Ten minutes later, Byakuya was walking down the streets of Amegakure with the salamander.
The massive salamander immediately drew the attention of the rain ninja. They gathered together, staring at the boy standing beside the salamander.
They were not unfamiliar with Byakuya.
Byakuya was a member of the Akatsuki, who had just been taken in as a disciple by Lord Hanzo yesterday.
But wasn't Byakuya supposed to be with Lord Hanzo on a mission this morning? Could something have happened, causing Byakuya to return early?
As for whether Byakuya intended to cause trouble in Amegakure while Lord Hanzo was away, they had their doubts. But seeing the salamander next to Byakuya dispelled those doubts, as the salamander only obeyed Hanzo's commands.
After walking openly to the Amegakure building, Byakuya climbed onto the salamander.
Standing on the salamander's head, Byakuya looked down at the gathered Amegakure ninjas and calmly began to speak.
"You may have heard my name before, but for those who are not familiar, let me introduce myself again. I am Byakuya of the Akatsuki, and also a disciple of Hanzo-sensei. Today, I am here to take over Amegakure."
Hearing this, the surrounding rain ninjas were taken aback.
Lord Hanzo had just left, and now you're taking over Amegakure? Are you serious? This kind of major decision would have been announced by Lord Hanzo in the village beforehand.
Such a sudden move seemed impossible, but the fact remained that Byakuya was accompanied by the salamander.
Reluctantly, the rain ninja turned their eyes towards Shigure, who was one of the senior Jonin in the village and should know what was going on.
Feeling the intense stares, Shigure stammered, unable to give a clear answer.
Seeing this, many of the seasoned ninjas began to guess the truth, but faced with the salamander at Byakuya's feet, they chose to remain silent.
Byakuya now controlled the salamander. If he released its poison, it would affect the entire Amegakure.
Ninjas might be able to resist the salamander's poison, but ordinary people would not be able to withstand it.
What made them even more hesitant was Byakuya's control over the salamander. It didn't matter what method he used; the important thing was that he had control and had managed to deceive Lord Hanzo.
Even if they stood up to resist now, it would only lead to unnecessary casualties.
Moreover, the main forces of the village had been taken away by Lord Hanzo during the day. Those left behind were the old, weak, and infirm.
In this situation, they could only pretend they hadn't heard anything, silently watching Byakuya's performance.
At this moment, the hidden members of the Akatsuki in the crowd began cheering and shouting, extending their palms and loudly declaring, "Welcome, Lord Byakuya, to take over Amegakure! Lord Byakuya is the new leader!"
Upon hearing similar voices around them, the rain ninja's faces turned pale.
If they didn't act now, Amegakure would truly change leadership. When Lord Hanzo would return, these civilians might believe that Amegakure had indeed changed leaders!
However, did Lord Hanzo really have no intention of passing on the leadership position to Byakuya?
If he truly had no such intention, why did Lord Hanzo take Byakuya as his disciple yesterday? Could it be that Lord Hanzo is seriously ill, and yesterday was to settle his affairs?
After a moment of imagination, the rain ninja completely gave up their thoughts of resistance, blending in with the surrounding crowd.
Shigure, who witnessed everything, had a complete breakdown in mentality.
Wasn't there anyone in Amegakure who could put up a decent resistance? Why did everyone choose to surrender just like him? Aren't they afraid of Lord Hanzo returning for retribution?
However, what Shigure didn't know was that Lord Hanzo had already taken away all the capable forces to deal with the Akatsuki, leaving behind only pacifists and wavering individuals in the village.
Moreover, the Akatsuki's reputation wasn't bad. Heck, it was even better than Amegakure's. Many ninjas who frequently traveled in the countryside knew that Amegakure's status in the towns was inferior to that of the Akatsuki. Regardless of who won, both were ninja organizations of the Land of Rain.
For these low-level ninjas and civilians, there was a difference, but it wasn't significant.
With the support of the crowd, Byakuya smoothly entered Hanzo's office. Sitting down on the genuine leather chair, he began flipping through the documents on the desk.
Byakuya, delighted by what he saw, picked up a pen from the table and began reviewing the documents.
Seeing this scene, the Amegakure ninjas breathed a sigh of relief. Byakuya was merely handling official business. Normally, Lord Hanzo didn't handle these matters, so Byakuya helping out was a sign of relief.
If Byakuya couldn't control them, the entire village of Amegakure would be in danger.
---
At the same time Byakuya took over Amegakure, Hanzo also arrived at the meeting place.
The meeting place was a basin surrounded by mountains on three sides, perfect for ambushes and sneak attacks. However, in the center of the basin, there were several chairs placed for negotiations.
Yahiko, who had been waiting there for some time, greeted Hanzo with a smile as soon as he arrived. "Hanzo-senpai, I've heard so much about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet!"
"I've also heard of Leader Yahiko's reputation. You're even younger than I imagined," replied Hanzo.
After exchanging pleasantries, they both sat on the chairs, staring cautiously at the gorge behind each other. They each appeared to have only three to five guards with them, but no one knew how many were hidden in the shadows.
This negotiation between the Akatsuki and Amegakure was less about reconciliation and more about sizing each other up. If one side had fewer people, they might just be devoured by the other.
After a few more exchanges, Yahiko asked, "Lord Hanzo, do you happen to know where Byakuya is right now?"
Hanzo smiled and clapped his hands, signaling for his subordinates to bring "Byakuya" out. "Leader Yahiko, Byakuya is now my disciple. I will of course fulfill my promise and release him."
"But before that, I'd like to have a good chat with Leader Yahiko about the Land of Rain."
Upon seeing Byakuya's figure, Yahiko breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to Hanzo. "Lord Hanzo, if you're interested, I certainly won't refuse. I also want to exchange experiences with you."
"Speaking of which, Lord Hanzo has always been my idol!"
"Is that so? Then I am truly honored," replied Hanzo, chatting casually with Yahiko while waiting for Danzo's move.
However, after waiting for quite a while, there seemed to be no movement from Danzo's side.
This puzzled Hanzo. Could it be that Danzo had betrayed him? If he relied only on his subordinates, they could win this ambush, but the losses would be too great.
What Hanzo didn't know was that Danzo was also in a dilemma.
Hidden in the shadows, he was surprised to discover that there were also a large number of ninjas hidden on the opposite side. If he launched an attack, the losses on his side would be immense.
So, both Hanzo and Danzo were waiting for the other to make the first move, trapped in a dilemma.
At this moment, Yahiko suddenly stopped chatting and stared into Hanzo's eyes. "Lord Hanzo, we've been chatting for so long. Isn't it time to release him?"
After a pause, Yahiko shouted to the surroundings,
"Ninjas hiding in the shadows, there's no need to conceal yourselves anymore. Come out!"