Why Men Always Have Perfect Excuses for Being Late

The man who spoke wore armor identical to Hanzo's, his face covered by a breathing mask meant to block poisonous gas. If not for his slightly protruding belly, the Rain ninja trapped in desperate straits would have nearly blurted out the words "Lord Demigod."

"Who are you?"

As he watched the slightly chubby man descend from the sky, hope burst into the Amegakure Jonin's eyes.

With an outfit exactly like that, he had to possess at least a fraction of Lord Hanzo's abilities, right?

"Young people these days don't even recognize the famous Lord Heiji?"

The Rain ninja who had come to save him shook his head with a wistful expression, putting on an unfathomable air.

"Was that name in the intelligence reports?"

Xiao Zi covered his nose and turned to the Iwa Ninja behind him.

"My lord, there is no record of such a person."

The Iwa Ninja responsible for intelligence records carefully searched his memories for the names of Amegakure's upper-echelon fighters. Yet after combing through everything repeatedly, he found no information related to Heiji.

"Could he be a hidden force?"

Xiao Zi frowned as he sized up the slightly chubby Rain ninja who had come alone, the wariness in his eyes growing heavier.

He could not see through the man before him. The man was clearly standing right there, yet his aura was as weak as a blade of grass. Only a top-tier powerhouse could achieve such flawless concealment.

"Let me test you."

Han stepped forward. He had always preferred direct action, and his imagination was nowhere near as wild as Xiao Zi's. Who was stronger and who was weaker? One exchange would tell him.

"Wait!"

Unexpectedly, the moment he took a step forward, Xiao Zi stopped him with a grave expression.

"What are you worried about?