After that point in the mission, whether before or after encountering the Rain ninja, Danzō Shimura indeed refrained from making any further moves.
After all, they were on the same side. There was no need to keep cooking up crooked schemes just to stab each other in the back.
Moving at high speed the entire way, Amegakure soon came into view.
Seen from above, the borders of the Land of Rain looked vaguely like a stomach—or perhaps a kidney. Something that digested, something that detoxified. In short, it seemed… multifunctional.
Amegakure itself was located roughly in the center of the country.
The Konoha squad remained highly cautious. When it came to powerful figures, this place truly had them. The one they were most wary of was none other than Hanzō of the Salamander himself.
Beyond him, there was Uzumaki Nagato, known only to Yuui. And going even further, Sasori of the Red Sand was also rumored to be hiding somewhere within this country. If luck—or misfortune—dictated, running into him again was theoretically possible.
The Rain ninja assigned to guide them did not take any detours, leading the Konoha group straight along the standard route into Amegakure Village.
Taking a roundabout path would have been meaningless anyway. No matter how obsessed with secrecy Amegakure was, it couldn't possibly hide the entire village. Even if Konoha's Intelligence Division consisted of only three genin, they would still be able to determine the location of a village-level strategic target.
When Amegakure first entered Yuui's field of vision… well, let's put it this way—the village's architectural style was extremely distinctive.
Everything was tall. Very tall.
The outer walls of the buildings looked as though they were formed from countless vertical pipes, exuding a metallic texture coated in a rust-like hue.
Many of the buildings were constructed directly atop water, making the entire place resemble a city built on waterways.
In this village… could you run into Suigetsu Hōzuki?
If Yuui had to describe it, Amegakure looked like countless chopsticks standing upright in a bowl.
This architectural style clearly had nothing to do with aesthetics or gastronomy—it was simply architecture adapting to climate. After all, it rained here all year long, and "chopsticks" like these probably drained water quite efficiently.
The others, however, were not in the mood to appreciate architectural design.
Danzō's group didn't care at all, while the remaining three members of Yuui's team were visibly tense.
After all, this was the enemy's home base, and Amegakure itself had always been shrouded in mystery.
The Rain Village had long enforced a policy of isolation. Later on, even after Hanzō himself had been killed for a considerable length of time, no news leaked out—more than enough to demonstrate just how airtight the place was.
At the village entrance, the Rain ninja guide completed a brief handover. Without encountering any obstacles, the seven of them entered the village.
Hanzō was a pragmatic man. He didn't bother with body searches or inspections. After all, if someone dared to lay a hand on Danzō and Danzō reacted like a virtuous maiden—biting a handkerchief and screaming before erupting violently—who do you think would die first?
Some poor thug, that's who.
In practice, they weren't led toward the center of the village either. Under normal circumstances, Hanzō, as the leader, should have been stationed in the tallest building at the village's heart. Yet not long after entering Amegakure, the Konoha team was guided into a building of very ordinary height.
This made Yuui uneasy.
Was there a ton of explosive tags buried underneath?
Clearly, he was overthinking it again. Always calm when he shouldn't be, and wildly imaginative when he should be serious. If Amegakure truly intended to make a move, there was no need to let them enter the village in the first place.
Hanzō was inside the building.
At this point, Yuui stepped back, leaving the negotiations to Danzō.
"Shimura Danzō? The Third Hokage did not come?"
Without question, the ninja wearing the gas mask and speaking in a hoarse voice was Hanzō of the Salamander. There were only about ten ninja stationed around him—just enough to maintain a sense of fairness during the meeting.
If he had brought too many subordinates, it would have been a show of intimidation. Doing that on his own doorstep would only make him look small-minded.
Still, Hanzō was quite bold to even think of it. His status was not equal to that of the Hokage—did he really think of himself as a Kage?
Besides, even if their statuses were equal, the Hokage would never come here. Danger aside, this was Amegakure surrendering to Konoha, not the other way around. Not forcing Hanzō to travel to Konoha was already respectful enough, considering his shut-in tendencies—and he still wanted the Hokage to come to him?
Heh.
Danzō alone was more than enough to deal with him. The Third Hokage was a married man, after all.
"I am Konoha's fully authorized representative," Danzō replied calmly. "I have received the Hokage's mandate."
What he was thinking internally was anyone's guess.
But no matter the situation, within Konoha, the Hokage was still the ultimate authority.
Hanzō didn't press the issue. He had asked casually and never truly expected the Hokage to appear. Whatever else might be said about him, he at least possessed a functioning brain.
He then got straight to the point.
"Fully authorized… Very well. I am prepared to surrender to Konoha and bring this war to an end."
Danzō did not immediately respond. He knew Hanzō wasn't finished.
"But I have one condition. After peace is established, when necessary, I hope to receive Konoha's assistance."
"Peace… naturally, we welcome it," Danzō said coolly. "However, in Amegakure's current state—setting aside any strategic objectives in this war—you can no longer sustain yourselves. Given that, what right do you have to propose conditions?"
As the defeated party, Amegakure should have been the one receiving conditions from Konoha, not the other way around—just like Sunagakure before them.
That said, the Wind Country was still a major nation. Amegakure, by contrast, had already been squeezed dry by this point.
From behind his mask, Yuui cast a sideways glance at Danzō.
Isn't that a bit blunt?
It might have been the truth, but shouldn't he consider whether such an attitude would damage the negotiations?
"Then negotiations are impossible?" Hanzō's tone shifted slightly.
There was a crucial issue here: Comrade Hanzō didn't seem very good at bargaining.
Couldn't he hear that Danzō was testing him? Negotiations were supposed to involve back-and-forth.
As Hanzō finished speaking, the Konoha group tensed instantly.
Before the echo of his words had faded, one of the Rain ninja beside him moved as if receiving an order, shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow.
The target was naturally the Konoha delegation.
A disagreement—and straight to violence?
Boom!
The attacker's path was abruptly blocked by something black and round.
Yuui held the mouth of his gourd in one hand, swinging it like an oversized baseball bat and smashing it down directly into the charging ninja's trajectory.
It came down right in front of the man's nose!
That strike should have been enough to cave in his skull—but Yuui didn't follow through.
The expected continued assault never came.
As if the clash hadn't happened at all, Danzō continued calmly,
"Then what exactly is your condition?"
"Due to years of constant warfare," Hanzō said, "a rebellious organization has risen within the Land of Rain—one beyond my control. Its growth has been extremely rapid. I wish to eliminate them completely and decisively. However, with Amegakure's remaining strength alone, I fear it will be impossible to eradicate them entirely. Therefore, when necessary, I hope to receive Konoha's cooperation."
Yuui's eyebrows twitched beneath his mask.
He had heard Hanzō's words loud and clear.
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