"So, what is Mr. Simu planning to do?"
Hanzō of the Salamander asked calmly.
To avoid exposing the alliance between the Land of Rain and Konoha, Rain Shinobi Village would not openly participate in the upcoming war.
Simu didn't mind.
Leaning back in his chair, he replied casually,
"Rain Shinobi Village only needs to provide us with intelligence support."
After all, this was the Land of Rain.
Though Simu knew that Hanzo and Danzo had been cooperating behind the scenes, there was no doubt that Rain Shinobi Village still had the strongest influence in this region.
"No problem," Hanzo said. "I'll have Rain Shinobi's intelligence network actively cooperate with Konoha's operations."
"Even better," Simu replied with a faint smile.
To be honest, he didn't have much respect for the so-called demigod sitting across from him.
It was true that Hanzo had once been the guardian of the Land of Rain in his youth.
But after the Second Great Ninja War, he became a puppet ruler, constantly betraying the Land of Rain's interests just to maintain his authority.
In the end, he was no more than a corrupt politician.
After obtaining the information he needed, Simu left with Aburame Shibi.
Hanzo's eyes turned sharp as he watched Simu's back disappear.
After Simu was gone, Ishida Muramura entered and asked a startling question:
"Master Hanzo, are we truly going to let the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth form an alliance?"
Hanzo folded his arms and looked at his deputy coldly.
"No. This is more than just a simple alliance between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. It's also a cooperation with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire... and potentially even Konoha."
Muramura's heart skipped a beat, but thanks to his steady nerves, he quickly composed himself.
"You mean..." he asked cautiously.
Hanzo replied flatly:
"Konoha has become too powerful—so strong that even the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth want to join forces to suppress them."
"And Hanyu Simu is the biggest thorn in everyone's side."
"No one wants to see another Senju Hashirama rise in Konoha."
Hanzo recalled the old days.
In that era, it felt like there were two suns in the sky—one was Senju Hashirama, the other was Uchiha Madara.
And Konoha stood above all others as the sole overlord of the shinobi world.
Under the overwhelming might of the God of Shinobi, there was rare peace in the world.
Yet, ironically, aside from Konoha, no other nation seemed to desire a return to that time.
"Even within Konoha," Hanzo continued, "there are those who don't want to see another Hashirama emerge."
He gave a meaningful glance.
"Send the real intelligence about the two nations to Konoha. Then inform the leaders of Wind and Earth that I will intervene when the time is right. They'd better not forget our agreement."
With that, Hanzo closed his eyes.
As a former demigod, he refused to let the Land of Rain be eternally subordinate to others.
This time was a rare opportunity.
If they could unite the power of the Wind and Earth countries and deliver a heavy blow to Konoha, the Land of Rain might finally reclaim its independence.
This aging demigod was ready to gamble everything.
After receiving Hanzo's orders, Ishida Muramura left.
A flicker of cold determination passed through Hanzo's cloudy eyes.
After many twists and turns, Ishida Muramura arrived at a tavern town known for its customs—home to the mysterious Lu Li.
The Land of Rain had few resources, but its adult industries were particularly developed—likely a result of its failing economy. Many women had no choice but to work in such industries just to survive.
As Hanzo's trusted aide, Ishida Muramura had considerable influence.
He immediately called for the town's most popular singer to accompany him.
One hand wrapped around the singer's slim waist, the other holding a cup of wine, Muramura staggered into a private room.
The moment he closed the door, his eyes turned cold and sober.
"Hanzo is preparing to make a move against Hanyu Simu."
The singer, now seated on the floor, poured two glasses of wine. Her lips curled slightly as she spoke.
"So Hanzo still can't resist the temptation to break away from Konoha's control."
Muramura nodded.
"Lord Danzo was right all along."
The singer sipped her wine elegantly.
"Don't worry. Lord Danzo has already made preparations. If Hanzo dares to make a move, Hanyu Simu and the army of the Land of Wind won't escape this time."
A wave of killing intent suddenly filled the room.
Muramura hesitated slightly.
"But if Hanyu Simu is killed... Konoha's military strength might—"
The singer's eyes flared with murderous intensity.
"Are you doubting Lord Danzo's judgment?"
Cold sweat broke out across Muramura's forehead.
"N-not at all!"
Upon receiving intelligence from the border of the Land of Rain, Simu wasted no time.
He immediately led his troops into action.
A day later, they finally arrived at the mountaintop.
