Hanzo of the Salamander

Hanzo of the Salamander understood all too well why the three great nations kept clashing and dragging their battlefields into the Land of Rain for no reason, but...

Why?!?!

Why should Amegakure have to suffer oppression?! As its leader, he had to fight back.

So he had started this war.

Across the Land of Rain, many people followed Hanzo with fervor, willing to give everything for him. But just as many couldn't understand his actions. After all, Hanzo hadn't declared war on some nobody, but on three of the Five Great Nations. They couldn't comprehend such a mad act.

But to Hanzo, if the Land of Rain didn't find a new way forward, it would only die a slow death. Food and goods in the country grew more expensive every year, until many commoners could no longer afford them.

Because the great nations always dragged their conflicts into the Land of Rain, the country had been cut off from any chance of economic ties with the outside world. And with its endless rainy weather, the Land of Rain couldn't possibly provide for itself.

As time passed, Hanzo couldn't even calculate how many people in the Land of Rain had starved to death, or how many had lost their lives simply by getting caught in the conflicts between the three nations.

The sorrow of a small nation... it was too deep.

Though Hanzo of the Salamander was hailed as a legend in his own right, a man at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World, that still wasn't enough.

He couldn't influence the entire Shinobi World by himself. He wasn't Hashirama Senju, nor was he Madara Uchiha. He couldn't command the Five Great Nations to heel as they had.

So he could only start a war! Only through war could he bring Amegakure a new way forward and make it stand before those great nations!

To save this country, he, Hanzo, had to do this!

"Oboro."

"Lord Hanzo!"

Hanzo had stood quietly, gazing at Amegakure for a long while. Now he spoke softly, and a figure appeared in the rain, kneeling silently behind him.

"As expected, Sunagakure's forces have already advanced through three checkpoints. Follow the plan. It's time to show that old woman Chiyo what real poison is."

Hanzo of the Salamander spoke coldly, killing intent in his eyes.

"Yes!"

"Also, have Muka keep an eye on Konoha. If anything happens, notify me at once. The ninja who came from Konoha isn't someone to take lightly.

"Konoha's battle against Sunagakure went far too smoothly. Before, Konoha had been fighting on two fronts and wanted to conserve its strength, so it hadn't engaged us directly. Now that those useless Sunagakure shinobi have lost, Konoha may turn against Amegakure.

"No, not may—certainly. I can tell that Konoha's commander in the Land of Rain isn't the sort to keep to himself. How did Hiruzen Sarutobi manage to raise such a cold-blooded student?"

Hanzo of the Salamander spoke in a low, wary voice. He knew perfectly well that the snake-like ninja wouldn't stay put and behave.

"Yes!"

Time passed.

In a forest near the border of the Land of Fire,

a squad of Sunagakure ninja hurried through the woods, moving deeper into the Land of Fire.

"Let's go over the mission again. According to Elder Ebizo, Konoha wants to drag us into a long war of attrition. Our mission is to infiltrate the Land of Fire quickly and destroy Konoha's supply routes.

"If necessary, you should all know what to do for the sake of the village. Sunagakure needs us now. We must complete this mission!"

The Sunagakure jōnin leading the squad spoke quietly to his companions, using the forest for cover. To keep them focused, he gave a speech like this every so often.

"Understood."

The Sunagakure ninja nodded. Their eyes were full of hatred for Konoha. They had all lost too much in this war, and that was why they had come here.

Every one of them had been handpicked by Ebizo: they hated Konoha deeply and excelled at infiltration. They were a suicide squad.

They all understood the danger of a mission this deep behind enemy lines. With the country under strict wartime lockdown, they were almost certain to die.

After hearing his companions' replies, the jōnin leading the squad nodded slightly. Suddenly, he raised a hand for silence, then looked sharply overhead.

A black-haired, spiky-haired boy was watching them coldly from above.

"A Konoha ninja?! Prepare to fight! Wait! That clan crest... and that ornate sword—you're the Thunder Disaster of Konoha, Uchiha Gen! Everyone, watch out! He's an Uchiha ninja. Whatever you do, don't look into his eyes!"

The moment the squad leader saw Uchiha Gen, killing intent flashed in his eyes. He had just begun forming hand seals when a name, widely known among the Sunagakure ninja, suddenly came to mind.

The Uchiha prodigy who had controlled the thunder and killed Lord Rasa.

As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying aura burst from Uchiha Gen and pressed down on them.

From the Sunagakure ninja's perspective, black lightning surrounded Uchiha Gen. He stood there calmly, yet seemed to control the entire world as it drove them away.

"You..."

The mental pressure made the Sunagakure ninja's eyes widen. The next moment, the phantom image of a Three-Tomoe Sharingan bloomed in his eyes.

[Defeated B-Rank target, obtained 1 draw from the B-Rank Card Pool]

[Defeated D-Rank target, obtained 6 draws from the D-Rank Card Pool]

"Pathetic weaklings. They're already under the Sharingan's control. The rest is up to you."

Having taken control of all the Sunagakure ninja in an instant, Uchiha Gen spoke calmly.

Several masked ninja appeared from the bushes behind him. With practiced ease, they bound all the Sunagakure ninja under Uchiha Gen's control and carried them away.

Uchiha Gen flashed away from the spot.

When he appeared again, he was already inside his tent at the Konoha camp.

As soon as he appeared, a familiar voice spoke from nearby.

"Finished the mission already? The Flying Thunder God Technique really is convenient. Come on, come on! I've made some progress on the thing you asked me to study."

Uchiha Gen followed the voice. Tsunade stood in front of Charizard, several Katsuyu crawling over its body. Gardevoir and Gengar stood beside them, watching Charizard's miserable expression with eager anticipation.