20 - The Strongest Survive

Kosuke and Kotaka leave after the poisonous mist dissipates.

Kosuke creates a clone from the shadows that grabs Inara and brings him with surprising speed to the village of Amegakure to find medical care for him.

The original Kosuke entered the poisonous smoke while Kotaka moved to the edge of the smoke that had settled into a huge area.

From within the poisonous smoke, Ibuse emerges from the ground.

*Trummm

*BLEH

Ibuse opens his mouth and Hanzõ comes out.

"The fog won't dissipate for another 10 minutes or so, I think that's enough time for Kotaka to lose his peak power..." Hanzõ said.

"Hm" Kosuke said, agreeing attentively.

"These pills last about 10 minutes at their peak in the body, after that it starts releasing smaller doses of chakra to maintain the peak chakra, Kotaka will probably be exhausted by then" Hanzõ said.

"But well, we have a strategy, don't let your guard down, we have another 10 minutes of battle ahead of us" Hanzõ said.

After their conversation, Kosuke and Hanzõ watched their surroundings, looking for any suspicious movement, the fog was suspiciously quiet...

Kosuke, while on guard, recovers his memory of the clone that had taken Inara to the village.

"Oh..." Kosuke muttered.

"WHAT?" Hanzõ asked attentively.

"Oh... yes... my clone managed to get Inara to the medical unit in Amegakure" Kosuke said relieved.

"Ah... it was quick..." Hanzõ said, losing his posture a little.

Kosuke was secretly happy to be praised by such a powerful ninja as Hanzõ.

In the middle of the moment, they both heard.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa"

Miura spits out a huge gust of wind that gradually disperses the poisonous fog.

Hanzõ worries and then executes.

"Katon: Kibaku Enjin"

Miura's feet start to stick together with explosive paper.

Miura was unable to anticipate Hanzõ's jutsu.

Miura is hit hard.

*BOOMMMMMM

"AHHHHHH" he shouts.

Both of Miura's legs are torn apart, leaving him with two stumps on his thighs.

Miura began to bleed profusely as he moaned in pain.

Kotaka is overcome with hatred.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kotaka screamed in hate, making his chakra cloak denser and more present.

"Huh?" Hanzõ and Kosuke said, noticing Kotaka's increased presence.

Kotaka says.

"Raiton : Chitose no yashi"

*PUMmMmMmMmMm

Kotaka hits a palm that echoes across the battlefield with a terrifying sound that deafens and stuns Hanzõ and Kosuke.

*VUSHHHHHHHH

Hanzõ's poisonous fog dissipates with Kotaka's ability, revealing Ibuse, Hanzõ and Kosuke who were hidden in the fog, but this time vulnerable.

Kosuke, very dazed, gradually regains consciousness and when he finally manages to stand up, his vision still very impaired, he sees Ibuse on the ground, bruised and unconscious, next to Hanzõ, held by Kotaka's collar, almost defeated.

"You're going to pay for everything you've done to me" Kotaka said, preparing to strike a fatal blow.

"HANZÕÕÕ! ! !" Kosuke shouted worriedly.

Kotaka threw Hanzõ a little above his height and prepared to strike a fatal blow.

"Damnit..." Hanzõ mumbled nervously.

"Raiton: HANTEI"

Kotaka shouted and gathered all his chakra in his left iron glove.

For a brief moment, Kosuke, in the throes of his adrenaline, watched things in slow motion, feeling all of Kotaka's chakra gathering at a specific point, which was his iron glove heading for Hanzõ's chest.

"HANZÕÕÕÕ ! ! !" Kosuke shouted begging for piety.

*VUOSHHH

...

*TCHIMmMmMmMm

Kotaka hit Kosuke's suzaku lotus, but it separated from Kosuke.

Kosuke had thrown his suzaku lotus in front of Hanzõ, protecting him from the impact and absorbing all the energy of the blow.

"What?" Kotaka exclaimed when he saw Kosuke with his hand outstretched without the Suzaku in it.

"How... you?" Kotaka said, noticing a line of Kosuke's chakra connected to the center of the suzaku lotus.

Kosuke, overwhelmed by the adrenaline of the moment, formed a fist with his hand, increasing the density of his chakra line connected to the suzaku lotus.

