The sorrow in Hanzō's heart was his burden alone to bear.
Crunch.
His fists clenched tightly.
"I'll make you pay for this."
Days later, deep in the Rain Country, two forces stood facing each other, only hundreds of meters apart.
On one side, Konoha's elite forces—led by the Sannin: Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
On the other, Amegakure's army, standing beneath the ever-pouring rain. Their leader, Hanzō of the Salamander, stood at the forefront, his presence towering over his men.
His breath mask concealed his face, but his words dripped with contempt.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen sent you three?"
A bitter chuckle.
"Is this how little Konoha thinks of me?"
Tsunade met his gaze without flinching.
"The three of us are more than enough."
Hanzō let out a low, angry laugh.
"Hmph. Then I'll teach you some respect."
Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed.
"Enough talk. Let's begin."
Hanzō and Orochimaru raised their hands at the same time.
"Attack!"
"Forward!"
The battlefield erupted.
Both armies charged forward, the rain turning the valley into a muddy warzone.
"Fire Style!"
"Water Style!"
Boom! Explosions of elemental jutsu collided in the air, sending shockwaves through the battlefield.
Kunai and shuriken whistled through the rain, meeting steel with steel.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Within moments, the first casualties fell, staining the battlefield with blood.
Amidst the chaos, the four legendary shinobi disappeared.
The instant the war began, Hanzō, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya vanished from the main battlefield, their sheer speed leaving only splashes of rain in their wake.
Far from their soldiers, the true battle was about to begin.
Above the valley, Konan watched in horror.
The open battlefield stretched below her, littered with corpses.
She trembled.
"This… this is war?"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
She had witnessed battle before—but this… this was hell.
Beside her, Saigoji Youmu sighed.
"I told you not to follow."
Konan bit her lip.
"I have to."
Her small hands clenched into fists.
"I can't always rely on you to protect me."
Despite the carnage below, she didn't look away.
Saigoji Youmu observed her quietly before nodding.
"Fine."
He shifted his focus back to the battlefield.
Konoha's forces were winning decisively.
Rain Shinobi fell back under their assault.
But something felt wrong.
His eyes narrowed.
"This isn't how it should be…"
Konan glanced at him.
"Brother Youmu? Shouldn't you go help Sister Tsunade?"
He didn't move.
"Not yet."
Konan frowned.
"Why not?"
Saigoji Youmu didn't answer immediately.
He had read the original events of this battle.
Konoha won—but at a terrible cost.
Yet here, Konoha's advantage was overwhelming.
It shouldn't be this easy.
His mind raced.
"Is it Hanzō's Black Salamander… or something else?"
His gaze swept across the battlefield, searching for the missing piece.
Across the valley, atop a summoned beast, Hanzō stood tall.
The Black Salamander beneath him loomed over the battlefield, its body rippling with toxic power.
Facing him, less than ten meters away, stood Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
Hanzō raised his right hand across his chest—then swung it forward.
Whoosh!
A barrage of kunai, each tipped with explosive tags, rained toward the Sannin.
And so, the true battle began.