Chapter 141: The Name of the Sannin
Masahiko flew at full speed and arrived at the Land of Rain.
As the name suggested, the Land of Rain was a country where it rained year-round. Public order was strict, making it extremely difficult to infiltrate.
However, for Masahiko, it was quite easy. After all, most ninja villages lacked anti-air measures, and the Hidden Rain Village was clearly no exception.
The rain was quite heavy, but as soon as the drops reached the top of Masahiko's head, they automatically parted into two streams, flowing down the sides of his body.
Masahiko looked down. Ruins and rubble were everywhere. Clearly, the war with Konoha had made this already impoverished country even more wretched.
"Mind's Eye of the Kagura!" Masahiko formed the Tiger seal with his right hand and closed his eyes to sense.
"Over there!" Masahiko narrowed his eyes, changed direction, and flew toward the east.
Along the way, many Konoha ninjas were fleeing on the ground in a sorry state.
"The situation isn't great..." Although he said that, Masahiko didn't actually feel much urgency. He knew the final outcome of the Battle of the Sannin.
He came here merely to collect Witness Points and to guard against the unlikely possibility that Hanzo wouldn't hold back.
"Although it's unlikely—how could Hanzo dare to offend Konoha to the death?—it's better to be safe..." Masahiko sighed and accelerated slightly.
Arriving near the battlefield, only Hanzo and the three Sannin (Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru) remained. Facing Hanzo, Tsunade and the others had chosen to stay behind as the rearguard.
Masahiko didn't intervene. He watched the three engage Hanzo; in his heart, this was their battle.
"They've improved quite a bit over the last two years," Masahiko thought silently after watching for a while.
Although all three had improved, Hanzo, who could go toe-to-toe with Hiruzen, wasn't an opponent they could defeat at their current level.
"Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation!"
Hanzo's jutsu made Masahiko pause slightly.
"This technique is interesting. Adding fire nature transformation to explosive tags increases the power nicely." He was somewhat tempted; he lacked this kind of "trap-like" ninjutsu.
Explosive tags surfaced on the ground around Tsunade, but Masahiko wasn't worried. Sure enough, Jiraiya quickly arrived beside her.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
Jiraiya's hair rapidly transformed into needles, wrapping around both of them and defending against the explosive tags' bombardment.
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade cried out in concern.
Jiraiya released the technique, having successfully played the hero saving the beauty. He shook his head, smiled, and gave a thumbs-up. "No problem!"
Hanzo didn't stop after casting his jutsu; wielding his kusarigama (chain-sickle), he charged forward.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Orochimaru had already learned a series of snake-controlling ninjutsu. Naturally, the snakes appearing from his sleeves weren't hidden beforehand but were summoned using a variation of the Summoning Jutsu.
The seal-less ninjutsu hit Hanzo directly, but Masahiko shook his head in the distance.
The hit Hanzo turned into a puddle of water, while the real Hanzo appeared behind Orochimaru.
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
Tsunade appeared just in time, kicking Hanzo back with a single blow.
The three had completed a cycle of saving each other, and Masahiko nodded slightly watching this.
"Their teamwork is quite tacit. Otherwise, three S- rank ninjas facing an S+ rank opponent might not even last ten minutes."
Masahiko didn't act, but he wouldn't sit by and watch the three get pummeled by Hanzo either. He was waiting for a moment.
That moment arrived quickly. Hanzo had gotten completely serious, widening the distance, removing his mask, biting his finger, and summoning his Salamander, Ibuse.
The three also bit their fingers and performed the Summoning Jutsu. In the distance, Masahiko mobilized a massive amount of chakra and channeled it into Tsunade's summoning formation.
After three "poof" sounds, the Sannin's summoned beasts appeared together.
Jiraiya's younger version of Gamabunta, Orochimaru's younger version of Manda, and Tsunade's...
"Orochimaru, why have you summoned me to this disgusting place again..." Manda hissed.
However, Orochimaru on its back ignored it, glancing at Tsunade beside him, his eyes flashing with sharp light.
"Tsunade, your chakra reserves have improved again."
Tsunade was stunned at first, then looked at the slug beneath her feet, slightly dazed.
"Lady Katsuyu, why are you...?"
The slug beneath Tsunade's feet was fully ten times the size of what she usually summoned, making it roughly ten times the size of Manda and Gamabunta beside it.
In the distance, Masahiko shook his head. "Is the distance too far? With sixty percent of my chakra plus Tsunade's, how could we only summon one-tenth of Katsuyu?"
Katsuyu didn't answer Tsunade, secretly cursing Masahiko in her heart. He didn't want to fight himself, so he asked her for help. Although she liked damp environments, she actually hated this kind of rainy weather.
Since the Slug Sage didn't answer, Tsunade didn't ask further details. Her expression quickly brightened. "With this, we can win!"
Clearly, facing Hanzo who could repel Hiruzen, she had previously felt they had zero chance of victory.
"Hello, Slug Sage." Gamabunta wasn't a complete hooligan in his youth and politely greeted Katsuyu.
As for Jiraiya on top of his head, he was "grossed out" by the giant slug.
During this time, Hanzo didn't attack either. He had sensed a massive surge of chakra being transmitted when Tsunade used her summoning and was now looking around warily.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
The Slug Sage clearly wanted a quick battle. Before Tsunade could speak, she proactively spat a mouthful of acid. Hanzo immediately used Body Flicker to dodge.
Tsunade was stunned, and Orochimaru shouted from the side, "Attack together!"
Seeing the Slug Sage, Manda didn't "act up" anymore. Obeying Orochimaru's command, they besieged Hanzo together. Jiraiya finally recovered, and the battle continued.
Masahiko recovered his chakra in the distance while watching the fight.
"Although it's not the one-fifth of the Slug Sage I imagined, one-tenth should be enough."
However, the battle exceeded his expectations. Hanzo, paired with his Salamander, truly lived up to his title of Demigod.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Various overwhelming Water Release ninjutsu, amplified by the special weather of the Land of Rain, almost reached Tobirama's level. Meanwhile, the Salamander moved underground, occasionally harassing the three. The battle was surprisingly evenly matched.
"With the Salamander, he can barely be considered SS- rank. It seems the outcome is still uncertain."
Masahiko didn't plan to assist further; any more intervention would require him to step in personally.
After nearly an hour, Tsunade could no longer maintain the massive summon of Katsuyu and had to release it. Fortunately, Hanzo had also consumed a lot of energy during this time.
"As expected of an opponent who can rival Sensei!" Tsunade gasped, speaking out.
Hanzo also panted slightly, widening the distance and frowning at the three.
Tsunade's chakra was massively depleted due to Katsuyu, but Orochimaru and Jiraiya were still in decent condition. If they continued fighting, it would likely end in mutual destruction. Moreover, the massive chakra surge earlier still concerned him.
"There is no need to continue fighting." Hanzo slowly put his mask back on and dismissed his Salamander summon.
"Young ninjas, to be able to fight me to this extent is truly remarkable!"
"From today on, I shall name you the Sannin of Konoha. There is no need for this war to continue!"
Tsunade and the others looked at each other. After hesitating for a while, they nodded to one another. Mainly, even with Tsunade's "extraordinary performance," they hadn't gained the upper hand, and making peace with the Land of Rain was also very beneficial for Konoha.
In the distance, Masahiko let out a long breath as Chinese characters flashed before his eyes: *Witnessed and moderately changed the Naruto world Main Story: The Name of the Sannin. Received 20 (5) Witness Points.
"Six hundred points!"
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