Old Man, You Dropped Gold

News of Hanzō the Salamander's death in battle and Jingū Kiraku becoming Hidden Rain Village's new leader swept through the entire ninja world like a gale.

Especially the three great nations bordering it!

"What? Hanzō the Salamander is dead?"

In Konoha's Hokage Office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stared at the intelligence that had just arrived, his face full of disbelief.

Hanzō the Salamander had been hailed as a Demigod, a man standing at the pinnacle of the ninja path.

His strength was plain for all to see, especially for Konoha, his longtime adversary—

Lightning-fast swordsmanship, elusive Body Flicker Technique, masterful Water Release, coupled with that terrifying Summoning Beast and poison gas—he was an absolute nightmare for every ninja!

With these outstanding abilities, he had inflicted countless losses on Konoha over the years. Vast numbers of Konoha ninja had died beneath this Demigod's blade.

Though he had ultimately surrendered to Konoha, it had not been because he could not defeat the so-called Three Legendary Ninja. It was more because he feared Konoha, and because of his...

Despair.

Judging solely by his strength, Hanzō the Salamander had been beyond reproach.

And yet such a powerful man had suddenly died?

And in his own loyal Hidden Rain Village, no less?

Danzo, who had come to deliver the report, was not surprised by Hiruzen Sarutobi's reaction.

When he had first heard the news, he too had found it hard to believe.

"Though it is difficult to believe, this intelligence came from Root ninja within the Land of Rain. There should be no mistake."

Danzo's hoarse voice rang out, his expression grave.

"We have only just concluded our war with the Land of Rain. A change in Amegakure's leadership may have an adverse impact on us."

Hearing Danzo's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into thought as well.

This was the most intense stage of the great ninja war.

As the foremost great nation, occupying vast stretches of fertile land, Konoha was eyed covetously by nearly every country. The pressure it faced was easy to imagine.

If something else happened in the Land of Rain, the pressure on Konoha would increase considerably. It might even trigger a host of uncontrollable chain reactions.

Anyone capable of killing Hanzō the Salamander could not possibly be ordinary.

With that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately spoke toward the shadows beside him.

"Go summon Koharu and Homura. I'm calling a high-level meeting!"

After saying that, his gaze flickered slightly.

"No matter what, Konoha's interests in the Land of Rain must never be violated!"

Compared to Konoha's tension, Iwagakure and Sunagakure were far more relaxed.

To them, the more chaotic the Land of Rain battlefield became, the better.

Ideally, the newly appointed Amegakure Leader would build up his forces and fight another war with Konoha.

That way, while depleting Konoha's military strength, they could also fish in troubled waters and forcefully extend their hands into the Land of Rain.

After all, they had coveted the Land of Rain for a long time...

Naturally, Jingū Kiraku, the newly appointed Amegakure Leader, knew nothing of the schemes of these great nations.

Of course, even if he knew, he would not care.

Their intentions were not hard to guess. They were merely considering how to continue carving up the Land of Rain's interests.

Rather than speculate about their plans, Jingū Kiraku cared more about what stood before him—

"Because you successfully killed Hanzō the Salamander, you have received the following rewards: Poison Resistance, Poison Gas Master, Water Body Flicker Technique, Summoning Beast: Salamander Contract Scroll."

"Poison Resistance: Grants immunity to the overwhelming majority of toxins."

"Poison Gas Master: Unlocks the weapon unit Poison Gas Bomb and the combat unit Poison Gas Soldier."

"Water Body Flicker Technique: I'm fast! Even faster in water!"

"Summoning Beast: Salamander Contract Scroll: A contract scroll of the salamander clan. After writing your name in blood, you may establish a connection with them."

Looking at the system notifications before him, Jingū Kiraku could not help clicking his tongue.

He had not expected that old man Hanzō the Salamander to drop gold, and so much of it at that!!

First came Poison Resistance. This skill needed no further explanation.

Powerful poison resistance was absolutely the bane of poison experts like Hanzo and Chiyo of the Sand.

Without poison as a threat, their combat power would be greatly diminished!

Next was the second skill, Poison Gas Master.

Not only did it unlock the intimidating weapon known as the Poison Gas Bomb, it also unlocked the new combat unit, the Poison Gas Soldier.

Perhaps the future style of Amegakure Ninja would be gas masks covering their faces, with two Poison Gas Bombs dangling from their hands...

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

And besides...

This style of combat seemed somewhat similar to a certain nation in Jingū Kiraku's memories that excelled at blitzkrieg?

Of course, the most important thing was that this skill might be combined with his Clay Bombs to create even more powerful poisonous clay bombs—

They would not only possess terrifying explosive force, but also inflict large-scale casualties with poison gas.

Combined with his ability to fly, he could directly become a human-shaped poison gas bomber.

Just thinking about it was exhilarating!

The Water Body Flicker Technique was also a good thing.

Aside from his poison gas and swordsmanship, the most important reason Hanzō the Salamander had earned such a formidable reputation on the battlefield was this Body Flicker Technique.

The principle that all martial arts under heaven can be defeated by speed alone applied equally well in the ninja world.

Konoha's future Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, hailed as the Yellow Flash, was a perfect example.

Finally, there was the Summoning Beast Contract Scroll.

Jingū Kiraku looked at the scroll that had appeared in his hand, anticipation flashing through his eyes.

As long as he wrote his name on it in blood, he could form a contract with the salamander clan.

Of course, what kind of Summoning Beast one could summon still varied from person to person.

When Naruto first signed Mount Myōboku's contract in the original story, all he summoned was a small tadpole.

Even so, Jingū Kiraku was filled with anticipation.

If Hidden Rain Village could truly establish a stable relationship with the salamander clan, the ninja world might one day witness an army of salamanders carrying Amegakure Ninja as they wildly spewed poison gas across the battlefield.

Jingū Kiraku had no intention of hoarding such things for himself, nor would he care about inheritance and the like as traditional ninja did.

To him, as long as it could rapidly increase the Land of Rain's combat strength, he would not mind even publicly releasing every ninjutsu scroll.

After all, his own strength was firmly bound to the Land of Rain. The stronger the Land of Rain became, the stronger he would become as well!

With that thought, Jingū Kiraku slowly placed the scroll into a slot.

Though he was eager to see what kind of salamander he could summon, he had more important things to do now.

Jingū Kiraku narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze toward the system panel before him once more.

It settled on the three new features: the Technology Tree, Policy Tree, and Wonders.