Early the next morning.
Tsunade clearly looked like she hadn't slept well. Her eyes carried a faint trace of exhaustion, and her usual fiery energy seemed dampened by a lingering, restless tension.
Minato, however, was in high spirits; with his Physique, going without sleep for a few days wouldn't affect him at all. He stood by the door, the morning light catching the gold of his hair, looking as refreshed as if he had spent the night in a luxury estate rather than a damp wooden shack.
This brat...
Watching Minato as he checked his Ninja tools and prepared to head out for the mission, Tsunade secretly gritted her teeth. She watched his slender fingers expertly prime a stack of explosive tags, his expression one of utter, polite focus.
Perhaps because of the atmosphere last night, the two of them had exchanged many unspeakable thoughts through the Chakra Link. The synchronization had reached $99\%$, allowing for a depth of mental intimacy that bypassed all logic and restraint.
The scale was so extreme that if it were exposed, it would be enough to cause her social death; even being cast into the eighteenth level of Hell after death wouldn't be an exaggeration. The memories of those transmitted desires played back in her mind like a fever dream, making her skin flush.
Tsunade had never imagined that she, who always had a fiery temper, would actually act so submissively, as if she had lost herself, pleasing him without any bottom line. In the darkness of the mind, she had been completely dismantled by his unwavering, predatory intent.
And her Disciple, usually so gentle and polite, would actually be so... aggressive. His mental presence had been like a tidal wave of golden light, beautiful but utterly overwhelming.
It made her feel just like the weather in the Land of Rain right now—damp, heavy, and completely submerged.
"Sensei, we're leaving."
"Mm, be careful."
Before leaving, Minato said goodbye to Tsunade. He gave her a small, knowing smile that didn't reach his public mask, a secret signal intended only for her.
Both of their tones were very natural, but they both knew in their hearts that their relationship—and even their status—had completely changed. The boundary between teacher and student had been blurred into something far more complex and dangerous.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—
After leaving the camp, Minato, the fastest, scouted ahead at the front of the team. He moved at a constant speed of $35$ meters per second, his senses extended to their limits. Behind him, Mikoto and Nawaki were responsible for guarding the flanks, while Orochimaru brought up the rear. The four of them sped toward the Hidden Rain Village.
After advancing for about half an hour, a sudden sound of something cutting through the air came toward them. The whistle of metal was sharp against the rhythmic patter of the rain.
With a flick of his wrist, Minato threw several Shuriken, knocking away the Kunai that were flying toward them. The clatter of steel hitting steel echoed briefly before being swallowed by the mist.
"Konoha Ninja!"
A squad of Hidden Rain Village Ninja appeared on the road ahead, looking at Minato and the others warily. Their breathing was heavy, their hands hovering near their weapon pouches.
"Don't misunderstand, we are envoys sent by Konoha."
Minato stepped aside, sliding back into his role as a humble subordinate. Orochimaru stepped forward, saying calmly, "I am Orochimaru, a Disciple of the Third Hokage. By order of Hokage-sama, I hope to negotiate with Your Excellency Hanzou."
"Envoys?"
Looking at the three brats beside Orochimaru, the leading Rain Ninja frowned. He adjusted his breathing, his eyes darting between the pale man and the children. "You only sent a few kids? Isn't your Konoha being a bit too arrogant?"
"Your Excellency misunderstands. They are my subordinates and Disciples."
Orochimaru chuckled. The sound was thin and dry, like old parchment rubbing together. "This also demonstrates Konoha's sincerity. After all, I wouldn't bring three children for a suicide mission, would I?"
"Hmph, I suppose that makes sense."
The other party opened the scroll and took a look. Seeing that it was indeed just a standard document bearing the official seal of the Hidden Leaf, he dismissed his suspicions, handed the scroll back to Orochimaru, and gestured. "Follow me."
Led by the Amegakure Ninja, the rest of the journey was relatively peaceful. The Rain Ninja kept a strict pace, leading them through hidden mountain passes and over swollen rivers.
Soon, they arrived outside the Hidden Rain Village.
The Hidden Rain Village was located in the heart of the Land of Rain, and the rainfall was far greater than at the border. It was a vertical world of steel and shadow.
However, unlike the unpleasant, clinging drizzle at the Konoha camp, the heavy rain in the Hidden Rain Village was more unbridled, as if someone had poked a hole in the sky, with the rain pouring down incessantly. The water cascaded off the structures in roaring sheets.
The Village was filled with tall steel buildings, with overpasses weaving through them, and huge drainage pipes exposed on the exterior of every building. It was a forest of metal rising into the gray clouds.
Various neon signs could be seen everywhere along the roads, their colors bleeding into the puddles. Under the gloomy sky, the entire Village had a cyberpunk feel to it, a strange mix of industrial decay and high-tech ninjutsu.
