After finishing his official duties, Hanzo rubbed his temples.
There had simply been too much to deal with lately—even with several Shadow Clones working at the same time, it was still overwhelming.
The Rain Village, still struggling to recover from years of neglect, faced countless problems every single day. His current subordinates were excellent on the battlefield, but when it came to administration, it was downright painful.
Almost every single matter had to be brought to him for confirmation. Hanzo felt like his head was about to explode.
At times like these, he truly envied Konoha for having the Nara clan.
Thankfully, his people had finally begun to improve. There were fewer foolish questions now, and things had become marginally easier.
Feeling a twitch coming from his left eye, Hanzo raised a hand and covered it.
He wasn't a Hyūga. The rejection was still quite strong—he would need time to adapt.
That said, the Byakugan was undeniably useful.
When the surgery had just been completed, he'd casually tested it on the female medic. She'd immediately gotten a nosebleed, scaring herself half to death as she thought something had gone wrong with the procedure.
As for the salamander poison sac in his abdomen—ever since being tempered by the power of the Gelel, the pain there had never truly stopped. But it wasn't serious enough to bother him, so Hanzo had largely ignored it.
Recently, however, the pain had been steadily decreasing. Hanzo realized he could now consciously control the poison sac through his nervous system.
The sac had taken root inside his body, even growing a duct that connected directly to his respiratory system. At the same time, his body had naturally developed a viscous substance that granted true immunity to extreme toxins—something he had never anticipated.
In the past, he wasn't immune to the salamander's poison. He merely had high resistance.
Now, however, it was genuine immunity.
That meant his never-used ultimate move—"Seppuku"—had gained an entirely new method of application.
Hanzo knew exactly how terrifying the poison stored within his body was. Even he himself, back when he only had resistance, couldn't completely withstand it.
And after being nourished by Gelel's power, the poison could continue to grow stronger by absorbing his chakra. What it might become in the future—even Hanzo couldn't say.
Now, he could actively draw the toxin from the poison sac and expel it directly through his breathing.
This technique could even be mixed into his Water Style. Once the water vapor dispersed—
Within the poisoned zone, nothing would survive.
"Hm… Rōshi really did repel the Kumo's offensive. Looks like I don't need to worry too much."
Hanzo flipped through the intelligence reports in his hand, beginning his analysis.
"The Second Great Ninja War will last at least another five years. Kirigakure's assault on Konoha hasn't reached its climax yet. Kumogakure has lost some troops, but their true core strength hasn't been shaken."
"As for Sunagakure—if the Third Kazekage personally entered the battlefield, he could crush Iwagakure in one decisive blow. Yet instead, they seem to be training troops… that's strange. Do they have another objective? Are they planning to strike elsewhere while masking their intent?"
"And Konoha…" Hanzo's eyes narrowed.
"Even though they're at a disadvantage right now, their foundation is unquestionably the strongest among the Five Great Nations. They may have lost once to Sunagakure, but in the end, their victory is inevitable."
"When that happens, I don't believe they'll let the Land of Rain off the hook."
"Even if the Third Hokage doesn't want to act, Danzō definitely will."
"Should I stir things up from the shadows…?"
"No—there's no need."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen. Homura Mitokado. Koharu Utatane. Danzō Shimura."
"These four won't disappoint me."
"If I attack Konoha from the shadows, I'll only force them to unite further. Force only makes Konoha stronger—it breeds geniuses."
"If Konoha is to decline, it has to come from within."
"Konoha must be dealt with. Otherwise, when they retaliate later, even survival won't come cheap."
"But dealing with Konoha has to be done openly."
"…I've got an idea."
Hanzo picked up another intelligence report—this one from Yakushi Nono's intelligence network.
"Sunagakure… about to move, huh."
Looks like he'd need to make a trip to the Land of Earth.
"Rōshi, pull your weight a bit. For a moment there, I almost thought I was the Tsuchikage."
---
Sunagakure.
The upper echelons of Sunagakure were gathered in one room.
"This is the latest situation report."
After reading the document in his hand, the Third Kazekage looked up at the others.
"Any thoughts?"
...
"That Salamander Hanzo—after all the resources we poured into him, he turns around and stabs us in the back."
"If we hadn't tied down Iwagakure's main forces, how could he have launched a direct strike on their village?"
"And he chose this exact moment… Iwagakure must have let him take quite a bit. Even if we win now, there won't be much left for us."
"But we can't provoke Salamander Hanzo right now," another senior official said grimly.
"His strength is terrifying, and now he's completely ruthless. The consequences of enraging a mad Hanzo… the Land of Earth has already shown us what that looks like."
"And he even broke through Iwagakure's barrier…" the Third Kazekage frowned.
