After returning from Yahiko's place, Shin began drafting a letter to Hanzō.
He had no intention of pledging allegiance to the Salamander—in fact, he was planning to eliminate the old man in the future and drain him of all his wealth. However, for now, he needed to pacify the so-called guardian of the Land of Rain.
His strategy was to first stabilize Hanzō, one of the two key figures responsible for the eventual downfall of Akatsuki, and then focus on dealing with Danzō, the other one. This wasn't just because Danzō was more detestable, but also because he represented Konoha at the time.
As an Ame ninja, Shin had a natural legitimacy in targeting Konoha. On the other hand, opposing Hanzō, who was still the public leader of Ame, would only lead to premature internal chaos in the country.
It wasn't that he feared civil war—he didn't mind conflict and even enjoyed seeing bloodshed. He cared about timing and maximizing his benefit from any internal strife. But now was not the right time.
The Third Shinobi World War had only just started, and many of the major events he knew from his previous life, like the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, the Battle of Kikyō Pass, or the defeat of the original Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, hadn't happened yet. This meant the war hadn't reached its peak, and the major villages were still in a phase of strategic probing and stalemate. They hadn't yet reached the point where they were fighting to the bitter end.
If the Land of Rain were to suddenly fall into chaos now, the surrounding major villages would likely be more than happy to pause their own fighting and divide the spoils of the Land of Rain, much like they had done with the Land of Whirlpools in the past.
Shin's plan was to wait until the war escalated, when the major villages were too bogged down to intervene. Only then would it be the perfect time to deal with Hanzō.
Until then, his stance was to keep the Salamander appeased. Outwardly, he would be respectful, lulling his opponent into complacency.
As such, his letter was full of flattery. He spent a great deal of effort praising Hanzō for his outstanding contributions to the development of the Land of Rain and fondly recalling the many glorious battles he fought during the last Great Ninja War. He lavished praise on Hanzō's wisdom and strength.
"Your wisdom and strength, Hanzō-sama, remain unmatched in these troubled times," he read aloud softly, testing how the words would sound to their recipient.
He then subtly hinted that the Land of Rain was still rife with hidden threats, with Suna and Iwa ninjas frequently infiltrating. He positioned Akatsuki as loyalists dedicated to protecting the citizens of the Land of Rain, combating these insurgents.
Finally, he earnestly expressed the hope that Hanzō would place more trust in them, and he offered a token of material goods as a gesture of sincerity, hoping that the Salamander would graciously accept it.
Although the letter was filled with exaggerated praise, he didn't make any actual concessions. He didn't relinquish control of Akatsuki, nor did he promise to halt the group's expansion.
But he subtly made demands, asking Hanzō for more trust. If Hanzō fell for the flattery and actually gave his approval, Shin would immediately use that to his advantage, wielding it like a royal decree. He'd go after the Ame ninjas who had extorted Akatsuki members and eliminate them all.
This was his way—he didn't care about appearances or playing submissive as long as it led to tangible benefits. The only regret was the material goods he had to offer up.
But that was unavoidable. Yahiko's previous over-the-top generosity had made it impossible to hide the fact that they had stockpiled resources. It would be difficult to smooth things over without offering a friendship fee.
After finishing the letter, he handed it, along with a scroll sealed with the materials, to Konan, who would send it to Hanzō..
"Make sure this reaches Hanzō directly," Shin instructed, watching as Konan created a paper butterfly.
"Through my paper butterflies?" she asked.
"Yes, and if possible, watch for his immediate reaction."
He didn't plan on meeting Hanzō anytime soon. When the time came, he hoped that their first encounter would also be their last. The thought brought a slight smile to his face as he watched the paper butterfly disappear into the rain.
Now all that remained was to wait.
Everyone in the organization was on edge.
"Will Hanzō actually respond?" one member asked anxiously.
"He has to, right? With that much tribute..." another replied, glancing at the direction the butterfly had flown.
Hanzō's reputation was still strong among many Ame ninja at the time, and just his name brought tension. Fortunately, just two days later, before a reply even arrived, many began to notice positive changes. Like storm clouds clearing, the pressure began to lift.
