"Someone actually invited me to a decisive battle? Hmph! What nerve! What a bunch of arrogant brats!"
Salamander Hanzo clutched the invitation from Konoha tightly. His knuckles had gone pale from the pressure.
His eyes blazed with fury, veins bulging on his forehead. Disbelief and anger filled his gaze.
He ground out a low growl, his words seeming to scrape through clenched teeth, each one edged with bone-chilling cold.
It wasn't as if he hadn't considered that this might be some scheme by Konoha, or perhaps a trap.
But he was proud by nature. Why would he fear this so-called challenge?
He flung the invitation into the air and slashed at it repeatedly with his Chain Sickle until it was reduced to scraps. His gaze brimmed with arrogance and contempt.
"If they want a decisive battle, then I'll give them one!"
Salamander Hanzo quickly regained his composure and began considering how to respond.
He summoned his most elite ninja. With a resolute, piercing gaze, he spoke in a steady, commanding voice:
"The people of Konoha are overestimating themselves, and they still dare to provoke us! This time, we'll show them exactly what it costs to cross us."
Then he carefully laid out the battle plan for Salamander Shinda and Heiji, considering every detail thoroughly.
Once everything was arranged, he folded his arms and let the corner of his mouth curl into a cold smile.
"Konoha, prepare to face my wrath. I'll make sure none of you leave this battle alive!"
His eyes shone with confidence, as if he could already see himself driving Konoha back, crushing Sunagakure, and finally elevating the Land of Rain to stand alongside the Five Great Nations—with himself crowned its First Amekage.
With his strength and meticulous preparations, he had every reason to believe he would win decisively, making Konoha pay dearly for its recklessness.
"That old geezer with the respirator agreed? Just like that?!"
Orochimaru and the others stared at Salamander Hanzo's affirmative reply, momentarily dazed.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a faint trace of doubt flickering in his slitted gaze. He stroked his chin, privately wondering what lay behind Hanzo's easy acceptance. Could he be plotting something even bigger?
Jiraiya scratched his head, astonishment written all over his face. All the arguments he'd prepared were stuck in his throat. He muttered:
"This went way too smoothly. I'm not used to it."
Tsunade folded her arms across her chest and furrowed her brow, her gaze fixed on Hanzo. She knew he was no good, and such an easy agreement had to conceal some ulterior motive.
The three fell into silent contemplation. It was as if the air around them had frozen.
A gentle breeze stirred their hair but did nothing to dispel their doubts.
Several days later...
Salamander Hanzo stood quietly atop his summon, the salamander Ibuse, a faint smile on his lips and an inscrutable glint in his eyes.
After a long silence, Orochimaru licked his lips and spoke first:
"Hanzo, you truly live up to your reputation as the man called the Demigod of the Ninja World! What nerve!"
Hanzo chuckled but didn't answer directly. He merely said:
"No need for talk. As agreed, send whoever you like. As long as there are no more than five of you, I'll take you all on!"
Orochimaru and the others exchanged glances, their unease deepening. But things had come this far, and no one could back down now. They had no choice but to accept this battle, with each side sending no more than five of its strongest fighters.
They forced down their anxiety, nodded slightly to Hanzo, then turned to leave.
But their steps were heavy. They knew this seemingly simple agreement might conceal a scheme they couldn't see.
After a brief discussion.
Konoha decided to send four people: the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's three students—Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru!
And besides those three, Konoha's strongest fighter on the Amegakure battlefield—Uzumaki Qi Luna!
Amegakure sent only three:
Heiji, a Rain Ninja known as "Heiji of the Sheltering Rain," who was Salamander Hanzo's "left hand";
Salamander Shinda, known as Hanzo's "right hand" and trusted deeply by him;
And the pinnacle of the Ninja World, the one called the "Demigod"—Salamander Hanzo!
With both sides' fighters decided, the air grew tense with impending violence.
"Good! Let's do this!"
At Tsunade's shout, the battle that would determine the course of the war began!
Salamander Shinda swiftly hurled a large number of kunai fitted with Explosive Tags at Orochimaru and the others.
After spotting the tags, Orochimaru didn't try to block the kunai. He used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared behind Tsunade.
Tsunade understood at once. She punched the ground, prying up a boulder that blocked every one of Shinda's Explosive Kunai.
Jiraiya used the opening to flicker behind Hanzo, preparing to attack him with Fire Release.
"It's not over! Take this—Fire Release: Flame—"
Jiraiya rapidly formed Hand Seals and was about to unleash his technique when Ibuse, beneath Hanzo's feet, smacked him away with its tail.
"Now it's my turn. Ninja Art: Cigarette Smoke Technique!"
While Orochimaru and the others fought fiercely against Hanzo and Shinda, Heiji, hiding behind them, took a talisman from his ninja tool pouch...
Heiji formed Hand Seals rapidly, and a strange green mist instantly engulfed the battlefield, obscuring everyone's vision.
"Ibuse, now! Spray your poison mist!"
Amid Hanzo's cold smile and Heiji's strange green smoke, Ibuse's poison mist quietly spread across the battlefield...
"A talisman? How interesting!"
With Qi Luna's Mind's Eye of the Kagura, every move Hanzo and the others made was under his control. Faced with their concealed poisoning and sinister schemes, Qi Luna wasn't about to just sneer.
He took out a scroll and unrolled it quickly, then formed Hand Seals:
"Ninja Art: Sealing Technique: Absorption!"
The character "Empty" at the center of the scroll turned into a vortex, swiftly sucking up and sealing away the strange green smoke and poison mist in the air.
"Sealing Jutsu! That kid from the Uzumaki Clan?! No wonder he dared to challenge me! So he found a way to counter Ibuse's poison mist? But that alone won't be enough to defeat me!"
Seeing his carefully laid trap foiled, Salamander Hanzo was clearly annoyed. But with his overwhelming strength, he didn't let it bother him much.
After the first attack failed, Hanzo signaled Shinda and Heiji to keep throwing Explosive Kunai.
Tsunade and the others hadn't learned many long-range techniques, so they had no choice but to dodge while slowly closing in on Hanzo.
Soon, the Explosive Tags erupted, kicking up clouds of smoke and dust. Tsunade, her vision obscured, failed to notice in time and stepped into a dangerous spot...
"Now!"
"Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation!"
At Hanzo's words, another mass of Explosive Tags burst from the earth. The flaming tags surged toward Tsunade, about to stick to her body!
"Uzumaki Style: First Form: Violent Step!"
Confronted with a barrage of Explosive Tags rushing at her, Tsunade didn't dare let her guard down. She immediately used the Uzumaki Style Taijutsu she'd finally mastered over the past few days.
"Oh? You dodged that? But leaping into the air leaves you with no foothold. You'll be a sitting duck. Didn't your teacher teach you that? How irresponsible!"
Watching Tsunade "flash" into the air, Hanzo couldn't help finding it amusing. If they weren't on a battlefield, he might have developed a serious case of irritation with stupid people.
Still, a foolish enemy was good news for him!
Following the principle that hesitation meant defeat, Salamander Hanzo attacked Tsunade in midair without the slightest delay.
"Ninja Art: Chain Sickle Double Strike!"
"I'll take your life!"
Before you continue