"There are records of that barrier in the Second Kazekage's archives. It was specially constructed after a Five Kage Summit to defend against Konoha's Nine-Tails."
"Its defensive power is among the strongest in the shinobi world. Even I… might not be able to break it."
...
"Then Lord Kazekage, should we continue the stalemate on the Iwagakure front? If we don't act soon, there truly won't be anything left to gain."
"We're stalling there for something far more important," the Third Kazekage said.
"For research that will determine Sunagakure's future."
"It's too significant to disclose right now—but within five years, you'll all see."
"No—actually, now will do," Chiyo spoke up.
"We've already reached sixty percent completion. What remains is a matter of 'materials.' We've collected enough over there to last for some time. The rest can be obtained from other battlefields."
"Third Kazekage, the Iwagakure front can be concluded. He's right—if we don't act now, there's nothing left to gain."
Just then, a knock echoed through the conference room as a Suna ninja rushed in.
"Lord Kazekage, everyone—sorry to interrupt, but this is urgent intelligence."
He placed a sheet of paper before the Third Kazekage.
"This is an announcement from the Land of Rain to the entire shinobi world."
The Third Kazekage stared at the paper, momentarily speechless.
"Hm?!"
"What is it? Third? Did something happen in the Rain Village? What is Hanzo plotting this time?" Chiyo asked.
"An announcement to the entire ninja world? Don't tell me he's declaring himself a Kage!"
"No—but it's far more shocking than that!"
The Third Kazekage wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Amegakure… has withdrawn from the Great Ninja War."
"What?!"
Everyone present was stunned.
The Rain Village—the one that had fought the fiercest—had withdrawn?!
And there were several small nations right next to them!
"Not only that," the Third Kazekage continued,
"Hanzo has declared the Rain Village an absolutely neutral nation for the remainder of the war. Any provocation against the Land of Rain will be met with full retaliation by the Rain Village—including Hanzo himself."
"He also emphasized 'absolute neutrality.' Aside from envoys and refugees, no ninja village is permitted to pass through Rain territory. No requests for passage will be accepted. No alliances will be formed with any force or village."
"But that's not even the key point."
He clenched his teeth, turned to the map behind him, and drew a large circle.
"The Land of Earth has ceded nearly one-tenth of its territory to the Land of Rain."
Everyone stared at the map, their hearts sinking.
Ame's new territory now cut directly across the front line between Sunagakure and Iwagakure—jutting out like a barbed spike.
To the left stood Iwagakure's massive defensive line, stone walls stretching for dozens of kilometers, forming an impenetrable barrier.
If Ame's territory could not be traversed, the remaining route for Sunagakure became a narrow choke point—a perfect ambush zone.
A frontal assault… even if successful, would cost at least eighty percent of their forces.
And Iwagakure now lacked nothing except cannon fodder. Ōnoki's legacy alone had left them with over thirty thousand troops.
Unless they had someone like Hanzo of the Salamander—capable of wiping out armies—breaking through would change nothing.
Iwagakure could simply erect another defensive line and send more expendable troops.
Ebizō lowered his head.
"Was this a deal between Iwagakure and Amegakure? Trading one-tenth of their territory for Ame's interference against us?"
The Third Kazekage slammed the table.
"I'll personally go to the Iwagakure front and end this battle as quickly as possible. We can't delay any longer."
"I'll go with you," Chiyo stood up.
"Perfect chance to test the experimental product."
The Third Kazekage nodded. "Then we depart immediately."
"Mm!"
At that moment, he noticed something strange about the paper.
"Where did this document come from?" he asked the Suna ninja.
"Amegakure sent a copy to every major nation. The one in your hands is the original."
"Such a subtle seal… a trap?"
Turning the paper over and channeling chakra into it, glowing blue characters appeared.
"!!!!"
[I, Hanzo of the Salamander, due to Amegakure's financial crisis, accepted bounty commissions during the war. All my actions were legitimate bounty missions. Those interested may post tasks at the Underground Bounty Exchange.]
[All of my actions are for monetary gain. I reserve the right to freely choose my missions.]
...
"…?"
"Hanzo… became a bounty hunter?!"
---
At the same time, in Konoha, an Ame envoy personally handed an identical document to Danzō in front of Hiruzen.
Only this time, the final paragraph was written directly onto the paper—and it explicitly stated that missions assigned by Danzō would be prioritized.
"Lord Hanzo praises your achievements in the Land of Earth. With fewer than three thousand troops, you shattered the defenses deep within their territory—a truly brilliant feat."
"This," the envoy said, "is something Lord Hanzo instructed me to deliver to you personally."
---------------------------------///
Advance Chapters on Patreon!
p(a)treon(.)com/HudaLin
-Remove the parenthesis to access patreon normally
Thanks for the Support!