Shimura Danzo was certainly not a trustworthy person, but Salamander Hanzo had no other choice.
Just as Danzo said, "You have no choice but to trust me. Trust that I will help persuade others."
"Danzo, you really enjoy manipulating others, don't you?"
Takashi took out a scroll, tied it to the puppet crow's foot, and controlled the puppet to fly towards Amegakure.
You want to use Hanzo to get rid of me while keeping your own hands clean?
Not happening.
Takashi was sure that Hanzo didn't know about Danzo's recent dismissal from his position.
Only Shimura Danzo, acting as Hokage's advisor, could help Amegakure. Without that authority, he was just a conspirator hiding at home—would Hanzo still follow his lead?
The puppet crow flew to Amegakure, found the office building of the village leader, aimed at one of the patrolling ninja, and dropped the scroll before turning to fly away.
"What is that?"
Seeing something fall from the sky, the patrolling ninja instinctively caught the scroll, looking around in confusion. The dark night sky was filled with rain, and he couldn't see anything.
"A scroll? Who sent this? Could someone be watching me?"
Startled, the ninja carefully examined his surroundings. Seeing nothing suspicious, he hid from the rain before unrolling the scroll.
After reading just two lines, his face changed dramatically. He immediately rolled the scroll back up and rushed towards Hanzo's office.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Come in!"
Hanzo's tone was harsh; he was still contemplating whether to accept Danzo's deal.
"Leader, someone has thrown in an intelligence scroll."
The ninja handed over the scroll.
Hanzo took it and asked, "Who sent it?"
So brazenly infiltrating the village—isn't that a bit too bold, treating me as if I don't matter?
"I don't know."
The ninja shrank back, fearing reprimand or punishment.
"Fine, you may leave."
Hanzo couldn't hide his disappointment. Compared to the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Amegakure's ninja were still lacking. There wasn't a single capable ninja who could be relied on apart from himself.
After all, the Land of Rain was small. The number of people who could become ninja was limited, and Hanzo couldn't be selective. As long as someone could refine chakra, they were given training.
Although the quantity of ninjas had increased, their quality left much to be desired.
Among the small nations and minor villages, Amegakure was notable, but compared to the Five Great Villages, they were still insignificant.
Waving off the guard, Hanzo opened the scroll.
"Hmm? Hmm!!"
Seeing the content, Hanzo's eyes widened in shock behind his breathing apparatus.
Shimura Danzo had been stripped of his position as Hokage's advisor?
Yet he came to me and tried to manipulate me?
"Damn it!!"
Hanzo had been played. Danzo was trying to use him to gain something for nothing, offering a bit of intelligence to control him. Talks of persuasion and deals were all nonsense because Danzo currently had no authority to back it up.
"Danzo, how dare you trick me!"
The thought of spending two days tormented by indecision, afraid of a war breaking out in the Land of Rain, terrified of being dragged into Konoha's affairs, only to realize it was all pointless, enraged Hanzo.
Who had sent this scroll then? Could it have been that Hyuga Takashi, the one Danzo wanted to kill?
"Someone! Arrest the men Danzo left behind. Interrogate them and bring me the intelligence afterward."
Hanzo wasn't going to trust Danzo any longer. Whether the information was true or not, a quick interrogation would confirm it.
Even if the ninja Danzo left behind was a loyal operative, Hanzo would extract the truth.
In the ninja world, there were countless ways to extract information from a corpse. Every village had its methods; some were better than others.
Two hours later, a file was handed to Hanzo.
"Shimura Danzo!!"
After reading it, Hanzo was furious. The information on the mysterious scroll was true—Danzo had indeed been removed from his position and was currently staying within his clan's grounds, powerless.
Hanzo's face flushed with anger behind his breathing apparatus.
"Danzo, so that's why you couldn't even kill a mere medical-nin—you were scheming against me, trying to gain without risking anything."
"Good! Very good!"
"Take this intelligence, along with the body, to Konoha's camp. Hand it over to them. I want to see how Sarutobi Hiruzen deals with Danzo."
Conspiring to assassinate a Konoha ninja using an external power, leaking village secrets—if these charges stuck, Danzo would face serious consequences.
"Understood, Leader!"
"Wait, I will deliver it personally!"
Danzo, you lack honor; don't blame me for doing the same. You were the one who tried to make a fool of me first.
The thought of being manipulated like a monkey made Hanzo want to kill Danzo.
The next morning, the camp guard raised the alarm.
All the Konoha ninjas were on high alert.
The leader of Amegakure, the so-called Demi-God Salamander Hanzo, had come uninvited, carrying a corpse.
The title of "Demi-God" was well known in the ninja world. Kobayashi, the camp leader, nervously stepped forward to negotiate.
Luckily, Hanzo came openly, not appearing as if he was attacking; otherwise, it wouldn't be a negotiation but an outright battle.
"Takashi, the leader of Amegakure, Salamander Hanzo, has arrived, and he's brought a corpse with him. The captain has gone to negotiate. There could be a fight."
Sarutobi Santou rushed into the medical tent where he was stationed as Takashi's bodyguard.
"Hanzo is here?"
For a village leader to enter another nation's territory without notice could easily lead to misunderstandings—even if he had no ill intentions.
Could it be that the intelligence I sent last night had some effect?
Takashi guessed at the reason for Hanzo's arrival.
"Demi-God, why have you entered the Land of Fire?"
Kobayashi showed Hanzo respect. After all, Hanzo was a leader and a well-known figure in the ninja world. He deserved respect.
Hanzo tossed the corpse he carried to the camp entrance.
"A few days ago, Shimura Danzo came to Amegakure, offering Konoha secrets to make a deal with me, hoping I would kill a medical ninja named Hyuga Takashi. I refused.
This is the man he left behind. Relay this to your Hokage—I have no desire to be enemies with Konoha."
"What?"
Kobayashi nearly jumped out of his skin. The corpse was a Konoha ninja?