Chapter 32 The Birth of the Three Ninjas
Chapter 32 The Birth of the Three Ninjas
Standing behind the high rocks, Nishikawa Toru and Namikaze Minato stared intently at the hellish battlefield below through the lenses of their gas masks.
The sounds of battle between the armies had ceased.
Whether they were ninjas from Konoha or Amegakure, all of them lay on the ground equally before the deadly poison of the Salamander's Ibuki.
The ninjas who were still able to move around all stayed away from the area filled with poisonous fog.
In the heart of that deathly silence, only three figures were still struggling to hold on.
"Huff... huff..."
Jiraiya knelt on the ground, panting heavily. His face was covered in blood and dirt, and his signature white hair was soaked by the rain and stuck to his forehead. His chakra was nearly depleted, and his hands trembled slightly, but he still stared intently ahead.
To his left, Orochimaru was in no better shape. His once pale skin now had an unhealthy, ashen hue, and although his golden, vertical pupils remained cold, the muscles at the corners of his eyes were twitching involuntarily. One of his arms hung limply at his sides, clearly broken.
Between the two, Tsunade was desperately squeezing out the last of her chakra. A green medical light enveloped the three of them as she used her own life force to maintain the team's last line of defense.
"Damn it... Is this guy a monster?" Jiraiya said through gritted teeth, trying to form hand seals again, but found his fingers as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
On the opposite side of them.
Hanzo the Salamander remained atop the giant summon beast's head.
The scythe in his hand gleamed coldly, and although there were several charred marks on his body, his breathing remained terrifyingly steady. His eyes, hidden behind the gas mask, coldly surveyed the three struggling young men at his feet.
That look in his eyes was like looking at three ants still trying to fight against a giant elephant.
"Not dead yet?"
Hanzo's voice was low and hoarse, echoing in the rain, "On this battlefield filled with poison gas and death, you can still stand up."
"Don't...don't look down on me!"
Jiraiya suddenly stood up, clasped his hands together, and shouted, "Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
His long white hair hardened like steel needles, covering his entire body like a hedgehog. He roared and charged at Hanzo, attempting a final, desperate fight.
"madness."
Hanzo simply swung the kusarigama in his hand lightly.
"when!"
The chain, carrying a heavy iron ball, shot out like a serpent, precisely shattering Jiraiya's defenses and slamming heavily into his chest.
"puff!"
Jiraiya spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward, crashing heavily into the muddy water.
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade exclaimed, trying to rush forward, but Hanzo's Water Shunshou was incredibly fast.
The next second, Hanzo appeared directly in front of the three of them.
Orochimaru's eyes flashed with a sharp light.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hand!"
But Hanzo blocked this deadly attack with just the hilt of his scythe.
"Too slow."
Hanzo swung his scythe backhand, slicing through the rain and forcing Orochimaru back. At the same time, he kicked Tsunade, sending her staggering backward.
The gap in strength is despair-inducing.
"Is this... the pinnacle of the ninja world?"
From above, Minato Namikaze watched this scene, his palms sweating as he gripped the kunai.
His speed, which he was so proud of, seemed pale and powerless in the face of such flawless offense and defense.
"It's not over yet." Nishikawa Tetsu's voice was calm, but a hint of tension could be heard through the mask. "Hanzo didn't kill him."
The center of the battlefield.
The rain is getting heavier.
Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade stood back to back, swaying precariously, but none of them chose to run away or kneel down to beg for mercy.
Their eyes burned with a flame known as the "Will of Fire".
Hanzo looked at the three young men, and the scythe he was about to swing stopped in mid-air.
He looked around.
In this desolate place covered in poison gas, everyone fell.
There are only three.
Even though his chakra was exhausted and his body had reached its limit, he remained rooted to the ground like a nail.
That look in his eyes... reminded him of himself when he was young.
Unfortunately, this is Konoha's younger generation.
I really envy these great countries, where so many talented people emerge.
"snort."
Hanzo suddenly put away his kusarigama, and his imposing fighting stance slowly relaxed.
"To think that someone could push me to this point, and at such a young age, is truly remarkable."
"I'm afraid Konoha will win this war, so I'll spare your lives."
Jiraiya, supported by Tsunade: "I don't need your pity. We can continue fighting."
"Stop talking, Jiraiya," Tsunade advised.
"The three of you are all very strong and have survived in this situation, which makes you a tough opponent for me. I'll give you some time to become stronger before you challenge me again."
"State your names as payment for your lives."
"Jiraiya!"
Orochimaru.
"Tsunade."
Although the three were weak, they still spoke their names with a firm and resounding voice.
"I have memorized your names."
"Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru..."
Hanzo repeated the three names as if trying to etch them into his mind.
Then, in the rain, he made a decision that would be recorded in the annals of the ninja world.
"From now on, I, Hanzo, will call you the Legendary Sannin of Konoha."
"very good."
"Konoha... the Legendary Sannin?" Jiraiya was stunned.
"Live on with this name, clinging to life." Hanzo turned around. "As long as you live, this name will be both proof of your glory and the source of your fear."
"This time, I'll let you off the hook."
With a huge splash, the salamander burrowed underground, and Hanzo's figure disappeared into the vast rain.
The army of Amegakure also withdrew.
On the empty battlefield, only three wounded young men remained, having survived this devastating defeat.
"Did we...we won?" Jiraiya plopped down in the mud, staring blankly in the direction where Hanzo had disappeared.
"No, we lost." Orochimaru clutched his arm, his eyes cold. "But we survived."
"The Legendary Sannin of Konoha..." Tsunade murmured to herself, her expression complex.
This title is both a disgrace and a medal.
It was given to it by the enemy, signifying their defeat at the hands of Hanzo, but also representing that they were the only ones who could survive a demigod.
Behind the high rocks.
Nishikawa Tetsu slowly removed his gas mask and took a deep breath of the air, which still smelled of blood but was now free of poison gas.
"it's over."
He looked down at the three somewhat disheveled figures below.
"This day marks the beginning of a new era in the ninja world."
"From this day forward, the legendary Sannin have been born. And we are the witnesses to this legend."
Minato Namikaze gazed at the three figures, his eyes gleaming with longing: "One day, I too will..."
"You will," Nishikawa Tetsu patted him on the shoulder. "You will be stronger than them."
The name of the Yellow Flash will become a nightmare for all enemies in the Third Shinobi World War.
novelhk