"Heh, there are some advantages to living long—getting to witness the birth of a monster like you."
The clouds split by the Black Flash hand blade hadn't yet fully closed; sunlight streamed through the gap, casting Hanzō's shadow long across the ground.
He withdrew his gaze from that brilliant light, raised his hand to pull up his kusarigama, flicked water droplets from the blade, but his eyes fell on Hii Kōri, still lying on the ground slowly breathing.
"When I was young, the ninja world was even more chaotic than now."
Hanzō suddenly spoke, his already weathered voice carrying more reminiscence and melancholy. Through his breathing mask, mixing with the rain outside the eaves, his voice seemed steeped in the stale air of another era.
"Back then, there were no hidden villages. Ninjas just fought everywhere with kunai, battling for years over a single rice paddy. Later, when Hashirama Senju built Konoha, I thought the ninja world might change..."
"But now, it's no different from before."
He paused, his eyes flickering, then cut himself off. "Never mind. Consider it an old man's untimely grumbling. Don't take it to heart."
"Hey, brat. Still breathing?"
"...Barely. Definitely won't die, though."
With a splat, he flipped over from the muddy water, half-deadly waving his hand, his voice trembling with exhaustion: "First time sparing with someone of your caliber... got a bit carried away and pulled out all my life-or-death moves. Please forgive me, Hanzō-dono."
Of course, this was all acting.
After landing Black Flash, his condition—if not completely renewed—was at least fully restored without damage. Riding Black Flash's afterglow, immersed in the flow state of body and mind, he could probably land several more consecutive Black Flashes.
Not to mention, after his technique's return, the feeling of his entire cursed energy network fully connected, cursed energy previously usable only indirectly through various means now flowing freely—the fullness was almost better than 0P.
But he couldn't say this to Hanzō. Thinking how his acting was improving—environmental pressure truly fostered growth—Hii Kōri narrowed his eyes and casually spouted nonsense.
"Hmph, slick-tongued brat."
Having lived most his life, how could Hanzō not see through this? But he had no intention of arguing the point. He merely snorted, unhurriedly limping back under the eaves, raising a hand to touch the dents gravel had left in the wall.
Then, his tone shifted, his gaze suddenly sharp: "But earlier, you said my words had two omissions. First, 'you're not a ninja.' What's the second?"
Hii Kōri climbed up, jogged a few steps to join him under the eaves, then activated Scorch Release chakra, evaporating the water from himself and Hanzō. Only then did he form a seal, raising a completely traceless soundproof barrier around them.
"Phew..."
Shaking out his red-and-white shaggy hair, pulling a hair tie from his scroll to bind it in a high ponytail, Hii Kōri turned to an angle where no one could see his mouth responded and in a barely audible whisper: "The second omission? Of course, it's what you said about 'discussing such matters with the Land of Rain's daimyō.'"
"Ultimately, in this era, are daimyō really necessary?"
He looked down, examining his nails damaged by gravel, nonchalantly restoring them.
Hanzō's breath caught, but he didn't refute. His gaze vaguely swept over the traceless soundproof barrier, thinking how meticulously this brat handled things—Perhaps he really did have some insightful views..
"Don't you find the current relationship between nations and hidden villages strange?"
"All facilities and planning in hidden villages serve ninjas. They lack productivity to support so many residents, thus in most cases relying on daimyō funding and material supplies. Yet these resources maintain village operations."
"But hidden villages aren't direct national departments—more like cities within countries, by the state. Like ordinary villagers from hidden villages, when abroad, they don't claim to be from some place in some country—they directly say which village they're from."
As if blooming flowers on his fingers, Hii Kōri kept turning them, expounding his views in quite taken-for-granted tone: "On one hand, national armies basically rely entirely on employing ninjas. On the other, ninjas maintaining national stability must still leave to perform missions earning living expenses..."
"Too inefficient."
Having said this, he sighed quite painfully, shaking his head as if utterly disdainful of this status quo: "Those with city-breaking, nation-destroying capabilities—though few, are certainly not rare. Under these circumstances, the docking efficiency between hidden villages and national resources is far too low, isn't it?"
"I'm not denying daimyō's role—they've handled the work of keeping the country's society functioning, many quite well... But is that enough for them to sit in those lofty positions? I think not."
"Heh... you planning rebellion?"
Hanzō's tone didn't change—still that unreadable feeling.
But that was exactly the attitude a ninja should have when discussing serious matters.
"I've no such intention. Just want to change how nations and villages operate."
Hii Kōri drily complained: "Ultimately, the ninja profession runs on strength."
"Village leaders already struggle balancing administrative duties with training to maintain strength. I can't imagine a ninja managing an entire country."
"But that's no reason for villages to live under daimyōs'—and their officials'—thumb. Military and internal affairs should be on par, shouldn't they?"
"Honestly, I think Hashirama Senju had strength to unify the world directly. But he emerged from the Warring States—his vision, ideas, and abilities in this area were decisively insufficient. Creating the hidden village system was already remarkable."
"But he died too early."
Hanzō sighed thus.
He could imagine what the world might have become if Hashirama were still alive.
Lacked governance capabilities then—after decades of practice, would he still lack it?
But thinking this far, Hanzō suddenly realized Hii Kōri's implication: "...You brat—"
"I've said nothing, Hanzō-dono."
Casually taking out a new cloak and conical hat, Hii Kōri concealed his smiling fox-face: "However..."
"For the Land of Rain, use Salamander on the daimyō."
***
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