Two days later, in Amegakure.
Hanzō was reviewing military documents when a subordinate rushed in, panting.
"Lord Hanzō, the Suna Village is requesting aid!"
Hanzō's expression darkened. "Has Konoha begun their offensive?"
"Yes," the Ame-nin reported quickly. "The Suna said they're positioning their troops now. They only need us to hold Konoha off for half a day, then we can retreat."
"Tch." Hanzō snorted coldly. "Konoha's first strike will be at their strongest—morale high, chakra reserves full, and intent to win absolute. They'll go all out. Having Amegakure block their first wave is nothing but sending my people to die."
The subordinate hesitated. "Then how should we respond to Sunagakure, my lord?"
Hanzō's tone turned dry with disgust. "What a shameless ploy. They're using us as their shield, letting the Ame bleed while they sit safely behind. And if I refuse, they'll claim we're violating the alliance—that we took their resources but won't fight. Then they'll strangle us through supply lines. Hah... troublesome."
He paused, a glint of calculation in his eye.
"But... they said hold off Konoha, didn't they? That means there's room to maneuver."
He gave a thin smile. "Send a message to Sunagakure: tell them we'll take this loss. But they'd better send over the promised supplies immediately."
"Yes, my lord!" The Ame-nin vanished in a flicker of movement.
"Riku Nin-Ka, Riku Nin-I!" Hanzō called.
Two Ame-nin appeared before him instantly. "Here!"
Hanzō spread out a map, marking two zones before handing them a scroll.
"Gather a thousand Ame-nin. Each of them is to take twenty explosive tags from the armory—my own special batch. You'll plant them throughout these two areas according to the layout inside the scroll. Once it's done, withdraw and rendezvous with the Suna forces. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
After they departed, Hanzō summoned another operative. "Riku Nin-Bi."
"My lord."
"I'm concerned something might happen while I'm away. You'll handle Amegakure's internal defenses. There are still two thousand shinobi in the village—make sure nothing goes wrong."
He knew who Konoha's commander was. The Nara clan were masters of strategy—he'd be a fool to underestimate them.
If they decided to raid Amegakure itself, better to have someone sharp holding the line.
With his orders given, Hanzō rose to his feet, eyes narrowing.
"Time to remind Konoha whose domain the Land of Rain truly is. A little exercise will do me good."
---
Meanwhile, in Sunagakure's camp
"That's the message Lord Hanzō asked me to deliver. When I left, he was already on his way to the frontlines personally," the Ame-nin reported, sweating slightly under the Third Kazekage's suffocating chakra pressure.
"Understood. You've done well," the Kazekage said curtly.
Once the messenger left, Chiyo slammed her fist into the wall in fury.
"That damn Salamander! Konoha's field army is at least five thousand strong, and he's bringing a thousand Ame-nin to 'hold them off'? He'll just exchange a few blows and retreat—then say his men couldn't stall them long enough! And since he's personally leading, we can't even accuse him of cowardice! That blasted gas mask of his—!"
The Third Kazekage smiled thinly. "It's fine. That'll give us an excuse to reduce the resources promised in the alliance."
He turned serious. "I have a certain jutsu to prepare. The longer I can charge it, the stronger it'll be—but even if I run out of time, the power will still be... sufficient. I'll give Konoha a gift they won't forget."
Chiyo raised a brow, then burst out laughing as she caught his meaning. "Oh? That kind of jutsu? Heh... looks like I'll get to settle an old score too."
Still, she couldn't help but think of Hanzō.
Five thousand against one thousand... surely Konoha's sent some of their best after him.
Salamander Hanzō—let's see how strong you really are.
---
At that same time — Konoha's army
A figure suddenly appeared in their path.
"It's Hanzō of the Salamander!" someone shouted.
In an instant, the Konoha forces braced for battle.
At the vanguard stood three legendary ninja: Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.
Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed. "Something's off. He's alone... no Ame-nin in sight. Is this a trap?"
Jiraiya grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Doesn't matter. At this distance, we rush him. Even if it's a trap, we'll smash right through it. He's just one man!"
Tsunade nodded. "Agreed."
With the three of them combined—and five thousand Konoha shinobi behind—they had more than enough power to crush Hanzō.
