One Piece: I am Imu

"A mere Two-Tails?"

"I can handle that just fine."

But Hanzō had no intention of backing down. There was no way he was giving the Two-Tails back.

A sudden surge of overwhelming aura and killing intent burst from his body.

The Third Raikage and Hanzō now stood about ten meters apart, locked in a standoff.

The sheer pressure between them stirred up gusts of wind, scattering the yellow desert sand across the ground.

Around them, the Kumogakure shinobi were already eyeing the Amegakure shinobi like hungry wolves, ready to pounce.

The Takigakure and Kusagakure ninja, however, exchanged uncertain glances—then slowly began to back away.

None of them wanted to get dragged into a fight that had nothing to do with them.

Still, many were confused.

How had things escalated to this point?

Weren't they supposed to be here answering the daimyo's call to arms, waging war against the Land of Wind and Sunagakure?

...

"A—take your men and pull back two kilometers. You have no part in this battle."

At that moment, the Third Raikage gave his foolish son a side glance and issued a direct order.

In his view, their shinobi had no business suffering meaningless casualties here.

Better to conserve their strength for the battles ahead—ideally lasting long enough for the World Government to unify the shinobi world, and then march with him into the vast and enticing multiverse.

...

"Yahiko, return to Amegakure at once. And if anything happens to me… I leave the village in your hands."

Hanzō turned his head slightly and spoke with complete seriousness.

It was clear that even the so-called 'Demi-God of Amegakure' wasn't taking this duel lightly.

He could already sense that his opponent's aura surpassed his own.

Just how much stronger… he couldn't tell.

"Understood!"

Yahiko gave a firm nod, then swiftly turned and vanished alongside Nagato, Konan, and the others.

At the same time, A also led the Kumogakure forces in retreat.

They even took advantage of their numbers to surround the Amegakure group, placing the hundred ninja in the center.

Seeing this, Yahiko frowned.

He knew full well—if they kept retreating like this, then once they were far enough from the battlefield, these several thousand Kumogakure ninja would undoubtedly launch an ambush.

Even as the new jinchūriki of the Two-Tails, he wasn't confident he could take on an entire army.

And more importantly, he had to consider Nagato and Konan's safety too.

Not to mention the hundred Amegakure shinobi with them—each one a precious asset to the village.

He couldn't let them be wiped out in this desert.

So Yahiko stopped when they were just under a kilometer away.

It was far enough to be out of the immediate danger zone—but not so far that they'd slipped out of Hanzō's line of sight.

That way—

As long as the battle between Hanzō and the Third Raikage remained undecided, these Kumogakure shinobi wouldn't dare make a move.

After all, who could say for sure that the Third Raikage would win?

"Clever little brat…"

A couldn't help but admire him as he watched Yahiko's decision.

It only deepened his desire to steal—

cough

—to bring Yahiko back to Kumogakure.

A genius like that… was wasted on a small village like Amegakure.

...

"Summoning Technique!"

As most of the shinobi quickly evacuated the area, Hanzō crouched down on the now mostly-cleared battlefield and summoned his giant salamander.

[Boom!!]

A massive cloud of white smoke erupted.

A brownish-gray creature slowly emerged with Hanzō standing atop its head.

Across from him, the Third Raikage simply stared on expressionlessly, watching as his opponent made his preparations.

In the past, he might have harbored some wariness toward Hanzō. But now, he only regarded him from a superior vantage, waiting for whatever technique the man might attempt.

He couldn't help but wonder—

Perhaps back then, when Crocodile faced his own assault, he had adopted a similar attitude of condescension.

A part of the Third Raikage stirred with anticipation.

He wanted to see just how far his current strength could carry him against these legendary veterans of the ninja world.

[Boom!]

The very next moment—

The Third Raikage swung his right arm with force, unleashing a torrent of chakra flames and crackling blue lightning across his body.

His pale yellow hair stood completely on end, bristling with raw ferocity.

The surrounding dunes of yellow sand scattered outward layer by layer under the pressure of the raging wind.

He looked like a battle-hardened lion in human form—primed to strike, brimming with killing intent.

"Salamander! Poison mist!"

On the other side, at Hanzō's loud command, the grotesque giant salamander immediately opened its ugly maw and spewed out a rolling wave of thick, purple poison gas.

With the air now thick with floating poison gas, Hanzō swiftly formed hand seals to unleash a complementary technique.

Twin Serpents of Death!

Suddenly, the clouds of poison on either side converged, forming two massive serpents made entirely of violet gas. With gaping maws, they lunged toward the distant Third Raikage.

"Hmph. Child's play."

The Third Raikage's eyes flashed with disdain.

He tensed his entire body, his already iron-hard muscles swelling and bulging with explosive power, veins protruding violently beneath his skin.

With a strong stomp, he raised a sandstorm.

Then he charged forward—transformed into pure lightning.

Wherever he passed—

The layers of sand split open like surging waves, carving out a long, deep trench in his wake.

[Boom!]

In the blink of an eye—

The two serpent-shaped constructs were obliterated by the Raikage's lightning strike.

In the distance, Hanzō immediately commanded his giant salamander to burrow beneath the sand.

Then, he hurled his poisoned sickle straight through the air with force.

