Orochimaru's analysis was still echoing in the tent, while Jiraiya's fighting spirit and Tsunade's determination had just taken shape, and they hadn't even had time to discuss the tactical details in depth—
"Enemy attack—!!!"
The shrill alarm, like a night owl with its neck squeezed, suddenly tore through the relative silence of the rainy night, only to be completely drowned out by the roar of explosions, the shriek of Ninjutsu, and the chaotic shouts of battle.
"What?!"
Jiraiya was the first to rush to the tent entrance and violently pulled back the curtain.
He saw that the originally orderly Konoha camp had now fallen into a sudden state of chaos.
Flames burst out in several places, reflecting the dark figures of Amegakure Ninja moving through the tents like ghosts, cutting down everything in their path.
The attack came too fast and too fiercely; many Konoha Ninja were either just waking up or had just turned from their posts when they were hit by poison mist, shuriken, sudden water blades, or explosive tags.
Screams, warnings, orders, and the clashing of weapons blended into a mess, and Konoha's defensive line showed clear signs of scattering and retreating under the initial blow.
At the center of this chaotic battlefield, a tall figure stood like a pillar of stability, yet also like an incarnation of death, stepping forward steadily.
He carried a massive Chain Sickle on his shoulder, and his respirator glinted coldly in the firelight; wherever he passed, whether it was Konoha Jonin trying to form seals or Chunin charging recklessly, all were killed or wounded by his casual swings of the sickle, his exhaled poison mist, or his precise Water Release Ninjutsu.
It was Hanzou!
"It's Hanzou! He's leading the raid personally!"
Tsunade's expression changed instantly as she entered a combat state.
"Bastard! He actually dares to charge straight into the main camp!"
Jiraiya roared, his hands forming seals at high speed.
Orochimaru's golden slitted pupils contracted sharply as he scanned the battlefield, instantly identifying the core threat.
His voice was cold and urgent.
"Target: Hanzou! Stop him from further breaking our formation! Jiraiya, Tsunade, go!"
Three figures shot out from the command tent like arrows from a bow, pouncing directly toward the figure causing the most chaos and casualties in the center of the battlefield.
Their appearance, and the powerful Chakra erupting from them, immediately caught the attention of both sides.
Especially Hanzou; his movements paused slightly as his sickle swept aside the desperate strike of a Konoha Special Jonin, his gaze turning toward the three approaching figures.
"Oh? Have some decent ones finally arrived...?"
Hanzou's voice, coming through his respirator, was muffled and filled with a sense of oppression.
"Hanzou! Your opponents are us!"
Jiraiya was the first to shout, slamming his hands onto the ground.
"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
His long white hair instantly surged and hardened, stabbing toward Hanzou like countless steel needles.
At the same time, Orochimaru's figure appeared on Hanzou's flank like a ghost, spitting out a sharp sword light from his mouth, aiming straight for his ribs.
Tsunade approached from the other side, her Monstrous Strength concentrated in her fist as she punched the ground where Hanzou stood, trying to break his balance.
Facing the combined attack of the three, Hanzou only snorted coldly, his massive sickle tracing a perfect circle and stirring up a violent flow of water; it not only blocked Jiraiya's hair and Orochimaru's sword strike but also forced the two back half a step with its immense power.
At the same time, Chakra erupted from beneath his feet as he retreated rapidly, avoiding Tsunade's ground-shattering punch.
"Withdraw."
Hanzou ordered the Amegakure Elites still struggling with the Konoha Ninja without looking back, his voice brook no argument.
The well-trained Amegakure Ninja obeyed the order without hesitation, disengaging from combat and retreating like a tide, quickly disappearing into the shadows and chaos of the camp, showing extremely high discipline.
These people were the elites Hanzou had developed over the years, and it was this continuous improvement in military power that gave Hanzou the confidence to fight this battle against Konoha.
Hanzou stood alone, facing the three Konoha Ninja who were faintly surrounding him in a triangular formation.
He looked around and saw many Konoha Ninja showing signs of poisoning from the previous melee and close contact; their faces were turning blue, they were coughing and wheezing incessantly, and some had even collapsed to the ground.
"You all should also have them back off."
Hanzou's tone was flat, yet it carried the confidence of one who dominated the battlefield.
"In the coming battle, if they stay here, they will only die in vain. If they are caught in the poison gas, they will die even faster."
Orochimaru's face darkened, immediately understanding Hanzou's intention.
He was going to use a large-scale poison attack.
"All Konoha Ninja, retreat immediately! Get away from this area! Fast!" he shouted sternly, his voice carrying across the nearby battlefield via Chakra.
Jiraiya and Tsunade also realized and quickly urged their nearby comrades to leave.
But Hanzou's poison mist had already quietly spread with his previous movements and Ninjutsu; the order was given a bit too late.
More Konoha Ninja who were slightly slower to react or too injured to move quickly began to show purple-black spots on their faces and hands; they struggled to breathe, and a few more figures collapsed.
"Tsunade!" Jiraiya said urgently.
Tsunade looked at her poisoned comrades, her heart aching; she was a Master of Medical Arts, but now she didn't even have the chance to get close and provide treatment.
Hanzou's presence firmly locked onto the three of them; any attempt to distract themselves for a rescue could invite a fatal blow.
This war was considered a failure, but no matter what, he had to make these Konoha fellows lose a large chunk of flesh; only then would what the Third Raikage and the Third Tsuchikage promised him... He couldn't kill the three in front of him; if he did, Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely fight him to the death. So, he could only teach them a lesson.
Damn it!
Hanzou thought of how he, the dignified Demigod of the Ninja World, was currently restricted here.
Fortunately, he had sent people to hunt down the Konoha Village Ninja who had just fled, and with most of the opponents poisoned, Konoha would surely suffer heavy losses.
After this battle, the Hidden Rain Village would surrender to Konoha and Iwagakure, and put all its eggs in one basket to deal with the weakest of the Five Great Ninja Villages, the Hidden Sand Village.
But for now... let him enjoy the battle.
"It's too late..."
Tsunade gritted her teeth, a flash of pain in her eyes, but it was replaced by a resolute fighting spirit.
"Finish him first!"
"A wise choice."
Hanzou seemed to comment, and then, he waited no longer. His hands formed seals as Chakra surged violently.
"Ninja Art: Poison Mist!"
A thick, pale purple poison mist erupted outward from Hanzou as the center.
It was extremely fast and covered a wide area, instantly enveloping Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, and it continued to spread outward, swallowing light and air, leaving only a nauseating sweet, metallic scent and deadly danger.
"Watch out for the poison gas!"
Orochimaru shouted lowly, and the three of them almost simultaneously held their breath or covered their bodies with Chakra to form a temporary barrier.
But even inhaling a tiny bit of the poison gas from the edge made one feel dizzy and caused Chakra circulation to stagnate slightly. The toxicity of this poison far exceeded the ordinary.
Within the poison mist, Hanzou's figure became blurred, with only that massive sickle occasionally cutting through the purple mist, bringing a cold light of death, and the clattering sound of the chain, like a life-taking incantation.
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808