Though Hanzo of the Salamander was old, he still lived up to his title as the Demigod of the Shinobi World.
"They're here."
Just as Danzō Shimura was lost in thought, Hanzo suddenly turned toward the entrance of the valley.
Two figures were rapidly approaching.
One with orange hair, the other with red—Yahiko and Nagato.
Hanzo grabbed Konan with one hand, pulling her in front of him as a shield, while his other hand reached for the chain-bound sickle at his waist.
Danzō's body tensed slightly, then quickly relaxed.
His gaze locked onto the approaching pair—more precisely, onto Nagato behind Yahiko. His eyes gleamed as if trying to pierce through the strands of hair covering Nagato's face… to glimpse the hidden Rinnegan beneath.
At last…
Slash!
A blinding arc of light flashed.
One of Danzō's arms flew into the air, blood spraying out in a violent burst.
Clutching his shoulder, Danzō retreated rapidly, staring at Hanzo with disbelief.
"Lord Danzō!"
The surrounding Root shinobi panicked, immediately forming a protective circle around him.
Hanzo snorted softly, saying nothing. Instead, he tossed Konan toward the stunned Yahiko and Nagato below.
"Leave. Now!"
Seeing Yahiko catch her, Hanzo turned back toward Danzō and the others, shouting without looking back.
Yahiko and Nagato already knew this encounter was a trap set by Uchiha Ren for Danzō.
But they had no idea how Ren intended to execute it.
So they were completely caught off guard when Hanzo attacked Danzō the moment they arrived.
For a brief moment, both of them just stood there, stunned.
In truth, Uchiha Ren had little choice.
Although he had manipulated Hanzo into cooperating with Danzō, Danzō had never fully trusted him.
From the very beginning of their meeting, Danzō had remained cautious, leaving Hanzo with no opening to strike.
But the moment Yahiko and Nagato appeared, Danzō's attention faltered—just for an instant.
For someone like Danzō, that lapse was rare.
And fleeting.
A missed chance would not return.
So Ren acted without hesitation, controlling Hanzo to strike immediately.
Even so, Danzō managed to react at the last moment, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.
"You… why?!"
Sheltered behind his Root guards, Danzō received treatment while glaring at Hanzo in disbelief.
He couldn't understand it.
Why would Hanzo attack him? How could he dare?
He, Danzō Shimura, was a Konoha elder—a Hokage advisor. A pillar of the village leadership.
Did Hanzo not fear Konoha's retaliation?
Hanzo's gaze flickered as he let out a cold snort.
"Danzō… this operation of yours wasn't approved by Hiruzen Sarutobi, was it?"
"You stirred conflict in the Land of Rain on your own. Do you really think Hiruzen would stand up for you?"
"Would he drag Konoha back into war—for your sake?"
The questions hit one after another, leaving Danzō momentarily stunned.
Knowing Hiruzen… the answer was likely no.
Hiruzen had long since lost his sharpness. In the name of peace, he would choose compromise.
And this mission had been unauthorized. If Danzō died here, it would be meaningless.
Realizing this, Danzō's expression darkened.
Hanzo continued, "Hiruzen is a 'good' Hokage—one who sees the bigger picture."
"Without you holding him back, Konoha will become even more… accommodating."
"A chaotic situation may benefit the Land of Rain somewhat—but a 'reasonable' Konoha brings far greater advantages."
Danzō's face grew even uglier.
He understood now.
Among Konoha's leadership—Hiruzen, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and himself—only he was the hardliner.
The others were compromisers.
As long as peace could be maintained, they were willing to sacrifice benefits.
Even with him present, they had already conceded too much.
Without him… they would go even further.
Such a Konoha would be ideal—for every other nation.
Hanzo's decision made perfect sense.
Only one question remained—
How did Hanzo know Konoha's internal dynamics so well?
Was there a traitor in the village?
"I was careless…" Danzō said darkly. "But achieving your goal won't be so easy."
He prepared to order his Root forces to attack—
But before he could speak, his expression suddenly changed.
"Noticed already?" Hanzo smirked. "My attacks aren't so easy to evade."
"Lord Danzō—his weapon is poisoned!"
The Root medic cried out in alarm. The wound at Danzō's severed arm had already turned a sickly purple.
He couldn't even identify the toxin—let alone cure it.
"Danzō… today is your death."
Hanzo raised his fingers, preparing to strike again.
"Attack! Don't let that boy escape either!"
Even now, Danzō hadn't forgotten the Rinnegan.
The Root forces split into three groups—one to guard Danzō, one to pursue Yahiko's group, and the majority to engage Hanzo.
"Fire Release: Explosive Flame Formation!"
Hanzo clapped his hands together, triggering the trap in advance.
Though Root had been monitoring Amegakure, Uchiha Ren—hidden in the shadows—had never been in their sights.
After confirming the location yesterday, Ren had secretly set numerous explosive tags across the area.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted one after another.
Explosive tags burst from the ground, flying toward the Root shinobi, instantly turning the valley into a sea of flames.
"Move—now!"
Hanzo deliberately avoided Yahiko's position and shouted.
This time, they reacted.
Yahiko, carrying Konan, fled immediately. Nagato hesitated briefly—then stopped and turned.
Facing the pursuing Root shinobi, he raised his hand.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A powerful repulsive force burst outward, blasting the Root shinobi away.
However, Nagato had not yet mastered the Rinnegan. The technique's power was limited.
The Root shinobi quickly regained their footing.
With no choice, Nagato stayed behind—to buy time.
Meanwhile, Hanzo was already facing dozens of enemies alone.
Poof!
Nagato's body suddenly burst into smoke.
"A Shadow Clone?!"
The pursuing Root shinobi froze.
Their true target—Nagato—had never even been there.
"Smart move."
Hanzo noticed and silently praised him while forming hand seals.
Now that only enemies remained—
He had no reason to hold back.
"Summoning Technique!"
Dodging an incoming Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, Hanzo slammed his hand down.
With a thunderous boom, a massive creature appeared—
Ibuse, his salamander summon, as large as a small mountain.
It swept away several Root shinobi upon arrival.
"Poison Mist!"
At Hanzo's command, Ibuse opened its mouth, releasing a torrent of deep purple toxin that spread like a cascading flood.
"Careful! Everyone—hold your breath!"
A Root shinobi shouted—
—but in the next instant, a silver flash cut through the air.
His head flew off, terror frozen in his eyes.
Hanzo moved through the poisonous mist like a phantom, reaping lives like a reaper.
The Root shinobi were already weaker than him. Now, forced to hold their breath, their movements slowed from lack of oxygen.
They stood no chance.
"This won't work… Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A jōnin, risking poisoning, unleashed a powerful gust to disperse the mist.
But Ibuse's toxin clung stubbornly to everything.
The wind only thinned it slightly—while spreading it even further.
"Summoning Technique!"
Another poof—a massive, elephant-like creature appeared on the battlefield, letting out a strange cry.
"The Baku…"
Hanzo recognized Danzō's summon.
Knowing its ability, Hanzo gripped his sickle, preparing to eliminate it before it could act.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, sharp whistling sounds cut through the air.
Several rapidly spinning shuriken flew toward him, sealing off all escape routes.
Hanzo's pupils shrank.
These were no ordinary shuriken—
They were infused with highly concentrated Wind Release chakra, creating violent rotational currents capable of slicing through stone.
A deadly technique—
…but with an obvious weakness.
Hanzo swung his arm.
The chain attached to his sickle shot out like a venomous serpent, weaving swiftly through the air.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789