Chapter 56: Hanzō's Plan Uncovered

Standing proudly atop his salamander's head, Hanzō gazed at the disheveled Orochimaru and company, feeling a surge of heroic spirit stirring within him. In his perspective, the Sand Village had now become his unshakeable ally.

"The Sand Village has finally made a significant move, deploying the Tailed Beast to stall that bastard," Hanzō thought.

After Chiyo persuaded Shukaku to act, although she was kept in the village by the Third Kazekage, she immediately notified Hanzō. Chiyo exaggerated the situation on the Sand Village's battlefield to prompt Hanzō to dispatch his troops without delay.

Despite this, Hanzō remained exceptionally cautious, still waiting for Baki to make a move. Upon receiving intelligence about the fierce battle between Shukaku and Baki, Hanzō finally smiled and immediately began mobilizing the entire Hidden Rain Village.

In his assessment, that monster-like man, while not likely to lose to Shukaku, would also find himself helpless due to the Tailed Beast's size. Hanzō's prediction made sense: if Shukaku didn't swallow Baki whole, the fight wouldn't end quickly.

The confused information gap engulfed Hanzō in immense joy, making everything appear as if it were going according to plan.

When the troops were deployed, he almost imagined himself donning the "Kage" hat and elevating the Hidden Rain Village to one of the Big Six Ninja Villages.

Hanzō's summoning of the salamander tribe, though lacking any sage among them, turned the creatures into undeniable battlefield killing machines.

Thick purple mist sprayed towards the Leaf Village ninjas, transforming into the scariest death symbols on the battlefield. Every five minutes, an adult salamander could spit out a massive amount of poison before burrowing underground, waiting for the next attack.

Hanzō, pleased with the salamanders' performance, picked up his chain and sickle, ready to begin his killing spree.

"Swish!!" 

Hanzō's ghostly figure darted across the battlefield, his broad chains swinging, greedily drinking the blood of the Leaf Village ninjas. Hanzō's style bore a striking resemblance to Sakumo Hatake – speed that, if not matched, rendered all attacks ineffective.

Orochimaru, with a cold smile, had no intention of stopping Hanzō. Instead, he, alongside Jiraiya and Tsunade, formed an attack formation, summoning their own summoning beasts together.

After a puff of thick smoke cleared, the three giant creatures stood tall on the battlefield. 

Following a brief exchange, the trio of giant creatures began slaughtering the Rain Village ninjas.

Toad Boss Gamabunta grabbed his giant sword, swinging it heavily, slicing seven or eight Rain Village ninjas cleanly in half. Manda the snake looked greedily at all the living things on the battlefield, opening his mouth to devour indiscriminately. Katsuyu spat out viscous acid, transforming the Rain Village ninjas it touched into puddles of mush.

Lower-tier ninjas joining the fray often served only to deplete the top-tier ninjas' chakra. Their lives were as insignificant as grass, worth little.

The battlefield presented a bizarre scene, resembling a large-scale battle royale. Leaf Village ninjas collapsed in groups, their faces dark purple from poison, or fell with their heads slicing off by the flashing iron chains.

Rain Village ninjas also fell continually, crushed into meat paste by the summoning beasts, or perished under serpentine hands, ninjutsu, or formidable punches.

Seeing Orochimaru's countermeasures, Hanzō tensed. This bastard wants to compete with him in killing speed?

"The Rain Village isn't like the Leaf – it can't afford such casualties!"

Two thousand casualties might severely wound the Leaf Village, but for the Rain Village, it spelled extinction.

Watching his ninjas fall one by one, Hanzō roared, "Everyone, prepare the Rain Cloud Concealment Technique!"

Rain Village ninjas scurried to safe spots, channeling their chakra, and sent one fireball after another at nearby water sources. For a moment, the battlefield was filled with water vapor.

Orochimaru, seeing this, commanded loudly, "All Leaf Village ninjas, use Wind Release Jutsu towards the south to disperse the mist!"

"Wind Release: Thousand-Faced Wind Technique!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Leaf Village ninjas collectively unleashed their chakra, casting wind release techniques that merged into a hurricane, dispelling the newly formed mist.

As one of the top scientific ninjas in the world, Orochimaru instantly discerned the so-called Rain Cloud Manufacturing Method. It was merely a concept of evaporating ground and water sources through fire techniques, inducing water vapor ascent. Dispelling it promptly wasn't a big deal.

By now, the battle had severely depleted both sides' forces. Despite the presence of antidotes, for many ninjas of ordinary constitution, the salamander's poison was still a lethal killer move. Rain Village ninjas, wearing specialized gas masks, held a considerable advantage in close-quarters combat with Leaf Village ninjas.

The battlefield had become a meat grinder, Rain and Leaf Village ninjas tearing at each other before falling, virtually wiping out both front-line troops.

Seeing Orochimaru's strategy, Hanzō's eyes filled with murderous intent. He had to take the enemy leader hostage now.

His figure flashed, advancing to face the trio. The broad chain and sickle appeared before Jiraiya, Hanzō's extreme speed leaving no time for a reaction.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Several huge snakes burst from Orochimaru's sleeves, blocking the attack and buying time for an injured Jiraiya. He seized the chance, gripping Hanzō's arm and forming a seal with his long white hair.

"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"

The white hair transformed into countless needles, shooting rapidly towards Hanzō's face. Hanzō, unfazed, turned his entire body into water, slipping from Jiraiya's grasp.

Reforming mid-air, he grabbed the chain and sickle again, aiming a slash at Jiraiya's abdomen!

"Swish!"

Jiraiya dropped to his knees in pain; the slash nearly eviscerated him. Tsunade leaped to support Jiraiya, channeling chakra to her fist, and savagely punched at Hanzō.

Hanzō again turned into water, effortlessly dodging the punch and mockingly evaluated Tsunade: "Nothing but strength with no speed."

Ignoring Hanzō's taunt, Tsunade commanded Katsuyu to heal Jiraiya's wounds. Meanwhile, the battle between Team Sarutobi and Hanzō was at a standoff. 

Aside from these four, there were hardly any surviving ninjas on the battlefield. The roar of giant beasts echoed, and Hanzō's salamanders screamed in agony. Under combined assaults from the three summoning beasts, the salamanders faced relentless pursuit.

Katsuyu's acid forced the burrowing salamanders to surface. Gamabunta and Manda coordinated, tearing apart these giant fish. The salamanders' feeble cries echoed; without Hanzō's support, their combat effectiveness plummeted. Most of these salamanders hadn't even awakened their intelligence, fighting only through instinct.

Hanzō's eyes gleamed with determination. This war's brutality was beyond his expectations. First, the enemy developed antidotes, and then they deciphered his ninjutsu. Now, he only had his instantaneous speed and sword skills to rely on.

"It's been a long time since I've been this desperate," Hanzō thought, feeling his fighting spirit ignite. He knew the Rain Village had already lost on this battlefield. However, he couldn't afford to lose. If he did, both he and the Rain Village would face utter annihilation.

He had to capture these three alive, to negotiate a terms for peace with the Leaf Village.