In the original course of events, Danzō Shimura had led Root operatives into the Land of Rain, disguising themselves as shinobi from various villages.
Their method was simple.
Ambush enemy squads while wearing another village's identity.
Stir suspicion.
Deepen hatred.
Escalate conflict between Konoha, Iwagakure, and Amegakure.
During one such staged assault—posing as Iwa ninja and attacking members of Akatsuki—Danzō discovered Nagato's Rinnegan.
Greed followed immediately.
But he wasn't confident he could defeat Nagato alone.
So he sought out Hanzo of the Salamander.
Hanzo had initially viewed Akatsuki with cautious goodwill. Their ideals aligned with his early dreams.
Peace.
Sovereignty.
Stability for Rain.
He had not interfered with them.
But under Danzō's manipulation and subtle slander, Hanzo began to believe Akatsuki was merely a faction disguising political ambition beneath the banner of peace.
A rival.
A threat to his authority.
To protect his power—
He chose blood.
And that decision led to tragedy.
Hanzo lost his conviction.
He became a blunt blade.
And from that moment, his decline was inevitable.
"Danzō truly leaves ruin wherever he goes," Jin muttered softly. "No wonder they call him the darkness of the shinobi world."
After confirming his direction, he flickered toward Amegakure.
By the time Jin arrived outside the village, dusk had settled.
Amegakure was under heavy guard.
Fully armed patrols lined the streets.
Civilians were scarce.
An atmosphere of suffocating tension hung in the air.
Above, thunderclouds loomed like a black sea pressing down upon the city.
Rain threatened, but had not yet fallen.
"Summoning Jutsu."
Jin bit his thumb, formed seals, and summoned a black shinobi crow.
Among the Uchiha clan, two primary summoning contracts existed: ninja cats and ninja crows.
The cats specialized in forging weapons and intelligence gathering.
The crows excelled in reconnaissance, communication, and combat support.
Jin had contracts with both.
"Caw… caw…"
"Crow Concealment Technique."
The crow opened its beak.
Jin formed seals and dissolved into distorted heat haze before slipping into the bird's mouth.
The technique was not uncommon.
Orochimaru hid within serpents.
Jiraiya concealed himself inside toads.
Different forms—
Same principle.
Hide the body to evade detection.
The crow launched into the air.
It circled once, then lowered altitude and followed a sparrow.
Together they passed through an invisible barrier.
A sensory perimeter.
Inside Amegakure.
The crow lingered near the outskirts before gradually moving toward the center.
"Crimson Vision… activate."
The crow's eyes shifted.
Brown irises expanded—
Then snapped into three-tomoe Sharingan.
Orange-red light flickered.
The world dimmed—
Then transformed.
Heat signatures ignited across Jin's field of vision.
This was a unique ocular technique Jin had developed by merging his flame abilities with the Sharingan.
Thermal perception.
The stronger his spiritual power—
The farther and clearer he could see.
Chakra manifested vividly.
The greater the chakra—
The brighter the flame.
In terms of reconnaissance, this ability rivaled even the Byakugan.
It did not take long.
One chakra presence burned brighter than all others.
Surrounded by multiple high-level signatures.
Hanzo.
Without question.
The crow flapped forward.
Moments later, it hovered above an enormous estate.
The compound sprawled across more than twenty courtyards.
Only the Hyūga estate in Konoha compared.
Security was dense.
Not merely "three steps one guard, five steps one post"—
But close.
Patrols rotated continuously.
The crow did not descend immediately.
After mapping every movement pattern, Jin deactivated Crimson Vision.
It was excellent for scouting—
But inefficient for prolonged engagement.
The crow casually flew past.
Circled elsewhere.
Returned.
Then dropped toward a remote courtyard.
Likely a storage yard.
Occasional patrols passed through.
But no stationed guard.
Most importantly—
Empty.
The crow landed in a shadowed corner and opened its beak.
Jin emerged silently.
He crouched low.
"Infiltration—"
His expression shifted.
"—failed."
He slowly raised his gaze.
Not far ahead—
A tall armored figure stood waiting.
Long yellow-gray hair.
Dark flak armor.
Black mantle.
A chained sickle held loosely at his side.
A distinctive respirator mask concealed his lower face.
"Hanzo…"
Jin's tone was calm.
Surprised—
Yet not.
Hanzo's eyes were steady as still water.
They swept across Jin's forehead protector.
Then to the Uchiha crest on his sleeve.
"Konoha shinobi…"
"Uchiha, hm?"
A pause.
"Or are you here to frame someone?"
Jin had not concealed his identifiers.
Not because of oversight.
But because concealment was pointless.
His abilities were far too distinct.
Anyone who witnessed him fight could trace his identity.
More importantly—
He had already prepared multiple approaches for this meeting.
Honesty, in this case—
Was the stronger move.
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