Naruto: By lying low and hiding, he eventually became the leader of the Legendary Sannin.

Let alone the Chunin and Genin on the battlefield, even some ordinary Chunin would not be able to defeat him alone.

However, when they gathered a group of elite Jonin to try and kill Hanzo, he was able to easily escape with his superior strength.

Then, relying on his own agility, he unleashed a massive amount of poisonous fog on another battlefield.

Although through years of exploration, they have roughly figured out Hanzo's strength.

At least it is known that each time he releases poison mist, his summoned beast, the Salamander, takes five minutes to gather the poison mist in its mouth.

Moreover, before the war began, they listened to Kagura's advice and prepared a lot of antidotes in advance.

However, it's impossible to have enough medicine for everyone.

On the battlefield, quite a few ninjas still died because of Hanzo's presence.

That's why.

Gradually, amidst their struggles, the three great nations unanimously made eliminating Hanzo their top priority.

After reviewing the information about Hanzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the documents.

He rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache.

To be honest, the planning and mobilization of troops in war is not his forte.

At this moment, he couldn't help but miss his old friend, Danzo, who had betrayed Konoha.

At least if he were still here, he could offer better advice.

Shaking his head, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to want to shake the thought out of his mind.

He knew very well that Danzo was like that.

When they meet again, he will only be an enemy of Konoha.

With that thought in mind, he turned his gaze back to the map.

In fact, as time went on, the war also became increasingly difficult for the three major powers that were still fighting.

The ongoing fighting has put pressure on all countries, both in terms of military strength and economy.

Especially after the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning announced their withdrawal from the war, the remaining countries were eager to end the war as soon as possible.

After all, no one is a fool. If this continues for a few more years, the final victor might be either the Land of Water or the Land of Lightning, who will have had a chance to recover.

Therefore, recently within the Land of Rain, Hiruzen Sarutobi could clearly sense that various countries had increased their military deployment.

Even Sakumo Hatake's decapitation strike was a necessary measure to hasten the end of the war.

As the battle lines advance, the three major powers have deployed almost all of their forces to this small land of rain.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sensed that the day of the final battle might not be far off.

Just as he was looking at the map in front of him and carefully considering his next move, a Jonin came to the outside of his tent.

Hearing the voice reporting something, he raised an eyebrow and let the Jonin in.

The person who came in didn't linger; he handed over a scroll and left.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly unrolled the scroll and looked at the information displayed on it.

As he read, his brow furrowed even more deeply.

After reading the entire intelligence report, he slowly put it down.

He stared at a certain location on the map, lost in thought, and muttered to himself:

The problem is...

Is this true, or...?

Is it a trap?

Chapter 50 Encirclement and Suppression and Decisive Battle

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was still racking his brains over the information that came from who-knows-where...

Sakumo Hatake, who had just left the camp, encountered Jiraiya and two others.

As the war progressed, Tsunade, who had originally stayed behind as a medical support officer, had come to the front lines more than a year earlier.

On the one hand, it is obviously more convenient to carry out treatment on the front line, which can at least improve the survival rate of the wounded.

On the other hand, Tsunade herself is not weak, and she can more easily exert her combat power on the front line.

Perhaps because they were considered to have better teamwork, the three of them were basically assigned to a three-person team to carry out missions after arriving at the front line.

Upon seeing Sakumo Hatake approaching, Jiraiya was the first to go and meet him.

He gently tapped Hatake Sakumo's chest with the back of his hand and said:

"I heard that you infiltrated the Sunagakure headquarters and successfully carried out a decapitation operation?"

As expected of Konoha's White Fang, besides Kagura, you are probably the ninja I admire the most.

If this continues, perhaps one day when I see you again, I'll have to respectfully address you as 'senior'.

Despite his companion's praise, Sakumo Hatake did not show any joy on his face.

He nodded silently, and said with a hint of disappointment:

"What a pity, we could have brought back at least two more people."

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya, who had been beaming with excitement, turned pale.

Years of war have shown them a great deal about life and death.

Although reason tells them that this is a common occurrence in war, they still cannot accept the reality whenever a comrade dies in their arms.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. After a long while, Orochimaru finally spoke:

"Life is inherently so fragile, and there is nothing we can do to change that."

If anyone is to blame, it's only because they are far too weak.

Unlike Jiraiya and Tsunade's somber expressions, Orochimaru's demeanor was much calmer.

Sakumo Hatake opened his mouth as if to say something in rebuttal to Orochimaru's somewhat cold-blooded argument.

But in the end, he remained silent and did not speak.

Jiraiya and Tsunade, on the other hand, were clearly used to Orochimaru's views and remained silent.

The eerie silence in the arena didn't last long. Jiraiya forced a smile, patted Sakumo Hatake on the shoulder, and said:

"Alright, you've just finished a mission, you must be tired."

Go back and get some rest.

"That old man Sarutobi isn't a good person; he'll probably assign you another task later."

Sakumo Hatake smiled upon hearing this, nodded, and was about to say something.

A Chunin suddenly appeared in front of them.

He nodded to Sakumo Hatake, then addressed Jiraiya and the other two:

"Lord Jiraiya, Lord Tsunade, Lord Orochimaru."

The Hokage requests your presence at the main camp; he has a mission to discuss with you.

Upon hearing this, the three of them also became serious.

Jiraiya smirked and tilted his head, jokingly saying to Sakumo Hatake:

"I told you, that old man won't let anyone have a moment's rest."

After saying that, the three of them didn't linger any longer. They waved to Sakumo Hatake and headed towards the camp where Hiruzen Sarutobi was.

A few minutes later, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the three disciples in front of him and threw the intelligence report he had just received to them.

"You guys take a look first."

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya took the scroll and opened it so that all three of them could see it at the same time.

After reading the entire intelligence report, he put down the scroll in his hand, frowned, and said:

"So, according to the intelligence, we've found the hideout of Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure?"

"Ah."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and pointed to a spot, saying:

"right here."

The three of them looked in that direction at the same time, and soon they all frowned.

Because if you look in the direction Hiruzen Sarutobi is pointing, there is a valley there.

Moreover, unlike ordinary valleys, this is a valley that can be called a dead zone.

Several towering mountain ranges enclosed the area, creating a closed space.

Apart from a few entrances and exits, it is very difficult to get out from other places.

"trap?"

The moment they saw the terrain, this thought crossed their minds.

Just looking at the terrain makes it seem like a dead end.

As an experienced individual, Hanzo couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

Moreover, if multiple people were to enter the area, the valley terrain would undoubtedly be the most suitable for the release of Hanzo's poison.

Thinking of this, they all looked towards Hiruzen Sarutobi without prior arrangement.

They couldn't believe their teacher wouldn't be aware of such a simple scheme.

Seeing the gazes directed at him by his disciples, Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly said:

"Yes, the first thing I thought when I received this information was the same as yours: that this was a trap set by Hanzo."

but! "

As soon as those two words appeared, Jiraiya and the others knew that there must be other changes.