"Lord Hanzo, has he truly grown old?"
"That Hanzo, he doesn't even dare to make a move anymore..."
"Has he been scared stiff by Konoha and Hidden Sand?"
"What 'hero'? He's nothing but an old coward cowering in his tower, only knowing how to send people to protect himself!"
"I heard Hanzo has already been killed..."
"Hidden Rain is finished... We are finished..."
Hanzo stood like a bedrock on the Red Tongue, heavy, suppressed breaths escaping from beneath his mask. His knuckles cracked as his fists clenched tightly.
An unrestrainable anxiety surged in his eyes.
Standing there, through the curtain of rain, Hanzo could feel the death permeating the villages on the border of the Land of Rain, those affected by the war.
Fear was spreading rapidly throughout the Land of Rain like a plague. People whispered, their eyes filled with the dread of the Second Great Ninja War's tragedy repeating itself.
Rumors about him were circulating in Hidden Rain Village and even throughout the Land of Rain. Every word of disappointment and contempt felt like a whip lashing across his face!
All of this was stimulating his long-dormant fighting spirit.
He longed to descend upon the battlefield as he once did, to use his scythe and his poison to crush the invaders who dared to trample the Land of Rain's territory, like crushing insects! He longed to let the corpses of those invaders sink into the murky mud of the Land of Rain, to use their blood and death to re-proclaim the fearsome name of "Hanzo," a name that once made the Five Great Nations tremble!
But he couldn't!
Because of that person's command, the command of 'Kage'!
That mysterious individual had bestowed upon him the power to return to his peak, even surpassing his former strength, by incomprehensible means, filling his aged and decaying body with vitality once more.
But the price of this power was a certain degree of obedience.
That person said it wasn't time yet, the bait wasn't enough.
Bait?
What bait?
Those Konoha and Hidden Sand ninja?
What exactly did 'Kage' want to do?
Hanzo didn't know.
But until Hidden Sand and Konoha touched his bottom line, he could only choose to obey 'Kage's' command and remain tethered here.
Standing at this highest point, in the cold rain, enduring the torment within and the increasingly loud questioning and mockery from outside, waiting in frustration.
Every distant explosion whipped at his taut nerves.
"..."
In contrast, Nagato ignored Hanzo's daily self-pity.
He sat on the edge of the Red Tongue, one leg casually dangling outwards, the other bent, an elbow resting on his knee, gazing into the distance.
His deep Rinnegan eyes pierced through the heavy rain, and his invisible perception outlined the frenzied battle between Hidden Sand and Konoha ninja at the Land of Rain's border.
Rain Tiger at Will Skill—this was a ninjutsu that used chakra to create rain clouds and then cause rain to fall. Every raindrop was closely linked to his perception. Its adaptability to special climates allowed it to function at maximum efficiency in the rain, reducing chakra consumption compared to regular sensing ninjutsu, and monitoring the entire area continuously to prevent external infiltration.
If he had possessed the power of Pain, the range of this jutsu would have, at most, covered Hidden Rain Village, but now it could sense the entire Land of Rain.
And all of this, like Hanzo, was because of that person.
Thus, compared to Hanzo's anxiety, Nagato remained remarkably calm.
Because he knew more about 'Kage's' secrets than Hanzo did, knowing the power hidden in the shadows that could overturn the ninja world's understanding.
He knew that 'Kage's' words were never without purpose; this seemingly incompetent and indifferent detachment must hide important schemes.
So he simply sat quietly, like an unmoving stone statue in the wind and rain, waiting for that command to be given.
And just as this oppressive silence almost solidified into reality.
A bland, smiling voice came from behind them, without warning.
"The time has come."
Hanzo and Nagato's bodies both stiffened simultaneously. Nagato slowly pulled back his dangling leg, and Hanzo sharply turned, splashing water.
Behind them, in the shadow of the Demon's Throat, a profound darkness condensed like a living entity, and a figure silently materialized from within.
That face remained shrouded in a vision-blurring shadow, a wide black robe enveloping his form. Only a deep void, as if capable of devouring all light, could be seen.
"Kage, what did you say?"
Hanzo's heart hammered like a drum, and he instinctively blurted out the question.
'Kage's' gaze seemed to pierce through the rain curtain, falling upon a certain gaping maw that had long been opened for this feast.
No explanation was needed, nor any encouragement.
"Go."
'Kage's' voice was unusually calm, even gentle, but the words he uttered sent a chill down the spines of those nearby:
"Purge them."
The moment the words fell, 'Kage' dissipated like ink washed away by the rain curtain, his figure silently vanishing from where he stood.
It was as if that single command was his sole purpose for being there.
Or perhaps, he came here simply to open the cage that restrained the tiger.
Boom!!
Hanzo's body suddenly erupted with a chilling killing intent capable of freezing space. The accumulated chakra within him instantly boiled, then roared forth.
This tiger, starved for days within its cage, pacing restlessly, now seemed to have smelled blood.
His eyes locked onto the distant horizon, regaining the sharpness that once struck fear into the Five Great Nations. The anxiety in his gaze transformed into a raw, ravenous desire for blood.
At this moment, only one thought remained in Hanzo's mind.
Kill!!
In an instant, his figure vanished from where he stood, heading towards the border of the Land of Rain.
Along with him, Nagato's figure also disappeared.
At this moment, on the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, inside the Hidden Sand forces' frontline command tent.
Outside the tent, the rain drizzled. The unique damp cold of the Land of Rain had already seeped in, and the air was heavy with the scent of earth.
Inside the tent, it was a completely different scene. The brazier and lamps emitted warm light, dispelling most of the chill, but also outlining each weary, grim face.
The Hidden Sand Jōnin sat upright around a wooden table covered with a map, their gazes focused on the old woman at the head of the table, whose eyes were sharp as a hawk's despite her age.
"Good evening, everyone."
Chiyo's gaze swept across the faces of the Hidden Sand Jōnin present, then she chuckled, "Why do you young ones seem more nervous than an old hag like me? Can't you relax a bit?"
At her words, the Hidden Sand ninja present gave cooperative smiles, but there was no amusement in their eyes. They all knew that this war council would determine the village's future.
"Ahem, well then, let's officially begin the operational deployment. First, point one..."
Chiyo cleared her throat, lifted her gaze from the documents, and smiled, "We will increase our strategic depth in the Land of Rain. The scope will no longer be limited to the border; we will advance towards the resource gathering points."