Hanzo's Arrangements

"Let them be chaotic; the Konohagakure forces cannot launch a full-scale offensive in such a short time. What about our intelligence squad?" Hanzo the Salamander flipped through the files before him. He was, without a doubt, a war machine, but if he could, he would have preferred a world of peace.

Hanzo glanced over the files, which mostly contained summaries of insignificant skirmishes.

Thwack!

The files were slapped onto the table.

"Zozo, thank you for your hard work. I am truly sorry that you have to follow a leader who, in the eyes of outsiders, only knows how to incite war." Muffled, heavy breathing emanated from beneath Hanzo the Salamander's mask.

"Lord Hanzo, you speak too heavily. We naturally understand your vision; it is merely that your methods are not understood by the majority," Hanzo's Right Hand replied, for he understood Hanzo's character all too well.

"As long as I can reach peace, I will never look back, even if my hands are stained with blood. As long as I can ensure Amegakure prospers and the Five Great Nations no longer use the Land of Rain as a buffer zone for their wars, I will do anything." Hanzo the Salamander exhaled.

Perhaps.

The Hanzo the Salamander of the future would indeed be an utter scoundrel—cowardly, weak-willed, easily swayed by others, lacking conviction, and responsible for the destruction of countless families.

However.

The current Hanzo the Salamander was still the Demigod of the Shinobi World, a man worthy of being called a hero of his era. His dream remained to see the Land of Rain survive and no longer suffer the ravages of war.

"By the way, Lord Hanzo, regarding the intelligence squad... they were completely wiped out while leaving the Konohagakure encampment area. We suspect that many sensory-type ninja have arrived on the Konohagakure side," Hanzo's Right Hand reported.

"Sensory-type? Then let them taste true poison. If I am not mistaken, the antidote that yellow-haired woman is researching was provided by that puppet-playing wench. Tell Zozo to assemble the troops; I will take the salamander myself and show them what true poison is," Hanzo the Salamander chuckled.

Regarding the salamander toxin:

The antidote provided by Chiyo was indeed effective against standard salamander venom. However, a salamander is just a salamander, and Hanzo the Salamander's own salamander was no ordinary beast. Enhanced by the black venom sac within Hanzo's own body, the simultaneous release of toxins from both him and his summon would unleash a far more terrifying poison across the battlefield. Chiyo did not know this, as Hanzo had deemed it unnecessary to use such a technique against her, and history had proven that assessment correct.

After a long silence.

Hanzo the Salamander spoke slowly: "Right, there seem to be flies in the village. Zozo, go and deal with them."

"Yes, Lord Hanzo." Hanzo's Right Hand immediately exited the room.

Arriving at a certain location.

"Spread the message, but keep it subtle. Say that a portion of our reinforcements is on the road beneath the cliff in the Great Forest of the Land of Rain." Hanzo's Right Hand took a rolled cigarette from his pocket, placed it in his mouth, lit it, and took a drag.

Behind him.

The figure of a Rain ninja suddenly vanished.

Three days later.

Near Amegakure, at the Konohagakure encampment.

"Orochimaru, why did you call me back? Has that guy, Hanzo the Salamander, assembled his troops?" A hand lifted the tent flap, and Jiraiya walked in, wearing a straw raincoat.

"No, it is nothing. There are simply some things I must tell you. Tsunade will be here shortly; sit and rest for a moment." Orochimaru's gaze remained fixed on the map, his fingers tracing the circles and marks drawn in ink on the leather surface.

"I thought something had happened. But this works out well; I have been gathering intelligence in Amegakure these past few days. I heard a rumor that Amegakure is running low on supplies. They have a portion of their reinforcements on the road beneath the cliff in the Great Forest of the Land of Rain. Should we send someone to investigate?" Jiraiya sat on a nearby chair and took a sip from a water cup on the table.

Orochimaru slowly raised his head.

"Intercepting supplies? Very well, I shall go myself. It has been a long time since I have stretched my legs. The frontline intelligence squad says Hanzo the Salamander is assembling his army. He knows we cannot mobilize for an active offensive, so he has decided to seize the initiative himself. In about a week, our front-line battle will begin. This time, we must win." Orochimaru stepped away from the map table, rubbed his hands, and looked toward the tent entrance.

Tsunade walked slowly into the tent.

"Orochimaru, Jiraiya, what is it?" Tsunade asked. She had spent the last few months researching every possible toxin that might appear in the Land of Rain, including swamp poisons. Incidentally, she had also improved the antidote for the salamander toxin.

"Perfect, everyone is here."

"I received a secret message from our teacher. The intelligence coming through Konohagakure channels is likely unreliable; only the intelligence from the teacher's side is accurate. The teacher said we must judge the authenticity of the information ourselves. This means..." Orochimaru began.

Tsunade smoothed her hair and said, "Someone does not want us to win."

"It must be someone from Danzo's side, or perhaps the teacher's political rivals," Jiraiya mused, rubbing his chin.

Orochimaru nodded.

He took a letter from his pocket.

"The teacher said it is Danzo."

The three fell into a momentary silence.

"But what does Danzo gain by damaging Konohagakure's interests like this?" Tsunade asked.

"The Hokage seat," Orochimaru said nonchalantly.

"As long as we fail to defeat the Amegakure forces, Danzo has grounds to impeach the teacher," Jiraiya said slowly.

"How tedious. Fighting back and forth for the position of Hokage... if only the Second Hokage were still here," Tsunade rubbed her temples and sighed. Her prolonged, isolated research had left her with heavy dark circles under her eyes.

"Heh, if the Second Hokage were still alive, there would be no war right now," Orochimaru laughed.

"By the way, Orochimaru, Nawaki told me yesterday that he wanted to go on a mission with you, his master," Tsunade stretched, her frame shifting.

Orochimaru looked outside the tent.

The rain was still falling.

"Hmm... that boy. He is my disciple, after all. Very well, I happen to have a mission tomorrow; I will take him along," Orochimaru said.

"Is it dangerous?" Tsunade asked, for he was her only brother.

"If you are worried, I can take him on a patrol nearby or something similar. In any case, I will leave it to you," Orochimaru replied.

Tsunade shook her head.

Her tone turned light: "Never mind. If Nawaki found out that his rare chance to go on a mission with Master Orochimaru was ruined by his sister, he would sulk and refuse to eat."

"Hahaha, very well. There is nothing else. Tsunade, Jiraiya, if you have other matters, feel free to attend to them." A rare sense of ease colored Orochimaru's tone.