Land of Rain, Rain Village.
Kitsuchi walked into the office building of the Rain Ninja Village with several Hidden Rock Jonin, heading towards the leader's office.
On the way to the leader's office, Kitsuchi noticed many Rain Ninja hidden in the shadows, a stark difference in their security forces compared to his last visit.
"Worried about Sosuke conducting a beheading operation? It seems that battle utterly shattered his pride as a Demigod," Kitsuchi thought to himself, shaking his head discreetly.
Even being so cautious in his own Ninja Village, it's no wonder that Hanzo hasn't ventured out of Rain Village since losing to Sosuke.
"Only Lord Kitsuchi may enter."
When Kitsuchi attempted to enter the office with his subordinates, the Rain Village's Anbu standing guard at the office entrance intercepted and spoke.
Mahiru, Firelight, and the others behind Kitsuchi frowned, wondering how a Ninja Village that got beaten up by a Ninja Organization could still have such a temper.
"Wait here," Kitsuchi waved his hand to have the Hidden Rocks wait in place and entered the leader's office alone.
There was no reason for Hanzo to attack him, and the terrified Hanzo wouldn't dare to anyway.
"Kitsuchi, though I feel sorry for the ninjas your village lost to the Ninja Sect, the current situation in the Ninja World does not allow me to use all of Rain Village's force to battle the Ninja Sect to the end. Regarding revenge, please handle it yourselves.
If the Hidden Rock Squad reaches the border of the Land of Rain, no Rain Ninjas will obstruct you," Hanzo stated directly.
He thought that the Hidden Rock was still trying to make an issue out of the Hidden Rock Ninja who had previously died at the hands of the Ninja Sect.
It's impossible for Hanzo to confront the Ninja Sect and Sosuke again; if the Hidden Rock wants to go at it on their own, Hanzo would raise both hands in agreement.
"Lord Hanzo, according to our investigation, this incident was actually a misunderstanding. Our Hidden Rock ninjas were not killed by the Ninja Sect, but rather by Konoha Ninja," Kitsuchi shook his head and explained.
The Hidden Rock did investigate, but couldn't find useful information. Saying it was Konoha is just to shift some hatred towards Konoha and also to give themselves a way out.
For the Hidden Rock, which force or Ninja Village killed the Hidden Rock Squad in the Land of Rain no longer matters. What matters is troubling the powerful Konoha.
The Hidden Rock wants to incite opposition between the Ninja Sect and even Rain Village against Konoha. The current situation in the Land of Rain does not align with the Hidden Rock's interests, as Rain Village and the Ninja Sect are in mutual stalemate, causing internal strife throughout the Land of Rain.
Rain Village holds a large number of ninjas, while the Ninja Sect is elite enough, with strong figures like Sosuke, Kakuzu, and Nagato. Both sides are wary of each other, unable to unleash their full strength.
Thus, Onoki's idea is to stop the conflict between the Ninja Sect and Rain Village, and instead, everyone should go after Konoha.
"Misunderstanding?" Hanzo's face turned somber.
In his efforts against the Ninja Sect, Rain Village lost dozens of elite ninjas, and even his personal reputation took a considerable hit. Now, the Hidden Rock comes and calls it a misunderstanding, and Hanzo's blood pressure immediately spiked.
Although there were multiple reasons for Hanzo acting against the Ninja Sect, the Hidden Rock absolutely holds significant responsibility.
"To express our apology, the Hidden Rock is willing to compensate Rain Village for certain losses and also assist Rain Village in mending relations with the Ninja Sect," Kitsuchi continued with a steady face.
As long as they can trouble Konoha, Onoki doesn't mind doubling the extorted money from Rain Village previously, considering it as hiring mercenaries.
Hanzo maintained a composed appearance, pretending to be in deep thought, but in actuality, he was instantly tempted.
If the Hidden Rock ninjas weren't actually killed by the Ninja Sect, it's possible there would be no conflict between him and the Ninja Sect.
Hanzo acted against the Ninja Sect because they wanted to incite war and posed a threat to his power in the Land of Rain.
If it's a misunderstanding, the first conflict disappears immediately. Based on the expressions of the Ninja Sect ninjas during meetings, the second conflict may not even occur; they genuinely seemed to want cooperation with him.
"But now, it's too late," Hanzo sighed lightly in his heart.
Now, whether the Hidden Rock Ninja was killed by the Ninja Sect or not doesn't matter; Rain Village and the Ninja Sect have a more direct hatred now.
The conflict between Rain Village and the Ninja Sect is already irreconcilable, and the enmity from the encirclement won't disappear because of a misunderstanding.
"What do you intend to do?" Hanzo asked plainly.
"I can consider the bigger picture and refrain from acting against the Ninja Sect, but the ninjas of the Ninja Sect may not be inclined to accept our goodwill."
"Of course, with sincerity, I believe the Ninja Sect ninjas will surely understand the difficulties you face in the face of major issues," Kitsuchi replied with a simple and honest expression.
"In this regard, rest assured, Lord Hanzo. As long as you follow our Hidden Rock's steps, the Land of Rain will welcome peace once more."
"Say this again after you've met with Sosuke," Hanzo didn't show any explicit stance.
"We'll soon bring back good news," Kitsuchi said with a confident smile, undeterred by Hanzo's words.
To increase Kitsuchi's chances of persuading the Ninja Sect, Hanzo disclosed the matter of Shimura Danzo approaching him, offering cooperation to jointly eliminate the Ninja Sect, only withholding some details.
Hanzo wasn't sure who among Kitsuchi or Shimura Danzo was lying to him; he just wanted to return to how things were before, seeking nothing more.
Upon hearing that Shimura Danzo, Konoha's number two figure, was also involved, Kitsuchi immediately felt that their Hidden Rock's plan had a significantly higher success rate.
Next, Kitsuchi led the Hidden Rocks quickly towards the Ninja Sect's stronghold.