*TSIUUU

A high-pitched sound emanated from the explosive symbol on Kosuke's suzaku lotus.

*BOOMMMMMMMMMMMM

The explosion was larger than the entire length of the poisonous smoke that Hanzõ's Ibuse had created.

"AHHHHHHHHH" Kotaka shouted as he was hit by the explosion.

The explosion of the suzaku lotus, as Hanzõ had explained earlier, could counter a blow by using its power in a counterattack. The power of the explosion was two times greater than the power proportional to Kotaka's final blow, so he was completely destroyed by the impact of the explosion.

Hanzõ had been protected by being on the other side of the Suzaku Lotus, but unfortunately Kosuke was not on the opposite side of the explosion.

*PLOFT PLOFT PUMMMMM

Kotaka hit a rock hard, destroying half of it and sinking into a hole caused by the impact.

Kotaka was defeated, missing his left arm and with his right calf turned inside out.

...

Hanzõ stands up in the middle of the crater created by the explosion.

"Hm... Hummph" Hanzõ mumbles as he stands up under Kosuke's suzaku lotus.

Hanzõ watches Kosuke in the distance to his left, completely unconscious and bruised from the explosion.

"This boy is unbelievable..." Hanzõ thought, exhausted from the battle.

Turning his gaze to the top of the crater, Hanzõ saw Kotaka lying unconscious on the rock.

"It's over, Kotaka..." Hanzõ said.

Kotaka moves slightly, regaining consciousness, but without a hint of threat.

Kotaka looks at Hanzõ, groaning with exhaustion and pain, and raises his only remaining arm with his iron glove, trying to reach Hanzõ as he watches him, Kotaka says, making a hand seal.

"Shunshin... no Jutsu" Kotaka says, groaning in pain with every word.

"NO!" Hanzõ says, landing a blow to Kotaka's chest.

*TCHINKK

Hanzõ's scythe pierces the stone with a sharp cut.

*Puff

Kotaka disappears.

"Humph humph..." Hanzõ is confused for a moment and then says.

After Hanzõ regained his composure, he saw Miura lying on the ground without his two legs and approached him.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Hanzõ shouts and it is possible to hear the echo of his voice permeating the distance of the rain of Amegakure.

After Hanzõ returns to calm, He observes Miura on the ground without both legs and approaches.

"Sir... it's... Humph... ãh..." Miura looked desperate and vulnerable.

Hanzõ stared at him coldly without saying anything.

*TruMmMmMm

Behind Hanzõ's back, Miura could see thunder forming in the clouds, making the moment even more tense and giving Hanzõ a dark aura.

"Hm... Ouch... Humph..." Miura sighed in pain as he tried to move his legs.

"Do you have something to say Miura ?" Hanzõ asked.

Miura, unable to maintain eye contact with Hanzõ, said nothing, his head shaking with pain, fatigue and fear.

Miura hesitated to speak, but after a few seconds he said.

"End my pain..." Miura said with a tone of pity.

Hanzõ squints his eyes and observes Miura's misery.

Hanzõ sighs deeply and slowly takes off his mask.

"Huh?" Miura says confused.

*Plock

Hanzõ's mask falls to the floor.

Miura's eyes flicker even more as he realizes Hanzõ's actions.

Turning his eyes back to Hanzõ, Hanzõ now without his mask, holds Miura by the collar and says close to his face.

"You... deserve much more than this pain..." Hanzõ says, looking deep into Miura's soul.

"Coff... COFF coff coff" Miura felt Hanzõ's poison tingling all over his body, the pain in his leg intensifying and his body paralyzing.

Miura could no longer communicate or express himself, but he felt everything...

Miura lay on the ground convulsing as he took his last poisoned breaths, bleeding and dying.

Hanzõ takes from his ninja bag a simple mask, adapted to his face and the poison inside.

*Tchlik

Hanzõ fits his mask perfectly and descends into the crater behind Kosuke.

Hanzõ reduces the swelling and irritation of some of Kosuke's bruises with a basic medical jutsu.

Hanzõ takes Kosuke on his lap and says to Kosuke, knowing that he wasn't conscious.

"It's over my boy... you are worthy."

 //

Author note 

10 chapters ahead at p@treon.com/persima

If we hit 100 power stones by Saturday, I'll post 1 extra chapter