Chiyo's eyes were suddenly filled with horror. Three figures, looking a bit worse for wear, appeared in her sight.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru!
"How is this possible!?" she exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes darting up to Hanzo atop the Salamander. Judging by the appearance of the three, they must have gone through a fierce battle, and in that condition, Hanzo could have easily killed them.
There was only one answer.
He had intentionally spared Jiraiya and the others!
Swish, swish, swish! The three of them dodged and weaved through many Rain Ninjas and entered the battlefield.
"You three, are you alright?"
Sakumo approached them, his eyes filled with shock as he looked at their bruised bodies and then cast his gaze towards Hanzo, who stood unscathed on top of the Salamander. He couldn't fathom how strong Hanzo must be to leave these three in such a state while remaining unharmed himself.
"Not dead yet," Jiraiya replied, quickly scanning the battlefield. When he saw Tsuchiguki, who looked even more miserable than the three of them, he couldn't help but feel a bit satisfied.
Although he had expected such an outcome, actually seeing it gave him a sense of relief.
However, given the complicated situation, Jiraiya's satisfaction was short-lived. Like Tsunade and Orochimaru, his eyes turned toward the Sand Ninjas surrounding the Konoha and Iwagakure forces, finally settling on a particular woman.
The three of them said nothing but simply stared at Chiyo.
Had Hanzo killed them, the greatest beneficiary of this war would undoubtedly have been the Sand Ninja Village.
Chiyo, a powerful ninja from the same era as the Third Hokage and hailed as the number one female ninja in the world, led the Sand Ninjas. With her strength, they would have had no problem wiping out the remaining Konoha and Iwagakure forces.
At this time, the Rain Ninja troops had also gathered before the Salamander. After the melee, only about 60 of the 100 Rain Ninjas Hanzo had brought were left.
Under normal circumstances, the bodies of the more than 30 fallen Rain Ninjas would have been recovered, but in the current situation, that was naturally impossible.
Once they left, the remaining three parties would inevitably clash again.
Especially as the besieged party, Konoha would certainly not let this anger subside easily.
"Konoha Sannins, I hope you won't let me down. Carry this name with pride," Hanzo laughed.
Everyone present was stunned when they heard the term "Sannins." Then, they realized that Hanzo was referring to Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, who had just fought him.
The title, bestowed by the demigod of the ninja world, would soon resound throughout the ninja world.
After all, even though it was a three-on-one battle, surviving Hanzo's onslaught and gaining his recognition proved that the strength of these three was enough to secure their place in the world of ninjas.
Hanzo laughed again and led the remaining Rain Ninjas away from the battlefield.
He didn't even bother communicating with Tsuchiguki. With Hanzo's strength and status, Tsuchiguki was of no concern to him.
Tsuchiguki's face was already livid, but there was nothing he could do. Seeing Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru standing in front of him, even a fool would have realized the truth by now.
This time, Hanzo had completely tricked him.
As the Rain Ninjas gradually withdrew, Chiyo's tense face regained a semblance of calm. She then spoke in a deep, commanding voice.
"Sand Ninja troops, gather and prepare to retreat!"
Hundreds of Sand Ninjas, who had just been preparing to encircle the Konoha and Iwagakure ninjas, quickly regrouped behind Chiyo. Despite the confusion in some of their eyes, they had no choice but to obey.
"Why are the Sand Ninja troops retreating without a fight?"
Nawaki questioned, unable to understand the reason behind both the Rain Ninjas' earlier retreat and the Sand Ninjas' current actions.
"Because Chiyo is afraid of the strength of Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. They managed to survive Hanzo," Minato explained beside him.
"Is Hanzo really that strong?" Although Nawaki had heard of the demigod's reputation, he had never witnessed Hanzo's power firsthand.
"The poisonous fog that just took the lives of dozens of people? That's the ability of Hanzo's summoned beast, the Salamander," Minato casually mentioned as an example.
Nawaki's eyes widened in shock.
The battlefield where Hanzo and Tsunade had fought was hundreds of meters away from here, yet even at that distance, Hanzo's poison had killed dozens of ninjas instantly, including several Jonin.
That meant if Hanzo had chosen to act here, wouldn't all of their ninjas have died at his hands?
"My sister and the others fought against such a powerful opponent? Incredible!" Nawaki was both awed and shocked.
"Yes, my teacher and the others are truly strong. Even Hanzo recognized their abilities and gave them the title of 'The Three Sannins of Konoha.' From now on, they will surely become legends in the ninja world!" Minato said confidently. His words were not without foundation, as in the era when he had been active, the Three Sannins of Konoha had indeed become legendary figures.
It was precisely because of these three that Konoha had managed to hold out for several years despite being under siege from four of the major ninja nations.
Though Minato ultimately ended the Third Ninja War, the credit didn't belong to him alone.
"Retreat!"
When the Sand Ninjas had fully assembled, Chiyo ordered them to retreat without hesitation.
"Elder Chiyo, Konoha will not forget this, and we will make sure to settle the score in the future!" Tsunade declared sternly as she watched the Sand Ninjas withdraw.
Chiyo looked back at Tsunade but said nothing, swiftly leaving the battlefield.
As the Sand Ninjas departed and gradually disappeared from sight, Jiraiya and the other two breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, if the fighting had continued, Konoha would have suffered significant losses.
With the instigators gone, the expressions of the Rock Ninjas, who had initially been somewhat smug, turned gloomy and fearful.
They had already experienced how difficult Konoha's forces were to deal with in the previous battle and knew they couldn't win alone.
Moreover, their commander, Tsuchiguki, was seriously injured.
Tsuchiguki frowned and then, with a stiff expression, turned toward Tsunade, Sakumo, and the others, saying: "If you let the Rock Ninjas go today, I promise the Land of Earth will never be Konoha's enemy again."
But who would believe such childish words?
Even when the First Hokage had been alive, the peace treaty signed by the five major ninja nations had been torn up at will. Such verbal promises held no weight.
Jiraiya smiled and said, "Very well. In that case, let the Third Tsuchikage come to Konoha personally to discuss the terms. Konoha will welcome him with open arms!"
His words were filled with coldness, and murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
"Everyone in Konoha, listen to my command: annihilate the Rock Ninja Army! Leave no one alive!"
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