But... Orochimaru frowned. "This doesn't fit his reputation. The man's cautious, not reckless."
Still, there was no time to hesitate. The three exchanged a glance and charged forward.
—
Hanzō's gaze sharpened. "So it's them. The famed students of Hiruzen Sarutobi... how troublesome."
He slammed his hands together. "Summoning Jutsu!"
A thunderous boom echoed as smoke erupted. When it cleared, a colossal giant salamander towered over the battlefield— Ibuse's grandfather, the Salamander King himself.
Hanzō stood proudly atop its head, scanning the Konoha forces below.
Even seasoned shinobi trembled. "Wh-what the hell... how can a salamander be that huge!?"
"Don't panic! Charge!" Jiraiya roared, forming hand seals with the others.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With a flash of smoke, three titans appeared: Gamabunta, Katsuyu, and Manda.
Before any of them could act, Hanzō shouted, "Poison Mist—Disperse!"
The Salamander King exhaled a massive wave of purple vapor, sweeping across half the field.
The three summons, caught off guard, were immediately engulfed.
"Fall back! Frontline, retreat! Rear units, flank around both sides!" Tsunade barked orders, her voice sharp.
Orochimaru followed up. "Wind Style users, forward! Blow the gas away!"
Jiraiya flared his chakra, wary of Hanzō's next move beneath the haze.
Recovering from the initial spray, the three summons charged forward in unison, each carrying their summoner.
But Hanzō's chakra suddenly spiked, surging like a storm.
"Be careful," Jiraiya warned.
Orochimaru's lips curled. "Hmph. Foolish person. He dies here."
Just then, Hanzō completed his seals. "Water Style: Water Step Cut!"
Beads of water gathered beneath his feet, glistening in the rain.
"Fire Style: Giant Flame Bombs!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Katsuyu: Acid Spray!"
All three Sannin launched simultaneous attacks—just as Hanzō abruptly spun and leapt backward.
The water at his feet liquefied the ground, and with a resounding boom, a high-pressure jet shot from behind his heels, propelling him forward like a bullet.
The water blade carved into the earth behind him, while Hanzō blurred out of sight—vanishing entirely from the battlefield.
The Salamander King dissolved into smoke, ending its summoning.
All of the Sannin's attacks hit nothing but air.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru froze.
"...He ran?" Jiraiya muttered blankly.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "No... he's toying with us."
Beneath him, Manda hissed irritably. "Hiss, what's this nonsense? You drag me out here just to get me gassed like a fool!?"
Jiraiya's summon wasn't any happier. "Oi, Jiraiya! Didn't I tell you not to summon me unless it's serious? You call me out just to get poisoned?!" Gamabunta bellowed.
As rain poured down, Orochimaru sighed. "Our apologies, gentlemen. We'll compensate you later. Dismissed."
"Hmph." Manda vanished with a puff of smoke.
Gamabunta grumbled but followed suit.
"Lady Tsunade, I'll take my leave as well," Katsuyu said politely before dissipating.
The three Sannin landed on the muddy ground again.
"Look," Orochimaru said quietly. "The ground."
They glanced down—violet water was already pooling around their feet.
"Where did this come from!?" Jiraiya shouted, jumping back.
"It's the residue from the salamander's poison gas," Orochimaru explained. "The rain diluted it, and our own Wind Style only spread it wider. Now it's mixed with the downpour—forming toxic runoff. Clever bastard."
The three of them exchanged grim looks.
"So this is Salamander Hanzō, huh?" Jiraiya said bitterly. "Renowned as Demigod' who strikes once and runs."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Perhaps that's exactly why he's survived this long."
Salamander Hanzō: Hit once, then run.
Truly... exhilarating.
Watching the shaken formation behind him, Orochimaru sighed.
"Our summoning beasts completely disrupted the formation. Nothing to do about it — Manda's body alone takes up half the field. We'll reorganize and go around. That toxic puddle won't clear for a while; we'd waste more time waiting than detouring."
He was right. The army was packed with genin and chūnin, and even diluted poison was still lethal.
If any of it splashed on skin or entered the lungs, it'd be a logistical nightmare. They had only half a day left before the main clash with Sunagakure — marching in a poisoned state was unthinkable.
"Cough… cough…"
Jiraiya suddenly doubled over.
