Chiyo's eyes widened in horror. Three rather disheveled figures appeared within her sight.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru!
"How could this be!?" Her voice trembled with disbelief as she immediately turned her gaze toward Hanzo atop Sanshouo.
Judging from their appearance, they must have gone through a fierce battle earlier. In such a condition, Hanzo should have had no problem killing them.
There was only one explanation.
He spared Jiraiya and the others on purpose!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The trio darted past rows of Rain Ninja and leapt into the battlefield in a flash.
"Are you three alright?"
Sakumo approached immediately, his shocked gaze scanning over the three bloodied figures before turning to stare at Hanzo on top of Sanshouo.
He couldn't fathom how powerful Hanzo must be to leave them in such a state, while himself remaining completely unharmed.
Yet Hanzo simply replied, "Not dead yet."
Jiraiya spoke, quickly glancing across the battlefield. When he spotted Tsuchigawa—who looked even worse than they did—his heart couldn't help but feel a bit satisfied.
Even though he'd kind of seen it coming, actually seeing it still felt satisfying.
Still, that sense of satisfaction didn't last long. Facing the increasingly complex situation, Jiraiya shared the same concern as Tsunade and Orochimaru. Their gazes shifted toward the Suna Ninja surrounding the battered Konoha and Iwa forces, finally settling on the petite middle-aged woman.
Without a word, the three locked eyes with Chiyo.
If Hanzo had killed them today, there was no doubt that Sunagakure would gain the most from this war.
Chiyo was a renowned figure from the same era as the Third Hokage, widely known as the strongest female shinobi of her era. Leading Suna Ninja against the shattered remnants of Konoha and Iwa forces posed no challenge for her.
Meanwhile, the remaining Rain Ninja regrouped in front of Sanshouo. From the hundred Rain Ninja originally brought by Hanzo, only about sixty remained after the chaotic battle.
Under normal circumstances, the bodies of the thirty fallen Rain Ninja would have been retrieved by now. But given the current circumstances, such a thing was naturally impossible.
Once they departed, the three remaining factions were certain to clash again.
Especially Konoha—the besieged side—clearly wouldn't easily swallow this humiliation.
"Konoha Sannin (Three Legendary Shinobi), I hope you won't betray my goodwill. Let this title echo in every ninja's ears," Hanzo suddenly laughed loudly.
Upon hearing the term "Sannin," everyone present momentarily froze before quickly comprehending its meaning.
Of course, Hanzo referred specifically to Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, who had just fought against him.
This title bestowed by the Ninja World's Demigod (a title bestowed by the ninja world) would soon resound throughout the entire ninja world in a short time.
After all, surviving Hanzo—even while outnumbering him three to one—proved their strength was enough to earn their place among the ninja world's elite.
Laughing loudly, Hanzo led the Rain Ninja away from the battlefield.
He didn't even exchange a single word with Tsuchigawa. Given Hanzo's power and status, such indifference was expected.
Tsuchigawa's face turned an iron shade of green, yet he could do nothing. When Jiraiya and the others appeared before him, even someone as foolish as him should've understood what had happened.
This time, he'd been completely outmaneuvered by Hanzo.
The Rain Ninja gradually moved away. Chiyo, her face twitching in anger, forced herself to remain calm before speaking in a heavy voice.
"Sand Ninja Unit, assemble! Prepare to retreat!" she shouted.
In an instant, hundreds of Sand Ninja who had just scattered to surround both villages quickly regrouped behind Chiyo. Though some looked confused, they obeyed without question.
"Why is the Sand Ninja Unit withdrawing without a fight?"
Nawaki questioned, still struggling to understand why the Rain Ninja had acted that way, and now why the Sand Ninja were retreating too.
"It's because Lady Chiyo fears the strength of Teacher Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Elder Orochimaru. Anyone capable of fighting against someone like Hanzo and surviving—she and the Sand Ninja Unit might just barely be able to handle them, but at best, it would end in mutual destruction," Minato explained beside him.
"Is that Hanzo really that strong?" Although Nawaki had heard of the Demigod title, he hadn't personally witnessed Hanzo's might.
"That deadly Poison Mist earlier, which claimed over a dozen lives in an instant, came from Sanshouo, Hanzo's Summoning Beast," Minato offered as an example.
Upon hearing this, Nawaki's pupils suddenly contracted.
Hanzo and the battlefield of the three were hundreds of meters away. Even at this distance, he could instantly kill dozens of ninja, including jonin among them.
Which meant—if Hanzo truly decided to attack here, wouldn't all these one or two thousand ninja die in his hands?
"Even my older sister dares to confront such an opponent... amazing!" Immediately afterward, Nawaki was stunned and awestruck.
"Yeah, our teachers are truly powerful. Even Hanzo acknowledged their abilities, which is why he granted them the title 'Konoha Sannin.' From now on, these three will surely become new legends within the Ninja World!"
Minato said this not without reason. During the era when he was active, the Konoha Sannin really did become legendary figures.
And these three were so powerful that Konoha managed to withstand attacks from the Four Great Elemental Nations for several years.
Although it was Minato who ended the Third Great Ninja World War, the credit did not belong solely to him.
"Retreat!"
Once the Sand Ninja assembled completely, Chiyo issued the order without hesitation.
"Elder Chiyo, we Konoha will remember this. One day we will settle this debt!" Tsunade declared loudly toward the departing Sand Ninja Unit, her tone sharp and fierce.
Chiyo shot one last glance at Tsunade but said nothing, swiftly retreating from the battlefield.
After the Sand Ninja moved farther away and eventually disappeared from sight, Jiraiya and the other two let out sighs of relief.
After all, if they had continued fighting, Konoha would have suffered severe losses this time.
Once these disruptors withdrew, the previously smug expressions on the Rock Ninja turned to grim horror.
Because in the recent battle, they had already experienced how tenacious the Konoha forces were. Relying solely on their own strength, they simply couldn't match up.
Moreover, Tsuchigawa, who served as their commander, had already sustained serious injuries.
Frowning, Tsuchigawa turned his gaze toward Tsunade, Sakumo, Daichi, and Moto, who stood together, and managed to say through gritted teeth, "If you let the Iwa Ninja Unit leave today, I can guarantee that the Land of Earth will never again oppose Konoha."
But who in their right mind would fall for such childish lies?
Even the peace treaty signed by the Five Great Ninja Nations during the First Hokage's time had been torn apart without hesitation.
Such verbal promises were simply worthless.
Jiraiya smiled slightly at this moment and said, "Fine then. If that's the case, why not have the Third Tsuchikage personally visit Konoha to discuss further? Konoha will certainly welcome him with open arms!"
His voice dripped with icy malice, and murder gleamed in his eyes.
"All Konoha ninja, hear my command—wipe out the entire Iwa Ninja Unit. No survivors!"
...
...(to be continued.)
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