The sound of the tremors echoed throughout the valley, and the underground area was also very sensitive to this vibrational attack.
The first to sense it was the Salamander. Its enormous body conveyed the discovery to Hanzō.
It also drew the attention of Blaze, who was absorbing the power of the altar: "Hanzō, what's going on outside? Why is it so chaotic?"
Hanzō bowed slightly upon hearing this and apologized. "I don't know yet. This subordinate will go investigate first."
Ōnoki was purely relying on brute force to smash the ground and did not use a single bit of chakra.
Therefore, Hanzō underground did not detect it, as he was not very skilled in perception in the first place.
Ōnoki had been smashing the ground for less than a minute when a more violent tremor came from underground.
A moment later, a gigantic Salamander burst out of the ground, with Hanzō standing on its back.
Hanzō was clearly very surprised and astonished after clearly seeing Torifu's face.
"Damn it, how can it be you! How did you get here!" Hanzō's heart was more than a little panicked. Although he prided himself on his extraordinary strength, comparable to Senju Hashirama, facing three Kage at once made him feel somewhat tricky.
"Kazekage, Tsuchikage, Hokage, what is the purpose of the three of you coming to this valley!"
Although Hanzō seemed to be asking a question, the Salamander beneath him had already begun to move.
It rapidly crawled towards them! Along the way, it released a large amount of viscous fluid, greatly reducing the space for Torifu and the others to maneuver.
The three Kage were not mere decorations. Hanzō himself was only slightly above Kage-level and was merely a stepping stone for them.
Torifu's true objective had nothing to do with Hanzō. His mind was completely focused on Blaze, who was training underground!
Although he didn't know what Blaze was doing right now, Torifu would use every means possible to interrupt her plan. However, this Hanzō was truly bothersome, so he would kill him first.
The Kazekage clapped his hands. A large amount of Iron Sand surged out from the terrain and then rushed towards Hanzō, forming countless Iron Sand spikes around his body, completely engulfing him.
The Salamander tried to resist, but everything was in vain. The Iron Sand was very coarse and covered in chakra. The Salamander was cut with scratches just by turning its body.
This made Hanzō afraid to make any rash moves.
"What exactly do you want! So many years have passed, and we have kept out of each other's way. Why won't you leave me a way out!"
Torifu found his words amusing and stepped forward. "To be honest, killing you or letting you go is just a thought for me.
"My true target is the person you are trying to protect."
Upon hearing this, Hanzō's brain immediately went blank. How did he know that Blaze was here!
There was clearly nothing unusual! He had been diligently guarding the entrance all day and it was impossible for anyone to sneak in and scout!
Thinking of this, Hanzō immediately used his sickle to cut through the Iron Sand and began to thoroughly engage the three Kage!
He violently slapped the Salamander's abdomen. The next second, a large amount of purple poison gas spewed out, completely corroding the withered grass that Torifu had just cut down on the ground.
Torifu felt that this thing posed no threat, so he completely ignored it.
He casually snapped his fingers, and a ball of white light exploded at his feet. A large number of ice cones shot towards the Salamander, mixed with a very powerful Wind Style.
This not only boosted the ice cones but also blew all of the Salamander's poison gas back!
The ice cones were all incredibly sharp. If they pierced a person, it would practically be a death sentence, but Hanzō frantically positioned himself in front of the Salamander.
He spun his chained sickle, preparing to block the incoming ice cones.
The biting cold wind blew over the icy chain. Hanzō's hands were frozen stiff, but he still did not stop his movements.
However, the result was outstanding. He blocked nearly ninety percent of the ice cones. The remaining ten percent all struck the massive Salamander.
The pain and the sensation of his flesh freezing instantly made the Salamander let out a loud cry. The poisonous fluid in its mouth sprayed uncontrollably, sweeping indiscriminately like a toxic rain.
Hanzō himself had a natural immunity to the Salamander's poison, so this was no problem for him. But for Torifu and the others,
Salamander poison is a neurotoxin that makes people feel like they are experiencing a wonderful moment.
However, its horror lies in the fact that the Salamander's blood has more than just these two effects. Upon contact with the Salamander's poison, it also causes continuous festering. The entire person would eventually become unrecognizable, neither human nor ghost.
Hanzō had successfully risen to power using these methods in the early days because he firmly believed in one thing: to achieve great things, one must first not be soft-hearted.
The Kazekage and the Tsuchikage both had their own ways of dealing with it. One summoned a rock giant to protect himself, and the other used Iron Sand to shield himself.
The effect was quite remarkable. The poisonous rain had absolutely no effect on them.
While protecting themselves, they did not forget to use ninjutsu to attack Hanzō, who was comforting the Salamander.
For a moment, Hanzō was flustered, busy on two fronts.
Torifu, however, calmly applied a Water Shield around himself. The poisonous rain could not penetrate the Water Shield. Instead, it was completely diluted by the water. But with so much rain falling, the Water Style eventually turned purple.
A moment later, the Water Shield disappeared, and the poison also shattered and vanished with it.
"Hanzō, your strength seems to have gained no ground, but each of us has gained strength to varying degrees. Do you really want to fight to the bitter end?"
Ōnoki posed a soul-searching question to Hanzō. On one side was betraying Blaze. If Blaze won in the end, Hanzō himself would certainly not survive.
On the other side was not betraying Blaze, in which case his fate seemed predetermined: being beaten to death by the three Kage.
Hanzō hated this feeling of being out of control. Just like that time at the gate of Amegakure, when Blaze was defeated, he desperately took Blaze away but had to live in hiding, following her orders until now.
He had absolutely no freedom to speak of. Blaze had no gratitude for him as a life-saver whatsoever, completely treating Hanzō as a mere tool to be ordered around. They had traveled everywhere, north and south.
Ultimately, they decided to return to the most familiar Amegakure.
Blaze also greatly valued this place, as it was where she suffered her first defeat, and she wanted to wash away the shame of that year here.
To this end, she even learned a new secret technique and a method for refining a secret medicine.
Right now, the first stage had been successful, and the second stage was underway. It was up to Hanzō to choose.