Uchiha's personal opinion

The surrounding Sand Village ninjas also quickly launched their ninjutsu attacks.

The salamander Ibuki rotated its massive body, working with its master, the salamander Hanzo, to block the second wave of attacks.

However, its massive body had already been severely injured by the continuous attacks. The open, lacerated wounds revealed the thick spine, and black blood gushed out like a fountain.

"Ibushi... I'm sorry..."

Hanzo the Salamander knelt on one knee, his left hand on the ground, looking apologetically at his summoned beast companion who had been through thick and thin with him.

The naturally suspicious Hanzo of the Salamander trusted this summoning beast the most, besides the ninjas from the Salamander clan.

"Waaaaa...waaaaa..."

The salamander-fish let out a mournful cry, like a child's night murmur.

"Go back..."

Hanzo the Salamander silently chanted in his heart, and took the initiative to undo the summoning, sending Ibuki the Salamander back.

The puppets and ninjutsu once again launched a surprise attack on Hanzo the Salamander.

This time, the net is so tight that there seems to be nowhere to hide or defend oneself.

Hanzo the Salamander remained completely calm and unleashed his long-planned ultimate ninjutsu.

"Secret Technique: Poisonous Soil!"

Like a tsunami, the surging water-style chakra quickly swept up the surrounding soil into a raging torrent, breaking through the puppets' combined attack. The poisonous blood of the scattered salamanders also quickly merged into it, and the turbid water-style waves were rapidly stained black by the toxins.

The ground, which was originally stained red with blood, was now covered with black toxins that spread rapidly like a plague, turning the ground black wherever they went.

"spread!"

Although Elder Chiyo did not know the exact power of Hanzo's technique, her instincts told her that she had to dodge quickly, or there would be a great deal of casualties.

But it was too late.

"Secret Technique: Poisonous Rain Kill!"

Although the toxins were not spreading quickly on the ground, the wave of toxins created by Hanzo the Salamander's Water Release technique had already risen into the air and turned into rain clouds.

Black rain poured down.

The Sand Village ninjas gathered around were drenched by the rain. Before they could even scream, they collapsed to the ground like rotten wood, their flesh beginning to rot rapidly.

The Sand Village ninja formation was thrown into chaos.

The encirclement was broken instantly.

Elder Chiyo controlled the Chikamatsu Ten to shield themselves from the poisonous rain attack, and the horrific scene before her eyes made her so angry that she bit her lip until it bled.

Using the blood of the Salamander Ibuki as a medium, a secret technique is used to induce the growth and spread of toxins, which are then incorporated into Water Release techniques. The toxins are then spread through the ground and rain clouds, turning a region into a deadly poisonous wasteland devoid of life.

This was Hanzo the Salamander's final trump card, used after severely injuring his summoned beast, leaving it covered in wounds and gushing black blood.

The Sand Village quickly retreated to the rear under the cover of various ninja tools and ninjutsu.

At this point, they no longer had time to continue their pursuit of Hanzo the Salamander.

Under the indiscriminate attack of poisonous rain and soil, both Sunagakure and Amegakure members fell to the ground and died equally.

Elder Chiyo also turned her back and retreated, her eyes fixed on Hanzo the Salamander, who was kneeling on one knee and coughing incessantly.

"Ninja Art: Thousands of Raindrops!"

With a mere effort, Hanzo of the Salamander formed hand seals, squeezing out the last bit of chakra within his body to unleash a simple Water Release ninjutsu.

Under the control of ninjutsu, the poisonous rain transformed into countless water-like, highly poisonous senbon needles, attacking the hastily retreating Sand Village.

This ninjutsu was originally one of the Rain Ninja's signature hidden weapon techniques, but in the hands of Hanzo the Salamander, whose Water Release was superb, he could use it effortlessly without any ninja tools.

Normally, such a simple water-style ninjutsu could be easily blocked, but Hanzo's technique was different; the Rain Senbon was made of a deadly poison that could kill with a single drop of water!

"Puppet Technique: Defense!"

