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Hanzō had been feeling rather irritable lately.
So much so that he'd begun to doubt his own decision to provoke this war.
Leaving his homeland, fighting on foreign soil.
The environmental impact on ninja combat effectiveness was secondary; with the resilience of the Rain Village ninjas, mere sandstorms and drought could be endured with grit.
However, the Land of Rain was but a small nation, with a scarce population and limited resources.
Long-term campaigns on foreign battlefields were beginning to strain their supply lines, showing signs of faltering.
Coupled with intelligence brought by the supply convoy ninjas, Hanzō felt his head was about to split.
"I'm fighting the Sand Village ninjas tooth and nail on the front lines, and even I, Ibuse, have lost weight recently,"
"But you, Salamander Hanzō, before Konoha has even launched an offensive, you directly led over a hundred Rain Village defenders to their deaths."
"If I had known, I should have broken both your legs then and there; it wouldn't have led to such a heavy loss of ninjas for Rain."
"Sigh..."
Hanzō sighed inwardly, deeply disappointed in the man he had personally promoted.
Due to the weakness of the Land of Rain, when choosing individuals to nurture, they could only pour limited resources into a select group with relatively outstanding talent and strength, without considering whether their temperament and abilities were truly suitable for such intensive cultivation.
This had resulted in the current embarrassing situation.
This was Hanzō of the Salamander's dereliction of duty, but also the helplessness of small nations like the Land of Rain.
This was also one of the reasons why Hanzō was eager to expand his territory and increase the influence of the Land of Rain in the ninja world.
Only with more territory and resources would the population grow. With a larger population, individuals with outstanding talent would have opportunities to emerge.
Take Konoha, for example, or the Five Great Nations...
No matter how weak a nation's power or how harsh its environment, with sheer numbers, talented individuals would continuously emerge.
As for the Land of Rain...
It's better left unsaid!
Tightening the sickle blade in his hand, Hanzō looked at the gradually appearing black dots in the distance, reflecting silently for a moment.
"Perhaps, this is the last offensive the Rain Village can afford to launch!"
"If this one fails..."
"I can only abandon the plan to continue attacking the Land of Wind!"
After long preparation, Hanzō had come prepared this time.
Although he was somewhat surprised that Chiyo had come alone, it didn't matter.
With the unique abilities of both combatants, the outcome of this battle rested solely on the two commanders from the outset. Hanzō's poison was too lethal to ordinary ninjas; it was reasonable for Chiyo not to bring any ninjas to face him.
Hanzō thus set aside his plan to sneak-attack the Sand Village's rear camp and led his Rain ninjas to meet Chiyo.
"Old puppet hag, coming alone without bringing anyone, be careful no one is around to collect your corpse later, and I'll have to personally escort your body back to the Sand Village. You really know how to order people around!"
Hanzō started with a taunt.
Chiyo didn't hold back, retorting with a dark expression.
"So old, yet you still mimic youngsters by wearing a mask, truly shameless."
"Without those rotten breathing tubes, can you not even breathe?"
"Damn breathing tube old man!"
"Where's your fat-headed fish?"
"Hurry and summon it, this old woman will send you two brothers down together, lest you be lonely in the underworld!"
Hanzō was instantly infuriated, inwardly cursing his own loose tongue. He knew this old hag's verbal prowess was even greater than her puppetry, yet he still insisted on provoking her.
Truly, it was enraging him to death...
"Hmph!"
"I have no desire to argue with a woman; let's settle this with our hands!"
"Attack!"
With Hanzō's command, the Rain ninjas behind him scattered. They pulled out hastily made sealing scrolls from their pouches, their chakra surging as they activated the seals on the scrolls.
The patterns of the character "雨" (rain) etched on the scrolls erupted with rings of clear water ripples. Instantly, a brilliant light surged forth, and torrents of water gushed continuously from the scrolls, transforming the desert beneath their feet into a vast ocean in mere moments.
"Old man, you're quite cunning!"
Chiyo's pupils constricted. She leaped onto the water's surface, warily watching Hanzō opposite her.
Hanzō let out a deep laugh, stomped his foot on the water, and a colossal wave surged towards Chiyo. Simultaneously, Hanzō's body instantly dissolved into a streak of water light, appearing behind Chiyo with his sickle blade in hand.
