What Hatake Sakumo spoke of were the remnants of ninjas who were formerly under Bessatsu's command. After Hanzo took control of Amegakure, these subordinates of the former leader became targets for elimination. Some couldn't escape, while others, sensing trouble early, fled in haste. Though their numbers were small, they still posed a hidden danger.
Previously, because Hanzo still needed to appease the neutral ninjas in Amegakure and win them over, he didn't immediately send people to pursue them. Once the situation stabilized, he dispatched his Anbu. However, those individuals were also elite Amegakure ninjas, intimately familiar with the local terrain, making them difficult to track down quickly.
Hanzo believed these individuals wouldn't give up easily and might attack important medical ninjas when Konoha's medical ninjas came to treat the villagers. If they succeeded, even if Konoha knew that Amegakure was not behind the incident, they would no longer send medical ninjas to the Land of Rain.
After all, cultivating an excellent medical ninja was extremely difficult. Although Hanzo didn't know the exact training methods for medical ninjas, considering his own village's situation and Konoha's outstanding medical ninjas, he could vaguely sense the effort Konoha invested.
With Amegakure's current foundation, it would take at least several decades to catch up to Konoha's level, and that was assuming smooth development. Therefore, even if a single medical ninja encountered a problem, Hanzo would be unable to account for it to Konoha, and couldn't even compensate for it.
Hanzo ordered the Anbu to closely monitor the vicinity of the medical squad, wary of any suspicious individuals approaching. Of course, to avoid disturbing the medical ninjas' normal work, the Anbu's surveillance positions were further away, and they couldn't directly appear before the villagers. This, to some extent, was a loophole, but he had no other choice.
Fortunately, Konoha's own dispatched guard team compensated for this flaw. Under dual supervision, the medical ninjas' safety was well-assured. The remnants might have used certain methods to deceive the monitoring Anbu and sneak in, but Hatake Sakumo still detected some clues and thus warned Tsunade.
"I understand, I'll be careful, and you should be too." Tsunade nodded at Hatake Sakumo.
Just then, Jiraiya and Orochimaru came over. Hatake Sakumo quickly called out to them both and, facing them, swiftly relayed his suspicions. The two were aware of the Amegakure remnants and were surprised to learn that the enemy was targeting this area. However, Jiraiya immediately promised to protect Tsunade, looking utterly confident.
Tsunade rested a hand on her cheek, listening to Jiraiya brag behind her, and pouted, thinking, "Don't make me have to protect you later."
Although she was a medical ninja, Tsunade herself also trained in combat methods. Before officially joining the medical department, she had sparred with Hatake Sakumo and Hattori Hanzō, so her strength was naturally not lacking. She felt that Jiraiya might not even be able to defeat her.
"In any case, I'll go investigate other matters," Hatake Sakumo said.
"I'll go warn the others. You two just focus on Tsunade's safety."
With that, Hatake Sakumo left. He had learned about Amegakure's ninja traditions; they always maintained the demeanor of traditional ninjas, which meant seizing an opportunity for a single, decisive strike. If they couldn't find one, they wouldn't act rashly. Just now, Hatake Sakumo had no intention of hiding anything, directly stating the need for caution, precisely to deter the Amegakure remnants, letting them know that he and his team were prepared and that they could come if they weren't afraid to die.
If the remnants' desire for revenge for their former leader wasn't so resolute, facing a vigilant guard team, they likely wouldn't take action. But if they were truly determined to retaliate against Hanzo, who usurped the leadership, and were resolved to attack the medical ninjas no matter what, this tactic would at most only delay their action.
Hatake Sakumo hoped those remnants would know their place. Konoha ninjas were here only to treat the villagers, not to eliminate the former leader's remnants for Amegakure. They didn't want to get involved in such troublesome matters, but unfortunately, this depended on the remnants' intentions, not Hatake Sakumo's.
