Land of Rain Battlefield.
The war between Konoha, led by Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, and the Rain Ninja, led by the Amegakure Leader Hanzou the Salamander, had reached a fever pitch.
Bang bang bang!
The Summoned Beasts of Orochimaru and the other two took heavy blows and returned to their respective Summoning Realms.
Hanzou the Salamander stood high atop the Salamander's head, looking down at them.
Orochimaru said with a grave expression, "Even our combined attack had no effect."
Jiraiya, wounded, half-knelt on the ground, staring at Hanzou the Salamander, gritting his teeth and saying, "Is this the end..."
Hanzou the Salamander's gaze was cold as he spoke, "To be able to struggle this far, and at such a young age, is quite remarkable."
Unwillingness shone in Jiraiya's eyes.
Hanzou the Salamander continued, "This war will likely end in Konoha's victory. I will spare your lives."
Jiraiya shouted, "We don't need your pity! We can still fight!"
"Stop talking, Jiraiya!"
Tsunade stopped Jiraiya and continued healing his wounds.
Hanzou the Salamander ignored his words and continued, "The three of you are powerful. Not only have you survived until now, but you can still fight me."
"From this moment on, I, Hanzou, shall refer to you as the Konoha Three Great Shinobi."
Crunch—
Jiraiya clenched his teeth, feeling not the slightest bit of honor regarding this title!
Once the title of Konoha Three Great Shinobi was confirmed, it would be accompanied by the humiliation of all three of them being defeated together!
But now the situation was stronger than any individual; even if he didn't want to accept it, he had no choice but to!
In truth, Hanzou the Salamander desperately wanted to kill these three geniuses to weaken Konoha's strength,
His current actions were only because Konoha was about to win this war.
These three were also the disciples of Sarutobi Hiruzen. If he didn't want Konoha to tear into the Amegakure like mad dogs, he couldn't push things too far.
Giving them this title was merely an act of necessity.
Tap! Tap!
Just when everyone believed the battle was over, a clear set of footsteps suddenly rang out,
The owner of the footsteps, walking through the rain, quickly approached their vicinity.
Instantly, everyone looked cautiously at the newcomer.
And that attire, which was not like a Shinobi's, caused everyone present to be momentarily stunned.
An accidental intruder? Or perhaps a Samurai?
The longsword hanging at his waist led them to speculate.
But even if he wasn't a Shinobi, it didn't cause them to drop their guard.
Orochimaru, however, stared at his noble attire, looking thoughtful.
He paid no attention to the people present; instead, he acted as if they weren't there, walking straight toward the area behind them.
Even Hanzou the Salamander was surprised by this ordinary person who intruded onto the battlefield, wanting to see what he would do. Did he not realize the danger here?
Finally, the man stopped not far away, standing before a boy who was wearing a raincoat but lying on the ground.
Uzumaki Nagato wanted to struggle to his feet, but because of the impact from the exploding tag he had taken earlier, his body felt like it had been taken apart, causing intense pain.
Kuchiki Byakuya frowned, observed the red hair and the ringed eyes, and confirmed, "Uzumaki Nagato?"
Uzumaki Nagato was startled, not understanding why this person knew his name. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded and hummed in acknowledgment.
"Sir, do you need something from Nagato?"
Yahiko ignored the pain in his body and struggled to crawl over, afraid that the man would harm Nagato.
Konan saw the situation and also wanted to crawl over, but she was willing but unable.
Kuchiki Byakuya looked at Uzumaki Nagato's miserable state, frowned, and said, "Captain of the 6th Division of the Uzushigakure. I am here to bring the Uzumaki Clan home."
Kuchiki Byakuya's voice wasn't loud, but since the battle had already ended, his words clearly entered the ears of everyone else.
"As expected."
Orochimaru suddenly understood.
This is the Shinigami of the Uzushigakure? And a Captain, no less?
Tsunade carefully observed Kuchiki Byakuya, giving an evaluation that he didn't seem like a bad person.
