"How was it—did it work?"
Inside the forest, the Konoha Sannin caught up to Gojo Yoru, who was accelerating his Body Flicker with Lightning Release chakra. Orochimaru asked at once, eyes full of anticipation.
"I don't know. It was too dark—I couldn't see clearly, and I couldn't sense it either."
Even as he said that, the corners of Yoru's mouth lifted slightly, his tone meaningful.
"Maybe it worked, maybe it didn't. But one thing is certain—there's no way it came out unscathed."
It was Yoru's first time using "This." He couldn't perfectly control how much space–time chakra it consumed, and he'd spent his final teleport warning the Sannin. That made him panic—his mind set on survival and escape.
After all, without space–time chakra, Yoru's real strength was just that of a veteran chūnin who could burn all his chakra to barely squeeze out a single Fire Release: Rasengan.
Like Obito, who grew dependent on intangibility, Yoru had also become reliant on that "invincible shell." Losing it so suddenly left him without confidence.
Now that he'd calmed down, Yoru scolded himself internally: he couldn't keep "playing cool" like that. Otherwise he'd turn into an Uchiha—kind of a joke.
In a sense, Gojo and Uchiha weren't that different anyway—either could end up wearing a clown nose at any time.
As for why Hanzō didn't chase them, Yoru concluded there were three possible reasons.
First: Hanzō's sensing wasn't at Uzumaki Mito or the Three Great Sages' level, so he couldn't detect the space–time chakra inside Yoru at all.
In the ultimate move "This," what Yoru drained most heavily was space–time chakra—nearly emptying both his natural reserves and what the Strength of a Hundred Seal had stored.
His normal chakra had only dropped by less than half.
So in Hanzō's perception, Yoru still had enough chakra left to fire "This" again.
The second possibility was similar:
No one knew Yoru's Flying Thunder God didn't consume ordinary chakra at all, but the invisible space–time chakra they couldn't see.
From Hanzō's perspective, Yoru's "chakra" still allowed him to use Flying Thunder God multiple times—so chasing him was pointless.
But Yoru leaned toward the third possibility most of all:
Hanzō—or the salamander—had been hurt.
The tri-colored energy "meteor" hadn't struck the salamander directly, but the fact it couldn't dismiss the summon and return to the summoning realm proved it had been affected by the spatial ripples.
And those ripples weren't decoration.
They were the very thing that made even Uchiha Madara exclaim in canon—
spatial distortion.
Within a spatial distortion zone, even a Six Paths staff would bend.
The instant the salamander turned into water, that water and the rock around it were already being pulled into the ripples—and then were erased into nothingness upon contact with the orb.
Unless the salamander's "water flicker" was true teleportation, something was guaranteed to have been torn off by distorted space.
If a mere Water Body Flicker could escape spatial distortion, then Madara wouldn't have nearly been kicked out of the finale—even if Yoru's distortion wasn't yet as strong as Night Guy's.
The only question was: was the salamander hurt, or was Hanzō hurt?
Realizing his strike likely landed, Yoru couldn't help feeling regret.
"'This' isn't complete yet. Neither my normal chakra nor my space–time chakra is sufficient. I could only compress it into a marble-sized orb and create a spatial distortion zone that wasn't very large."
If his energy met the requirements, it would become a high-speed artificial black hole. Not only would it be "touch and die"—even getting close would be dragged in by terrifying spatial ripples. You'd be twisted and crushed into a blood mist before you even reached the core.
The Konoha Sannin didn't know that "meteor" was only the embryonic form of a super ultimate technique.
Seeing how confident Yoru was, Jiraiya sighed, "If you really inflicted major damage on that salamander… you'll have accomplished something the entire shinobi world couldn't."
"Then your fame will surpass ours by far," Tsunade nodded.
"?"
A big question mark practically popped over Yoru's head.
You're not expecting me to kill it, but you think "injuring it" is already glory? That's… a shockingly low bar.
Then Yoru remembered something: the title "Konoha Sannin" was originally a "loser's title," yet shinobi still treated it as an honor.
He realized he'd underestimated the current-era Hanzō because of his fixed canon impressions.
Being granted a title by this Hanzō was enormous honor.
Even killing an elderly Hanzō would be immense glory.
Pain only dared call himself a "god" after killing the shinobi demigod—and became arrogant from then on.
Hanzō wasn't just a pinnacle fighter—he was faith, the idol of countless shinobi.
…
"Orochimaru-sama! Tsunade-sama! Jiraiya-sama! Bad news!"
