The Shattering of the Ice Wall
Click. Click. Click.
The cracks on the towering ice wall spread like veins, expanding outward at an alarming speed.
And then—
BOOM!
With a sharp, crisp sound, the massive structure shattered into countless tiny ice crystals, which glistened briefly before scattering across the battlefield.
Gasps echoed in the air.
"Huh? The ice wall… it broke?"
"What happened?"
The Rain Shinobi standing outside the barrier looked at each other in confusion.
And then—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Figures flashed through the battlefield, dashing toward the newly opened path.
The heads of the Ino–Shika–Chō clan and other prominent Konoha families had rushed ahead, separating from the main army to reach Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
"Lady Tsunade, are you alright?"
The leader of the Nara clan immediately voiced his concern.
Their forces had been on edge, unable to interfere.
Had something happened to Konoha's strongest shinobi, the consequences would have been disastrous.
Tsunade shook her head.
"We're fine."
A collective sigh of relief passed through the gathered clansmen.
"Thank goodness…"
The weight of responsibility on their shoulders lessened—
But one question remained.
"What about Hanzō of the Salamander?"
The Akimichi leader surveyed the battlefield, scanning for any sign of Hanzo.
"Hanzo?"
Jiraiya turned toward the spot where their enemy had stood just moments before.
"Isn't he just… huh?"
Nothing.
The space where Hanzo had been was now empty.
"He used the Body Flicker Technique the moment the ice wall broke," Orochimaru stated calmly.
The Yamanaka leader blinked.
Then frowned.
"Lord Orochimaru… does that mean you defeated Hanzo?"
The question hung in the air.
The legendary demigod of the ninja world—forced to retreat?
Not just the Yamanaka, but the Nara and Akimichi clans all stared in disbelief.
But Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru said nothing.
The silence was deafening.
And then—
"Hanzo was defeated."
Tsunade finally broke the silence.
The clansmen stiffened.
"But…" she continued, "it wasn't us who defeated him."
She lifted her hand—
And pointed directly at Saigoji Youmu.
"It was him."
Silence.
The Ino–Shika–Chō members froze.
Their eyes flickered to the young man standing beside the Sannin.
A boy barely in his twenties—
And yet…
He had defeated Hanzo?
"Him?"
Disbelief flickered across their faces.
A youth—stronger than Hanzo?
It defied all common sense.
But then—
Jiraiya spoke.
"Don't doubt it. It's true."
Orochimaru nodded in agreement.
The reality of the situation settled in.
The clan leaders exchanged uneasy glances.
If these three—the Sannin themselves—acknowledged it…
Then they had no choice but to believe it.
The Nara leader took a cautious step forward.
"May I ask… who you are?"
There was respect in his tone.
Perhaps subconsciously, but it was there.
Youmu simply shrugged.
"I'm a friend of Tsunade."
He paused.
"And to some extent, a friend of Konoha."
His voice was calm, indifferent.
"As for my identity, it doesn't really matter."
The Nara leader nodded slowly.
He didn't press further.
He understood.
A genius like this—naturally, he would have some arrogance.
"Let's set Hanzo aside for now," Orochimaru interjected, turning toward the battlefield.
Beyond them, Rain Shinobi stood in disarray.
With Hanzo's departure, their morale had shattered completely.
The battle was already decided.
"The priority now," Orochimaru continued, "is ending this war as quickly as possible."
The clan leaders nodded.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
And with that—
The final battle of the war had begun.
With Hanzo gone, the Land of Rain had lost its last hope.
The Rain Shinobi who resisted were either killed or captured.
The result?
A complete victory for Konoha.
And those who had stood at the heart of the battle—
Tsunade.
Jiraiya.
Orochimaru.
Saigoji Youmu.
All became legends.
Their names would be immortalized in history.
And among the ranks of the Konoha forces—
A new title was born.
"The Legendary Sannin."
"A fitting name."
"Yes… after all, they were trained by the Third Hokage himself."
"Even Hanzo acknowledged them. That says enough."
But among the whispers of admiration—
Another name surfaced.
A name that had shaken the battlefield.
"By the way… who was the one who froze the battlefield?"
"You mean the guy who saved us and forced Hanzo to retreat?"
"Yeah. I heard his name was… Saigoji Youmu."
"Saigoji… Youmu?"
"A friend of Tsunade-sama, apparently."
"No way! He looks even younger than the Sannin! How could he be so powerful?"
"And his ability… that was definitely Ice Release, wasn't it?"
"Ice Release…? But isn't that a Kekkei Genkai from the Hidden Mist?"
The rumors spread like wildfire.
And the legend of Saigoji Youmu began to take shape.