Hanzō stepped down from the rooftop slowly and returned to the inside of the tower. The rain still poured endlessly outside, but his expression had already returned to calm. After entering the room, he changed out of his soaked clothes and put on a dry robe.
As the leader of Amegakure, he naturally had people responsible for taking care of his daily needs. However, as the years passed, Hanzō had lost more than just his ambition. He had also lost the recklessness he once possessed.
To put it simply, he had begun to fear death.
He was not afraid of facing a strong opponent in battle. What he feared was being assassinated by someone unworthy, dying in a way that had nothing to do with strength. Because of that, he rarely allowed others to get close to him now, even when it came to simple things like changing clothes or preparing meals.
As the leader of Amegakure, there were too many people who wanted him dead.
Among them were rogue ninja who had betrayed the village, assassins sent by the Five Great Nations, and even bounty hunters who only cared about money. If Hanzō died, the Land of Rain would immediately fall into chaos once again.
When he was younger, he had never worried about such things. At that time, he believed that with the blade in his hand and the power of the salamander, he could walk anywhere in the ninja world without fear.
Back then, he did not even take assassination attempts seriously. Instead, he used them as opportunities to sharpen his skills. If he met a ninja whose talent impressed him, he would sometimes spare their life and even offer a few pointers, hoping they would return one day stronger and challenge him again.
That kind of confidence was not only arrogance. It came from absolute belief in his own strength.
But people changed with age.
Now, Hanzō valued his life far more than before. He no longer sought battle the way he once did. Most of the time, he stayed inside the tower and relied on heavy defenses to keep himself safe. Even so, the bounty on his head in the underground market had never decreased.
Many powerful ninja had attempted to assassinate him over the years, but the one he remembered most clearly was a rogue ninja from Takigakure named Kakuzu.
That man had a strange appearance, terrifying strength, and very unusual techniques. What Hanzō remembered most clearly was something Kakuzu had said during their battle.
He claimed that he had once fought against the God of Shinobi and had even gained his respect, so he did not care about a mere demigod.
The arrogance in those words was obvious.
In the end, Hanzō destroyed three of Kakuzu's hearts in that fight.
Even now, when he thought about it, he still felt a trace of unease. Kakuzu had nearly succeeded in a sneak attack by pretending to be dead. From that moment on, Hanzō became even more cautious. After all, he did not have multiple hearts like that man. One mistake would be enough to end everything.
Inside a large room at the center of the tower, Hanzō sat down quietly on the tatami after changing his clothes. The atmosphere inside the room was heavy and silent.
Outside the closed door, an Ame ninja was kneeling respectfully.
"Lord Hanzō, the envoys from the three villages have been waiting for quite some time," the ninja said in a low voice.
Hanzō replied calmly from inside the room, "Let them enter."
The Ame ninja immediately retreated after hearing the order.
A moment later, the door slid open, and three figures stepped inside.
"Lord Hanzō is truly a busy man, making the three of us wait this long," a middle aged jōnin said with a faint smile. His hair was already thinning, but his tone still carried confidence.
He was the envoy sent by Sunagakure this time.
Even though he sounded polite, the impatience in his eyes could not be hidden. The short ninja standing beside him was far less restrained. That man kept tugging at the yellow headband on his forehead and spoke in an irritated tone.
"Lord Hanzō is not avoiding us on purpose, is he?"
He had lived in the dry environment of the Land of Wind for most of his life, so the humid climate of the Land of Rain made him extremely uncomfortable. As he spoke, he pulled at his headband again, as if he could squeeze water out of it at any moment.
Hanzō showed a faintly apologetic expression.
"I would not avoid honored guests. I was dealing with a small rebellion just now. The Land of Rain is not as peaceful as the Five Great Nations. I apologize for keeping you waiting."
His tone sounded sincere, but only he knew that he had simply been standing on the rooftop enjoying the rain not long ago.
Since Hanzō had already spoken first, the three envoys could not continue pressing the matter. The dissatisfaction on their faces eased slightly.
"I would like to know when Lord Hanzō plans to officially start the war," a bronze skinned man asked directly.
His skin tone and strong build made it obvious that he came from Kumogakure.
The moment he spoke, the other two also focused their attention on Hanzō. Their main purpose for coming here was simple. They wanted him to send troops as soon as possible.
"We have already begun," Hanzō replied calmly.
"If sending a few small squads to harass the enemy counts as starting a war, then Sunagakure and Konoha would have been at war for decades," the short ninja said coldly.
The meaning behind his words was obvious. In his eyes, Hanzō had not done enough.
"The first batch of supplies we promised has already been delivered to Amegakure," the Kumogakure envoy continued. "We hope Lord Hanzō will also keep his promise. Otherwise, stopping the supply of materials will be the least of the consequences."
The threat in his tone was impossible to ignore.
According to the agreement between Hanzō and the three great nations, each village would send a batch of supplies to the Land of Rain. The plan was supposed to last for five years. After the war ended, part of the resources taken from the Land of Fire would also be shared with the Land of Rain.
To Hanzō, that five year plan sounded more like a joke.
The war had already lasted for nearly two years. Based on the experience of previous wars, it was unlikely to continue for five more. Once the war ended, there was no guarantee that the three great nations would continue providing aid.
In the ninja world, promises were the most unreliable thing of all.
As for the so called resources of the Land of Fire, the result would be the same no matter who won. If Konoha won, that promise would disappear. If Konoha lost, the three great nations would divide everything among themselves. It was very unlikely that the Land of Rain would receive any real benefits.
Even so, Hanzō had no choice but to agree to the deal.
The Land of Rain desperately needed those supplies. Even receiving support for three years would be better than receiving nothing at all.
In exchange, Hanzō had to send troops against Konoha.
Originally, Iwagakure wanted him to lead his forces directly into Kusagakure and attack Konoha together. Sunagakure strongly opposed that plan. Their own resources were already scarce, and the Daimyō often delayed support. They were not willing to spend resources only to benefit another village.
The Third Kazekage had suggested a different plan instead, asking Hanzō to send troops toward the Land of Wind and assist in dealing with Orochimaru.
Because of this, the two villages had argued for a long time. In the end, the final decision was simple. The Land of Rain would split its forces and attack Konoha's supply lines.
Kumogakure did not care which plan was chosen.
The battlefield in the Land of Hot Water was too far away for the Land of Rain to provide real support anyway. At first, the Third Raikage had not even cared about such a small force. But the situation had changed after Kirigakure withdrew from the war.
Now, Konoha had freed a large number of ninja from another battlefield. If those forces moved toward the Land of Hot Water, the pressure on Kumogakure would increase greatly. Because of that, they needed someone else to take Kirigakure's place and keep Konoha busy.
That was why they had turned their attention to the strongest small country, the Land of Rain.
"As far as we know, Konoha's Lightning Fang and White Fang have already returned to the heart of the Land of Fire," the Kumogakure envoy said slowly. "It will not be long before they approach the Land of Rain."
The meaning behind his words was clear. The supplies had already been delivered. Now it was time for Hanzō to act.
They were worried that he would accept the supplies and then turn around and surrender to Konoha.
Hanzō remained silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.
He had only been delaying because he was waiting for the supplies to arrive. Now that they had finally reached the village, there was no reason to continue hesitating.
If he refused again, he would offend all three great nations at the same time.
After thinking for a moment, Hanzō looked directly at the three envoys and spoke in a calm but heavy voice.
"As you wish."
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