Elder Chiyo had no choice but to manipulate the puppets to form a shield wall again, blocking Hanzo's ninjutsu attack.

The last chance to attack was thus lost.

She wasn't sure if Hanzo was truly no longer able to fight.

However, if they were to initiate a defensive maneuver, it's uncertain how long they could withstand the onslaught of the poisonous rain, but the Sand Village ninjas would certainly suffer heavy casualties.

"Hanzo... you've won this battle!"

Back in safety, Chiyo gritted her teeth and said fiercely, "But the people of the desert will surely cut off your head and hang it beneath the tallest iron tower in Amegakure! Just you wait and see!"

"Hehehe..."

Hanzo the Salamander, who was walking with difficulty to the back, chuckled upon hearing this.

The Rain Ninja behind them also dared not step into the Poison Realm.

The vast expanse of poisonous soil has completely separated Sunagakure and Amegakure, with neither side daring to cross even a single step.

Although Sunagakure suffered heavy casualties, Amegakure was far from unscathed either.

Hanzo the Salamander looked around and saw that of the 2,700 elite Rain Ninja who had set out before the expedition, only about 1,500 remained.

The number of Sunagakure survivors was roughly the same, or perhaps even slightly less.

"Rain Ninja... a great nation..."

Hanzo the Salamander muttered to himself as he walked toward his own side.

He was deeply saddened.

Even with the most sudden attack, and no matter how strong they are, under the systematic and overwhelming pressure of a great nation's ninja, even if the Rain Ninja fight to the death, they cannot achieve a good kill-to-loss ratio.

"This place is yours..." Hanzo the Salamander, having returned to his side, announced loudly, "Old widow who plays with puppets! I hope this drug den satisfies you!"

Elder Chiyo gritted her teeth, staring intently at the Rain Ninja who were slowly retreating under the command of Hanzo the Salamander.

She was unwilling, extremely unwilling.

But Hanzo the Salamander's strength left her helpless.

"Summon the medical ninjas!" Elder Chiyo said coldly. "The ninja army must not fight any longer until Hanzo's poison is neutralized!"

Chapter 95 Blood Rain Concerto

There was no fighting on the eastern front.

The Konoha Expeditionary Force, which occupied the eastern border region of the Land of Rain, was in a relatively relaxed state.

The leader of the Rain Village, whom the Konoha ninja feared most, was leading the main force of the Rain Village in a fierce battle against the Sand Village in the western border region of the Land of Rain. The Rain Village ninja who remained in the eastern region were seen by the Konoha ninja as the perfect tool to rack up battle merits.

Meanwhile, to prevent the Rain Ninja from unexpectedly defeating the Sand Ninja army, the dispatched army commander-in-chief, Danzo Shimura, also sent out all the Root ninja he had painstakingly gathered to launch a frenzied attack and annihilation of the Rain Ninja and Sand Ninja's rear supply lines.

However, due to the relatively short distance of the Rain Ninja's supply lines and their weak protection, the results of raids on the Rain Ninja were particularly fruitful.

Therefore, the brief period during which Hanzo of the Salamander led his troops in a fierce battle against the Sand Village army was the happiest time for the Konoha ninjas who were forced to endure hardship on the front lines of the Land of Rain.

Not only have the quality of the Rain Village ninjas plummeted, with even those bearing the title of Rain Village Jonin being singled out and killed by Konoha Chunin; even Shimura Danzo, who had been severely criticized by Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo, doesn't look so bad in the face of the recent fruitful results.

When the cunning boss is in a good mood, the ninjas under his command who have no powerful backers naturally become more energetic and motivated.

But happy times are always short-lived. When news of Hanzo the Salamander's desperate fight and his victory over Sunagakure spread, the entire dispatched army was in an uproar like ants in a pot.

In fact, the Konoha Expeditionary Force had as many as 5,000 ninjas, giving them an overwhelming advantage over the Amegakure ninjas in both quantity and quality. However, the enemy had Hanzo.

Especially as more and more details of the battle on the western front came back, the Konoha ninjas became even more uneasy.

