Following Haseo's previous instructions, the trio should have returned to the Third Hokage as soon as possible. After all, without Haseo present, their battlefield survival capabilities would immediately drop significantly—limited by their age, they certainly weren't the seasoned allies they'd later become.
Therefore, Haseo's warning was spot-on. However, the problem was that there was absolutely no need for them to do so.
The current weather definitely worked in favor of Hanzo of the Rain Village. If it had been the usual rainy day in the Land of Rain, the poison gas wouldn't have spread this quickly.
Yet precisely because the clear weather offered high visibility, the unusual situation occurring within Amegakure could easily be observed from far away.
As a result, before the trio even attempted to find the Third Hokage, he had already arrived first.
After sensing the abnormality on the battlefield, the Hokage headed straight for the site with a group of ninja. They swiftly passed by where the three stood, pushing forward to a position even closer to Amegakure.
Naturally, the Third Hokage was deeply concerned about how his students were doing. But at this moment, he only glanced at them briefly as he passed by, and upon confirming none of them were missing limbs or visibly injured, he felt mostly reassured—he simply didn't have time to talk to the young ones.
Tsunade wanted to stop the Hokage and say something, but she found herself unable to get a word in edgewise. Thus, she could only help Orochimaru lift Jiraiya and follow the Hokage's group.
In the blink of an eye, they had stopped right before the entrance to Amegakure. Looking at the mist just a few steps ahead—an entrance into the hidden village—the Third Hokage turned directly to Shimura Danzo trailing behind him and said, "Danzo, this is exactly why I brought you here. In order to prevent such a scenario, I decided beforehand to deploy you onto this battlefield."
Hanzo of the Rain Village was a force to be reckoned with—rising swiftly not only within Amegakure, but also drawing attention from Konoha. During prolonged conflicts between Konoha and Amegakure, he had inflicted serious damage on Konoha multiple times, enough to bring himself to the attention of the Third Hokage himself.
But precisely because Hanzo of the Rain Village had become such a noticeable threat, Konoha had gathered corresponding intelligence on him, understanding his fighting style. More importantly, they had learned that he possessed a remarkably unique poison-infused summoned beast. To prevent Hanzo and his summon from causing chaos during the final operation, the Third Hokage had deployed Shimura Danzo to the front lines.
However, despite these precautions taken in advance, the scale of the poison mist released by the enemy still exceeded the Hokage's expectations. Such poisonous mist covering the entire village couldn't possibly be dealt with easily.
Even under circumstances this dire, Danzo remained a fallback asset that could still get the job done.
Faced with the poison mist, Danzo Shimura had certain countermeasures—not because he was an exceptionally skilled Wind Release ninja, but because he had a wind-based summoning beast perfectly attuned to him: the "Mōbaku."
Relying solely on himself, no matter how hard Danzo blew, he still couldn't disperse the toxic gas. After all, no matter how powerful his Wind Release techniques were, they were limited in scale. Konoha wasn't like Sunagakure, which had groups of elite Wind Release specialists; coordinated Wind Release attacks among multiple ninjas were difficult to achieve.
But Mōbaku could step up in such situations. After all, when combined with Danzo's Wind Release techniques, this creature could actually breach the so-called "absolute defense" of Susano'o, let alone simply dispersing gaseous poison.
The so-called Mōbaku was essentially a high-power, low-consumption, completely natural, electricity-free super fan—Konoha's ultimate full-service salon set-up.
Upon hearing the Third Hokage's command, Danzo hesitated not a second. He stepped forward directly, formed hand seals, and immediately used the Summoning Jutsu to call forth his contract beast, Mōbaku… In an urgent moment like this, even he didn't have time for his usual cold-and-distant act.
As Danzo completed the technique, a four-legged creature with a long trunk-like nose appeared before him. Then it raised its trunk, inhaled deeply, and exhaled forcefully. An unimaginably violent gust of wind instantly swept away all the poison gas ahead, carving out a column-shaped passage through the thick toxic fog leading straight into the depths of Amegakure.
With this move, they would be able to rescue as many Konoha ninjas still trapped inside Ame as possible.
At the same time, Mōbaku's appearance also conveyed a very simple truth to Rain Village: Since Konoha had come fully prepared for this operation, there was no way they'd back down after just a few minor setbacks.
Konoha had made up its mind—this battle would end here and now.
One after another, Konoha's ninjas returned along the cleared wind path, immediately being taken away for treatment afterward. Gradually, Jiraiya and Tsunade became anxious because, even though more and more people were returning, Haseo's figure remained absent among them.
After some time passed, another group emerged from much farther away. This new group consisted of around twenty people. However, judging from the anti-toxin masks covering their faces, these weren't Konoha shinobi.
They were Rain ninjas.
Those who could make the most thorough preparations against poison mist naturally were those who released it themselves. This squad from Rain approached gradually toward Konoha's position until they reached about thirty meters away, then stopped moving and stood firm in place. Then, the leader removed his mask, revealing his face.
The person was none other than Konoha's primary target in this entire operation—the Rain leader, Tanuki. Standing beside him was Hanzo of the Rain Village, the one who had just set up the massive "Defensive Barrier" for this village.
A few steps further behind them stood the escort guards of Rain's leader.
"At last, they've shown themselves."
The Third Hokage and Danzo Shimura stood side by side, calmly watching the emergence of the Rain team.
If any conversation were to take place between the two sides, it would inevitably be unequal from the start… because their statuses had never been on the same level to begin with. One was known as a "Kage," while the other was merely the leader of a village.
"Using such horrifying methods to halt Konoha's assault—even if you do achieve 'victory' in this battle, what meaning can a self-destructive result like this truly have? If you save the village but lose its people, is there even a point in keeping it?"
The Third Hokage finally fixed his gaze upon Yu's leader, Tanuki, and posed this question… The Hokage knew he himself could never bring himself to do what the opposing side had done.
"There's definitely meaning in it. Isn't the fact that you're even asking this proof enough, Lord Hokage?" The leader of Amegakure spoke with heavy sarcasm, remaining unbowed despite being cornered. "We've always had the will to fight to the end—it's just that now, that will has finally turned into action.
Tell me, can you feel fear from us—a tiny ninja village you've always looked down on, Lord Hokage?"
This remark caused the Third Hokage and Danzo Shimura to exchange glances. They both believed their opponent had clearly gone mad—perhaps dangerously so.
Rather than unwavering resistance, this was more like obsessive delusion. At this point, one could no longer call this village leader a hero of the Land of Rain; he had become its greatest executioner.
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "Still not backing down, huh? I'd hoped by now you'd at least consider ending this war on decent terms... Peace benefits both sides, doesn't it?"
Hiruzen wasn't trying to reason with a madman—he nearly snapped, despite his usual composure. Although he had kept his tone steady while speaking, this calmness was merely the result of years of practiced restraint. In truth, his hands, hidden behind him, had already clenched into tight fists.
That was because within his field of vision, a soft-bodied creature about human height, striped blue and white, kept swaying its antennae while slowly inching forward along the outer wall of a spire belonging to Amegakure.
Step by step, silent yet deadly.
What kind of mood was the Hokage in right now?
Love is like a clear blue sky—fine weather that turns stormy without warning.
Nowhere to run...
Always striking when you least expect it.
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