Cicada, Mantis, Oriole

Hanzo rubbed his temples, his right eyelid twitching.

For some reason, ever since the day he agreed to cooperate with Danzo, he had felt uneasy.

It was as if an invisible net had quietly ensnared him, and he was like an insect within it, struggling powerlessly.

"Hmph, it seems that as people get older, they worry more and more."

Hanzo pinched his twitching temples and sighed again. If he were ten years younger, would he have this kind of mindset?

"Lord Hanzo, it's time to depart."

Outside the door, his most trusted elite Jonin was waiting to receive orders.

Today was the agreed-upon date.

"Let's go."

Hanzo slowly stood up, his gaze gradually firming.

He was still the leader of Amegakure, the legendary Hanzo of the Salamander who had suppressed Konoha's Legendary Sannin!

This was just a simple mission. In his long ninja career, it wouldn't even rank among the difficult ones. The only tricky part was Tsunade.

Soon, Amegakure would usher in light.

Looking at the overcast sky, Hanzo, who had stepped out from underground for the first time in months, thought to himself.

On the outskirts not far from Amegakure, Hanzo led over a dozen of his most elite Jonin to the rendezvous point.

Tsunade, along with Hikari and Uchiha Sōgetsu, were already waiting there.

Fully armed, Hanzo showed no signs of his former weariness. An imposing aura emanated from him, as if this was his true form.

Is this the brat?

Hanzo was extremely cautious, casting a very subtle glance at the Anbu following behind Tsunade.

To avoid detection by the keenly perceptive Sharingan, he quickly averted his gaze, pretending nothing was amiss, and said to Tsunade, "To prevent any accidents, I brought Amegakure's elites. After all this effort, I hope Konoha will provide us with some compensation afterward. What do you think?"

"I'll tell the old man as it is," Tsunade replied calmly.

"That's good."

Hanzo narrowed his eyes, seemingly satisfied, and then fell silent, no longer looking at the mission target.

Next, he just needed to wait for the opportunity. Once Tsunade was lured away by Root, he had to kill the target as quickly as possible. Only then could he find an excuse to absolve himself afterward.

While Hanzo was calculating his next move in his mind, he didn't notice that he was being watched.

"Hanzo just glanced at me casually."

Hanzo, who thought he had hidden his intentions well, couldn't fool Uchiha Sōgetsu's eyes at all.

Out of caution, he often used Spiritual Vision to silently observe everyone's spiritual bodies, as well as their body language and facial expressions, from a third-person perspective.

The moment they met just now, he had sensed Hanzo's abnormality.

Although he was trying his best to disguise it, extremely subtle physical cues and micro-expressions on his face clearly revealed that he was trying to hide his intentions.

It was hostility!

No matter how skilled someone was at disguise, they couldn't hide their emotions from an observer.

Judging by the color emanating from Hanzo's Ether Body, it was undoubtedly a hostile killing intent. He intended to make a move against them!

No, Hanzo's target can't be Tsunade.

Uchiha Sōgetsu immediately dismissed this possibility.

Given Hanzo's personality, he would never dare to offend the last bloodline of the Senju clan, which would be tantamount to slapping the Third Hokage in the face.

A playful smile appeared under Uchiha Sōgetsu's mask.

Since Tsunade was ruled out, it meant Hanzo's target was him!

This was a bit strange.

He and Hanzo had never met before. When they met a couple of days ago, the latter hadn't shown any hostility.

Why, after only two days, would Hanzo show him killing intent upon meeting again?

Unless... Uchiha Sōgetsu sneered inwardly, "Heh, is this another one of Danzo's schemes?"

Thinking about it, besides that scoundrel Danzo, there was basically no other reason.

First of all, Black Zetsu couldn't be it. The filial son had more important matters to attend to. A mere Hanzo and him weren't worth Black Zetsu's time.

"Should I call it fate?"

Uchiha Sōgetsu's lips curved into an arc, and he looked at Hanzo meaningfully. "Even fate is on my side. I was just looking for an excuse."

Hanzo wanted to kill him, but didn't he also want to kill Hanzo?

