Land of Wind — Zephyr Plain
The once-fertile lands of the Wind Country, known for its rare oases and shifting dunes, had now become a shattered battlefield of blood and scorched earth. What was once a quiet, sunlit plain had been turned into hell.
Countless shinobi from Sunagakure, cloaked in layered gauze to block the sun and sand, clashed with Amegakure forces dressed in rubberized armor and reinforced rain gear. Blood soaked into the dry earth every passing second, dyeing the sand red.
In sheer numbers, Amegakure held a decisive advantage, a result of Hanzo's aggressive conscription and militarization of the Hidden Rain. But in terms of Genin-level quality, Sunagakure's elite training and war-hardened youth overwhelmed their Rain counterparts. Still, Amegakure frequently swarmed a single Sand shinobi with two or even three mid-level Genin in coordinated attacks.
At the Jōnin level, however, both sides had sent nearly equal numbers—over fifty elite combatants each—an unmistakable signal that this battle would likely determine the direction of the Rain-Sand War. Both nations had committed fully.
At the epicenter of the Zephyr Plain, neither side dared to advance. No chakra signature approached it. Why? Because at its heart, a clash between titanic forces was taking place—one that neither Rain nor Sand dared to interrupt.
"!!!!"
Even a kilometer away, the sound of clashing chakra-enhanced weapons rang like thunder in the ears. The clanging of steel and surging of chakra echoed in waves, assaulting the senses and making eardrums ache.
Hanzō of the Salamander, clad in black armor with the trademark curved sickle in hand, danced across the field, his weapon cleaving through the air with supernatural force, parrying attacks as fast as a hailstorm. The legendary "Demigod of the Shinobi World" was—unbelievably—being pushed back.
Yes. Hanzo, the man who once singlehandedly defeated the young Sannin of Konoha, was now suppressed in melee combat.
It wasn't due to the strength of a single opponent—but the collective assault of ten.
White Secret Technique: Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu!
Each of the Ten Puppets, created by the legendary Monzaemon—the founder of puppetry—was equipped with unique weapons and chakra mechanisms. Controlled with masterful finesse, these puppets were the crown jewel of Sunagakure's art.
Cold light gleamed in Hanzō's eyes. In one swift motion, he sheathed and then instantly unsheathed his blade in a flash of chakra-enhanced speed:
"Iai Slash!"
Zing!!!
Three of the white-robed puppets were sliced in half instantly. The air trembled under the shockwave. But as he stepped forward to capitalize, three more puppets surged in from the flanks, while others bombarded him from a distance with hidden projectiles laced in lethal poison and exploding chakra tags.
On the other end of the battlefield stood their puppeteer—Chiyo, the feared elder of Sunagakure. Though younger than in her anime debut, she was already at her peak in both chakra control and technique.
Beside her stood her brother—Ebizō, not yet stooped with age, acting as her strategic support. When any puppet from the Chikamatsu Collection was destroyed, Ebizō would deploy identical substitutes from their reserves and pull the damaged ones back for rapid mid-battle repairs.
Chiyo focused on attack and manipulation. Ebizō handled protection, chakra flow assistance, and battlefield adjustments.
Against the two siblings' perfectly synchronized teamwork, even Hanzō found no gaps to exploit. Their formation, a blend of constant offense and rotating defense, frustrated even his high-speed, chakra-fueled taijutsu.
Though Hanzō had fought puppeteers before, none like these. These weren't mere showpieces or low-tier constructs. These were ancient war puppets from the First Great Ninja War, each representing decades of lost Sunagakure secrets.
Still, Hanzō was no mere taijutsu brawler. As the wielder of poisonous ninjutsu and assassination techniques, he was among the most dangerous shinobi in the world.
With his patience waning, Hanzō formed rapid hand signs.
Secret Technique: Clay Cannon!
Opening his mouth, he expelled a massive sphere of hardened mud chakra, at least thirty meters in diameter, laced with earth-style explosive compounds. As it flew toward the siblings, Hanzō leapt back, gaining room for his next move.
Chiyo's hands twitched.
The three puppets marked "Buddha," "Dharma," and "Sangha" moved into formation.
Secret Technique: Sanbō Kyūkai! (Three Buddhist Treasures Vacuum)
The puppets formed a triangle, their seals activated in harmony. A vacuum was generated in the space between them, and the suction was so intense it pulled rocks, shrapnel, and chakra particles inward.
Even Hanzō's titanic clay bomb couldn't escape the gravity of the technique. It stalled mid-air—then cracked and disintegrated into fragments before it could land.
"Boom!!!"
A rain of debris followed—but Chiyo did not pause. She sensed something else.
Hanzō's hands were already forming seals again.
Summoning Technique: Ibuse!
BOOM!
A massive puff of smoke exploded—and from it, a ten-meter-tall black salamander emerged, eyes glowing with malice and skin secreting thick purple toxins. The creature bellowed a high-pitched, distorted shriek—like a baby crying underwater.
Chiyo's expression changed.
"It's the Sanshōuo…!" she muttered. "Ebizō!"
Her brother understood without words. Both swallowed yellow antidote pills and covered their mouths with reinforced cloth.
Above, Hanzō removed his iconic gas mask—the proof of his immunity to his own poison—and slapped the summoning seal on Ibuse's back.
Secret Technique: Poison Mist Jet!
Ibuse and Hanzō simultaneously released noxious purple mist from their mouths. The mist expanded outward in all directions from the Zephyr Plain's center, spreading like a death cloud.
Rain Shinobi, already equipped with respirators and trained for this moment, charged forward, immune to the toxins.
Sand Shinobi, caught in the outer ring of the mist, began coughing, choking—then collapsing with foam at their mouths.
"Retreat!!! Fall back!"
The Sand commanders shouted desperately. The poison was too dense and too sudden to counter.
Even the legendary hardiness of the Wind shinobi broke in the face of absolute toxicity. They abandoned their positions, leaving behind wounded and gear, retreating toward the dunes.
"Wooooooh!!!!"
"Victory to Hanzo-sama!"
"What a true shinobi should be!"
Rain Shinobi cheered madly, emboldened by their leader's overwhelming power. With the tide turning, they surged forward in pursuit of the fleeing Sunagakure forces.
The plain burned. The wind howled.
And the battle of the Legendary Chūnin entered its darkest hour.
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