And the Land of Iron would be an important cornerstone in the Land of Rain's rise to power.
Hanzo's gaze remained fixed on the Land of Rain, the nation that had always been "weeping."
Because it lay between the borders of the three great nations and was desperately short on resources, its development had been exceptionally slow.
He could imagine that if war ever broke out among the three great nations, the Land of Rain would inevitably become a battleground for the great powers.
Rather than sit back and wait for its doom, it was better to take the initiative and wage a war of its own.
"Let me lead the Land of Rain in its expansion! When I achieve my goal, I'll use absolute 'fairness' to create true peace."
The border of the Land of Fire.
Most of the people on the other side had suddenly withdrawn from the border. They were now beyond the Sound-Stealing Bug's hearing range, so Shinichi couldn't obtain any intelligence. The Eye-Nose-Ear Team had no choice but to return to their previous position.
In the blink of an eye, a day passed. The Eye-Nose-Ear Team learned that Konoha was about to send reinforcements to strengthen the border defenses and had ordered them to return to the village.
Just as they were ready to set off for home, the ninja guarding the border stopped them. It turned out they had received an urgent mission.
After carefully reading the mission details, Shinichi learned that they were to capture spies fleeing through the Land of Fire.
The spies had been discovered because Sarutobi Hiruzen had suddenly ordered the defenses along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain to be strengthened.
The spies who had been hiding in the Land of Fire mistakenly