In Amegakure.
Hanzo the Half-God had found himself backed into a bathtub.
After many long years, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato had finally returned to Amegakure in an especially open and public way—standing directly before Hanzo of the Rain Village.
Akatsuki attacking Amegakure and confronting Hanzo wasn't particularly strange—it had happened more than once before.
But what was strange this time was how they had entered the village... Some opened doors for them, others guided their way, and a few hesitated—yet none resisted.
There were too many traitors within.
Akatsuki didn't look like invaders—they looked like they were coming home.
This showed that Yahiko not only continued progressing toward his goal, but also that he hadn't changed the methods he'd originally set—using violence with restraint, pursuing true peace through peaceful means, turning ideals into reality step by steady step.
"Lord Hanzo," Yahiko took a step forward and declared, "I believe you already understand your current situation. Even if battle could demonstrate your strength, it would still be a meaningless act... The Land of Rain has already paid too high a price."
When even half of Hanzo's closest guards chose silence, Hanzo naturally understood his own position... Had Amegakure truly been infiltrated to such an extent without anyone noticing?
"So it's come to this," Hanzo couldn't help but speak with surprise in his voice.
His initial judgment had been correct after all—Yahiko, this kind of person spreading ideas, was truly the most dangerous type.
Such people should have been completely eliminated the moment they appeared, yet Hanzo hadn't done that—and thus arrived at this very situation.
The brief flicker of emotion vanished instantly, and Hanzo quickly regained his calm demeanor.
"This country desires peace, so you give it peace, treating fulfilling everyone's expectations as an ideal—this appears wise, but is in truth merely yielding to the 'cowardice' of the mediocre masses.
An idealist is nothing more than another face of cowardice... True strength lies in holding fast to one's convictions even when going against the current.
Gentleness and peace are nothing but delusions; one day, they will surely destroy this nation.
It has always been iron and blood that allowed the Land of Rain to survive crushed between greater nations.
If you succeed, it'll be the first step toward the true ruin of both the Land of Rain and Amegakure.
And now you actually try to persuade me with such childish theories? It's laughable. I am a man who has walked through endless years. Boy, do you really think I'm that kind of ninja?"
Ideals, beliefs—Hanzo was a ninja who believed only in the power within his own hands.
Even if today he fell, it would be to the strength of these three young people, not their ridiculous twisted logic... In the end, there was no such thing as "talking jutsu" in this world.
"You won't reach your ideals without sacrifice, right?
So why hesitate? Come then."
"Go ahead and test me. See for yourself whether I'm just an old man falling apart or still as strong as ever."
Hanzo was the leader of Amegakure, and the leader of Amegakure was always destined to die for his persistence and refusal to yield. No matter what outcome Hanzo faced, the answer to that question remained perfectly clear... He was undoubtedly old yet resilient.
And he could only ever be old yet resilient.
Yahiko had his own ideals, while Hanzo had his own convictions. From a neutral standpoint, was Yahiko necessarily right and Hanzo necessarily wrong? Ultimately, it was simply a difference in beliefs.
Therefore, battle was unavoidable.
Konan was a fragile, slow ninja who nonetheless wielded both high attack power and high evasion, using unique Techniques.
Though Nagato had lost the [Rinnegan], its influence on him remained. His body and mind had long since become one with the [Rinnegan].
Surprisingly enough, the weakest among them was actually Yahiko, but within the team, he served as the strategist—not the muscle.
Three people, four eyes between them—always aligned in sight and path.
So all Hanzo needed to prove at this moment was...
That a veteran's blood could still run vivid and crimson.
Looking back on Hanzo's entire life, his actions certainly couldn't be called heroic, but at this very moment alone, he might barely qualify as "a hero in his twilight years."
A lifetime of ambition, pride, and fame—every act of perseverance, every deed—had all faded into history.
In Year of Konoha 58, Hanzo of the Rain Village fell in battle, and Yahiko, leader of Akatsuki among rōnin in the Land of Rain, became the new leader of Amegakure.
Two figures bearing similar names and somewhat alike personalities, whose deaths occurred eerily close to each other—whether this should be seen as coincidence or irony, no one could say.
...
"Tsunade? We're just about to see Konoha."
Several days later, Haseo's family had already approached Konoha, the central village of the Land of Fire, after leaving the Land of Bears.
