บท 140: Chapter 140: Hanzō Defeated

"How… can this be?"

Hanzo stared down at the black snake biting into his thigh, disbelief flashing across his face. He, Hanzo of the Salamander, taken off guard by a mere snake? Ridiculous.

He didn't have time to dwell on it, though. Quickly, he gripped the end of his weapon chain in one hand, wielding the sickle at the other end, and slashed down at the snake wrapped around his leg.

Clang!

The sound of metal striking something hard rang out as the sickle met the snake. But… a metallic sound?

"What in the world…?" Hanzo's eyes widened. How could there be a metallic clash from striking a snake? His confusion turned to wariness as he pushed Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword away, leaping off his salamander summon to gain some distance.

On the other side, though the snake had been knocked aside, it wasn't injured. Landing gracefully, it slithered back to Orochimaru, climbing up onto his shoulder.

"Master, I succeeded!" it hissed, sounding proud of itself.

"Good work," Orochimaru replied with a faint smile. He glanced at the spot where the snake had been struck. "You're lucky Hanzo went easy on you, or you'd be nursing more than just a bruised scale."

"Yes, master!" the snake replied, oblivious to Hanzo's confusion.

As the dust from the earlier explosions cleared, Hanzo's giant salamander summon vanished in a puff of smoke. Its connection to its summoner had been severed, a result of Hanzo's momentary lapse after the snake's bite.

"Orochimaru! Are you alright?" Tsunade ran over as soon as the smoke dissipated, concern evident in her eyes.

Orochimaru waved her off casually. "I'm fine. Check on Jiraiya; he took more of the blast than I did."

"Jiraiya?" Tsunade turned, finally noticing Jiraiya leaning against a rock, breathing heavily.

Jiraiya gave a strained smile as Tsunade began to examine him. But even as she checked his injuries, his eyes were glued to Orochimaru, a mix of disbelief and awe on his face. How is this guy not even scratched? he wondered. He had seen Orochimaru up close during Hanzo's explosive attack. Even with his protective ninjutsu, Jiraiya had still been hurt. Yet Orochimaru, who had faced the brunt of the attack, looked untouched, save for a few scorched holes in his sleeve, beneath which his skin appeared to be healing on its own.

Did he use a recovery potion? Jiraiya thought, bewildered. But how? When?

Ignoring Jiraiya's confusion, Orochimaru extended his hand, and the Kusanagi sword flew back to him as if summoned by some invisible force.

This technique allowed him to control the sword remotely using his chakra. Orochimaru had used it to kill Hiruzen in the original story, a testament to its deadly precision and power. Even the indestructible body of the Enma staff had been damaged by the blade's sharpness.

The fact that Hanzo had blocked it so casually was a testament to the man's skill. He really is something, Orochimaru mused.

"Considering how long we've held him here, Konoha should be close to winning the battle by now," Orochimaru said, a playful smile spreading across his face as he approached Hanzo, Kusanagi sword in hand. "So, Hanzo… should I finish you off here?"

Hanzo, immobilized by a binding jutsu, narrowed his eyes as Orochimaru approached. "You… you really are the strongest among them, aren't you?" he muttered, piecing together what had happened.

In battle, it was typical to target the weakest link first. Hanzo had quickly identified Tsunade as the most vulnerable, but every time he moved to strike her, Orochimaru had intercepted, forcing him to focus on the young shinobi instead. Which led to the recent skirmish: Hanzo launching his Fire Release, Jiraiya saving Orochimaru, and Orochimaru counterattacking with the Kusanagi sword.

"I wouldn't say I'm the strongest," Orochimaru replied nonchalantly. "But the three of us together? More than enough to take you down."

With a confident grin, he raised the Kusanagi sword, pressing it to Hanzo's throat. The "demigod" of the ninja world could only glare, unable to move, the paralysis jutsu binding him firmly in place.

"I never thought I'd be brought down by three kids…" Hanzo chuckled bitterly, accepting his fate. "Fine, then. Do it."

To Orochimaru's surprise, Hanzo closed his eyes, prepared to face death with dignity. So he isn't afraid of dying, huh? Orochimaru thought, mildly impressed. But he wasn't one to be swayed by sentiment.

"Goodbye, Hanzo," he murmured, raising his sword to strike.

Suddenly, a flurry of shuriken shot through the air, forcing Orochimaru to leap back. The shuriken were followed by a purple smoke bomb that exploded in front of him, releasing a cloud of toxic gas.

"Watch out!" Tsunade shouted, covering her mouth and nose. "That smoke is poisonous!"

Orochimaru quickly retreated, not inhaling any of the gas. Though Tsunade had created an antidote to counter Hanzo's salamander poison, this was a different toxin, one that hadn't been prepared for.

In the midst of the smoke, Hanzo's form vanished as several Rain ninja wearing gas masks darted forward, pulling him to safety.

Orochimaru, watching the scene unfold, couldn't help but sigh. "A shame," he murmured, though there was no real disappointment on his face.

Hanzo, alive, was far more valuable than Hanzo dead.

"Oh, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya called out, pointing in shock. "Your snake… it's about to faint!"

Orochimaru glanced at his shoulder, where his loyal black snake, Yamata looked dazed, its head drooping.

"Poisoned, huh?" he mused. "Must've inhaled some of that smoke. Yamata, you should return for now. The toxin will knock you out for a bit, but you'll be fine."

"Yes… master…" Yamata mumbled before disappearing in a puff of white smoke.

Orochimaru wasn't too concerned. Poisonous smoke was usually designed to incapacitate rather than kill outright. Only someone like Hanzo could wield poison lethal enough to kill with just a breath.

Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru's shoulder, shaking his head in amazement. "That snake of yours is really something else, Orochimaru."