A Strange Mission

Hanzo was very calm. Or rather, at his age, he was past the point of competing for pride and acting without thinking. He had been famous for many years, and had fought countless battles, winning some and losing others. There was no way he would lose his reason over a single defeat.

The anger he showed now was really just an act for Uchiha Chen's benefit. Chen was a man who had appeared out of nowhere, and his strength was astonishing—he was even more formidable than the Legendary Sannin had been in their day.

Hanzo of the Salamander discreetly surveyed the surrounding terrain, considering his escape route.

Charging straight out was clearly out of the question. He might be old, but he wasn't senile enough to try something like that.

At this point, his only option was to use a diversion. Hanzo gritted his teeth and reluctantly made his decision.

The reason they had chosen this valley for the negotiations was that it was surrounded by mountains, with only one way out. If they tried to leave through any other part of the valley, they would inevitably become sitting ducks for the enemy.

As long as they blocked the exit, Hanzo and his men could trap their opponents. He had never expected the negotiations to succeed. With that in mind, they had chosen this valley—a place that gave them a considerable advantage.

But Hanzo had guessed the beginning and not the end. He had never imagined that the valley he had chosen to block his two opponents' escape would become a dead end, cutting off his own path to survival.

There was nothing funny about that at all. He shook his head and looked down at the Salamander beneath his feet with regret, a trace of nostalgia flickering in his