"Then what about dealing with Hanzo of the Salamander, Elder? Do you have any solution?"
Facing the people below him, Ebizō slowly shook his head.
"I don't know either."
"Hanzo of the Salamander isn't like the Third Hokage or the Third Raikage—someone you can overwhelm by piling up enough ninja."
"With his poison and forbidden jutsus, no matter how many troops you send, it's nothing but a massacre. Only ninja of the same tier have any chance of dealing with him."
"But… even the Third Kazekage and my sister fighting together still ended up…"
Absolute power. Absolute suppression. There was simply no answer.
"Could we do what Iwagakure once did against the Third Raikage—set up a barrier and trap him to death?"
A Suna ninja proposed cautiously.
"No matter how strong Hanzo of the Salamander is, he's still human. Three days without water, seven days without food—he'd die too, right?"
At those words, a spark briefly lit up in Ebizō's eyes.
That idea was feasible.
But just as quickly, his expression darkened again, and he shook his head.
"Do you remember Iwagakure's village defense barrier? Hanzo tore a hole straight through it."
"Sunagakure does have barrier and sealing techniques, but none of them can compare to Iwagakure's village-wide barrier."
"Trapping Hanzo might be possible. Trapping him to death is impossible—unless…"
"Unless we destroy both the barrier and Hanzo together."
At that thought, Ebizō suddenly slapped the table and stood up, startling everyone around him.
"The sealing pot! Where is the artifact we used to seal Shukaku?!"
Realization dawned on the room all at once.
"Right! That thing can even seal a tailed beast—sealing Hanzo of the Salamander should be possible too!"
But soon, someone shook their head.
"Our sealing unit can seal both the barrier and Hanzo together."
"However, the conditions for using that artifact are extremely harsh."
"It requires long preparation time, and the target must be restrained in a fixed position for a while. During that time, the target cannot leave the designated area."
"Don't forget—Iwagakure's barrier didn't hold Hanzo for long at all. If we actually carry out this plan, the sealing won't even be ready before Hanzo breaks the barrier."
Some Suna ninja still refused to give up.
"Can't we prepare it in advance?"
"No," another Suna ninja replied firmly.
"The disturbance would be too great. And remember—the prerequisite is keeping the target confined within a set area for a period of time."
"If the barrier is too small, Hanzo will sense it the instant it activates and Body Flicker out. Don't forget his speed."
"Trapping him is the prerequisite—and we can't let him notice and escape immediately. That means the barrier must be large."
"Is there no other sealing technique?" Ebizō asked.
"Elder, sealing space itself is rare, but not impossible," the ninja thought for a moment.
"Sunagakure does have a sealing technique that banishes a target and the surrounding area into another dimension. It's faster than the artifact—but it requires four elite jōnin to simultaneously occupy the four cardinal directions. If even one fails, everything collapses."
"And don't forget—Hanzo is accompanied by nearly a thousand Ame ninja."
...
After that, poisoning, forbidden jutsus, and countless other ideas were proposed—then immediately rejected.
Either Hanzo was too fast to hit, or too strong to fight head-on.
"Actually… the Puppet Corps has another option."
Those words instantly drew everyone's attention.
"In Lady Chiyo's research, there was a technique called 'Edo Tensei'—a reincarnation jutsu."
"Although the research progress is only around thirty percent, it can already achieve short-term revival."
"Of course, the conditions are extremely harsh. The caster must be at least jōnin-level, and the caster's own life is the price. The corpse must also be relatively intact."
"The Second Kazekage passed away not long ago, and his body is very well preserved. With his strength, delaying Hanzo of the Salamander shouldn't be a problem. That would make our previous plans viable."
"The Second Kazekage…!"
At that thought, light flared in everyone's eyes.
It was feasible.
"This technique isn't complete yet. If the Puppet Corps were given five years—no, three—we could finish it entirely."
"At that point, any ninja with a well-preserved body could be perfectly revived. The original concept behind this technique was to grant life to puppets."
"Our Magnet Release Puppet Project is already on track. In the future, if aging Suna ninja were willing…"
"Reviving the Second Kazekage…" Ebizō nodded slowly.
While the Second Kazekage wasn't as strong as the Third—no, to be precise, the Third was unquestionably the strongest Kazekage—the Second could still hold Hanzo back for a time.
Trap both of them inside the barrier.
The reincarnation jutsu has a time limit.
