"Naruto: Ice God"Chapter 154: Akatsuki Ambushed
The great hidden villages fought and made peace, then fought again—their conflicts raged with unrelenting intensity.
Hanzō of the Salamander, meanwhile, relied on the reputation built in his earlier years to bring several years of peace to Amegakure.
Originally, he had harbored burning ambition, hoping to secure a bright future for the Land of Rain. Through his campaigns in all directions, while the Land of Rain didn't exactly expand its territory, it certainly found itself surrounded by enemies on all sides.
They gained little territory but made plenty of foes.
Through his personal combat prowess, leading a group of bronze-level subordinates, Hanzō somehow miraculously withstood the assaults from both Sunagakure and Konohagakure.
Ultimately, he carved out his own legend, earning the title "Demigod of the Shinobi World" and forcing the great nations to think twice before casually entering the Land of Rain as they once did.
But through this war, he had seen through everything—no matter how hard he tried, he could never change the Land of Rain's destiny.
If that was the case—
I've fought battles my entire life; surely I deserve to enjoy myself a little?
Hiding in his safe house, Hanzō contentedly sipped his sake while admiring the graceful dances of the geishas.
"Well, well, Hanzō—you certainly know how to live it up."
An unfamiliar voice spoke from behind him. Hanzō's hand froze mid-lift with his sake cup, and without turning around, he asked, "Who's there?"
Whoever this was, the outer guards hadn't made a single sound, which meant—
"You'd best not move."
The person behind him offered a warning. In the next instant, the scene before Hanzō was split cleanly in two.
Walls, geishas, and the guards stationed behind the walls—everything and everyone was severed at the waist in a single moment, as if an invisible slash had suddenly struck this place.
"What in the world is..."
Hanzō was stunned by the scene before him, watching helplessly as a pale hand reached out from behind to take the sake cup from his grasp, not daring to make the slightest movement.
"I need you to do something for me. It's quite simple—have you heard of an organization called Akatsuki?"
Setsuna's voice was as terrifying as a specter from the depths of hell.
...
Although Rasa personally adhered to the principle of never leaving the battlefield whether lightly or severely wounded, prepared to wage a war of attrition against Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly had no intention of giving him that opportunity.
Having stepped down from the Hokage position, he no longer needed to worry about whether his death would impact Konoha's morale. The day after injuring Rasa, he charged into the Suna ninja positions, staff in hand.
This veteran Hokage forcibly shattered five puppets in Chiyo's hands, smashed half of Maki's face (Rasa's deputy), and crippled one of Ebizō's legs before dragging his poisoned body back to the Kikyo Mountain stronghold.
This rampage completely shattered Rasa's resolve. Looking at his shoulder, now swollen to the size of his head, he immediately made his decision and announced a withdrawal back to the village.
Upon receiving Sunagakure's peace proposal and hearing of Hiruzen Sarutobi's exploits, Sakumo wore a expression caught between laughter and tears.
During Sakumo's active years, Hiruzen Sarutobi rarely took the field personally—this veteran Hokage's heroic deeds could only be heard in stories. Now, witnessing it firsthand, he realized those stories hadn't been exaggerated at all.
However, he had no intention of immediately responding to Rasa, instead delegating the matter to Shikaku Nara.
He wasn't a moderate like the Third Hokage—now that Sunagakure had actively invaded Konoha and been defeated, they should be the anxious ones.
Let Shikaku test their patience first.
He himself continued with his original plan, visiting Konoha's major ninja clans.
As the newly appointed Hokage, and one from a declining family at that, he needed to understand each major clan's needs and pain points to skillfully utilize them in his upcoming administration.
The Ino-Shika-Chō trio were manageable—they had always been loyal supporters of the Hokage. The Aburame, Inuzuka, and other moderately sized clans showed no clear opposition or support.
The Hyūga clan, though stubborn, faithfully carried out Konoha's orders, so they posed no problems.
Only one family required concern...
Wearing the ceremonial Hokage robes and hat, Sakumo appeared in the Uchiha clan's compound.
Sensing the faint but unmistakable hostile gazes around him, Sakumo remained composed, following the ninja before him to Fugaku's home, and under Mikoto's guidance, entered Fugaku's study.
"Congratulations on your appointment as Fourth Hokage, Lord Sakumo."
Taking a deep look at the White Fang of Konoha before him, Fugaku knelt in place, bowing slightly to express his congratulations.
Sakumo returned the bow with equal courtesy before taking his seat.
"In this war, the Uchiha clan also made great sacrifices. I came here today to express my gratitude."
"Not at all—the Uchiha are also part of Konoha. When the village faces danger, naturally we must step forward." Fugaku expressed the Uchiha clan's loyalty to the village through his words.
After a few more polite exchanges, both men obtained the answers they sought from each other.
But certain topics were still premature to raise, so Sakumo knew when to stop and promptly ended the conversation.
Fugaku showed no objection, instead smiling as he signaled Mikoto to see the guest out.
Only after the sound of the door closing reached the room did he revert to his usual grave expression.
"So, what do you think of our new Hokage?"
Mikoto smiled at her husband.
"He's like Minato—gentle on the surface but resolute within. And compared to the Third Hokage, this Hokage is more decisive." Hearing his wife's inquiry, Fugaku honestly shared the impression Sakumo had left on him.
"I didn't expect you to rate him so highly." Mikoto chuckled softly, turning toward the kitchen to prepare dinner ingredients.
"That's the White Fang of Konoha—even I graduated from the ninja academy listening to stories of his exploits." Fugaku spoke earnestly.
Perhaps the Uchiha clan truly could achieve reconciliation with the village under this Hokage's leadership.
...
"Why, Lord Hanzō? We respected you so much!"
Cradling the wounded Yahiko, Nagato let out an anguished roar.
Standing atop the peak, Hanzō said nothing, only stiffly waving his arm to signal his subordinates to eliminate the surrounded Akatsuki organization.
"Damn it, Konan!"
Nagato turned to search for his other teammate, only to discover she was already entangled by Hanzō's subordinates and temporarily unable to reach them.
He had to stop Yahiko's bleeding, otherwise...
Pressing his hand over Yahiko's wound, Nagato's thoughts were in complete chaos—he had no idea what he should do.
"First... retreat..." Fortunately, Yahiko could barely maintain consciousness and whispered a reminder to Nagato.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
But Hanzō seemed to sense their intention, summoning his salamander in full view of everyone.
Everyone in the Land of Rain knew the terror of this salamander. Seeing this ultimate weapon summoned, everyone present prepared themselves for death.
Just as they braced themselves for the salamander's poisonous mist, a voice rang out across the entire battlefield: "Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Technique!"
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