"How did you discover me?"
Uchiha Ren looked at Hanzo of the Salamander with curiosity.
The reason Ren felt that Hanzo's appearance was both surprising and yet expected was simple—Hanzo was known as the Demigod of the Shinobi World.
His experience and methods were unfathomably deep. It was not unusual for someone like him to detect Ren's infiltration.
But Ren was certain he hadn't revealed any obvious flaws during this mission. He had even learned from Deidara's failed infiltration tactics, first confirming that crows naturally lived in this region so the presence of a ninja crow wouldn't appear suspicious.
That was why Ren was still somewhat astonished that Hanzo had discovered him.
"It was the poison," Hanzo replied calmly, showing no intention of hiding the truth.
"My residence is filled with all kinds of toxins, and leaks occur from time to time."
"Even though the poisons are cleaned up each time, small traces always remain. After many years, those toxins have seeped into the soil."
"So around this estate, forget birds—even insects rarely approach."
The poisonous environment around Hanzo's mansion was not something he had created deliberately. In truth, even Hanzo himself found it extremely difficult to completely eliminate the toxins.
When Hanzo was a child, the people of Amegakure implanted the poison sac of a salamander into his body, turning him into a living source of poison.
Every breath he took carried toxic fumes.
To avoid harming others, Hanzo eventually began breathing through his mouth and wore a specially made respirator mask.
A mask designed to filter the air and prevent those around him from being poisoned.
However, Hanzo had lived in this residence for many years. During everyday activities such as eating and other bodily functions, small amounts of poison would inevitably be expelled from his body.
Unless the toxins were cleaned continuously every single day without interruption, it was impossible to remove them completely.
"I see."
Ren nodded seriously.
"It seems I was too hasty. I started the infiltration without fully observing the surrounding environment."
"No matter," Hanzo replied, slowly raising his hand.
"You will pay a price for that mistake—one you will remember for the rest of your life."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"For now, I suppose I'll address you as a Konoha Uchiha shinobi."
The moment his words fell—
Hanzo vanished.
So fast!
Seeing Hanzo suddenly appear in front of him with a downward slash, Ren felt as if he were facing another Minato Namikaze.
But that strike wasn't aimed at a vital point… Is he trying to capture me alive?
Ren lowered his center of gravity. His eyes turned crimson as three tomoe appeared within his Sharingan.
At the same time, he drew a kunai from his pouch and firmly blocked the blade of Hanzo's sickle.
Clang!
With a crisp metallic sound, Ren clearly saw purple poison dripping from the sickle's edge.
"The Sharingan? It seems you really are a member of the Uchiha Clan."
Hanzo sounded slightly surprised. He withdrew and created distance between them.
Drops of poison splashed onto the sandy ground, instantly corroding small pits as foul-smelling white smoke rose into the air.
Hanzo did not immediately attack again.
Instead, he stared at Ren suspiciously.
"Normally during infiltration missions, shinobi remove anything that could reveal their identity."
"Uchiha brat… Why have you come here so openly?"
At present, Konohagakure and Iwagakure were confronting each other inside the territory of the Land of Rain.
Logically speaking, as the ruler of this country, Hanzo should be a force that both sides sought to win over.
Even if either village wanted to conduct covert operations, they would usually shift the blame onto the other.
So an infiltration like Ren's—one that could easily push Hanzo toward supporting Iwagakure—was something Hanzo simply could not understand.
Ren thought for a moment before answering.
"Don't misunderstand. I have no ill intentions toward you or toward Amegakure."
"I came here to wait for someone."
Hanzo asked coldly,
"Who?"
Ren answered without hesitation.
"Shimura Danzō, Konoha's Hokage advisor."
Hanzo narrowed his eyes, becoming even more puzzled.
He was not unfamiliar with the name Shimura Danzō. In fact, the two of them had interacted several times before.
From Hanzo's understanding, wherever that man appeared, nothing good ever followed.
"Why would you come here to look for Shimura Danzō?" Hanzo asked.
"That's a long story."
Ren smiled faintly.
"Would Senior Hanzo be willing to change locations so we can talk?"
Although their earlier clash had lasted only a brief moment, the chakra disturbance it created was enough to alert others.
Within Ren's perception, a large number of guards were already rushing toward the courtyard.
Ren didn't mind revealing his existence to Hanzo—after all, Hanzo was someone he had planned to contact from the start.
But he absolutely could not expose himself to the ordinary Amegakure shinobi.
Who knew whether some of them were spies planted by other villages?
And with Hanzo present, Ren couldn't simply eliminate every Rain ninja who saw him.
So the only option was to move somewhere more secluded before continuing the conversation.
Unfortunately—
Hanzo misunderstood his intention.
Raising the chained sickle in his hand, Hanzo said in a deep voice,
"If you don't wish to speak here, changing locations is fine."
"I believe the interrogation chamber of Amegakure will suit you perfectly."
Before his words even finished—
Hanzo vanished again.
A sharp flash of blade light cut through the air.
Ren's body was sliced cleanly in two.
"Don't think you can escape!"
Hanzo didn't even glance at the severed body. Instead, he pivoted instantly and hurled his sickle toward another direction.
Ren appeared there, deflecting the flying weapon with his kunai.
Using the momentum, he vaulted over the wall in a swift motion and dashed toward the distance.
Hanzo snorted coldly.
His figure flickered as he immediately pursued Ren.
Moments later—
More than a dozen Amegakure shinobi rushed into the courtyard.
"This is the place! The disturbance came from here!"
"Hm? There's chakra residue on this broken wooden stump… It must be the Substitution Technique!"
"Be careful! It's Lord Hanzo's poison! Someone fought with Lord Hanzo!"
These Rain ninja were all elite shinobi. In a short time, they pieced together most of what had happened from the traces left behind.
"Follow them!"
"But don't get too close. Lord Hanzo's poison is extremely dangerous."
"We'll just track them from a distance."
"Understood!"
After a quick reminder, the group immediately set off in pursuit—following the direction Uchiha Ren had fled.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789