What the hell?
When Hanzō heard all the Konoha Wind Release shinobi shouting "Hasaki~~!", he froze for a moment.
Hasaki?
What kind of jutsu name is that?
While Hanzō stood there full of question marks, Hoshiyomi Gekkō suddenly opened his eyes at the front of the Wind Release formation.
Gripping Mikazuki Munechika, Hoshiyomi raised his arm in a sharp motion, drawing his blade in an upward arc.
With that strike, a two-meter-wide tornado shot out from his sword.
The small twister ripped into the poison mist with lightning speed.
At the same time, the Wind Release ninja behind Hoshiyomi followed up, expelling their own wind techniques from their mouths.
But instead of targeting the spreading poison mist, they focused their jutsu on Hoshiyomi's tornado.
Under Hanzō's astonished gaze, the little tornado devoured the Wind Release jutsu like a glutton, growing larger with each gust absorbed.
What had started as a mere two-to-three-meter whirlwind quickly expanded into a massive thirty-meter-wide behemoth.
The enormous tornado roared toward Hanzō and his summoned salamander, Ibuse, sucking up all the surrounding poison mist as it spun.
Even someone as powerful as Hanzō couldn't keep a straight face at this point.
If I get caught in that thing, even with my speed, I might not get out alive.
Realizing the danger, Hanzō's pupils shrank.
He stopped hesitating.
Using the Body Flicker, he grabbed Ibuse and vanished from his original spot.
But his destination wasn't back toward the Rain ninja.
Instead, Hanzō appeared right in the middle of Konoha's Wind Release formation!
If Amegakure wanted any chance of winning this battle, they had to cripple this Wind Release unit.
So rather than retreat, Hanzō chose to go all-in—
Not just breaking through, but intending to poison them all to death.
In the next instant, Hanzō and Ibuse came crashing down from the sky, aiming to crush a dozen Wind Release shinobi underfoot.
But from afar, Jiraiya and the others didn't panic—they were thrilled.
Got him!
Hanzō had taken the bait!
This was exactly the core of Orochimaru's strategy.
The reason they chose to fight Hanzō outside the camp wasn't random—it was deliberate.
Orochimaru had anticipated that once the tornado suppressed Hanzō, he'd use body flicker directly into their center to wreak havoc.
So they'd prepared a giant pitfall trap.
The surface was covered by a thin layer of stone, camouflaged by Earth Release.
If a human or shadow clone stepped on it, nothing would happen.
But if something as huge as Ibuse came crashing down?
The stone would shatter, sending both Hanzō and his salamander into the pit.
They were careful not to use any earth spears or deadly traps beneath it, worried that damaging Ibuse's poison sac would release even more poison.
Instead, it was just a simple deep pit.
But dozens of Earth Release ninja were hidden nearby, ready to seal the pit once Hanzō fell in.
After that, they planned to use Earth Release spears to directly kill Ibuse—
Letting Hanzō die in his own salamander's poison gas.
Hanzō was about to land right in the trap without knowing it.
Jiraiya and the others were thrilled—but outwardly, they kept up the act.
They even faked panic to make it look real.
Jiraiya rushed toward the scattered Amegakure shinobi, shouting back over his shoulder:
"Run! Run, now!"
His urgent, desperate tone could win awards.
He sounded more convincing than any famous actor.
Seeing the Konoha Wind Release users fleeing in disarray, Hanzō smiled coldly.
Feel despair!
But just before landing, Hanzō's instincts screamed that something was wrong.
The Wind Release shinobi were indeed scattering—
Yet they all kept sneaking glances in the same direction.
That alone set off alarms in Hanzō's mind.
Even more suspicious—he suddenly spotted two people in the crowd who looked exactly alike.
Most people wouldn't have noticed.
They might've assumed it was just a pair of twins.
But Hanzō wasn't most people.
His entire life had been built on extreme caution.
Whenever he sensed even the slightest irregularity, he was willing to abandon his entire strategy on the spot.
Just like now.
Without hesitation, Hanzō canceled his attack in midair.
Hanzō's scheming bastard instincts saved him.
Even before Ibuse landed, Hanzō was already commanding him to return to the summoning realm.
At the very instant Ibuse's feet hit the disguised stone, the stone shattered—
But before Ibuse could fall, he dissolved into smoke and vanished.
Meanwhile, Hanzō was already prepared.
He swung his chained sickle, hooking the edge of the pit.
Kicking off the wall of the pit, he shot out like a bullet and escaped.
This was the perfect demonstration of both Hanzō's strength and his paranoia.
The surrounding Wind Release shinobi froze.
The Earth Release shinobi—who were ready to seal the pit—also stood there, dumbfounded.
Even Jiraiya, who had been watching the whole thing, cursed under his breath.
Hanzō glanced toward Orochimaru and the others, who were now looking pale.
He smiled.
"Konoha really is a formidable village.
Even with Hashirama dead, geniuses like you four keep popping up.
Such cunning and talent—truly impressive.
Why is it that we in Amegakure can't produce shinobi like you?"
Orochimaru didn't respond to Hanzō's compliment.
His face was dark as he asked:
"How did you see through our trap?"
Hanzō's smile widened.
There was nothing more satisfying than exposing someone else's scheme.
"Your plan was flawless—
You even nailed my psychology.
I'm guessing this was your handiwork, Orochimaru?"
He clicked his tongue.
"Sacrificing a few ordinary chūnin and jōnin to kill the leader of a village?
That's a bargain.
Too bad you missed your chance."
Hanzō raised a finger, pointing at Orochimaru, and wagged it.
"You're still too young.
Or maybe too soft.
You told your subordinates the plan, didn't you?
That's why they only used shadow clones to lure me in.
If you'd been ruthless—
If you'd kept the entire plan to yourself and used real people as bait—
I probably would've fallen for it."
His tone was casual, but his words cut deep.
"Such a perfect opportunity to end the war…
But your mercy ruined it."
Hearing this, Orochimaru's expression wavered.
He couldn't help but doubt himself.
Was I wrong?
Was Danzō right all along?
If he had been more ruthless, if he hadn't told the others the full plan, maybe Hanzō would already be dead.
Maybe the war would already be over.
Did he really just personally throw away the chance to end the conflict?
Orochimaru looked down at his own hands.
His heart twisted in a tangle of regret and confusion.
At that moment—
A metallic clang rang out beside him, so loud that Orochimaru's ears buzzed.
Hoshiyomi's voice cut through the air:
"Don't listen to him.
That's all just manipulation.
He's trying to make you slip up so he can kill you."
Hoshiyomi wasn't about to let Hanzō's words shake Orochimaru's resolve.
A tactical error could be corrected.
But if Orochimaru became the cold, ruthless monster he was in the original timeline—that was something Hoshiyomi never wanted to see happen.
That's why he spoke up immediately, cutting off Hanzō's psychological games.
Orochimaru snapped out of it.
He looked at Hoshiyomi, then at Hanzō, momentarily speechless.
Meanwhile, Hanzō showed a faint expression of regret.
What a shame.
Such a good opportunity missed.