I Admit It

Tsunade's strike left a huge crater in the ground. Dust billowed up in an instant, obscuring everyone's vision.

Hidden inside Needle Jizo, Jiraiya called out, "Did we get him?"

"No, I missed!" Tsunade pushed off with both legs and leaped out of the dust cloud.

Judging by the feel of her strike, she already knew she had missed.

As the dust settled, the three of them saw only a puddle of water left on the ground.

"An apprentice of Hiruzen Sarutobi? You're nothing special!" Hanzo's voice rang out from nearby, his contempt obvious.

He wasn't lying. From the moment Jiraiya reacted to the moment he defended himself, Hanzo had enough time to kill him. Jiraiya would have been dead if that had been his intention.

Hanzo's mastery of the sickle was unparalleled. Even the samurai of the Land of Iron couldn't match his skill with Sword Technique: Iai Slash.

But he had never intended to kill the three of them in the first place.

Killing ordinary Konoha Ninja could be taken as a warning to Konoha.

But if he killed the Third Hokage's disciples, the Hidden Leaf Village and Amegakure would be locked in a fight to the death!

"We were hoping to end this quickly with a surprise attack, but it looks like that won't work," Orochimaru said, looking disappointed. "Jiraiya, Tsunade, we need to retreat as soon as possible. The terrain here is far too disadvantageous for us."

Their physiques were much stronger than those of ordinary ninja, but the poison still affected them badly. Only Tsunade could temporarily withstand it with Medical Ninjutsu.

Jiraiya said gravely, "I'm afraid it won't be that easy!"

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!" Hanzo removed his mask and spat out a massive sphere of water, sending it hurtling toward the three of them.

Standing between the others, Jiraiya slapped both palms against the ground. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Several enormous earthen walls rose in front of them, blocking the Great Waterfall Technique's torrent.

Hanzo truly deserved his reputation as the ninja with the greatest mastery over water. By combining an A-rank Great Waterfall Technique with the Land of Rain's unique water-rich terrain, he had created a small lake.

Tsunade and the others stood atop the water.

Hanzo stood before them and asked coldly, "Can you still keep going?"

"Who do you think you're looking down on?!" Hot-tempered Tsunade wasn't about to let that pass. She performed the Summoning Technique and summoned Katsuyu.

A cloud of white smoke cleared, revealing the giant Katsuyu.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Orochimaru and Jiraiya exchanged a glance, then used the Summoning Technique at the same time, calling forth Manda and Gamabunta, both still in their adolescence and only a little over forty meters tall.

Shikkotsu Forest, Mount Myoboku, and Ryūchi Cave were known as the Three Great Sage Lands. But all the summoning creatures of Shikkotsu Forest were merely fragments of the Slug Sage, while the creatures of the other two lands belonged to clans. They needed time to grow into giant beasts.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya had considered summoning larger creatures, but the poison mist had left them with too little chakra.

Manda hadn't even figured out what was going on yet. He said arrogantly, "Orochimaru, did you prepare an offering before summoning me?"

"Where are we?!" Gamabunta brandished his short blade, temporarily scattering some of the strange mist. "Jiraiya, you brat, have you gotten yourself into trouble again?!"

Hanzo looked at the three enormous creatures before him, utterly unafraid.

In the Ninja World, size alone didn't make anyone invincible.

"Acidic Mucus!"

"Water Release: Iron Bullet!"

Katsuyu and Gamabunta attacked from range first, spitting out a corrosive liquid and a massive ball of water.

"They look powerful, but there's no point if they can't hit me!" Hanzo said as he put his mask back on and dove into the water, gliding freely as he dodged each attack.

"Water Release: Water Instant!"

The lake's currents seemed to come alive, binding the three giant creatures and trying to drag them underwater.

The beasts were strong enough to break free of the currents with ease, but the water kept coming, relentlessly harassing them.

Hanzo didn't rush to attack again.

On closer inspection, the water had already changed color. Not far from the battlefield, a giant Ibuse was underwater, spewing poison into the lake.

He didn't need to meet them head-on. All he had to do was wait quietly, then stop them when they tried to retreat!

At the edge of the lake, the reinforcements led by Senju Genma arrived late.

"Dan, Shin, I'll leave the rest to you!" Senju Genma said, looking at the wounded nearby as he addressed Dan Katō beside him.

Given Senju Genma's strength, Orochimaru had naturally put him in charge of part of the troops. Dan Katō was Orochimaru's choice to serve as his deputy and assist with command.

Shin and the others were now temporarily serving as Senju Genma's Guard Corps.

"Captain, are you going?" Dan Katō asked, his voice full of concern.

Hanzo was a legendary ninja, so Dan couldn't help worrying.

"Of course. Tsunade's still over there!" Senju Genma said firmly.

Dan Katō knew he would only get in the way against Hanzo, so he could only nod. "All right, we'll take care of things here. Go on ahead, and don't worry about us!"

Senju Genma frowned slightly. Something about those words sounded strange.

Wasn't Dan supposed to add, "If you don't come back, I'll look after your wife"?

Senju Genma shook his head and headed for the battlefield where Tsunade was.

When he reached the middle of the lake, he saw the Yellow-Gambling-Poison Trio supporting one another as they stood on the water, looking utterly miserable.

Hanzo stood atop the giant Ibuse's head, gazing down at them.

"Not bad! You've been breathing in my deadly poison for so long, yet you're still standing. I acknowledge you. From this day onward, I, Hanzo, will call you the Sannin!"

"I, Hanzo, bestow upon you the title of Konoha Sannin!"

Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya were furious.

Bestow it on them? He was humiliating them!

"Sage Art: Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

There was no way Senju Genma could stand by while someone picked on his wife!

Senju Genma immediately drew on Senjutsu Chakra, using chakra as a source of life to make trees sprout rapidly from the ground. In an instant, a forest spread across the lake, turning the battlefield into terrain that favored him.

Hanzo leaped onto a tree. Feeling his chakra steadily draining away, he regarded Senju Genma with a grave expression. "Are you Senju Genma, the White Yasha? The legendary Wood Release truly lives up to its reputation! I acknowledge your name!"

Senju Genma gained a new appreciation for just how much of a chuuni ninja could be. Giving the Sannin their title was one thing, but even now, Hanzo was still thinking about what to call him!

As Senju Genma pondered this, Hanzo used the Summoning Technique again, bringing the Ibuse below up beside him.

Ibuse began spewing mist again.

Senju Genma shielded Tsunade behind him, then sent a Wood Clone to carry the three of them away. He turned to Hanzo, eager to fight.

Senju Genma also wanted to test himself against this legendary ninja.

His senses told him that Hanzo's chakra reserves were far smaller than his own.

But a ninja's strength had never been determined by chakra reserves alone.

Still, Senju Genma wasn't worried about his safety.

He believed he had a good chance of winning. And even if he somehow lost, he could rely on the Flying Thunder God Technique to get away without a problem.