In Amegakure, inside the village leader's office, Rii sat behind her desk, staring at the two intimidating figures in front of her.
On the left was Hanzō of the Salamander, wearing his signature breathing mask, still fuming silently.
On the right stood Gengetsu Hōzuki, dressed in his tailored long robe, his expression twitching as he glanced at the familiar poofy dress sitting on the sofa beside him.
"Wow, you guys really know how to have fun in the leader's office!" Gengetsu thought to himself, sneaking a glance at the still-shaking-with-anger Hanzō.
"What are you looking at?!" Hanzō snapped, his eyes glaring fiercely as he suddenly turned his head.
Oh, feisty, aren't we? Gengetsu, completely unfazed, provocatively pointed at the poofy dress on the sofa and smirked, "It actually suits you quite well!"
Hanzō instantly exploded with rage.
Damn it! Getting humiliated is one thing, but now even this mustached guy dares to mock me?!
What Hanzō didn't know was that this "mustached guy" truly dared to do so.
While Hanzō's title of "Demi-God of the Shinobi World" was indeed renowned, it was just a title after all. If it came to a real fight, as the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki wouldn't back down. In fact, someone like Gengetsu, who would even dare to mess around with Madara Uchiha, was far superior to Hanzō in strength.
Just as the two were about to roll up their sleeves and throw down, Rii, who had been silently observing from behind her desk, sighed and extended her right hand. Forming a seal, she used her jutsu to immobilize Hanzō, halting the impending fight.
No way am I letting these two fight in the village.
Hanzō's summoned salamander had a massive radius of destruction, and Gengetsu's Steaming Danger Tyranny was a literal chain reaction of explosions.
Clearing her throat, Rii finally spoke in a calm but firm tone.
"Alright, alright, you two big shots. Let's talk this out civilly. Don't fight here; give me, Rii, some face."
Without waiting for their response, Rii continued, "Here's the situation: Our Land of Rain is the only small nation bordering the Land of Wind, Land of Earth, and Land of Fire.
Now that war is brewing, it seems these three nations have decided to use the Land of Rain as their battleground. Honestly, I don't mind; I even deliberately shaped the Land of Rain like this to give them space to fight.
But now, they seem to be treating Amegakure as part of the battlefield. That's something neither I nor my brother can accept.
So, I ask the two of you to guard the village's perimeter and eliminate any enemies attempting to invade."
"That's it?" Gengetsu asked flatly.
Rii nodded in response.
Seeing this, Gengetsu casually shrugged and nodded indifferently.
"Alright, got it. By the way, get me a room... and a telescope."
With that, he lazily waved his hand and strolled out of the office.
At that moment, Hanzō suddenly spoke up.
"Defense always has its flaws. Since someone is guarding the village, I will represent Amegakure in declaring war on the three great nations and lead an active offensive.
After all, that's what you're hoping for, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Rii pondered for a moment before nodding slightly.
"Fine."
Soon, a shocking announcement spread across the shinobi world:
The former leader of Amegakure, San Marino Hanzō the Salamander, dissatisfied with the three major nations waging war in the Land of Rain, declared war on all five great nations.
In essence, it was a declaration of defiance—a bold and provocative move.
The shinobi world was stunned.
Some said Hanzō had gone mad, as his actions would only invite the wrath of the three great nations and lead to his demise.
Others praised Hanzō for living up to his title of "Demi-God," calling him a true hero of the era for his audaciousness.
However, the three warring nations—Land of Wind, Land of Earth, and Land of Fire—paid no attention to this declaration. They continued their relentless assaults on each other, targeting vital supply routes and bridges to weaken their enemies.
Meanwhile, the battlefields around Amegakure turned into a chaotic mess.
Hanzō, exploiting his terrain advantage, launched guerrilla-style attacks on both the Sand Village (Sunagakure) and Stone Village (Iwagakure) forces, often using his salamander to poison enemy troops.
The Sand Village was fortunate to have Chiyo, a skilled poison expert, leading their forces. Her antidotes saved many lives.
On the other hand, Konoha's ninja also faced challenges. Fighting on water meant they had to constantly maintain chakra flow to their feet, which drained their energy during prolonged battles.
This led to a peculiar situation—ninja from all sides began holding back during fights to conserve energy.
For Konoha's defenders, this was advantageous, but for the attacking forces of the Sand and Stone Villages, it was a logistical nightmare.
The Land of Wind and Land of Earth, already struggling economically, found themselves bogged down in the Land of Rain, draining their limited resources further.
Realizing the futility of this prolonged conflict, Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, decided to shift tactics. He contacted the Third Kazekage of the Sand Village, stating that he would redirect his forces to attack Konoha from the Land of Grass instead.
This sudden withdrawal left the Sand Village forces in disarray, infuriating Chiyo.
Thus, the unique geography of the Land of Rain turned it into a quagmire that frustrated both the Sand and Stone Villages.
Attempts to concentrate forces and assault Amegakure were thwarted by the sight of red-haired shinobi standing atop the village walls, chanting in unison:
"Who's gonna outlast the Uzumaki in chakra reserves? Hah, good luck with that!"
Faced with such overwhelming odds, the attacking forces had no choice but to retreat.
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