Battle at the Rear Guard Camp

The alarms and screams grew more numerous.

The rain in the Land of Rain poured even harder now.

The entire Konoha camp had descended into chaos.

The wounded screamed while logistical ninja ran about frantically. Everywhere, people roared, "Retreat!" and "Hold the line!"

Tobirama Uchiha stood amid the chaotic crowd, yet his gaze was exceptionally calm.

Memories raced through his mind.

The Second Ninja World War.

Salamander Hanzo, leader of Amegakure, had been consumed by ambition. He wanted to carve a path through the cracks between the three great nations and elevate Amegakure into one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

That man was truly ruthless.

Whether it was his methods, his poison, or his summoned beast Ibuse, all of them stood at the peak of Kage Level.

In the original story, Konoha suffered catastrophic losses in this battle. In the end, only Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru survived, and Hanzo bestowed upon them the title of the "Legendary Sannin."

It was a humiliating survival, but also the beginning of their fame.

"The battle that made the Legendary Sannin famous?"

Tobirama rubbed the hilt of the sword at his waist, a fervent smile curling across his lips.

In the original history, this was the Legendary Sannin's stage.

But now, I'm here.

Then I'll be taking center stage too!

For my first step toward shaking the Ninja World, I'll use that old bastard Hanzo as a stepping stone!

Before the command tent.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru all wore grim expressions.

The situation was even worse than they had imagined.

"Damn it! The main force has all been sent west to hold back the Iwa Ninja!"

Jiraiya scratched at his head in agitation, his white hair nearly standing on end.

"The camp is full of wounded and logistical personnel now. There aren't even two hundred combatants left. How are we supposed to stop Hanzo's main army?!"

Orochimaru licked his lips coldly, his eyes flickering.

"We can't stop them."

"The rational thing to do is abandon the wounded, take the elite forces, and retreat immediately."

"No!" Tsunade smashed her fist into a pillar, sending wood chips flying. "They're our comrades! How can we just throw them away?!"

"Then leave some people behind to cover the retreat and buy time."

Orochimaru's words were cold-blooded, but realistic.

The three fell silent.

A rear guard?

Facing an army led by Hanzo, staying behind meant certain death.

"I'll stay."

Tsunade drew a deep breath, her eyes resolute.

"I'm a medical ninja, and I'm from the Senju Clan. I have a responsibility to protect them."

"I'm staying too!" Jiraiya slapped his chest so hard it boomed. "How could I let a woman stand in front of me!"

Orochimaru sighed helplessly. "Such foolish hot-bloodedness... Fine. If you all die, I won't be able to explain it to the old man either."

Just as the three had decided to fight to the death.

A young voice pierced through the curtain of rain and cut in clearly.

"Count me in."

The three spun around.

Tobirama Uchiha was walking toward them step by step, against the tide of retreating people.

Blood from the previous battle still stained his body, and his black eyes shone frighteningly bright in the rainy night.

"Nonsense!"

Jiraiya was the first to blow up.

He strode over and stood in front of Tobirama like a wall, nearly spraying his face with spit.

"Kid! This isn't child's play!"

"This is war! This is Hanzo! That monster known as the 'Demigod'!"

"You're a Genin who just graduated, and you haven't even grown all your hair yet. What kind of hero are you trying to play? Get out of here with the main force!"

Tsunade frowned as well, her tone stern.

"Tobirama, listen to me."

"You're very talented. You're Konoha's future. Precisely because you're a genius, you need to protect yourself at a time like this."

"Once you've grown stronger, fight however you want. But not now."

Even Orochimaru let out a hoarse laugh.

"Uchiha brat, throwing your life away isn't a virtue."

Everyone treated him like a child.

Like a fledgling that needed protection.

Tobirama looked at these three future legends and suddenly smiled.

He ignored Jiraiya's booming voice and looked directly at Tsunade instead.

His gaze met hers without yielding in the slightest.

"Teacher Tsunade."

"On the way to the camp, you saw what I could do."

"Do you think I'm weak?"

The question left Tsunade speechless.

The slaughter she had witnessed along the way instantly surfaced in her mind.

He had killed Chunin in seconds, faced Jonin head-on, and possessed a battle instinct that sent chills down one's spine.

Weak?

What a joke!

If chakra reserves and experience were set aside, this kid's killing efficiency surpassed that of ordinary Jonin!

Tobirama took a step forward, a faintly oppressive aura radiating from his body.

"I don't need anyone to protect me."

"Rather than fleeing like a coward and regretting my weakness tonight for countless nights to come."

"I'd rather stay and kill a few more enemies."

"There are only Uchiha who die in battle, never Tobirama who flee."

His words struck the ground with force.

Several Konoha ninja passing by were stunned into silence. One after another, they stopped in their tracks, their faces full of shock.

What an arrogant kid!

What iron bones!

Tsunade stared fixedly into Tobirama's eyes.

There was no fear in them, only a desire for battle and a kind of... absolute confidence.

This kid was serious.

And he had the right to be!

