Tsunade's antidote went into mass production on the third day.
At last, they had a way to suppress the poison gas that spread through the air over long distances.
But it didn't work at close range.
The concentration was too high. The antidote couldn't take effect in time, and anyone exposed would drop on the spot.
That was why Kitahara Kaede had to stand at the very front.
He was the only person there who could breathe right in Hanzo's face and remain unharmed.
The battlefield lay upstream in the valley.
Hanzo stood atop his summoning beast, Ibuse.
Rainwater dripped down the filter tube of his breathing mask as he looked down at the Konoha line opposite him.
Their defenses had stabilized.
And their morale was nothing like it had been a week ago.
The intelligence brought from the rear confirmed one thing.
That blond female medical ninja had recently neutralized Chiyo's poison on the Western Front.
No wonder his vaunted poison-fog position had been forcibly breached by hundreds of slug summons and a mass-produced antidote.
Two of Amegakure's supply lines had been cut.
The reinforcements had been delayed for three days and still hadn't appeared.
Hanzo understood that Amegakure's foundations were too weak.
From the very beginning of the war, he had never entertained any delusions of annexing the Land of Fire.
This land, perpetually drenched by rain, needed a fearsome reputation.
A bargaining chip that would make the Five Great Nations wary and allow Amegakure to survive in the cracks between them.
Even if it came at a terrible cost, someone had to bear that infamy.
"My lord." The Amegakure Jonin behind him spoke in a low voice. "Konoha's main force is gathering. Should we—"
"I see them."
Hanzo gripped his kusarigama.
Opposite him,
Kitahara Kaede stood on the rock jutting furthest out along the front line.
Torrential rain beat against his face.
"Remember, Ibuse needs five minutes to build up poison again after each spray."
Kitahara Kaede stared at the dark purple line ahead.
"I'll keep him occupied up front for those five minutes. Take your people and press in from both flanks."
Jiraiya grinned, dragging his thumb across his teeth until he drew blood.
"Got it."
Tsunade didn't say much. She simply said, "Take care of yourself."
Mud exploded beneath Kitahara Kaede's feet as he shot forward.
Ibuse's enormous jaws opened.
A purple fog surged toward him, blotting out the sky.
Kitahara Kaede didn't hesitate. He plunged straight into the haze.
A kusarigama chain, driven by a gust of wind, ripped through the poison cloud and whipped viciously past his face.
Chidori Sharp Spear gathered and stretched out in his palm.
A blinding flash of lightning thrust straight at the deep blue armor ahead.
Sparks burst.
Enormous recoil traveled down the spear.
Kitahara Kaede's palm split open, but he forced himself to shift his footing and absorb the impact.
Hanzo held his kusarigama. A glint of surprise flashed in his eyes above his mask.
Not only was this kid immune to poison, his strength and reflexes far surpassed those of other young men his age.
The scythe arced down again.
The chain sealed off Kitahara Kaede's escape from the other side.
Lowering his center of gravity, Kitahara Kaede slipped beneath the blade by the narrowest of margins. Lightning surged around his right fist as he struck straight at Hanzo's defensive blind spot.
Boom.
The force of Chidori slammed into Hanzo's armor.
Hanzo's stance didn't budge. He brought his elbow down.
The blow was powerful.
Kitahara Kaede could only cross his arms to guard his head and face. The impact sent him staggering back several steps, his calves sinking into the muddy water.
Hanzo still didn't press his advantage. He drew his kusarigama back to his side.
Kitahara Kaede steadied his breathing and swallowed the taste of blood in his mouth.
He had bet right.
Every one of Hanzo's attacks was heavy, but none carried the intent to kill.
Amegakure couldn't afford to keep up this war of attrition. Their retreat was only a matter of time.
As a ninja who stood at the pinnacle, Hanzo needed to make one final show of strength against Konoha before withdrawing.
He needed a dignified way to end the battle.
Just then, Ibuse's jaws snapped shut.
The poison was gone.
"Now!"
Smoke billowed from the left flank as Gamabunta landed with a thunderous crash.