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade and Orochimaru turned pale.
"I'm fine," he said hoarsely. "Just inhaled a little of that gas earlier."
Tsunade pressed a glowing green palm to his chest, injecting chakra as she pulled a small injector from her pouch and plunged it into his arm.
"This toxin's composition is different — I haven't managed to develop an antidote yet. Standard antivenom will only suppress it temporarily. You're lucky you only inhaled a trace amount. I can keep you stable for now, but if you breathe in any more next time… I can't guarantee I'll save you."
Her tone trembled despite her composure.
Then she froze—eyes widening as realization struck.
They turned and looked back: several shinobi were already dizzy and nauseous, while those who had charged the front had collapsed, motionless on the soaked earth.
"Medical-nin, forward! Anyone showing symptoms—fall back immediately!"
As Tsunade shouted orders, cold sweat trickled down her face.
Orochimaru laid a hand on her shoulder. "Don't panic. A poison dose that size — even that salamander can't release it twice in a short span. Hanzō's attack frequency is limited."
Tsunade took a deep breath as Orochimaru continued grimly,
"Still, he got what he wanted—time. We've been stalled long enough."
He crouched, collecting a small sample of the violet runoff into a glass vial and handed it to her.
"This toxin's one of Hanzō's trump cards. Samples like this are rare. If you can craft an antidote, next time he won't catch us off guard."
Tsunade nodded. "It'll take time."
"That's fine. We've got plenty of battles ahead. For now, rest one hour. Then we march."
---
An Hour Later
Konoha's army resumed its advance.
Meanwhile, Hanzō crouched in a mountain grove—the perfect ambush point along Konoha's route.
He'd just finished meditating, chakra fully replenished.
A report from his scouts confirmed it: his subordinates Riku Nin-Ka and Riku Nin-I had done their jobs well.
A grin tugged at his lips. "Then… let's play a little game of mines and thunder."
Soon, Konoha's vanguard appeared.
"Hold."
Perched on a tree branch ahead, Hanzō's lone silhouette was unmistakable.
"He's waiting for us," Tsunade muttered. "But that poison trick of his shouldn't be ready yet. Could this be another trap? Should we go around?"
"Always alone, huh?" Jiraiya growled. "He really thinks he's untouchable. We've got bigger priorities — Sunagakure's army won't wait forever."
He clenched his fists. The memory of the earlier poison made his voice edge with bitterness. "No time to play his games."
Orochimaru's tone was cold and precise. "We three advance first. Unless he's set up a large-scale barrier technique—which, by our intel, he hasn't had time for—conventional traps won't slow us. The real threat is Hanzō."
He smiled faintly. "If there are traps, the main army will bypass. If not—we kill him here. And if Salamander Hanzō dies, we march straight on Amegakure afterward. With that base secured, neither Sand nor Stone would dare touch us."
The three exchanged a glance—unspoken understanding between seasoned killers— then Orochimaru gave the order:
"Long-range attack, all units!"
A storm of kunai and shuriken rained toward Hanzō.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade advanced in the confusion.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
A shining wall of water erupted, deflecting every weapon midair.
"Ninja Art: Needle Hell!"
"Wind Style: Wind Blade Jutsu!"
Jiraiya and Orochimaru countered, aiming not at Hanzō but the forest around him — testing for traps.
Trees splintered, dust flew… nothing.
That silence chilled Orochimaru more than an explosion.
"…Wrong. Jiraiya, Tsunade—fall back!"
Jiraiya blinked but didn't argue. He trusted Orochimaru's instincts. They immediately retreated.
"Damn it, it's always just him—just one man!" Jiraiya spat. "I've never fought someone so damn slippery."
Orochimaru's expression darkened.
"When one shinobi grows powerful enough," he said quietly, "numbers cease to matter. Strategy itself must bend around them. Like Hashirama once did… and now Hanzō."
Tsunade's voice was low but firm. "If there's a trap ahead, we'll pay for killing him with half our force. He wants us to advance. So we won't. We'll go around."
She outlined quickly, "If he moves to intercept, then the trap won't matter—he'll have to abandon it. If he stays put, that proves it is trapped. Either way, we lose little time."
"Fine by me," Jiraiya grumbled. "But someday, I'm gonna smash that bastard flat."
