From this height, through the curtain of rain, Hanzo could feel the death spreading through the villages along the border of the Land of Rain. Fear was spreading quickly, and whispered voices carried dread that the tragedies of the Second Shinobi World War would repeat.
Rumors tied to him were spreading through Amegakure and across the Land of Rain. Every mocking and contemptuous word lashed his face like a whip, driving the long dormant urge to fight back to life.
He longed to return to the battlefield as before, cutting down invaders with his scythe and poison, crushing those who dared trample the land of the Land of Rain. He wanted their bones to sink into the filthy mud, and to use their blood to announce once more the name that had made the Five Great Nations tremble.
But he could not act, because of that person's order, the order of the one called "Shadow." That mysterious figure had given him strength beyond his former peak and restored life to his decayed body by means he could not understand, and the price was obedience.
Shadow said the time was not right, that the bait was not enough. What bait, and for whom, the Ninja of Konoha and Sunagakure or something else, he did not know.
Until Sunagakure and Konoha crossed his bottom line, he could only remain bound here. He stood at the highest point in the cold rain, enduring the pressure inside and the rising doubt and ridicule outside, waiting in irritation.
Every distant explosion struck his taut nerves. He said nothing, but the silence pressed down hard.
Compared to him, Nagato ignored Hanzo's familiar self torment. He sat at the edge of Red Tongue with one leg hanging free and the other bent, an elbow resting on his knee as he watched the distance.
Those deep Rinnegan eyes pierced the rain, shaping an unseen map of the border of the Land of Rain where forces from Sunagakure and the Konoha Ninja were killing each other. Rain Tiger at Will Technique used Chakra to form rain clouds and bring them down, and every drop was tied to his awareness.
The special climate made it most effective in rain, reducing Chakra use compared to standard Sensory Ninjutsu while monitoring the whole region to prevent infiltration. With the power he once had as Pain, it could only cover Amegakure, but now it reached across the entire Land of Rain.
This change, like Hanzo's, came from that person. Because he knew more about Shadow and the power hidden behind the Akatsuki than Hanzo did, Nagato remained calm.
He knew Shadow's words were never random, and that this cold distance hid a larger plan meant to overturn how the Ninja World understood the world. So he waited like a statue in the storm, for the order to arrive.
As the heavy silence nearly solidified, a flat and lightly smiling voice came from behind without warning. "The time has come."
Both bodies jolted as Nagato slowly drew back his hanging leg and Hanzo spun around, water spraying outward. In the shadow behind them, darkness gathered like something alive, and a figure emerged without a sound.
The face stayed hidden in blur and shadow, wrapped in a wide black robe that seemed to swallow light. Hanzo's heart hammered as he spoke without thinking.
"Shadow, what did you say?"
Shadow looked through the rain toward a distant place, as if at a mouth already opened for a feast. There was no explanation and no encouragement.
"Go," Shadow said.
The voice was calm and even gentle, but the words were cold. "Purge them."
As the sound faded, Shadow dissolved like ink washed away by rain, vanishing where he stood. It was as if his only purpose was to open the cage holding the old tiger.
A freezing killing intent burst from Hanzo as his Chakra boiled and surged out. Like a starved beast catching the scent of flesh, his eyes sharpened with the fearsome edge that once made the Five Great Nations recoil.
All restlessness burned away into naked hunger for blood. In his mind there was only one thought, to kill.
In an instant, his figure vanished toward the border of the Land of Rain. Nagato disappeared with him.
At the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, the forward command tent of the Sunagakure forces stood in the rain. Outside, the steady sound of rain carried the damp chill unique to the Land of Rain, heavy with the smell of wet earth.
Inside, fire and lamps cast warm light that pushed back the cold while outlining tired and stern faces. Sunagakure Jonin gathered around a wooden table with a map, sitting straight as they looked toward the main seat.
