Playing the Ghost and Pretending to be a God

"Konoha has suffered another crushing defeat..."

"Did the Yellow Flash use the Flying Thunder God to relocate the entire Konoha position?"

Salamander Hanzo sat upright in the main command tent built specifically for him, clutching the intelligence report just sent back by the Anbu, his expression exceptionally grave.

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Just half a day ago, they were still rushing toward the front lines through the rain.

However, the Amegakure Anbu responsible for constant reconnaissance of the front lines had just sent back this report.

The positions were forced to be abandoned...

Such a thorough and complete defeat forced him to interrupt the entire march and set up camp at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass, just to re-evaluate this hard-won "alliance."

"Although Konoha is full of talent... their core strength is far inferior to Iwagakure."

"Besides, Sarutobi Hiruzen should have noticed the problems on the front lines, right?"

"What about his disciples? Where are Orochimaru and Tsunade?"

Various questions tangled in his mind, causing him to fall into deep thought.

Logically speaking, no matter how weak Konoha was, they shouldn't have been beaten so miserably by that old man Ōnoki.

Furthermore, on the front lines, one only ever saw Jiraiya and his disciple, the "Yellow Flash" Namikaze Minato, displaying their might, while the other two he personally dubbed the "Konoha Sannin" remained silent and invisible.

"Could it be that they have had a falling out with the Hokage?"

Salamander Hanzo stood up, pacing back and forth in the tent with his hands behind his back.

"Then should my Amegakure... really wade into these muddy waters? Should I help an ally that might collapse from within?"

At this moment, under the constant washing of the rain, Hanzo looked like an old man in his twilight years, full of hesitation and anxiety.

And just as he was lost in his wild thoughts, an ethereal yet emotionless voice suddenly rang out from the other side of the tent.

"So this is the 'poisonous weapon'—reduced to such a timid and indecisive state?"

"Who?!"

Salamander Hanzo turned his head sharply to look behind him, where a pitch-black figure stood quietly.

"Who are you? How did you get in?"

Salamander Hanzo subconsciously reached for the scythe at his side, his gaze fixed gloomily on the black shadow.

Even though he had arranged for his subordinates to guard the perimeter at a distance, it shouldn't have been this easy for an enemy to infiltrate his camp.

"Me?"

The black shadow tilted its head slightly, its tone carrying a hint of desolation.

"Just a ghost forgotten by the ninja world..."

"My purpose in coming here was simply to see with my own eyes how much of the backbone remains in the man who once stirred up the ninja world single-handedly, Salamander Hanzo..."

"I just didn't expect that you, now, would be acting like an old dog..."

Swish—!!!

The moment the words "old dog" fell, the killing intent in Hanzo's eyes surged instantly.

A sharp slash closed the distance to the black shadow in an instant.

However, to his shock, the black shadow did not panic at all; it merely leaned slightly to the side, dodging the thunderous strike with ease.

"Hmm?"

Salamander Hanzo was horrified.

But as a veteran of countless battles, his movements did not stop for a second. The moment the slash missed, he flicked his wrist, and the chain at the end of the scythe lashed out like a viper toward the opponent's ankle.

At the same time, a cold glint flashed in Hanzo's eyes.

"Hoo hoo hoo!!!"

Purple poisonous mist surged from his mouth, instantly filling the entire tent.

The deadly poison contained within was the result of years of his own cultivation.

He had absolute confidence that even Tsunade, with her peak medical ninjutsu, or the poison master Chiyo, would never dare to take this head-on.

Just as the poisonous mist was about to touch the black shadow's skin, a bizarre whirlwind suddenly rose from beneath the figure's feet.

The Wind Release chakra was extremely restrained, not only instantly severing the chain but also blowing away the encroaching poisonous mist like a white wall.

And the mysterious person himself remained standing firmly in place, completely unaffected.

Seal-less Wind Release?!

Even my signature poison is useless?!

"You fellow..."

Hanzo was moved.

Poison was useless against him, and his own swordsmanship couldn't even touch him.

If he were to let go of all restraints now and summon Ibuse to coordinate with large-scale Water Style techniques, he might still have a chance to win.

But the fatal problem was that this was the very center of the Amegakure encampment!

Once Ibuse was summoned, the nearly one thousand Amegakure elites outside would be killed by their own poison gas in an instant!

Frustrating...

Unprecedentedly frustrating!

"Who exactly are you, and what is your purpose?"

Salamander Hanzo retracted his kusarigama, forcefully suppressing the humiliation and killing intent in his heart, and decided to take a step back to first figure out the other party's background and intentions.

"My name is Ao."

The chakra around Ao began to surge, the purple chakra light blurring the contours of his robes.

"My purpose for coming here is very simple."

"That red-haired brat in the Akatsuki organization under your command... is very interesting, possessing peerless power."

"I came here just to remind you... if you continue to stagnate, all your wishes will be destroyed once again."

"If you want to ask why I went out of my way to tell you this..."

As Ao said this, he keenly sensed the Anbu of Amegakure outside the tent, who had finally noticed the poison gas leak and were rushing over impatiently.

"Then consider it... a small test for a potential partner in advance."

"To see if you still have the qualifications to stand on this chessboard."

"Remember, observe that red-haired brat more closely; I will come to find you again..."

As his voice fell, the purple chakra gradually blurred his figure, and with a soft "pop," it was as if a thick fog had been completely torn apart by a gale.

A moment later, the tent was empty.

"..."

Seal-less Wind Style...

Ao...

Salamander Hanzo's eyes flickered constantly, as if he were contemplating something.

"Lord Hanzo!"

"What happened?"

"That chakra just now was..."

The Amegakure ninja arrived in a hurry wearing gas masks, the leaders scanning the interior of the tent nervously.

Hanzo's gaze swept over them one by one, finally resting on a member at the back of the crowd wearing the combat attire representing the Akatsuki organization of Amegakure.

The red-haired brat in the Akatsuki organization...

Peerless power...

What could it be?

"It is nothing."

He withdrew his gaze, his voice returning to its usual composure and majesty, as if the awkwardness from just a moment ago had never existed.

"I haven't stretched my limbs in a long time; my body was almost rusting. I was just testing a new ninjutsu to hone my skills. You may withdraw."

The group looked at each other, but dared not say more.

But immediately after, the morale of the crowd soared.

Because...

The age and hesitation that had previously clung to Salamander Hanzo were swept away in an instant.

"Pass on my order!"

"Break camp! The entire army will depart immediately, march at full speed, and provide support to Konoha!"

"I want to see if this ninja world can still contain me!"

"Yes!!!"