Before everyone's eyes, Qi Gaoxing, a Jonin, was blown to pieces on the hillside, utterly crushing the Rain Ninjas' morale. Unable to hold on any longer, they began fleeing in all directions.
Heh. They would have been harder to deal with if they had not run. Running was simply seeking death.
With two Jonin killed and only seventy-odd of more than two hundred Rain Ninjas escaping, they had lost over half their force.
Even Hanzo of the Salamander, who had always remained as immovable as a mountain, could no longer sit still. Even after lowering its standards, Amegakure only had a little over forty Jonin in total.
Furious that his own mistake had led to such severe losses, Hanzo personally led a force to hunt down Aburame Tetsumaru.
This was unlike his encounter with the Raikage in the Land of Bears. That time, Tetsumaru had fled from the very beginning, leaving only a Shadow Clone behind to test the waters. This time, he was being hunted by the strongest Kage-level ninja alive. With a wave of Hanzo's hand, thousands of insects were poisoned to death. Hanzo's potent poison was said to come from transplanted salamander venom glands, yet it was clearly even deadlier than a salamander's venom.
Moreover, Hanzo's Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, speed, and experience were flawless. Several exchanges had nearly reached Tetsumaru's true body. Aburame Tetsumaru truly experienced the might of a Kage, as well as the thrill of standing on the brink of death.
Hanzo personally slaughtered countless insects, yet failed to catch the ninja who controlled them. He had never been able to see that elusive ninja—only insects filling the skies, along with endless Shadow Clones and Insect Clones.
Hanzo of the Salamander could not help wondering whether he was pursuing one person or an entire group.