The Land of Rain.
Located in the central region of the largest continent in the ninja world, it borders the three great nations of Fire, Wind, and Earth, as well as the smaller nations of Grass, Bird, and River.
Between the Land of Rain and the Lands of Earth and Wind lie towering mountain ranges. This means the Land of Rain is shielded by high mountains on two sides, forming a funnel-shaped terrain that blocks the warm, moist air currents blowing inland from the sea toward the Wind and Earth countries.
These moisture-laden air currents are forced upward, condense, and fall as heavy orographic rainfall over the Land of Rain, creating concentrated precipitation.
It is precisely this extreme geography that leaves most of the Lands of Earth and Wind covered in barren rock and desert, giving rise to a "weeping nation."
At the same time, abundant rainfall gathers into several surging rivers that flow like arteries into neighboring lands, nourishing the Land of Birds, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Rivers, and even creating rare oases in the Land of Wind…
Yet the great nations feel no gratitude toward the Land of Rain.
Situated between the three great powers of Earth, Wind, and Fire, the Land of Rain became a buffer zone and sacrifice in both the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, leaving this "weeping nation" even more desolate and sorrowful.
Tap… tap…
At the top of the tallest tower in Amegakure, a figure stood by the window, gazing outside. His cold face was covered by a respirator mask, and his pale yellow hair fluttered behind him.
Rain poured violently in the night, lashing against the glass. Beyond the faint light, everything was swallowed in darkness.
If an outsider were to see this man, they would be shocked by his age, not just his outward appearance, but the decay within him.
A kind of hollow, withered aura, as if eaten away by worms.
"Hanzo of the Salamander," once known as the "Poison Weapon", the powerful ninja who single-handedly suppressed great nations during the Second Great Ninja War, the hero and legend of Amegakure, the man who represented the peak of non-bloodline-limit shinobi…
He was old.
He was of the same generation as Chiyo, now well past sixty.
He could clearly feel his vitality and strength slipping away.
The poison sac he once took pride in implanting into his body had become a source of pain and loathing.
Weakness and age had turned this once-great warrior into a paranoid man, surrounding himself with guards rotating 24 hours a day, living every moment in fear of death.
All because of that boy named Nagato… that terrifying power…
"Hanzo-sama."
The voice from behind pulled him out of his daze. He frowned slightly and glanced back before asking in a low voice, "Still no sign?"
"S-sorry, Hanzo-sama."
Facing the increasingly volatile Hanzo, the Amegakure ninja trembled. "Most of the remnants of the Akatsuki have been eliminated, but the two leaders remain missing. Every time we find a trace and follow it, it always ends in failure."
"It's as if…"
He hesitated, not daring to continue.
Hanzo's voice turned cold. "As if they received information in advance?"
'So Amegakure… is still not clean.'
'Why? Why does everyone betray me? I only want to survive. I only want the Land of Rain to survive. Am I wrong?'
'No, I'm not wrong! Without me, this country would still be a sacrifice of the great nations!'
'The ones who are wrong… are those naive fools!'
Sensing the violent killing intent radiating from Hanzo, the ninja behind him knelt, trembling.
After a long while, the chill faded.
Hanzo asked coldly, "What else?"
"…"
The ninja swallowed, unable to speak.
Seeing this, unease rose in Hanzo. He barked, "Speak!"
"Yes! Yes!" The ninja gulped and said shakily, "According to intelligence… the Land of Fire has declared war on the Land of Lightning!"
"…"
Silence filled the room.
The ninja didn't dare lift his head.
A crack split the lead-gray sky, and a flash of lightning illuminated the world, and Hanzo's pale, fearful face.
'Why? How is this possible?'
'The Land of Fire has declared war on the Land of Lightning?!'
'There had been more than a decade between the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars.
'But now, only four years after the Third War, the clouds of war once again shrouded the ninja world?'
Boom!!
A thunderclap like a war drum exploded in the sky, jolting Hanzo from his panic.
"Hanzo-sama…" the ninja behind him called carefully.
Hanzo quickly suppressed the fear on his face and said calmly, "I understand. You may leave."
The ninja hesitated but complied respectfully, exiting and closing the door.
Though Hanzo had aged and become volatile, to the ninjas of Amegakure, he was still their hero.
But…
"War… war! Why?! Why?!"
As a buffer between the Land of Fire and the Lands of Earth and Wind, if the war between Fire and Lightning escalated and the other great nations joined, the Land of Rain would inevitably become a sacrifice once more.
Hanzo could already predict it, once the other nations received the news, they would send forces to probe the Land of Rain.
Thinking this, he stared out at the cascading rain, blown by strong winds into mist and haze.
'If I die, what will happen to the Land of Rain?'
'If I die, what will happen to its people?'
'If I die, how can I face those who sacrificed themselves before?'
'If I die, will everything I've built vanish?'
'If I die… will I fall from a revered hero to a reviled sinner?'
These thoughts surged uncontrollably in his mind.
He felt like a rootless duckweed drifting in muddy waters, beneath which swarmed bloodthirsty piranhas.
The moment he showed the slightest weakness, they would tear flesh from him.
The entire Land of Rain rested on Hanzo's shoulders.
It was because of him that the country had avoided severe devastation during the Third Great Ninja War.
But now… he was too old.
The once-proud, unyielding back could no longer bear the immense weight of countless hopes.
Fear. Trembling. Cowardice. Hesitation…
These emotions flooded his heart like a rising tide.
The blade that once cut forward without hesitation, sharp and unstoppable, was now being corroded by the very blood that stained it.
Meanwhile, in a cave near the outskirts of Amegakure, three figures clad in black cloaks with red clouds stepped out.
Their emotionless, corpse-like eyes gazed into the distance, clearly seeing the tallest tower of Amegakure, like an iron-gray giant looming over the land.
That was where Hanzo stood.
"The Fourth Great Ninja War… the great nations are always this greedy."
The Deva Path of Pain spoke coldly, "Though we haven't yet found suitable bodies for the remaining three Paths, the current three will suffice."
With the world already in turmoil, he could not delay any longer.
Only by taking control of Amegakure could the Akatsuki begin recruiting members.
And that aged, declining Hanzo… was no longer worth his concern.