Although the vast sky of the ninja world stretches infinitely, it truly belongs only to the great nations. The dominance of the Five Great Shinobi Countries suppresses the smaller nations, limiting their reach to the heights of power.
Meanwhile, the thick, dark green poisonous mist lingering in the air was estimated to take at least an hour to fully dissipate. This was Hanzō of the Salamander's signature neurotoxin, a lethal weapon known for paralyzing its victims within moments. It had already seeped into the Mirrored Ice Prison, infiltrating through the slightest gaps in the ice mirrors.
Why is it that ninjas from smaller nations can never truly stand atop the ninja world?
Hanzō, known for his overwhelming strength and unmatched experience in war, slightly frowned at his respirator. The device, originally meant to contain the lethal venom of his giant Summon, Ibuse, was now restricting his own power. A hint of dissatisfaction flickered in his sharp eyes.
At that moment, a blinding flash of light and a loud 'pop' echoed in the air—a sign of a Reverse Summoning Technique. There was no need to guess who had been teleported away.
"Mmfh!"
Tsunade, the famed Princess of the Senju Clan, held her breath instinctively. Their bodies were pressed close together within the ice mirror illusion, forced to share oxygen from each other's mouths in order to avoid inhaling the pervasive poison gas.
This dark green mist, the venom of the salamander, was one of the deadliest poisons in the entire shinobi world. It paralyzed, suffocated, and eventually stopped the heart.
Time warped in their perception—was it a second, a minute, or an eternity?
As a top-tier medical ninja, Tsunade carried numerous antidotes in her medical pouch. However, this potent neurotoxin worked too fast, making traditional treatments nearly useless.
"Pffshhh!"
A grotesque hissing sound erupted as the venom seeped into the rivers below, spreading its lethal reach. The poisoned waters flowed into the Land of Rain's villages, an unfortunate accident mirroring an event from Hanzō's past—when the salamander's venom once contaminated a local settlement, claiming countless lives.
Ten minutes had already passed since the battle had begun. By all calculations, Katsuyu, the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest, should have already provided Tsunade with aid.
No one knew the pain Hanzo had endured. No one knew the cost of his survival.
The venom that gave Hanzō his legendary resilience was now his own executioner. His own toxin circulated through his bloodstream, bringing him to the brink of death. Each breath expelled more poison, making the air around him uninhabitable.
Both Mizuki Ryosuke and Tsunade had unknowingly inhaled traces of the toxic mist.
Rain Shinobi, who had long followed Hanzō of the Salamander, understood one thing: the odd device covering his nose and mouth was not a mere eccentricity—it was a barrier holding back a natural disaster.
And now, that disaster had been unleashed.
Hanzō's expression twisted subtly as he noticed the minute changes in Ryosuke's posture.
Long ago, when Hanzō was still young, he had battled the Giant Sanshōuo deep within the Land of Rain's swamps. At that time, the entire marsh had turned into a toxic wasteland, uninhabitable by any creature.
Faced with the deadly poison, Hanzo did something unthinkable—he cut open the salamander's stomach and took its venom sac. Using a forbidden technique, he merged with the poison, turning himself into a living weapon of mass destruction.
"Why should smaller nations be forever oppressed by the great powers?"
Driven by the pain of his people, Hanzo had once dreamed of breaking the cycle of subjugation.
At present, however, the priority was clear—Mizuki Ryosuke and Tsunade had to halt the worsening effects of the poison.
In line with the "fighting poison with poison" principle, Hanzo did not hesitate—he ripped off his respirator and fully embraced the true horror of his body's transformation.
The swamp was originally just a forgotten wasteland… until the arrival of the Giant Salamander.
The village at the foot of the mountain was doomed—when the poison first spread decades ago, it had killed hundreds of innocent civilians in mere hours.
Tsunade, desperate for a solution, gritted her teeth.
She had no choice.
She clenched her fists, her chakra surging as she prepared to force the toxins out through Yin Seal: Mitotic Regeneration.
"I've been waiting, Tsunade. I am ready."
A gentle, familiar voice echoed in her mind—it was Katsuyu, responding to her summon at last.
Ryosuke narrowed his eyes, analyzing the situation with a keen mind.
Through countless battles, he had learned that all poisons could be categorized into two primary types:
1. Hemotoxins – which attack the bloodstream.
2. Neurotoxins – which attack the nervous system.
This salamander venom was of the second type, targeting the neural pathways, causing paralysis and eventual organ failure.
If too much accumulated, their nervous systems would be permanently destroyed. Even Sage of the Six Paths himself wouldn't be able to reverse the damage.
The young Hanzō, many years ago, had recognized this reality. He had known that the venom of the salamander was uncontrollable—and yet, he had chosen to embrace it rather than fear it.
When Hanzō reemerged from his seclusion, he was no longer a mere ninja—he had become something more terrifying.
A walking incarnation of poison itself.
For a brief moment, Tsunade hesitated.
Her medical expertise told her the truth—there was no ordinary cure for this level of poison.
In a desperate act, she turned to Mizuki Ryosuke, locking her hands around his cheeks.
"This is the only way."
The two of them were now fish stranded on land, forced to breathe through each other.
Mizuki Ryosuke, despite himself, was momentarily stunned—not from the intimate gesture, but from the intensity of Tsunade's determination.
Even the Rain Shinobi, standing at a safe distance, dared not intervene.
They had seen what happened the last time Hanzō of the Salamander unleashed his poison without restraint.
Hanzo himself, once on the brink of death, did not flinch.
Instead, his sheer willpower ignited something deep within him.
He embraced his pain. He embraced the poison. He embraced his fate.
This was the moment when Hanzō of the Salamander was truly born.
With a final, breathless whisper, the two figures within the ice mirror vanished—disappearing into the unknown.
And as the Rain Shinobi watched their leader stand unshaken amid the swirling hell of toxic mist, they realized a chilling truth—
"He's no longer just a ninja… he has become something far more terrifying."
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