This is reality.
He was the loser.
But the legend of the Demigod... seems irrelevant now.
This world is like this; the victor controls everything, the loser loses everything.
Titles, honor, life, dignity, everything will be taken away.
Long, pale yellow hair hung in front, and blood flowed down from the forehead, pooling at the chin and dripping to the ground, mixing with rainwater.
"A ninja has no value apart from combat, my later half of life is full of regrets... well, never mind, old woman, I'm going first, wait for you down there..."
The world before his eyes turned gray and white, Hanzou's eyes gradually lost their color, and with an air of carefree smile, he breathed his last.
Looking at Hanzou's body starting to grow cold, Chiyo took a deep breath, almost getting killed.
"This old guy's Instant Body Jutsu is still that fast... but now, that jutsu also..."
However, what surprised Chiyo was that the Black Dragon did not disappear with Hanzou's death, but instead, as if it had lost its shackles, it went berserk like a beast, starting to spiral out of control.
"Wait, why hasn't the jutsu been undone?"
Chiyo's face changed dramatically, a bad premonition suddenly surged in her heart.
"Could it be that this Black Dragon absorbs the caster's life force to grow—damn it! That respiratory tubed old man had such a jutsu hidden!"
Only in this way could she clearly understand why, after Hanzou's death, the Black Dragon could still maintain its form and continue to fight.
As long as the life force and chakra inside the Black Dragon do not dissipate, it will keep attacking the living beings around.
Or until all living people within a certain range are dead.
"Retreat! Hurry and retreat!"
Chiyo ignored her severed arm's pain, staying to deal with this Black Dragon had little meaning.
As long as they return and analyze Hanzou's body, this ninja technique will also belong to their Hidden Sand.
Including that unknown deadly poison.
Thinking of this, even if she accidentally lost an arm, it was not so unacceptable.
At this moment, a figure shot out from the earth, a black stained arm harder than steel, violently shattered two white-robed Puppets.
Then, with quite practiced movements, grabbed Hanzou's body and pierced towards the weakest point of the Hidden Sand's encirclement at a very fast speed.
That person was Kakuzu.
He had been looking for a chance to steal Hanzou's body, shaking off the few Hidden Sand Jonin watching him, and now his wish was fulfilled.
"I won't hesitate to take the corpse worth a hundred million ryo."
In the sky, a black creature flew, continuously shooting lightning from its mouth, opening a path for Kakuzu.
Having obtained the corpse worth a hundred million ryo, Kakuzu was in an extremely cheerful mood as he fled.
"Stop him!"
Seeing this scene, Chiyo was so angry that she almost vomited blood.
The surrounding Hidden Sand Ninjas also realized and chased after Kakuzu.
The spoils of war their Hidden Sand had obtained with difficulty, how could they let others take away so easily?
If so, this was not just a simple matter of Hidden Sand losing face.
Some pursued Kakuzu, and Chiyo also deployed personnel to retreat.
That Black Dragon was clearly in an uncontrolled state; waiting for its self-destruction was the best choice.
Though as such, while escaping, over a dozen ninjas accidentally encountered the Black Dragon, killed by its attack, making people gnash their teeth in anger yet not daring to provoke the Black Dragon's dignity.
"That respiratory tubed old man, leaving behind such trouble even after dying..."
She suspected that Hanzou's ambush was because his life force was nearly exhausted by the Black Dragon, wanting to take her down with him before dying.
At the time of retreating from the battlefield, a Hidden Sand Ninja hastily ran over.
"Lady Chiyo!"
"What is it?"
Chiyo remembered this Hidden Sand Ninja, one of the perception ninjas ambushing towards Konoha.
To divide Konoha and Hidden Rain, she had deployed nearly six thousand ninjas this time.
Attacking Hidden Rain involved about three thousand five hundred ninjas, and two thousand more were holding back Konoha, preventing them from aiding Hidden Rain, led by her brother Ebizo and Jonin Rasa.
"Lord Ebizo and Jonin Rasa want you to return to the camp immediately!"
"What happened?"
"We haven't encountered the Konoha Squad."
"What!"
Chiyo's voice suddenly rose, her face turning pale.
Did not encounter the Konoha Squad!? How could it be?
Could it be—
"Damn Orochimaru!"
Chiyo understood, her expression darkening, flames of anger burning in her eyes.
They were played.
It was not just their Hidden Sand, but also Hanzou.
All were played by Orochimaru.
That guy intended to make Hanzou a sacrificial pawn to fight a mutually destructive battle with Hidden Sand from the start.
To ensure nothing went amiss, they brought a total of six thousand ninjas, with only a thousand Hidden Sand Ninjas left guarding the camp, if Orochimaru led Konoha's main forces to seize it now...
Chiyo dared not think further.
There, all of Hidden Sand's hard-earned supplies, gathered over several years, were stored.
In this battle, Hidden Sand was not the biggest winner; Konoha was.
◎
"Those people are Akatsuki."
Behind a mountain rock stood a middle-aged ninja wearing a Hidden Rain headband.
This person was Kanzo, who betrayed Hanzou.
Seeing the Akatsuki Members fighting with Hidden Sand Ninjas afar, he frowned.
He hid here to prevent Hanzou from finding him, ready to kill him at all costs, and also to monitor the surrounding situation.