"I'll make you all pay for Ibuse's death!"
Hanzō's eyes burned with murderous intent.
To him, Ibuse was more than just a summon—it was family, a brother bound by life and death. Now that it had been killed, his rage knew no bounds.
For the first time, Hanzō truly intended to kill the Sannin.
Originally, he had planned to defeat them and force Konoha into a ceasefire. Now? He wanted every Leaf shinobi present dead.
"That masked old man… he was holding back earlier?!"
Tsunade immediately realized that even with the added support of Katsuyu, Gamabunta, and Manda, the pressure from Hanzō had intensified in Ibuse's absence.
"Fire Release: Explosive Flame Formation!"
The ground beneath them erupted in a sea of explosive tags. Tsunade and Orochimaru were caught in the blast.
Just as the explosion was about to sever Tsunade's legs—
"Not good!"
Jiraiya's face paled. He reacted instantly.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
A protective dome of silver-white hair enveloped Tsunade, shielding her from the blast.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru substituted himself with an earth clone, narrowly avoiding the ambush.
"That Explosive Flame Formation… terrifying."
Umino Yoru's pupils contracted.
On paper, it was just a B-rank jutsu, but its lethal efficiency surpassed most A-rank techniques. No wonder even Nagato had fallen victim to it—it was nearly impossible to evade.
"Sword Art: Chain-Sickle Combo!"
Seizing the opening left by Jiraiya's defense, Hanzō lashed his chain, entangling Jiraiya's hair before swinging his poison-coated sickle in a brutal slash.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Orochimaru's snakes shot out, intercepting the attack just in time.
But Hanzō had feinted.
"Water Body Flicker!"
In a blur, he vanished, reappearing right in front of—
Umino Yoru.
The four puppet armors moved to block, but Hanzō was too fast.
"Wind Breathing: Explosive Step!"
Yoru burst into motion, but—
"Too late."
"Iaido: Draw Cut!"
The sickle pierced straight through Yoru's abdomen.
Poof!
A clone dispersed into smoke.
But from the ground, multiple shadow clones emerged. Though Hanzō effortlessly slashed through them, one managed to press a seal onto his ankle.
"Spore Technique…?"
The clone's head was decapitated the next instant—
But the trap was already sprung.
"Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags!"
Like a chain reaction, dozens of explosions erupted from Hanzō's leg.
Forced into a corner, the "God of the Rain" made a ruthless decision—
SCHLICK!
He severed his own calf, cutting off the explosive tags before they could consume him.
"Tch… what a shame."
Hidden within Ibuse's corpse, Umino Yoru sighed.
If Hanzō had hesitated even a second, he could've leveled all of Amegakure with the remaining tags.
Still, the ambush had worked. The legendary Hanzō was now a one-legged man.
Knowing he was outmatched, Hanzō fled, his Water Body Flicker carrying him away faster than any two-legged shinobi could hope to match.
The Sannin gave chase, but in the rain-soaked terrain of the Land of Rain, catching Hanzō was impossible.
With the battle over, Umino Yoru dispelled his Spore Technique, emerging from Ibuse's remains.
"Yoru… you actually defeated Hanzō?!"
Jiraiya threw an arm around his shoulders, grinning wildly.
"You're overestimating me. The Sannin did most of the work—I just planted some explosive tags."
Then, with a smirk, he added:
"But now that you've defeated the '*Semi-God of the Rain,' the title 'Konoha's Sannin' will shake the entire shinobi world."*
"Huh? 'Konoha's Sannin'?"
Jiraiya blinked.
Hanzō hadn't lived long enough to bestow the title himself.
But victory spoke louder than words.
"Konoha's Sannin… I like it."
Tsunade nodded in approval, and Orochimaru gave a rare smirk.
Then, Tsunade leaned in, her perfume intoxicating.
"Yoru… you just used over 10,000 explosive tags, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
*"At 6,000 ryō per tag, that's 60 million ryō… Say, do you have a girlfriend?"*
Her elbow rested casually on his shoulder, her eyes gleaming with more than just curiosity.
Before Yoru could answer—
"HE DOES! SEVERAL, IN FACT!"
Jiraiya yanked him away, laughing.
*"Rumors say Ruri of Suna taught him Wind Release and puppet techniques—some even claim he cuckolded Satetsu and fathered Sasori!"*
Umino Yoru: "WHAT?!"
"Who the hell started that rumor?!"
Since when was Sasori his son?!
After choking the truth out of Jiraiya, the pieces fell into place:
Shakutō Hōjō, back in Suna, had spread whispers that Ruri traded Wind Release secrets to eliminate a political rival. Rasa grew suspicious, confronting Ruri. Unable to admit the truth (that she traded secrets to restore Satetsu's arm), Ruri denied everything. But the evidence was too damning. Now, Rasa and Satetsu's feud had escalated, fueled by Hōjō's schemes. And the juiciest rumor? That Yoru and Ruri had an affair… and Sasori was their love child.
"Of all the ways this could've backfired…"
Umino Yoru massaged his temples.
He'd orchestrated this mess to divide Suna's leadership.
Somehow, he'd become the villain in a soap opera.