The ninja clan members weren't too bothered, since they all had some tricks up their sleeves for survival. But the commoner ninjas who rose through the ranks based on seniority were truly in an uproar.

Hanzo the Salamander's individual combat prowess, especially his invincible poison gas attacks and unparalleled swordsmanship, is truly awe-inspiring.

But since we've joined the war, even if we're nervous inside, we have to pretend to be happy about it. Otherwise, those elusive Root henchmen might pull some nasty tricks.

Just as the Konoha ninjas were actively preparing for battle and waiting for the right moment, Hanzo of the Salamander led his Rain Ninja army, which had withdrawn from the western front, and reappeared on the eastern front.

Hanzo the Salamander kept his word.

After breaking through the Sand Village's main camp in the first battle, he did not linger in the fight and immediately led his troops back to the eastern front to settle accounts with the Konoha ninja who had been causing him trouble in the rear.

After a period of intense troop deployment, the Konoha Expeditionary Force officially engaged in a full-scale confrontation with the Rain Ninja and began small-scale probing battles.

Hanzo the Salamander did not want to launch a desperate charge as soon as he returned to the Eastern Front.

After the battle with Sunagakure on the western front, Amegakure was already at its last gasp. Both ninja tools and medicines were extremely scarce. In particular, Danzo's sabotage and suppression of supply lines along the way made the already impoverished Amegakure even more desperate.

After receiving intelligence about the western front of the Rain Country, Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo, after discussing with Mimura Yoru and Kime Kōtō, the commanders of the western border defense forces who were also stationed on the southern border of the Rain Country, decided not to immediately engage in the eastern front. Instead, they would lead their troops slowly eastward from the south to threaten the flanks of the Rain Ninja.

Despite his significant conflict with Danzo, Sakumo Hatake was unwilling to slack off in his official duties, especially when it involved so many Konoha ninjas in the dispatched army. A strange sense of responsibility immediately arose within him.

Uchiha Tokumitsu didn't care much about this, and there was no need for him to disagree with Hatake Sakumo on such trivial matters.

Therefore, the western border defense forces, led by Mimura Yoru and Kime Kōtō, moved slowly and aggressively towards the eastern front, putting pressure on the right flank of the Rain Ninja's defenses.

Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo led their mobile force to infiltrate behind Amegakure's lines, seeking an opportunity to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop.

"The Rain Ninja... are indeed no match for us..."

Behind the eastern front of the Rain Ninja camp, Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo were hiding in a tree hole in the rainforest, observing the movements of the Rain Ninja camp.

This place is still far from the Rain Ninja Headquarters where Hanzo of the Salamander is stationed, and the Rain Ninja stationed in the rear are of relatively average quality. If the two of them go here to scout, they don't need to worry about being discovered and surrounded by the Rain Ninja.

"The loss to Amegakure was indeed quite significant, as they defeated Sunagakure in one battle." Hatake Sakumo observed the Amegakure's movements through his binoculars and casually responded to Uchiha Tokumitsu's words.

"So, does that mean we're not needed for this battle?" Uchiha Tokumitsu seemed a bit lazy. In the past two days, the rain in the Land of Rain had been increasing, and the air was becoming more and more humid. As an Uchiha who was skilled in Fire Release, he felt very uncomfortable.

"Let's see how much fighting power Hanzo can still maintain..." Sakumo Hatake hesitated for a moment before giving a cautious answer.

"Is Hanzo that strong?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

This was the first time he had heard Sakumo Hatake speak of another ninja with such apprehension.

"Hanzo the Salamander is indeed very strong..." Sakumo Hatake's tone was filled with admiration. "Hanzo played an indispensable role in the establishment of Amegakure and the rise of the Land of Rain. Moreover, he didn't just rely on poison techniques; his water release and swordsmanship were unparalleled in the ninja world..."

"Is that so?" Uchiha Tokumitsu licked his lips. "I really hope to witness the splendor of a demigod..."

"Yes..."

Sakumo Hatake continued to observe Amegakure through his binoculars.