After leaving, Hatake Sakumo subtly gathered information about the woman named Fusang through conversations with the villagers. In such a close-knit community, everyone was very familiar with each other, especially since Ise's wife, Fusang, was a very beautiful young woman. And just as Tsunade had said, even in the environment of the Land of Rain, she seemed to possess an undeniable, vibrant vitality.
Hatake Sakumo uncovered a valuable piece of information: Fusang was not born here but came from outside and seemed to have no relatives. Although Fusang might have come from another town in the Land of Rain, it wouldn't be inconsistent if she came from the Land of Whirlpools. Hatake Sakumo became even more certain of this, especially after learning that Fusang's initial behavior didn't quite conform to the traditions of the Land of Rain's citizens.
If what these people said was true, it could at least be confirmed that Fusang was not a native of the Land of Rain but came from another country. Combined with Tsunade's description of her bright red hair and vibrant vitality, Hatake Sakumo felt it was indeed possible she was a member of the Uzumaki clan.
However, the problem was clear: why would someone from the Uzumaki clan secretly come here? Was there some conspiracy involved? Hatake Sakumo felt it was necessary to investigate. The Land of Whirlpools and Konoha were allies, and the iconic Chunin and Jonin vests even had the Uzumaki clan's emblem on the back, symbolizing their friendship.
Hatake Sakumo then went to find Tsunade to discuss how to resolve this matter. Upon returning to the reception area, he found that someone else was watching over it.
"Where's Tsunade?" Hatake Sakumo asked.
"Miss Tsunade? A girl just came and asked her for help, saying her husband had some problems, so she went to take a look." The substitute medical ninja replied.
"Was she a red-haired girl?" Hatake Sakumo, hearing that the girl's husband was in trouble, thought of Ise and Fusang and quickly asked.
"Yes, she had red hair," the person nodded.
Hatake Sakumo pondered for a moment, thinking it was a good opportunity to test if she was from the Uzumaki clan. He asked for the address the girl provided, put on his straw hat, and ran out. The house seemed to be quite far away. Hatake Sakumo quickly left the medical squad's location. The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of his footsteps echoing.
Suddenly, Hatake Sakumo heard a sound slicing through the air. He quickly leaped aside as a kunai embedded itself in the ground. Looking up, he saw a person dressed in Amegakure ninja attire, completely covered, standing on a rooftop. In their hand, they held a chain with kunai attached to both ends.
Hatake Sakumo rarely saw such peculiar weapons. He swiftly drew his short sword, not uttering a word. The opponent's intention was clear, and there was no need for pleasantries. The opponent shared the same thought, looking at Hatake Sakumo with a cold gaze. The atmosphere froze for a moment, and then they moved in unison.
The opponent threw a kunai at Hatake Sakumo. Hatake Sakumo raised his hand to deflect it. Just as he was about to advance, the opponent tugged the chain, which twisted and then bound Hatake Sakumo's body. Such a unique technique must have required extensive training to master.
Hatake Sakumo couldn't break free for a moment and was unable to move. The opponent immediately retrieved the kunai they had first thrown and swiftly charged towards Hatake Sakumo.
Hatake Sakumo watched the opponent expressionlessly. He barely managed to touch the chain with his short sword and then injected lightning-style chakra. The powerful chakra quickly traveled along the chain to the Amegakure ninja. The Amegakure ninja felt as if all the meridians in their body were paralyzed, and they fell weakly to the ground, splashing a large amount of water.
The chain fell from Hatake Sakumo's body. Hatake Sakumo exhaled slightly; because the chain was also wrapped around him, he himself had endured the power of the lightning-style chakra. Fortunately, he had used lightning-style chakra for years to stimulate the activity of his body cells, so he was fine. The Amegakure ninja, however, was different. The water release they specialized in did not have much resistance to lightning release, so they were unable to get back up.
Hatake Sakumo walked up to the Amegakure ninja, gripping his short sword, and said, "Where are your accomplices?"
The opponent didn't reply, merely looking at Hatake Sakumo coldly. Hatake Sakumo frowned slightly, understanding his thoughts, and said, "I see." With that, he plunged his sword into the Amegakure ninja's neck.