The rain had never stopped.
It fell in a dense curtain over the roofs of Amegakure, eating away at the rusted pipes, pounding against the windows, drowning the dark alleys in its relentless roar. But amidst this steady chaos, a louder, more frantic beat dominated everything.
Thump… thump… thump…
It was Hanzo's heart.
"Damn…"
He leaped from rooftop to rooftop, his scythe strapped to his back, his hair still damp from his interrupted shower clinging to his forehead. His gaze scanned the city. He knew every artery, every pipe, every corner.
[Time Remaining: 25 minutes]
[Objective: Repel Suna's forces]
[Failure: Yahiko will die.]
"Yahiko…"
That naive kid with his dreams of peace… His genuine smile… He had no right to die. Not now, anyway. That would be a disaster.
Yahiko's death could only mean one thing: the creation of a criminal Akatsuki, not the pacifist group it had been in its early days.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
It must be near the Suna border! That's so far away. He shouted to himself.
It was a huge problem. Arriving in time would be good. But...
[50% chakra remaining]
What was he going to do against an enraged, fully rested Chiyo with 100 puppets, Pakura, and elite Jonin?
"Let's hope the Iron Sand Kazekage isn't there too." He sighed to himself as he jumped at high speed.
He clenched his teeth. He should have seen it coming. Sakumo, that damn White Fang, always sowing chaos without ever taking responsibility. He'd come to hide in Ame after killing Chiyo's son, like a coward, leaving behind a field of hatred to reap.
And now Suna had come to harvest it.
He sped up.
The roofs of Ame narrowed. He was approaching the outskirts, the industrial districts, where civilians lived most miserably, crammed under sheet metal. Near the border.
...
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of a collapsed district, hell had already begun.
Flames devoured the metal beams. Screams echoed between the gutted buildings. Women wept, men begged.
And the ninjas of Suna, cloaked in their capes, searched the rubble mercilessly.
"He's here somewhere! The White Fang!" one of them shouted.
"Make these rats talk!" growled another.
An old woman was kicked in the ribs. A child was dragged by the hair. The ground was red with blood and black with soot.
Atop a collapsed container, Chiyo, the master puppeteer, observed the scene.
Her face, far less wrinkled than in the manga, was taut with icy hatred.
"You can't run forever, Sakumo Hatake."
Beside her, Pakura, the famous Shakuton kunoichi, stood with arms crossed. Her green eyes gleamed with anger. Sakumo had finally slipped through her fingers.
"They're protecting a criminal. Ame is our enemy."
She leaped down.
But at that moment…
Snap.
A neck broke.
A Suna ninja collapsed, cleanly decapitated. His blood arced through the pouring rain.
Another fell to his knees, his eye pierced by a kunai shuriken.
Then a voice cracked through the silence:
"Who gave you permission to set foot on my territory… and harm my people?"
Everyone turned.
Standing on a gutted container, black scythe in hand, long coat billowing in the wind, was Hanzo.
His gaze was dark, his pupils gleaming with the light of the Shadow Monarch.
"Hanzo of the Salamander…"
Chiyo's teeth ground together.
"This isn't your concern. We have a score to settle with Konoha's White Fang."
Hanzo tilted his head.
"And you've decided to settle your score… by torturing my civilians?"
He jumped, landing on the ground with bent knees, a circle of water splashing around him.
Suna ninjas immediately went on guard. Pakura stepped forward.
"We have nothing against Ame. Hand over Sakumo, and we'll leave."
Hanzo didn't respond right away. Then he sighed.
"I don't even know where he is. But what I do know… is that I won't tolerate innocent blood being spilled in my land."
He planted his scythe in the ground.
"Withdraw. Now."
Chiyo raised a finger. Puppets were already emerging from her back.
"So you choose war?"
Hanzo looked up at her. His face remained impassive.
"No. I choose my people."
[Time Remaining: 12 minutes]
[Enemy Forces: 22 Jonin • Pakura • Chiyo]
[Reinforcements: None]
[Survival Chances: 8%]
Hanzo exhaled slowly.
Then he took a fighting stance.
"You want war? Then come."