"Ninjas hiding in the shadows, come out from your hiding places!"
Upon hearing Yahiko's words, Hanzo clicked his tongue. Yahiko wasn't as foolish as he had imagined since he had guessed that Hanzo had laid an ambush in the shadows.
Since that was the case, Hanzo decided not to hide anymore.
With a snap of his fingers, dozens of elite Amegakure ninjas appeared behind Hanzo, each fully armed and with a fierce look in their eyes.
"Is this Hanzo-sama's sincerity?" Yahiko's face darkened at the sight of the densely packed Amegakure ninjas.
At the same time, he secretly rejoiced that he hadn't followed the agreement to bring a large number of Akatsuki elites to this meeting place. Otherwise, today could have been disastrous, and he might have lost his life here.
Thinking this, Yahiko waved his hand behind him, and a large number of ninjas appeared.
The appearance of the two groups made the atmosphere at the negotiating table extremely tense. They scrutinized each other's forces, silently assessing the strength of both sides.
The moment Hanzo saw the Akatsuki ninjas, he knew his ambush plan had failed.
However, this also proved the threat posed by the Akatsuki. Even if it meant suffering heavy casualties, he was determined to eliminate the core members of the Akatsuki here.
After a moment of contemplation, Hanzo spoke to Yahiko:
"Yahiko, I never expected that in just over a year, you would gather so many ninjas under your command. Given a few more years, you might truly become a force to be reckoned with."
"This is all thanks to Hanzo-sama. If Hanzo-sama hadn't turned a blind eye to the situation in the Land of Rain, they wouldn't have chosen to join Akatsuki," Yahiko replied, looking directly into Hanzo's eyes, his tone sharp and piercing.
Upon hearing Yahiko's sarcasm, Hanzo's face darkened. What Yahiko said was true. If he had focused on governing the Amegakure and the Land of Rain in these past years, Yahiko wouldn't have so many ninjas under his command.
But the limits of the Land of Rain were apparent. No matter how much he developed it, there was only so much progress that could be made.
Since he couldn't see any hope of becoming the Sixth Great Ninja Village, he might as well let things take their course. As long as the borders were sealed, everything would gradually improve.
However, upon seeing Yahiko, Hanzo seemed to see another version of himself and said coldly:
"Yahiko, becoming a leader is even more difficult than you imagine. Relying solely on unity and giving the villagers small favors won't govern the Land of Rain."
"You don't know how strong the enemies facing the Land of Rain are, nor do you know how difficult it is to truly govern," Hanzo added sharply.
"Once the Land of Rain harbors ambitions of rising and becoming stronger, it will attract the covetous eyes of the three surrounding major nations, and they will jointly target the Land of Rain..."
At this point, Hanzo completely disregarded any concerns of his ally, Danzo.
"Is this the reason why Hanzo-sama has let things slide?" Yahiko's face was filled with disappointment. Meeting him in person, he realized that the Amegakure's hero he had admired, Hanzo of the Salamander, had degenerated into a senile old man.
Pausing for a moment, Yahiko continued with heartfelt anguish, "Hanzo-sama, making changes would be a good thing. Someday, we can achieve our dreams."
Hanzo remained expressionless, showing no interest in Yahiko's rhetoric.
He hadn't forgotten that today's goal was to eliminate the Akatsuki, not debate with them. He only needed to physically resolve Yahiko and his people.
With this in mind, Hanzo stopped wasting words and used the Body Flicker Technique to bring 'Byakuya' over.
At this moment, Byakuya was tightly bound with ropes, a poisonous blade pressed against his neck, fear evident on his face.
Seeing this scene, Yahiko frowned deeply. "Hanzo, what is the meaning of this?"
Hanzo remained emotionless as he calmly stated, "Yahiko, I didn't come here today to negotiate. I came to give you a choice. Are you choosing to watch Byakuya die, or are you willing to exchange your life for his?"
Upon hearing this, Yahiko froze. Nearby, Konan and Nagato were also stunned.
Hanzo's true purpose in coming to negotiate this time was unexpectedly to force Yahiko into a situation where he would either watch Byakuya die or offer his own life. The Akatsuki had never done anything against the Amegakure, and Yahiko's hands were not stained with blood.
However, Yahiko found himself caught in a dilemma.
Hanzo had given him a difficult choice—if Yahiko refused to sacrifice himself, Byakuya would be killed directly.
But if Yahiko really died, would Hanzo truly honor the agreement?
At this moment, Yahiko suddenly remembered what Byakuya had once told him—that when faced with a dilemma, no matter how you choose, it's always wrong. The best solution is to make them face the same dilemma.
If all else failed, simply beat the questioner senseless, and the problem would be perfectly resolved.
Back then, he had thought Byakuya was being unreasonable, behaving like a child, stubborn and unreasonable. But now, it seemed like he had no choice but to make the same decision.
Once trapped in a trap of self-proving, he would completely lose the initiative.
After signaling to Nagato and the others behind him, Yahiko showed a determined look, advancing towards Hanzo while voicing a soul-searching question:
"Hanzo, I can agree to your demands, but how can you guarantee you won't break your promise?"
Upon hearing this, Hanzo smiled faintly, then replied seriously, "I swear by the name of Hanzo of the Salamander, I will absolutely not betray you! And losing your Akatsuki won't be so terrifying."
Hearing this, Yahiko sighed softly and continued to approach Hanzo.
Just as he was about to reach Hanzo, Yahiko suddenly drew the short sword from his waist and thrust it directly at Hanzo's body. Taking down Hanzo would solve everything.
Seizing this opportunity, Konan and Nagato also disappeared on the spot, using Body Flicker Technique to rescue Byakuya.
Swish!
But Yahiko's attack missed as Hanzo effortlessly dodged his strike. Simultaneously, Hanzo glanced towards where Konan and Nagato had disappeared, and with a low growl, he roared!
"Fire Style: Exploding Flame Formation!"
The ground beneath Byakuya suddenly transformed into exploding tags, seemingly imbued with life as they flew towards Konan and Nagato, causing a dense explosion.
The exploding tags naturally couldn't harm Konan and Nagato, but Byakuya might not be as fortunate.
As Konan and Nagato anxiously looked towards Byakuya, a figure emerged from the flames—not Byakuya, but someone completely unfamiliar to them.
"That's not Byakuya! Where is Byakuya?!"
Realizing this, Konan and Nagato were puzzled. Meanwhile, Yahiko looked towards Hanzo and demanded, "Hanzo, where have you hidden Byakuya?"
Hanzo looked bewildered. In truth, he had no idea where Byakuya had gone.
However, since his plan to make Yahiko commit suicide had failed, he now had to deal with these young individuals himself.
Issuing a kill-on-sight order, Hanzo unsheathed a sickle attached to a chain from his waist and lunged toward Yahiko's position.
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500 PSs = 5 Additional chapters!