At this moment, Hii Kōri—whom Orochimaru had been 'longing for'—was draped in a greyish-white cloak, making his way through the wet, deserted streets.
Because the cloak, deliberately prepared to conceal his trail, was inconspicuous in the rain-drenched Land of Rain, he'd even tied the Suna forehead protector, which he had practically never worn, to his conical hat to signify his status.
Amegakure's civilians and genin mostly hurried past, their occasional glances toward him tinged with wariness, fear, and a hint of indescribable numbness.
The war's weight had clearly long overwhelmed this country, and Amegakure's defeat had broken the village's last backbone.
Having contacted Amegakure beforehand and presented his visiting card, the notification process went quite smoothly.
Hii Kōri was soon led to a courtyard in Amegakure—relatively secluded but more heavily... guarded.
The Land of Rain's towers weren't structures for elites to demonstrate status disparity, but columbarium for storing the dead. This was equally true in Amegakure.
The tallest tower in the village center was both the site of countless cenotaphs and a trap for foreign ninjas.
Hanzō wasn't waiting inside the room. Instead, he stood under the eaves, gazing at the courtyard's rain-pounded cistern.
Even in his daily rest, he still wore his thick, heavy breathing mask. Though most of his expression was hidden, his exposed eyes remained sharp as ever—yet deep within, a trace of lingering exhaustion.
"Suna's Crimson of Agony... Didn't expect you to come alone. Well, given your courage in attacking a Konoha base, Amegakure is hardly inaccessible."
Hanzō's voice, muffled by the mask, carried unmistakable force and appreciation: "Speak. What does that puppet-crafting hag Chiyo send you for?"
"Hanzō-dono flatters me—mere false name."
Hii Kōri slightly bowed, holding a scroll with both hands, his tone as steady as discussing the weather: "This junior, Hii Kōri, comes on behalf of Suna elder Chiyo, hoping to invite you as witness to the upcoming Suna-Konoha negotiations."
Hanzō took the scroll but didn't immediately open it. He lightly tapped its casing with his fingers, producing dull thuds matching the pattering rain.
He raised a hand to suppress the agitating killing intent from lurking Amegakure ninjas, dismissed them, then regarded Hii Kōri with a scrutinizing gaze, countering with interest: "Witness? Why drag a defeated party into Suna and Konoha's conflict?"
"Not at all. Defeated here was merely Amegakure, not you, the 'Demi-God.'"
Hii Kōri tucked his hands into his sleeves, his tone still calm: "Regardless, no one can ignore your influence in the ninja world. At such a time, Suna and Konoha's ceasefire agreement needs your witness all the more, does it not?"
"After all, you know well how this war began."
Hanzō paused at this, seeming to weigh the words' significance, then nodded noncommittally.
Suna's declaration of war came at the Wind daimyō's behest; the daimyō's judgment stemmed from surging domestic pressure; that pressure resulted from the Land of Fire cutting trade with Wind; that cut resulted from the Third Hokage's ascension and Konoha's change of power impacting market conditions.
And the Third Hokage's ascension came because the Second Hokage, during treaty negotiations, had perished with rebels attempting coup.
All because of meetings lacked Third Party Witnesses.
As Amegakure's leader, Hanzō could naturally remain neutral in this matter. Having him as Just One was indeed reasonable.
Hanzō grunted, setting the scroll aside: "I understand this matter. If the agreement doesn't harm the Land of Rain's interests, witnessing is not impossible."
"Thank you for your understanding."
Hii Kōri bowed again, smiling, then withdrew another document of completely different texture from his sleeve. Just from the paper's material and binding ribbon, one could tell it was an official Land of Wind document.
"Additionally... this is a letter of appointment personally signed by our country's daimyō. Please review it, Hanzō-dono."
Handing the document to Hanzō, Hii Kōri spoke formally with a serious bureaucratic tone, tone sincere: "This war, regardless of cause, has objectively inflicted heavy losses on the Land of Rain. Our daimyō deeply regrets this and is willing to assuming partial responsibility, dispatching our country's labor to assist in rebuilding the Land of Rain's infrastructure."
"Oh?"
Hanzō's tone carried a hint of amusement. He didn't take the document, merely scrutinized the young man before him, as if looking at a fox.
Decades navigating the ninja world had made Hanzō quite seasoned. The Land of Wind's offered terms were indeed generous—after all, the Land of Rain wasn't Wind's ally; there was no grounds for 'responsibility.'
More than aiding Rain, the Wind daimyō's aim was to put Fire and Konoha on the spot: 'Look, even we impoverished Wind are compensating Rain; shouldn't you wealthy Fire do something?'
But whatever the Wind daimyō schemed, the Land of Rain would indeed gain some benefit. The only issue was...
"Shouldn't such matters be discussed with the Land of Rain's daimyō?"
"Naturally, detailed arrangements will be discussed later."
Hii Kōri maintained his smiling demeanor, looking more and more like a fox to Hanzō: "However, this junior's influence in the Land of Rain is truly Trivial; negotiations with your daimyō would likely prove difficult. In this regard, we must trouble the Land of Rain's hero, Hanzō-dono, to act on our behalf."
"With your reputation in the Land of Rain, surely you're better suited than anyone to bring this aid and hope to the people."
"But such a gift—how should the Land of Rain accept it securely?"
Hanzō's eyes narrowed slightly; of course he heard Hii Kōri reminding him to use this to redeem his reputation in the Land of Rain after Amegakure's defeat.
"That's beyond this common jōnin's knowledge. After all, this is butt between nations."
"You kid, quite calculating."
Hearing Hii Kōri's response—more evasion than tact—Hanzō couldn't help shaking his head, emitting a muffled laugh.
He knew Wind and Suna were scheming something. But...
So what?
No reason to refuse!
"Very well. For the Land of Rain's people, I'll accept this burden."
***
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