One day, a member of Akatsuki rushed back to the base with excitement. He burst through the door, not even bothering to shake off the rain from his cloak. "Good news, everyone! The Ame ninjas have all withdrawn—I went out to check this morning and they've taken their tents. Looks like they don't plan on blocking us anymore!"
Throughout the day, more and more members returned with similar reports, each one bringing fresh hope with their words.
"The people in the southern town told me the ninja who had been threatening them didn't show up today," one reported, still catching his breath from running.
"The Ame ninja who clashed with us three days ago sent us a message saying it was all a misunderstanding."
"I went on patrol today and finally didn't get ambushed!" A younger member couldn't contain his joy.
By evening, Yahiko finally breathed a sigh of relief. He stood by the window, watching the endless rain that was their home's constant companion. "It seems Hanzō has finally understood us."
Shin, who was waiting in Yahiko's room for the reply, rolled his eyes and bluntly said, "This has nothing to do with understanding—it's just that the money has come through." Always the idealist, seeing meaning where there's only greed. Money talks louder than any ideology.
Yahiko wanted to argue for his ideals, but before he could, everyone around them started praising Shin.
"You really know how to get things done! We were so worried before you returned!" A senior member clapped him on the shoulder.
"Exactly, we really have to rely on Shin!" Others nodded in agreement, their faces showing genuine relief and gratitude.
Yahiko was left speechless by the scene. Though he was upset, he couldn't find any grounds to refute it. His hands clenched at his sides.
Before Shin returned, Yahiko truly hadn't been able to come up with a solution. This was his failure as a leader. What made it worse was that even Konan and Nagato didn't come to comfort him this time.
Konan wasn't even looking at him. She had her eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought, likely controlling the paper butterflies outside.
Moments later, her eyes snapped open in surprise. "A reply has arrived!"
Everyone immediately perked up. The paper butterfly flew into the room with the letter. Yahiko reached out to take it, but it flew right past him and naturally landed in Shin's hands.
For a brief moment, Yahiko's expression froze.
Fortunately, everyone's attention was on Shin as they eagerly watched him open and read the letter, sparing Yahiko from any further embarrassment.
Shin quickly read the letter, and everyone noticed his expression change. Their hearts, which had just started to relax, were now back in their throats.
"What's wrong? What did Hanzō say? Did something happen...?"
He patted Konan's hand to calm her down. "Don't worry, Hanzō didn't show any hostility in his letter. He even praised us. It's all resolved. You can all rest easy tonight." Though some of us might be busier than expected soon enough.
The group collectively sighed in relief and expressed their gratitude and praise to Shin.
However, Konan still seemed uneasy and asked, "Then why did you look so strange earlier?"
Shin handed her the letter and said, "Take a look. We might have another task on our hands soon."
His odd expression wasn't due to any bad news but rather surprise. In his letter to Hanzō, he had fabricated a story to exaggerate the threat facing the Land of Rain, claiming that Suna and Iwa ninjas were running rampant in the region. His intention was merely to overstate external threats and caution Hanzō against starting internal strife.
It should have been simple misdirection, nothing more. Keep the salamander looking outward while we grow stronger within...
But who would've thought that Hanzō would take it seriously and assign them a task—to deal with a group of Suna ninjas that had indeed infiltrated the southwestern part of the Land of Rain.
He reread the passage several times, making sure he hadn't misunderstood. Of all the coincidences...
He had only made it up, and yet it turned out there really were Suna ninjas sneaking around? The universe seemed to have a twisted sense of humor.
"So, what exactly does Hanzō want us to do?" one of the members asked, peering over Konan's shoulder at the letter.
Shin leaned back against the wall. "He wants us to prove our loyalty by dealing with the very threat I warned him about."
"But that's good news, right? It means he trusts us enough to give us missions!"
"Trust? Maybe." Shin couldn't help but laugh softly.
Damn! What was the Land of Rain, anyway? Did everyone just waltz in whenever they pleased?