Hiruzen agreed without the slightest hesitation.
Both Tsunade and Hanzō were caught off guard.
Logically speaking, proposing a contest of strength just as cooperation was about to be finalized was somewhat disrespectful...
At its core, it was still a matter of seeing whose fist was bigger. The killing intent and backstabbing instincts of the shinobi world were showing through once again...
And was Hiruzen really that confident he wouldn't lose?
"The shinobi world, after all..."
"People have always been used to the winner taking everything. Mutually beneficial cooperation is relatively rare, so I think using the old rules as a bridge toward our new partnership is a very good idea."
With a smile, Hiruzen said, "Besides, rather than calling this a spar, it's more accurate to say that Hanzō-dono is kindly helping Konoha verify the effectiveness of our medical chakra scrolls..."
Hiruzen wasn't surprised in the slightest that Hanzō wanted a fight.
Old-school shinobi always preferred solving problems with their fists. Otherwise, Hanzō would never have started the Second Shinobi World War in the first place in an attempt to become the one calling the shots...
When military powers cooperate, demonstrating strength is extremely important if both sides are to avoid developing ulterior motives.
That wasn't just true in the shinobi world—it was a universal principle.
If Hiruzen didn't fight Hanzō, the subsequent cooperation would inevitably run into difficulties.
Given Hanzō's immense prestige in Amegakure, the Rain shinobi practically worshipped him.
If no clear result was established, the Rain shinobi would inevitably assume that the cooperation between Amegakure and Konoha had been secured through Hanzō's lone ride into Konoha and the strength he displayed.
And if Hiruzen failed to beat Hanzō convincingly...
Then, given Hanzō's pride now that he had regained his fighting spirit, it would be difficult for either him or the Rain shinobi to explain in detail that—
In this cooperation with Konoha, they were actually the side receiving the greater benefits.
Sometimes, getting beaten up was a convenient step that benefited both sides.
"Hokage-sama truly is magnanimous!" Hanzō said with heartfelt admiration.
In Hanzō's eyes, Hiruzen's willingness to agree so readily clearly meant that he was fully confident in defeating him.
And by framing this martial negotiation as a test of medical scrolls, he was leaving Hanzō plenty of room to save face...
Though Hanzō had no idea where Hiruzen's confidence came from...
He still appreciated the gesture.
As an old veteran, Hanzō was perfectly capable of hearing the meaning behind another person's words.
"In that case..."
After a brief moment of thought, Hiruzen said: "Tsunade, bring the enhanced medical scrolls and observe the match. Have the ANBU clear out that training ground in the Forest of Death."
"Hanzō-dono specializes in poison techniques. He won't be able to fight properly at the village training grounds."
Tsunade grew even more puzzled.
What was wrong with her teacher?
Why was he creating favorable conditions for his opponent?
Unable to hold back any longer, she said, "Sensei, that training ground in the Forest of Death has a lake..."
In an environment with abundant water, the power of Water Release techniques increased dramatically, while chakra consumption decreased and casting speed improved...
That was also why, despite the Third Mizukage's brutal oppression of Kirigakure, most Mist shinobi had never seriously considered rebellion at first.
Just as the desert was the Third Kazekage's home ground, the ocean was the Third Mizukage's.
And Hanzō was universally acknowledged as a Water Release master who was no less formidable than the Mizukage himself!
Choosing that location for a spar?
Wasn't that just making things harder for no reason?
After all, across the continent shared by Konoha and Amegakure, water-rich environments weren't particularly common. Only Amegakure possessed such extreme rainfall due to its unique geography...
"If there weren't a lake there, why would I choose that location?"
"Hanzō-dono came to Konoha alone and demonstrated complete sincerity. This spar isn't about deciding who's superior. It's about understanding one another's will and convictions through battle..."
"If I couldn't allow Hanzō-dono to fight at his absolute best, it would be one of the great regrets of my life!"
Hiruzen spoke with solemn conviction.
Tsunade froze.
A thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.
'Sensei's bearing and the way he speaks... he's becoming more and more like the Grandpa. He's exactly the way Grandma Mito described him in her stories!'
For the first time, Tsunade genuinely began to doubt her own memories.
She had always assumed that Hiruzen constantly invoked her grandfather Hashirama's name to unite people's hearts and push through Konoha's new policies by leveraging his reputation.
After all, Tobirama was Hiruzen's actual teacher...
'Could I have misunderstood all these years? Maybe Sensei was actually Grandpa Hashirama's true direct disciple, while Grandpa Tobirama was only his teacher in name...'
'Now that I think about it, that actually makes sense. Sensei isn't anything like Grandpa Tobirama...'
The more she thought about it, the more ashamed she became.
She called herself his student.
She was also the granddaughter of both Hashirama and Tobirama...
Yet after all these years, she had never even figured out which of them her teacher truly took after!
"I'm sorry, Sensei..." Tsunade sighed softly.
"What are you apologizing for?"
Hiruzen looked at her in confusion.
Why was she being so well-behaved today?
That wasn't like her at all...
"Are you talking about the training ground? It's fine. Hanzō-dono won't mind. You were simply worried that I, your sensei, lacked the necessary information. You did exactly what you were supposed to do."
Hiruzen offered a reassuring smile.
The corner of Tsunade's mouth twitched.
She couldn't care less what Hanzō thought!
Meanwhile, after hearing Hiruzen's firm and resolute words, Hanzō felt his emotions surge.
