Chapter 37 - Chapter 37: Hanzo vs. Tsunade

💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎

🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch

⏰ Resets Monday!

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

"This is the liquid that granted me my abilities."

Kakutsuki warily tucked the vial into his robe. He stared resolutely at Hanzo. "If you don't let them go, I'll destroy this elixir. I'll use explosive tags to blow us all to bits. You'll get nothing!"

His voice was shrill, desperate. No one doubted his resolve.

Juri gritted his teeth. The black tomoe in his blood-red Sharingan spun wildly as his gaze locked onto Kakutsuki. "He's right! I'd rather be torn to shreds than let the Sharingan fall into the hands of Rain shinobi!"

Hanzo's face darkened.

Shisui was different from Juri. His mind was sharper, more analytical. He instantly connected Kakutsuki's current claim with what he'd said before.

Kakutsuki had claimed his power came from a Kekkei Genkai.

So there was no "elixir" to begin with.

Then…

Shisui instantly pieced it together. He mirrored the others' defiant stance. "That's right! You won't succeed!"

Even without Hizashi speaking, Hanzo could read his intent from his expression.

Hanzo hesitated. He pointed at Kakutsuki. "You. Drink it first."

His body was saturated with salamander toxin. No ordinary poison could affect him. Still, he was wary. This "elixir" might be a trick.

"…"

This old bastard is cautious.

Kakutsuki looked at the shimmering blue liquid in the vial. His throat tightened.

I can't drink that!

He met Hanzo's gaze with a cold sneer. "If you're suspicious, then forget it! I'll save it for Lord Orochimaru. Repay him for saving my life."

In critical moments, you invoked the Snake Sannin. It boosted credibility.

"Oh?"

Hanzo narrowed his eyes. That slimy Orochimaru… he remembered him well. He'd personally bestowed the title of "Sannin" upon him and his two teammates.

He respected Orochimaru's strength.

If this was something Orochimaru coveted…

No.

Hanzo's expression hardened. He glanced at a Rain shinobi beside him. "You. Take a sip."

"…"

Kakutsuki was speechless.

Could you be any more paranoid?

If this guy turns into a woman in front of everyone, how am I supposed to explain that to Hanzo?

"System, system. What happens if someone drinks the Gender Swap Potion?"

He needed answers.

"They become a woman."

"…" Kakutsuki paused. "I know that. I mean the process!"

The system answered slowly. "The transformation from male to female involves complete genetic reconstruction. The potion's energy floods the body, altering DNA strand by strand."

This particular vial had been prepared for Kakutsuki. The system had even enhanced it with energy-boosting and body-strengthening properties.

It hadn't expected Kakutsuki to waste such a high-grade potion on a cannon fodder like Hanzo.

Oh well.

The system shook its head metaphorically. It would prepare a better one for the host next time.

Couldn't let its host suffer.

It was quite satisfied with this one. No plans to rebind for now.

Kakutsuki was considering something else. "What if they only take a tiny sip?"

"Insufficient energy for full genetic change. But it will purify the skin and cleanse bodily impurities."

Kakutsuki's eyes lit up.

Perfect.

It wouldn't reveal the true effect, but the Rain ninja would feel the pure energy, easing Hanzo's suspicion. The potion's energy was refined, potent—enough to fool a backwater Rain ninja's senses.

Kakutsuki frowned deeply. "This elixir is priceless! How can I let someone else drink it? If it doesn't work for them, you'll blame me!"

His expression screamed: I'm not taking that fall.

Hanzo paused. The girl's objection was valid.

He only wanted a taste, a safety check. Not a full dose.

"Do not worry. Just a drop."

Hanzo's tone brooked no argument. As the legendary "Demigod," explaining himself to a brat was already stretching his patience.

"Fine!"

Kakutsuki nodded. But he took a step back, pointing at the Rain ninja holding Juri down. "Him. He tries it. Afterward, you let them go."

His gaze swept over Hizashi and the others—a flash of longing, of painful farewell.

That look pierced Hizashi's heart. A sharp, sudden ache.

Hanzo was done with delays. He nodded, jerking his chin at the designated Rain ninja.

The shinobi released Juri and approached Kakutsuki.

Kakutsuki drew his blade, resting it against the ninja's neck. He offered the vial with a thin smile. "Just a sip. Don't get any ideas. Or else…"

He pressed the blade. A thin red line appeared on the man's throat.

Under the threat of death, the Rain ninja gulped nervously. He took the smallest possible sip.

The blue vial returned to Kakutsuki's hand.

Hanzo's eyes were locked on his subordinate.

