Faith! Hanzo's Death!

The next day, dawn had barely broken.

Konoha's command headquarters was steeped in a grim atmosphere.

At the head of the long table sat Shikaku Nara, the commander-in-chief of this front. Though young, that pineapple-shaped head of his held more strategy than the entire staff division combined.

Tobirama pushed open the door, with Tsunade at his side.

The moment the pair entered, every gaze in the conference room turned toward them.

Especially that of the man seated at the head of the left side.

His expression was stern, deep lines creasing his face. He wore a high-collared outfit emblazoned with the Uchiha Clan's fan crest.

Fushan Uchiha.

The current head of the Uchiha Clan.

When he saw Tobirama, Fushan's eyes were complicated—shock, relief, and a trace of unconcealed wariness.

Still, he took the initiative to nod in greeting.

In this Ninja World, where strength was king, Tobirama's current record was enough for Fushan, his elder, to treat him as an equal.

Tobirama gave a slight nod in return, then casually pulled out a chair and sat directly beside Tsunade.

"Everyone's here. Let's begin."

Shikaku Nara pointed at the map on the table.

"Hanzo may have escaped, but Amegakure is still there."

"Amegakure's morale has collapsed. More than half its main force has been killed or wounded. It's at its weakest now."

"My suggestion is..."

A ruthless glint flashed through Shikaku's eyes.

"Pull them out by the roots."

"Divide into three forces. Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya, and Lord Orochimaru will each lead one. We'll crush Amegakure and force Hanzo to come out for a decisive battle!"

"Agreed." Orochimaru licked his lips, his face full of bloodlust.

"Seconded." Though Jiraiya sympathized with civilians, he knew war allowed no mercy.

"I have no objections either." Tsunade glanced at Tobirama beside her, her gaze resolute.

The motion passed unanimously.

The assault began.

The army set out like dark clouds pressing down upon a city.

Tobirama followed Tsunade's unit, and their advance was practically a bulldozer.

Traps? They charged straight through.

Ambushes? They charged straight through.

Amegakure's defenses, once said to be impregnable, were as brittle as paper before overwhelming firepower.

In half a day.

The three armies successfully converged before Amegakure's gates.

Amegakure was now a scene of bitter wind and cold rain.

The steel towers were packed with Rain Ninja wearing expressions of despair.

On the tallest tower stood Hanzo. One arm was gone, wrapped in thick bandages. His face was ashen, but his eyes remained vicious.

It was the savagery of a trapped beast's final struggle.

"Konoha... you've gone too far!"

Hanzo roared, his voice hoarse.

"All Rain Ninja, heed my command! Fight to the death for our homeland!"

"Kill!"

Driven into a corner, the Rain Ninja launched a shocking counterattack.

Countless kunai and Explosive Tags poured down like a torrential rain.

Though Konoha had overwhelming numbers, its advance was stalled by these suicidal attacks from enemies who no longer feared death.

"Ah! Help!"

"We can't hold them! Those lunatics have Explosive Tags strapped to themselves and are charging at us!"

The Konoha ninja at the front suffered terrible casualties, and a breach briefly opened in their line.

Tsunade was entangled by three jonin and shouted anxiously, "Hold the line! Don't panic!"

Just then.

A voice rang out calmly across the battlefield.

"What a hassle."

"Looks like I'll have to clear the field for you."

Tobirama stood at the front and casually drew a kunai from his ninja tool pouch.

It was a special kunai.

Black formulas were engraved on its handle.

With a flick of his wrist.

Swish, swish, swish!

Dozens of specially made kunai shot into the air, scattering across every corner of the battlefield.

Standing atop the tower, Hanzo's pupils abruptly contracted at the sight.

Was that guy about to make his move?

Before he could react.

"Flying Thunder God Technique!"

Tobirama's figure vanished in an instant.

The next second.

"Swish!"

A figure appeared on the left, and a Rain Ninja's head flew into the air.

"Swish!"

A flash leaped to the right, and three death warriors clutching Explosive Tags were instantly cut in half.

"Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!"

Fast!

Far too fast!

The naked eye could not catch his movements at all. All they could see was a blade flashing wildly across the battlefield.

Every flash brought a spray of blood.

In a mere ten seconds.

More than a hundred elite Rain Ninja fell into pools of blood without even seeing their enemy's face.

"Th-this is..."

Jiraiya rubbed his eyes and said in shock.

"A space-time ninjutsu?"

"That kid... can use this too?!"

Both Konoha and the Rain Ninja were stunned by the godlike display.

Tobirama flashed once more and finally stopped before Amegakure's gates.

The rainwater beneath his feet had been dyed red, yet not a single drop of blood stained his body.

