They had lost.
Utterly.
For Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, merely surviving was already a blessing.
Hanzo stood before them, his tone calm yet unwavering.
"You three are impressive."
Jiraiya clenched his fists.
"Tch..."
Hanzo didn't acknowledge his frustration. He continued speaking, as if talking to himself.
"To endure an attack from me and survive… That alone is rare."
His eyes gleamed beneath his mask.
"If you are given time... you may become strong enough to challenge me again."
Jiraiya's face twitched with barely contained rage.
But he knew.
Right now, their lives hung on Hanzo's mercy.
Hanzo looked at them one last time.
"Give me your names. That is the price for your lives."
A heavy silence followed.
Then, one by one, they spoke.
"Jiraiya."
"Tsunade."
"Orochimaru."
Hanzo nodded slowly.
"I will remember them."
His next words would go down in history.
"Jiraiya. Tsunade. Orochimaru."
"From this day forward, I will call you the Konoha Sannin."
Jiraiya's fists tightened, but he said nothing.
"Wear this name with pride," Hanzo said. "It was bought with your lives."
Then, he raised a hand, ready to vanish into the mist—
SWISH!
A sharp icicle pierced the air, cutting toward Hanzo at blinding speed.
Hanzo twisted, barely shifting his body—
SHNK!
The icicle grazed past his shoulder, embedding itself into a distant rock.
For the first time, Hanzo paused.
A new presence had arrived.
"Hanzō of the Salamander, the so-called Demigod of the Ninja World…"
A voice echoed across the battlefield.
The figure of Saigoji Youmu materialized beside the three Sannin.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru turned to him in surprise.
"Youmu?"
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
"Where's Konan?"
Saigoji Youmu remained calm.
"She's safe. The air here is filled with the poison of the Black Salamander. I couldn't bring her here."
Tsunade's expression hardened.
She had been so focused on Hanzo that she had forgotten—the air itself was deadly.
Konan wouldn't have survived.
Hanzo, meanwhile, was observing Saigoji Youmu closely.
"You were the one who attacked just now."
It wasn't a question.
Saigoji Youmu gave a small nod.
"I was."
Hanzo's eyes narrowed.
The battlefield had already hinted at an unknown force—someone who had altered the tide of war with ice.
"You… are not from the Shui Wu Yue Clan?"
His tone darkened.
"Do the Five Great Ninja Villages think they can trample over the Land of Rain as they please?"
Saigoji Youmu shook his head.
"I have no connection to Kirigakure."
His gaze locked onto Hanzo.
"I came here for one reason only."
The air grew heavy.
"I want to test myself against a veteran Kage-level shinobi."
A gust of wind swept through the battlefield.
Hanzo studied him.
Expression unreadable.
Silence stretched between them.
Finally—
"You are an interesting junior."
Hanzo exhaled, dismissing his Black Salamander with a puff of smoke.
"But this war is already over."
His body flickered slightly.
"There is no need to fight—"
CRACK!
The temperature plummeted.
A western sword materialized in Saigoji Youmu's hand.
The moment its blade touched the air—
SHOOM!
A wall of solid ice rose around them, forming an arena.
Hanzo's escape was cut off.
Saigoji Youmu raised his sword.
A smile played at his lips.
"Now, Hanzō of the Salamander… you no longer have a choice."
Hanzo's voice was unreadable behind his mask.
But his tone carried warning.
"Are you trying to anger me?"
Saigoji Youmu chuckled.
"You can think of it that way."
The battlefield grew silent.
Then—
Hanzo's hand moved.