"The one that's wrong… is this world—one that has been mired in endless conflict for thousands of years!"
"This world is already terminally ill. Without drastic measures, it cannot be changed!"
"As for your concerns… they don't matter."
"No matter what Ren becomes in the future, as long as we're certain that his ideas are right now, that's enough."
"What we must uphold… is that idea itself."
"So long as we hold true to our own hearts, why worry about things that haven't even come to pass?"
Yahiko stared blankly at Nagato, stunned.
He had never expected to be lectured by Nagato one day.
In the past, Nagato usually followed his lead, rarely voicing his own opinions.
But now, not only could he argue his case—he could even turn the tables and guide Yahiko in return.
And rather than feeling displeased, Yahiko felt… relieved.
Yes—relieved.
Because this meant Nagato had found his own path.
And Nagato was right.
Accepting Uchiha Ren's ideas didn't mean blindly following him.
They could build upon those ideas—and walk their own path.
His worries had been unnecessary.
"I was overthinking it," Yahiko exhaled, then smiled brightly.
"Next time we meet Ren, we'll dig deeper into his ideas."
The next day, Amegakure—Hanzo's office.
Under Uchiha Ren's control, Hanzo of the Salamander reviewed intelligence reports gathered from across the Land of Rain.
Bordering the Land of Fire, Earth, and Wind, the Land of Rain was a strategic crossroads.
While waiting for Danzō Shimura to take the bait, Ren made use of the time to gather intelligence.
"Lord Hanzo!"
Ameyu's voice came from outside, tinged with unusual urgency.
"Enter."
Hanzo set aside the documents.
Ameyu entered, dropping to one knee.
"Lord Hanzo, a Konoha delegation has arrived at the village gates requesting an audience!"
"A Konoha delegation?" A faint glint flashed in Hanzo's eyes. "Who leads them?"
"Konoha elder—Danzō Shimura."
So he's finally here.
Hanzo remained calm.
"How many?"
"Danzō Shimura, accompanied by two ANBU… three in total. They also brought the corpse of one of our Rain shinobi."
Three people… the rest of Root must be hidden.
Hanzo pondered briefly.
"Bring them to the reception hall."
"Yes!"
Moments later, Hanzo entered the hall himself.
He couldn't act within Amegakure—his situation couldn't be exposed.
Nor was it time yet. His goal was to wipe out all of Danzō's Root elites in one move.
For now, he would play along.
Soon, footsteps approached.
The doors opened.
Danzō Shimura entered—bandages covering his right eye, clad in standard ANBU combat gear, a blade strapped to his back.
One Root shinobi remained outside; the other followed behind, carrying the Rain shinobi's corpse.
"What a rare guest," Hanzo said, glancing at the body. "I thought men like you no longer set foot on the battlefield."
"Wherever the village requires, I will go," Danzō replied coldly.
"If you want to prove loyalty, do it in your own village," Hanzo said flatly. "State your purpose."
"I represent Konoha in negotiating peace with Iwagakure," Danzō said. "We request Amegakure's mediation."
He subtly emphasized peace negotiations.
"What does Amegakure gain?" Hanzo asked directly.
"That depends on your choice."
Their gazes locked.
An unspoken understanding passed between them.
Hanzo shifted his gaze to the corpse.
"What happened here?"
At a glance from Danzō, the Root shinobi laid the body down.
"We encountered a Rain squad under attack," Danzō said. "The rest were destroyed. This is the only body we recovered."
"They appear to be your clansmen."
Hanzo's eyes narrowed, anger surfacing.
"Who did this?"
Danzō paused, then said quietly,
"At a time like this, neither Konoha nor Iwagakure would provoke Amegakure."
"It was likely… Akatsuki."
"Impossible!" Hanzo rejected immediately.
"I met their leader yesterday. They seek peace—they wouldn't attack us."
Danzō remained calm.
"Appearances can deceive. If their goal is peace, why not join Amegakure?"
"They're growing quickly. Soon… they may replace you."
His tone was steady, but his words were insidious.
If this were the real, aging Hanzo, doubt might already have taken root.
Hanzo appeared conflicted.
"…What do you want?"
"I want Amegakure to have a wise leader," Danzō said.
"I'll help you eliminate Akatsuki. But I'll take the bodies of their three leaders back to Konoha."
"Why?" Hanzo asked.
"They are disciples of Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. They possess Konoha's intelligence—it cannot be allowed to leak."
A flawless justification.
After a pause, Hanzo said,
"I can lure them out. But no other Rain shinobi will be present."
"After all, I just praised them as the future of the Land of Rain."
"Agreed," Danzō said immediately.
That suited him perfectly.
His true target was Nagato's Rennegan.
They finalized the details and agreed on a time.
As Danzō departed, an invisible net began to close.
After seeing Danzō off, Hanzo returned to his office with Ameyu.
He sat down and began writing.
Ameyu hesitated before finally kneeling.
"Lord Hanzo… are we really going to attack Akatsuki? Danzō cannot be trusted."
He didn't want to see Yahiko and the others destroyed.
"I know," Hanzo replied calmly.
"The one stirring conflict in the Land of Rain is likely Danzō himself."
"My clansmen were probably killed by him—and blamed on Akatsuki."
Ameyu was stunned.
"Then why cooperate with him?"
"Because exposing him achieves nothing," Hanzo said.
"He's a Konoha elder. Even if he's at fault, Konoha won't side with us."
"It's better to play along than tear everything apart."
Ameyu clenched his fists.
In the end… the Land of Rain was simply too weak.
"But are we sacrificing Akatsuki?" he pressed.
"Of course not," Hanzo said, sealing a letter.
"I have no intention of sacrificing them."
He tapped the desk.
A figure appeared instantly.
"Lord Hanzo."
"Kanzo," Hanzo said, handing over the letter.
"Take this to Akatsuki. Deliver it to Yahiko. He'll tell you what to do next."
"You may go openly—but keep your discussions discreet."
Kanzo—leader of Amegakure's covert forces, equivalent to an ANBU commander—nodded.
"Yes."
He vanished.
Ameyu exhaled in relief.
Hanzo was protecting them.
But then another worry surfaced.
"Lord Hanzo… will this anger Danzō?"
Hanzo let out a low scoff.
"We avoid conflict because of his position. Do you think he dares openly oppose us?"
"If I'm right, this mission of his is unauthorized—done without Konoha's approval."
"By cooperating on the surface, we've already shown enough respect."
"And he still wants Amegakure's people?"
"Wishful thinking."
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