Because he intended to capture Uchiha Ren alive and interrogate him for more information, Hanzo of the Salamander had not used any lethal poisons. Instead, he used a toxin that restricted chakra activity.
This poison gradually clogged the chakra pathways within the human body without the victim realizing it, creating blockages that prevented chakra from flowing.
Once chakra flow was restricted, ninjutsu could no longer be used.
And how threatening could a shinobi be if they were unable to use ninjutsu?
Because of this, Hanzo believed he had already secured victory.
"Poison?"
Ren raised an eyebrow.
In the next instant, his body flickered and appeared in front of Hanzo, delivering a powerful punch.
Boom!
Hanzo was blasted backward more than ten meters, shock written across his face.
"The Body Flicker Technique?! Impossible!" Hanzo exclaimed in disbelief.
"You weren't poisoned?"
Ren chuckled lightly.
"Of course not. Senior Hanzo, your reputation for poison is famous throughout the shinobi world. After already suffering once because of your toxins, how could I possibly come unprepared?"
The moment Ren realized his infiltration had been exposed because of poison, he had secretly remained vigilant against Hanzo's methods.
From the moment he was inside Hanzo's mansion—
Ren had already transformed his body into flames.
His body was no longer composed of normal human flesh, but rather a mass of blazing fire.
Humans could be poisoned.
But fire could not.
Maintaining that elemental state consumed a considerable amount of stamina.
However, compared to constantly worrying about Hanzo's poisonous techniques, the energy cost was more than worthwhile.
"Now," Ren said calmly, lowering his hands,
"can we finally have a proper conversation, Senior Hanzo?"
Rather than continuing the attack, Ren deliberately showed goodwill.
A sharp glint flashed through Hanzo's eyes.
After weighing the situation for a moment, he lowered his own weapon.
"Very well," Hanzo said.
"I'd like to hear what you have to say."
Ren went straight to the point.
"With your experience, Senior Hanzo, you've probably already noticed that this war is nearing its end, haven't you?"
Hanzo had already survived three Great Ninja Wars.
There was no way he could fail to see the same trend Ren had observed.
Hanzo nodded.
"Indeed. It's almost over."
"At this point, the war no longer offers any meaningful gains. Continuing it would only lead to pointless losses."
After years of fighting, every village had already suffered its share of defeats and seized whatever advantages it could.
Continuing the war would serve little purpose.
The reason Konohagakure and Iwagakure were still clashing daily within the Land of Rain was largely due to the blood debts accumulated during the war.
Once the leadership of Konoha and Iwagakure reached an agreement—
The war would end.
Both sides would withdraw their forces.
Ren continued.
"To be honest, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has already begun considering ending the war."
"He plans to open peace negotiations with Iwagakure soon."
"Oh?"
Hanzo raised an eyebrow.
This information immediately stirred numerous thoughts in his mind.
If Ren's words were true, it meant Konoha intended to lower its head first in negotiations with Iwagakure.
In diplomatic negotiations, the party that yielded first usually surrendered the initiative.
And that meant sacrificing a large amount of potential benefits.
To be honest, Hanzo had originally assumed it would be Iwagakure that bowed first.
After all, on the battlefield, Konoha had clearly held the advantage.
Even if it wasn't a complete victory, Konoha had certainly been the stronger side.
For the victor to bow to the defeated—
That was almost unheard of.
But then Hanzo remembered something.
There had once been rumors about negotiations between Konoha and Sunagakure, where Konoha had actually conceded most of the benefits despite being the victor.
At the time, Hanzo dismissed those rumors as nonsense.
But now it seemed—
They might have been true.
Konoha truly lived up to its reputation as the nation occupying the richest land in the shinobi world.
The Land of Fire was incredibly wealthy.
Perhaps…
Hanzo's mind raced with possibilities, already calculating potential benefits for Amegakure.
Ren noticed the change in Hanzo's expression but pretended not to.
He continued speaking calmly.
"Of course, this is currently only the Third Hokage's proposal."
"Some members of Konoha's leadership have opposed the idea, so it hasn't been officially implemented yet."
Hanzo's eyes shifted thoughtfully.
Then he said,
"Let me guess."
"The one opposing Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan… is Shimura Danzō, correct?"
Based on Hanzo's understanding of Hiruzen, the old man was soft-hearted enough to make concessions in the name of peace.
But the person most likely to oppose him openly—
Was the radical Shimura Danzō.
Ren nodded.
"That's right. Danzō opposed the Third Hokage's proposal."
Hanzo fell silent for a moment before letting out a cold laugh.
"Let me guess the rest."
"Even though Danzō opposes Hiruzen's decision, he can't change the Hokage's mind."
"So he came personally to the Land of Rain to escalate the conflict and prolong the war."
"As for his methods…"
Hanzo's voice turned disdainful.
"They're nothing more than framing others and staging provocations."
"Am I wrong?"
Ren couldn't help but feel slightly surprised.
With only a few clues and his knowledge of Konoha's leadership, Hanzo had already reconstructed the entire situation.
Veterans who had survived multiple wars were truly not simple people.
"So," Hanzo continued, looking directly at Ren,
"what exactly is your goal?"
"Stopping Shimura Danzō?"
"And ensuring peace negotiations between Konoha and Iwagakure proceed smoothly?"
Earlier, Ren had already stated that he came here to wait for Danzō.
So Hanzo naturally assumed Ren's purpose was to stop him.
Ren's expression remained calm.
"If I said yes…"
"What choice would Senior Hanzo make?"
Hanzo narrowed his eyes.
Slowly, he raised the chained sickle in his hand.
If the Land of Rain were a powerful nation like the Land of Fire, Land of Earth, or even the Land of Wind, Hanzo would not hesitate.
He would stop Danzō.
Then he would use the opportunity to ally with Iwagakure and extract major concessions from Konoha.
Given Hiruzen Sarutobi's soft nature, he would likely agree.
But the reality was—
The Land of Rain was only a small nation.
Konoha feared Iwagakure's strength.
But it did not fear Amegakure.
If the Land of Rain overstepped its bounds, Konoha would suppress it with overwhelming force.
And if the Land of Rain allied itself with the Land of Earth—
It would only provoke Konoha into an even more extreme reaction.
Konoha would never allow a small country like the Land of Rain to stand above it.
So if the Land of Rain wanted to gain more benefits from this situation—
Only one option remained.
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