Naruto: I Became a Sword Saint in Konoha

The moment Hanzo's voice fell, he vanished from sight.

In the next instant, his figure shot into the midst of the Konoha forces. Before anyone could react, he had already flung several shuriken with both hands.

Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!

A barrage of shuriken rained down like a deadly storm. In mere seconds, screams rang out from multiple directions. Though Konoha's formation had been disciplined and tight, that very compactness now worked against them.

The downpour of shuriken carved through the dense grouping, causing instant casualties and breaking the formation's integrity.

Seeing this, Hoshiyomi immediately activated Shunpo, stepping across the field in bursts of speed and charging directly toward Hanzo to engage him.

From behind, Tsunade shouted:

"Disperse the formation! Everyone except the medical squad and special protection squad—break off and charge!

Go deal with the other Ame-nin!

Leave this place to us!"

With Hoshiyomi charging in and the frontlines thrown into chaos, Hanzo wouldn't let the opportunity slip by.

He slapped his hand on the ground, instantly activating a Summoning Jutsu.

"Ravage them… Ibuse!"

Boom!

With a puff of smoke, the massive salamander Ibuse emerged. Hanzo stood atop its head, looking down from above like an executioner at the gallows.

In a cold, emotionless voice, Hanzo declared:

"This is the price for invading Amegakure… for provoking me.

Ibuse, release the poison mist!"

As Hanzo gave the order, both he and Ibuse moved simultaneously. The creature opened its cavernous jaws and unleashed a visible stream of pale purple poison mist into the battlefield.

Tsunade, without hesitation, yelled,

"Drink the antidote! Now!"

At once, Hoshiyomi and the others pulled out their vials from their ninja pouches and swallowed the antidote Tsunade had prepared.

At the same time, Orochimaru called out:

"All Wind Release users, gather on me—form a barrier to prevent the poison gas from spreading!"

Hanzo watched their swift response with veiled admiration, but his face twisted into a cold sneer.

"Futile. Of course I knew your little trick was an antidote—why else would you have the nerve to challenge me head-on?

But you really think my poison can be neutralized so easily?

Every antidote has its limits. If the poison sac in my body ruptures, even I can't survive the toxin.

Let alone your little concoction.

And I don't even need to go that far. Ibuse alone is enough to wipe you all out."

As if understanding his words, Ibuse stretched its jaws even wider. The poison mist, once a pale violet haze, now turned into a thick, viscous deep purple fog.

Chūnin who hadn't received antidotes due to limited supply and weren't fast enough to retreat immediately began turning pale blue after just one breath.

They collapsed instantly. Within moments, their breathing slowed… and then stopped altogether.

Even the jōnin who had taken the antidote began to suffer. After inhaling the gas several times, they felt dizzy, their limbs weak and numb, and their chakra flow disrupted. Their combat ability dropped by at least thirty percent—and was continuing to decline.

Hoshiyomi retreated two steps and slashed his sword, conjuring three wind walls in succession to block the mist. But against the torrent of poison spewing from Ibuse, it was like tossing sand at a tidal wave.

The poison mist claimed life after life among the chūnin ranks. By the time the Wind Release unit finally assembled, nearly two hundred chūnin had already died in the poison gas.

If the rest hadn't reacted fast enough to retreat, the toll would have been even higher.

In an instant, all the momentum Konoha had built was erased. Their numerical advantage vanished.

Hoshiyomi and the others stood frozen, eyes burning red. These were shinobi they trained with, trusted with their lives—and they had been cut down without even a chance to fight back.

Hoshiyomi roared:

"Everyone, get ready!"

The Wind Release squad, previously dejected and weakened, now burned with renewed determination, shouting in unison:

"Hasaki!!!"

With a powerful slash, Hoshiyomi unleashed a tornado far larger than usual. This time, he infused the spiral winds with a deep-blue chakra flame.

A whirlwind three meters in diameter, swirling with ethereal blue fire, came to life.

But it didn't stop there—upon seeing this, the Wind Release squad behind Hoshiyomi also exhaled a barrage of Wind Release jutsu into the air.

The blue flame tornado consumed these additional winds like a ravenous beast, amplifying its power further. In a matter of seconds, it had expanded to over fifty meters tall.

It was as though a pillar of divine judgment had descended from the heavens, roaring toward Hanzō and Ibuse.

The toxic mist it encountered was sucked into the blaze and neutralized, purged from the battlefield.

Everyone on the battlefield was stunned by the sheer majesty of the attack—even the ever-composed Hanzō now broke into a cold sweat. That kind of jutsu wasn't something human beings could defend against.

Unless Hashirama Senju returned from the dead, no one in the shinobi world could survive such a technique.

Realizing the danger, Hanzo didn't dare allow Ibuse to continue spewing poison. He moved instantly, activating Body Flicker and taking Ibuse with him to relocate.

As they scrambled away from the inferno, the Konoha forces—demoralized by their earlier losses—now saw hope.

Their hearts ignited once more.

"Konoha, victory is ours!!"

No one knew who shouted first, but the cry was echoed again and again. By the time Hanzō stopped fleeing, the entire hillside was filled with one resounding cheer:

"Konoha will prevail!"

In contrast, the Amegakure shinobi under Hanzō stood in dead silence, as if already defeated.

"Unacceptable… UNACCEPTABLE!!"

Hanzo roared in fury:

"You think this is over? Ibuse still has poison left to burn!

I, Hanzo of the Salamander, will crush your childish illusions right here and now!"

Hoshiyomi glanced at Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. The four nodded in unison, then slammed their hands to the ground:

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Four bursts of smoke erupted—

From them emerged four colossal beasts.

Hoshiyomi stood atop Lobo's head, and Tsunade stood on the head of Katsuyu positioned centrally.

Beside them were Orochimaru on Manda and Jiraiya on Gamabunta

The four young shinobi, each riding a legendary summon, stared straight at Hanzo in silence.

Hoshiyomi raised his blade, pointing it at Hanzo:

"If you've got the guts—come try us."

Hanzo looked up at the four massive summons, his face twisting with frustration and disbelief.

"Bluffing! That's all it is!

Ibuse, release more poison!"

At his command, Ibuse obediently opened its maw again and launched another surge of poison mist.

The poisonous fog rolled toward the Konoha lines again.

Both Konoha and Amegakure shinobi clashed around them—but many couldn't help stealing glances at the figures standing atop those legendary beasts.

Everyone knew: the real battle wasn't in the melee.

It was up there.

Those four were the heart of the war.

And as long as they stood tall, unwavering in the distance—every Konoha shinobi felt a little more certain of victory.

They turned back toward their foes, blades ready, and charged once more into the fray.