As ninja possessing summoning traits, particularly those belonging to the highest rank of the Three Secret Regions, Tsunade and her companions could withdraw from the battlefield anytime—unless they stubbornly refused to leave.
In other words, these four weren't easy to kill. At worst, they might be forced into retreating.
Even when surrounded by Hanzo of the Rain Village, the four of them wouldn't lose anything truly crucial. It would merely cause some doubt toward their recently established "invincible legend"—the only thing damaged would be their reputation.
Yet the problem lay in how reputational damage could lead to shaken status.
Even within Konoha, despite outward unity, opinions often differed internally. Therefore, from this perspective, some people would be unhappy about the group's damaged prestige, while others would welcome it.
When the purple toxic mist began spreading toward them, Tsunade and the others instinctively took antidote pills first, then covered their mouths and noses with sleeves soaked in another medicinal solution. Compared with the rapidly mutating deadly poison used by Chiyo of Sunagakure, Hanzo's toxins weren't nearly as variable.
Relatively speaking, his poison was easier to deal with—especially for someone like Tsunade, an elite medical ninja.
Understanding Hanzo's toxins thoroughly was simply a matter of time, and she had already spent a sufficiently long period at the front lines.
However, even with antidotes, Hanzo's poison still posed serious threats. In fact, its danger hadn't diminished much at all—Hanzo of the Rain Village's poison attack through his giant salamander was a persistent, gradual form of environmental damage.
Within such a poisonous atmosphere, cumulative effects over time ultimately led to unavoidable death… similar to spending years in a toxic environment with no escape. Even wearing thick protective gear couldn't prevent all harm; it just prolonged when the damage would manifest.
There were probably only two kinds of people who could avoid such harm—one with literal protection like walls, and another who could shed their skin like a snake.
Fortunately, long-term considerations weren't necessary right now.
After taking the antidote, Tsunade and her team definitely retained their ability to move around in the poisoned environment for a short while, and their combat effectiveness wouldn't be significantly affected… if they still had sufficient chakra.
But after a prolonged battle, the trio's chakra reserves had nearly run dry.
Hanzo's forces had likely cleared out the outer regions surrounding the area, which meant no reinforcements had arrived from Konoha even after extended fighting. There was no need to be stubborn anymore—it was time to pull back.
At this moment, Hanzo had already reached his peak as the "Half-God," whereas Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Hanzo were barely more than twenty years old.
Moreover, the timing of their encounter came about five years earlier than when they would normally receive the title of "Sannin."
"No wonder you're the Third Hokage's disciple — to reach such strength at your age. Among the younger generation of ninja, there's probably no one stronger than you three." As he said this, Hanzo of Amegakure suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Unwelcome memories he'd rather forget surged into his mind.
But he managed to suppress the urge to flinch, maintaining his "I'm the biggest around here" aura.
With a deep rumble as it crawled forward on all fours, the still-poison-emitting Sanshouo approached, carrying Hanzo perched atop its head.
Jiraiya and his team were strong, but they didn't pose the kind of life-or-death threat that would send chills down his spine. Yeah, that was exactly it.
Surrounded—four on the left, two on the right, one in front and one behind—Tsunade ignored Hanzo's nonsense, quickly assessing the enemy closing in from all sides. At this moment, she fully understood what Haseo had previously described about Hanzo: extremely powerful, exceptionally cunning, and never personally taking risks.
Of course, "never taking risks" was still a relative statement; otherwise, Hanzo wouldn't have come to the battlefield at all. The safest place might be in your mother's arms—but what ninja would ever admit that?
Hanzo's behavior clearly showed how cautious he was. Though clearly holding absolute superiority and being the strongest ninja present, he still hadn't launched an attack himself, only sending subordinates forward repeatedly to wear down the three Konoha ninja and observe their limits.
Only during this "mopping up" phase, after understanding the three opponents' capabilities, did he step forward himself.
Perhaps he remained wary of what the Sannin had done in Mist—the rumors circulating through the Ninjutsu World about that incident remained fragmented, and Amegakure's intelligence network was inherently weak. That's why Hanzo prepared for the worst-case scenario.
He must've suspected beforehand—if the Sannin truly had "nuclear-level" combat power, this attack wouldn't have taken place at all.
The contradiction Hanzo noticed was simple: Konoha's Eastern Front commander was named Tō. Yet during the earlier Mist assault, Tō—who served under Haseo—had vanished without a trace. Was that even possible?
Absolutely not. That's why Tō's absence from various reports already seemed extremely suspicious.
Having also been a target of past attacks, Hanzo had every right to make that judgment—he perfectly understood that the Mist assault style matched Haseo's approach entirely.
The one who triggered the explosion in Mist was likely none other than Haseo himself.
Though Hanzo didn't yet understand how such a thing had been accomplished, he recognized that the real danger wasn't the so-called "Sannin" spreading through Konoha.
This current battle with the Sannin further confirmed precisely that point.
"But from our recent skirmish, I can already tell where your strength's limit lies. It seems the claim that you three were behind the Mist incident is nothing more than a Konoha rumor—either the Third Hokage trying to confuse observers, or someone harboring ulterior motives..." Hanzo delivered this conclusion.
And it was the correct conclusion.
The Sanshouo stepped forward. Even through the mist, its grotesque features were vaguely visible.
"Looks disgusting."
Unnaturally, Jiraiya's first impression of this powerful summoned beast was that.
Truthfully, all three of them had the exact same reaction—completely focused on the summoned beast instead of Hanzo, and actually wondering if it was edible.
Jiraiya felt poisoned and shook his head violently. Who cares about taste during a life-or-death moment?
"Only a lunatic would even consider cooking this thing for food..."
He muttered under his breath unconsciously.
"What a coincidence. I happen to know one."
Even Orochimaru instinctively delivered a "critical hit" in response.
"Both of you shut up," Tsunade covered her mouth and nose.
Wasn't discussing such things exactly what brainless people would do?
Then she whispered just loud enough for her nearby allies to hear, "After my next strike, I might lose mobility. The two of you watch out for me."
"?!"
Her words startled both Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Shouldn't they be retreating now? Why continue fighting?
Clearly, Hanzo's previous words had changed Tsunade's mind—not because she had been persuaded or manipulated, but because she believed she shouldn't leave just like that. Vaguely, she sensed the enemy wanted precisely that... Although she didn't know where this strange feeling came from, there was one thing she understood clearly:
Never act according to the enemy's intentions.
"What about Hanzo?" Orochimaru followed up immediately.
Orochimaru was always refined in both speech and manner, yet beneath it lurked a mind that danced on the edge of madness.
"Obviously the most valuable one... Be ready, we might have only a second."
Countdown? That felt odd. Jiraiya suddenly experienced a strange sense of déjà vu.
A dark red crystal dangled from Tsunade's collar—a "common crystal" she'd acquired by exchanging gemstones worth several mines—an investment typical of Tsunade's usual habits... Exactly the kind of gamble that made even seasoned gamblers wince.
Yet back then, she had been quite happy with the deal... Now, turns out this so-called "trash" finally came in handy.
Tsunade began forming hand seals.
A tingling sensation spread across Hanzo's scalp—he was still intending to talk more, finding the previous fight insufficiently thrilling. Instinctively, he took a step backward...
Then, in the next instant, blinding white light, torn flesh, light purple bodily fluids, and flying debris erupted into his vision.
Hmm, Haseo wasn't present here, yet he could still communicate clearly with Hanzo. And now he was saying...
Been a while.
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