NOVEL NEXT Chapter 39: Chapter 39 : Hanzo
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"Strange, there are too many traps!"
Hanzo of the Salamander had already noticed something was off. Setting traps on a battlefield was normal, but this was excessive.
Poison gas traps, explosive tags, pitfall traps—they had encountered so many that even with constant checks, they couldn't clear them all in time.
The relentless ambushes had whittled their forces down. The army that started with hundreds had now been reduced to barely over eighty.
The sheer loss of life sent ripples of unease through the ranks of the Hidden Rain shinobi. If it weren't for Hanzo himself leading them, morale would have collapsed entirely.
Now, as they stood a few hundred meters from the Konoha encampment, Hanzo clenched his jaw and bellowed, "No matter what, we must kill them all! Anyone who retreats will be executed!!!"
His harsh command left no room for cowardice. With no choice but to obey, the remaining Rain shinobi advanced, each swallowing the antidote to Hanzo's toxin before charging towards the enemy camp.
"Summoning Jutsu: Ibuse, Burrow Deep!"
Hanzo wasted no time, forming hand seals to summon his massive, poison-spewing salamander. The enormous beast slithered underground, moving into position before resurfacing with a guttural growl.
"Poison Mist Spray!"
Without hesitation, Ibuse unleashed a thick cloud of lethal purple gas, blanketing the battlefield. Hanzo followed up by weaving additional hand seals, using Wind Release to push the toxic fog towards the Konoha stronghold.
"Looks like it's time."
High above the camp, a figure stood watching the unfolding battle, a wide grin stretching across his face.
Uchiha Shin's crimson eyes gleamed with exhilaration.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Tsunami!"
Clapping his hands together, he sent a surge of chakra into the earth. The ground trembled as an enormous wave of iron sand erupted into the air, towering over the battlefield like a black tidal wave.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya, witnessing Shin's chakra surge for the first time, exchanged looks of disbelief.
"This… this isn't normal."
The intensity of his chakra was overwhelming, far beyond what they expected. Even Tsunade, watching from a distance, felt a pit form in her stomach.
In her memory, Shin was strong, but not like this. His presence now eclipsed even their teacher's.
Before they could dwell on it further, the iron sand wave came crashing down, swallowing the approaching Rain shinobi whole.
Despair flashed across their faces just before the tsunami buried them beneath tons of crushing metal.
BOOM!!!
The battlefield trembled under the weight of the attack. The shinobi caught in its wake had no chance. Their bodies were mercilessly crushed, suffocated, and torn apart by the sheer force of the attack.
Shin's right eye gleamed ominously, its intricate pattern twisting as he activated his next move.
"Soul Transference: Sacrifice."
A dark fire ignited deep beneath the iron sand, unseen by all.
The eighty-plus trapped Rain shinobi were suddenly engulfed in jet-black flames. Their life force and chakra were forcibly extracted, siphoning into Shin's body like a rushing river.
His left eye spun rapidly, processing the immense energy influx.
"Wind, Earth, and Fire… Good. I'll construct [Dust Release] now."
Now that he had a constant source of vitality restoring his pupil power, Shin didn't hold back.
Lowering his head, his Mangekyō Sharingan whirled as he forcibly merged the three chakra natures within his body.
Once. Twice. Ten times.
The process was grueling. His vision blurred, his limbs trembled, and his body screamed in exhaustion. But when he lifted his gaze again, he knew.
He had succeeded.
Orochimaru and the others, watching his condition, were stunned.
Just moments ago, Shin had seemed unstoppable. Now, he was barely standing.
"Did he burn through his chakra using a forbidden technique?" Jiraiya muttered.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
Regardless of how he did it, Shin had just decimated a massive portion of Hanzo's forces. That was undeniable.
Before they could recover, the poisonous fog rolled closer. Without hesitation, Jiraiya and Orochimaru rallied the Konoha shinobi.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A storm of wind release jutsu erupted from the Konoha forces, colliding with the advancing poison cloud.
Hanzo, watching from atop Ibuse, narrowed his eyes behind his mask.
"They anticipated my moves. Who leaked our strategy?"
His fists clenched as he mentally cycled through possible traitors. But he had no time to dwell on it now.
His forces were decimated. Victory was slipping through his fingers.
Only two options remained: retreat or fight to the death.
He inhaled sharply, his mind made up.
"Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade…" His gaze burned with resolve.
"If I take them hostage, Hidden Rain can still save face."
With newfound determination, he issued a command to Ibuse.
"Go."
The colossal salamander lunged forward as Hanzo formed a new set of seals.
"Ninja Art: Concealing Mist Jutsu!"
A dense fog swept across the battlefield, shrouding everything in a thick haze. Hidden within the cover, Hanzo charged straight at the Konoha camp.
The moment he closed in, he tore off his mask and exhaled.
A cloud of highly concentrated poison flooded the area. This time, he held nothing back.
Every last ounce of toxin stored in Ibuse's poison sac poured forth, catalyzed by Hanzo's chakra into an even deadlier mist.
And this time, it wouldn't be so easily dispelled.
Before anyone could react, Hanzo launched his next attack.
"Water Style: Poisoned Water Dragon Bullet!"
A massive water dragon surged forward, its swirling body laced with the airborne poison.
It was a monstrous sight. A writhing, liquid serpent, infused with toxins so potent that a single touch could melt flesh.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade could evade it, but the shinobi behind them weren't as lucky.
A dozen Konoha shinobi were struck instantly.
Their bodies detonated upon impact, internal organs bursting as poisoned water tore through them.
Screams echoed across the battlefield.
Nearby, shinobi who had only been splashed by the toxic liquid clutched at their faces in agony. Their skin blistered, eyes melted in their sockets, and throats closed as they collapsed, convulsing.
The air reeked of blood, death, and despair.
Hanzo pulled his mask back on, surveying the devastation with cold eyes.
"Now," he muttered, turning toward the stunned trio before him.
"Let's see if you three can survive this."
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