Deafening thunder swept across the sky, yet it could not drown out the shouts on the vast battlefield.
Uchiha Gen's Great Fireball Technique evaporated the water curtain in front of him.
Amidst the chirping of lightning, he transformed into a flash of electricity and pierced through the body of a Rain Ninja.
Sarutobi Enjun, Uzuki Ruri, and Hyuga Hizashi guarded his flanks, piercing into the Amegakure position like a sharp blade.
The pace of this battle was much faster for Uchiha Gen than the previous one.
Although the number of enemies was smaller, their average quality was higher.
These were the elites among the Rain Ninjas.
While the Konoha side had significantly more people, they had already been through a bitter struggle, and many were fighting with injuries.
This added a sense of tragic intensity to the battle.
At this moment, Uchiha Gen no longer held back at all, going all out.
Although the trio of Orochimaru and the others were strong, it was difficult to defeat Hanzo.
If they wanted to win and survive, they had to deal heavy blows to the Rain Ninjas in the shortest time possible.
Only then would Hanzo feel the sting of his losses and sound the retreat.
"Psh!"
A section of his waterproof coat was sliced off, and a gash appeared on Uchiha Gen's body as well.
On the battlefield, it was impossible to remain uninjured.
Uchiha Gen could only try his best to avoid being hit in vital areas.
In such a fast-paced battle, it was hard to find an opportunity to use Medical Ninjutsu for healing.
He could only rely on the brief moments his teammates bought him to wrap a cloth bandage to stop the bleeding before continuing.
"Clang!"
A sharp blade light sliced a Rain Ninja's breathing mask and head in half, brain matter spilling everywhere.
Uchiha Gen panted heavily, flicking the blood off his blade.
Even with his constitution and chakra, he felt exhausted at this point, swallowing the soldier pill he had already been holding in his mouth.
The condition of several teammates was even worse; if they hadn't used soldier pills long ago, they wouldn't have been able to hold on.
If the Konoha Ninjas were at the end of their rope, the Rain Ninjas were close to collapse.
Their main force was still in a standoff with the Hidden Stone.
Although these thousand people were elites selected by Hanzo, his original intention was just to be the "fisherman."
He had planned to launch a surprise attack while the other parties were fighting or exhausted.
But since Konoha was prepared, even with their losses, they could still rely on their absolute strength advantage to fight back.
Eventually, Uchiha Gen felt the suffocating and oppressive battle atmosphere loosen slightly.
But in the next second, a blast of poison gas shot rapidly from a distance, threatening to cover the entire battlefield.
"Wind Release: Typhoon Over."
Orochimaru's figure flickered to the front of the poison mist.
A gale surged, blowing away the purple poison mist, only for it to be swirled back by the continuously spewing gas.
Fortunately, this Wind Release had bought enough time for the nearby Konoha Ninjas to retreat.
Faint sounds of clashing could be heard as Jiraiya and Tsunade both retreated to Orochimaru's side.
They stood shoulder to shoulder, looking ahead.
Tsunade's hand was still on Jiraiya's shoulder, extracting the Salamander Toxin from his body.
Where the three were looking, the mist was thick, and the silhouette of a crouching giant beast could be faintly seen.
This was Hanzo's Summoned Beast, the Giant Salamander Ibuse, which breathed poison mist and tunneled through the ground.
Its massive size made it one of the most powerful Summoned Beasts in the Ninja World.
Ibuse slowly emerged from the purple poison mist.
Standing atop its bumpy head was a tall man holding a Kusarigama and wearing a breathing mask, with long pale-blonde hair flowing behind him.
His presence was so oppressive that even in the face of thousands of troops, he seemed completely unbothered.
"That monkey Hiruzen Sarutobi has good luck to have trained the three of you."
"To be able to hold out under my hand for so long, you have reason to be proud!"
The muffled voice came through the mask, sounding distorted like a demon's whisper.
"What do you mean 'holding out' under you? Hanzo, if we keep fighting, it's not certain who will win or lose!"
Jiraiya held his head high and spoke toughly.
"No, the outcome is decided. If we continue, the battle between us will only end in my victory!"
Hanzo's voice was filled with deep confidence.
Looking at the current Ninja World, he might not win every battle, but he would definitely not lose.
The weight of being at the peak of the Ninja World was unquestionable.
"But—"
Tsunade reached out to stop Jiraiya.
"But you chose to stop in the end, didn't you?"
A cold smile appeared on Orochimaru's face, as if he could see the remnants of the Rain Ninjas hidden behind the thick purple poison mist.
"Even if you barely manage to kill us, how much strength would you have left to break through?"
"Relying on these defeated remnants?"
"Even if you do break through, how many of them will survive?"
"Without the elite core of the Rain Ninjas, how will you, severely injured, lead Amegakure to navigate the conflicts between the great nations?"
"Hanzo, if we keep fighting, the three of us might not win, but the one who loses in the end will definitely be you and Amegakure!"
Orochimaru's voice traveled through the rain to Hanzo's ears.
The latter's gaze toward Orochimaru immediately showed a hint of admiration.
What a fine young man—strong, resilient, highly intelligent, and far-sighted.
If he had such a disciple as a helper, why would he be struggling alone like this?
Even if there were two others like that, if they appeared in Amegakure, they would be the rightful successors to the village.
Why does that monkey have such disciples, and three of them at once?
"You aren't entirely wrong. Konoha and Amegakure are both extremely powerful forces."
"If we continue to fight like this, it will only benefit others."
Hearing Hanzo's words, the smile on Orochimaru's face deepened.
"It seems you recognize Konoha's strength. Coincidentally, we also recognize yours."
At this point, Orochimaru stopped speaking and just silently looked at Hanzo.
Hanzo had realized that relying solely on his strength would not bring peace to the Land of Rain.
If he wanted to end the war, the best choice—and almost the only choice—was to form an alliance with Konoha.
The two sides would work together to expel the Hidden Sand and the Hidden Stone.
Given Konoha's current situation, they would naturally be happy to form an alliance.
But for this matter, it would be best for Hanzo to speak first.
One moment they were fighting to the death, the next they were forming an alliance—it was a delicate transition.
"I'm liking the three of you more and more."
"Young ones, from this day forward, I, Hanzo, bestow upon you the title of Konoha's Sannin."
"From now on, use the rest of your lives to carry this name you've risked your lives for!"
"You should prepare to wait for my envoy in three days. Rain Ninjas, retreat!"
Hanzo waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to retreat.
He remained alone, standing atop Ibuse, facing the thousands of troops.
New Chapter 01.02.2026