A Scheme

"Just like last time, it's still raining nonstop." Feeling the steady drizzle fall on him, Yusuke thought to himself.

This wasn't Yusuke's first time in the Land of Rain. During the previous war, he had also carried out missions there.

Chakra coursed through his body, and a faint layer of fire-nature chakra, imperceptible to others, covered his skin. As the fine raindrops fell onto it, they were all burned away.

He called it "burning" because he wasn't using high temperatures to evaporate the raindrops. Otherwise, to everyone else, Yusuke would look like a steam engine with white vapor rising from his body.

The Konoha delegation hadn't had to wait long after arriving in the Land of Rain. Hanzo the Salamander soon came to greet them in person.

Danzo and Hanzo had clearly met before, and they immediately fell into an easy conversation.

Amid the drenched ninjas, Yusuke's hairstyle remained perfectly intact, immediately catching Hanzo's attention. Yusuke, in turn, carefully studied the ninja known throughout the Ninja World as the "Demigod."

In terms of appearance, Hanzo looked very much like a second-rate boss. He wore the standard uniform of Amegakure, with only a short black cape draped over his shoulders. A metal gas mask covered his mouth and cheeks, leaving only his eyes and the bridge of his nose exposed.

His withered yellow hair hung down his back, and his eyes were fierce. He clearly wasn't someone to trifle with. The weapon in his hand looked rather cheap, too: a sickle with a chain attached to its handle, the other end of which was connected to a counterweight.

Hanzo didn't wear the gas mask to protect himself from other people's poison. On the contrary, it was to keep the poisonous gas he breathed from affecting those around him!

In the village where Hanzo was born, there was a poisonous black salamander. After it died, its poison sac was implanted in the young Hanzo, giving him resistance to poison.

Whenever he breathed, the people nearby inhaled poisonous gas. As a result, everyone feared the young Hanzo. To avoid harming others, he was forced to wear a mask and breathe through his mouth instead.

Hanzo couldn't simply take off his mask. Though doing so would give him an advantage in battle, if the poison sac in his abdomen ruptured during a fight, even he wouldn't be able to withstand the salamander's poison.

After the Konoha party followed Hanzo to the lodging prepared for them, they stayed behind to rest. Danzo, meanwhile, went off somewhere with Hanzo for a private meeting.

Yusuke wasn't interested in the private talks between the two men whose names both ended in "zo." As far as he was concerned, he only had to attend the official negotiations as the Third Hokage's representative, witness the talks between Danzo and Hanzo, and report back to the Third Hokage.

Of course, if Yusuke had been a close subordinate of the Third Hokage, he might have tried to find out whether Danzo and Hanzo were involved in some shady deal.

But Yusuke had no intention of working himself to the bone for the Third Hokage, so he simply took it easy, rested at the lodging, and waited for the official negotiations to begin.

In Hanzo's secret chamber, Danzo sat in a chair with his eyes closed, two trusted Root Organization ninjas standing behind him. Across from him sat Hanzo, his expression displeased.

"Are these the compensation terms Konoha has drawn up? They're ruthless! At this rate, even in five years, my Amegakure might not have recovered!" Hanzo said coldly, looking over the document in his hands.

The document contained the compensation terms Konoha had proposed. Clearly, Danzo had disregarded his village's interests and revealed the terms to Hanzo before the official negotiations.

Danzo kept his eyes closed and spoke slowly. "I can make a fairly substantial concession on the terms, but you'll have to pay a price elsewhere."

Hanzo paid little attention to Danzo's offer of a concession. Instead, he changed the subject. "There's no need to make concessions. Just do me a favor, and I'll agree to every term in this document!"

Danzo's heart jumped, and his eyes snapped open.

He knew the terms in the document were extremely harsh. His original plan had been to sell off some of his village's interests, making concessions and then having Hanzo compensate his Root Organization in other ways. But Hanzo had now agreed to the terms outright, making Danzo very curious about what this "favor" involved.

"What favor? Go on," Danzo said, keeping his expression neutral.

Hanzo spoke slowly. "Have you heard of an organization called Akatsuki? They've been active around Amegakure recently, preaching a laughable theory of peace."

"With your strength as the 'Demigod,' you can't deal with a little group like that?" Danzo asked.

"The leader of this organization is no simple opponent. According to our intelligence, one of Akatsuki's members possesses the legendary Rinnegan!" Hanzo dropped a bombshell.

Even Danzo couldn't control his reaction. He widened his eyes and exclaimed, "What? You mean the legendary 'Sage's Eye'?"

Seeing the greed in Danzo's eyes, Hanzo's mouth curved slightly beneath his gas mask. "That's right. The Rinnegan, known as the 'Sage's Eye.' Their strength is still a mystery, so I haven't dared to make a move."

"But I've recently learned more about their internal affairs. With your help, I'm confident we can wipe them out. Then we'll each get one Rinnegan, and I'll agree to every term in these negotiations. You'll earn Konoha a great victory, which should also help you in your future bid for the Hokage Position!" Hanzo continued.

He believed Danzo had no reason to refuse the terms he'd offered.

"I accept. But are you really sure we can handle a ninja with the Rinnegan?" Danzo asked with a frown.

Though he coveted the legendary Rinnegan, Danzo knew full well that a ninja who possessed those eyes wouldn't be easy to deal with.

Hanzo gave a sinister smile. "To be honest, I'm not completely confident in a direct fight. But I've found their weakness. With your men backing me up, victory is all but certain."