The four returned to the border base's tower-like headquarters.
Before Yoru could find a quiet corner to recover chakra, a man in a protective suit Body Flickered in front of them.
Holding one sealed scroll in each hand, he handed both to Orochimaru, face grave.
"Reports from Danzō-sama and Sakumo-sama. Combat forces from the Lands of Earth and Wind are attempting to infiltrate the Land of Fire—simultaneously—through the Land of Rivers–Rain border region, and the Rain–Grass border region."
"Danzō-sama and Sakumo-sama have already led forces to intercept. These are encrypted messages sent back through the clan summons."
The Konoha Sannin's expressions changed at once. Orochimaru hurriedly took the scrolls and opened them.
Yoru raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that the Land of Wind and Land of Earth had excellent timing.
Even though he wasn't "high command," Yoru was a top student in theory classes—he understood that the border base was basically a signal tower.
It had the best technology and barriers, and it was one of the Land of Fire's strongest defensive lines.
Orders and information were sent and received through this place.
Forces were layered outward from the base, rotating shifts in peacetime; if trouble happened elsewhere, response and reinforcements could be dispatched quickly.
Even though the Land of Fire's western region was vast and had no great wall defenses, it was still rare for large foreign forces to infiltrate.
And the few "rats" who slipped in couldn't stir much.
But now, because of Hanzō, the border base had been reduced to a small skeleton crew. Orders and information could no longer be transmitted and received at maximum speed.
This defense line had effectively been torn open—creating the best possible invasion window.
The Lands of Wind and Earth hadn't wasted the opportunity Hanzō "gifted" them.
The only surprise was that Konoha had clearly prepared for this in advance.
Yoru didn't know how canon Konoha's "three-front warfare" truly formed.
This version was obviously a butterfly effect caused by him.
"Three-front warfare in just a few months… that's fast. With me as a variable, how many years will this war last? And will it cause even bigger butterfly effects?" Yoru thought, but he didn't care much.
There were only a handful of people he truly cared about.
They either wouldn't be sent to war, or they were strong enough that he didn't have to worry.
And as a mere genin, Yoru didn't have to lead squads.
He'd only participate as a special operations member when Flying Thunder God was needed.
For extremely dangerous missions, he could even use the privilege Hiruzen granted him and refuse.
How to deploy troops and plan strategy—that was the adults' and higher-ups' job.
He didn't want to, and for now couldn't, get involved.
So Yoru didn't stay to listen to the Sannin's discussion. He chose to find a quiet place to recover chakra and then fulfill his promise.
The Sannin didn't care that Yoru left. Their eyes were locked on the two encrypted scrolls.
"Just as you said, Orochimaru—Ōnoki's real target was never the Land of Rain. It's us, the Land of Fire," Jiraiya said grimly.
"Normal," Orochimaru replied calmly. "You've already seen Hanzō's strength and deterrence up close. If they have a choice, no great nation wants to offend a monster like that just for a little profit."
"Didn't you see even Sunagakure—declared war upon by Hanzō—set aside hatred and strike at us?"
Tsunade looked at the report from Sakumo's side, worry in her eyes. "The unit leading Land of Wind's side is Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law. We should warn Sakumo-senpai to be careful of those two."
"To develop the antidote formula in only three months—put aside Chiyo's medical skill, her poison skill is absolutely second only to Hanzō in the shinobi world," Tsunade said.
"Her son and daughter-in-law might have inherited it—unknown lethal toxins."
"Not just Sakumo-senpai—also warn Danzō-sama," Orochimaru sneered. "Now that we've confirmed their target is us, things get easier. We just contract the front, maintain a triangular formation, and have scouts, support units, and Anbu monitor front and rear."
"If they dare infiltrate, we encircle and annihilate them."
"After a few times, their only choice will be to fight us head-on!"
"The Lands of Earth and Wind both have harsh terrain. Their supply speed and difficulty are far worse than ours. If they want resupply, they either wait for slow convoys, or they loot the Lands of Rain, Rivers, and Grass."
"Given the geography of the Lands of Grass and Rivers, and the agreement between the Five Great Villages and Kusagakure, their best option is only the Land of Rain."
"Since Rain is the junction of three great nations—and since they chose to ignite war—then let the Land of Rain become the main battlefield of this war."
