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As Hanzo observed the three young ones who were staring at him with a mix of curiosity and amazement, he couldn't help but feel a tad embarrassed, offering them an awkward smile. In truth, this whole situation was just an accident.
The morning weather had been quite pleasant, and it appeared that the Grass Village was gearing up for spring planting. Intrigued, he had decided to pay a visit, only to stumble upon the bustling scene of people preparing for the planting season. He found himself unexpectedly moved by the sight.
What truly touched him was the fact that some of the Grass Ninjas had willingly joined in to assist with the planting, volunteering their labor without expecting any payment in return. Every spring, a group of freshly graduated ninja apprentices would come here to lend their hands, all as part of a longstanding tradition. The Grass Village's residents didn't need to worry about hiring labor, these young ninjas were there to help.
Upon seeing the Grass Ninjas toiling in the fields, an impulse had welled up within Hanzo. As a demi-god of the ninja world, he didn't hesitate to join in. He employed his remarkable Water Release techniques to contribute to the effort, engaging alongside everyone else in the farming tasks. In his mind, the more hands, the better. He even summoned his summoning beast, Ibuse, thinking it might prove useful in the endeavor.
As Hanzo summoned Ibuse for farming, he anticipated that the sight of his summoning beast might strike awe or curiosity among the villagers. Given that most of the people present were ordinary villagers unaccustomed to such remarkable creatures, a degree of fear was reasonable. He was already preparing to reassure them, about to call out, "There's no need to be frightened. This is just my summoning beast."
However, to his surprise, rather than expressions of awe or fear, what followed was sheer panic. Many individuals rushed over in a frantic frenzy, their faces contorted with alarm as they exclaimed, "Don't use that, Stop using it for farming! Quickly, inform the guard unit that someone is causing trouble again!" The situation spiraled into chaos in a matter of moments.
Perplexed by this unexpected turn of events, Hanzo assumed that the villagers were frightened by Ibuse's immense form, a reaction he could comprehend. But the commotion continued, with panicked voices spreading like wildfire. In response, Ibuse, already somewhat uneasy due to the sudden change in environment, the sunny weather devoid of rain, and the unfamiliar surroundings, coupled with the clamor of people around him, involuntarily emitted a resounding belch.
What occurred next sent the situation spiraling further into chaos. Ibuse, being an enormous salamander, released a significant amount of poison. Not a single person in the vicinity was equipped with a gas mask like Hanzo. While Ibuse could control the dispersal of his poison to some extent, for ordinary individuals, even the poison discharged during his belch was potent enough to cause severe reactions.
People in proximity immediately collapsed, their mouths foaming. Seeing this sudden and dire scene, some of the recently graduated Grass Ninjas grew alarmed. They rushed to encircle Hanzo, under the misconception that he had brought Ibuse to launch an attack. Thus, the situation deteriorated rapidly.
Yahiko shook his head with an odd expression as he gazed at Hanzo. "Once, there was another guy like you who tried to slack off and summoned his summoning beast directly," he began, recalling the past. "And, just like you, he messed everything up. Although his case wasn't as bad as yours, but.. *tsk* *tsk* he still ended up in jail."
Hanzo couldn't help but feel perplexed as he listened to Yahiko's account of a similar incident involving another individual who had summoned a summoning beast while slacking off. It seemed he wasn't the first to make such a blunder. His brow furrowed slightly, and he inquired, "What happened to that person afterward?"
Yahiko, with a sigh and a shake of his head, responded, "He? Well, like I mentioned, he ended up in jail. But don't fret, he was eventually released. Although your situation seems quite dire, at least no one lost their life." He went on to explain that during that time, the person in question likely covered some medical expenses and spent a few extra days behind bars, but ultimately, that marked the extent of their punishment.
Hanzo, realizing the gravity of the situation, raised an emphatic point, "But I am an ally of the Grass Village. Do I truly need to go to jail for this?"
Yahiko, however, remained unperturbed by Hanzo's status and stated matter-of-factly, "At that time, Konoha was also an ally of our Grass Village."
His response conveyed that one's status as an ally didn't exempt one from the consequences of their actions.
However, As Yahiko mentioned the involvement of someone from Konoha, Hanzo's expression underwent an immediate shift. The mention of Konoha raised questions in his mind. Who from Konoha had been arrested for a similar incident? Hanzo's mind immediately turned to the rare and powerful summoning creatures. There were only a few of them in the entire ninja world. In Konoha, only a handful of people possessed such abilities. Could it be that the three he had given to Konoha's Sannin were involved? One of them got arrested too?