Except for the late Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who was an anomaly capable of creating Water Release jutsu out of thin air in arid environments with his immense chakra reserves, Hanzō's mastery of Water Release ninjutsu was considered second to none in the ninja world.
Water Clone, was Hanzō's signature technique that had made him virtually invincible in the Land of Rain.
*Clang!*
The sickle blade sliced through Chiyo's body, which dissolved into a pile of scattering puppet fragments with a splash.
Hanzō's peripheral vision caught sight of Chiyo summoning the core bodies of the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu in the distance, and he sneered.
"Hmph!"
"Without some tricks, how could I dare to come here and court trouble again!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Water surged from beneath his feet, and a transparent water dragon instantly formed, roaring silently as it lunged at Chiyo.
*Splash!*
Casually controlling a twin-bladed puppet to deflect the Water Dragon Bullet, Chiyo looked at the falling raindrops and coldly scoffed,
"A water snake with no power, don't embarrass yourself with it!"
"This old woman..."
Before Chiyo's mocking words were finished, the raindrops falling from the sky suddenly emitted a chakra fluctuation. Hanzō, brandishing his sickle, instantly appeared before her.
"As you said..."
Hanzō slashed through the bull-headed puppet in front of Chiyo, his gaze sharp.
"Water Release was merely a feint!"
Hanzō's figure disappeared again, and almost simultaneously, he appeared behind the remaining nine puppets. With rapid slashes of his hand, explosive tags were plastered onto them.
"My main method is still close-quarters combat!"
"Fire Release: Explosive Flame Formation!"
Hanzō retreated, gripping his sickle in his left hand and his right fist against his left palm, forming a somewhat obscure hand seal. He let out a low growl.
"Damn it!"
"The old man hid a Fire Release jutsu!"
Chiyo gasped in alarm. The chakra threads in her hands danced rapidly as she quickly removed the already ignited explosive tags from the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu.
But it was still too late.
Hanzō's movements were too fast. Chiyo had only managed to remove the explosive tags from six puppets when the Explosive Flame Formation, under Hanzō's control, erupted with a roar.
*Rumble!*
A series of earth-shattering explosions. Turbulent waves churned around Chiyo, and puppet debris flew everywhere.
If not for Chiyo's seasoned experience, her immediate removal of more than half the explosive tags, and her quick evasion with a few puppets, she would have likely perished on the spot.
The suddenness and concealment of this jutsu were such that even Tsunade and Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, in the original story, failed to react in time.
Chiyo's maneuver was truly commendable.
Even so, only four of Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets remained: Buddha, Dharma, Monk, and the bald puppet.
This was likely the greatest loss the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu had ever suffered since their creation.
"As expected of Hanzō of the Salamander, who is revered as a demigod in the ninja world. I almost fell for your trap!"
Chiyo, disregarding the damage to the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu, praised Hanzō with a cold expression, and immediately controlled three puppets to stack on top of each other in front of her.
"Secret White Technique: Three Treasures Crushing Wave!"
Chiyo grunted, activating the most powerful attack method of the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu.
"This old woman will drain your water. Without Water Clone, let's see what other tricks you have!"
*Gurgle!*
Just like when absorbing the salamander's poison earlier, the water flow on the ground, which had already been reduced to less than half by the thirsty desert, instantly disappeared at a visible speed.
Hanzō regretfully watched the sandy ground slowly become dry again. He waved his hand listlessly at Chiyo and put away his sickle blade.
"I didn't expect that even Water Clone and Explosive Flame Formation wouldn't be enough to kill you."
"Old puppet hag, this battle, you win!"
Chiyo let out a cold laugh, looking at Hanzō provocatively.
"Breathing tube old man, why don't you summon that fat-headed fish? Perhaps there's still hope for a comeback!"
Hanzō's heart burned with anger as he glared at Chiyo.
"Puppet old hag, you only won by taking advantage of the terrain. If this were in the Land of Rain..."
"Hmph!"
"Enough!"
"A loss is a loss; I admit it!"
Hanzō sighed and turned to leave.
"The war between the Lands of Rain and Wind is over."
"If the Sand Village wishes to continue, I await you in the Land of Rain!"
"Let's see if you dare to come!"
Chiyo watched Hanzō's somewhat dejected retreating figure, opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.