Jiraiya asked in confusion, "You all knew?"
"Idiot, Konoha's Intelligence Division has records of their attire."
Jiraiya scratched his head; he'd rather go to the bathhouse for inspiration than read through all that dense intelligence.
Uzushigakure?
Hanzou's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had some understanding of the recently rising Uzushigakure.
Of course, it was also because this country had achieved a feat he hadn't!
They had actually defeated a Great Nation!
This incident, in particular, gave him immense confidence.
If a mere Uzushigakure could do it, why couldn't the Amegakure, with him, the half god of shinobi, achieve the same?
This current failure was merely due to his impulsiveness, simultaneously going to war with three Great Nations, which the Amegakure couldn't handle.
Once this second war ended, the Amegakure would recuperate for a while, and he would once again initiate challenges against the Great Nations!
Next time, he would take them on one by one!
Uzumaki Nagato's ears echoed Kuchiki Byakuya's words about going home, and a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes.
Could he still have a home?
Kuchiki Byakuya didn't care what he was thinking.
He glanced at Uzumaki Nagato's injuries, his expression growing colder.
Lord Soul King hadn't said he had to bring him back completely unharmed.
But bringing Uzumaki Nagato back in this state, wouldn't that imply Kuchiki Byakuya was incompetent?
Even if Lord Soul King wouldn't blame him, he wouldn't be at ease.
Moreover, that woman would definitely mock him mercilessly!
Such a thing was absolutely unacceptable!
"Who did it?"
"What?"
Uzumaki Nagato was momentarily stunned.
Kuchiki Byakuya said coldly, "Your injuries, who caused them?"
Uzumaki Nagato was also somewhat bewildered.
He wasn't sure who did it.
He only remembered a Kunai with a talisman attached landing in front of the three of them, and then it exploded with a bang.
However, the experienced Orochimaru and the other two noticed something amiss.
Those burn marks must have been caused by the power of an exploding tag.
Subconsciously, the three of them, with perfect synchronicity, looked towards Hanzou.
Kuchiki Byakuya instantly caught their movements.
He turned around, his eyes coldly fixed on the man standing atop the Salamander.
"Was it you?"
Hanzou's eyes narrowed slightly, meeting Kuchiki Byakuya's gaze, and he casually pulled out a handful of exploding tags.
"It was this old man."
On the battlefield, it's normal for a few people to die from the aftershocks of battle.
Hanzou didn't care about the lives of others.
Moreover, the way this junior looked at him was truly infuriating; he was the half god of shinobi!
That look, as if at an ant... a nameless rage surged from his heart.
Having confirmed his target, Kuchiki Byakuya stopped wasting words.
He gently pushed his Zanpakuto at his waist.
Seeing him about to draw his sword against Hanzou, Jiraiya quickly tried to dissuade him: "Calm down! Aren't you supposed to take that child home?"
Tsunade, remembering her connection with the Uzushigakure, also reminded him, "You'd best not do anything foolish; he's known as the half god of shinobi!"
Orochimaru merely watched coldly.
After all, he wasn't a good-natured person like Jiraiya, nor did he have any ties with the Uzushigakure like Tsunade.
However, they all shared the same thought.
Even if this person was the currently prominent Captain of the Land of Whirlpools, he absolutely couldn't be a match for Hanzou!
Didn't they see how battered and bruised the three of them were?
But Kuchiki Byakuya ignored their warnings and walked straight towards Hanzou.
Jiraiya and Tsunade sighed.
Orochimaru, however, was quite interested, wanting to see what kind of abilities this Captain of the Land of Whirlpools would reveal.
He was very curious about that peculiar ninja sword and Unmarked Ninjutsu... Under their gaze, Kuchiki Byakuya took one step, then two... The next moment, he suddenly turned into an afterimage, instantly appearing above Hanzou and striking down with his sword!
The terrifying speed made Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya's pupils contract simultaneously!
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