Office.
Hanzou frowned, staring at the map on his desk.
Senba Suzume stood silently behind Hanzou, like an inconspicuous shadow.
Many Rain Ninjas stood neatly in front of the desk.
They were all elite Ninjas who had a say in the Village.
Feeling the heavy atmosphere in the office, Yushishi looked at his companions beside him, then at Lord Hanzou in front.
He suddenly cleared his throat.
Several gazes immediately focused on Yushishi.
"Lord Hanzou," Yushishi felt immense pressure, and he tentatively said, "How about we proactively submit a contract to Konoha?"
As soon as Yushishi finished speaking, a Rain Ninja immediately retorted, "We haven't lost the war between us and Konoha! Why should we be the first to back down?"
Yushishi's mouth twitched, and he explained, "What does this have to do with backing down or not? We certainly haven't lost, so it's normal for us to submit the contract! As one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, and currently fighting Sunagakure, how could Konoha have the time to proactively submit a contract?"
Actually, what Yushishi wanted to say more was that Konoha had deep foundations. Although the Amegakure had achieved a temporary victory relying on Lord Hanzou's power, it might not be able to maintain its winning streak forever.
Instead of being utterly defeated in the future, it was better to quit while they were ahead.
As long as Konoha recognized the status of the Amegakure and signed a non-aggression pact with them, it would suffice.
Now that Konoha was fighting Sunagakure, if their Amegakure proactively submitted a contract, Konoha would likely sign it.
Saying these words would too much diminish their own prestige, so Yushishi chose to express his meaning in a subtle way.
Hanzou glanced at Yushishi, and Yushishi felt as if his thoughts had been seen through by Lord Hanzou.
Yushishi had a clear conscience.
He was also thinking for the Amegakure.
In the rain curtain.
A crow landed on the office window.
The crow tilted its head, pecked at its feathers, and shrewdly watched the people talking in the office.
"An ordinary crow, not a Spirit Beast."
Senba Suzume checked it and then told Hanzou.
Hanzou nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the Rain Ninjas in front of him.
"As Yushishi said, submit a contract to Konoha."
Hanzou made the final decision.
The current war between Konoha and Sunagakure was escalating, and they would not choose to antagonize the Amegakure.
This was also Hanzou's consideration.
Once the war between Konoha and Sunagakure stopped, wouldn't they be free to continue fighting the Amegakure?
Hanzou's ultimate goal was to drive out the Ninjas of the Great Nations in the Land of Rain, not to continuously fight the Great Ninja Villages.
The Rain Ninja who originally wanted to refute immediately swallowed his words.
"Yes."
...
The crow circled and landed on the railing of a single apartment balcony.
On the tatami mat in the living room, Shiratori Rin stroked his chin, recalling the scene he had just witnessed in Hanzou's office.
The Amegakure and Konoha were going to sign a contract?
Shiratori Rin vaguely remembered that the chaotic situation in the Amegakure didn't end this quickly!
However, although they decided to sign a contract, the final result was not yet determined.
Shiratori Rin still had a chance.
The battlefield, for him, was the perfect place to collect emotional value.
He couldn't bear for the war to end like this.
But even if the war between the Amegakure and Konoha ended, there was still Sunagakure eyeing them from the side.
Glancing at the increasingly dark sky outside the window, Shiratori Rin went out to retrieve his sword.
At Iron Hail's blacksmith shop, Iron Hail took down Shiratori Rin's sword, which was hanging on the wall, and handed it to Shiratori Rin.
Shiratori Rin took it with both hands, one hand on the hilt.
With a clang of metal, the long sword was unsheathed.
The blade slowly revealed itself, displaying a deep, inky black color.
A faint blue light flowed on the blade, like lightning tearing through the night.
The edge of the sword was so thin it was almost invisible, condensing a bone-chilling cold light.
Under the firelight, it was so sharp that it made Shiratori Rin's eyes sting slightly.
Shiratori Rin was too satisfied!
He looked at Iron Hail in surprise: "The sword is so fast! Thank you!"
Iron Hail smiled slightly; he was clearly a burly man with exaggerated muscles, but sometimes he was unusually shy.
"The sword is too fast, be careful when you practice with it."
Iron Hail reminded him.
Shiratori Rin nodded heavily: "I will!"
He slung the sword behind his back, full of fighting spirit: "I will practice my sword well, work hard to become stronger! And become a powerful Ninja that everyone can rely on!"
Iron Hail looked at Shiratori Rin, thinking that Shiratori Rin had already become a powerful Ninja that everyone could rely on.
Shiratori Rin's Medical Ninjutsu gave all the Rain Ninjas a second life.
On the battlefield, he was the confidence that allowed the Rain Ninjas to fight without restraint.
His thoughts were overflowing, but Iron Hail couldn't bring himself to say them directly.
[Ding!]
[The System detected Iron Hail's Affection Value +1000]
[Your companion Cursed Spirit Rika Orimoto's Rank has increased to 59.8%]
Shiratori Rin glanced at Iron Hail; it seemed Iron Hail had a lot of internal thoughts.
"I'm leaving first! Big Brother Iron Hail!"
Shiratori Rin waved at Iron Hail and ran out of the blacksmith shop.
Iron Hail chased to the doorway, and the words he hadn't said at noon finally blurted out: "Be careful on the way!"
"I know!"
Shiratori Rin looked back halfway, continued to wave at him, and his figure quickly disappeared from Iron Hail's sight.
Iron Hail breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn't expected that he would actually say it.
Shiratori Rin weaved through the steel pipelines of the Amegakure and soon arrived at the training ground.
When he arrived, a familiar figure was already standing in the rain.
"…"
Hanzou really loved to launch surprise attacks.
What was the difference between this Hanzou and Shiratori Rin's homeroom teacher in his previous life?
"You didn't have training this afternoon, where did you go?"
When Shiratori Rin stood still in front of him, Hanzou sternly questioned him.
After finishing his political affairs, he came to the training ground to check Shiratori Rin's training progress, but he didn't even see a trace of Shiratori Rin.
Had Shiratori Rin forgotten yesterday's promise so quickly?
"I…"
Shiratori Rin took down the long sword from his back and held it in his hands: "I went to get my weapon! I didn't mean to be lazy! I've already practiced my Cursed Energy, and for the rest of the time, I want to practice swordsmanship and become a powerful swordsman like Lord Hanzou…"
The more he spoke, the more his voice trembled.
Hanzou hadn't expected this to be the reason, and his fingers curled at his sides.
Looking at Shiratori Rin's teary eyes, Hanzou's heart felt as if it was squeezed by an invisible hand.
[Ding!]
[The System detected Hanzou's Guilt Value +5000]
[Not enough to generate a Cursed Spirit, Guilt Value has been stored]
[Ding!]
[The System detected Hanzou's Affection Value +2000]
[Your companion Cursed Spirit Rika Orimoto's Rank has increased to 60%]
Shiratori Rin noticed the System's wording.
"What does 'generate a Cursed Spirit' mean?"
"Didn't it used to be 'activate a Cursed Spirit'?"