Now, the pieces were set.

The outcome of this game depended on who was the more skilled player.

Although it seemed like a long time had passed, only a few seconds had actually gone by.

Having understood the whole situation, Uchiha Sōgetsu stopped speaking and quietly waited for Hanzo's "performance."

Since he had already guessed the other party's intentions, he was now a little curious about how Hanzo planned to lure Tsunade away from him later.

Each person with their own agenda, they moved in silence through the canyon.

Soon, they arrived at the sealing location.

"This is it."

Uchiha Sōgetsu confirmed the seal's location based on the scroll.

However, the area near the seal had been severely damaged, and it was clear that someone had taken something from inside.

"Tsk," Tsunade frowned, realizing she would have to work overtime again.

"Someone broke the seal, not long ago," Hanzo said, asking, "It seems your movements were leaked."

"This is troublesome," Tsunade felt a headache coming on and sighed, holding her forehead. "Mission changed, let's continue the pursuit."

Because there was so little time, the person hadn't managed to erase their tracks.

Following the trail, they soon discovered that at the fork in the road at the end of the canyon, there were two identical sets of tracks.

"Looks like we have to split up," Hanzo said calmly.

"The enemy is clever," Tsunade didn't object. Splitting into two groups was the best option now. "In that case, we'll take one group, and you take the other."

"Alright."

Hanzo led his subordinates, following the tracks on the left.

Tsunade, along with Hikari and Uchiha Sōgetsu, continued to pursue along the tracks on the right.

The scenery on both sides blurred past.

"I see it!" Tsunade's eyes sharpened. "It's on our side!"

A figure appeared not far ahead, holding something wrapped in black cloth. Seeing the pursuers behind, they immediately increased their speed.

"Trying to run?!" Tsunade snorted, stomping her foot down hard.

Boom!

The ground instantly shattered.

Using the powerful impact, Tsunade shot forward like a cannonball.

"Stop. Right. There!"

Tsunade raised her right leg high and brought it down like a battle axe from the air.

RUMBLE!!!

Dozens of meters of ground instantly crumbled, the resulting shockwave surging into the sky.

The terrifying destructive power pulverized the hard rock, like a falling meteor, smashing a huge crater into the ground.

The ninja ahead was sent flying by the shockwave, spitting blood, his chest caved in, clearly on the verge of death.

"Who sent you?" Tsunade asked, hands on her hips, standing over him.

"Hehehehe..."

To her surprise, the person didn't show fear but instead wore a strange smile.

Tsunade, feeling a vague sense of unease, hadn't had time to speak when she caught a glimpse of the rocks near Hikari wriggling out of the corner of her eye.

"No!"

Tsunade lunged and turned, rushing towards Hikari. "Get away from there!"

In her haste to pursue, she had left Hikari behind, and Uchiha Sōgetsu had also been pulled some distance away.

The next moment, the wriggling rocks were thrown aside, and several dark figures suddenly sprang out.

"Ah!"

Hikari didn't have time to scream before she was grabbed by the shadowy figures and whisked away towards the forest.

"Damn it!"

Tsunade's pupils dilated in anger as she stomped the ground, her figure leaving afterimages.

Watching Hikari being abducted, Uchiha Sōgetsu muttered to himself, "The methods are old, but I must admit, they are quite effective."

He approached the dying ninja and looked down at him.

"Uchiha Sōgetsu..."

The ninja wore a cruel smile. "Lord Danzo sends his regards."

"Oh."

Uchiha Sōgetsu's tone was flat as he raised his foot and stepped on the ninja's neck.

Crack!

A crisp sound of bone cracking echoed.

The ninja's eyes widened, a sliver of survival instinct lingering in his pupils. Blood bubbled from his lips as he slowly breathed his last.

He didn't have a habit of pouring his heart out to a dead man.

Uchiha Sōgetsu removed his mask and tossed it aside, then put back on his black-rimmed glasses. He gave a gentle push: "When you see Danzo, remember to say hello for me too."

Ah... the first round of recommendations, so nerve-wracking, ORZ