Hanma vs. Hyuga Tenzo

How many troops did Konoha actually have? And what was the true scale of the ninja wars?

This question had plagued Hanma in his past life, and he used to be quite the lore enthusiast.

Judging by Konohamaru's ninja registration number of 12707, if one discounted casualties from the three ninja wars and natural deaths, the number of deployable Konoha ninja seemed to be no more than six thousand.

Yet in the final battle, the Allied Shinobi Forces numbered nearly ninety thousand.

One could only conclude that this figure included a large number of hastily conscripted samurai and ninja from small nations, inflated at the end simply to boost morale.

Ever since he transmigrated, Hanma had noticed this problem—the sheer scarcity of ninja.

Based on ninja academy data, Minato Namikaze's ninja registration number was 6510, while Hiruzen Sarutobi's was 0261. Subtracting casualties from the First Ninja War, Konoha's military strength at this time was likely around fifty-five hundred.

There were still many uncounted variables: private armies from the major clans within the village, veteran ninja who had joined before the village was even founded, or simply individuals who refused to attend the ninja academy.

Thanks to the era of warfare, the number of Chunin at this time was far higher than in later generations.

On paper, Konoha had 72 Jonin, 330 Special Jonin, about 1,700 Chunin, and about 3,500 Genin.

As for the ninja not included in the official registry, they were like the hidden households of feudal times—no one knew exactly how many there were, and this constituted the true foundation of the so-called ninja clans.

With the great clans and the Hokage constantly pulling in opposite directions, Konoha's military strength was like water in a sponge or money in the pockets of powerful lords: if you squeezed, there was always some to spare.

Only the Jonin were the absolute core of this military force. Each one belonged to an extremely precious strategic resource, a group whose voice the village leadership had to listen to carefully.

Hanma rolled his eyes and let his thoughts wander, enduring the boring wait for Hiruzen Sarutobi's next speech.

"Those willing to compete for the command position, drop your nameplates into the box."

As the Third's voice fell, a dozen or so figures leaped out and dropped their tags inside.

Hanma couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed that even fairness had unwritten rules; how could ordinary civilian ninja possibly compete with century-old noble clans?

Those running for election were still predominantly from the major clans. Apart from Jiraiya and Orochimaru, the only civilian ninja competing was Hayama Shirakumo.

The rest were from backgrounds like the Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi, Shimura, and Aburame—all prominent clans of Konoha.

There was no helping it; other ninja clans, such as the Yamanaka and Inuzuka, were famous for reconnaissance and communication, and their combat capabilities were indeed somewhat lacking.

Hanma walked slowly toward the drawing box, dropped in his nameplate, and smiled faintly as he awaited the long-overdue one-on-one combat.

"Very well, if there are no others, today's selection will officially begin."

The Third Hokage made an authoritative wave of his hand, announcing the opening of today's trials.

Shimura Danzō maintained his usual sinister expression as he slowly looked around the crowd, pulled two nameplates from the box, inspected them, and said in a deep voice:

"As the Hokage's Assistant, Shimura Danzō, I now announce the first round of selections: Uchiha Hanma versus Hyuga Tenzo!"

"—Clatter."

Murmurs rippled across the entire training ground. Uchiha versus Hyuga—this was bound to be a fascinating matchup.

What's more, Hyuga Tenzo was hailed as the primary combat ninja of the Main Family, and his Gentle Fist had reached perfection.

Uchiha Hanma was also renowned in the Jonin circles, but hearing a hundred times was not as good as seeing once; outside of the Anbu, no one had ever seen him in action.

With a flashy display of the Body Flicker Technique, Hyuga Tenzo appeared in the center of the dueling arena.

Hanma felt a slight surge of excitement as well. Sparring with taijutsu ninja had always been his favorite form of cultivation.

"—Uchiha Hanma, please advise."

"—Hyuga Tenzo, please advise."

The moment his voice fell, Hanma unleashed his aura to the fullest. His predatory intent was no longer restrained, and the blood-red malice locked deeply onto Tenzo's spiritual presence, eroding his chakra.

This battle intent—as if he meant to tear his opponent to shreds—made many of the onlookers' eyebrows twitch. Even in the depths of their hearts, a sense of unease and fear welled up, and the chakra within their bodies began to churn inexplicably.

Hyuga Tenzo took a sharp step back. He already understood from the sheer pressure alone just how troublesome Hanma would be.

"—Byakugan, activate!"

As a combat genius of the Hyuga clan, Tenzo was accustomed to using the Byakugan to observe the enemy's chakra circulation and anticipate their movements.

It was fair to say the Hyuga clan held an innate advantage in intelligence gathering most of the time.

Yet, under the observation of the Byakugan, the amount of chakra inside Hanma's body was unexpectedly sparse!

Hanma truly was a special case; under the effect of his passive abilities, his chakra was basically used in a continuous, endless stream to strengthen his own body and mind.

Tenzo let out a cold laugh inwardly. No matter how astonishing the aura, a ninja's battle ultimately had to be decided by chakra.