He raised his head. His scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan locked firmly onto Hanzo atop the tower from hundreds of meters away.

"Hanzo."

"Come down and die."

Atop the tower.

Hanzo looked at the blanket of corpses below, and even the hand gripping his sickle trembled.

First there had been that Susanoo, and now this space-time ninjutsu.

How the hell was he supposed to fight that?!

But he could not retreat.

Behind him stood Amegakure, countless elderly, women, and children, and his dream.

"Hah..."

Hanzo let out a breath of foul air, a trace of resolve flashing through his eyes.

He leaped down from the tower and landed before Tobirama.

Holding his sickle in one hand, he cut a desolate figure.

"Uchiha Tobirama..."

Hanzo's voice no longer carried its former dominance. Instead, it held a bleak weariness.

"I have spent my entire life fighting for this country."

"The Land of Rain lies between the three great nations. War has ravaged it year after year, and its people cannot live in peace."

"I only wanted the people here to have enough to eat, to sleep without crying surrounding them... What did I do wrong?"

The more Hanzo spoke, the more agitated he became. He pointed behind him at the ruined buildings and the children crying behind the windows.

"You great nations stand above us, enjoying peace and prosperity."

"Yet you force the suffering of war upon us!"

"Even if I die today, I'll tear a chunk of flesh from you!"

His words were immensely tragic.

Many Rain Ninja glared furiously at the Konoha ninja. For a moment, even the Konoha ninja's resolve wavered.

That was right.

They were the invaders.

The other side was merely defending its homeland.

But Tobirama smiled.

"Are you done?"

With his sword in hand, Tobirama walked toward Hanzo step by step.

"Hanzo, don't dress up your ridiculous ambition as some grand ideal."

"Look at the village behind you."

Tobirama pointed at the ruins.

"Is this what you call 'protection'?"

"For your own ambition, you not only provoked the Land of Iron, but declared war on all three great nations at once."

"You were the one who brought war to your own doorstep."

"You were the one who made these children lose their parents."

"Being weak isn't a sin. But being weak and still trying to challenge the strong—that is the original sin!"

Every word pierced his heart.

Hanzo's face went deathly pale, and his body swayed as though he might collapse.

"No... that's not it..."

"I did it for peace..."

"Peace?" Tobirama sneered. "Peace is fought for, not dreamed into existence."

"Since your faith has wavered, your blade has gone dull as well."

"Let's end this."

"Swish!"

Tobirama moved.

He did not use the Flying Thunder God.

He did not use Susanoo.

It was simply the purest swordsmanship.

"Uchiha Style: Sword Leap Flame!"

Flames blazed along the blade as it carved a perfect arc.

Hanzo instinctively raised his sickle to block.

But he hesitated.

In that instant, as he looked upon his ravaged village, his heart fell into chaos.

"Clang—crack!"

The kusarigama that had once reaped countless lives snapped apart.

And so did Hanzo's throat.

Blood gushed forth.

Hanzo's eyes widened as the Broken Sickle slipped from his hand into the muddy water.

He had lost.

Not in strength, but in faith.

"Cough... cough, cough..."

Hanzo dropped to his knees, clutching his neck as his life force drained away at a terrifying speed.

He raised his head and looked at the cold-hearted youth before him.

The unwillingness in his eyes gradually faded, leaving only a plea.

"I... lost..."

"Uchiha... Tobirama..."

"Please..."

"Spare... this village..."

"They... are innocent..."

A man's words turned kind as death approached.

In the final moment of his life, this formidable hero cast aside all dignity, seeking only a way for his people to survive.

Tobirama looked at him as the Mangekyo in his eyes slowly faded.

He sheathed his blade.

"Go in peace."

Tobirama's voice was calm, devoid of a victor's arrogance, carrying only the indifference of someone stating a fact.

"From today onward, Amegakure is no longer yours."

"It is my spoils of war."

"Since it belongs to me, I will naturally protect it."

"From now on, this place will be like Konoha—there will be sunlight and peace."

Upon hearing those words,

a glimmer of light finally appeared in Hanzo's clouded eyes.

It was relief.

"Is... that so..."

"Then... I leave it... to you..."

Hanzo's head slowly drooped.

A generation's Demigod of the Ninja World, Salamander Hanzo.

Died.

The rain still fell.

But this time, it seemed to be seeing off this hero of a bygone era.

Tsunade looked at Tobirama standing beside the corpse, her expression complicated yet proud.

She walked over and stood at his side.

"It's over?"

Tobirama raised his head and looked at the dark clouds gradually dispersing overhead, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Yes, but only for now..."