The Demigod's Decline

"Old friend! It's time to go! We might both die this time."

Hanzo stroked Ibuse affectionately as he spoke, a trace of age creeping into his voice. Ibuse answered with a series of squeaks.

"Move!"

Hanzo roared and charged forward, sickle in hand. Ibuse burrowed underground, preparing to attack from below.

Qinglong gently raised both hands.

Suddenly, several Ki Blasts shot from his palms, trailing flames as they flew toward Hanzo!

"What?!"

Everyone present was stunned once again.

"What kind of attack is that?!"

They had never seen these flaming beams of light before. It was a fighting style unlike anything they had ever witnessed or heard of!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Several beams crashed down on Hanzo, immediately setting off a string of explosions. Their force was even greater than that of Explosive Tags, and their flashes far more blinding.

When the explosions cleared, Hanzo was already lying on the ground, his sickle scattered beside him. Salamander Hanzo could fight no more!

Qinglong strode forward. When he reached a certain spot, he leapt high into the air and aimed one hand at the ground.

"Boom!"

An Energy Wave burst from his palm, blazing with dazzling light as it slammed into the earth.

Everyone present stared in shock at the beam. It was even more ferocious than the Ki Blasts Qinglong had fired earlier, and it blasted straight into the ground.

In an instant, the beam vanished. A deep crater had appeared in the earth, with a giant salamander lying at its bottom, its body giving off the faint smell of charred flesh. Salamander Ibuse could fight no more!

"Tap, tap, tap."

Qinglong walked over to Hanzo. The old man gazed up at the young man weakly, as if he were looking at some kind of monster.

"You lost!"

Qinglong's voice was calm. Perhaps he had no idea that those words marked the end of an era, and the fall of a powerful man.

Salamander Hanzo struggled, then finally lay back down in resignation. Though he had been hailed as a "demigod," old age and failing strength had inevitably weakened him, and he had lost his will.

"Hanzo, you're old. You've become so calculating that you've lost the resolve you once had. It's a shame I couldn't fight you at your peak and witness the might of the 'demigod.'"

"Then kill me!"

Hanzo spoke furiously. His heart was filled with unbearable pain. Being cast down from his position as a "demigod" was no different to him than being killed.

"Since ancient times, great generals have been like beauties: neither is allowed to grow old before the world's eyes. What a pity. What a shame!"

Qinglong sighed, his voice cool and detached.

"I won't kill you. We have no grudge against each other, after all. But don't worry—someone else will kill you."

"What?!"

Hanzo, who had just been lost in the comparison between great generals and beauties, stared in shock. He was afraid. This old man was afraid of dying! And he had once been called the man who had reached the pinnacle.

"Since ancient times, great generals have been like beauties: neither is allowed to grow old before the world's eyes?"

"What a beautiful poem!"

Tsunade sighed. Hanzo really had grown old. He was no longer as powerful or spirited as he had been when he fought the Sannin. Tsunade raised a hand and felt her own face. Thank goodness—she still looked as young as ever.

But that poem from her student Qinglong was just too unsettling!

Qinglong looked at the aged "demigod." Hanzo was finished. He no longer resembled the "demigod" he had once been; he had lost sight of his original purpose. His scheming had cost him the resolve he once possessed, just like the Third Hokage of Konoha.

They were both old and decrepit, waiting for the curtain to fall!

......

After their battle with Salamander Hanzo, Qinglong and his companions left the town. They chose to take a detour through the Land of Grass on their way back to Konoha, leaving the perpetually rainy, damp country early.

The Land of Grass was lush with greenery, its trees thick and plentiful. The long-missed sunshine was warm, bright, and refreshing.

Qinglong couldn't understand why the Land of Rain didn't invade such a small country, choosing instead to go toe-to-toe with the Five Great Shinobi Villages, only to lose.

After going so long without sunshine, the group walked through the reasonably scenic country on foot. The warm sunlight shone down on them, and all three people and the pig felt wonderful.

"Ah, Teacher Tsunade, would you like to take on another girl as a student?"

"Hm?"

Tsunade looked at Qinglong in confusion. What? Did he want her to take on another girl as a student?

"Why do you ask?"

"I know a girl from the Uzumaki Clan. Well, she's from the same clan as your grandmother."

"What?"

Tsunade stopped and looked at her student. The Uzumaki Clan had been all but wiped out. Her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito, and her friend Kushina had both been women of the Uzumaki Clan. Even Tsunade herself had a little Uzumaki blood.

Because of their unique constitution, every member of the Uzumaki Clan was incredibly valuable. When the other villages came across members of the Uzumaki Clan, they would kidnap them; if they couldn't capture them, they would kill them.

"I think you'd be willing to take her on! So be ready. I might bring her here at any time."

Tsunade furrowed her brow and thought for a moment.

"The girl you're talking about is in the Land of Grass, isn't she?"

"Teacher Tsunade, you really are perceptive!"

Qinglong smiled and praised her.

"I already knew someone like that was there. If I hadn't met her, I would've let it go. But now that I have, I don't think I can just leave her alone!"

"Then do what you think is right!"

Tsunade turned and continued down the road. Since Qinglong felt he couldn't just leave her alone, she could only let him handle it.