Just as Tenzo intended to close in for a sudden assault to quickly end the match, he abruptly realized that Hanma had vanished.

As a member of the Hyuga clan's Main Family who possessed a blind-spot-free field of vision, Tenzo was the very first to spot Hanma appearing behind him.

So fast! Taken aback, Tenzo stood with his back to Hanma, still unaware of what he was about to face.

Hanma's speed was simply the ultimate speed, a product of pure physical conditioning.

Squatting slightly, his lumbar vertebrae cracked like firecrackers, and the muscles in his arms violently compressed and converged as he launched a straight punch toward Tenzo.

True to his reputation as a veteran Jonin, Tenzo reacted without fear, his hands coated with Gentle Fist chakra as he met Hanma's fist head-on.

A deafening sonic boom rang through the sky, and the collision of chakra kicked up waves of dust.

Seventy meters away, Tenzo's forehead was already covered in beads of sweat drawn out by the pain.

Years of slaughter and combat experience told him his right arm was fractured, likely a terrible, completely shattered break.

This force was simply too tyrannical. Such overpowering strength made it difficult even for Hyuga Tenzo, who excelled at overcoming the rigid with the flexible, to hold his ground.

When combat became this simple—just rushing over and landing a ferocious punch that you couldn't block—it left one utterly speechless.

Hanma stopped with a graceful demeanor. After all, this was a match between fellow villagers, and it shouldn't result in death.

"Will you continue, Tenzo?"

"Come."

Hyuga Tenzo felt a deep sense of unwillingness in his heart. He hadn't yet displayed the subtleties of the Gentle Fist technique; as long as he could land a single blow, he had the confidence to win.

Hanma didn't speak further. In this first match, pulling out some truly earth-shattering hardware would be extremely beneficial for establishing his prestige.

His predatory intent gradually gathered, condensing around his body to form a suit of blood-red armor that flickered with an eerie red glow.

The blood armor emanated a heavy scent of fresh blood that even the Jonin on the high platform could smell.

Frankly speaking, this look had absolutely nothing to do with becoming the Hokage; what kind of evil overlord villain was this?

When the villagers saw this, they would immediately go home and tell their children to stop crying, warning them that if they kept crying, Uchiha Hanma would come and eat them.

The blood armor was Hanma's advanced application of his predatory intent—a composite innate ninjutsu woven from killing intent, chakra, and predatory intent.

It could drastically enhance Hanma's strength and sensory perception. The moment it made contact with an enemy, it would bleed out blood qi, pouncing onto the target to devour their chakra and feed it back to the host.

A flash of red light, and a flying knee shot toward Tenzo's face.

Proving himself a veteran Jonin, Tenzo erupted with full-body chakra. Thick blue-and-white Gentle Fist chakra wrapped tightly around his arms, and he managed to block the blow, though he was still sent flying backward.

Pain, absolutely excruciating. This kind of barbaric fighting style that completely suppresses the opponent with sheer strength and speed is truly shameless.

Flying through the air, Tenzo found bitter amusement in his predicament, recalling how it felt to spar with his son Hiashi at home. He had just been treated like a little kid.

Before Tenzo could make his next move, the heavy, blood-red shadow had closed in, and a massive fist was bearing down on his temple!

A downward hammer fist smashed into the ground beside Tenzo's ear, the earth emitting a miserable groan as the entire training ground directly cracked apart.

The dust kicked up by the punch filled the air, and only a trace of eerie red light could be seen casting a faint glow, exuding a bizarre and terrifying atmosphere.

Inside the giant crater, Tenzo lay on the ground in a cold sweat, the deafening roar of the earlier impact echoing repeatedly in his ears.

The intense stress pushed his adrenaline to the peak. The feeling of physical powerlessness combined with his crystal-clear mind gave Tenzo his first taste of absolute suppression.

Ever since he became a Jonin, how long had it been since he was in such a sorry state? If that strike had landed on his head...

"I surrender."

Taking a heavy breath, Tenzo stumbled to his feet, looking at Hanma with a complex expression.

Was this really an Uchiha? What on earth did this combat style have to do with the Uchiha?

Tenzo stared fixedly into Hanma's eyes. Although Hanma's entire body was wreathed in terrifying blood qi, his eyes alone were a clear, bright black.

Sigh. To fight an Uchiha, and the opponent didn't even open his Sharingan—what kind of nonsense is this?

Hanma offered a hearty laugh. "A pleasant battle. Let's make the ninja hand seal."

Tenzo wore an awkward expression. "Ah... both of my arms seem to be broken."

Hanma grabbed Tenzo's hands and forcefully completed the mandatory closing ritual of a friendly spar.

To tell the truth, under Konoha's current atmosphere, keeping up appearances and preventing moral blackmail was still quite necessary.

The Third Hokage quietly gazed at Tenzo, who was unable to get up, and then at that figure resembling a demon god. He sighed softly. That stubborn little kid from back then has already grown to this extent?

"The winner is Uchiha Hanma!"

The Third Hokage announced in a loud voice.