Ch-34: Encounter!

"What's going on? Why did you suddenly order a retreat?" Haruto asked, confusion evident on his face as he and his teammates hurried toward the back of the camp.

Aburame Nami reached out to retrieve a bug, her expression serious. "My insects detected a large group of ninjas approaching. There's a particularly strong presence among them. The air in that direction is thick with poison, preventing my bugs from getting too close or gathering detailed information."

Haruto nodded, processing her words. Just then, a female voice called out to them.

"Hey, you three—are you students of Kato Dan?"

Three figures stood before them, the voice belonging to a blonde woman in the center. Haruto recognized her immediately.

"Are you... Tsunade-senpai?" he asked, his eyes widening in recognition.

"Ah, so the Uchiha kid knows me?" Tsunade replied, a smile forming on her lips.

"Yes," Haruto confirmed. "Our teacher, Dan, often speaks of you, along with Orochimaru-senpai and Jiraiya-senpai."

Before their conversation could progress further, Haruto's attention was suddenly drawn to the horizon, where a dense purple mist began to blanket the battlefield. Alarm coursed through him. "We need to run! Hanzo is coming!"

The approaching mist was infused with Hanzo's lethal poison. Haruto quickly rummaged through his ninja pouch, retrieving three gas masks and handing them to Tsunade. "I salvaged these during our last mission. They might help protect you from Hanzo's poison."

Tsunade accepted the masks, a spark of hope igniting in her eyes. "This should slow down the effects of the poison. Hanzo's toxin spreads through the air and can even penetrate the skin. These masks will buy us more time between detoxifications, increasing our chances in battle!"

She passed the masks to Jiraiya and Orochimaru, cautioning, "Be careful not to let them break during the fight."

Orochimaru nodded silently, while Jiraiya flashed a confident thumbs-up. "Don't worry, Tsunade! We've got this!"

As the purple poison cloud crept closer, threatening to engulf the camp, Haruto turned back to Tsunade. "We'll head out now, Tsunade-sensei, Orochimaru-sensei, and Jiraiya-sensei. Good luck!" With that, Haruto and his companions utilized their teleportation technique to distance themselves further.

Tsunade gazed at the ominous mist as the battle loomed ahead. "Well, it's up to us now," she declared resolutely.

---

Three hours later, deep within a dense forest in the Land of Rain, Haruto and his team were still evading their pursuers. Haruto felt fortunate to have such skilled reconnaissance ninjas with him; their abilities had enabled them to avoid numerous dangers thus far.

"Nami, Ryo, what's the status?" Haruto inquired, glancing at his companions.

Inuzuka Ryo shook his head, a frown on his face. "It's not looking good. The rain is heavier than it has been in the last few days, and it's throwing off my sense of smell. Tetsumaru and I can't track scents properly in this weather."

The rain dampened the odors, making it challenging for Inuzuka Ryo and his ninja dog, Tetsumaru, to function optimally.

Haruto turned to Aburame Nami, hoping for better news. Nami sighed and pointed to a bug that had fallen to the ground, overwhelmed by the rain. "The downpour is too intense; it's severely limiting the range my insects can cover. Their ability to fly is greatly compromised."

Despite the challenges, Haruto felt a flicker of relief. "In the last three hours, we've managed to elude most of the pursuing Ame-nin. We should be about 100 kilometers from the village's garrison point at the border. The most dangerous portion of our journey is behind us. If we can reach the stronghold where Inuzuka Paladin and the others are stationed, we'll be safe. Then, we can keep an eye on Tsunade-senpai's battle."

Haruto contemplated whether the battle Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were engaged in was the same as the original storyline. According to legend, Hanzo would defeat them in this encounter, but upon recognizing their strength, he would grant them the title "Legendary Sannin" and allow them to live. This pivotal act would eventually lead Hanzo to form an alliance with Konoha, significantly altering the course of the war.

Listening intently, Inuzuka Ryo expressed his concern. "But what if Tsunade-senpai and the others lose? What will happen then?"

Haruto paused. He couldn't outright say that Hanzo would let them go based on the original story; that seemed too far-fetched for his teammates to accept. Instead, he speculated based on logic and experience.

"If they lose, the village will likely retreat from the battlefield in the Rain Country temporarily," Haruto explained. "Our forces would regroup and defend the strongholds along the border. Hanzo's priority is protecting the Rain Country. Once Konoha is driven out, he would probably shift his focus to Sunagakure and Iwagakure. It all hinges on whether the village decides to send in more reinforcements or pulls back entirely."

Haruto concluded, "But for now, our main goal is to navigate through this forest and reach the stronghold before the Amegakure ninjas catch up to us."

With determination, he stood up, brushed himself off, and urged his teammates to keep moving.

They had only walked for another half hour when Inuzuka Ryo suddenly halted, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air. The rain had finally begun to let up.

"Something's off!" Ryo said urgently. "There's someone nearby!"

Haruto and Aburame Nami swiftly took defensive positions beside Ryo, preparing for an imminent attack. Not far from their location, a small team of Ame-nin, clad in gas masks, silently signaled to one another. They were elite Chunin assigned to pursue and eliminate Konoha forces.

Despite having lost one of their comrades during an earlier skirmish, the Ame-nin team remained resolute in their mission. Their sensor-type ninja, a short Ame-nin, had detected Haruto's group by sensing the vibrations in the ground caused by their movement.

Meanwhile, back in Haruto's camp, Inuzuka Ryo and his ninja dog, Tetsumaru, remained focused on tracking the enemy's scent, while Aburame Nami, aware that the rain was limiting her insects' effectiveness, quickly prepared for battle. She initiated her "Secret Technique: Cocoon," hatching more insects to bolster their numbers. At the same time, she swallowed a soldier pill to restore her chakra in preparation for the upcoming confrontation.

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