By what means should I meet Hanzo?

However, Hyuga Qinglan just watched him quietly, not a single ripple appearing in those pure Byakugan eyes.

And it was precisely this calm gaze that made Heiji of the Rain Shelter lose his composure first.

"Forget it..."

He coughed, his tone softening slightly.

"It's normal not to recognize me. After all, the last time we met, you kid were standing behind Aburame Ryoma..."

"Sorry, I'm bad with faces,"

Hyuga Qinglan dispersed his chakra, and the long hair behind his shoulders fell back down smoothly. "It's mainly because your attire and that of Lord Hanzo are indeed very similar."

"Heh, hahaha, after all, I am the right-hand man's right-hand man to Lord Hanzo..."

As he spoke, Heiji suddenly pulled a slightly damp paper charm from his bosom and waved it in front of the other.

"Back in the day, I relied on a single Cigarette Smoke Technique to leave Jiraiya's Byakugan squad completely bewildered..."

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, a glimmer of nostalgia even appearing in his eyes, as if Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, were nothing more than a minor character he could easily handle.

Listening to this guy, who was dressed exactly like Salamander Hanzo, brag about his "Cigarette Smoke Technique" while endlessly boasting about his past battle achievements.

Hyuga Qinglan finally remembered who he was.

The right-hand man's right-hand man to Salamander Hanzo...

One of the failed products of Yakushi Kabuto's Impure World Reincarnation.

Heiji of the Rain Shelter...

"Young man, once you're on the battlefield, you must always be careful. Don't think that just because you have the Byakugan, you can act recklessly..."

"..."

"Thank you for the advice."

Hyuga Qinglan smiled faintly, not continuing the conversation, but simply nodding politely before turning to walk in the direction of Aburame Ryoma.

Heiji of the Rain Shelter...

Does he actually carry the scent of plants on him as well...

As he walked, Hyuga Qinglan quietly pushed his sensory abilities, inherited from the Otsutsuki Clan, to their limit.

Within his perception, the ground beneath the feet of Heiji and the several confidants of Salamander Hanzo around him, the damp layers of mud all around, and even Heiji himself, were all faintly entwined with a subtle, lingering fluctuation of natural chakra.

"I suppose this must be White Zetsu..."

Hyuga Qinglan silently reached this conclusion in his heart.

The resonance of Otsutsuki chakra allowed him to detect the presence of White Zetsu to some extent.

In other words, the people of Uchiha Madara had actually been keeping an eye on Hanzo all this time.

But thinking about it carefully, this was actually quite normal.

Nagato was the vessel for the Rinnegan, and for the now elderly Uchiha Madara, the importance of those eyes went without saying.

Yet, Nagato was currently in the Land of Rain, staying within the sphere of influence of Salamander Hanzo.

How could Madara, who was eager to advance the Eye of the Moon Plan, possibly allow anything to happen to this vessel?

Rinnegan...

Although he truly wanted to claim those eyes for his own use, Uchiha Madara was still alive.

Even if, on the surface, he was just an old man relying on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path for life support, barely able to walk.

Hyuga Qinglan knew clearly that even as a candle in the wind, with only one Three-Tomoe left, Madara's ocular power was immeasurable.

The Kirigakure Anbu, manipulated by Madara to hunt down Kakashi and Rin, were the best proof of this.

"Madara... Obito..."

Now was not the time to think about these things.

Hyuga Qinglan arrived beside Aburame Ryoma, his gaze unable to stop drifting toward Salamander Hanzo of the Amegakure forces.

What method should he use to meet with Hanzo?

It would be best to let him reach his peak, only to then fall from that peak...

Hyuga Qinglan calculated in his heart, his gaze flickering amidst the curtain of rain.

"Lord Hanzo, it is time for us to depart,"

Aburame Ryoma's gaze lingered on Hyuga Qinglan for a moment before retracting, falling once again upon the man opposite them, who was shrouded in shadows and mist.

"Hmm..."

Salamander Hanzo let out a low grunt, the sound muffled as it passed through his gas mask.

He stood on high ground, looking down at the crowd below.

Three Konoha ninja.

Aburame Ryoma, a brat from the Hyuga Clan, and another ordinary jonin whose name he couldn't even be bothered to remember.

Danzo, that guy...

A flame of resentment churned within his chest.

He was Hanzo, the man who had led Amegakure toward glory with his own two hands.

Had he really been reduced to the point where he had to join forces with a new organization emerging from within Amegakure just to fulfill the conditions set by Danzo?

What infuriated him even more was that Danzo wouldn't even deign to show up in person.

He had only sent a few subordinates to negotiate...

But in the end, he suppressed that anger.

For the sake of rebuilding the village from the ruins of war, and for the sake of breathing new life into his nation.

He, Salamander Hanzo, would endure it.

"Aburame Ryoma, tell Danzo that Amegakure has dispatched its troops as agreed..."

Salamander Hanzo strode at the very front, surrounded by a large group of Amegakure ninja, their black cloaks forming a sea that moved like storm clouds skimming the ground.

"If Danzo does not follow the terms we negotiated..."

His voice suddenly dropped, and the kusarigama in his hand emitted a chilling glint.

"Then do not blame Amegakure for turning hostile."

Despite saying this, Hanzo understood the situation better than anyone.

With the Third Shinobi World War dragging on, Konoha was essentially fighting one against four.

The ninja of the Land of Fire were maneuvering against the four great nations of Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Water simultaneously, and the Land of Rain, caught in the middle, was merely suffering the consequences of being in the crossfire.

The ones who had truly brought the flames of war here were primarily the advancing front lines of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.

He had no choice but to repeatedly repel those invaders on his own soil.

Compared to those lunatics from Iwagakure who would blast the ground into ruins with Explosion Release and Earth Release at the slightest provocation...

Konoha's attitude could be considered restrained, or even "gentle."

If this war were to eventually result in an advantage for Iwagakure...

He certainly had the confidence to block that stubborn old man Ōnoki, but war was never decided solely by the victory or defeat of top-tier powerhouses.

The ones who truly suffered were always the defenseless civilians of the Land of Rain.

Why should those ordinary people, who didn't even know ninjutsu, have to pay with their lives for the ambitions of the great nations?

In contrast, although Danzo was detestable, he hadn't tried to kick them while they were down; instead, he had sat at the negotiating table to discuss terms point by point, and was even willing to fund the reconstruction of Amegakure.

Hanzo didn't know what Danzo's true objective was, nor did he care.

As long as it could make Amegakure better, none of that mattered.

"That goes without saying..."

Aburame Ryoma replied indifferently, then turned his head to glance at Hyuga Qinglan.

Hyuga Qinglan understood immediately, nodding slightly before his figure silently melted into the curtain of rain.

By the time he returned, the Amegakure ninja were already fully prepared to depart, a black dragon of troops winding along the muddy road toward the distance.

Hyuga Qinglan followed behind Aburame Ryoma without a sound, his pace almost perfectly synchronized with his own.

Aburame Ryoma glanced at him sideways, said nothing more, and silently followed the main force of Amegakure as they marched toward the distant Rock Battlefield.