"Ah!"

The Rain ninja gasped.

Hanzo tensed, brow furrowed. "What is it?"

The shinobi felt… incredible. A strange, pure energy flowed through his veins. His body felt lighter. Cleaner. Was it his imagination? Even his skin seemed smoother, tighter.

Exactly what his girlfriend was always going on about.

"Lord Hanzo! I feel… power! It's so comfortable!"

The man was euphoric, almost drunk on the feeling.

Hanzo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

A fanatical gleam entered his eyes. His hand trembled slightly as he gave the order. "Release them."

Instantly, all pressure on Hizashi's team vanished.

Kakutsuki forced a smile, eyes glittering with unshed tears. "Hizashi-sensei. You have to get out safely. Please."

He stared straight at Hizashi, begging.

Hizashi stood. His flak jacket was soaked with blood. He didn't reply.

"Hizashi-sensei. Please. Don't let my effort be wasted."

It wasn't wasted.

[Ding! Affection for Hizashi Hyuga has reached 100!]

[Ding! Affection for Might Dai has reached 100!]

Might Dai shook his head, jaw set. "Abandoning a comrade? That's not my style!"

Kakutsuki: "…"

Right now, he needed them gone. So he could operate freely in front of Hanzo.

"Hizashi-sensei."

He turned his pleading gaze back to Hizashi.

Hizashi looked at Juri, at Shisui. He gave a firm, final nod and grabbed Might Dai's arm. "We're leaving. Now."

"I am the team captain. You will follow my order."

Their departure was unimpeded. They moved through the Rain Village, unopposed.

As they left, Shisui glanced back.

He saw Kakutsuki, tears in his eyes, offering a final, heartbreaking smile.

Shisui's chest constricted. His own eyes burned.

Then he heard Juri's voice, sharp with shock.

"Shisui! Your eyes!"

The Sharingan.

He didn't need Juri to tell him. He felt it—a new power flowing from his eyes, coursing through his body.

[Ding! Affection for Shisui Uchiha has reached 100!]

Hizashi watched the Rain Village shrink into the distance. His fists clenched.

I'll be back.

I swear it.

He would not let his student die alone in a foreign land.

Back in the room, the blue vial was now in Hanzo's hands.

He moved to remove his mask, then stopped, his eyes sweeping over the remaining Rain guards.

"All of you. Dismissed."

The salamander toxin was deep in his lungs. Removing the mask would release poisonous gas with every breath. This brat was about to die anyway, but he wouldn't expose his loyal men.

Kakutsuki watched, a faint twinge of guilt in his gut, as Hanzo downed the entire vial.

He coughed lightly.

Sorry, Uncle Orochimaru. That was meant for you.

"Ah!"

Hanzo gasped. A torrent of raw, revitalizing energy erupted within him. His eyes shone with triumph.

The triumph was short-lived.

His skin began to glow, turning smooth as jade. His aged, weathered features softened, reshaped into a face of startling, delicate beauty.

Panic seized him as he felt his chest tighten, then swell.

"Wha… what is this?!"

His voice was a horrified whisper. He looked down.

He could no longer see his feet.

The fabric of his shirt strained, then tore with a sharp rip.

A pair of ample breasts sprang free, bouncing slightly in the cool air.

Avert your eyes.

Kakutsuki fought to keep a straight face, looking away.

Hanzo's waist narrowed. His muscular legs lengthened and smoothed, becoming the pale, slender, perfectly shaped legs women in Kakutsuki's past life would have killed for.

Realization dawned in Hanzo's now-beautiful eyes—a flash of pure, vicious malice. He'd been tricked.

"You dared to deceive me?!"

The voice that came out was soft, melodic, utterly feminine. He slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide with horror.

He was… a woman.

"Lord Hanzo, I didn't deceive you!" Kakutsuki protested, the picture of innocence. "Feel the power within you! Tell me it's not real!"

Hanzo focused inward. His anger stalled, replaced by shock.

It wasn't just power. It was… youth. Vitality. His body felt as it had in his prime—twenty years old, at the peak of his strength. Even the salamander toxin within him felt more docile, more perfectly controlled.

He hadn't gained the brat's unique ability.

But… extended life? Rejuvenation?

That was far more valuable.

Even if the price was… this.

"Why did my body change? And why did I not gain your power?"

His new, melodic voice held a cold edge. He flinched at the sound but pressed on.

Kakutsuki furrowed his brow, looking genuinely confused. "Impossible! My power came from the elixir! I was a war orphan. Nothing. Nobody. If I hadn't found and drunk it on a battlefield, how could I have these abilities?"