His face stiffened as he contemplated this new development. "I remember your leader told me to go back," Hanzo said, trying to shift the focus away from himself. "I heard there were many matters at the frontlines that needed my attention."
But before he could make his exit, a deep and commanding voice intervened, "Hanzo of the salamander, please stay."
The three youngsters exchanged glances, their faces reflecting a mixture of resignation and sympathy, One of them sighed, "Lord Hanzo, it appears you won't be getting away with just a small fine."
Hanzo turned back to see Kakuzu approaching with an expressionless face. Various emotions crossed Hanzo's face, and he let out a resigned sigh.
…
Several days later, Akihiko, wearing a deadpan expression, held a letter in his hand. He raised his head and glanced at Aso, his tone carrying a hint of amusement. "Your leader seems to be having quite the adventure in the Grass Village."
Akihiko couldn't help but find the situation rather amusing. Their leader had pulled a stunt similar to Jiraiya, disrupting the spring planting season. Well, now he had been caught and was going to be fined.
Aso responded with an awkward chuckle, unsure of how to address the situation. He found it somewhat unbelievable that their leader would engage in such behavior. Fortunately, it seemed like it was more of an accident than a deliberate act of provocation, sparing them from a potential conflict with the Grass Village.
"Hanzo-sama, he... he simply wanted to help. We're truly sorry for this accident," Aso attempted to explain, but in the end, he sighed and offered his apologies.
Akihiko responded with a hint of impatience in his voice, "Very well, pay the fine and arrange for his return as soon as possible."
As the leader of the Grass Village, Akihiko hadn't returned to his village in a significant amount of time, and he couldn't fathom how Hanzo, despite his stature as a leader of Rain Village, had managed to stay in the Grass Village for so long. Akihiko couldn't help but wonder who was truly the Leader of Grass Village, him or Hanzo.
Akihiko then turned his attention from Hanzo's incident to another piece of information and was immediately taken aback.
Aso, noticing Akihiko's sudden shock, couldn't help but wonder what had caused such a reaction. He read the information on the report: 'Kirigakure has captured a young kunoichi from Konohagakure.' However, this information didn't seem to have any direct relevance to the Grass or Rain Villages. So, why was Akihiko so stunned?
"Leader Akihiko, what's wrong?" Aso asked curiously, his confusion evident. He couldn't grasp why this particular piece of information had caused such a reaction from Akihiko.
Akihiko, still somewhat dazed, replied, "Oh, it's nothing." He then shot a slightly annoyed look at Aso, who had been reading the information over his shoulder. Akihiko sighed and continued, "It's just... the war is ending soon."
Aso's expression became even more confused at this sudden declaration. He couldn't see the connection between the intelligence about the captured kunoichi and the broader implications for the war.
"Never mind the details," Akihiko dismissed, waving his hand. He didn't elaborate further and instead conveyed a clear message to Aso, "Let your leader return immediately."
…
In early spring, Kirigakure launched a sudden full-scale attack on Konohagakure. However, their initial assault didn't yield the expected results, and they found themselves at a disadvantage. In an effort to regain the upper hand, Kirigakure devised a risky plan, capture the surviving heroes from the Battle of the Kannabi Bridge to use as bait and lure Konoha into a trap.
Unfortunately for Kirigakure, their plan didn't unfold as intended. Instead of capturing the hero they sought, they only managed to apprehend a young girl from the hero's team. The actual hero remained elusive, and the situation grew increasingly dire for Kirigakure.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of his teammate's predicament, Obito continued his studies under the watchful eye of Madara. Since his failure in the last exam, Madara had increased the complexity and intensity of Obito's study materials.
Obito couldn't quite understand why, as a Konoha ninja, he was learning these subjects. Nevertheless, he chose to take his studies seriously. After all, Madara had saved his life, and he figured that maybe Madara was such a strict teacher because he had missed out on studying when he was younger and regretted it. Or perhaps, he simply enjoyed teaching. Obito decided to go along with it.
As Obito sighed and prepared to refocus on his studies, an unexpected visitor burst into the room, their presence startling him. "Obito, Obito! I've acquired some critical information. It appears that your companions are in grave danger!"
Obito's eyes widened in alarm, and his pen slipped from his grasp. He jumped to his feet, his heart pounding with anxiety. "What happened to Kakashi and Rin? No, I must go and rescue them immediately!"
He was about to rush out and prepare for their rescue when Madara, who had been observing the scene in silence, slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a calm yet stern tone. "Kid... are you planning to leave right now?"
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