Inside Hanzo of the Salamander's residence in Amegakure.
"Lord Hanzo, please allow us to accompany you!"
Tianyu and Kanzō knelt on one knee before Hanzo, their voices filled with concern.
Hanzo calmly continued putting on his combat gear and replied indifferently,
"I've already said there's no need. You two only need to guard Amegakure and protect the Land of Rain."
"But—"
"There's no 'but'!"
Hanzo interrupted them sharply.
"You know my fighting style. If a battle really breaks out, you won't be able to help me. You'd only distract me."
His tone was firm, leaving them no room to argue.
Hanzo knew that only by being this resolute could he convince the two of them to allow him to attend the meeting alone.
And just as he expected—
"Lord Hanzo… we…"
Tianyu and Kanzō lowered their heads in shame.
In the end, it was simply because they were not strong enough.
"Enough. Don't feel ashamed," Hanzo said as he fastened his ninja tool pouch to his waist and lifted his chained sickle.
"It's not that you're weaker than the elites of other villages. I'm simply… a special case."
"I'll leave things here to you for now."
"Yes! Please rest assured, Lord Hanzo!"
The two responded in unison, their voices filled with determination.
"Let's go."
Hanzo looked toward the doorway.
There stood Konan, her hands bound by rope.
He gave her a subtle look of reassurance.
Konan nodded slightly. Her usually expressionless face now showed a trace of sorrow as she lowered her head.
Impressive acting…
Hanzo thought to himself in mild surprise.
Konan was normally calm and quiet, rarely showing emotion.
He hadn't expected her to have such convincing acting skills.
After a brief moment of admiration, Hanzo set off with her toward the outskirts of Amegakure.
Once they left the village, the surroundings became more uncertain. There was no telling who might be watching from the shadows.
Because of that, Hanzo and Konan exchanged no words along the way.
Before long, they arrived at a mountain valley.
There, Shimura Danzō and dozens of Root shinobi had already been waiting.
"Lord Hanzo."
Danzō's cold gaze swept briefly across Konan before he greeted Hanzo.
Hanzo nodded and glanced at the Root forces behind him.
"Konoha's strength truly runs deep," he said gravely.
"Even after fighting four great nations in succession, you can still assemble a force like this."
The Root shinobi present were mostly elite chūnin and special jōnin, with more than a dozen full jōnin among them.
This was enough to serve as the core force for a small-scale war.
Danzō replied calmly,
"Nothing special. They're merely my personal guard."
To ensure overwhelming superiority in this localized confrontation—and to guarantee that events unfolded according to his plan—Danzō had brought more than half of Root's elite operatives with him.
And for the sake of obtaining Nagato's Rinnegan, he had gathered all the forces he had stationed in the Land of Rain.
At the same time, this also served as a display of Konoha's strength, subtly pressuring Hanzo.
Danzō then glanced again at Konan and asked,
"Lord Hanzo, why did you bring her here bound like this?"
Hanzo nodded and explained,
"They are, after all, seedlings of the Land of Rain, so it would be inappropriate for me to personally kill them."
"I heard that the three leaders of Akatsuki grew up together—sharing life and death."
"So I decided to use her as a hostage… and force them to kill one another."
"What do you think of that idea, Lord Danzō?"
Hanzo's words caused Konan to shudder.
She stared at him in shock.
Even though she knew the Hanzo before her was merely a puppet controlled by Uchiha Ren, panic still rose uncontrollably within her heart.
The method was simply too cruel.
In contrast, Danzō's eyes gleamed with admiration.
"As expected of the Demigod of the Shinobi World," he said approvingly.
"No wonder you've ruled the Land of Rain for decades."
"This kind of tactic—destroying both body and spirit—is truly impressive."
Hanzo's plan would not only destroy Akatsuki physically, but psychologically as well.
No matter how strong the bond between the three leaders was, if casualties occurred after such manipulation, resentment and doubt would inevitably arise.
Not only toward one another—but toward themselves as well.
Even if they maintained their resolve, what about their followers?
Over time, loyalty would crumble.
"You… you can't do this!"
Konan's voice trembled as she shouted at Hanzo in terror.
Whether she was truly frightened or merely acting to deceive Danzō was impossible to tell.
"You have no choice."
Hanzo raised two fingers in a hand sign and looked at her.
"For the performance that's about to begin… you should remain quiet for now."
He tapped a finger against her throat.
A black "Seal" symbol appeared instantly, spreading into dark sealing patterns that covered her mouth.
Konan's cheeks moved as she tried to speak, but her mouth refused to open and her vocal cords produced no sound.
Danzō's gaze sharpened slightly.
A trace of caution appeared in his eyes.
Although Hanzo had only used a minor technique, the precision and control of his chakra were something even Danzō found himself unable to match.
Hanzo might be old—but he still lived up to the title of Demigod of the Shinobi World.
"They're here."
Just as Danzō was silently reflecting, Hanzo suddenly turned toward the valley entrance.
Two figures were rapidly approaching.
One had orange hair, the other red hair.
It was Yahiko and Nagato.
Hanzo grabbed Konan with one hand and pulled her in front of him as a shield while the other hand reached for the chain-linked sickle at his waist.
Danzō tensed slightly—but soon relaxed.
His gaze fixed on Nagato behind Yahiko.
His eyes gleamed intensely, as if trying to pierce through the strands of hair covering Nagato's forehead and see the Rinnegan hidden beneath.
At last…
Slash!
A brilliant flash of blade-light cut through the air.
One of Danzō's arms flew into the sky.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Clutching his shoulder, Danzō rapidly retreated, staring at Hanzo in disbelief.
"Lord Danzō!"
The surrounding Root shinobi panicked and rushed to shield him.
Hanzo merely snorted coldly.
Without another word, he threw Konan toward Yahiko and Nagato below.
Yahiko caught her instinctively, his face full of shock.
"Leave immediately!"
Hanzo turned toward Danzō and the Root forces, shouting without looking back.
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