"I suggest we leave this place as soon as possible and regroup with our reinforcements to prevent the Hidden Rain from encircling us again," Orochimaru advised, his tone laced with urgency.
If the Hidden Rain were still pressing their advantage, Orochimaru might have felt more at ease staying put for a while. But the current situation was too strange, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. The sooner they left and regrouped, the better.
"Agreed," Tsunade replied, equally uneasy. With the decision made, they prepared to move out, intent on avoiding any unforeseen disasters.
Meanwhile, as the Hidden Rain's movements grew increasingly peculiar, Hanzo made his way to the Sand Village camp, confronting Chiyo directly.
"Who would have thought the 'Demi-God' himself would have time to visit our humble Sand Village camp?" Chiyo taunted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Or are you here to surrender to us?"
Despite her bravado, Chiyo knew she couldn't do much against Hanzo. His deadly poison, combined with his speed and taijutsu, made him a formidable opponent, especially against her puppets. Puppet masters like Chiyo were at a distinct disadvantage against fast, physically powerful opponents.
But just because she couldn't defeat him didn't mean she would let him see her sweat. The Sand Village was one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, after all. Chiyo couldn't afford to let Hanzo intimidate her, or the entire Sand Village would become a laughingstock.
Hanzo, however, looked at Chiyo as if she were insane, ignoring the Sand Village ninjas slowly surrounding him. He had no fear of being surrounded by enemies. If he unleashed his poison, at least half of the ninjas present would be dead within minutes. Chiyo knew this too, which is why she wouldn't be foolish enough to try and trap him.
"Old woman, don't you think you're being a bit naive?" Hanzo said, his voice calm but carrying an underlying threat.
"What do you mean?" Chiyo's eyes narrowed, her tone growing colder.
Hanzo wasn't fazed by her icy glare. He continued, "I know you're planning to raid the Leaf Village's camp. I also know that this war between the Leaf and the Hidden Rain was provoked by your Sand Village. I'm here for one reason: I'm willing to overlook your involvement, but the Sand Village must compensate the Hidden Rain."
Chiyo frowned. So, he knew. The Sand Village had indeed played a hand in stirring up this war, all in the name of weakening the Leaf Village. Even if the truth came out, it wouldn't change much—the war was already in full swing. But what she hadn't anticipated was that Hanzo would catch on to their plans to raid the Leaf camp and come demanding compensation.
"And what makes you think that's going to happen?" Chiyo scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. The Sand Village was struggling with resources as it was; they certainly didn't have anything to spare for the Hidden Rain.
"If you're here just for that, then you can leave. We don't have the resources to spare for you," she added coldly.
"Is that so?" Hanzo's tone remained calm, but there was an edge to it. "In that case, your plans are doomed to fail."
"So what if they do?" Chiyo wasn't giving an inch. She knew the Hidden Rain was already locked in a fight to the death with the Leaf Village. Hanzo had no choice but to keep fighting. The Hidden Rain was on the brink of collapse, and their mission was to keep the Leaf bogged down in this war, draining their resources and manpower.
The Sand Village's goal was clear: prolong the conflict, keep the Leaf Village distracted, and minimize their own losses. If the raid succeeded, great. If not, they would continue to drag things out. After all, it was the Leaf Village that was fighting on two fronts, not them.
Hanzo waved a hand dismissively, signaling his men to prepare to leave. "Very well," he said as he turned to go. "Then I'll simply negotiate a truce with the Leaf Village. I'm sure they'd be willing to compensate the Hidden Rain for a peace agreement. But when that happens, I doubt your Sand Village will be pleased with the outcome."
"You..." Chiyo's façade finally cracked. Hanzo had just hit her where it hurt most.
The Sand Village's greatest fear was that the war would suddenly end. If the Hidden Rain and the Leaf Village negotiated a truce, even at some cost to the Leaf, the Leaf Village would agree. Their real enemy was the Sand Village, not the exhausted and depleted Hidden Rain. Anyone could see that the Hidden Rain was on the verge of collapse, their resources drained and their future bleak.
If the Leaf withdrew their forces and redirected them to the battle against the Sand Village, they would be in serious trouble. Chiyo couldn't allow that to happen.
"Wait!" she called out, watching as Hanzo made to leave. The surrounding ninjas instinctively moved aside, not daring to block his path without Chiyo's orders. Few would even want to try—those who did often met gruesome ends.
Hanzo paused, glancing back. "Changed your mind?"
"How much do you want?" Chiyo asked, the reluctance clear in her voice.
She had no choice but to give in, to provide the Hidden Rain with some supplies to keep Hanzo fighting the Leaf. If the war ended now, the Sand Village would be in dire straits. Compared to that, a few supplies were a small price to pay, even if they were in short supply themselves.
"Food, ninja tools, explosive tags—my village needs all of it," Hanzo listed off as he continued walking away. His voice echoed back through the camp, "You have three days. If I don't see those supplies by then, I'll negotiate a truce with the Leaf and reveal exactly who started this war."
"Damn it!" Chiyo cursed under her breath. If she could, she'd kill Hanzo right here and now. But she knew she couldn't, and she didn't dare try. The cost of taking him down would be far too great.
"Chiyo-sama, should we...?" One of the Jonin made a throat-slitting gesture, but Chiyo shook her head, her expression grim.
"No need. Hanzo isn't someone we can take down easily. Even if we succeeded, the cost would be too high. Prepare the supplies and send them to the Hidden Rain," she ordered.
As tensions in the Land of Rain shifted due to the Hidden Rain's demands, Takuya's team was dealing with their own set of problems. The number of Iwa ninjas around the Hidden Grass Village was increasing. According to Snowy's observations, there were at least three Jonin squads and several Chunin squads scouring the area, as if searching for something—or someone.
"What are they looking for?" Nawaki wondered aloud, confused by their actions. They weren't attacking the village or showing any signs of aggression; they were just searching.
"They might be looking for her," Takuya suggested, glancing over at Uzumaki Nami, who was hiding in the tall grass.
For the past few days, Nami had been staying with them, and Tsunade had already sent word back. Once the war was over, she would take responsibility for Nami's future.
"I'll go ask," Takuya said, approaching Nami.
"Have you seen any Iwa ninjas around here recently?" he asked gently.
"No," Nami answered quietly. "But there are other members of my clan in the Hidden Grass Village. I don't know where they're being kept, though."
That confirmed it. The Iwa ninjas were after the Uzumaki clan's bloodline.
Onoki wasn't a shortsighted leader like Hiruzen or Danzo. He was stubborn, but he had a long-term vision.
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