At the same time, he rapidly formed hand seals with one hand and exhaled a linear column of blazing flames.

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

The fire caught up to the flying sickle midair, triggering a chain reaction with the Wind Release chakra coating its blade.

All of the flames from the Dragon Fire Technique converged onto the sickle, transforming it into a massive, flaming scythe.

The next moment—

Under the gaze of Yahiko, A, Nagato, Konan, and the surrounding shinobi, as well as the army soldiers stationed on the other side of the battlefield—

A brilliant flash of lightning, accompanied by a thunderous sonic boom, collided head-on with a howling pillar of fire.

[BOOM!!!]

The terrifying explosion and the crack of thunder echoed across the heavens, hurling vast sheets of yellow sand high into the air.

And in the very next second—

Just as the violent gusts of wind began to whip the yellow sand into a raging sand twister, one side of it was effortlessly pierced by a brilliant bolt of azure lightning.

"What?!"

Hanzō's pupils contracted sharply. Reflected in his eyes was that overwhelming streak of lightning.

He couldn't understand it.

How had the enemy broken through his attack so easily? Even his sickle, which had accompanied him for decades, had been shattered on the spot.

Such a powerful individual shouldn't even exist in this shinobi world!

It wasn't until the Third Raikage closed the distance and was now right in front of him—

That Hanzō, in that hair's-breadth moment, finally caught a glimpse of the opponent's palm, which was densely charged with lightning and, at some point, had become cloaked in a layer of pitch-black energy.

Meanwhile—

The mass of cement dust that had once been Teach reformed in front of the central tower in the heart of Rōran.

Once he arrived, he actively deactivated his elemental transformation.

"Excuse me, Colonel—has General Akainu arrived yet?"

He approached the Army Colonel standing guard at the tower's gate, bowing slightly with a grin as he asked.

He didn't care in the slightest that the man before him was far weaker.

"Oh, right—I'm a senior architect from the Ministry of Construction, and I'm the one in charge of building the new fortifications. Look, here's my ID!"

The Army Colonel checked the ID and calmly looked up at the towering man before him.

"Yes, General Akainu is indeed here. I can report your presence, but whether he'll see you or not… that I can't say."

"Great, great! I appreciate it. Oh, and please mention that I possess three Devil Fruit abilities. I'm sure General Akainu will be very interested!"

Teach added the remark with a wide grin as the Colonel began dialing on the Den-Den Mushi.

"Three Devil Fruit abilities?"

The Army Colonel's expression shifted to shock the moment he heard those words.

Wasn't it common knowledge that no one could eat more than one Devil Fruit?

But he immediately became much more attentive and quickly spun the Den-Den Mushi's dial to contact Lieutenant General Shiryu.

"What is it?"

The moment Shiryu's voice came through, the Colonel felt a jolt in his chest.

He gave a bitter smile. This man was terrifying—every time he picked up the line, it felt like death was only a breath away.

Determined to end the call quickly, he immediately explained the situation in full.

"Three Devil Fruit abilities?"

"Hehehehe..."

The Den-Den Mushi, mimicking Shiryu's expression, let out a spine-chilling laugh. "Sounds interesting. Let him up."

"Uh, shouldn't we check with General Akainu first?" the Colonel asked stiffly.

"Come see me at ten tomorrow. I'll give you a few tips on swordsmanship."

"Uh—wait—"

The Colonel panicked. "L-Lieutenant General Shiryu, there's no need! I'm not a swordsman! Cough, cough—I'll send him up immediately! My apologies!"

He hung up the Den-Den Mushi in a flash and, sweating profusely, turned to shout at Teach: "What are you waiting for?! Go on up—General Akainu is at the very top!"

"Zehahahahaha!"

Teach let out a booming laugh, delighted that he was about to meet Akainu, and began ascending the steps.

As for Shiryu?

He didn't care in the slightest.

Just a Lieutenant General's adjutant—how important could he be?

Soon after—

Riding the elevator inside the tower, Teach finally reached the very top floor of the central spire.

As the elevator doors slowly slid open, a cold, quiet hall came into view, along with rows of stone pillars stretching across the space.

But Teach ignored all of it.

His eyes, involuntarily, locked onto the broad, muscular figure standing with his back to him, gazing out the window.

The black coat of justice draped over his shoulders looked impossibly heavy.

"I hear you wanted to see me, architect from the Ministry of Construction."

Wearing a black military cap, arms crossed over his chest, Sakazuki slightly turned his head.

He shifted his gaze from the distant battle—one that, despite its intensity, seemed rather dull in his eyes—and turned his attention to Teach.

His cold, commanding presence exuded an aura of power so overwhelming that it immediately crushed the casual confidence Teach had maintained just moments earlier.

So strong!

That phrase burned itself into Teach's mind in bold letters.

This was the Army Headquarters' General Akainu—an absolute monster, now present in this world...

By comparison—

The man leaning casually against a stone pillar nearby, chewing on a cigar and observing him—Shiryu—though radiating a dense killing intent, came off as rather unremarkable.

"Yes. I wish to leave the Ministry of Construction and serve under your command—to fight for the World Government across all worlds!"

---

I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar

---