As the jōnin leader of the mission, Uchiha Mikoto made her decision in an instant.
Someone had to stay behind.
Someone had to buy time.
If even one person hesitated, all five of them would die here.
"Aosui," Mikoto said, her voice steady despite the storm raging around them, "I'm entrusting Ayame and the others to you."
She turned to him, her eyes filled with apology.
From the very beginning, Aosui had never been part of this mission. He had only agreed to accompany them out of goodwill—and because she had asked.
Now, because of her, he had been dragged into a deadly conspiracy between Amegakure and Konoha.
Even at this moment, Mikoto firmly believed that everything unfolding before them was a deliberate scheme orchestrated by the Hidden Rain Village.
And that belief weighed heavily on her heart.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "You shouldn't have been pulled into this."
Aosui did not answer immediately.
Instead, he calmly formed a hand seal.
Poof.
A shadow clone appeared beside him.
"Minato," Aosui said sharply, turning to the blond boy, "you three immediately follow my shadow clone and leave this place."
"Go find Lord Jiraiya. Tell him exactly what happened and bring him here."
"Hurry!"
There was no room for hesitation.
Minato, Mukai Tomoki, and Sasaki Ayame all knew this was not the time for arguments.
They clenched their teeth, nodded, and followed Aosui's shadow clone as it darted away through the rain.
"Mikoto," Aosui said once the others were gone, "why do you think I would leave?"
She stared at him, stunned.
"You didn't have to stay," she said. "You could have escaped."
Aosui met her gaze calmly.
"We're comrades," he replied. "And I will never abandon a comrade."
His words struck her like lightning.
For a brief moment, Mikoto's vision blurred.
She remembered another battlefield.
Another downpour of blood and rain.
During the Second Great Shinobi War, they had once been ambushed deep behind enemy lines. The situation had been desperate—almost identical to this one.
Back then, she had ordered Aosui to flee.
And he had answered her with the exact same words.
I will never abandon a comrade.
Past and present overlapped.
Standing beside her now was the same man who had stood beside her then.
Mikoto inhaled deeply, steadying herself.
"Then," she said firmly, "we'll face the enemy together."
"We made it back alive last time."
"We'll make it back alive this time too."
A cold laugh cut through the rain.
"Leave alive?"
Hanzō the Salamander's voice echoed across the battlefield, heavy with disdain.
"You have only one ending today."
"Death—by my hand."
The moment his words fell, Hanzō moved.
A killing intent as vast as the sea swept outward.
Aosui tightened his grip on his ninja blade and charged forward without hesitation.
Clang!
The sound rang sharply through the rain as Aosui's blade collided with the chained sickle in Hanzō's hand.
The impact alone sent a violent shock through Aosui's arms.
Despite having reached proficiency in Konoha-style Kenjutsu, the difference between them was immediately clear.
Hanzō was on a completely different level.
In his youth, Hanzō had once dueled Mifune of the Land of Iron, a samurai who would later become the general of the entire nation.
And Hanzō had won—using swordsmanship alone.
That alone was proof of his terrifying mastery.
As expected—
Aosui was knocked back with a single exchange.
Before he could even stabilize himself, Hanzō flicked his wrist.
The chain shot forward like a serpent, wrapping tightly around Aosui's body.
In the next instant, Hanzō swung his sickle downward.
The blade gleamed with a dark sheen.
Poison.
A single hit would mean instant death—or worse.
At the critical moment, Aosui twisted his body, barely avoiding the descending sickle.
At the same time, Wind Release chakra surged along his blade.
The air screamed.
With a clean, decisive slash—
The chain was severed.
Hanzō's pupils contracted sharply.
He had assumed this unknown Leaf ninja was merely competent.
But this level of Wind Release nature transformation—
This was something only elite jōnin could achieve.
Konoha's foundation… was far deeper than he had expected.
Aosui did not retreat.
Momentum carried him forward as he continued his assault.
But Hanzō had already adjusted.
He sidestepped smoothly and delivered a powerful kick to Aosui's side, sending him flying backward through the rain.
Before Hanzō could follow up—
A wave of searing heat surged toward him.
It was Mikoto.
Fire Release burst forth, forcing Hanzō to abandon his pursuit and use Water Body Flicker Technique to evade.
Her attack failed to land.
But it achieved its purpose.
It saved Aosui.
"Are you hurt?" Mikoto asked urgently.
"I'm fine," Aosui replied, rising to his feet.
His expression remained calm, but inwardly, he sighed.
As expected of the so-called Demigod.
Against Hanzō, he was forced into this position only because he was holding back.
If he were willing to expose the Rinnegan—
If he were willing to unleash everything—
This battle would not look like this.
He might not be able to guarantee victory.
But at the very least, he would stand on equal footing.
And once he fully mastered the Rinnegan's abilities—
Hanzō would no longer be worthy of mention.
But that future was not now.
Right now, revealing the Rinnegan would invite something far worse than Hanzō.
Uchiha Madara.
Black Zetsu.
Compared to them, Hanzō was merely an obstacle.
"Mikoto," Aosui said quickly, "Hanzō is too strong."
"If we want to deal with him, we'll need to use the same combination as before."
Mikoto understood instantly.
Without hesitation, she began forming hand seals.
Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!
A massive fire dragon erupted from her mouth, roaring through the rain.
Compared to Great Fire Annihilation, this technique had a smaller range but far greater focus—perfect for battling a single opponent.
Aosui followed immediately.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
The wind wrapped around the fire dragon, feeding it, amplifying it.
The temperature soared.
The surrounding air distorted violently.
With a thunderous roar, the blazing dragon surged toward Hanzō.
Facing the combined attack, Hanzō showed no fear.
His expression remained composed.
"Decent Fire Release," he said calmly. "But still not enough."
He formed seals with practiced ease.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
A colossal water dragon emerged, its roar shaking the ground.
The two dragons collided head-on.
BOOM!
Fire and water annihilated each other in a violent explosion.
Steam exploded outward, scorching and blinding.
Hanzō had blocked their combined attack alone.
The title of Demigod was not an exaggeration.
The shockwave dispersed the rain for several moments, leaving the battlefield shrouded in boiling mist.
Yet none of the three were harmed.
Their bodies were already far beyond those of ordinary humans.
At the same time—
Elsewhere.
The Rain ninja pursued Minato and the others relentlessly.
Without hesitation, Aosui's shadow clone turned and attacked.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
Though nowhere near Hanzō's level, Aosui's Water Dragon was more than sufficient against these Rain shinobi.
Even the jōnin among them were forced to scatter and dodge.
"Minato," the shadow clone said urgently, tossing him a weapon, "take this."
It was a Fūma Shuriken—large, heavy, and deadly.
"Take Tomoki and Ayame and go," the clone continued. "I'll hold them back."
Minato clenched the weapon tightly.
He did not argue.
He only nodded once—
And ran.
---
Rain continued to fall.
Steel clashed.
Fire and water collided.
And two comrades stood side by side, backs unbroken, hearts unwavering.
No matter what awaited them—
They would not abandon each other.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)