"Not good!"
Hanzō had just been about to hurl his kusarigama at Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets when a shield of iron sand suddenly rose up and blocked the weapon.
Clang!
The kusarigama was knocked aside.
This time, Salamander Hanzō's face changed.
Magnet Release… and iron sand at that. Could it be…
A moment later, he saw a man with spiky hair and long blue locks appear, arms folded across his chest, looking down at him from above.
The Third Kazekage.
He was here.
The strongest Kazekage in history.
After the battle he had just gone through, Hanzō had no confidence at all in facing two Kage-level powerhouses at once.
The Third Kazekage raised an eyebrow, tilted his head slightly, and pointed toward the direction of the Rain ninja forces.
Chiyo's lips curled up.
"As you command, Kazekage-sama."
The three remaining puppets opened their mouths wide and spewed out Salamander Hanzō's potent poison mist, this time straight toward the Rain ninja.
Hanzō roared,
"Run!"
He then sprinted toward the city at top speed. The Rain ninja behind him were not so fortunate. They had just started to flee when a wall of iron surged up from the ground, cutting off their escape.
In the next instant, the poison mist engulfed them. Their bodies lost all strength, purple blotches bloomed across their skin, and they collapsed to the earth one by one.
Only then did the Third Kazekage signal for Chiyo to stop.
Chiyo obediently followed his lead, manipulating Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets to draw the poison mist back in. She fully intended to bring that toxic gas home for careful study. With any luck, it might prove useful in the future.
Chiyo had complete faith in the Third Kazekage.
Although she was the First Kazekage's wife and possessed extremely senior status, the position of Kazekage had always gone to the most capable.
Judging from the combined strength of all three generations, the Third Kazekage was indeed the strongest Kazekage. On that point, there was no room for doubt. As for Chiyo herself, the Third Kazekage valued and cared for her deeply.
"Elder Chiyo, you're not hurt, are you?"
As soon as the Third Kazekage touched down, he immediately asked about Chiyo's condition. He had not forgotten how much she had done for him in the past.
Chiyo smiled and shook her head.
"Thanks to Kazekage-sama's timely arrival, this old woman might well have been gravely injured otherwise."
She was not exaggerating.
Salamander Hanzō's personal combat strength was nothing to scoff at. If he had been allowed to keep fighting her, Chiyo would definitely have lost.
And knowing Hanzō's temperament, there was every chance she would have died on that battlefield.
That was something the Third Kazekage could not accept.
Chiyo was a genuine Kage-level combatant, and at present, Sunagakure had far too few at that level. There was only him and Chiyo. Although he had two talented disciples, they were merely at jōnin level for now.
There was no way the Third Kazekage would sit back and watch Hanzō go all out against her.
"Heh, as long as you're alright. But Elder Chiyo, you lost seven of Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets this time. We'll have to demand a generous compensation package from the Land of Rain."
The Third Kazekage raised his brows.
At last, Sunagakure's finances might be able to breathe a little easier.
Chiyo and the Third Kazekage chatted for a while as the shinobi used the time to rest and reorganize.
That afternoon, they would be heading to the city gates to force Salamander Hanzō to sign a treaty.
South gate, at the foot of the walls.
Hanzō snorted.
"Who's on duty up there? Open the gate! Your leader has returned!"
Just then, Tsunade's figure appeared atop the city wall. She smiled down at Hanzō below.
"Hey! Who's that down there? State your name! This city is already under Konoha's control. Please take a detour."
Of course Tsunade knew exactly who was standing below.
Wasn't that Salamander Hanzō?
Hadn't seen him in a few days, and he'd already fallen this far?
Hanzō's eyes went wide as he stared up at Tsunade in disbelief.
What on earth was going on?
Was the Tsuchikage really just going to sit back and watch Konoha swallow the city?
No, wait. Had Iwagakure and Konoha formed an alliance?
Impossible.
As far as he knew, Onoki was a man of considerable ambition. How could that type possibly cooperate with Konoha?
Then what was this?
Damn it.
Now what?
The city in front of him had been taken, and behind him, Sunagakure's forces were in hot pursuit.
Damn it all.
Hanzō's face turned as dark as the clouds overhead.
"Don't tell me the so-called principle of the 'God of Shinobi,' that Konoha never occupies other nations' territory, was a lie?"
Tsunade shook her head.
"Of course not."
Before the assault on the city, Kotarou had already briefed her on everything that might happen. Thanks to that, she could trade words with Hanzō without missing a beat.
"Then what do you mean by this?" Hanzō shot back. "You're clearly breaking the rules laid down by Senju Hashirama."
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
He personally couldn't care less about the rules of a dead man, but he still clung to a sliver of hope. What if the Konoha shinobi really did intend to return the city to him?
Konoha would indeed give it back.
The question was how.
"Hanzō-dono, do you still remember when you declared war on Konoha?"
Kotarou stepped up onto the city wall with a laugh. He had wanted to see what Hanzō actually looked like. It wasn't every day you got to see the so-called "demigod of the ninja world" in such a sorry state.
Hanzō frowned.
This man wasn't in his intel reports.
"And you are?" he asked coldly. "I remember the declaration of war, of course. Right now your Konoha has occupied the city. You've won. If you withdraw from the city now, I will not pursue the matter."
That line nearly made Kotarou laugh out loud.
"Hanzō-dono, are you joking with me? When you declared war, you were so high and mighty. Now that you've lost, you're still acting this lofty? Do you take war for a child's game?"
Hearing this, Hanzō felt his heart sink.
Even so, the other side hadn't outright refused to return the city. That meant they were prepared to do so… under certain conditions.
"Fine," Hanzō said, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment. "You're right. Name your conditions."
"The first condition: the Land of Rain must sign a formal instrument of surrender.
"The second: the Land of Rain must pay three hundred million ryō in silver as compensation.
"The third: after the war, ten percent of the Land of Rain's shinobi mission contracts will be handed over to Konoha."
These were the terms Kotarou had worked out in advance with Orochimaru. They were all within what the Land of Rain could bear.
Given that Hanzō had already been defeated by Sunagakure, he had no choice but to accept.
Hanzō's whole body trembled.
He had expected Konoha to demand reparations, but when he heard the actual number, he still couldn't help the chill that settled in his chest.
Did he have the right to refuse?
No.
His voice was hollow when he spoke again.
"Very well. I agree. Let me in."
To his surprise, Kotarou only chuckled.
"Words alone aren't worth anything. Outside the city, our jōnin Orochimaru-sama is waiting with eight hundred men. He will be the one to sign the treaty with you. Once it's signed, we'll pull our troops back. Then we'll release your Rain ninja and let them open the gate for you."
Hanzō clenched his fists tightly.
His original plan had been to rush in the moment the gates opened and see if he couldn't turn the situation around.
But this brat and that girl had already calculated every angle in advance.
"…Fine. Send your envoys."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Orochimaru dispatched three shinobi, each carrying a contract. Three copies in total.
One for Konoha.
One for the Land of Rain.
And one for Hanzō himself.
That was how they ensured the fairness of the treaty.
(End of Chapter)
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