After seeing Shimura Danzō off, Hanzo of the Salamander returned to his office with Tianyu.
Hanzo sat down at his desk, took out paper and a brush, and began writing without another word.
Tianyu stood in front of the desk, looking at Hanzo as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.
Hanzo slightly raised his head and glanced at him.
"If you have something to say, say it."
Hearing this, Tianyu no longer hesitated. He dropped to one knee.
"Lord Hanzo… are we really going to attack Akatsuki?"
"Shimura Danzō's words cannot be trusted."
Tianyu actually had a fairly good impression of Yahiko and the others. He couldn't bear to see them destroyed like this.
"I know," Hanzo replied calmly.
"The one stirring up trouble in the war across the Land of Rain lately is most likely that Konoha elder, Shimura Danzō."
"My clansmen who were killed were probably murdered by him as well… with the blame shifted onto Akatsuki."
Tianyu was stunned.
"If that's the case, then why did you agree to cooperate with him?"
Hanzo replied,
"Just playing along for the moment."
"He is still a Konoha elder and Hokage advisor. Even if I exposed him on the spot, what would it accomplish?"
"Even if he was in the wrong first, Konohagakure would never side with us."
"Rather than completely tearing relations apart, the best option is to pretend not to see it."
Tianyu immediately understood and looked dejected.
In the end, it all came down to the same reason—
The Land of Rain was weak.
They had no choice but to endure humiliation.
Still, Tianyu couldn't help saying,
"But are we really going to sacrifice Akatsuki like this?"
"Yahiko and the others are excellent young people. They shouldn't meet their end here."
"Of course they shouldn't."
Hanzo set down his brush.
"I never intended to sacrifice them."
He placed the finished document into an envelope.
After sealing it with wax, Hanzo tapped lightly on the desk.
"Lord Hanzo!"
A figure appeared from the shadows and knelt beside Tianyu.
Hanzo tossed the envelope to him.
"Kanzō, take a team to the Akatsuki base and deliver this letter to their leader, Yahiko."
"As for what to do next, Yahiko will tell you."
"You may go openly, but any discussions with Yahiko must remain secret."
Kanzō was the commander of Amegakure's covert mobile unit, equivalent to an ANBU commander in other villages.
He was one of Hanzo's most trusted clansmen—essentially Hanzo's right hand.
"Yes, Lord Hanzo."
Without hesitation, Kanzō accepted the order and vanished from the office.
Seeing this, Tianyu quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Hanzo's actions clearly showed that he intended to protect Yahiko and the others.
However, Tianyu quickly became anxious again.
"Lord Hanzo… if we do this, won't we offend Shimura Danzō?"
Hanzo snorted lightly.
"The reason we don't want to tear things apart with him is because he's a Konoha elder."
"But do you think he dares to tear things apart with us?"
"If I'm not mistaken, this entire operation of his is likely being carried out without the knowledge of Konoha's leadership."
"The fact that we're cooperating on the surface is already giving Konoha plenty of respect."
"And now he wants the lives of Amegakure's people as well?"
"Wishful thinking."
He continued calmly,
"Besides, we'll do exactly as he asked."
"But if the Akatsuki discover something suspicious and avoid the trap themselves, what does that have to do with us?"
Tianyu immediately understood the logic and finally relaxed.
In the end, this was an operation that could never be brought into the open.
As long as no evidence was left behind, even if the other side knew the truth, they could do nothing but swallow their anger.
After a pause, Hanzo spoke again.
"By the way… do you know why Shimura Danzō wants to eliminate Akatsuki?"
Tianyu froze.
He had been so worried about Akatsuki's safety that he hadn't even considered that.
After thinking for a while, he still couldn't come up with an answer.
"Akatsuki is a newly emerged organization active within the Land of Rain," Tianyu said.
"No matter how you look at it, they have nothing to do with Konoha."
"Even if Akatsuki grows stronger, it should be Amegakure that worries about it."
"So why is Danzō going to such lengths?"
Hanzo slowly exhaled and said seriously,
"The reason is simple."
"Because Yahiko and the others are the future of the Land of Rain."
"Shimura Danzō wants to strangle our nation's rise in its infancy."
Hanzo said this because Uchiha Ren was already paving the way for Yahiko and the others.
Little by little, the power of the Land of Rain would eventually be transferred into their hands.
Ren could not remain in the Land of Rain forever.
Since cooperation with Hanzo was impossible in the long term, the only option was to pass the country's future to Yahiko and his companions.
For that reason, Ren also needed to reveal certain information to Tianyu and the others.
Tianyu was shocked.
"Lord Hanzo, I admit Yahiko and the others are impressive young people… but isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
"Not at all," Hanzo said firmly.
"I had a very pleasant conversation with them yesterday."
"They also revealed one of their secrets to me."
"A secret?"
Tianyu was even more confused now.
What kind of secret could make Hanzo value them so highly?
Hanzo didn't keep him in suspense.
"Nagato…"
"He has inherited the power of the Sage of Six Paths."
"?!!"
Tianyu's pupils shrank.
"The Sage of Six Paths… isn't he just a legend?"
Hanzo shook his head.
"I once thought the same."
"But now we can be certain the Sage of Six Paths truly existed."
"And Nagato is his successor."
"He was destined for greatness from the moment he was born."
"The hope of the Land of Rain—perhaps even the hope of the entire world—may lie with him."
Tianyu swallowed nervously.
"I still find that… hard to believe."
"You'll understand eventually."
Hanzo shook his head before saying solemnly,
"That's why I intend to cultivate them as my successors."
"I will entrust the future of the Land of Rain to them."
"Nagato is still young and cannot yet fully wield the Sage of Six Paths' power."
"But I believe that one day…"
"They will lead the Land of Rain toward the light."
Tianyu fell silent.
If what Hanzo said was true, then the choice was obvious.
The successor of the legendary Sage of Six Paths—
Based on that alone, Nagato was the natural leader.
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