Hanzo Attacks

"Hanzo is yours, all four of you. This time, Konoha will win!"

"We will!"

Seeing this, Nara Rurin immediately cut in again, breaking the strange atmosphere. After shouting the slogan, he looked at the four of them and felt inexplicably exhausted.

"Being the strategist is such a pain. Every day, it's like looking after kids. Shikaku, don't you want to grow up soon? Pops really wants to retire."

"Hanzo of the Salamander isn't an ordinary Kage Level ninja. If— and I mean if—his strength exceeds our expectations and we can't defeat him,

you must use the Flying Thunder God Technique and get out immediately. With your talent, once you've grown stronger, Hanzo and whoever else will be no big deal. But first, you have to stay alive."

After the meeting, in Uchiha Gen's tent, Tsunade looked at him seriously and spoke.

"I'm not an idiot like Nawaki."

Uchiha Gen rolled his eyes at Tsunade's serious expression.

"But you're stubborn, and you're an Uchiha."

Tsunade reached out and gripped Uchiha Gen's shoulders, staring intently into his eyes as she spoke in a low voice. As she looked into them, she couldn't help remembering Mito Uzumaki's warning.

"Little Tsunade, your great-grandfather once told me that an Uchiha's eyes can speak. When you're with Gen, don't pay attention to what he says. Look at his eyes instead. Those Uchihas... they're all stubborn."

"...I won't die. In fact, it's pretty hard to kill me now."

Looking at Tsunade's serious expression, Uchiha Gen fell silent for a moment before speaking softly.

"Hmph. You'd better be right. Gen, if... I happen to die in the war in a few days, remember to avenge me once you've become a powerful ninja. And whatever you do, don't let my death affect you. You're not much of a talker, and you're always rolling your eyes at me. You even love going against me, but I still think you're a pretty good Uchiha."

Tsunade gave a soft snort, then grinned and slung an arm around Uchiha Gen's shoulders.

Though she said it with a smile, to Uchiha Gen, it sounded an awful lot like she was tempting fate before a battle.

"You won't die."

Uchiha Gen's quiet voice sounded beside Tsunade's ear. His tone was soft, but his conviction was undeniable.

"You can't see the future. It's war—people die. Ugh, I'm so sick of this world. Without war, I'd still be cleaning up at the casino right now."

"You'd only gamble yourself into bankruptcy."

"Cut the crap! Do you know who taught me how to gamble? The man hailed as the God of Shinobi, that's who. Kid, you don't understand."

"That doesn't change the fact you'd gamble yourself into bankruptcy."

"Agh! Shut your mouth and take that back! That's such bad luck. Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! I'm definitely going to clean up. Just you wait."

"Unlikely."

"Kid, you're pretty cocky, aren't you? How about we have a bet when we get back to Konoha? If you win, I'll beat Nawaki up."

"Not interested."

In a tent at the Medical Department camp, where all the medical ninja were withdrawing in orderly fashion, the two of them chatted on and on.

The day after Konoha's rear guard withdrew.

The weather in the Land of Rain was the same as ever, with a steady drizzle falling.

Uchiha Gen stood atop a tent and reached out to catch the raindrops falling from the sky. Beneath his clothes, the hairs on his body stood on end, warning him that danger was approaching.

"They're here."

Lowering his hand, he watched the rain trickle between his fingers, then turned to look beyond Konoha's camp. An eerie red glow flashed in his eyes.

Outside Konoha's camp, Hanzo of the Salamander stood on a tree branch, staring at the camp ahead, his thoughts unreadable.

Behind him, all of Amegakure's elite wore gas masks. They stared fervently at Hanzo's back.

"Kill."

At last, the cold killing intent in Hanzo of the Salamander's eyes took over. He gave no lengthy speech before battle, only uttering a single, icy command.

At Hanzo of the Salamander's order, Amegakure's final assault began.

"Ibuse, I'm counting on you. Crying..."

Watching the Amegakure ninja charge, Hanzo of the Salamander formed Hand Seals. A burst of white smoke erupted, and a gigantic salamander was summoned.

"Ibuse, fill the entire battlefield with poison gas!"

The moment the summoning was complete, Hanzo of the Salamander gave the order.

"Ying!"

With a cry like a baby's wail, the giant salamander opened its mouth wide. Murky poison gas poured out like a tidal wave and spread toward Konoha's camp.

"Everyone, take your Antidote Pills immediately! Katsuyu, we're counting on you!"

"Leave it to me."

With the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, it was difficult to launch a successful surprise attack on Konoha's camp. The instant Hanzo of the Salamander appeared outside it, the entire camp sprang into action.

At the front of the crowd, Tsunade, clad in gray armor, calmly directed the Konoha Ninja to take the Antidote Pills she and Uchiha Gen had prepared in advance.

At the same time, pinpricks of green light appeared on the countless Katsuyu slugs that had been summoned long ago and divided among the Konoha Ninja.

Even so, Hanzo of the Salamander's poison gas instantly took down most of the Konoha Ninja with poor resistance to poison.

"To survive my poison is impressive."

Amid the poison gas, Hanzo of the Salamander stood atop the giant salamander, gazing coldly at the Konoha camp below, which had become a battlefield.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

"Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!"

The instant Hanzo of the Salamander appeared, two attacks from opposite directions struck at him. Their attackers were Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

But Hanzo of the Salamander simply raised his hand and casually swung his sickle. The approaching snakes and fireball were cleaved apart.

"Strength of a Hundred!"

Taking advantage of her comrades' attacks, Tsunade slammed her fist into the giant salamander. A muffled boom rang out, but the creature showed no reaction at all.

"Damn it, it's got way too much fat! Gen!"

Realizing her attack hadn't even pierced its defenses, Tsunade immediately turned aside, making room for Uchiha Gen behind her to attack.

Crack!

The crackle of thunder rang sharply. Dancing lightning flashed in Uchiha Gen's hand, and the noisy chorus of Chidori cries sounded through the rain.