend upon them.
"You mean… you can't cure your own poison?" Renya asked with mild confusion.
"The poison I release is extremely strong. Within moments of exposure, death follows, unless the antidote is taken immediately. Otherwise, certain death." Hanzō said with some pride. His formidable toxins were the very foundation of his courage to defy the great nations.
"So that's how it is," Renya nodded as if in sudden understanding.
Just when Hanzō thought he might back down, Renya instead spoke with indifference:
"Strong or not, I'll only know once I've seen it for myself."
"You!" Hanzō's voice grew angrier. "You really intend to fight me?"
It was only because of Renya's identity that he had been speaking so patiently. Had it been anyone else, they would already have been dead, slain by the poison mist from his breath.
Though he had no wish to oppose Konoha now, that didn't mean he would allow himself to be provoked over and over again by Renya.
Since Renya sought death, he would have no one else to blame.
"This is the antidote. Take it first," Hanzō tossed a porcelain bottle toward Renya. "Once you've taken it, then we'll begin our battle."
Though he thought of killing him, he could not allow Renya to truly die in Amegakure.
"No need." Renya casually tossed the antidote aside. He had full confidence in the antidotes he himself had developed—they would be enough to neutralize Hanzō's poison.
Hanzō narrowed his eyes, giving a cold snort, and said nothing more. If the boy insisted on courting death, so be it.
"This is my antidote," Renya likewise tossed over a small vial.
Hanzō had intended to discard it in Renya's manner. But then, recalling his opponent's infamous title of "Deadly Poison Master," he finally decided to tuck it into his ninja tools pouch.
Better safe than sorry. What if he really was poisoned? That would be the end.
Renya might not fear death, but he himself certainly did.
Moreover, for Renya to have earned such a fearsome title on the battlefield—it meant he possessed deep understanding in the way of poison.
What if Renya truly countered Hanzō's poison, and he himself refused the antidote, only to end up poisoned to death? What then?
He had yet to lead Amegakure in resistance against the great nations. He could not afford to die here.
It had to be said—Hanzō was an extremely cautious fighter.
"Poison Master-dono, please follow me."
...
Rain poured over the shattered rubble, the air thick with the acrid scent of burning.
Renya stood atop a broken beam, his three-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating, crimson pupils locked onto Hanzō of the Salamander below.
Hanzō noticed Renya's Sharingan, and couldn't help but mutter softly: "So it's true, then, what the rumors say… the Second Hokage adopted a Uchiha orphan."
He could not comprehend it. Weren't the Senju and Uchiha bitter enemies? Why would Senju Tobirama adopt Uchiha Renya?
"Oi, oi, oi—you're still thinking about other things in the middle of our fight," Renya called out, his katana gleaming with a cold light.
Hanzō narrowed his eyes, his voice muffled and deep beneath the respirator:
"Poison Master-dono, come at me with everything you have!"
"Then watch yourself."
The instant the words left his mouth, Renya's figure vanished into countless afterimages.
"So fast! A Body Flicker?!" Hanzō's pupils contracted. Acting almost on instinct, he twisted his body, scythe flashing in a sudden swing—
"Clang—!"
A sharp metallic screech rang out as katana and scythe collided, sparks flying.
Hanzō had used an iaido slash to block Renya's strike. Just as he prepared to counterattack, Renya's figure vanished again like a phantom, only to reappear at his back, blade arcing straight for his heart!
"Hmph!" Hanzō spun sharply, scythe sweeping across. At the same moment, his wide sleeves flicked, releasing a volley of senbon!
"Swish, swish, swish—!"
The tomoe within Renya's Sharingan spun, clearly tracing each senbon's trajectory. His body shifted lightly, avoiding them with ease.
But the true killing move was not the senbon. It was—
"Poison Mist
A thick purple miasma gushed from Hanzō's respirator, flooding the battlefield in an instant.
Renya's brows furrowed. He immediately held his breath, but the poison seeped in through his skin. Numbness spread swiftly from his limbs.
With a flicker of movement, he escaped the mist's reach.
"It's useless," Hanzō's cold voice rang out. "My poison takes effect the moment it touches skin."
Renya looked down at his arm. His skin was already turning purple. Yet, rather than panic, he only smiled.
"Is that so?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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