The instant Demon Blade Hirumaru absorbed Hanzō of the Salamander's Chakra, a vast store of swordsmanship and ninjutsu knowledge flowed into its master, Indra.
Hanzō of the Salamander's title of "Demigod" probably owed a lot to Ibuse's poison.
Combined with his superb swordsmanship and ninjutsu, it made him nearly unstoppable in battle.
Indra considered this, but what truly piqued his curiosity was Hanzō of the Salamander's Fire Release: Explosive Flame Array.
It was less a Fire Release Ninjutsu than a Paper Release Secret Technique.
Inject Chakra into an Explosive Tag, and you can control it from a distance.
Indra suspected Konan hadn't invented the Paper Release Secret Technique in the future. She had probably learned it and then taken it to new heights.
What mattered to Indra now was how the technique could be used.
How powerful would the Paper Release Secret Technique become if I combined it with the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art? The thought set Indra's pulse racing. He wanted to get his hands on the technique at once.
But he quickly calmed down. The benevolent half of Hanzō of the Salamander before him had vanished.
With the benevolent half dead, it merged with the malevolent half, and the two became Hanzō of the Salamander once more.
The malevolent half, which had taken a punch from Tsunade head-on, regained its original face.
An invisible force twisted his limbs and neck like ropes. His chest split open, spraying hot blood.
Hanzō of the Salamander stared toward Indra in bitter defiance, but he could not utter a word.
Jiraiya, who had been forming Hand Seals, stared wide-eyed at Tsunade.
"Is your Monster Strength really that powerful?!"
Tsunade looked blankly at her fist, then at Hanzō of the Salamander, who had suddenly dropped dead.
"I don't know either," she muttered uncertainly. "Could it be an Illusion Technique?"
The two watched Hanzō of the Salamander's corpse warily for a while, but nothing changed.
While they were still puzzled, Indra emerged from the poisonous mist, dragging Ibuse's corpse behind him.
"Cough, cough... Teacher, is the battle over?"
"Indra!"
Tsunade's attention snapped to him. She hurried over in delight and checked him for injuries.
Finding nothing serious, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Slug!"
To make absolutely sure Indra was all right, Tsunade summoned a Slug.
During the battle, she had divided the Slug into many smaller ones and placed them on her companions. Through them, she could transfer her Chakra and heal them with the Mystical Palm Technique in real time.
With that done, Tsunade immediately used Wind Release to blow away the poisonous mist.
Seeing ninjas sprawled across the ground, she guided the Slugs onto every wounded person, hoping to keep them alive.
Meanwhile, Mikoto, who had regained her ability to move, came over and gently stroked Indra's cheek.
The feel of him beneath her fingers let her relax. A sweet smile appeared on her face. "Thank goodness, Indra. I'm so glad you're safe. Don't ever leave me behind again!"
Tears filled Mikoto's eyes, and the Three-Tomoe Sharingan within them was startling.
She's already reached Three-Tomoe? That was way too fast!
Indra felt that if he died in front of Mikoto, her grief might awaken an even greater power. Meanwhile, no matter how hard he pushed himself, he was still stuck at One-Tomoe.
Indra pulled Mikoto into his arms and turned his attention to the All-Heavens Pearl.
Killing Hanzō of the Salamander had nearly filled the progress bar.
Only a few days left. I need to hurry and awaken my eyes too. Indra planned to use his next chance to cross worlds on Jackie Chan Adventures.
"Indra, Mikoto, come help me." Tsunade's call carried a note of urgency.
The Hidden Leaf ninjas had taken antidote pills, so many were still alive. Surgery to remove the poison could save them.
The team had only three medical ninjas: Tsunade, Indra, and Mikoto.
There was no time to catch up. Indra and Mikoto went straight over to help.
By evening, the three had pulled all twenty-eight wounded back from the brink of death.
Looking at their surviving companions, Tsunade sighed. "Having medical ninjas on a team really does reduce casualties."
"When we get back, I'm going to propose to that old Third Hokage that every mission squad have at least one medical ninja. We need to build up a proper medical corps, too."
Mikoto looked at Tsunade with admiration, but Indra's expression did not change.
"We'll need to think that through, Teacher," he said calmly.
Tsunade frowned at once.
She pinched Indra's cheek. "You sound just like that old man when you talk like that. Do you think I'm wrong?"
"I'm just stating the facts. Training medical ninjas isn't easy, and during a war, adding one to a squad means giving up some combat strength."
Indra pinched Tsunade's thigh in return and stressed, "Not every medical ninja is as strong as you, Teacher!"
"You little pervert..." Tsunade blushed and glared at Indra, but she did not push his hand away. Instead, she fell into thought.
She had to admit he was right. He had thought further ahead than she had in the heat of the moment. "Too clever for your age. Still, thanks for pointing it out."
"No problem," Indra replied with a straight face. "You can teach me Chakra nature transformation later."
"Fine. Once the fighting here is over, we should all get a chance to rest."
Tsunade agreed at once, then got to her feet.
Jiraiya had confirmed that Hanzō of the Salamander was truly dead and sealed away his corpse.
"Jiraiya, come help move the wounded."
"Toad Ken, Toad Hiro, I'm counting on you."
The two Toads accepted Jiraiya's request. They loaded the wounded onto their backs and leaped toward the Hidden Leaf camp.
When Jiraiya returned with news of Hanzō of the Salamander's death, the entire camp erupted.
"We have to launch an all-out attack while Amegakure is leaderless and defeat them once and for all!"
After discussing it, the Jonin in the camp quickly reached that conclusion.
Victory was within reach, and no one dared delay.
Jiraiya led the frontline army into an all-out assault, displaying Hanzō of the Salamander's corpse.
After only half a day's rest, Indra and Mikoto set out with Tsunade. Their reorganized force struck Amegakure's battle line from the flank.
They intended to attack from both sides and secure victory in a single stroke.
Hanzō of the Salamander had already drawn Amegakure's elite Rain Ninja away to fight, leaving the village thinly defended.
For all its size, Amegakure had only three Jonin and a few dozen Chunin and Genin guarding it. Its entire garrison numbered fewer than fifty.
The Rain Ninja scrambled to respond when they saw the Hidden Leaf force enter the village.
The battle was completely one-sided. In less than half an hour, they had taken complete control of Amegakure.
Indra seized the opportunity to try making a request through the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art.
I want the Paper Release Secret Technique.
Unlike in the Under One Person World, the world did not answer his request. His own power did.
Indra felt his Chakra and life force draining away at terrifying speed. Anyone else would likely have died on the spot, ten times over.
Before you continue