At the border of the Land of Rain, several Ame-nin squads had clashed with Konoha's forces.
The sharp ring of kunai and short swords collided again and again. Blood sprayed, cries of battle echoed—this border had seen countless skirmishes, but today… today was different.
The roles were reversed.
For the first time, one of the Five Great Nations—the Land of Fire—was being invaded by a small country and forced into a defensive position on its own border.
"Reinforcements are coming up behind us! Fall back!"
A Konoha shinobi shouted after throwing a kunai.
But the moment he turned, an Ame-nin's blade slit across his neck. His head fell before he even hit the ground.
"Captain!!"
"Forget him—run!"
One Konoha ninja burst forward in grief, but two comrades grabbed him and held him back with force.
"You can avenge him later—run while you still can!"
"Are you stupid?! Charging in now is suicide! Do you want his death to be meaningless?!"
"Captain wouldn't want you dying here! Live! Carry his will forward!"
But just as they turned to retreat, a dark figure appeared silently before them.
A flash of white light.
"Carry your seniors' will forward, huh?
What a shame—none of you will get the chance."
The three Konoha shinobi felt a sudden sting at their necks. Before they could react, their bodies jerked backward—
"That's… the Salamander… Hanzō…"
"A–ah…"
Their heads separated mid-air, falling with dull thuds as blood sprayed like a fountain from their necks.
The surrounding Ame-nin quickly gathered around Hanzō.
He looked at the dozens of them coldly.
"What happened? How were you discovered?"
Rinbyō replied,
"Lord Hanzō, it seems two patrol squads crossed paths with us by coincidence. Those three were the last. All others were dealt with."
Hanzō glanced at the ring of corpses and shook his head.
"Two missing patrol squads… Konoha will realize something is wrong. But even if they know, they won't have the manpower to divert and attack you."
"In less than half a day, we begin our decisive battle with Konoha. This is the perfect moment for your infiltration. You brought everything with you?"
"Yes, sir," Rinbyō answered.
"We cleared out every storage scroll in Amegakure. All of it is here."
Hanzō nodded.
He remained silent for a long moment before speaking again, voice heavy:
"Good. But this mission is different from the usual. So I must remind you…"
"Our battles normally take place within the Land of Rain. Everything we do is to defend our homeland. Every life we take is for Rain's future…"
"But this time—you are going to plunder."
"To plunder unarmed civilians."
"To plunder wealthy merchants and nobles."
"To plunder women and children begging for mercy."
"But remember—Fire Country's peace is built on the tears of our people."
"They used our Land of Rain as their wall—taking the arrows meant for them."
"I've seen with my own eyes the villagers forced to flee because of the troop movements of the Great Nations. Those shattered huts were the last hope they clung to. I saw the despair in their eyes… and their screams."
"I've seen the helplessness of Rain's citizens when taxes were taken from them—yet when they saw me, they looked at me with hope."
"I've seen Rain civilians on their knees, begging shinobi of the Great Nations to spare their families."
"I cannot forget the damp, cold caves… the thinly dressed women… the infants crying for warmth. Their gaunt faces. Their fragile laughter."
"I cannot forget the abandoned youths who lost everything after attacks from the Great Nations—wearing boards around their necks saying 'Will do anything for coin,' yet having no one willing to hire them."
"I cannot forget those starved young men kneeling before me in ruined villages, begging me to lead them toward peace."
"I cannot forget the arrogance of the Great Nations—their condescending expressions every time they offered so-called 'aid,' looking at us like beggars. They forget that they themselves caused Rain to become like this."
"I hate killing."
"I hate war."
"I hate the Great Nations that sacrifice us small countries for their own survival."
"…But I have no choice."
Hanzō paused for a long, suffocating moment.
"Do you understand?"
"Lord Hanzō… I'm one of the people from that ruined village…"
An Ame-nin trembled as he spoke, his body shaking at the memories resurfacing.
Behind Hanzō, every Ame shinobi lowered their heads. Their eyes darkened.
"We know what we must do.
We're only taking back one percent of what originally belonged to us.
We believe you will one day lead the Land of Rain to prosperity."
"We only hate that we lack your strength, Lord Hanzō—your strength to protect our homeland."
"Lord Hanzō… we will not show mercy."
The drizzle began again, falling quietly over them.
Standing before his men, Hanzō spoke softly:
"This is as far as I can escort you. The decisive battle is about to begin—I must join the front lines as leader."
"It's time for you to go."
"Yes!!"
Their united shout echoed with fierce determination before they vanished under Rinbyō's lead.
Hanzō's figure also flickered and disappeared, rushing back toward the frontline.
---
Later — A Small Village on the Rain Country Border
Thousands of Suna-nin and Ame-nin were entrenched there. Tens of hundreds of tents stretched outward, transforming the village into a massive military encampment.
Chiyo was analyzing the latest intel when a figure dropped beside her. She scowled.
"At such a crucial moment, you still have time to wander off? What could possibly be more important than this?"
"Nothing. I just wasn't at ease about some subordinates, so I went to check on them," Hanzō replied.
"Subordinates? Hmph. I'll overlook it for now."
Chiyo tossed him a scroll.
"Intel from Konoha."
Hanzō unrolled it and read carefully before placing it on the table.
"So Konoha's reinforcements have already moved. They're fast."
Chiyo nodded.
"Just like you said—if summoning techniques are used to deliver intel, the advantage is absurd. According to this report, almost the moment you defeated their scouting team, Konoha received the information and dispatched troops."
She narrowed her eyes.
"But why did you leave those two survivors alive? Don't tell me you plan to use them as hostages against Konoha."
"I have my reasons."
"Tch. Then you'd better be careful. Don't let them sneak into your homeland while you're away."
"At their speed, they'll need at least half a day to catch up. Now is our best window of attack."
Hanzō spoke solemnly:
"Counting the border guards and their defeated remnants, Konoha has at most two thousand troops."
"We have five thousand in our allied army—we outnumber them more than two to one.
But… we still move cautiously."
"After all, the Second Hokage left Konoha with a terrifying foundation…"
He suddenly thought of the Hiraishin, and the space–time technique used by Shiranui Genma's squad during the Fourth Hokage Guard era—the one used to transport Terumi Mei across miles to Uchiha Madara.
This technique was far easier than the Flying Thunder God.
If Konoha had trained even one user… they could instantly drop a Kage-level fighter onto the battlefield.
Not to mention any traps they might have set along Fire Country's border.
"Now truly is the best time. Chiyo, how are your puppets?"
"No need to worry. Time was short, but I still crafted two special ones."
"Then gather the troops."
A horn blared across the encampment.
The armies of Suna and Ame assembled rapidly—thousands forming a massive square formation before Hanzō and Chiyo.
Gazing at the faces before him, Hanzō raised his voice:
"This may be the final battle of this war for many of you."
"Fight with the resolve to die!"
"NOW—"
"STEEL YOUR HEART AND ADVANCE!!!"