Run It Back

A month before Hanzo encountered the future three Sannin, he encountered someone far more life changing.

They called themselves Zetsu.

The person simply appeared in his cavern in dead of night, said his name and proceeded to have a standoff with Hanzo.

The person known as Zetsu tried hiding it under his layer of clothes but it was evident his skin was pitch black. This troubled Hanzo as such level of darkness to the skin seemed unnatural, this individual could possibly be a sacrificial ninja meant to get him ill. Even his salamander's hide did not look as pitch black and coarse as the skin this person was clearly trying to keep hidden.

The issues with the person known as Zetsus skin aside, the most troubling thing to Hanzo was how this person managed to infiltrate his base camp without any warning. His salamander was fast asleep outside of the cavern entrance he entrenched himself in, yet here was this person standing not far from his bedroll. Zetsu seemed nervous with all the fidgeting but Hanzo could clearly note the lack of caution. This person was not in the least bit afraid of being cut down by him, and this was extremely unsettling.

"Hmmm... Right this will be the best way to make this clear.

Hanzo of the Salamander. The hero of Amegakure.

Yes...there's definitely no mistake."

While the man was distracted Hanzo swiftly cut him down in half. The man was easily bisected. Whatever apprehension Hanzo had earlier was swept away by the beings quick death. Well until the man reformed himself as if nothing happened.

" What are you!?"

" I'm Zetsu boy, I've told you that. No doubt indeed though, you are the chosen one!"

" Umm..what?"

Had Hanzo been mistaken? Was this Zetsu nothing more than a madman?

" What I mean boy is that I am here to make you a God, for you are burdened with glorious purpose!"

" Fool remove yourself from this battlefield. People with your mental condition are not meant to take arms."

" I am no fool Hanzo. In this era the five countries have set this world ablaze with the death of countless people. This war is meaningless, nothing more than real fools fighting amongst themselves and harming the rest of us. Do you even know how this war started? No you do not.

Regardless of the so called reason, your country sits in ruins. Your people suffer from hunger and fear. For what?

Do you believe any of the five countries do the same? Has this war ravaged their lands as it has yours? The answer is NO!"

Hanzo was shaken at some point. Instead of contemplating how to kill this madman, he had begun to agree with the words spoken. The lands of Ame were ravaged by this war. It did not matter which of the five major villages, they all equally took the land as their battlefield while their own lands remained untouched by the war. The civilians of their nations slept soundly and children grew without a care, but in his country death would come without warning. Even youths had to take up arms in fear of death from the five nations savage ninja.

" The world needs peace. You know this to be true but it will never come to pass. Fear not however Hanzo, the world is not without mercy. As it has come to pass for generations a hero will always be born. That hero is you Hanzo. The boy who dreamed of unifying the five countries, the only boy of his era to desire true peace. There's no mistake you are the next God of Shinobi."

" You speak of Gods as if they exist. Forsake your faith in such foolishness. Faith is the privilege of the strong, of those willing to fight. If you believe in my cause take up the blade and fight at my side only then can you truly raise your head amongst Gods."

" HAHAHA yes there is no mistake. You shall be God! Take my hand if you accept your destiny!"

As Zetsu's hand was sitting outstretched in the air Hanzo easily took it. The man was eccentric but he had no fear and somehow survived being bisected. Zetsu would make a great ally and maybe would pass on his jutsu to Amegakure. Unfortunately after taking Zetsus hand Hanzo had blacked out. His final thought was that his faith in people had backfired, he was unwilling to die like this!

Eventually he had awoken once more. As he looked around himself he noticed Zetsu was no longer present. His equipment and supplies were untouched, the cavern remained exactly the same as before he passed out. If there was anything different in this cavern it was himself. He could feel his chakra was stronger, his body felt incredibly energized, his senses seemed even more perfect than before. The most notable visual difference he could easily spot was that his skin had taken a slightly porcelain complexion. It was really not his cup of tea. More noticeable than his new skin tone however was his missing scar where the salamanders venom sac should be.

Hanzo feared that this was an elaborate plot to remove his poison sac but why allow him to live if this was the case? Seeing as it was likely now useless he removed his respirator. As he did though he noticed his poison breath was still present furthermore it seemed somewhat more potent then it used to be.

As he was noting these massive differences he accidentally brushed the blade edge of his scythe that was laying blade up on the floor. Such foolishness was a great embarrassment to him. How could he explain such a silly wound to his subordinates?

He was so enraptured in his changes he had easily lost track of his surroundings despite his powerful senses. As he was getting up to pick up some bandages for the wound, his senses reacted appropriately this time and he could feel his wound already closing. As he rubbed his hand over the supposed wound he felt nothing. So in a leap of faith he took a kunai and made a cut along his palm. Surprisingly the cut healed almost as quickly as it appeared.

He couldn't understand what in the world happened to him. Then he remembered the non sense that the being known as Zetsu was telling him. He Hanzo was the chosen one of this era, the hero, he would be made a God!

He would never take such non sense to heart normally but he had just regenerated from his wounds with out using an ounce of chakra, not to mention his chakra seemed endless now. If his reserves were previously a vast lake they were now a limitless ocean. Such gifts could only be attributed to the being known as Zetsu. To grant him such power, to speak such non sense about destiny as if gospel, to brush off being cut in two. The being known as Zetsu was clearly a God himself and said god had chosen him to be one as well!

The longer he was allowed to sit with his own thoughts, the more grandiose Hanzo had made this meeting with Zetsu. He believed himself blessed, chosen, the direct child of God. While Hanzo truly dreamed of unifying the five nations and bring about peace, over the course of this war he was becoming disillusioned with his dream. It was a fruitless dream as his ever desired peace required a power that could overwhelm the world. If even villages with tailed beasts could not bring about such a world how could he?

The world itself seemed to have blessed him now however. His dream was achievable with this newfound strength. Now that he was a god he would make the mortals around him see the error in their ways. He would lead them into peace by allowing them to witness his grandeur and should they not be able to see the error in their ways he would instill faith into them. They same faith he had believed in until now. The faith in the strong. He would start with Konohas troops to the south.

Zetsu was right. He, Hanzo of the Salamander, was burdened with glorious purpose!