However, Tsunade seemed especially distracted lately. Her gaze kept drifting eastward from time to time, and she carried an inexplicable sense of fatigue... If Haseo hadn't known better, his first thought would have been something like "early pregnancy symptoms."
After ruling out that possibility, he began to suspect it might be cravings caused by not gambling for several days straight.
Of course, there was no way he could voice that thought aloud.
"Oh, sorry—I spaced out again... I don't know why, but these past few days I've had this indescribable sense of unease."
"Just psychological reactions to environmental changes, or maybe physical signs of being nervous about going home. Women are more sensitive to these things. As for me, I don't feel anything unusual at all," Haseo said casually. After all, he could guarantee Tsunade's physical condition was fine.
"People like you, who are so easygoing and worry-free, are rare. Besides… you're returning to Konoha for your own reasons. Even if you did have 'special feelings,' you wouldn't admit them anyway."
Haseo immediately shut up. These kinds of topics were impossible to explain clearly, and speaking usually only made things worse.
"Father, are we here in Konoha yet?"
Niyu Haseo had always been up to no good with Lord Haseo, so naturally she came to his aid when the situation called for it.
"Yep, that's the place ahead. So... Daughter, we can start our operation now."
"Understood, Father."
Niyu Haseo gave Lord Haseo a salute, looking completely ready to obey his commands.
Seeing Lord Haseo and his "little helper" getting busy, Tsunade watched helplessly, increasingly troubled by her daughter's behavior... How should she put it? Though maybe a bit too late to say this now, letting Haseo take care of a child was truly an irreversible mistake.
Still, objectively speaking, one must admit—Haseo raising kids was at least better than Tsunade doing it herself.
Both were equally mismatched as parents, but at least Haseo wouldn't somehow curse the child's luck.
After a while, there was Haseo sitting in a wheelchair. Moreover, "acting thoroughly," he had a thick white blanket covering his legs, upon which nestled a black cat... Looking exactly like someone physically disabled yet mentally strong.
Thirteen-year-old Niyu Haseo was responsible for pushing his wheelchair from behind.
"...Do whatever you want."
At this moment, Tsunade especially wanted to ask a question... Was it still possible for her to distance herself from these two?
After switching to this 'advanced' ride, the family quickly reached Konoha's main gate.
Pushing the wheelchair might have felt pretty exciting to Niyu Haseo, and she couldn't help but turn it into something like a race.
She definitely had a knack for it—every turn was smooth and precise.
At Konoha's main gate, two people were waiting for them.
They were Ka-jin and Kushina Uzumaki.
"Lord Haseo, what...?"
Although her eyes involuntarily glanced toward Niyu Haseo several times, Kushina's initial surprise focused on Haseo's current "look."
"Oh, is that Kushina? Haven't seen each other for a while, and you've grown so much."
Faking poor eyesight, Haseo narrowed his eyes and adopted a voice on the verge of dying... He did have quite the flair for drama.
But given how energetic and borderline hyperactive he looked, who would actually believe his acting?
Besides, wasn't the real issue here not that Kushina had simply "grown up," but that she was already someone's mother? So Kushina didn't know how to respond to Haseo's remark at all.
"Come here, sit next to Uncle, let me have a good look at you."
Saying this, Haseo patted his lap, indicating for the young lady to come over.
The Black Cat, pretending to nap before, obediently moved aside its bottom when hearing Haseo speak, leaving ample space for Kushina.
Well, Haseo made it perfectly clear—"This is Haseo Mengde returning once more."
A woman with childbirth experience could tell just by looking at her posture. As for exactly what kind of posture that was... Well, hard to describe.
Thus, Kushina didn't know what to say anymore, her face filled only with embarrassment.
What the hell? You're telling me the Fifth Hokage climbed the ranks through marital strings and backdoor politics?
Could there be some kind of **bombshell** inside that tabloid reporters would kill for?
Even little Niyu Haseo's eyes took on a strange look… Is she an older sister, or a 'stepmom'?
Too bad her red hair didn't match his features—otherwise Niyu would've had to rethink her origins. As the rumors went, Lord Haseo had black hair in his youth, which explained why she herself had black hair.
At that moment, Tsunade finally lost her patience. Without another word, she stepped forward and slammed her hand down on Haseo's shoulder, ready at any second to snap his neck.
"Sorry, Kushina, but your Lord Haseo… he's gone senile—just listen to the way he talks. Looks like dementia's already taken full hold."
What else could Tsunade possibly say?
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