"No wonder they call him the Ghost of Konoha."
"Setting aside the former Second Tsuchikage, Mū, that brat's kekkei genkai is truly something."
"And he even possesses two kinds of kekkei genkai... Transparent Release... and Crystal Release..."
Hanzō of the Salamander gazed at the spot where Gekko Chizan had vanished, a hint of solemnity flashing across his face.
He wasn't afraid of how strong his opponent might be—after all, he stood at the very pinnacle of the ninja world.
What truly unsettled him were those who could appear and disappear without a trace.
Even someone like him—a so-called demigod—had moments of carelessness. If such an opponent struck at the right time, the consequences could be dire.
"Hmph, no wonder Ōnoki was willing to trade me three years' worth of supplies for this mission."
"So this is the kind of person he's dealing with."
"Well, even if he hadn't hired me, once I knew this kid existed, I'd have gone out of my way to eliminate him."
"Still... that price—"
Since Gekko Chizan had already vanished, Hanzō had no other choice. He turned his gaze toward the Iwagakure ninja standing nearby.
"You there. Come here."
"Go deliver a message to your Tsuchikage."
The called-upon Iwa-nin approached cautiously, his tone full of respect.
"You... you wanted to see me, Hanzō-sama?"
Hanzō gave him a glance. That natural aura of oppression made the small-time shinobi tremble slightly.
"Tell Ōnoki this—he needs to pay more."
"A kekkei genkai comparable to Mū's... three years of supplies aren't enough."
"Tell him to add two more years. I'll take care of this one."
With that, Hanzō turned and left, heading toward the Land of Fire. His enormous summon, the salamander Ibuse, burrowed directly into the ground.
The Iwagakure messenger broke into a cold sweat the moment Hanzō turned his back.
After all, this was the man who, during the Second Great Ninja War, had simultaneously declared war on Konoha, Sunagakure, and the Land of Iron— and with overwhelming strength, made the entire ninja world remember his name.
Just as the Iwa-nin was about to leave and relay the message, he suddenly felt something was wrong.
Before he could react, his body turned into solid crystal.
"Damn it! What is this?!"
"That guy never left!"
A scream of agony tore through the air—then vanished. Encased completely in crystal, the ninja's body was hurled like a weapon straight toward Hanzō.
It all happened in an instant. The crystalized body flew at incredible speed, reaching Hanzō's back in the blink of an eye.
A splash followed.
The struck "Hanzō" exploded into water—the image of a water clone dissipating.
Clearly, he had countered with a combination of the Substitution Jutsu and a clone.
Crack!
From the impact, the crystalized Iwa-nin shattered into countless fragments across the ground.
"Damn brat. You've got guts."
"But now... you'll die here!"
Water surged from another direction as Hanzō reappeared, his killing intent thick in his voice.
Yet even as his shout echoed and he readied for combat— the surroundings remained utterly silent.
The Iwa-nin nearby gripped their weapons again, alert and tense, waiting for Gekko Chizan to show himself.
Minute after minute passed. Still, Chizan did not appear.
The silence gnawed at Hanzō, whose killing aura only grew stronger. He hated this type of enemy—one who hid themselves completely.
"Damn brat!"
"If you dare sneak attack me, then come out and fight!"
Frustrated, Hanzō roared into the emptiness, signaling Ibuse to stay hidden beneath his feet—ready to ambush at any moment.
But no matter how much he shouted, Gekko Chizan did not show himself.
A strange, indescribable aura slowly began to spread.
...
"Chizan, what's that guy yelling about again?"
"Who cares. He reeks of blood. I bet his whole body's filled with poison."
"Enough, you two. Chizan didn't summon us out here to chat."
Three voices sounded softly from the sky, each belonging to a graceful, serpentine figure. They bickered among themselves in hushed tones.
"Hmph. Sneak attack me and think I'll run? Not a chance."
"You want to find my trail? Keep dreaming."
High above, Gekko Chizan looked down with disdain at Hanzō and the Iwa-nin below, all standing in formation.
When the ambush had begun earlier, he had escaped using Flying Thunder God and activated Transparent Release— but he hadn't actually left.
Instead, he entered Sage Mode while remaining invisible, then canceled Transparent Release and handed the task of concealment to the Three Snake Princesses.
His Transparent Release could erase his form, scent, and chakra—but any offensive move would break the effect.
If, however, he used Ryūchi Cave's Sage Art to cloak himself, then even attacking wouldn't expose him.
The three Snake Princesses divided their roles perfectly: one kept him airborne, one maintained the invisibility, and one gathered natural energy.
He, meanwhile, handled the attacks.
A terrifying combination— one meant purely for assassination.
Just moments ago, he had swooped down from above, used Crystal Release to turn an Iwa-nin into crystal, then hurled that crystalline body straight at Hanzō.
Hanzō's gaze darkened. He knew dragging things out like this would only put him at a disadvantage.
So he acted.
"Hmph! Not coming out? Then I'll force you out!"
"Ibuse—move!"
With a shout, Ibuse resurfaced, spewing thick, purple-black poison mist that began to spread in all directions.
The toxins of the giant salamander were infamous. During the Second Great Ninja War, Hanzō had nearly wiped out his enemies with this very poison.
Ibuse's toxin had two modes of release: one was to blast it out in a single, powerful burst—devastating, but it would leave Ibuse temporarily drained, needing five minutes to replenish his poison.
The other mode, which he used now, was to let the gas seep out gradually. The poison would flow endlessly, though at a slower rate.
It wasn't ideal for swift kills— but in this case, it was perfect.
If Gekko Chizan appeared, he would be instantly engulfed by the spreading poison.
From above, Chizan observed calmly, a cold smirk tugging at his lips.
He controlled the Crystal Release, silently forming countless needle-thin shards above Hanzō's head— then unleashed them like rain.
Sensing the threat, Ibuse erupted from the ground and shielded Hanzō with its massive body.The crystal senbon clattered against its thick hide harmlessly, though they turned the creature into a walking pincushion.
Taking advantage of the moment, Gekko Chizan once again teleported behind another Iwa-nin.Crystal Release activated— the ninja crystallized instantly and was hurled toward Hanzō like a human bomb.
"You filthy brat! Such vile tactics!"
"Useless Iwa-nin! If you don't want to die from poison or turn into crystal, get the hell out of here!"