They were taken to a hotel for foreign guests. After waiting for about half an hour, they finally met Hanzou. The room was cold, the air filtered through a complex ventilation system.
His appearance was just like in the original work, wearing a gray Ninja flak jacket and a gas mask on his face. He sat like a mountain, radiating a heavy, suffocating pressure.
Inside the Council Chamber, Orochimaru held the scroll in both hands and stepped forward slowly, neither humble nor arrogant. "Your Excellency Hanzou, this is the negotiation document personally signed by the Third Hokage—"
"Put it down."
Hanzou's voice came through the gas mask, muffled and cold. He sounded less like a man and more like a machine. He didn't even have the interest to take a look, simply waving his hand dismissively.
Orochimaru paused slightly before gently placing the scroll on the long table. The silence in the room became heavy, punctuated only by the distant hum of the village's machinery.
"Won't Your Excellency Hanzou look at the contents first?"
Orochimaru raised his golden slitted pupils. His tone remained calm, though slightly subtle. He was gauging the depth of Hanzou's disdain.
"If I look at it, will Konoha withdraw from the Land of Rain?"
Hanzou swept a cold glance at Orochimaru, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm. "The First Ninja World War is over, but in all these years, the conflict between Konoha and Sunagakure has never ceased."
"You fight on the land of the Land of Rain, destroying Villages and trampling farmland, treating my Hidden Rain Village as if it were nothing. Is this the first time I've protested to you?"
"With every conflict, I sent people to protest to both sides, demanding you immediately stop military operations within the borders of the Land of Rain. And what did you do? You ignored us until you needed us."
"Now that the war situation has worsened and the flames of war are about to reach your own territory, you finally remember to come to me for negotiations?"
As Hanzou spoke, he sneered and casually tossed the scroll back to Orochimaru. "Negotiations... Hmph. To you in Konoha, these surrounding small nations are nothing more than buffer zones. You treat our people as grass beneath your feet."
"Tell that fellow Hiruzen Sarutobi that he doesn't need to put on a sanctimonious act with me. Sunagakure is the aggressor, that's true, but you in Konoha aren't much more noble."
Hearing this, Nawaki immediately became angry and instinctively wanted to step forward to argue, his face turning a bright red. But Minato raised his hand and pressed down on his shoulder. His touch was light, yet it held a weight that made Nawaki freeze.
Noticing their movements, Hanzou couldn't help but let out a soft huff, his gaze lingering for a moment on the face of the youngest, Minato.
"To actually send a child as an envoy, has Konoha run out of people? Or do you think you can move me with such an innocent face?"
"They are the subordinates and Disciples I brought along; this trip is merely for them to gain some experience. However, from what Your Excellency Hanzou says, it seems there is no need for negotiations."
Orochimaru chuckled, not at all angered by Hanzou's refusal. Or rather, this situation was exactly as he had expected. He knew the pride of a man like the Salamander.
This trip was merely a mission from the Hokage, a formality to be checked off.
Personally, he certainly still preferred war. It was the ultimate laboratory for his dark curiosities.
After all, times of peace didn't provide nearly as much material for his experiments. The chaos of the Land of Rain was a fertile ground for his research.
"If you truly want to negotiate, then immediately withdraw all troops from the borders of the Land of Rain. Otherwise, there is nothing to talk about."
Hanzou said coldly, waving his hand. "See them out!"
As his words fell, two Hidden Rain Village Ninja emerged from the shadows and stood on either side of the Council Chamber door, making a gesture of invitation to leave. Their eyes were hidden behind respirators, cold and mechanical.
Orochimaru didn't persist further, merely nodding slightly. "In that case, we shall take our leave. However, Your Excellency Hanzou, the situation on the battlefield changes in an instant. I ask that you think twice."
Orochimaru turned toward the door, with Minato and the other two following closely behind. Their footsteps were silent on the polished stone floor.
Hanzou glanced at Minato's back and suddenly felt something was off. A prickle of unease crawled up his spine, a sensation he hadn't felt in years.
He only now realized that the Little Blond Boy, whose face still had a bit of baby fat, seemed a bit too calm. He walked with a poise that was entirely unnatural for a Genin.
The two children beside him had both shown a certain amount of emotion to some degree—anger from the boy, tension from the girl—and he could even sense the faint air of alertness from Orochimaru.
Only that Little Blond Boy's eyes were terrifyingly calm!
No anger, no disappointment, not even any emotional fluctuation, as if he were looking at something that had nothing to do with him. It was the gaze of a god observing an ant, or a butcher eyeing a carcass.
Would a normal brat this age be so composed?
Thinking of this, he felt an inexplicable chill in his heart. It was a premonition of a coming storm far greater than the one outside.
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