Naruto: I Became a Sword Saint in Konoha

Hanzō agreed to negotiate with Konoha—or rather, he had no other choice.

Before him lay only two paths: mutual destruction, or negotiation.

Hoshiyomi's presence had completely disrupted the balance between Hanzō and the Three Legendary Sannin. With Ibuse severely wounded and his trusty weapon shattered, Hanzō could no longer leave the battlefield with the ease he once could, as he had in the original timeline.

Still, he kept up appearances.

"You three…" Hanzō looked over Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru with a complex expression and said,

"Konoha truly is full of talent. Though you acted mostly in support, you caused me considerable trouble. Without you three, that boy wouldn't have been able to pin me down.

You're still a ways off from the famed Konoha's Silver Moon… but you are clearly the leaders of Konoha's new generation. I, Hanzō of the Salamander, am willing to name you the Three Sannin of the Leaf."

He then turned toward Hoshiyomi, whose expression was unreadable. But there was no longer a trace of condescension in Hanzō's gaze.

"To force me into this state at your age… you truly live up to the name Konoha's Silver Moon. You may well become the brightest star of this chaotic war."

With that, Hanzō said no more. He picked up the remnants of his broken sickle and, with his surviving subordinates, turned and left.

But his figure as he walked away no longer stood tall and proud—there was a subtle stoop to his back.

Once Hanzō and the Hidden Rain retreated, the Konoha shinobi finally erupted into cheers, as though waking from a dream.

Though negotiations would still take some time to finalize, one truth was undeniable:

The war between Konoha and the Hidden Rain was over—and Konoha had won.

As Hanzō's form disappeared into the mist, Jiraiya muttered under his breath:

"Tch… acting all high and mighty even after losing."

But midway through the sentence, a grin broke across his face. He plopped into the muddy ground with a loud splash, chuckling:

"But hey, I kind of like that title—Sannin of the Leaf. Sure, it's not as flashy as Silver Moon, but it sure beats Crimson Nothing."

This battle had truly exhausted him. Several large-scale Needle Jizo usages and prolonged combat had practically drained him. In fact, it wasn't just him; Hoshiyomi and Orochimaru felt the same way.

As the main attacker, Hoshiyomi had burned through more chakra than he could count. His barrage of jutsu and sword techniques had left him utterly drained.

If the fight had continued any longer, he might not have had enough chakra left to use his Wind Barrier to neutralize Hanzō's poison.

…

Not far from the battlefield, Yahiko still hadn't come down from the excitement.

He stared at the retreating Konoha shinobi, especially Hoshiyomi's group, and cheered:

"That was incredible! They actually beat Hanzō! That Hanzō!"

Konan murmured beside him:

"It's really unbelievable… But what surprises me even more is that the Konoha ninja didn't kill him. They actually negotiated instead."

Yahiko's eyes sparkled as he pointed in the direction of Hoshiyomi and the others:

"Hey, what if we follow them? If we could learn even one or two of their moves, we wouldn't have to be afraid of anyone ever again!"

Konan gasped in alarm.

"Are you crazy? They're Konoha shinobi. Who knows what they'd do to us if they caught us?"

Yahiko hesitated. Konan was right—they were still from the Land of Rain. No matter how kind Konoha's ninja might seem, there was no way they'd just take them in as disciples.

Just then, Nagato suddenly felt that strange sensation vanish—he was no longer restrained. The odd discomfort was gone. He quickly agreed with Konan:

"She's right. Let's just go. If we can find something to eat on the bodies of the dead shinobi, that'll be enough. We shouldn't mess with Konoha's forces."

Yahiko sighed as he watched the Konoha shinobi disappear from view.

"…Fine. Let's go find some food then."

But some encounters… are destined to happen.

Though the three orphans believed they wouldn't cross paths with those Konoha shinobi again, fate had other plans. In less than two hours, their paths would cross once more.

…

"Damn it! I knew we shouldn't have touched that body!"

Rain poured down relentlessly as the three children fled through the forest, soaked and miserable. Their earlier optimism had been shattered.

They'd assumed that dead shinobi were harmless. But reality proved them wrong.

While searching corpses for food, they triggered a trap left on one of the bodies. Exploding tools had nearly taken their lives.

Thankfully, their small size and the mysterious protection of a hidden force (Tobi) had saved them from serious injury.

But they didn't dare search any further. Stomach growling, they pressed on in the rain.

As the downpour grew heavier, it became clear they couldn't stay out much longer without falling ill. The only option was to seek shelter.

They found a nearby cave and ducked inside to rest, assuming the Konoha shinobi had already returned to their camp.

What they didn't know was that Hoshiyomi and his team were also resting in a cave nearby—waiting for the rain to ease so they could collect their fallen comrades and tend to the wounded.

Inside that cave, most of the shinobi were asleep, worn out from the brutal day's fighting. Others chatted quietly in small groups.

Hoshiyomi sat with Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya on a natural stone outcrop, sharing some ration biscuits as they talked.

Tsunade broke the silence:

"With the war against the Hidden Rain over, and negotiations on the way, we'll likely get some downtime. What are you all planning to do next?

Honestly, I'd like to return to the village for a while. Spend time with Nawaki. I didn't even make it to his graduation ceremony… I still feel bad about that."

Hoshiyomi agreed, naturally wanting to accompany Tsunade. Truth be told, he missed Kushina, Minato, and his own mother as well. It had been over half a year since he'd left Konoha. He wanted to go home.

Orochimaru nodded and added:

"I'll return to the village too. I feel like I'm on the cusp of a breakthrough. After everything I've experienced on the battlefield, I've had so many new ideas…

If I take the time to explore them properly, I think I'll develop several useful techniques to push me even further. What about you, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya glanced at the three of them and chuckled:

"I'm not going back just yet. I plan to travel the Land of Rain for a while. If things aren't too tight on the front lines, I might even ask the Third Hokage to extend my stay.

This place is full of strange people and stories. I bet I could find loads of inspiration for my novel.

I'm still dreaming of that perfect ending, after all."

Tsunade smirked and teased:

"Don't tell me you're still chasing that whole 'Child of Prophecy' nonsense?"

Jiraiya scratched his head sheepishly and laughed:

"Well… when the Great Toad Sage says something, I've got to believe it. He said I'd be the teacher of the one who saves the world, right? I just have this feeling… that I'll meet him eventually."

Just then, Tsunade's voice sharpened.

"Who's there? Come out!"