If You're a Man, Come Kill Me

Just as Jingū Kiraku was pondering how to use these skills to show Hanzō the Salamander what a damn surprise was, Hanzō was also doing everything he could to find him.

"Still no trace of that bastard?"

Inside the Amegakure Leader's office, Hanzō the Salamander narrowed his eyes and asked coldly.

The oppressive atmosphere alone made it clear that the Amegakure Leader, once hailed as the hero of the Land of Rain, was not in a good mood.

Sensing this, Amemura, the Hidden Rain Village jonin who had come to report, could only steel himself and answer:

"Not yet. That guy has hidden himself far too well. He hasn't left behind a single clue."

"To be precise, the clues he did leave behind were deliberately erased."

"Hm?"

At those words, Hanzō the Salamander immediately shot him a frosty look.

"What do you mean by that?"

Amemura lowered his head and explained, "In recent days, our arrests of the marchers have stirred up widespread discontent within the village."

"After all, quite a few of those we arrested are shinobi who fought in multiple wars and were hailed as heroes of the Hidden Rain Village."

"Under these circumstances, not only have the people refused to provide us with clues about Jingū Kiraku, they have also gone out of their way to cover for him, greatly increasing the difficulty of our search."

"Not only that, but the influence of that speech is still spreading. Many civilians who cannot even afford enough food have joined the marches, strongly protesting the village's current policies."

Amemura's explanation instantly enraged Hanzō the Salamander, who had always been forceful and authoritarian.

"What do those idiots know?"

"Everything I've done has been for the village's future!!"

A fierce rage surged through Hanzō's heart. With nowhere to vent it, he smashed the desk before him to pieces.

Amemura's gaze flickered slightly as he looked at the wood chips scattered across the room.

Soon, he heard Hanzō the Salamander roar hysterically once more.

"Betray me! They're all betraying me!!"

A chilling killing intent instantly filled the entire office, as though it could freeze someone solid.

"No..."

"The source of all this lies with that damned Jingū Kiraku."

"As long as I kill him, the village will soon return to peace."

"That's right. That bastard must die!"

It was as though Hanzō the Salamander had finally found the answer to the problem. His eyes gradually turned bloodshot.

Seeing this, Amemura could not help sighing inwardly.

He wanted to tell his leader that the human heart was like the wilderness. Once a fire was lit, it would not be so easily extinguished.

But when he saw the murderous glint in the other man's eyes, he wisely swallowed those words.

Amemura knew that this brave and fearless leader had fallen into a state of obsession he could not pull himself out of.

Sure enough, once he had identified the root of the problem, Hanzō the Salamander immediately came up with a simple and brutal solution—

"Since that bastard is hiding and doesn't dare show himself, then all we need to do is force him out."

The Demigod who had built an illustrious reputation on the battlefields of the Land of Rain finally calmed down.

Standing amid the shattered wood chips, he looked down at the streets shrouded in drizzle.

There were traces of blood there, but the rain would soon wash them away, just like this turmoil.

As long as that damned Jingū Kiraku was eliminated, the village would soon return to peace.

With that thought in mind, a cold voice emerged from beneath the breathing mask on his face.

"Don't those people enjoy resisting?"

"Then let them learn who truly rules the Hidden Rain Village."

"At noon tomorrow, drag all those arrested dissidents into the streets and behead them as a warning!"

Hanzō the Salamander's murderous words left Amemura's mind blank.

They had only marched in protest, and he wanted to behead them in public?

What kind of madness was this?

This was the conduct of an outright tyrant!

Not to mention that many of those dissidents were heroes who had once fought and bled for the Land of Rain. Was he really not afraid of chilling everyone else's hearts?

Before Amemura could even react, Hanzō continued.

"Didn't that Jingū Kiraku say he would lead the Land of Rain out of its current predicament and restore its glory?"

"Then let me see what he is truly capable of."

"If he cannot even protect his own supporters, then his so-called 'Make the Land of Rain Great Again' is nothing but a joke!"

Hanzō the Salamander's tone was filled with contempt and disdain.

Clearly, he did not believe that the future Jingū Kiraku spoke of would truly come to this Land of Weeping.

Deep down, he too wanted to lead the Land of Rain to live with dignity.

But in the face of a colossal power like Konoha, the Land of Rain had no chance of victory whatsoever.

If he had truly killed those three brats back then, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have retaliated without regard for the cost.

When that time came, the Land of Rain would likely have faced only one ending: destruction.

Rather than that, it was better for him to lead the Hidden Rain Village in retreat, willingly making the names of the Konoha Sannin famous, so that Amegakure could continue barely surviving in the cracks between the great nations.

Everything he had done was not because he feared death or clung to power. It was all for the future of the Land of Rain!

Why couldn't those idiots understand?

They even wanted him to step down?

What a joke!

Could Jingū Kiraku accomplish what even he could not?

After all, he was merely a Chunin!

Konoha had at least a hundred, a thousand shinobi like him!!

Impossible...

What he himself could not accomplish, that bastard could not possibly accomplish either. He merely wanted to drag the entire Land of Rain to its death.

Hanzō the Salamander convinced himself of this again and again.

Suddenly, he turned his head and coldly looked at Amemura, who stood rooted to the spot.

"What is it? Do you have some objection to my plan?"

A chill instantly enveloped Amemura, the icy sensation nearly seeping into his bones.

Even so, Amemura gritted his teeth and tried to persuade him.

"Lord Hanzō, I believe such an extreme approach will only widen the rifts within the village, which would be detrimental to—"

Before Amemura could finish, he met Hanzō's murderous gaze.

The latter appeared before him almost instantly, seized him by the throat without a word, and used overwhelming strength to pin him against the wall.

"I'll warn you one last time, Amemura."

Amemura's struggling figure was reflected in Hanzō's eyes, and the killing intent in the air was nearly solid.

"No one will ever shake this old man's position as leader."

"Jingū Kiraku cannot. Those damned heroes cannot. You..."

"Neither can you!!"

As he looked at Hanzō, who had nearly fallen into madness, Amemura felt both suffocation and a deep sorrow rising in his heart.

The wise and mighty Lord Hanzō of old was already dead.

He had died amid the Land of Rain's internal and external troubles, washed away by the currents of time.

What remained now was merely the shell of a tyrant who bowed and scraped to outsiders while ruthlessly suppressing those within.

Just as Amemura's thoughts began to fade and he was about to suffocate, a sudden knock sounded from outside.

Hanzō's eyes turned cold, but he finally released his grip from Amemura's neck.

"What is it? Speak."

His icy voice made the shinobi outside shudder lightly. Through the door, the man hurriedly replied, "Lord Hanzō, something terrible has happened."

"That Jingū Kiraku has had people scatter a large number of flyers through the streets."

"He said he wants to..."

"He said he wants to challenge you to a shinobi battle in Rain Dragon Valley!"

"His exact words were—"

"Hanzō the Salamander, if you're a man, come kill me!"