"The Three Legendary Sannin" (Part 2)

"Sorry, because of me..." Tsunade looked at Jiraiya's weakened state, her heart filled with guilt.

"What are you talking about? Burns like this barely count as injuries." Jiraiya endured his discomfort and tried to comfort Tsunade.

"Even our combined ninjutsu had no effect." Orochimaru retreated to Jiraiya and Tsunade's side, his brows tightly furrowed.

"Is this the end?" Jiraiya stared at Hanzo through gritted teeth.

Hanzo looked down at the three of them as they panted for breath.

"It seems Konoha will win this war. I'll spare your lives."

Hanzo glanced over his fallen subordinates. He knew full well that Amegakure had already lost this war. It could not be helped—Amegakure was still far too weak compared to the Five Great Nations. Even if he could keep Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade here, it would not change the outcome.

What was more, he knew clearly that these three were disciples of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha. If he forcibly kept them here, Konoha and Amegakure would likely fight to the death.

Supported by Tsunade, Jiraiya shouted unwillingly, "We don't need your pity! We can keep fighting!"

"Jiraiya, don't."

As she looked at Hanzo towering over them, Tsunade's heart stung as though pierced by needles, but she remained rational. She knew their current physical condition all too well and hurriedly stopped the indignant Jiraiya.

"You three are formidable. To have survived even such circumstances, from this day on, I, Hanzo, shall call you the Konoha Sannin. Take this title, earned at the cost of your lives, as your own."

Standing atop Ibuse's head, Hanzo looked coldly at the three of them as he spoke.

Cold rain poured over the three of them, yet the humiliation Hanzo had inflicted could not be washed away. To them, the title Konoha Sannin was a disgrace, not an honor. It gave them no sense of pride.

A trace of reluctance flashed in Hanzo's eyes. Ibuse turned in perfect understanding and carried Hanzo away from the battlefield. He did not linger for even another second, not even for the subordinates lying there with their fate unknown.

"Hah!"

Seeing Hanzo finally leave, the utterly exhausted Jiraiya could no longer hold on and dropped heavily to the ground. Orochimaru and Tsunade also heaved deep sighs of relief. Though they still had the strength to fight, they truly had no confidence in defeating the unfathomable Hanzo.

After resting for a while, they recovered a little of their strength. They then began clearing the battlefield, while Tsunade took charge of treating the wounded.

Hokage's Office.

Yūske sat on the sofa, reading the report. So the path to becoming one of the Three Legendary Sannin had been that dangerous. No wonder Hanzo had called it a title earned at the cost of their lives.

Hanzo must have truly intended to kill them then. He had only feared Hiruzen Sarutobi behind Tsunade and the others—or rather, he had feared Konoha. He was afraid of bringing a devastating blow upon Amegakure; perhaps Amegakure might even have been destroyed because of it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe and looked at Yūske with smiling eyes. Of his four disciples, three had already made names for themselves in the shinobi world.

Though the Konoha Sannin title did not sound particularly glorious, how many people could have lasted so long against Hanzo? And Hanzo had not held back in the slightest. As their teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help but feel proud of his disciples.

After finishing the report, Yūske returned the scroll to Hiruzen Sarutobi. Once he took it, Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed that Yūske had been staring at him, as though he had something more to say.

After the two stared at each other for several seconds, Yūske finally forced out a few words.

"Teacher, I'm hungry. Can I go home to eat?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that he had never fallen so awkwardly in his life. He quickly got to his feet, looked at Yūske as though he could not live up to expectations, and silently sighed.

Then again, this kid had been thrown into the wilderness by him and brutally put through three months of training by Enma.

Fine, fine. Let him go home for a meal and get some proper rest first.

And so, Yūske bid Hiruzen Sarutobi farewell, left the Hokage Building, and headed home.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, meanwhile, fell into deep thought as he considered how to arrange Yūske's next training.

The Watanabe Family's Barbecue Restaurant.

"Dad, Mom, I'm home." Yūske pushed open the door. Being home felt so good.

Since it was not mealtime yet, the only sound in the restaurant was his father cutting meat in the kitchen.

"It's good that you're back." His father wiped his hands and came out of the kitchen. Without pausing, he walked to the entrance and hung up the temporarily closed sign.

Since Yūske had been dragged away by Enma three months ago without informing his parents, Hiruzen Sarutobi had sent someone to notify them that Yūske had gone on an emergency mission.

This was a Watanabe Family tradition: whenever their son returned from a mission lasting over a month, his parents would prepare a table full of delicious food for him on the first night.

"Hungry?" His father never asked what mission Yūske had gone on. He only cared whether his son was hungry.

"I haven't eaten anything today. I'm starving." Yūske said, rubbing his stomach.

Without another word, his father immediately set up the grill and brought out the meat he had just sliced.

Watanabe Meiko returned home and saw that the restaurant was closed, so she knew her son had come back. When she pushed open the door, she found the father and son already playing finger-guessing games and drinking.

"Cheers!"