Naruto: We Agreed on a Simulation, But They Actually Came to Life?

Above the canyon, tears mingled with the falling rain as they streamed down Konan's face. She watched as Yahiko gripped his kunai, aiming it directly at his own heart. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed into the muddy slush.

"No!"

Hanzo glanced sideways at the masked Danzo standing beside him. Beneath his own mask, Hanzo's expression was one of pure mockery. This was the price for daring to threaten his rule.

Below them, Pakura's heart hammered against her ribs, her eyes scanning the surroundings frantically. 'Where is Kitahara Kaede? Why hasn't he appeared yet!'

The rain intensified. Yahiko tightened his grip on the kunai and closed his eyes.

Just as the tip of the blade was about to pierce his chest, Hanzo's instincts screamed. A surge of extreme danger lunged at him from below; without a second thought, his body reacted instinctively, leaping violently backward and upward.

Boom!

The edge of the cliff where he had been standing exploded. Rubble soared into the sky, and a powerful shockwave tore through the curtain of rain, sending a deluge of mud and stone crashing down into the canyon.

Before anyone could react, a masked figure flickered out of the swirling dust and debris like a phantom.

*Crack. Crack.*

Two sickening snaps of breaking bone echoed almost simultaneously. The two Rain shinobi holding Konan had their necks twisted at unnatural angles, their bodies going limp as they slumped to the ground.

Konan was still in shock when Kitahara Kaede grabbed her arm and flung her away with a casual toss. She soared through the air, plummeting toward Pakura's position. Pakura reacted instantly, stepping forward to catch Konan firmly. The impact forced her back two steps before she could regain her balance.

"Konan!" Pakura looked down urgently.

Konan was gasping for air, still trembling from the terror. "I... I'm okay... I'm alright..."

Above on the cliff, a dead silence fell over the area. The sound of falling rubble felt unnervingly loud. Everyone stared blankly at the masked stranger who had suddenly appeared at the cliff's edge.

Hanzo landed on a protruding rock behind the others, his eyes locked onto Kitahara Kaede.

"Who are you?!" Hanzo barked.

Kitahara Kaede didn't even spare him a glance. He wove a series of hand signs and exhaled sharply. A massive torrent of water erupted from his mouth, sweeping toward the approaching Rain shinobi. Seven or eight of them were instantly swept away by the tide.

"Hmph!" Hanzo sneered. He leaped into the air, his scythe slashing downward. With sheer force, he cleaved the oncoming wave in two, sending plumes of water spraying in all directions.

Danzo flickered to Hanzo's side, his gaze cold and calculating. "Who is this person?" he asked in a low, rapid whisper.

"I don't know, but he's certainly not with the Akatsuki," Hanzo replied, gripping his scythe as killing intent surged within him. "It doesn't matter. We'll kill them all."

Down in the canyon, Yahiko froze at the commotion above. He looked up in shock to see Konan falling from the cliff, safely caught by Pakura.

"Konan!" Yahiko dropped his kunai and sprinted toward her, with Nagato following close behind.

Pakura, who was checking Konan for injuries, glanced up at Yahiko. "She's not hurt, just shaken."

Konan shook her head. "Yahiko... the moment you left, Hanzo's men raided the base... They had been lying in ambush all along, just waiting for you to leave..."

Yahiko felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Images flashed through his mind: Hanzo's recent friendliness, the missions handed to him, and the so-called "peace negotiation" notice from this morning.

It was all a lie. The trust, the cooperation, the talk of working together for the Land of Rain—all of it was nonsense. It was nothing more than a trap to lure them out and wipe them out in one fell swoop.

"I..." Yahiko opened his mouth, but found he couldn't speak. It turned out that from start to finish, his ideals and convictions were nothing but a joke in the eyes of others.

Pakura looked at Yahiko, wanting to say something, but she knew now was not the time for comfort. A battle was still raging above. She turned to him. "Hold Konan. I have to go up and help."

As she prepared to move, Yahiko called out, "Wait."

Pakura paused. Yahiko looked up, his gaze regaining its resolve. "Nagato, look after Konan. I'm going up with you. Someone is risking their life for us; I can't let him fight alone."

