The First Incursio

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and hurled a kunai directly at the chain-linked hammer, aiming to pin it to the wall.

Hanzo the Salamander merely offered a disdainful smile and flicked the chain in his hand.

He wielded the chain like a whip, sending the hammer hurtling toward Tsunade at a treacherous angle.

The previous move had been a feint; this sneak attack was the true killing blow. If it landed, a severe injury would be the best-case scenario for Tsunade, and she would likely be rendered combat-ineffective on the spot.

No wonder that lecherous brat Yusuke said the three of us were no match for Hanzo. His combat experience is truly seasoned.

Tsunade gathered chakra in her hands and crossed them in front of her, bracing to take the hit head-on.

At the critical moment, a greatsword blocked the path in front of her.

With a metallic clang, the hammer and the greatsword collided, emitting a sharp hum.

Yusuke's hand trembled, and he nearly lost his grip on the blade.

"That old geezer has incredible strength!"

He didn't linger, tossing out a few kunai before grabbing Tsunade and retreating rapidly.

Hanzo did not pursue, for he saw that the kunai were rigged with burning explosive tags.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

He wove hand signs in a blur, and a stone wall erupted from the ground before him, followed immediately by a thunderous explosion.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Yusuke and Tsunade burst out of the Amegakure Building.

Outside, Yusuke's four teammates were already surrounded.

The ninjas outside were so confident in Hanzo the Salamander's strength that they hadn't bothered to set traps at the entrance, assuming Yusuke and Tsunade would be trapped inside.

They were all stunned to see the pair break through.

Tsunade had been stifled inside the Amegakure Building and was brimming with pent-up frustration.

She kicked the stone steps in front of her, sending a slab the size of a round table flying into the air.

Gathering chakra into her fist, she let out a shout and smashed it into the airborne stone.

She might as well have been screaming "Ora ora ora!"

The table-sized rock shattered into pieces, turning into a hail of shrapnel that blasted outward in every direction.

The Amegakure ninjas hit by the debris fell like wheat being harvested, while the faster jonin scrambled to use ninjutsu for defense.

Yusuke's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. "Terrifying strength. I've provoked her so many times—she wouldn't settle the score later and smash me to bits, would she?"

As the screams of the Amegakure ninjas echoed, the encirclement around the remaining four Konoha ninjas was instantly torn open.

"Water Style: Water Wave!"

"Water Style: Water Fang Bullet!"

"Lightning Style: Ground Flash!"

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Gun!"

The four of them shouted, weaving hand signs rapidly and catching the Amegakure ninjas off guard.

The six of them broke through the perimeter and dashed toward the village gate.

Hanzo pursued them, his expression darkening as he saw his fallen subordinates.

These were ninjas he had spent vast resources to cultivate, yet they had been wiped out so easily.

"Forgive me, Lord Hanzo, but that woman's strength is too terrifying," a jonin stepped forward to explain.

"Follow me!" Hanzo commanded in a low voice.

The six of them sprinted across the rooftops. Number Two was already wounded in several places, and he looked back with lingering fear at the sea of Amegakure ninjas closing in behind them.

"I'm truly sorry. If I had listened to you earlier and scouted more carefully, we might not have fallen into that trap."

He said to Yusuke, looking somewhat ashamed.

"Let's talk about that once we've escaped."

Yusuke's expression remained grim.

"You're right..."

Before Number Two could finish, a scythe swung from behind and bypassed his head.

The chain suddenly snapped taut, and Number Two's headless corpse tumbled through the air.

"You bastards! You've devastated Amegakure like this—how could I let you leave so easily?" Hanzo's roar echoed from behind.

Tsunade's eyes were bloodshot with rage, but as the captain, she knew this was no time to lose her head.

Having witnessed Hanzo's power, she knew they wouldn't have stood a chance of escaping the encirclement if not for Yusuke's prior planning.

"Split up!"

Tsunade shouted the order, though her own speed began to falter.

"Hey, you tiger-woman, what do you think you're doing?"

Noticing Tsunade slowing down, Yusuke asked urgently.

"I said, split up and run! Obey the order!"

Tsunade didn't bother explaining, shouting once more at the remaining four.

She had led this team out, and she had given the order to infiltrate the Amegakure Building; she was responsible for these people.

Watching the four run into the distance, Tsunade felt a sense of relief.

She rubbed her fists, causing them to crackle.

"Come on!"

Tsunade turned quickly and delivered a fierce kick backward at the roof beneath her feet, shattering the dome of the building into a gaping hole.

The debris flew toward Hanzo the Salamander, who was in hot pursuit.

"The same trick won't work on me twice."

Hanzo the Salamander formed hand seals: "Water Flicker Technique!"

The rubble passed straight through Hanzo's body, but his form suddenly turned into a puddle of water, and he vanished without a trace.

Tsunade narrowed her amber eyes, scanning her surroundings rapidly.

Just then, a scythe struck from her blind spot, a sense of crisis making the hair on her arms stand on end.

Tsunade dodged, but the tip of the scythe still sliced a gash into her arm.

She clutched her arm, circulating her chakra to rapidly heal the wound, and tapped her feet against the ground to put some distance between herself and Hanzo.

"Admirable spirit. To let your teammates escape, you choose to sacrifice yourself."

"A woman like you is truly rare among ninja."

Hanzo's muffled voice emanated from his respirator.

"Heh, they are the ones I brought out, after all."

Tsunade's voice carried a sense of detachment; if he wanted to talk, she would let him, if only to buy Yusuke and the others more time to escape.

"What is your name? A woman like you is worthy of dying by my blade," Hanzo said, looking down at her from above.

"Hanzo, aren't you being too arrogant? Do you really think that relying on Amegakure..."

Before Tsunade could finish her sentence, a sudden wave of weakness washed over her, causing her legs to buckle; her injured arm and half of her body had gone numb.

"Oh? Have you noticed? But it is already too late."

Hanzo threw the weighted chain in his hand, aiming straight for her other, uninjured arm.

He intended to take her alive!

"Despicable coward, using poison!"

Tsunade tried to dodge again, but the poison was too potent; her body felt as heavy as lead, and her eyelids grew increasingly weak, threatening to close.

The sound of the rain and the shouting before her seemed to fade away, the world turning silent, leaving only the incoming weight growing larger in her vision.

Am I going to die?

Oh well, as long as those guys can get away.

I wonder if that perverted brat will ever think of me.

I'm sorry, First Hokage, Second Hokage, I did my best.

The poison was too violent, and she was currently holding on by sheer willpower alone. Just as the weight drew near, a great sword blocked her path.

With a loud clang, all the sounds of the world briefly returned to Tsunade.

She stiffly turned her head to look at the man who had appeared before her.

"I told you all to..."

"I suppose I just can't let a woman face all of this alone."

The familiar voice reached her, and the arm supporting her body allowed some warmth to return to her rain-soaked frame.

"You really are a contradictory fool. You were scared to death before, yet now you dare to come back," Tsunade said, a faint smile appearing on her pale face.

"Wrong, that's called being cautious and steady," Yusuke said nonchalantly.

"Hey, Hanzo, how about we make a deal?"

"You give me the antidote, and I'll let you go save your Amegakure ninja troop."

Yusuke looked up at Hanzo the Salamander and continued, "You wouldn't want the troop you worked so hard to build to be wiped out on their way to ambush the Land of Iron, would you?"

"How did you know about that?"

"Forget it. Even if you know, do you have the strength to stop me?"

"I can deal with you and still make it in time to provide support."

Hanzo narrowed his eyes and swung the scythe in his hand.

"Heh, you'll never know unless you try."

"One-Blade Asura! (Incursio!)"