Realizing this multi-nation melee—more precisely, the Second Great Ninja War—was unavoidable, Tsunade decided decisively:
"You two are better at war planning. You and Sarutobi-sensei decide. For the next stretch, I'll be going back and forth between Shikkotsu Forest and the lab—maybe even back to Konoha. If you need me, notify me early."
"Thanks. That's a lot on you, Tsunade," Orochimaru and Jiraiya said.
They understood Tsunade's pressure was even heavier.
If the Land of Rain became the main battlefield, Hanzō would be unavoidable.
Without an antidote formula and production line, they would be extremely passive.
"Don't worry. It's just salamander poison," Tsunade said with a confident, beautiful smile—making Jiraiya's heart jump.
The Konoha Sannin each became busy.
Even though it was night, they had endless work.
Tsunade had to organize the materials seized from Amegakure, then analyze the antidote's components and mixing.
Even with shadow clones and the Senju's stamina, developing the full formula would still take time.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya had to summarize tonight's events to Hiruzen in the shortest possible way, while also reorganizing the standby combat forces in the forest region.
Since the "signal tower" hadn't been fully restored, they had to communicate via encrypted scrolls—tracking the situation and preparing to reinforce at any moment.
Unlike the pirate world's "straight-up duel," war in the Naruto world could last years because it was an intelligence war.
First gather intelligence, then build a plan, then control the tempo—only when you have overwhelming confidence do you strike to annihilate the enemy.
When large numbers of shinobi are forced into face-to-face slaughter, it's either a turning point or a sign one side is already at the edge.
The infiltration by the Lands of Wind and Earth was only a probe.
If the Land of Fire hadn't reacted in time, the probe would become reality.
But since the Land of Fire did react, they would never foolishly fight on the enemy's home ground without intelligence advantage.
After all, not everyone is Hanzō.
Still, for the foreseeable future, the Land of Fire would have to endure constant pressure.
The declaration signal had been fired. The situation was no longer Rain vs. Wind—it was a four-nation melee.
On the surface, Konoha faced three fronts: Rain, Wind, and Earth.
But those three weren't allies.
Rain had to guard against Fire, against the very Wind it declared war on, and against Earth, which had raided them—so Rain was also effectively on three fronts.
Wind and Earth had it slightly easier: they only had to watch Fire and Rain.
The first night of the melee was an assassin's festival.
No one knew how many shinobi would die tonight because they lacked enemy intelligence—heads separated from bodies.
No one knew how many strong shinobi would die to something simple—cheap tools and traps worth only a few hundred or a few thousand ryō—because they were still flesh and blood and made one mistake.
This night could truly be called: the Night of First-Kill.
And on this night, a portrait, a name, a title, and a piece of intelligence quietly spread outward from Amegakure—rapidly reaching the three great nations nearby, then flooding the entire shinobi world through summoning relays.
The portrait wasn't a rough ink sketch—it was a colored drawing so real it was almost like a photograph.
It depicted a boy: short white hair, ice-blue eyes, a handsome face, a black coat and black trousers.
More importantly, the boy held a golden "laser sword" in one hand and a kunai in reverse grip in the other, carved with a strange formula.
It was the first time most people had seen the formula; it looked unique, but everyone still knew what it was.
Because beside the portrait was text:
[Black Flash · Gojo Yoru · Flying Thunder God User]
This wasn't a wanted poster—this looked like a movie promotional poster.
Too bad "Fujikaze Yukie"—Fūka Koyuki—probably hadn't even been born yet, and her debut was still far away.
Otherwise, seeing this poster, she might have wanted Gojo Yoru as her male lead.
With that poster-like portrait and Amegakure's public narrative, Gojo Yoru instantly became famous across the shinobi world.
Amegakure's propaganda essentially said:
Hanzō-sama headed to the Land of Fire border because Konoha's Flying Thunder God user infiltrated Amegakure and stole a valuable item—he was going to retrieve it.
But Konoha not only refused to return it, they also laid ambushes along the way, and even crossed the line into the Land of Rain to surround and attack their great Hanzō-sama.
That Flying Thunder God user used a never-before-seen technique and injured Hanzō-sama's salamander. Now Hanzō-sama couldn't summon his partner and had to fight alone.
Even so, Amegakure would declare war on the Land of Fire.
And though he was an enemy, Hanzō-sama gave extremely high praise to Black Flash, the rising star:
"His speed and attacks are as fast as a black flash. Without prior intelligence, even I took a heavy loss. As Konoha's secretly cultivated trump card, I must admit—the future of the shinobi world may belong to him!"