Konan steadied herself. "I'm fine. I can still fight," she said firmly.

Nagato looked at Yahiko, then up at the cliff. "Then let's go together."

Pakura nodded. The four of them moved simultaneously, scaling the slippery rock walls and charging toward the summit.

At the top, Kitahara Kaede blurred through the ranks of the Rain shinobi, each strike claiming a life. Watching his Root elites and the Rain ninja fall in wave after wave, Danzo's heart grew heavy. When had such a monster appeared in the shinobi world? Setting aside the taijutsu, the sheer composure and precision of the man suggested he was someone of great renown. Furthermore, the stranger had used nothing but Water Style thus far. No one knew what other trump cards he held.

Suddenly, a whistling sound tore through the air from the side. Hanzo swung his poison-laced scythe, the blade cutting through the rain to strike directly at Kitahara Kaede's neck.

Kitahara Kaede leaned his head back. The scythe swept past his mask by a hair's breadth. Just as he prepared to create distance, Yahiko and the others arrived.

Yahiko landed beside Kitahara Kaede and opened his mouth to thank the masked man who had saved Konan. However, without looking back, Kitahara Kaede threw out a single command.

"Deal with the rest. Hanzo is mine."

Stunned, Yahiko hastily yelled, "Watch out for his poison—!"

Before the words could leave his mouth, Kitahara Kaede had already become a blur, charging straight at Hanzo. Yahiko gritted his teeth, suppressed his shock, and turned toward the circling enemies.

"Attack!"

Nagato and Konan nodded in unison. Pakura struck first, forcing back two ninjas attempting a sneak attack. The four of them stood back-to-back, facing the surrounding onslaught.

Meanwhile, Kitahara Kaede and Hanzo clashed at the cliff's edge. In a matter of seconds, they exchanged seven or eight blows. Hanzo's scythe was a whirlwind of steel, every strike aimed at a vital point, but Kitahara Kaede evaded them all.

Sensing an opportunity, Hanzo deliberately left an opening. As expected, Kitahara Kaede pressed forward to exploit it. At the moment they were closest, Hanzo suddenly exhaled a cloud of colorless, odorless poison gas directly into Kitahara Kaede's face.

Hanzo sneered. Within three seconds, the man would collapse, paralyzed, and Hanzo would take his head with a single swing.

But then... why was he still standing?

Hanzo froze. Kitahara Kaede hadn't collapsed; he hadn't even flinched. The eyes visible through the slits of the mask remained utterly calm.

*Crack-boom!*

The sound of thunder erupted. Violent bolts of lightning surged from Kitahara Kaede's right hand, tearing through the rain and illuminating Hanzo's terrified face. Hanzo tried to retreat, but it was too late. They were too close, and the momentum of his own feint left him unable to change direction in time.

Kitahara Kaede's right hand became a blade, shrouded in lightning, as he thrust it straight into Hanzo's chest.

*Squelch!*

Blood sprayed. Lightning burst through Hanzo's back, completely piercing his chest. Hanzo looked down stiffly at the arm protruding from his body, his mouth opening as he struggled to speak.

Thick streams of blood gushed from his mouth.

Beneath the gas mask, his eyes were wide with shock, refusing to believe it even as death claimed him. He could not accept that he had been killed by some nameless nobody who had appeared out of nowhere.

As Kitahara Kaede withdrew his right hand, the body lost all support and collapsed backward. Those eyes remained wide open—a death filled with lingering resentment.

In the midst of the battle, Danzo froze at the sound of the thunder. He whipped around, just in time to witness the bolt of lightning piercing straight through Hanzo's chest.

An icy chill washed over Danzo.

'Hanzo is dead?'

Terror instantly overwhelmed him. Casting aside all dignity and abandoning every scheme he had brought to the Land of Rain, Danzo didn't even spare a glance for the Root elites still locked in combat. He turned on his heel and bolted.

Kitahara Kaede turned his head, his gaze locking onto the pathetic figure fleeing in desperation. He let out a cold sneer.

"Lord Danzo, decided to run now, have you?"

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