"Don't be stupid," Tsunade cut him off.
"Even the three of us together would struggle to bring him down."
The order was given: the army began its detour.
Orochimaru, however, smiled faintly, eyes narrowing with curiosity.
"Interesting. So… how will you respond, Hanzō?"
---
Up on the treetops, Hanzō chuckled softly.
"Oh? They're going around? Good thing I prepared for that."
He had laid two entire minefields of explosive tags—his "thunder fields."
A thought flashed across his mind. "No wonder they called Namikaze Minato the Yellow Flash—his enemies must've felt just like this, being manipulated by one man's tactics."
Back below, Orochimaru's suspicion deepened.
He's not moving. Why?
"Just as I thought," Hanzō murmured.
"You're taking the shortcut. Then don't blame me. This… is war."
He pressed his palm to a nearby tree trunk.
Blue chakra flowed outward, lighting up countless thin threads woven through the bark—wires that stretched across the forest, linking to thousands of explosive tags buried underground.
These were no ordinary tags: they'd been modified.
Only chakra infused with Hanzō's unique signature could trigger them—safe until he chose to unleash them.
He'd had Riku Nin-Ka's squad bury twenty thousand of them across a vast area. The density was low, but the coverage?
Enormous.
As Orochimaru noticed Hanzō's hand glowing, his instincts screamed.
"Something's wrong—!"
Then came the thunder.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The forest erupted with chain detonations.
"Explosive tags!"
"What the hell?! I walked this path earlier—it was fine!"
"Orochimaru! It's a trap!" Jiraiya shouted.
The blasts were spaced out—one every few meters—minimizing direct casualties but creating chaos.
Explosive tags had a brief delay before detonation.
A cautious shinobi could infuse chakra into their feet and leap clear in time… if they knew where the next one was.
But here, in a field of tens of thousands, that was impossible.
Each step could trigger another. Each dodge could land you atop yet one more.
And worse — your comrades might trigger theirs next to you.
Even veterans hesitated. Movement slowed. Coordination broke.
"Tsunade, relay this to Command! Jiraiya, keep eyes on Hanzō—don't let him make another move. I'll clear a path!" Orochimaru snapped.
He bit his thumb and slammed a hand to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive gray serpent burst forth, slithering forward to crush the mines with its body.
Explosions flared one after another as it carved a smoking corridor through the battlefield.
Tsunade summoned a smaller Katsuyu, whispered instructions, then released the summon.
Jiraiya dashed to pull wounded shinobi from the blast zone.
"Why… why didn't it explode earlier?!" cried one soldier clutching his shattered leg.
"I was standing right here—it was safe before!"
Another screamed, "It's sticking to my foot! GET IT OFF—AARGH!"
Chains of detonations went off in complex patterns—crosses, webs, cascading bursts.
Some spots were harmless, others deadly.
"Clip-trigger tags, adhesive tags, chain-reactive tags, cross-linked tags…" Hanzō mused aloud, watching the chaos from above. "Not bad for a bit of experimentation. Perfect for slowing them down."
Orochimaru's giant serpent finally broke through the minefield but vanished soon after, bleeding heavily from the barrage.
The Konoha forces followed through the cleared path.
Hanzō's eyes gleamed. "Oh? They used a summon as a bulldozer? Clever. But…"
He crouched. "We're not done yet."
He sprinted toward the three Sannin.
"Jiraiya, Tsunade!"
"On it!"
All three surged forward to meet him—this time, determined to finish it.
As Hanzō charged, he slammed both palms to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Salamander Rashomon Array!"
A vast summoning seal flared beneath him — even larger than the one that brought out the Salamander King.
The Sannin tensed, recalling the deadly poison breath from before.
"Hold your breath!" Tsunade shouted. "That last salamander wasn't his strongest!"
"Everyone, avoid inhaling the gas!"
But when the smoke cleared—what emerged wasn't one colossal beast.
It was thousands.
Tiny salamanders, no longer than thirty centimeters, swarmed across the battlefield — countless, black and slick and crawling, pouring forward in waves.
Hanzō continued summoning more, his hands a blur of seals.
Some of the creatures were venomous, others coated in sticky mud, and some had razor-sharp claws.
Several Konoha shinobi froze in horror at the sight of the churning, squirming mass.