Once it ends, the Second Kazekage's soul returns to the Pure Land—
—and Hanzo of the Salamander would be finished for good.
The price of a single jōnin?
Worth it.
"Good. Then it's settled. I'll prepare the death volunteers."
Sunagakure had long trained ninja who erased their emotions—people willing to give up their lives to complete a mission.
At that point, Ebizō suddenly remembered something and asked:
"By the way… how long does it take to learn this jutsu?"
"Because it's a forbidden jutsu and still unfinished, the notes are extremely disorganized," the Suna ninja replied.
"Roughly speaking, it takes about one month just to grasp the basics."
"At present, besides Elder Chiyo, the only one who has mastered it is…"
"…me."
"…Huh?!"
Not only he himself, but Ebizō and the others all wore strange expressions.
Dig a hole and bury himself?
But he was the Deputy Head of the Puppet Corps—second only to Chiyo. With Chiyo gone, the future development of the Puppet Corps depended entirely on him.
And yet…
'Why don't you sacrifice yourself for Sunagakure?'
No one could bring themselves to say those words.
"Report!"
The meeting hall doors suddenly burst open as a Suna ninja rushed in.
"Elders—this is bad!"
"Hanzo of the Salamander—Hanzo of the Salamander is… marching straight toward the Daimyō's palace!"
!!!
Every person in the room felt their scalp go numb.
This was exactly what Hanzo had done in the Land of Earth—and they had all seen the consequences.
With their supply lines cut, Iwagakure had wiped out the Earth Country nobility and installed themselves as the ruling power.
"The Daimyō and his entire family have already fled," the messenger continued.
"Reports from our informants say that most of the Wind Country nobles are also packing up, preparing to leave the country to seek refuge."
"We've lost contact with the Daimyō. Only he can contact us now."
It was obvious—after Iwagakure's actions, not only the other Daimyō but even the nobles had lost faith in their ninja villages.
"Damn it! That bastard Hanzo of the Salamander—did he forget the shinobi world proclamation issued after the Five Kage Summit?!"
"Attacking a Daimyō is supposed to bring the entire shinobi world down on you!"
Ebizō, who had still been holding onto some rationality, finally exploded into curses.
Hanzo hadn't just done it once—he'd done it multiple times.
He'd even wiped out his own Daimyō.
A global proclamation? How long ago was that?
Don't like it? Come fight me.
Or better yet, send Hashirama Senju himself.
This was the middle of a world war—who cared about that anymore?
Look at Iwagakure. After taking the Daimyō's authority, who actually condemned them?
It was even said that Takigakure was testing the waters to do the same—their Daimyō was already in hiding.
Ebizō understood all of this. He forced down his rage.
"Elder," the messenger added hesitantly, handing him a letter.
"The Daimyō sent this as well."
A Suna ninja asked, "What did the Daimyō say?"
After reading it, Ebizō felt sick to his core.
"The Daimyō says… if there's truly no other way… we should surrender."
"He doesn't blame us. The Daimyō's estate will cover all reparations, and next year's military budget won't be affected."
"Elder… since even the Daimyō has said this, maybe we should—"
The one speaking was the Deputy Head of the Puppet Corps. His entire body trembled, the feeling of clawing back from the brink of death almost overwhelming.
"Fighting Hanzo of the Salamander—even with the Second Kazekage, there's no guarantee of success."
"And if we fail, not only will we lose our forces, but the reparations afterward…"
Ebizō was about to curse him for being afraid of death—
—when the meeting hall doors burst open again.
"Report!"
"Elders—bad news!"
Another Suna ninja rushed in.
"Our scouts report that Orochimaru and Tsunade have led a large Konoha force out on campaign."
"Their target is unmistakable—the Land of Wind."
"We also received intelligence from the Land of Rivers. Konoha has already entered its borders. At most, two days until they reach Wind Country."
Veins bulged on Ebizō's forehead.
"They signed a ceasefire agreement just a few months ago."
"A bunch of oath-breaking scum."
"My sister was right, Konoha is nothing but a pack of shameless wolves!!!"
Damn it...
I can't deal with Hanzo of the Salamander, but I can damn well deal with you.
Three people who Hanzo had beaten half to death, and they still have balls to come to Sunagakure.
If Hanzo hadn't been greedy for money, all three of you would already be dead.
And now only two of you are here.
"The summoning scroll the Third left behind—is it still here?! Bring it to me!"
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