Hanzō

, also known as, was a legendary ninja who was the former leader of Amegakure.

Background
Hanzō became famous around the time of the Second Shinobi World War; when he fought some of Konoha's forces. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru were the only ones to survive. As a reward to them for this accomplishment, he honoured them as Konoha's Sannin and told them to refer to themselves as such in exchange for letting them live.

Years after his battle with the Sannin, when a group of ninja began a quest to end war through unorthodox means within his country, Hanzō viewed them as a threat to his power and sought to get rid of them. He teamed up with Konoha's Root organisation to kill the group's leader, Yahiko. He lured Yahiko to a meeting where he forced Nagato, Yahiko's team-mate, to kill Yahiko in exchange for Konan's life.

However, Yahiko committed suicide by impaling himself upon Nagato's kunai to spare his friend the anguish and burden of killing him himself. Nagato slaughtered Hanzō's forces in retribution along with the shinobi of Root who had come to aid Hanzō. After a brief skirmish with Nagato, Hanzō fled the scene realizing that he could not deal with Nagato when he was so enraged and thus escaped.

Nagato, under the alias of "Pain", would later begin a civil war within Amegakure. According to the stories, he single-handedly killed Hanzō, his family, and his retainers, and then conducted a systematic genocide of anybody even remotely associated with Hanzō, even to the extent of terminating the ambassadors of the villages Hanzō was associated with.

Personality
Hanzō was a very security-conscious individual, trusting no one. He was guarded twenty-four seven, and did not allow anyone in his presence, even children, without being thoroughly searched. He cared greatly about his position as village leader, and dealt with threats harshly.

Although he views the Five Great Countries as his enemies, he was still willing to ally with foreign nations, even those who had caused him great harm, in order to remain in power. He was also willing to betray people without remorse, leading the Ame Orphans and their team into a trap, then attempting to have them all mercilessly killed; this betrayal, ironically, led to his own demise.

Appearance
Hanzō had long blond hair and scar on his right cheek. He also wore a breathing mask that differed from the ones worn by other Amegakure ninjas by being bigger and having two filter cartridges instead of one, a flak jacket and a cloak. In the manga, he has unusual eyes, with the whites being dark, while in the anime, they are normal-coloured.

Abilities
While his abilities as a ninja are mostly unknown, Hanzō was easily one of the strongest ninja of his time. His power was such that Jiraiya expressed intense shock upon hearing that he had been defeated single-handedly by Pain. Hanzō's speed was said to be unsurpassed in water. During his attempt to kill Nagato, he demonstrated impressive skill for trap-oriented techniques, as he anticipated Nagato attacking him and had a series of exploding tags prepared. He was also shown wielding a kusarigama.

Summoning Technique
Hanzō was shown to be particularly skilled in the Summoning Technique, being able to summon a giant salamander, large enough for him to ride on its back, and possibly the source of his nickname. When battling alongside this trademark creature of his, Hanzō was strong enough to fight and eventually overpower all three Sannin in their youth. The salamander was shown capable, at Hanzō's command, of emitting a cloud of poisonous gas from its mouth, strong enough to almost completely paralyse his opponents in mere seconds, leaving them at its master's mercy.

Shinobi World War Arc
Hanzō is resurrected by Kabuto, along with various other famous shinobi through the Summoning: Impure World Resurrection, to prepare for war against the Allied Shinobi Forces. He is part of the group that Chūkichi requests assistance from, alongside Chiyo and Kimimaro.

Hanzō later encounters Kankurō and the remnants of the Surprise Attack Division with his improvised team, where he chastises Deidara for being caught and remarks that he would have no intention of freeing him if it weren't for the accursed technique that governs his actions. As the opposition retreats, Hanzō concentrates on their pursuit, once the enemies were within range he summons his salamander and commanded it to release a poisonous gas. Moving in for the fatal blow, Hanzō is intercepted by Mifune, who expresses a desire to fight him.

Trivia

 * Hanzō's eyes in the manga are very similar to Kakuzu's and the Third Raikage's, while in the anime they are normal.
 * According to the third Naruto Databook:
 * His favorite phrase was: "Security is the greatest enemy".
 * In water, he had unsurpassed speed.
 * Hanzō may have been named after a famous real-life samurai and possible ninja Hanzō Hattori.
 * It is popular Japanese legend that Hanzō Hattori was killed by Kotarō Fūma. Pain's first Animal Path was said to be from the Fūma clan.
 * Hanzō's nickname and his element affinity have significant meaning because in ancient mythology, although being amphibious, the salamander was considered the living symbol of fire and as such was completely fireproof and able to live in fire itself.