"Wh-what the hell is that!?"
"Earth Style: Dark Swamp!"
Jiraiya slammed his hands to the ground, turning the terrain to mud—but the salamanders simply scuttled over it, some even swimming through the mire.
"Fire Style: Giant Flame Bombs!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Orochimaru and Jiraiya combined their jutsu, blasting the swarm.
The front wave disintegrated into puffs of smoke—forced de-summons—but the horde simply divided and poured around the sides.
They weren't targeting the Sannin at all.
Their goal was the Konoha army behind them.
"Damn it! These things aren't even strong—they're distractions!" Jiraiya roared.
He turned just in time to see hundreds of salamanders breaching Konoha's formation.
Some leapt onto shinobi faces, leaving smears of slime when ripped off;
others slipped into pant legs or armor gaps, making their victims flail in panic.
The once-proud Konoha army dissolved into chaos.
And atop it all, Hanzō of the Salamander stood laughing in the rain.
---
Some of the salamanders slithered up shinobi pant legs, crawling into their uniforms—and the expressions that twisted across their faces were beyond words.
Others brushed against bare skin, leaving purplish bruises that spread within seconds—proof of their venom.
Tiny, fast, and almost impossible to hit, these salamanders could only be wiped out with large-scale jutsu.
But surrounded by Konoha's own troops, that was suicide.
Worse still—they weren't lethal.
Every one of them was a nuisance, not a killer.
If you unleashed a jutsu strong enough to destroy them, your own comrades might die instead.
Even Orochimaru, with his cold-blooded temperament, couldn't stand watching this any longer.
They had to stop Hanzō before he filled the entire battlefield with these crawling nightmares.
"Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted.
She understood instantly.
A crackle of chakra surged through her arm as she drove her fist into the earth.
BOOM!
The ground shattered like a spiderweb, throwing boulders and soil into the air—and the countless salamanders that covered it burst into smoke by the dozens.
"Now!"
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru charged forward through the clearing haze.
"Let's see where you run this time!" Jiraiya yelled.
"Toad Oil Bomb!"
He exhaled a torrent of sticky oil that splattered across the ground, aiming to trap Hanzō before he could escape again.
Seeing this, Hanzō finally stopped his summoning jutsu.
He had already conjured tens of thousands of salamanders—even for someone of his stamina, the chakra drain was severe.
He looked at the three figures rushing toward him and burst into laughter.
"Next time, perhaps! Fighting you three wasn't today's goal. I'll gladly entertain you another day!"
As he spoke, he formed a single-hand seal—and his body dissolved into white smoke.
Tsunade's heel came crashing down a heartbeat later.
KRAK!
The earth split wide where Hanzō had stood, fissures racing outward like lightning.
But when the smoke cleared, there was nothing—only the faint smell of oil, scattered salamanders fading into mist, and the curses of drenched Konoha shinobi echoing across the rain-soaked field.
"Hanzō of the Salamander… ran away?"
Orochimaru murmured, stunned.
"The intel said he was a man of unshakable resolve—one who never bowed, never fled. Is this the same person?"
Jiraiya stood frozen, hands trembling.
He looked at the drifting white smoke, then at the furious, mud-covered Konoha soldiers behind him—and finally down at the cracks between the stones, where a few tiny salamanders still wriggled weakly.
A wave of nausea hit him. He doubled over, gagging dryly.
Tsunade, breathing hard, smashed the ground again out of sheer frustration. The blow sent another quake rippling outward—though in truth, their battle had barely cost her any chakra at all.
Somewhere far away, hidden deep within the rain and mist, Hanzō's voice echoed faintly, amused and triumphant:
"Third Kazekage, old lady Chiyo—mission accomplished!"
And with that, Salamander Hanzō vanished once more into legend, leaving behind a battlefield of confused Sannin and a Konoha army that would never again underestimate the man who fought—and escaped—on his own terms.
---------------------------///
A Long @ss Chapter.
Btw:
I Will Be Dropping Extra Chaps For Our Milestones. Thanks for the support! Dont forget to add on library btw:>
150 Powerstones - Bonus Chap
300 Powerstones - Bonus Chap
500 Powerstones - Bonus Chap
700 Powerstones - Bonus Chap