Hanzo's Assault

"Then I shall leave Hanzo to the four of you. This time, Konoha will surely triumph!"

"Triumph!"

Nara Rurin, standing to the side, immediately spoke up to break the bizarre atmosphere. After shouting the slogan, he looked at the four of them and inexplicably felt a sense of exhaustion.

Being a strategist is truly troublesome. It's like babysitting children every single day. Shikaku, don't you want to grow up faster? Your old man really wants to retire.

"Hanzo of the Salamander is no ordinary Kage-level ninja. If—and I mean if—Hanzo's strength exceeds our expectations and we cannot defeat him, you must immediately use the Flying Thunder God technique to escape. With your talent, as long as you grow, Hanzo or whoever else will be a trivial matter. But the prerequisite is that you must stay alive."

After the meeting concluded, inside Uchiha Gen's tent, Tsunade looked at him earnestly and spoke.

"I am not a fool like Nawaki."

Watching the serious-looking Tsunade, Uchiha Gen rolled his eyes.

"But you are a stubborn mule, and your surname is Uchiha."

Tsunade reached out, pressed her hands onto Uchiha Gen's shoulders, stared fixedly into his eyes, and spoke in a low voice. As she looked into his eyes, she couldn't help but recall the instructions Mito Uzumaki had given her.

"Little Tsunade, your grand-uncle once told me that the eyes of the Uchiha can speak. When you are with Gen, don't look at what he says, but look at his eyes. They, the Uchiha... are all stubborn mules."

"...I will not die. Besides, it is actually quite difficult for me to die now."

Looking at the earnest Tsunade, Uchiha Gen was silent for a moment before speaking softly.

"Hmph, it better be that way. Gen, if during the war in a few days... I unfortunately die, remember to avenge me after you become a powerful ninja. Also, absolutely do not let my death affect you in any way. Right now, although you don't talk much, always like to roll your eyes at me, and even love to go against me, I still think you are a pretty good Uchiha."

Tsunade gave a light huff, then smiled and pulled Uchiha Gen into a headlock, laughing as she spoke.

Although Tsunade said these words with a smile, Uchiha Gen felt that they sounded exactly like a pre-battle death flag.

"You will not die."

Uchiha Gen's calm voice rang softly in Tsunade's ear. His tone was light, yet carried an unquestionable firmness.

"You can't predict the future. War is war; how could there be no casualties? Tsk, I'm so sick of this world. If there were no war, I should be winning big at the gambling tables right now."

"You would only gamble yourself into bankruptcy."

"Stop spouting nonsense!! Do you know who taught me my gambling skills? That was the man hailed as the God of Shinobi, kid. You don't understand at all."

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

"Ahhh! Shut your mouth and take that back! It's so unlucky. Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! I will definitely win big, you just wait and see, kid."

"Unlikely."

"Kid, you're pretty arrogant, aren't you?! Dare to bet against me when we return to Konoha? If you win, I'll give Nawaki a beating."

"No interest."

In the Medical Department camp, where all the medical ninjas were retreating in an orderly fashion, the idle chatter of the two continued to echo inside a tent.

The day after the Konoha logistics retreat.

The weather in the Land of Rain was the same as always, with a constant, light drizzle.

Uchiha Gen stood on the roof of the tent, reaching out his hand to catch the raindrops falling from the sky. Beneath his clothes, the fine hairs on his skin stood on end, signaling the arrival of danger.

"They're here."

Lowering his hand, the rainwater slid through his fingers. Uchiha Gen turned his head to look outside the Konoha camp, a flash of eerie red light flickering in his eye sockets.

Outside the Konoha camp, Hanzo of the Salamander stood on a tree branch, his eyes fixed intently on the Konoha camp ahead, his thoughts unreadable.

Behind him, all the elites of Amegakure wore gas masks, their eyes filled with fanaticism as they stared at Hanzo's back.

"Kill."

In the end, the cold killing intent in Hanzo's eyes replaced everything else. There were no excessive pre-battle tactics; just a single, cold word of command.

Following Hanzo's order, the final offensive of Amegakure officially began.

"Ibuse, I'm counting on you!"

Watching the charging Rain ninjas, Hanzo raised his hands to weave seals. White smoke exploded, and a giant salamander was summoned.

"Ibuse, cover the entire battlefield in poisonous miasma!"

The moment the summoning was complete, Hanzo issued his command.

"Ying!"

With a roar like that of an infant, the giant salamander suddenly opened its massive mouth, and murky poison gas surged out like a tidal wave, spreading toward the Konoha camp.

"Everyone, take your Antidote Pill immediately! Lady Katsuyu, I'm counting on you!"

"Leave it to me."

With the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, it was difficult for the Konoha camp to be successfully ambushed. The moment Hanzo appeared outside the camp, the entire Konoha force had already sprung into action.

At the front of the crowd, Tsunade wore a suit of gray battle armor, methodically directing all the Konoha ninja to consume the Antidote Pills that she and Uchiha Gen had prepared in advance.

At the same time, countless Katsuyu, which had long since been summoned and split into the hands of every Konoha ninja, began to glow with faint green light.

Yet, even so, the poisonous mist of Hanzo of the Salamander instantly incapacitated the majority of the Konoha ninja, whose resistance to toxins was poor.

"To survive under my poison—interesting."

Amidst the poisonous fog, Hanzo of the Salamander stood atop his giant salamander, looking down at the Konoha camp that had completely transformed into a battlefield with a cold expression as he spoke in a frigid voice.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

"Fire Style: Great Flame Bomb!"

The moment Hanzo of the Salamander appeared, two attacks struck toward him from different directions; the ones who launched them were none other than Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

However, facing their combined assault, Hanzo of the Salamander merely raised his hand and lightly swung the sickle in his grip, cleaving through both the swarming snakes and the fireball.

"Strength of a Hundred!"

Taking advantage of the opening created by her companions' attacks, Tsunade slammed a fierce punch into the body of the giant salamander, but despite the dull, heavy boom, the giant creature did not react in the slightest.

"Damn it, this blubber is too thick! Gen!"

Seeing that her attack failed to break through its defenses, Tsunade immediately shifted her position, yielding the opportunity to attack to Uchiha Gen, who stood behind her.

Crackle!

The sound of thunder was ear-piercing as dancing bolts of lightning flickered in Uchiha Gen's hand, and the cacophonous chirping of a thousand birds rang out through the curtain of rain.