Finally, he had escaped those three devils.
Shin'ichi Mizushima led his group to flee hundreds of meters away. Just as he exhaled in relief and began congratulating himself on their escape, a sudden rumbling sound erupted from beneath their feet.
The ground, as if it had turned into a swamp, started slowly sinking.
Then countless explosive tags emerged from underground. Before Shin'ichi Mizushima and others could react, they attached themselves to their legs, causing terror to flood across their faces.
[Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation!]
"Hanzo..."
Shin'ichi Mizushima's mouth uttered bitterly this name, his eyes filled with despair.
At this moment, he completely lost any will to survive.
Because he knew, falling into that man's hands meant certain death.
Then again… knowing how ruthless Hanzo is, those three Konoha kids probably won't last long either.
As death loomed, Shin'ichi suddenly thought of Kosuke and the others sharing his clan's fate—and despite everything, a faint smile crept across his face, almost like he found some twisted satisfaction in it.
Boom!
A violent explosion swept through, killing Shin'ichi Mizushima and more than ten other ninja.
The scene transformed into a raging sea of flames.
Then, a giant summoned beast leaped out of the fire. After several bounds, it arrived in front of Kosuke and the other two.
It was a Sanshouo covered in warts—an enormous newt with gray skin and a white belly, its puffed-out mouth seemingly ready to spew out a massive cloud of poison gas at any moment.
Standing atop the Sanshouo was a ninja approximately forty years old, looking down at the trio from above.
He wore a dark gray combat uniform and a half-cape, with a helmet-style forehead protector covering his long hair. A mask covering his face resembled a gas mask, while he held a huge sickle weapon in hand. The end of the sickle was wrapped in bandages tied to an iron chain.
"Hisss!"
Maruboshi Kosuke recognized the person's appearance and couldn't help inhaling sharply, his expression becoming more tense than ever before.
Because the man standing there was none other than Sanshouo Hanzo himself!
The constant warfare that had plagued the Land of Rain for years wasn't unrelated to the manipulations behind the scenes by several great ninja villages.
After all, as a strategic crossroads located between the Fire, Wind, and Earth Countries, no major nation wished to see the Land of Rain unify—they preferred it weak and divided, just enough to keep it from rising, but never strong enough to threaten anyone.
However, a few years ago, an extraordinary figure suddenly appeared.
With overwhelming power, he swept clean the entire Amegakure, eliminating opposing forces like the Mizushima Clan one by one. Even the daimyo of the Land of Rain had been rendered powerless under his rule.
He is Sanshouo Hanzo—the strongest ninja in the ninja world after the legendary "God of Ninja," Hashirama Senju—and has been hailed as the "Half-God of the Ninja World."
And now, this man, riding atop the giant newt, had appeared directly in front of the three young ninjas.
Hanzo's eyes moved slowly across the battlefield until they landed on the three boys. Then he spoke slowly:
"The three of you, young Konoha Genin, truly impressed me. Thank you for dealing with these traitors from the Mizushima Clan for me."
His voice, muffled through the mask, came out deep and commanding, like that of a true warlord.
The semi-god-like figure in the ninja world looked on with a mixture of surprise and admiration, his gaze lingering slightly longer on Might Duy. After all, the green steam surrounding him was impossible to ignore.
"Lord Hanzo flatters us too much," Kosuke Maruboshi replied respectfully yet calmly. "We're merely fulfilling our duty as Konoha ninja—protecting the villages of the Land of Fire."
"I truly admire your abilities," Hanzo stated bluntly without hiding his intentions. "How about… joining Ame Village?"
He directly made an unexpected recruitment offer to the three shinobi.
"With talents like yours, serving as mere genin in Konoha is a waste. Why not come under my command instead?"
"This…"
After exchanging glances, Kosuke and his companions declined in unison.
"We are deeply honored by your kind invitation, Lord Hanzo." Kosuke first said the formal response before shifting tone, "However, we're pressed for time with our mission. If there's nothing else, please allow us to take our leave."
Then he gave a signal for Heiyan and Might Duy to withdraw with him.
"Hold it!"
With a cold snort, Hanzo raised a finger and unleashed an unimaginably powerful aura that instantly paralyzed all three of them, rendering them motionless.
So this is the pressure of an overwhelming strong individual?
"While the Mizushima Clan may have betrayed me, I have no intention of wiping them out completely. That would damage my reputation back home, making me seem ruthless and merciless."
Hanzo fixed his cold gaze upon the trio. "You must bear the responsibility for their actions."
His words clearly showed he had no intention of letting them go easily.
"What exactly do you mean, Lord Hanzo?" Kosuke reluctantly asked.
"Well then."
After briefly considering, Hanzo folded both hands into a cross seal, forming a Shadow Clone with a loud pop.
"If you can defeat my Shadow Clone, you're free to leave. This way, I'll also have something to report to my superiors in Ame Village. Don't worry—it only contains one-third of my chakra."
He sat down casually, stroking Sanshouo as he added, "Ibuse will not participate."
Ibuse was the name of his summoned beast, the giant salamander.
"Really?"
Both Kosuke Maruboshi and Might Duy perked up at hearing this.
Many in the ninja world had long believed that half of Hanzo's "semi-god" reputation actually came from his summoned beast—after all, Ibuse's deadly toxins were nearly unstoppable in combat.
Without Ibuse, maybe even Hanzo himself wouldn't be so terrifying.
Moreover, working together, they had already defeated more than a hundred members of the Mizushima Clan. How hard could it be to take down a Shadow Clone with just a third of his chakra?
"A promise made by me, Hanzo, is like water under the bridge—once spoken, it cannot be unsaid. However..."
His expression turned ominous. "If you lose, you must take the place of the three Mizushima brothers and return to Ame Village with me."
It seemed he really did value talent. Unwilling to force them to betray Konoha yet equally unwilling to let them go freely, he had devised this compromise—a middle ground.
Hanzo intended to use this method to demonstrate his power to the three young ninja, hoping they would recognize his superiority and willingly pledge allegiance to him.
What a clever strategy.
Of course, such tactics could only work when backed by overwhelming strength.
"Fine!"
Kosuke Maruboshi clenched his teeth and made the decision on behalf of the trio, accepting Hanzo's challenge.
After all, Hanzo had already shown considerable goodwill. To refuse further would appear ungrateful. If they truly provoked the anger of this semi-divine warrior, the three of them wouldn't just lose bargaining power—they might not even survive.
Throughout the negotiations, Master Heiyan remained silent.
As shown in the Naruto canon, Hanzo single-handedly defeated a group of Konoha ninja led by Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. His power was beyond comprehension.
Even if this was just a Shadow Clone with only a third of his chakra — and without Sanshou'o Ibuse's help — the fight would still be a heart-stopping challenge for the three of them.
"Sensei, Duy, don't take this lightly."
Heiyan finally spoke up to remind them.
"Mm."
Kosuke Maruboshi nodded upon hearing this, his expression remaining grim.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Hanzo's Shadow Clone leaped down from Sanshou'o's back and landed directly in front of the three.
"Will you face me one at a time," he said coldly, "or all at once?"
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