"Fire Style: Great Flame Bomb!" Jiraiya formed Hand Seals on top of Gamabunta's head.
Flames mixed with Toad Oil, forming a colossal dragon of fire that rushed toward the high ground.
On the right flank, flashes of light flickered.
Hundreds of Katsuyu's clones crossed the defensive line and attached themselves precisely to the poisoned Konoha ninja who had fallen.
The green glow of Mystical Palm Technique connected into a vast network, completely eliminating any lingering worries.
Lightning.
A sea of fire.
A medical network.
Hanzo remained where he was, taking in the actions of the three before him.
He turned his kusarigama around and struck Kitahara Kaede in the chest with the back of its blade.
Kitahara Kaede let the force send him flying more than ten meters backward, then slid through the mud to absorb the impact.
He looked a little battered, but he remained standing.
The flames burst twenty meters from Hanzo.
He watched the three of them for a long while through the downpour.
"You actually managed to withstand my techniques."
His deep voice drowned out the rain.
"I haven't seen a young man who could stand before me in many years."
Hanzo raised his kusarigama in one hand.
"From this day forth, you three shall bear the name of the Konoha Sannin."
Smoke filled the air.
Ibuse's massive body disappeared beneath the earth.
The Amegakure forces retreated swiftly, vanishing into the depths of the rain in the blink of an eye.
Only the rain remained in the valley.
Night fell.
A tarp had been stretched over the woodpile at the camp in the rear, and the flames had finally caught.
Every now and then, a drunken Chunin would belt out a song.
Kitahara Kaede sat nearby.
He idly toyed with two dice he'd borrowed from somewhere.
Footsteps stopped beside him.
Tsunade sat down at his side.
Her gaze fell on the dice in Kitahara Kaede's hand. She watched them quietly for a couple of seconds.
"Want to bet?"
They'd been tense for too long. Suddenly, she wanted to play a familiar game and feel a little more alive.
"What are we betting?"
"If you lose, you have to say something you'd normally never say, even if someone beat you to it."
Kitahara Kaede turned to look at her.
"Fine."
The two dice landed on the table.
They spun around a few times.
Kitahara Kaede rolled a three.
Tsunade rolled a five.
She raised the corner of her eye, looking three parts pleased with herself.
"Go on."
Kitahara Kaede fell silent for two seconds.
The orange-red firelight outlined Tsunade's profile.
"If I weren't reluctant to leave you on the front line, I wouldn't bother with this rotten Shinobi World."
The camp was noisy.
The teasing voices of the soldiers mixed with the sound of the rain.
But between the two of them, silence fell so suddenly that all they could hear was the crackle of burning wood.
Tsunade's hand jerked and struck the edge of the table.
The die she'd just won wobbled from the impact, rolled twice, and stopped at the corner.
A flush spread rapidly across her fair neck.
It climbed all the way to her ears.
"You..."
"You told me to say it," Kitahara Kaede replied evenly.
Tsunade whipped her head away, staring fixedly at the fire in front of them.
Her chest rose and fell unevenly.
It took a long time before she found her voice again.
"When this war is over, what kind of life do you want?"
Her voice was very soft.
Kitahara Kaede looked up at the rain pattering on the roof of the shelter.
"A little house with a yard."
"Plant some food. Have the person I love cook for me every day, boss me around and scold me, and I won't talk back."
Tsunade turned to him, the firelight and something else reflected in her eyes.
"And then?"
"That's enough."
Just as the red lips across from him began to part,
"Hey! What are you two doing hiding over here?"
A Chunin returning from guard duty waved at them from a distance, holding half a bottle of liquor.
"There's booze over here! Come have a drink!"
The words at the tip of Tsunade's tongue were abruptly cut off.
She stood up at once.
A little awkwardly, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"I'm going to bed."
She turned and walked toward the Medical Tent.
After a few steps, she suddenly stopped.
"I never would've guessed you'd cheat with borrowed dice."
Before Kitahara Kaede could answer, she'd already quickened her pace and walked off.
Her steps were a little unsteady.
Kitahara Kaede watched her retreating figure.
He reached out and gathered the two dice from the table.
Before you continue