Danzo spoke in a low voice. "Then I'll stay here for a few more days and help with your plan. But I want to know every detail."

Danzo didn't fully trust Hanzo. He had no intention of letting Hanzo use him as a weapon.

"You have nothing to worry about. The key to this plan lies with your men. I know the Root Organization has plenty of people skilled in espionage. I need your men to infiltrate their organization and seize an important person when the opportunity arises. With that person in our hands, the ninja with the Rinnegan will have no choice but to surrender," Hanzo said.

"All right. Send someone to notify me when you're ready to carry out the plan," Danzo said with a nod.

"By the way, there was an interesting ninja in your group today. The rain didn't seem able to get near him. He looks quite capable." Hanzo remembered seeing Yusuke when he'd gone to meet Danzo.

As far as Hanzo was concerned, the more powerful people who could take part in his plan, the better.

Danzo snorted. "That man was sent by the Third Hokage to keep an eye on me. Don't count on him for this plan. You've probably heard of him. He's Uchiha Yusuke, known as the 'Flame Tachi.'"

After learning Yusuke's identity, Hanzo nodded and said no more. He'd thought Yusuke was a Root Organization elite under Danzo and hoped to make use of him. Since Yusuke wasn't one of Danzo's men, there was no point asking about him.

Yusuke knew nothing about the conspiracy Danzo and Hanzo were plotting against Akatsuki.

The next day, Yusuke attended the official negotiations between Konoha and the Rain Ninja. The proceedings were tedious, but one unusual detail put him on alert.

The negotiators on both sides went through the motions of bargaining, but the Rain Ninja conceded on every single term in the end!

This was highly unusual. Hanzo the Salamander wasn't a weak leader. Even with Amegakure in the position of a defeated nation, he had no reason to give so much ground.

"Danzo and Hanzo must have reached some kind of secret agreement." Yusuke furrowed his brow.

But suspicions aside, Yusuke had no idea what sort of deal the two had made behind the scenes.

Once they had finished negotiating all the compensation terms, Hanzo and Danzo signed the agreement. The Konoha delegation's mission to negotiate compensation with Amegakure was more or less complete.

Back at the lodging, Yusuke asked Danzo, "Danzo-sama, the mission is finished. When will the delegation return to Konoha?"

"I'll be staying here for a few more days," Danzo said, glancing at Yusuke.

"May I ask why?"

Danzo swept out his sleeve and snorted. "I'm the leader of this delegation. I have no need to explain myself to you." He then ignored Yusuke and strode off.

The two trusted men following close behind Danzo glared at Yusuke as well. One of them was Yamanaka Rei, who had previously tried to ambush Yusuke and ended up being taught a lesson instead.

Watching Danzo and the others leave, Yusuke frowned and began to think.

The village was at a crucial point in the selection of the Fourth Hokage. As Orochimaru's sponsor, Danzo had been working behind the scenes to rally support for him.

The Third Hokage had sent Danzo to negotiate in Amegakure at this particular time. It might well have been an attempt to disrupt Danzo and Orochimaru's plans to win the election.

Normally, Danzo should have returned as soon as the negotiations were over, not wasted time staying in Amegakure.

The only explanation was that Danzo's reason for remaining in Amegakure was more important to him than helping Orochimaru win the Fourth Hokage election!

Over the next few days, Yusuke kept a discreet watch on Danzo. But Danzo was worthy of his reputation as the leader of the Ninja World's foremost spy organization. His security was tight, and Yusuke couldn't get close to him. A few times, he nearly got spotted by Root Organization scouts.

"Danzo-sama, it seems someone's been following us these past few days. I've had the scouts keep watch, but we haven't been able to catch them," Yamanaka Rei said respectfully.

"It probably isn't one of Hanzo's men. Most likely, Uchiha Yusuke is watching me from the shadows. Sarutobi really knows how to make trouble for me." Danzo snorted, then continued, "Don't worry about him for now. How are we coming along with the plan?"

"Everything's more or less in place. We've already taken control of several Akatsuki members. When the plan begins, they'll help Hanzo capture the target," Yamanaka Rei said.

"Good. Hanzo has also arranged a meeting with Akatsuki's leader. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I must get the Rinnegan. I'm the only one worthy of possessing the legendary 'Sage's Eye'!" Danzo said, his voice seemingly calm. But its slight tremor betrayed his excitement.

"But if the person following us is Uchiha Yusuke, will he oppose us and sabotage the plan?" Yamanaka Rei asked, concern showing on his face.

Yamanaka Rei didn't believe Yusuke posed much of a threat to their plan. But he deeply resented Yusuke for humiliating him in front of his subordinates.

If Danzo could use this opportunity to get rid of Yusuke, so much the better.

Danzo waved a hand. "He's alone in Amegakure's territory. He can't cause any trouble. Once I have the Rinnegan, he'll be the first I deal with."

Three days later, Yusuke, who had been secretly watching Danzo, saw Root Organization forces suddenly mobilize in large numbers. Realizing Danzo was about to make a major move, he followed them from a distance.

This time, Danzo wasn't wearing his usual half-black, half-white robe. Instead, he had changed into a Konoha Ninja uniform, suggesting he might take part in the operation himself.

At that moment, in a valley somewhere in the Land of Rain, Hanzo the Salamander was meeting with Akatsuki's leader, Yahiko. Nagato and Konan stood beside Yahiko, with the rest of Akatsuki's members behind them.