Naruto: IY Ch. 31

Everyone in the shinobi world had no faith in Yoake.

And unfortunately, the village itself was not doing much to prove them wrong.

They all knew Hanzō's strength, if he hadn't been delusional about unifying the shinobi world back then, even one-on-one, he would've been a tough opponent.

---

In Kumo...

"Very good. Today, Yoake will cease to exist. The ninjas stationed at the ranch can withdraw," Third Raikage commanded.

On the sofa, his son leaned back with arms crossed. "If it were me, I'd smash that Yahiko with one punch."

"What about B?" the Third Raikage suddenly asked.

"B..." A thought for a moment.

A few days ago at the gym, he vaguely remembered hearing B saying something about taking pictures on a boat?

"He probably went out to play. It's fine. He isn't an idiot, he knows when to come back home."

"True."

---

A small bridge lay just fifteen kilometers from Yoake. The village was facing a dire crisis of life and death.

Before Hanzō could even attack, Yahiko arrived at the bridge with Nagato, Sakumo, Kakuzu, Jiraiya, and Genno.

Among them, Jiraiya was still wearing a prison uniform, dragged there by Yahiko just to boost the numbers.

Oh, and Genno was just there for show, carrying a video camera. Even if they lost, they would expose Hanzō's crimes to the world.

"You want me to fight Hanzō?"

Yahiko had asked him to challenge Hanzō to a one-on-one fight, but Jiraiya had flatly refused, what a joke. Back in the day, even with Orochimaru and Tsunade together, they barely made it out without lasting trauma.

But he couldn't withstand Yahiko's pleading and persistence, and there was also the promise of two films starring Jiraiya himself.

Jiraiya whispered nervously, "You sure this movie you're making will make Tsunade fall for me?"

"If she won't marry you, I will. But only if you win."

Jiraiya: "..."

Alright! Screw it, I'm going all in!

ALL IN!

He glanced at Yahiko's painted nails and thought, Wait, you're not... gay, are you?

Just then, Hanzō noticed the commotion.

"Bold! Only six of you? Fine, I'll give you a chance."

Hanzō grabbed his scythe and selected six jonin from Ame to step forward.

With a Body Flicker Technique, the group instantly appeared at the small bridge.

There were no traps. He scanned the area and reached that conclusion.

Both sides faced off across the bridge.

He looked at Yahiko, who stood there full of spirit, staring back without fear.

"Hanzō!" Yahiko frowned and shouted.

"I'm crossing this bridge."

With that, he stepped forward.

"Yahiko!"

"You idiot! There are eight hundred troops across that bridge led by Hanzō, are you crazy?!"

Nagato and Jiraiya each grabbed one of Yahiko's shoulders.

This stubborn kid had surprising strength. Neither of them could hold him back.

Left with no choice, they let Yahiko proceed while quietly focusing their chakra, entering battle mode just in case.

"Guess I'll have to use that move... still not very good at it. Make sure you film me from a good angle."

He closed his eyes, sensing the natural energy.

Yahiko stepped onto the bridge, staring down Hanzō, his tone sharp. "Hanzō! What's the meaning of this? You came to celebrate the success of our movie at the box office?"

"It's rude to call me by name."

Hanzō pushed aside the guards who tried to stop him and stepped onto the bridge to face the boy alone.

Yahiko was shorter than Hanzō by a head, but his aura was equally strong.

"I'm speaking to you as the leader of Yoake."

"You want to start a war? Then let's see what happens. Yoake longs for peace, but we're never afraid of battle. See that village behind me? Every person in there would gladly spill their blood fighting you."

Hanzō looked at Yahiko, slightly confused, Where is this kid getting the confidence to talk to me like that?

There were 800 soldiers stationed beside him. As far as he knew, Yoake didn't even have 80 ninjas, right?

"You can only attack us because you fear the major villages. You've truly fallen. You are a failure."

Yahiko scolded Hanzō with a stern face, but inside he was nervous, though also slightly exhilarated. After all, this was the famous Salamander, the man who once defeated the Legendary Sannin all by himself.

"What did you say? Do you really think I'm that easygoing?"

Hanzō glared at Yahiko. Without even swinging his scythe, he removed his mask and released a foul-smelling purple toxic mist directly at him.

When he was young, a poison gland from a salamander had been implanted into his body. Every breath he took carried deadly poison. Even the slightest trace was enough to kill someone.

"Only cowards and women rely on poison. Which one are you?" Yahiko had already anticipated this move as soon as Hanzō lifted his mask and quickly prepared himself.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

He formed hand seals rapidly. A clear, glistening wall of water surged up into the air, completely blocking the oncoming poisonous mist.

Hanzō grunted coldly and raised his scythe, rushing toward Yahiko with such speed that the eye could barely follow.

"Nobody interfere!" Yahiko roared.

"Step back, I'm going to teach this brat a lesson today!" Hanzō echoed.

The chain-scythe cut through the air with a sharp whoosh, aiming straight for Yahiko's arm.

Yahiko didn't hesitate. He formed hand seals.

A sphere of water instantly enveloped Hanzō just as he got close, trapping him inside.

"Interesting." Hanzō still held the scythe mid-swing, unbothered. With a powerful heave, he stirred the water prison into turbulence. In an instant, the sphere shattered.

Taking advantage of the brief opening, Yahiko quickly formed three more seals and shouted, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"

He slammed his palm to the ground, unnecessarily, really.

A massive surge of water burst forth from behind him like a roaring dragon, crashing into Hanzō and forcing him backward.

Hanzō regained his footing, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"This much chakra?"

It was just a flicker of surprise, after all, Yahiko had once been an orphan in his own Ame.

"Do you even know who I am? I'm Hanzō the Salamander!"

Hanzō quickly stabilized himself and stopped holding back. He was ready to go all out, he wouldn't let a kid belittle him.

He took a deep breath and slammed his hands to the ground.

"Wait!" Yahiko suddenly raised a hand.

"?"

"I can't beat you. So I'm not going to fight you," he said it shamelessly.

"?"

"Sensei!"

"Yosh!"

"Bare-chested skyward gaze! The gallant Jiraiya is here!"

Senjutsu chakra surged through Jiraiya's body like molten lava. A mask-like marking appeared on his face, small bumps grew beside his ears, and his pupils transformed into toad-like slits.

If you looked closely, you could see a white glow flashing in his eyes. It was such a dramatic moment, but Yahiko nearly burst out laughing. He realized, this was a special effect technique that Jiraiya had invented.

Jiraiya glanced at the camera, flashed a bright white grin, and gave a confident thumbs-up full of winner's spirit. Even without the help of the Toad Sages, Fukasaku and Shima, he could still enter Sage Mode.

Normally, with their support, he could absorb natural energy faster and maintain Sage Mode longer.

Without them, his self-entered Sage Mode could only last about three minutes, two minutes shorter than Naruto's perfect version.

But he knew if he relied on the toad duo, they'd steal his spotlight! And to make Tsunade look at him differently, he was all in.

"Tsunade... I'll even defeat this Salamander for you!"