Chapter 51 – Hanzo's Ambition
"What is this thing…?" Jiraiya blinked in disbelief, eyes wide as he stared into the shimmering gateway.
"Quit babbling and get in already!" Tsunade snapped, delivering a sharp fist to the side of his head.
"I was just asking out of curiosity…" he muttered, rubbing his scalp in annoyance.
"Let's go," Yusuke said, stepping into the air portal he'd created. Thanks to a marker he had placed earlier, the trio passed through and instantly arrived at Tanzaku Town.
This is a Space-Time Ninjutsu… but in some ways, it even surpasses the Flying Thunder God, Jiraiya thought, still stunned. Minato's technique was better suited for combat, but in terms of travel and versatility, Yusuke's Door-Door Fruit ability was far more convenient.
Yusuke opened another shimmering gateway, but this time, they didn't step into the real world. Instead, they entered a dimension of blank space—a sealed world between realities. Jiraiya glanced around, jaw slightly slack. "This place… is its own dimension?"
"Don't think too hard about it," Yusuke replied casually. He scanned the space, then opened another portal. The scenery shifted again.
After repeating this process several times, they finally arrived near the border of Amegakure. But the repeated use of the technique took a serious toll on Yusuke—his body swayed, and he nearly collapsed.
The biggest flaw of the Door-Door Fruit was now clear: he couldn't instantly travel massive distances in one go, like directly from Konoha to Amegakure. The dimensional shortcuts saved space, but still consumed a significant amount of energy.
(For Yusuke, reaching Amegakure took almost all his stamina. But the return trip might only require three jumps to get back to Konoha. The cost depended on how many doors he opened—not how far they traveled or how many people he carried. That was the "bug" of the Door-Door Fruit.)
"For now, let's find a place to rest. Once this kid's recovered, we'll continue to Amegakure," Tsunade said firmly.
"Agreed," Jiraiya nodded.
They found an inn nearby, had a light meal, and settled in for the night.
"I'll head out to gather intel," Jiraiya announced cheerfully, then vanished from sight.
Yusuke didn't need to guess. Of course he went to a hostess bar or some other adult establishment. Tsunade didn't even try to stop him. As unreliable as Jiraiya looked, he was sharp when it mattered—and those kinds of places were excellent for gathering under-the-radar information.
"I'll turn in," Yusuke muttered. The dimensional travel had completely drained him.
"I'll go out and dig up info myself. This mission isn't something we can take lightly. Remember, we're dealing with Hanzo the Salamander—a man known as the Demi-God of the Shinobi World," Tsunade said gravely.
"I know," Yusuke replied, his eyes burning with anticipation. Hanzo… the living legend. A true pinnacle of shinobi might.
"You really are a battle freak... But don't underestimate him," Tsunade warned, letting out a long sigh. She hadn't forgotten. Back then, Hanzo had overwhelmed her, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru all at once. The only reason they lived was because Hanzo respected their potential—and feared what Konoha might become.
"I never underestimate anyone," Yusuke said softly. This was no longer just a fictional world—it was real. And in the real shinobi world, power wasn't as straightforward as it was in the world of pirates.
Even now, Yusuke wasn't confident he could beat Hiruzen Sarutobi. Power in the Naruto world didn't rely on flashy abilities alone. Even though his Glint-Glint Fruit granted him tremendous speed, fighting someone of Hiruzen's caliber would be no simple matter. Speed wasn't everything. Light couldn't bend.
(Note: Yusuke's speed hasn't reached true light speed like Kizaru. His Glint-Glint powers remain unawakened. The author doesn't want him to become too overpowered… though he kinda already is.)
As for raw destruction, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was powerful, yes—but Kage-level shinobi all had signature techniques to counter it. Yusuke's true strength lay in his limitless potential. If he could fully awaken the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he might one day rival Madara Uchiha or Hashirama Senju. Even without that, the combination of his Devil Fruits already made him comparable to Six Paths Naruto.
After offering her warning, Tsunade left to investigate. Yusuke finally got some much-needed rest.
For the next two days, Tsunade and Jiraiya continued gathering intel—but most of it was vague or irrelevant. Meanwhile, Yusuke quietly observed ninja movements along the Amegakure border. He even spotted shinobi from Sunagakure arriving in the area.
"It looks like we've got no choice but to go in and meet Hanzo directly," Tsunade said one evening. "Even Sunagakure has sent representatives."
"You're right. Our top priority is to determine who Hanzo plans to support. If possible, we avoid direct confrontation," she added, voice low and serious.
Jiraiya and Yusuke nodded in unison.
Hanzo's stance could shift the entire tide of the coming war. While Amegakure's regular ninja weren't taken seriously by the Great Nations, Hanzo himself was on an entirely different level. His power rivaled that of a top-tier Kage. Even among the Five Great Nations, very few shinobi ever reached that height.
In Konoha, only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Sakumo Hatake had ever stood at that peak. (Yusuke could rival them, but no one knew that. His body and chakra still hadn't stabilized enough for drawn-out battles. His techniques were powerful—but burned through chakra rapidly.)
The trio crossed into the Land of Rain and made their way toward Amegakure. Yusuke didn't use the Door-Door Fruit—there was no point in revealing his trump card just yet.
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Meanwhile, in Amegakure—
"Hanzo-sama. Two of the Legendary Sannin—Jiraiya and Tsunade—have entered the Land of Rain. They're heading this way," a rain-soaked ninja reported.
Because of his young appearance, no one paid attention to the third member of the group—Hatake Yusuke. And the trio hadn't tried to conceal their movement. This was a diplomatic visit, after all.
"Ah, so two of those three talented kids..." Hanzo gave a faint smile, showing no hint of fear. He was the Demi-God of the Shinobi World. Maybe if all three had shown up, including Orochimaru, he'd take things more seriously—but just two? Hardly worth worrying about.
(At this point, Orochimaru was already stronger than both Jiraiya and Tsunade. Jiraiya hadn't mastered Sage Mode yet, and Tsunade hadn't awakened her Byakugō no Jutsu. Back when they fought Hanzo, they were elite Jonin at best—while Orochimaru was nearly Kage-level.)
"There was another with them. A young man—looks like the son of Sakumo Hatake."
"The White Fang's son, huh? Some brat like that isn't worth my attention," Hanzo muttered. It wasn't surprising he underestimated Yusuke. Even shinobi known as gods in their youth only reached elite Jonin levels at his age.
"Return to your post," Hanzo dismissed with a wave of his hand.
"So… even Konoha is making moves," he murmured, turning toward the rain-soaked city beyond his window. "Good. Come, war… I've been waiting. In the end, it will be me, Hanzo, who stands above all!"
Despite his title as a "Demi-God," Hanzo's ambition had never dulled. He wasn't content with ruling a small nation. He dreamed of turning the Land of Rain into the sixth great power—stronger even than the Five Great Nations themselves.
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