Two or three days later, Hanzō's declaration of battle arrived.
It was just a single line, simple and direct:
"I will attack the Konoha encampment the day after tomorrow."
Arrogant? Certainly.
But at the same time, it carried a certain weight.
No wonder someone like him could be called a Demi-God in this chaotic era where strength varied wildly from shinobi to shinobi.
That said, Orochimaru and the others weren't worried this time.
With Hoshiyomi's four new techniques in place, the threat of Hanzō's poison gas had been drastically reduced.
Without the advantage of poison, Hanzō was just another high-tier Kage-level shinobi.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were confident that, together with Hoshiyomi, they could not only contain him—they might even defeat him outright.
Don't underestimate those three.
While their raw power might be a step behind Hoshiyomi's right now, they were all genuine elite jōnin, and years of seamless teamwork gave them the ability to restrain even Kage-level opponents.
The four of them exchanged a glance, then decisively burned the challenge letter to ash.
"Pass the word down—
Other than essential patrols, cancel all remaining missions in camp.
Have everyone rest and conserve their strength.
In two days, we'll take the initiative.
We'll meet Hanzō head-on."
...
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, the appointed day arrived.
On the road leading to Konoha's front line encampment, Hanzō of the Salamander marched steadily forward with his subordinates.
The shinobi following him showed little sign of anxiety.
After all, they'd been at Hanzō's side for years, and had always come back alive.
None of them believed today's battle would bring any real losses.
As far as they were concerned, Hanzō-sama was invincible.
All they had to do was endure Konoha's first wave of resistance, then let Hanzō teleport into the enemy formation and release his poison mist.
That simple two-step process was how they'd won time and time again.
Since the war began, it had always gone this way. Without exception.
Some of the younger shinobi were already quietly chatting, their voices laced with suppressed excitement:
"We'll probably get another haul of explosive tags this time.
Damn, Konoha's tags are just so good. Last time, I used a single tag and blew a Sunagakure chūnin to pieces."
Another shinobi chimed in, proudly patting the sword strapped to his back:
"Look at this—snagged it off an Iwagakure corpse last time.
Let's see if we can find something even better today."
A third joined in, his tone more serious:
"Forget the tags and blades—the real prize is Konoha's supply stores.
I heard they just got a massive shipment of rations.
If we can seize that, we'll have enough food to last the winter.
Our families won't have to starve."
Hearing the hushed conversations of the younger shinobi, Hanzō let a faint smile curve his lips.
But after the smile, his eyes clouded with sorrow.
In a world like this—where the strong devour the weak—being born in the Land of Rain was nothing but misfortune.
His people had done nothing wrong, yet because of the Great Nations' wars, Amegakure had become collateral damage.
The three great shinobi villages had never once considered the Rain Village's position.
They'd marched in without warning, trampled their rice paddies, destroyed their harvests, and left the nation in ruin.
That's why Hanzō declared war on the major villages.
It wasn't just about elevating Amegakure to become the sixth great shinobi village—
It was about survival.
If they didn't take what they needed through war, at least 20% of Amegakure's civilians would starve to death this winter.
That wasn't an exaggeration.
In just the past two months, Amegakure's food stores had been nearly depleted, simply from providing for the flood of refugees pouring in from every direction.
If they didn't secure new resources, they wouldn't even make it to winter before famine struck.
Hanzō hadn't forgotten the cruelty he'd suffered as a child, but he refused to let his people become refugees or war's casualties.
His expression hardened.
His voice turned cold as he addressed the shinobi behind him:
"We're almost at Konoha's camp. Stay sharp.
If you die here, no one's coming to save you."
At his words, the chatter ceased immediately.
The Rain shinobi fell silent, tightening their grips on their weapons as they pressed forward at full speed.
They advanced a bit further, and before they even reached Konoha's camp, Hanzō let out a soft "hmph."
Though others called him a Demi-God, Hanzō had never grown arrogant.
He was a man who never underestimated his opponents.
Even though his previous raids had gone smoothly, he remained vigilant.
Closing his eyes, he carefully sensed the area—and immediately realized something was off.
Looking toward Konoha's camp in the distance, Hanzō smirked and swiftly formed a series of hand seals.
"Ninpō: Thousand Rain Senbon."
A simple C-rank ninjutsu, but under Hanzō's control, it carried a different weight.
Without even needing an oil-paper umbrella, he opened his mouth and spewed forth a torrent of water.
The water twisted and transformed in midair, turning into countless sharp water senbon, which rained down toward the forest ahead.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Multiple voices rang out at once.
From the seemingly empty forest, towering earth walls suddenly rose, arching upward and blocking the barrage of water senbon completely.
Only then did the Rain shinobi behind Hanzō realize—there was an ambush ahead!
They drew their weapons and braced themselves for battle.
Hanzō let out a cold snort.
"Come on out.
So, the Konoha shinobi have grown bold.
Not only did you not run away—you even dared to set up an ambush?"
As Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru led a group of shinobi out from the trees, Hanzō's eyes flickered with a hint of appreciation.
"Sometimes, I really do envy Konoha's vast resources.
Such fertile lands always seem to nurture stronger, more talented shinobi.
Of all the shinobi I've faced in these wars, you three are the ones I admire most."
As he spoke, Hanzō's sharp gaze locked onto the unfamiliar young man standing beside Tsunade—a swordsman with a ninja blade at his side.
He studied Hoshiyomi for a moment, then asked curiously:
"You're new reinforcement, are you?
Care to give your name?"
Hoshiyomi met Hanzō's gaze, clearly feeling the powerful aura radiating from him.
In his prime, Hanzō truly was a formidable opponent.
But Hoshiyomi's tone remained calm as he answered:
"I am Gekkō Hoshiyomi."
Hanzō was no stranger to Konoha's intelligence reports.
Upon hearing the name, he immediately pieced together Hoshiyomi's identity.
He gave Hoshiyomi an appraising look and said:
"Ah, so you're the famed Konoha's Silver Moon.
You do have a bit of presence about you.
But let's see if that's just for show—or something real."
Hoshiyomi casually placed his hand on the hilt of his Mikazuki Munechika, his voice tinged with eager provocation:
"Why don't you come try me?
Then we'll both know."
The first clash between Konoha and the Demi-God of the Rain was about to ignite!