What? I'm Going to the Battlefield with Hanzō?

Three days later.

Inside the training ground.

Uchiha Chiba's gaze was cold. With a flick of his right hand, he threw the sickle, his left hand gripping the chain tightly. The sickle slammed into the training straw dummy, its sharp blade hooking into the leg. Chiba yanked hard, then sprinted toward the dummy, his left hand exerting constant force to keep the chain taut. As the sickle returned to his hand, the dummy was already riddled with holes.

Uchiha Chiba exhaled.

"You've learned the basics well. As expected of an Uchiha, your comprehension is impressive, but you still have a long way to go, kid." Hanzo the Salamander let out a muffled laugh from beneath his mask.

Then, Konan walked over from the side, carrying a lunch box.

"Lord Hanzo." Little Konan had been bringing food to Chiba for three days, but she still felt incredibly nervous whenever she saw Hanzo the Salamander.

"Hm, little girl, you're here again. Don't be afraid; I'm not a bad person, hahahaha." Hanzo the Salamander laughed, standing still.

Then, Konan arrived at Uchiha Chiba's side.

Ever since Chiba was chosen by Hanzo the Salamander to be trained as his personal disciple three days ago, the four of them—Konan, Chiba, Yahiko, and Nagato—had been moved into Amegakure. Hanzo had generously provided a house and found jobs for Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan that children could handle, providing them with food as symbolic payment. However, the three of them still preferred living in their old hideout, claiming it held certain memories.

"Chiba, I made this myself at the bun shop. Eat it while it's hot." Little Konan looked at Chiba with stars in her eyes. These past few days had provided many more opportunities to be alone with him; before this, Chiba had always trained in secluded spots, and the only time one could find him was at night.

"Mm, thank you, Konan." Chiba smiled. After three days of basic training, he wouldn't dare claim much, but he had mastered about fifty percent of Hanzo's sickle technique. With the Sharingan's memory retention and Chiba's own talent, learning this much in such a short time wasn't unreasonable.

After a long while, Uchiha Chiba stood up.

He gripped his sickle, staring at Hanzo the Salamander in the distance.

"Kid, come at me with everything you've got. After training ends today, I'll tell you some news—good news for you... perhaps. This world... no." Hanzo the Salamander narrowed his eyes, grabbing the chain with his right hand and wrapping it around his arm. Usually, he used his non-dominant right hand for the sickle, but today he used his dominant left.

The next second, Uchiha Chiba's eyes flashed. He pushed off the ground with all his might, the sickle in his hand held at a strange angle against his side!

BOOM!!!!

A cloud of smoke erupted, accompanied by a terrifying shockwave.

A few breaths later, the smoke cleared.

Uchiha Chiba was seen struggling as he pressed against the sickle held in Hanzo's single hand. Hanzo, on the other hand, merely stared at Uchiha Chiba's face.

"Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique."

His scarlet Sharingan snapped open.

The single tomoe rotated slowly.

Hanzo the Salamander closed his eyes.

His free left hand instantly grabbed Chiba's wrist, and then, with a sudden burst of force, the sound of a bone dislocating echoed through the air.

Uchiha Chiba's body lost its strength for a moment.

"As I thought, it seems this is still too much for you..." Hanzo the Salamander opened his eyes. The next second, the scarlet glow of the Sharingan appeared from the gleaming edge of the sickle.

An illusion!

"I underestimated you, kid." Hanzo the Salamander chuckled, though he had broken free of the illusion in the span of a single breath.

The scene before Hanzo's eyes shifted constantly.

Then, Uchiha Chiba knelt on one knee, his hand gripping the sickle trembling uncontrollably.

"Not bad, kid. With the chakra reserves of a Chunin, being able to control me for even a single breath is something to be proud of. You should know that I could wipe out countless ninjas just like you without a second thought. Don't worry too much about your future." Hanzo the Salamander sheathed his sickle and walked over to Uchiha Chiba.

Wait.

Something felt wrong.

Hanzo the Salamander suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Then, he took a large step backward.

"You brat, a two-layered illusion? The moment I struck you, that was already the first layer... Hahahahaha! Good! Very good!" Hanzo the Salamander threw his sickle at the space in front of him.

CRACK!

Everything around Hanzo shattered like a mirror.

In the distance, Uchiha Chiba was bleeding from both eyes, gasping for air. His hands were not being attacked by Hanzo at all.

"How was that?" Chiba's chest heaved as he tremblingly wiped the blood from his cheeks.

Hanzo the Salamander clapped his hands.

"Brilliant, kid. You've passed. Here's some good news: tomorrow, the Konohagakure forces are launching an all-out assault, and you're coming to the battlefield with me. Take this, wear it, and I'll come find you at dawn." Hanzo the Salamander brushed the rainwater from his cloak, tossed over a mask, paused for a moment, and vanished in an instant.

Only Chiba remained in the training ground.

Chiba looked down at the mask in his hands.

Giving me a mask... he's thinking quite far ahead. Still, it might be useful. If I can stop Uchiha Madara's plans in a few years... Damn, just thinking about how I was assassinated twice by Danzo's men the moment I arrived here makes my blood boil. One day, I'll become Hokage and openly disgust that old geezer. Uchiha Chiba tucked the Fox Mask away and muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the Root headquarters, the man being cursed was wearing a grim expression.

BANG!!!!!

Danzo slammed his fist onto the table in front of him.

"Can that map be recovered or not! I've already investigated it clearly. The assassination of that Uchiha brat was only for those eyes. That kid used some unknown method to kill two Root jonin, and then used some other way to kill a jonin in his prime who was specifically targeting him. And that kid is only a chunin! You lot! A bunch of useless trash!!" Danzo's tone was filled with fury as he pounded the table, eventually reducing it to a pile of wood shavings.

The twelve special Root operatives present all kept their heads bowed.

These twelve were the powerhouses under Danzo's command; almost all of them were half-step Kage-level, and two had already reached the Kage level. (The combat power would not be unbalanced, as White Fang and the Sannin were also Kage-level powerhouses, not to mention the other strong figures on the Third Hokage's side.)

One of the long-haired Root operatives wearing a Hannya Mask saw that the others remained silent and spoke in a muffled voice: "Lord Danzo, I, 'Hannya,' am willing to go to the Land of Rain to retrieve the map for you, and while I'm at it, I'll kill that brat and take his eyes."

Seeing "Hannya" speak up, Danzo's expression improved significantly.

He turned his gloomy eyes toward "Hannya."

"'Hannya,' you must be careful. Do not be discovered by the troops there. The ninjas of Amegakure are incompetent, and the ninjas of Konohagakure are even worse... You are the Root of Konoha; you must prioritize the interests of Konoha above all else..." Danzo turned around and tossed out a scroll.

"This is a storage scroll. In the event you encounter a troublesome enemy that cannot be dealt with quickly, tear this scroll open. Inside is a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan on the verge of blindness, containing a powerful genjutsu—the Second Hokage's Darkness Technique... Go." Danzo stopped speaking.

"Hannya" knelt on one knee: "I will complete the mission."