Hanzo never expected that Konoha would actually move against the Land of Rain. He had originally thought that the major nations were merely engaging in their usual sporadic skirmishes along the borders.
But when Konoha's army arrived at the gates of Amegakure, Hanzo of the Salamander was greatly alarmed. He hurried to the front lines to face the Fourth Hokage, Aoki.
Looking at this young Fourth Hokage before him, Hanzo felt momentarily uncertain. He spoke in a low, serious tone, "Fourth Hokage, what is the meaning of Konoha's actions? Do you intend to wage war against my Amegakure?"
Facing Hanzo's question, Aoki wore a playful smile and replied, "Exactly so. That is precisely our intention."
Upon hearing this, a flash of ferocity instantly appeared in Hanzo's eyes. His gaze swept over the three figures beside Aoki—Jiraiya and the other Legendary Sannin of Konoha.
Looking at these three ninja, whom he himself had once bestowed with the title "Legendary Sannin of Konoha," a look of mockery appeared on Hanzo's face. He sneered, "It seems that old fool Sarutobi Hiruzen ultimately didn't pass the title of Hokage to any of you three! Truly, when one grows old, their mind becomes muddled. Konoha must truly have no one else left, to choose such a nameless brat as Hokage!"
Just as Jiraiya was about to retort, he heard Aoki speak first, taunting this demigod of the Ninja World: "Hanzo, have you forgotten that you yourself are also an old man on death's doorstep?"
The three Sannin all looked coldly at this former demigod of the Ninja World. Hanzo, who had been waiting for a response from the three, was instead met with another round of ridicule from Aoki.
"Could it be that the so-called Demigod of the Ninja World, in his old age, is only capable of propping himself up by belittling his juniors?" Aoki pressed forward step by step, continuing his mockery.
Hanzo couldn't be bothered to waste more words on Aoki. His icy gaze locked onto him, and his wariness grew increasingly heavy. For someone of Aoki's age to ascend to the position of Fourth Hokage in a Konoha teeming with powerhouses like the Sannin, Sakumo Hatake, and Minato, he was definitely no ordinary individual.
Yet Aoki's repeated taunts of "Demigod" thoroughly ignited Hanzo's fury. He said coldly, "The Fourth Hokage is indeed young and impetuous. However, in the Ninja World, geniuses who die young have never been few in number."
Before his words even finished, countless shuriken shot toward Aoki. At the same time, Hanzo's hands flew through a series of hand seals. He understood that Konoha's arrival was with ill intent, and a major battle was inevitable. The only option was to strike first.
"Such clumsy methods, and you dare to show them off?" Aoki murmured calmly. "You're making your move, but you're a full six months too late!"
In an instant, an invisible repulsive force suddenly swept across the entire battlefield—the Shinra Tensei.
The Salamander Summoning Beast that Hanzo had just summoned was directly struck by this repulsive force and instantly vanished. Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Hanzo hastily performed the Substitution Technique, barely managing to evade this lethal blow.
BOOM! The moment Hanzo dodged, the spot where he had just been standing was violently blasted into a massive crater by the repulsive force. Witnessing this scene, Hanzo's pupils abruptly constricted.
"What kind of ability is this? Seal-less Jutsu! Is it Gravity Ninjutsu? No... could it be a special Kekkei Genkai?"
Filled with confusion, Hanzo stared at Aoki in shock, but before he could even speak, he suddenly felt a terrifying force pulling at his entire body. He exclaimed in alarm, "What?!"
At that moment, Aoki raised his hand, palm aimed at himself, and activated Universal Pull. He had already mastered most of the basic abilities of the Rinnegan, and this time, he intended to test his skills against Hanzo, the Demigod of the Ninja World.
The fundamental push-and-pull abilities of the Rinnegan left Hanzo utterly defenseless.
Just as Hanzo was violently dragged forward by Universal Pull, Aoki activated Shinra Tensei. Two completely opposing forces instantly acted on Hanzo simultaneously.
Pfft! Hanzo spat out a mouthful of blood, his body battered by the two forces. With just that single blow, he felt as though his internal organs had been severely shaken.
Panic instantly seized him. How could he possibly contend with such an opponent? Most of his techniques were completely suppressed. At this critical moment of life and death, Hanzo had no choice but to quickly form hand seals once more and perform the Summoning Technique.
Boom! A cloud of smoke exploded across the sky as a massive Salamander appeared on the battlefield. With every breath it took, it released a dense, poisonous mist that spread wildly in all directions. The ninja of the Hidden Rain Village were well-prepared, quickly donning their Gas Masks.
"Be careful!" Jiraiya warned Aoki with a vigilant expression. "Hanzo is called the Demigod of the Ninja World largely because of this Salamander's deadly poison. This mist can injure upon contact and kill instantly."
The moment the Salamander appeared, Aoki stood firmly in front of the Konoha army, already prepared to respond. He raised his hand and threw a Kunai, which shot out in an instant—not to intercept the poisonous mist, but directly toward the massive Salamander.
"Quite the trickster, hiding behind a beast and causing trouble," Aoki remarked calmly.
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