That… tracked.

Hanzo believed him. He, too, had risen to fame through a chance encounter—the salamander's poison.

He decided the variance was due to each individual's constitution; the elixir's effect differed by user.

But one question remained.

"Explain the physical transformation."

Power was all that mattered. Man, woman—it was irrelevant. But he needed to know if the brat had foreseen this.

Kakutsuki's face flushed with awkward embarrassment. He looked away. "I… was the same."

Hanzo froze. "You… what?"

"I was born male. The elixir… changed me." He gestured vaguely at his own purple qipao, his expression uncomfortable.

Hanzo believed him.

The evidence was… overwhelming.

He sank into a chair, uncaring of his exposed state. The concept of modesty, of the difference between the sexes, hadn't fully registered.

Kakutsuki kept his gaze fixed on a point above Hanzo's head.

Huh. Hanzo cleans up nice. In terms of assets, she could give Tsunade a run for her money.

Wait, no.

He mentally slapped himself.

Have you lost it? Is Tsunade not breathtaking? Is Yūgao not beautiful? You're critiquing HANZO?

Hanzo's mind was elsewhere. Her body was at its peak. The ambition that had faded with age roared back to life.

She would stop the great wars. Unify the shinobi world. Fulfill the dream of peace she'd nurtured in her youth.

To Kakutsuki, it looked like a stunning, brown-haired woman sitting cross-legged, lost in a grandiose daydream.

"The shinobi world will witness a new dawn. My dawn. I, Hanzo the Salamander, will bring it."

A smug, triumphant smile graced her lips.

Kakutsuki: "?"

He hadn't heard chuunibyou dialogue this strong in a while.

Hanzo's gaze fell on Kakutsuki. A cold flicker of intent passed through her eyes.

Kill her?

Keeping her alive only bred a future enemy.

Konoha…

Another idea sparked.

Kakutsuki saw the calculation. He played dumb, voice trembling slightly. "Wh-what are you going to do?"

Hanzo smiled. "Bring an end to the great wars. Usher in an era of eternal peace."

Kakutsuki's eyes went wide. He stared, stunned. "Y-you… can end… the wars?"

He sounded breathless, hopeful.

Hanzo's perfectly shaped eyebrow arched. She recalled the girl's earlier words. A war orphan, shaped by conflict.

Her smile turned predatory. This wasn't a corpse-to-be.

This was a tool. A perfect one.

"Of course."

Hanzo extended a graceful hand. "I will fill the world with peace. No more war. Only happiness for all."

Kakutsuki seemed dazed. A slow, fanatical light kindled in his eyes.

"Really? You can truly do that?"

[Ding! Affection for Hanzo the Salamander has reached 20!]

"Hmph!"

Hanzo scoffed, looking down at Kakutsuki with regal disdain. "Have you forgotten my title?"

"I am the man hailed as the Demigod of the Shinobi World!"

Her declaration rang with grandeur. Then it faltered. She stiffened, a flicker of discomfort crossing her face.

Kakutsuki understood.

The "man" part was now… complicated.

"The Demigod…" Kakutsuki murmured, as if seeing Hanzo in a new, glorious light. "Yes… yes! How could I forget? You're the Demigod!"

Hanzo's expression grew more smug. She pressed her full, sensuous lips together, suppressing a smirk. She extended her hand again, this time with solemn gravity.

"Then. Will you join me? Walk the path to a new world?"

Kakutsuki stared at the offered hand, conflicted. "But… I'm… from Konoha…"

"Foolish child," Hanzo cut him off, voice dripping with benevolent wisdom. "I would never ask you to betray Konoha."

Kakutsuki blinked, surprised.

"We are bringers of light. Champions of justice." Hanzo's tone was pious. "How could I demand betrayal? I only ask you to be my… emissary within Konoha. To carry the first light of this peace to your home."

Damn.

Kakutsuki was impressed.

Today's Hanzo was a masterclass in verbal manipulation. She'd perfectly rebranded "spy" into "holy messenger."

Kakutsuki seemed utterly captivated. He kept muttering the sacred words: "Peace." "Justice." "Dawn."

"If… if such a world is possible…" Kakutsuki looked up, his voice filled with sudden, fierce resolve. "I'll do anything."

Hanzo's heart sang.

She'd just planted a perfect, high-potential sleeper agent in Konoha. This girl's unique abilities would carve her a place in the future. Her judgment was never wrong.

[Ding! Affection for Hanzo the Salamander has reached 40!]

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

Read up to (40+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on

Visit us here: patreon.com/GoldenLong

Happy reading, everyone!