War between great nations brought calamity to the Land of Rain.
But it also brought opportunity.
In times of peace, the great powers would never allow Rain to rise. They quietly restricted its growth from every angle—economically, militarily, diplomatically.
But once those same powers turned their blades against one another—
Rain became valuable.
Even if they could not secure Rain as an ally, none of them could afford to push it into an enemy's arms.
During this Third Shinobi World War, Amegakure's people had suffered immensely—
Yet Hanzo of the Salamander had extracted considerable concessions from Fire, Earth, and Wind.
And there was another truth.
As long as Konoha and Iwagakure continued bleeding each other—
They weakened.
And when they weakened—
Rain strengthened.
Chaos created space.
Space created opportunity.
Hanzo's thoughts moved swiftly.
Between cooperating with the man known as the Darkness of the Shinobi World—
Danzo Shimura—
Or siding with this young Uchiha before him—
The answer, for the sake of Rain's interests, was becoming clear.
Jin watched Hanzo's subtle movements.
He understood.
Reality was far more complex than any simplified retelling.
In the original chain of events, Danzō's manipulation of Hanzo seemed almost effortless.
But that had never been the whole story.
Hanzo had not been tricked like a fool.
He had weighed benefits.
And he had chosen Rain.
That was the difference between heroes and rulers.
You did not survive three wars without learning to sacrifice pieces on the board.
"Hanzo-senpai," Jin said quietly, "it seems you've made your decision."
Flames burst outward from his body with a sharp boom.
Fire Release Chakra Mode—activated.
Hanzo narrowed his eyes, unhooking his sickle from his waist.
"So you came here to stop Danzō."
"More precisely," Jin replied calmly, "I came to kill him."
He nodded once.
"I agree with his stance toward Iwagakure. But this war must end."
"And the grudges between my clan and Danzō have lasted long enough."
"He should die."
Hanzo's expression cooled.
"Then there is nothing more to discuss."
His hands blurred through seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Smoke exploded outward.
A colossal brown salamander materialized beneath him—
Ibuse.
"Poison Spray!"
Hanzo leapt upward as Ibuse shrieked, expelling dense purple miasma in overwhelming torrents.
In raw strength, Ibuse might not rival Gamabunta of Mount Myōboku or Manda of Ryūchi Cave—
But with its venom augmenting it, Ibuse could fight multiple great summons at once.
Its toxins were so potent that even Hanzo himself could not entirely ignore them.
"Mirror Flame Wall!"
Jin thrust his palm forward.
A massive blazing barrier erupted, intercepting the spreading poison cloud.
Though elementalization rendered him immune, Jin had no intention of lingering in a toxin-saturated battlefield.
Fire, after all, countered poison.
Extreme heat incinerated most organic compounds.
Venom included.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation Spear!"
A dense, compressed inferno surged forward, sweeping residual flames into a spear-like torrent aimed directly at Ibuse.
Jin intended to eliminate the summon in one decisive strike.
But the attack struck empty ground.
Where Ibuse had stood—
There was only a crater.
Underground.
Before Jin could adjust—
Hanzo was already upon him.
Cold steel flashed.
The sickle carved toward Jin's face.
Jin barely intercepted with a kunai, using the recoil to retreat.
Hanzo's blade was too sharp—ordinary kunai would not withstand it long.
Then—
The earth beneath Jin collapsed.
Ibuse burst upward, jaws wide.
At the same time, Hanzo's chain lashed out like a living serpent, sealing every possible escape path.
Flames detonated beneath Jin's feet as he accelerated violently sideways—
Narrowly avoiding the bite.
"Hmph."
Hanzo tugged the chain.
It constricted instantly.
The links coiled around Jin, binding him completely.
Hanzo landed atop Ibuse's head, looking down coldly.
"Uchiha boy."
"Your Fire Release is impressive."
"But you seem incapable of using your clan's true inheritance."
"You haven't cast a single genjutsu."
"Nor have you properly utilized the dynamic vision advantage."
"You are wasting those three-tomoe Sharingan."
The crimson tomoe in Jin's eyes gleamed.
Bound in chains—
He smiled.
A strange, knowing smile.
"Wasting them?"
His voice was calm.
"When," he asked softly,
"did you start believing I wasn't using genjutsu?"
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