There sat an elderly woman, frail in appearance but sharp eyed. "Good evening, everyone," Chiyo said, her gaze passing over the faces as she smiled.
"Why do you young people look more tense than an old woman like me?" The Sunagakure Ninja answered with polite smiles, though none reached their eyes, as they all knew this meeting would decide the village's future.
She cleared her throat and lifted her eyes from the documents. "Then let us begin the deployment, starting with the first point. Increase our strategic depth in the Land of Rain, no longer limited to the border, and advance toward key resource areas."
"..."
The moment the words were spoken, a heavy piece of news landed on the group. After a brief pause, everyone came back to their senses, and their expressions changed at once.
Although Chiyo did not explain why they would push deeper, everyone present understood the meaning behind her words.
"This, this absolutely cannot be done, Chiyo!"
A seasoned Jonin stood up abruptly and spoke in a rush. "Our resources are already tight, but if we keep raiding Land of Rain like this…"
"They will be pushed past their limit and may defect to Konoha and Land of Fire!"
Raiding had always been a so called fine tradition of Sunagakure. Pushing the battlefield deeper into Land of Rain was meant to make it easier for Sunagakure Ninja to plunder the area.
This could greatly reduce the village's military spending and even help stabilize morale to some extent. However, when driven too far, even a cornered animal would fight back.
Everyone in the room had survived the Second Third Shinobi World War and had personally seen Hanzo slaughter countless people. Because of that, they held a deep fear of him.
In their view, Hanzo must not be pushed too hard. Knowing when to stop was the wisest choice.
"Don't worry."
There was no ripple on Chiyo's deeply lined face, and her low voice carried unquestionable authority. "I have already confirmed it. That old man Hanzo has completely become useless."
"For years, Hanzo hasn't taken a single step outside Amegakure. He even assigned himself guards rotating around the clock…"
At this point, a mocking smile appeared on her face as she continued. "Someone who is afraid of death to this degree has lost all strength. What is there to fear?"
Chiyo had never liked Hanzo. In fact, they were almost mortal enemies, as both were experts in poison and had competed against each other many times in the past.
Chiyo called Hanzo the breathing tube old man, while Hanzo called her the puppet old woman. Hearing that he was now so afraid that he needed guards day and night naturally made her feel some satisfaction.
Yet along with that satisfaction came a sense of shared fate. As a Ninja from the same era as Hanzo, seeing a former rival decline to this extent inevitably stirred sadness in her heart.
She herself had grown old as well.
Her son and daughter in law had all died at the hands of Konoha. Her only grandson had now defected from Sunagakure, and aside from the equally aged Ebizo, there was no one left she could truly rely on.
Because of this, Chiyo felt the deepest connection to Hanzo's situation.
The others in the tent were unaware of her complex thoughts. Hearing this news, they felt as if a strong tonic had been injected into them, completely dispelling their doubts.
If Hanzo truly had lost both strength and ambition, then the current Amegakure was indeed nothing to fear.
"Also."
Chiyo quickly gathered her thoughts and shifted her tone. She looked toward the Sunagakure Ninja in charge of logistics and asked, "How are the follow up supplies, medicines, Ninja Tool, and food coming along?"
This was the core problem facing Sunagakure at the moment.
What Ninja competed with in battle was not just Ninjutsu and personal quality, but also the quality of Ninja Tool. The level of equipment often played a decisive role in a fight.
However, Ninja Tool came at a high cost. A single ordinary Kunai was worth one hundred taels, better ones sold for three to five hundred, and high quality Kunai could exceed a thousand taels each. Every person needed at least five to ten Kunai.
This was only the cost of Kunai. There were also Shuriken and Explosive Tag.
Land of Wind was not like Land of Fire, which had abundant usable resources. Most of its land was barren desert with little value, making its economy the weakest among the Five Great Nations.
Even resource rich Land of Earth and Land of Lightning, which fully used electric power, were far better off than Land of Wind, which was so poor it lived off sand and wind.