Aburame Shibi followed closely behind Simu, muttering as he studied the map:
"According to intel from the Hidden Rain Village, the forces of the Land of Wind are about 50 kilometers to the west, and the Land of Earth's forces are 30 kilometers to the north."
"We should reach the scheduled battlefield by tomorrow."
Soon, a troubled expression appeared on Aburame Shibi's face.
"We only have two thousand troops. What's your plan from here?"
Simu looked at the map and asked casually,
"Who's leading the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth units?"
"As for the Rock Shinobi," Shibi replied, "they're led by Rai Murakami of the Explosion Corps—a powerful Explosion Style user."
"His older brother, Kari, was also a notable figure in the Hidden Stone Village, but you beheaded him in the last battle."
"The Sand Shinobi are led by a Scorch Style user named Pakura. You should know her."
Simu raised his eyebrows and nodded slightly.
"I do. I beat her up during that joint Jōnin assessment."
Shibi's expression twitched awkwardly.
Both the Sand and Rock Shinobi seemed to treat Simu as a sworn enemy.
If curses could kill, the man before him would have died tens of millions of times already.
Simu placed his finger on the Sand Shinobi's position on the map and said coldly:
"Since they keep causing trouble, let's strike first."
"How do you plan to do that?"
Sensing Simu's killing intent, Aburame Shibi immediately became alert.
Simu grinned.
"Simple—straight to the heart of their forces!"
"Seriously…"
Even before coming here, Shibi knew Simu wasn't someone known for strategy.
His only "tactic" was to charge forward and beat his enemies into the ground.
"Don't worry. I've got this," Simu said, eyes narrowing.
He wanted to see if these six thousand enemy ninjas could push the limits of the Azure Dragon Fruit.
Meanwhile, two thousand Konoha ninjas were rapidly constructing fortifications.
Night was falling.
The reconnaissance units stood guard, vigilantly watching for any movement.
The commander of this unit was none other than the younger brother of the Hyuga clan head—Hyuga Hizashi.
"Stay sharp. Don't get caught in an ambush," Hizashi said calmly.
Another Hyuga clan ninja asked hesitantly:
"Captain, I heard the combined forces of the Sand and Rock Shinobi exceed ten thousand. We only have two thousand. Can we really hold them off?"
Hizashi frowned.
Normally, such odds wouldn't even be worth considering.
After all, the enemy outnumbered them six to one.
No matter how elite Konoha's forces were, one ninja fighting six was nearly impossible.
Especially since this time, both Sand and Rock had sent only their elite troops.
Still, Simu was the one leading this operation.
And that changed everything.
After all, he had never lost a single battle on the battlefield.
"This isn't something we should be thinking about," Hizashi replied.
He adjusted his forehead protector, bearing the Konoha insignia, and said coldly:
"Even if our march was kept extremely secret, the enemy may still try a sneak attack. Stay alert and carry out your duties properly."
"Yes, sir!"
Suddenly, one of the Hyuga ninjas tensed up.
He pointed at the ground in alarm.
"Captain! There's a massive surge of chakra activity underground!"
Hyuga Hizashi reacted instantly.
"Sound the alarm! Enemy attack incoming!"
A piercing siren wailed across the Konoha camp.
"Tch, those cursed Byakugan… so annoying," came a cold voice.
The ground trembled violently.
Moments later, parts of the terrain erupted upward, splitting the camp into multiple sections.
Dozens of Rock Shinobi burst out from the breaches.
The blades in their hands glinted with killing intent as they lunged toward the Konoha ninjas.
But Konoha was ready.
The defending shinobi were already gripping their weapons and retaliated instantly.
"Damn it, they detected the raid?"
The Rock Shinobi looked grim.
What was supposed to be a surprise assault had devolved into a full-blown battle.
Still, they were puzzled.
Even the Byakugan shouldn't have been able to detect them so quickly.
They were the Rock Shinobi's elite underground corps—experts in stealth warfare.
"Lord Simu was right… there was going to be a sneak attack," Hyuga Hizashi said coldly.
By now, more than a thousand Rock Shinobi had infiltrated the Konoha camp.
And with Hizashi's Byakugan active, he could see that thousands more were advancing from afar—clearly the main force.
Their marching route had been completely exposed.
Which meant… there was a traitor among them.
Simu, however, was unfazed.
He had sensed the underground movement earlier with his Observation Haki, and had already alerted the Konoha ninjas to prepare.
The coat of justice on his back flapped in the wind.
Simu smiled calmly.
"The war has begun."
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