Chapter 11 – Ambush and the Battle Against Hanzo
The rain poured relentlessly over the muddy terrain of the Land of Rain, heightening the tension among Konoha's regiment. The camp buzzed with activity when a jōnin rushed in, his expression tense with urgency.
— "Jiraiya was attacked by Hanzo the Salamander while on patrol!"
Upon hearing this, Tsunade didn't hesitate. She immediately handed command of the camp to Kaito Dan and set off alongside Orochimaru to aid Jiraiya.
Sal watched everything closely, pondering how these events aligned with the original storyline.
"This must be the famous battle where the three earn the title of Sannin… But that's not my main focus."
His eyes discreetly shifted to Kaito Dan. This was the man destined to die.
As Tsunade and Orochimaru raced toward the battlefield, Kaito Dan assumed command of the remaining forces. His sharp mind quickly deduced that Hanzo wouldn't be alone. The reinforcements needed to be ready to face not only Hanzo but also his subordinates.
Within just ten minutes, Kaito had assembled a regiment of jōnin and chūnin to join the fight.
Sal, who had initially considered following Orochimaru and Tsunade, changed his mind.
"I already know they'll survive. But Kaito? He's supposed to die here. If I can prevent that, I'll earn a huge amount of points."
With that decision made, he stood beside Kaito Dan, ready to alter fate.
---
Ambush in the Land of Rain
The regiment advanced through treacherous terrain, surrounded by twisted trees and dense mist. Cold rain dripped onto Sal's face as he remained alert. Something felt off.
"Too quiet…"
And then, the danger revealed itself.
— "Enemy attack!" — a sentinel shouted moments before a rain of kunai descended upon the group.
From within the fog and mud, Suna ninjas emerged.
A perfect ambush.
They blasted the ground with Doton jutsu, destabilizing Konoha's formation, then charged with puppet techniques and brutal taijutsu.
— "Hold the formation!" — Kaito Dan commanded, stepping up as expected from an experienced jōnin.
Sal quickly assessed the situation.
"Damn it! This ambush shouldn't have happened! In the original story, Kaito Dan died fighting Iwa, not Suna!"
But he didn't panic. If fate had shifted, he could shift it back.
Konoha's ninjas retaliated fiercely, spreading out across the battlefield. Flames and slicing winds exploded through the air as kunai clashed against puppet blades.
Sal activated Shunpō and dashed forward. His body became a blur, slipping past enemy strikes.
Paper Painting!
With a single hand seal, his body flowed like paper, the natural wind from attacks and explosions guiding his movements, allowing him to dodge kunai and blades as if he were a leaf swept by the storm.
Two Suna ninjas tried to cut him down simultaneously with swords, but Sal leaned back, letting the air current carry him out of reach. The blades sliced mere inches from his skin without touching him.
— "What?!" — One of the enemies recoiled, baffled.
Without giving him a chance to recover, Sal used Shunpō, appearing behind the ninja in the blink of an eye.
— "Too late."
Texture Surprise!
The kunai in Sal's hand seemed like an ordinary ninja tool, but the moment it struck the opponent, it revealed itself to be covered in hidden explosive tags.
BOOM!
An explosion echoed through the rain, obliterating the Suna ninja instantly.
But Sal had no time to rest.
Another Suna shinobi unleashed a barrage of poisoned shuriken toward him.
Sal activated Paper Painting again, his body folding and twisting with the wind like a torn scroll, escaping the deadly blades by mere millimeters.
He flowed with the storm, spinning through the air before landing smoothly behind his enemy.
— "Now it's my turn."
Texture Surprise!
The kunai he threw seemed harmless, but the moment it struck the Suna ninja's chest, it revealed itself as an invisible blade of wind.
The enemy collapsed, lifeless, never understanding what had killed him.
Sal continued the dance of battle, his movements fluid, like a living painting amidst the chaos of war.
Konoha's regiment began gaining the upper hand, but then Sal heard a desperate cry.
— "Kaito Dan!"
The jōnin was surrounded by three Suna ninjas, and one of them leaped from the shadows, puppet blades spinning wildly, ready to shred Kaito to pieces.
— "Die, Konoha jōnin!"
Without thinking, Sal moved.
Shunpō!
He appeared beside Kaito Dan at the last second, grabbing the jōnin and yanking him away from the deadly strike.
The blades missed Kaito's face by mere inches, slicing through empty air instead.
Kaito's eyes widened in shock.
— "Sal…!"
— "Less talking, more fighting!" — Sal shot back with a determined grin.
The Suna ninja lunged again, but Sal reactivated Paper Painting, his body dissolving into fluid fragments, evading the strike like parchment shredded by the wind.
Reappearing above the enemy, Sal held an explosive tag in hand.
— "Catch this."
The explosion engulfed the Suna ninja, ending the threat.
Konoha's regiment emerged victorious, but not without cost. Bodies lay scattered across the ground, mixing with the mud and relentless rain.
Sal glanced at Kaito Dan, a wave of silent relief washing over him.
"Fate has been changed."
And the system reacted immediately.
---
[Change System]
You have altered a major event in history!
Kaito Dan survived the ambush that was meant to be his death.
Reward: 5,000 Change Points!
---
Sal couldn't hide his smile.
"Now that's what I call a beautiful change."