Two days later, in the Rain Country.
"Seiki Shimaseki?" Hanzo, wearing a mask, spoke in a muffled voice. "So he actually defeated Danzo Shimura and even risen to command a combined force of two villages... It's truly rare to see such a dazzling genius these days!"
"Hanzo-sama, what should we do?"
The gathered Jonin looked at Hanzo with eyes full of worship, as if gazing upon a god.
Unlike other ninja villages, the Jonin Meeting in Amegakure was merely decorative. All major and minor affairs of the village were decided solely by Hanzo himself.
Yet rather than resisting this arrangement, they embraced it happily.
The Land of Rain borders the Lands of Fire, Earth, and Wind—three powerful nations. For Rain Village to survive and grow amid such dangerous surroundings, even showing signs of becoming the Sixth Great Ninja Village, could be credited entirely to Hanzo alone.
While other villages respectfully referred to him as the "Semi-God," in the Land of Rain, his title was simply—"God"!
At this moment, "God" spoke, "I originally wanted to let them keep fighting while we benefited from both sides. But now, it seems I must make a decision. What terms have both sides offered?"
A Rain Jonin replied, "Konoha's offer hasn't changed much from what they proposed before, but Iwagakure not only accepted our demands, they've also promised to help us replace Sunagakure's position and become one of the Five Great Nations in the shinobi world after defeating the alliance of Konoha and Suna!"
As his words settled, everyone in the room began breathing more rapidly.
Their original ambition had only been to become the Sixth Great Nation. To replace Sunagakure as one of the Five Great Nations in the shinobi world was something they hadn't even dared dream of—yet now Iwa had placed this opportunity directly on the table.
"Hanzo-sama, let's accept their offer! At last, our dream may come true!"
"That's right! We've already offended Suna badly. Rather than facing retribution later, we might as well decide now!"
But amidst the excitement, dissenting voices also arose.
"The fact that Iwa is offering such a deal only shows how little confidence they have in their own future."
"While Iwa's offer is indeed tempting, one wrong move, and we'll go down with them!"
As both sides argued furiously, all eyes unconsciously turned toward Hanzo.
Their opinions were just references; only the "God" could make the final decision.
Hanzo looked up slightly and said coldly, "A new Five Great Nations? Just empty words. Without real strength, all their support won't mean a thing. In the end, we may just become puppets propped up by them!"
Nods of understanding appeared among the crowd. One asked hesitantly, "Then should we choose Konoha instead?"
Yet Hanzo shook his head. "Iwa is unreliable—but I trust Konoha even less!"
"What? Why is that?"
Rather than answering directly, Hanzo shifted topics. "What do you all think about that sudden organization called 'Akatsuki'?"
At the mention of "Akatsuki," the Rain Jonin felt momentarily confused.
"What? There's such an organization?"
"I've heard of it vaguely. Isn't it some group started by a few brats who claim to want peace in the shinobi world?"
"Peace?"
"Ha! Still believe in that stuff? How adorable!"
"Don't underestimate them. I heard they've recruited quite a few members already."
Hanzo grumbled, "Though naïve, those three kids aren't simple-minded. I sent people to follow them, but all attempts failed without exception!"
"After failing to tail them several times in a row, they decided to take matters into their own hands! And yet..." Hanzo's eyes even revealed a trace of shock, "...in less than half a minute after the fight began, they were defeated!"
"How could this happen?" All the jonin present refused to believe it. Lord Hanzo always chose carefully—those he assigned missions wouldn't be weak.
How could such elite ninjas get defeated within such a short time by mere brats!
While shocked, someone noticed something odd: "Lord Hanzo, since they lost, how did you learn about this intelligence?"
Hanzo's eyes turned peculiar, "They told me, of course! After defeating them, those little brats gave them a long-winded lecture on peace before sending them back!"
"What?! They actually released their enemies voluntarily?"
The jonin almost doubted their own sanity. How did such naïve ninja even survive this long?
Gently kneading his fingers, Hanzo continued, "But they did bring me an interesting piece of information—those three kids are two boys and a girl. Though talented, their ninjutsu style completely differs from Rain Country's mainstream techniques!"
"Based on these characteristics, what does this remind you of?"
A jonin asked cautiously, "Could they possibly be the three trained by Konoha's Jiraiya?"
As soon as these words fell, others excitedly shouted:
"Impossible! Weren't they dead when we went to invite them?"
"Maybe they're homegrown geniuses from our own Rain Country?"
They had good reason to be excited.
In their view, being invited by Lord Hanzo was an honor for every citizen in Rain Country. Faking their deaths to escape would be seen as nothing short of sacrilege and betrayal toward the Rain Country!
"Hmph!" Hanzo's face darkened, "How many geniuses can this world possibly have? One might be possible, but three? You think I'm stupid?"
Given his control over Rain Country, how could he not notice Jiraiya's presence for three years?
Truthfully, he believed his reputation alone would be more than enough to easily convince three kids, which is why he deliberately ignored Jiraiya's existence.
After all, though his strength surpassed Jiraiya at that time, regarding depth of knowledge and teaching ability, he still lagged behind Jiraiya, who had been personally taught by the Third Hokage.
Unfortunately, when he later sent subordinates to invite them, all he received was news that the three were already dead.
At the time, he felt a slight regret, but now it seemed like those three kids had just been playing him all along!
"Refusing to serve under me, faking his death to escape, and now resurfacing to start some group called the 'Akatsuki'..." Hanzo's voice dropped low. "I can't help but suspect they're a sleeper agent planted by Konoha—a nail that slowly worms its way in before taking full control of the Rain Country!"
Hearing that, the group of Jonin all swore loudly.
"Damn it! Konoha dares to go this far!"
"And especially that Jiraiya! Lord Hanzo spared their lives back then—yet he still dares to plot against us!"
Hanzo raised a hand, and instantly the room fell silent.
"First," he continued, "send someone to make contact with Iwagakure. Then keep a close eye on Akatsuki's movements… If they really are Konoha's sleeper agents, they'll make their move this time!"
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