"Tsunade! Don't be foolish!" Jiraiya panicked. "Even if he has some talent, he's still a child! What if—"

"Let him stay."

Tsunade suddenly spoke, cutting Jiraiya off.

Jiraiya's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Huh?! Have you lost your mind?!"

"He isn't an ordinary child."

Tsunade turned toward the camp gates, her voice cold and hard. Yet only those who knew her well could hear the trust hidden within it.

"He's strong enough to survive on the battlefield."

"And..."

Tsunade turned back and gave Tobirama a deep look.

"I believe in him."

Four simple words.

Yet they weighed as heavily as a thousand pounds.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in surprise, seemingly reevaluating the worth of this Uchiha boy.

Tsunade walked up to Tobirama and bent down, her brown eyes filled with seriousness.

"Only one condition."

"If things become impossible, run immediately."

"Don't throw your life away for pride's sake. Understand?"

Tobirama grinned, revealing a set of white teeth that seemed especially brilliant in the grim rainy night.

"Yes, Teacher."

Jiraiya was still losing his mind. "Crazy! You're all crazy! Is something wrong with the way Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan people think?!"

Just then.

Boom—!!!

A world-shaking explosion rang out.

The camp's wooden gates, along with the defensive towers on either side, were reduced to dust in an instant.

Purple poison mist surged in like a tsunami.

Even from far away, its sickeningly sweet stench made people want to vomit.

Then.

Countless Rain Ninja clad in raincoats and breathing masks swept over the defensive line like a black tide.

"Konoha vermin!"

"Receive the judgment of God!"

An aged yet domineering voice seemed to descend from the heavens, carrying terrifying chakra pressure that made every Genin present feel tightness in their chests, nearly forcing them to their knees.

Salamander Hanzo!

He stood atop the head of a massive salamander, looking down from above, his eyes as indifferent as those of a god.

"Kill!!!"

With Hanzo's command, the Rain Ninja army launched its full assault.

The pressure was suffocating.

Konoha had already left few ninja behind, and at the sight of such a force, their morale instantly collapsed.

"W-We can't stop them..."

"That's Hanzo, the Demigod of the Ninja World..."

Despair spread through the ranks.

The defensive line collapsed at the first impact.

The instant the sides clashed, more than a dozen Konoha ninja fell into pools of blood.

"Get the hell back on your feet!"

Jiraiya roared and summoned Gamabunta, charging straight into the enemy formation.

Wild Lion's Mane Technique!

Orochimaru summoned Manda as well, sending him rampaging across the battlefield.

Tsunade activated Strength of a Hundred, punching down one enemy after another.

The Legendary Sannin began to exert their strength.

But at the defensive line on the other side.

A group of Rain Ninja Chunin grinned viciously as they charged toward several isolated wounded Konoha ninja.

"This is Konoha? Pathetic!"

"Die!"

Their blades were about to fall.

Just then.

A piercing bolt of lightning tore through the darkness.

Lightning Release: Chidori Blade!

The Rain Ninja rushing in front did not even see what had happened.

Their bodies stiffened.

Then, thin lines appeared across their necks at the same time.

Pssh—!

Blood erupted in a perfectly uniform spray, like some bizarre ritual.

Tobirama stood amid the corpses, a long sword in hand.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly turned in the darkness like two red lanterns.

He wore no raincoat.

He let the freezing rain strike his body, but it could not extinguish the battle intent boiling within him.

"No passage allowed here."

Tobirama spoke coldly.

The surrounding Rain Ninja froze for a moment, then flew into a rage.

"A little brat dares block our way?"

"Kill him!"

More than a dozen Rain Ninja swarmed forward.

Shuriken, kunai, and ninjutsu rained down in a dense barrage.

To ordinary people, this was certain death.

But to Tobirama, who possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan...

It was too slow.

It was practically slow motion.

"Since you're all so eager to die..."

Tobirama shifted slightly, instantly turning into an afterimage as he charged into the crowd.

There were no flashy hand seals.

Only the purest, most refined taijutsu and swordsmanship.

Whenever his blade flashed, a head fell.

He sidestepped, slashed, stabbed backward, and spun into a kick.

Every movement was precise to the millisecond, every attack aimed straight for a vital point.

This was the Uchiha Style killing art!

"AAARGH!"

"What is this little brat?!"

"My hand! My eyes!"

The Rain Ninja, who had been so imposing moments ago, were sprawled across the ground in the blink of an eye.

Blood mixed with rainwater, gathering into a small river at Tobirama's feet.

Alone, with a single blade.

He had driven a nail into the collapsing defensive line by sheer force!

Even against enemies several times his number, even on this despairing battlefield.

That twelve-year-old figure stood like an insurmountable mountain.

In the distance, Tsunade sent an enemy flying with one punch, then stole a glance in this direction.

When she saw Tobirama moving through the enemy ranks as though no one were there, killing until they trembled in fear.

The corners of her lips rose slightly.

"Jiraiya, did you see that clearly?"

"This is the disciple I chose."

"The future Ninja World will definitely have a place for him!"