The next day.
Amegakure — Hanzo of the Salamander's Office.
Under Uchiha Ren's control, Hanzo of the Salamander was reviewing the latest intelligence reports delivered from across the Land of Rain, gathering information about the country.
The Land of Rain bordered the three great nations of Fire, Earth, and Wind, making it an undisputed strategic crossroads.
Since Ren was currently waiting for Shimura Danzō to take the bait, collecting intelligence about the Land of Rain during his spare time could prove useful later.
"Lord Hanzo!"
Tianyu's voice came from outside the door, carrying a trace of urgency that was unusual for him.
"Enter."
Hanzo spoke calmly, setting down the document in his hand.
Tianyu pushed open the door and entered before kneeling on one knee.
"Lord Hanzo, a delegation from Konohagakure has arrived at the village gate requesting an audience."
"A delegation from Konoha?"
A faint glint of crimson flickered in Hanzo's eyes.
"Who is leading them?"
Tianyu replied,
"Konoha Elder — Shimura Danzō."
At last… he had arrived.
Hanzo's expression remained calm.
"How many people came with him?"
Tianyu answered,
"Danzō, along with two ANBU operatives—three people in total."
"…Additionally, they brought the corpse of one of our Rain shinobi."
Three people…
So the rest of Root's operatives must be hiding nearby.
It seemed Ren's earlier order to shrink Amegakure's external patrols had triggered a chain reaction, forcing Danzō to bring only a single Rain shinobi corpse as bait.
Hanzo pondered briefly before speaking.
"Bring them to the reception hall."
"Yes, Lord Hanzo."
Tianyu acknowledged the order and vanished instantly.
Hanzo also stood up and walked toward the reception hall.
His existence must not be revealed to too many people, so fighting inside Amegakure was not an option.
At the same time, Ren's goal was to wipe out all the elite Root operatives Danzō had brought with him.
That meant it was still too early to make a move.
For now, he needed to play along with Danzō.
After waiting for a short time in the reception hall, footsteps finally sounded outside.
Tianyu pushed open the door and quickly moved to stand behind Hanzo.
A middle-aged man stepped inside.
His limbs were intact, and he wore standard ANBU combat gear. A long sword was strapped to his back, and his right eye was covered with bandages.
It was none other than Shimura Danzō.
Of the two Root operatives he had brought, one remained standing outside the hall.
The other entered behind Danzō, carrying the corpse of a Rain shinobi.
"What a rare guest…"
Hanzo glanced briefly at the corpse before shifting his gaze toward Danzō.
"I thought people like you stopped leading missions personally on the battlefield long ago."
Since the end of the First Great Ninja War, Hiruzen Sarutobi, known as the "Professor" and the strongest Hokage of his time, had rarely set foot on the battlefield.
The other two Konoha elders—Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado—were the same.
Danzō had still been active during the Second Great Ninja War, but after the rise of Root, he gradually retreated into the shadows.
"Wherever the village requires me, I can appear."
Danzō spoke with a righteous tone, his expression completely emotionless.
"If you want to prove your loyalty, go back to your own village and say that."
Hanzo replied calmly.
"Danzō, state your purpose."
Danzō spoke plainly.
"I represent Konoha in negotiations with Iwagakure. I hope Amegakure can act as a mediator."
Whether intentionally or not, he emphasized the words "peace negotiations."
Hanzo asked directly,
"And what does Amegakure gain from this?"
Danzō responded flatly,
"That depends on the choice your village makes."
His single eye locked with Hanzo's gaze.
In that brief moment of eye contact, the two men reached an unspoken understanding.
Some matters didn't need to be spoken aloud.
A mutual understanding was enough.
Hanzo's gaze shifted toward the Rain shinobi corpse held by the Root operative.
"What happened to him?"
At a glance from Danzō, the Root ninja stepped forward and placed the body on the ground before Hanzo.
Danzō explained,
"On our way here, we encountered a squad of Rain shinobi who had been attacked."
"The other bodies were destroyed. This is the only one we managed to preserve."
"They appear to have been your clansmen."
To provoke Hanzo's anger, Danzō had gone to great lengths to locate Rain shinobi who were closely related to him.
Hanzo narrowed his eyes, anger surfacing in his voice.
"Who did this?"
After a brief pause, Danzō answered quietly.
"At such a critical time, neither Konoha nor Iwagakure would risk offending Amegakure."
"The attackers were most likely… Akatsuki."
"Impossible."
Hanzo immediately rejected the claim.
"Akatsuki is an organization dedicated to peace. I met their leader just yesterday."
"They would never attack Amegakure."
Many people knew that Yahiko and the others had visited Amegakure recently.
Hanzo had no intention of lying about such a minor matter and risking greater complications.
Danzō didn't seem surprised.
"Appearances can be deceiving."
"If they truly cared about peace in the Land of Rain, then why not simply join Amegakure?"
"Akatsuki is growing rapidly. It may not be long before they replace you entirely."
Danzō's tone remained calm, yet his words were deeply manipulative.
If the real, aging Hanzo had been present, he might very well have begun to suspect Akatsuki.
Hanzo's gaze flickered uncertainly.
After a moment of hesitation, he asked,
"What do you want?"
Danzō replied,
"I need Amegakure to have a wise leader."
"I can help you eliminate Akatsuki."
"But the bodies of their three leaders must be taken back to Konoha."
Hanzo narrowed his eyes.
"Why?"
Danzō explained,
"They are disciples of Jiraiya, one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin."
"They carry intelligence related to Konoha within their bodies. It cannot be allowed to leak."
The explanation sounded perfectly reasonable.
There was almost no flaw in it.
After a moment of contemplation, Hanzo spoke.
"I can find a way to lure them out."
"But aside from me, there will be no other Rain shinobi present."
"After all, just yesterday I praised them as the future hope of the Land of Rain."
Danzō nodded without hesitation.
"Agreed."
Hanzo's proposal suited him perfectly.
From beginning to end, Danzō's true target had always been Nagato's Rinnegan.
He simply wasn't certain of Nagato's strength, so he wanted to use the 'Demigod of the Shinobi World,' Hanzo, as the blade.
If Hanzo brought too many subordinates, it would actually make things harder for him.
The two men then discussed several details.
Once everything was finalized and the time was agreed upon, Danzō took his leave.
And with that—
An invisible net slowly began to spread.
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