"What a nasty move—does he want to 'praise-kill' the Gojo kid, or is he trying to lure someone?" Jiraiya said the moment the portrait reached Orochimaru and him. He saw through Hanzō's scheme immediately.
"Assassins love smokescreens. We'll see if some idiot is willing to test it," Orochimaru sneered.
With Hanzō's strength, even without the salamander he was still at the pinnacle. Fighting him in a country of eternal rain without human-wave tactics—only the Five Kage could possibly contend.
Jiraiya grinned maliciously. "He's sacrificing his reputation to hype up the Gojo kid… that means that 'meteor' probably worked."
"It also means he wants Yoru dead more than anyone," Orochimaru said heavily. "By sacrificing his own reputation, he's mainly telling the other two nations that everything is true—except maybe the detail about the salamander."
"Maybe even the 'salamander injured' part is true."
"The rainy-night battle and that meteor—many scouts and Anbu likely saw it. Hanzō doesn't want them wasting time investigating. He pointed them straight at the target."
"He wants Yoru to draw Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage's attention."
Orochimaru's eyes deepened. "If so, then the 'salamander injured' information becomes even more credible. That deadliest poison beast is probably badly hurt."
"For us, that's good news—it buys Tsunade more time to develop the antidote."
Jiraiya stared at the portrait again and clicked his tongue. "Damn, they drew him handsome. White hair like me—he's got a bit of my flair. Whoever drew this, I really want him to illustrate the cover of my novel!"
"Since you write novels, the propaganda draft is yours," Orochimaru said calmly.
"—No way?!"
Jiraiya went blank and protested, "I'm just a novelist! I don't know political speeches!"
Seeing Orochimaru's faint smirk, Jiraiya instantly realized he'd been played. "Orochimaru, you bastard—messing with me again! Want to fight?!"
"Fight here?" Orochimaru said lightly. "Tsunade's lab is two floors up."
"Uh…"
Jiraiya instantly deflated.
…
"Flying Thunder God user… real or fake?"
Chiyo stared at the portrait, skepticism all over her face. "That old man with a breathing tube is so proud—would he sacrifice his own reputation to hype up an enemy-country youngster? This has to be fake."
"It is indeed Amegakure's official narrative," Ebizō said, his expression grave.
Chiyo quickly guessed Hanzō's intent and gritted her teeth. "He knew Konoha had a new Flying Thunder God user since earlier—yet he hid it until we attacked the Land of Fire, then released it. He predicted the Kazekage's decision long ago. That breathing-tube old man is vicious!"
Ebizō was silent for a long time, then chuckled. "It may not be bad news. At least we aren't the ones in the greatest hurry."
Chiyo froze, then smiled. "True. If Hanzō is willing to sacrifice his reputation just to 'praise-kill' that youngster, he must've taken a serious hit. If only the salamander really is injured…"
"Maybe it is," Ebizō sighed, regret in his eyes. "But no one dares gamble. The price is too high."
As one of the Five Great Nations, being declared upon by a small country and beaten down by one man—Suna wasn't without anger.
They simply lacked the national strength to indulge it.
"It's fine—Rain was never our true target," Chiyo's eyes burned. "This chaotic melee is an unprecedented opportunity. We just wait for the moment, break through the White Fang's line, and bite off a huge chunk of the Land of Fire—seize the Land of Rivers buffer zone completely, and from then on… offense and defense reverse."
Ebizō, not yet old either, was equally fired up.
…
"Flying Thunder God, white hair… but the surname is Gojo?"
Ōnoki leaned back in his chair, holding the same portrait, murmuring, "Could he be a descendant of Tobirama's branch within the forest Senju integrated into Konoha, inheriting that talent?"
"Dad, a variable has appeared. Do we still follow the original plan?" the fifteen-year-old Kitsuchi finally showed worry.
"What are you afraid of?" Ōnoki snapped. "Remember: no technique in this world is perfect. Even the God of Shinobi's Wood Release had something that could contend with it—the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"If Flying Thunder God were truly invincible, the Second Hokage wouldn't have died on the battlefield."
Staring at the boy in the portrait, Ōnoki spoke meaningfully. "The most dangerous first-kill advantage has been erased by that demigod sacrificing his reputation. We can't disappoint our 'temporary ally' either."
Remembering the humiliation Madara once inflicted on him, Ōnoki's eyes darkened. "Let me teach that young man a lesson."
The wave caused by "Black Flash" didn't just provoke reactions everywhere—it also pushed history further and further off its original track.
~~~
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