Salamander Hanzo

Ōnoki barely had time to think before he cut off his Dust Release charge. In midair, he forced his body into an almost impossible sideways twist, narrowly dodging the massive black staff as it skimmed past his cheek.

The black staff shot into the clouds high above, then quickly shrank and vanished, leaving only a trail of churned-up clouds behind.

"Damn it... My back..."

Grimacing as he rubbed his lower back, Ōnoki stared fixedly at the figure slowly emerging from the shadows below.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen..."

On the ground, Sarutobi Hiruzen wore black armor and gripped the unmistakable Adamantine Ruyi Staff. Though he was short, an imposing presence radiated from him.

Just standing there was enough to give the troops a huge boost in morale.

"It's Lord Hokage!"

"Lord Hokage has arrived in person! Now we can fight back!"

"You're finished!"

A thunderous cheer erupted from the Konoha ranks.

The exhausted ninja seemed to have been injected with fresh energy. They straightened their backs, their spirits soaring.

Floating in the air, Ōnoki looked down at the jubilant Konoha Ninja, then at his own Iwagakure Ninja, whose morale had already sunk to rock bottom.

Fatigue and unease showed on the young Iwagakure Ninja's faces. Some had even begun edging toward the rear.

"..."

Ōnoki fell silent for a moment. The muscles in his face twitched a few times, but in the end, he reluctantly raised his right hand and signaled a retreat.

"Fall back."

"Father... we..."

Kitsuchi was nearly exhausted to the point of collapse, and could barely stand with two Iwagakure Ninja supporting him.

He looked at Ōnoki, who was slowly descending from the sky and arranging the battlefield withdrawal, and hesitated before speaking.

"At work, you address me by my title!"

Ōnoki's whiskers bristled as he glared at his eldest son, displeased.

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage."

Kitsuchi immediately corrected himself, his manner respectful.

"Good..."

Ōnoki nodded in satisfaction, stroked his beard, rose into the air, and flew toward the command tent.

Back in Iwagakure's temporary command post, everyone felt somewhat dejected that they hadn't managed to take Konoha in one decisive strike.

But a small-scale victory didn't mean much.

Battle reports could lie, but the front line couldn't.

"Lord Tsuchikage."

"Lord Tsuchikage."

The moment Ōnoki floated into the tent, everyone stood of their own accord and bowed slightly, their voices filled with genuine respect.

Seeing this, Ōnoki contentedly stroked his beard.

"Good... sit down. There's no need to stand."

He floated over to the seat at the head of the table. His gaze swept across those present, and the corners of his mouth slowly lifted into a knowing smile.

"Our next objective is to keep advancing the front and take Konoha step by step."

"So what if the Third Hokage has arrived?"

"He still won't be able to stop Iwagakure's advance..."

Ōnoki suddenly chuckled, his laughter brimming with confidence.

The Iwagakure higher-ups exchanged puzzled looks, unsure why the Tsuchikage had suddenly started laughing.

But someone began to join in, and soon the whole tent was filled with laughter.

"Will I finally lead Iwagakure to victory over Konoha..."

"Konoha probably still doesn't know they have a mole..."

Ōnoki stroked his beard, a glint flashing in his cloudy old eyes.

Ever since Kannabi Bridge had been destroyed by Namikaze Minato and his team, he had no intention of continuing the war with Konoha.

The order to withdraw had already been drafted. He was just waiting for the right moment to announce it.

Then, one day, a scroll of unknown origin appeared on the desk in the command post.

It contained details of Konoha's recent supply routes, down to the troop movements of every company, as well as a wealth of mission intelligence.

Every detail was clear and precise—so thorough it was chilling.

At first, Ōnoki had assumed it was a trap set by Konoha.

Such an obvious leak meant either the enemy was utterly foolish or the information was bait meant to lure them into a trap.

But, unexpectedly, every one of their probing ambushes had been a resounding success.

Konoha's supply teams had walked straight into their traps, completely unaware, and the strength of their escorting ninja had matched the intelligence reports exactly.

The latest report had even accurately predicted the Third Hokage's departure date and route.

He just hadn't expected the Hokage to arrive so soon...

"But these are just minor setbacks..."

"Konoha's roots have already rotted away."

Ōnoki gazed out at the dreary gray sky, ambition's vines growing wildly in his heart.

"Iwagakure will once again become great under my leadership."

"And Konoha can slowly crumble from within."

The moon hung high in the sky.

Konoha, Hyuga Clan Compound.

Silvery moonlight streamed down, bathing the quiet courtyard in a cool glow.

Hyuga Qinglan sat cross-legged beneath the veranda, holding a small transparent container.

Inside, a pair of pale blue Byakugan floated quietly in a special nutrient solution. The patterns around the pupils were fainter than those of ordinary Byakugan, as though they had been cleansed by something.

Their color had changed from pure white to pale blue. Like two polished glass beads, they had an unreal beauty.

"If only I could replace Qing's eyes with my own..."

Hyuga Qinglan murmured, gently stroking the surface of the container.

"But a puppet is still a puppet."

"If I want to bring the puppet back to life..."

Hyuga Qinglan set the container down. Moonlight glimmered in his pale eyes, deep as two bottomless ancient wells.

His thoughts drifted to a forbidden jutsu developed by Chiyo of Sunagakure.

One's Own Life Reincarnation.

It was a forbidden jutsu Chiyo had created to revive the parents of Sasori of the Red Sand.

It allowed the user to transfer their life force directly into a puppet or lifeless object, granting "life" to something without a soul.

The price was the caster's own life.

"I wonder if Chiyo has finished developing this jutsu yet..."

Hyuga Qinglan pondered, his gaze shifting to the shadows beneath a tree a short distance beyond the courtyard.

There, an Anbu member wearing a Monkey Mask silently dropped to the ground.

The next moment.

"Lord Qinglan."

Hyuga Mukai appeared beneath the veranda with the Body Flicker Technique and knelt on one knee, his voice low.

"Lord Danzo has assigned you a mission."

"Once you've recovered from your injuries, you're to accompany Aburame Ryoma to Amegakure and demand that Salamander Hanzo send troops at once."

"Mission objective: have Amegakure attack Iwagakure from the rear and turn the tide of the battlefield."

"He said this is your first mission to obtain ninjutsu resources. If you fail... Lord Danzo will give up on you."

"If you succeed... Lord Danzo will provide you with more training resources so you can better fulfill your potential."

Salamander Hanzo?

Hyuga Qinglan narrowed his eyes slightly. Moonlight fell across his pale profile, leaving it half-lit and half-shadowed.

He might make a decent puppet too...