A battle fought with everything they had?
Even though he was standing in someone else's home territory, the Hokage had still chosen the most favorable battlefield possible for him...
Such breadth of vision...
'Even at the height of my power, my bearing would still have fallen slightly short of Hiruzen's...'
'No wonder he's managed to develop Konoha so well!'
Hanzō spoke in a deep voice: "Hokage-sama, I will fight with everything I have! And I ask that you hold nothing back as well!"
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
That was exactly what he wanted to hear.
He had been looking for a suitable sparring partner for quite some time.
Recently, he'd been eager to test the extent of his own progress and had been wondering who would make a good opponent...
He hadn't expected Hanzō to deliver himself right to his doorstep.
As for the lake environment Tsunade had mentioned, Hiruzen couldn't have cared less.
Adding difficulty was what made things interesting.
Besides, Hanzō could use Water Release...
But so could he.
And when it came to Water Release in particular, Hiruzen possessed two perfect counters:
Lightning Release and Ice Release.
He didn't care.
As for Hanzō's poison, Hiruzen had a unique solution of his own...
Tsunade quickly set off to carry out Hiruzen's orders.
On the way, she ran into Orochimaru.
"Where are you headed?" Orochimaru, who had just gotten up after spending the entire night on research, greeted her. "You're in quite a hurry..."
"Hanzō is visiting Konoha! He's about to fight Sensei..."
Tsunade stopped and spoke rapidly.
"I need to have the ANBU clear the area right now! The location is the Forest of Death..."
"Hanzō? Fighting Sensei?"
Orochimaru's brows knitted together, and the last traces of drowsiness instantly vanished.
Hanzō...
The man who had dealt him a major blow at the height of his youthful confidence!
As a genius who had always stood above his peers, Orochimaru's shinobi career had gone remarkably smoothly...
But Hanzō had taught him a harsh lesson.
Even if all three of them attacked together and gave everything they had, they still couldn't defeat him...
On the contrary, had Hanzō not been wary of Konoha standing behind them, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade might have lost their lives.
"I'll come with you," Orochimaru said decisively.
"Hanzō comes for peace talks and still wants a fight? He's not worthy of making Sensei personally take action."
"No..." Tsunade shook her head.
"Sensei said only I can accompany him as a medic. He isn't allowing anyone else to come. He also ordered the ANBU to clear the training ground in the Forest of Death and use it as the battlefield for their match..."
Orochimaru froze.
In his opinion, Hiruzen was undoubtedly extremely powerful, but whether he could defeat Hanzō was difficult to say...
It wasn't that Orochimaru underestimated him. Hiruzen rarely fought seriously during sparring sessions, and the only real combat Orochimaru had ever experienced with him was shortly after arriving in this world.
Although Hiruzen's performance back then had proven that age had not diminished him, the problem was that Hanzō was an exceptionally insidious fighter.
Body Flicker Technique, Hydrification Technique, poison mist, swordsmanship, and Water Release...
When combined, those five specialties created a terrifying system.
He could break through an opponent's defenses quickly while possessing top-tier mobility and survivability himself...
In the shinobi world, victory was never determined by paper strength alone.
Knowing many jutsu meant nothing. What mattered was whether you could combine them into a system your opponent had no way to counter.
Although Hiruzen was known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, Orochimaru felt that most of his techniques were too straightforward and orthodox.
Even if he possessed forbidden techniques, he wasn't the type who would use them in a sparring match...
"Clearing everyone out..." Orochimaru mused. "Is Sensei worried that someone might get caught in one of Hanzō's tricks?"
"If the Hokage loses a spar, that would certainly be embarrassing..."
"I don't think that's it."
Tsunade chuckled.
"You're overthinking it. I think Sensei and Hanzō genuinely admire one another. They just want to fight without holding back, and the battle is going to be especially intense."
"You probably don't know this, but Hanzō and Sensei spent the entire morning touring Konoha together. They're practically brothers already."
"My guess is they're worried the shinobi might misunderstand the nature of the cooperation between Amegakure and Konoha."
Orochimaru's expression darkened.
Tsunade had started by saying they were going to fight and talking about emergency medical treatment...
The way she'd described it made it sound as though Hiruzen and Hanzō were about to engage in a fight to the death!
And now she was saying he'd overthought it...
"You really need to learn how to communicate, Tsunade..."
"With that mouth of yours, you could turn a situation with no conflict into a major dispute. If you ever became Hokage, you'd probably end up creating enemies for Konoha who weren't enemies to begin with..."
Orochimaru complained.
"How is that possible?" Tsunade replied somewhat guiltily.
Was she really that bad at speaking?
That couldn't be right. She was Sensei's student too...
Both Grandpa Tobirama and Grandpa Hashirama had been pretty good at it...
"I'll notify the ANBU myself. After that, I'll come along. Sensei isn't going to forbid me from attending."
"I'm one of those damned 'Sannin' too!"
Orochimaru waved his hand.
"You go prepare the medical supplies. Whether it's Sensei getting injured or Hanzō suffering serious wounds in Konoha that can't be treated, either scenario would cause serious problems."
Tsunade nodded before spinning around and hurrying off again.
"Good point!"
Watching her retreating figure, Orochimaru shook his head and laughed.
And she wanted to compete for the position of Hokage?
That was simply too amusing...
She should focus on medical research instead.
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