Konoha: Naruto of Sekiro

Pfft!

A long sword swept past, adding another wound to Yahiko's already battered body.

Instead of retreating, Yahiko pressed forward, his blood-soaked hand tightening its grip on his kunai, ready to take the Amegakure ninja before him down with him.

Holding the advantage, the Amegakure ninja naturally had no intention of engaging in a life-or-death struggle and leaped backward.

Just as Yahiko was about to pursue, intending to trade blows to secure a takedown, several shuriken, launched by a feinting Chunin nearby, flew out, halting his advance.

Helpless, he could only quickly move closer to Konan.

Two against four—they were outmatched in both numbers and strength.

If their opponents hadn't prioritized capturing them alive over an immediate kill, he and Konan wouldn't have lasted this long.

Hearing the periodic tremors in the distance, Yahiko knew that if he and Konan were taken alive, Nagato would be finished too.

Years of companionship had taught them everything about each other.

Nagato's deep concern for them had become an undeniable weakness.

Yahiko had every reason to believe that Nagato could defeat the 'Demigod' Hanzo of the Salamander, as long as they weren't a burden.

"Konan, if possible, we can't become Nagato's weakness," Yahiko whispered, his tone almost pleading.

"I understand, Yahiko." Konan also seemed prepared.

The Amegakure Jonin, Naomori, glanced at his companion Yamauchi. Yamauchi nodded slightly, indicating he would control his strength.

They had, of course, heard the commotion in the distance. But the louder it grew, the more urgent their desire to capture these two Akatsuki members alive became.

Though they were reluctant to admit it, as Hanzo's personal guard, they had known for a long time that Lord Hanzo was beginning to weaken.

The current Lord Hanzo could no longer endure such high-intensity battles.

A ninja, in the end, could only burn like a candle.

"Ninja Art: Rain Needles!"

Naomori formed hand seals, and water needles, as fine as ox hair, formed a wall, shot towards the two in the center of the field.

If his estimation was correct, their chakra should be nearly depleted.

A jutsu too powerful would be impossible for them to block, and accidentally killing them would be a greater loss than gain.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

A thin wall of water, about a finger's thickness, appeared before them.

This was already Yahiko's limit. Not everyone was like Nagato, capable of using such large-scale Water Style ninjutsu in a place devoid of water.

Pfft, pfft, pfft…

A series of soft sounds. Countless rain needles pierced his body, creating tiny cuts. From a distance, it looked as if he'd been bitten by mosquitoes.

Yahiko's face paled. The wounds weren't large, but their sheer number was overwhelming.

"Water Style: Water Trumpet!"

From another direction, Yamauchi also unleashed a moderately powerful ninjutsu.

Konan was about to cast a jutsu to block it, but the stabbing pain in her meridians and the weakness in her body relentlessly conveyed a cruel reality: her chakra—was gone.

She instinctively crossed her arms before her, attempting to shield her friend's back with her own frail body.

"Ugh!"

Taking the full force of the Water Trumpet, Konan's already exhausted body, unable to fight on, succumbed to its natural protective instincts, and she fainted.

Yahiko sensed the commotion behind him. His expression changed, but before he could do anything—

Several senbon, coated with a potent anesthetic, pierced his body from his blind spot.

Under the massively increased dosage administered by the two Chunin, Yahiko instantly lost control of his body. He couldn't even perform the simple act of plunging a kunai into his own neck.

Thud!

Watching the two fall, Naomori quickly ordered the two Chunin to carry them. A bad premonition stirred within him.

The commotion in the distance, for some reason, was rapidly approaching their position.

If Lord Hanzo had been victorious, he wouldn't be rushing over so excitedly.

"Yamauchi, be ready at all times," Naomori said in a low voice, moving beside his companion.

Yamauchi, naturally, had also sensed something was wrong and nodded slightly. The two Jonin gradually distanced themselves from the two Chunin carrying the hostages.

The conviction to sacrifice themselves for their lord—perhaps they had possessed it during the Second Great Shinobi War.

But the passage of time, the corrosion of power and money, had long since made them forget this creed they once held as absolute.

A few breaths later.

The tremendous rumbling drew closer.

The first thing to enter their vision was a head the size of a small hill. Its ten eyes, firmly bound, instilled a profound sense of dread while simultaneously bestowing upon it an inexplicable mystique.

"What is that thing?"

When the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path fully emerged, the two Chunin froze on the spot, their faces blank as they stared at the distant, mountain-sized golem that seemed like a devil descended upon the world. Their legs trembled uncontrollably.

"Damn it." Naomori gritted his teeth, forcefully suppressing his fear. He rushed to the two Chunin and snatched the two hostages.

Though he didn't know where this golem had come from, the moment he saw the red-haired man standing on its shoulder, he understood: his only path to survival was through death's door.

"Stop!!!"

Gripping their necks, Naomori even used the chakra he had already expended by more than half, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Afraid the red-haired man on the golem wouldn't see, he even deliberately leaped to a higher vantage point, holding up the two hostages in his hands.

On the golem's shoulder, Nagato watched this scene with a grim expression. His worst fear had come to pass.

Although he could crush that Amegakure ninja, that Jonin from Amegakure, with a mere thought, he still controlled the golem to a halt to prevent his friends from being harmed.

In the distance, Hanzo, hidden underground and observing Nagato's every move, saw this. A flicker of joy ignited within him, and he hurried over.

"Your Excellency, I hope you will dispel the golem beneath you," Naomori said, a measure of relief in his heart as he saw his tactic was effective. He pressed his threat further.

"Release them, and I can spare your life," Nagato said after a moment of silence, issuing his own threat. He wasn't a fool; he naturally understood the basis for their current equal footing in this dialogue.

"Your Excellency seems to have forgotten that the initiative is in my hands." Naomori tightened his grip, causing the two hostages' faces to turn bluish-green, and threatened fiercely.

He too had been tempered by war; he certainly didn't lack ruthlessness.

Spare his life? What a joke.

"Three breaths! Dispel the golem beneath you!!" Naomori sneered. He had lived long enough. If, before dying, he could be remembered with hatred by such a powerful individual, it would be a fitting end to a life of conflict.

"One!!"

The force in his hands increased again. The two hostages twitched instinctively.

"Two!!!"

Crack, crack… The intense pressure was already damaging the bones in their necks.

"Wait!" Nagato's composure finally broke. He hastily called out to stop him.

"Dispel the golem!!" Naomori was ecstatic. He had gambled correctly! He slightly loosened his grip, avoiding actually strangling the two to death.

Threatening their lives was merely a means, never the end goal. Their greatest value was in forcing that powerhouse to surrender.

Looking down at the figures below, Nagato's Rinnegan twitched. He quickly softened his tone. "I can dispel the golem, but you must first release one of my companions!"

"Your Excellency, it seems you still haven't recognized reality!" Naomori tightened his grip once more.

Negotiate? Sorry, he never had that intention.

"Wait!!" Nagato hurriedly stopped him. "I'll dispel it now!"

"Very good!" Naomori looked at the two beneath him, a slight smirk playing on his lips. Their value was unexpectedly high!

"Dis…"

Suddenly, a crimson figure appeared behind him as if by teleportation. A blade flashed. Head and body separated.

"ROAR!!!"

Seeing Yahiko and Konan rescued, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path roared and charged towards the rapidly approaching chakra source.

"Bastard!!!" Hanzo of the Salamander's expression twisted in fury.

_______

+50 chapters on: patreon.com/Shinobi_Scrolls