Jing Hang Pays His Respects

"Good lord! What is Hidden Leaf Village trying to do? Even Lord Hiruzen came in person to pay his respects! Hanzo of the Salamander is getting far too much face here." Yashamaru stared in astonishment at Konoha Village's funeral delegation.

At the head of the procession was Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in white. To show his mourning, even his red conical hat had been covered with white cloth. Behind him followed the solemn-faced Danzo Shimura and Homura Mitokado, along with at least a third of Konoha Village's assorted higher-ups.

"By standing in the ninja world, Hanzo of the Salamander could barely be said to deserve such honors. But I think the Hokage's personal presence must be for something else," Pakura said quietly.

"Pakura has a point. Let's not rush. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Come on, let's go greet them." Jing Hang put on his own green conical hat, likewise draped in white cloth, and headed toward the Konoha Village delegation.

"Lord Kazekage."

"Lord Hokage."

The two sides exchanged bows upon meeting, then their two processions proceeded side by side.

"Hanzo of the Salamander was a hero who had endured from the previous era to this day. To meet such an end is truly lamentable," Hiruzen Sarutobi said to Jing Hang as they walked.

"In these troubled times, living to the age of Senior Hanzo was no easy feat. For a ninja to die beneath blades and weapons seems to be a kind of fate." Jing Hang's words sounded meaningful, but in truth they contained nothing of substance.

"Still, for the Land of Rain to lose such a powerful figure will have quite an impact on the surrounding situation." Hiruzen Sarutobi did not seem interested in fencing with Jing Hang and went straight to the point.

"Please enlighten me. I haven't received any relevant intelligence on my side." Jing Hang was somewhat surprised. Was someone about to stir up trouble again? That didn't seem right.

The fighting around Hidden Rain Village had already come to an end, and Minister Chiyo had received no related intelligence either. Jing Hang glanced at Rasa, who was walking half a step behind him. Rasa shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

"There is no intelligence. It is simply that the people have suffered from war for too long. The fighting in the north is growing fiercer by the day, and now this has happened in the Land of Rain. It is inevitable that the flames of war may spread here. Hiruzen merely wishes to end this chaos sooner."

"Oh? I never expected Lord Hokage to be so compassionate. Though I am unworthy, I am willing to follow your lead."

So after all that, he wanted to mediate the Earth–Lightning War. That old monkey was shrewd indeed. Afraid his own strength would not be enough and that the Tsuchikage and Raikage would not give him face, he had used Hanzo of the Salamander's funeral as an excuse to meet with Jing Hang.

The combined weight of the Kazekage and Hokage would be enough to pressure both Earth and Lightning into a ceasefire. Hiruzen Sarutobi truly was a dyed-in-the-wool quasi-dove.

"Then I must thank you, my worthy brother. After the funeral and the inauguration ceremony for the new Rain Shadow, let us discuss it together at Konoha Village's base."

"I should arrange the venue instead. There is an izakaya by the Shule River. It is spacious, quiet, and secure, and it belongs to our Hourglass Group. The chef there makes exceptional grilled chicken skewers."

"Oh, is that so? Then how about the evening after tomorrow?"

"I will await your arrival."

"Lord Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi of Konoha Village and his delegation offer their condolences..."

"Lord Kazekage Jing Hang of Sunagakure and his delegation offer their condolences..."

"First bow..."

"Second bow..."

"Third bow..."

"The family returns the courtesy..."

Jing Hang was just about to bow to the family when he raised his head slightly and saw an old woman sitting there, leading five or six young, pretty women who were sobbing away.

Who the hell was the family? Who was the principal wife? Jing Hang looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and found him equally bewildered.

Oboro, the Hidden Rain Jonin responsible for receiving guests, seemed to notice the confusion of the two big shots. He quietly approached and spoke in a low voice.

"The one in the middle is Lord Hanzo's original wife and widow. The others are... concubines."

Jing Hang and Hiruzen immediately understood and gave the old woman a slight bow.

Damn it, so all the money I invested in Hidden Rain Village had been spent by that old bastard on this. If I'd known, there would have been no need to spend twenty million ryo hiring Kakuzu. A few million to book a place and let him have fun for three days and nights would have worked even better and cost less.

Next, the chairman of the funeral committee, and the future Rain Shadow, Nengshen Jingang, delivered a eulogy and introduced the life of Hanzo of the Salamander.

He rambled on for so long that Jing Hang was nearly dozing off. After what felt like an eternity, the funeral was finally declared temporarily adjourned. Everyone could rest in the side hall for twenty minutes, after which the final item of the funeral, the farewell viewing of the body, would be held.

Upon reaching the side hall, Rasa reported to Jing Hang.

"This Nengshen Jingang used to be Hanzo of the Salamander's bodyguard and chief steward. He has a very good relationship with our Hourglass Group. With the Hourglass Group backing him, he not only inherited all of Hanzo's estate, but also ascended to the position of Rain Shadow. He has also promised to keep taxes at their current level for ten years without raising them. As for policies, he has given us the green light all the way."

Jing Hang nodded. "The value of a relationship like this lies in maintaining it. We need to send gifts during every holiday. Also, since you are in charge of the Intelligence Department's work here, we cannot stop infiltrating Hidden Rain's other higher-ups. At all times, we need a Plan B."

Before long, the twenty minutes were up, and everyone returned to the main hall to view Hanzo of the Salamander's remains. Yet what stood in the main hall was a sealed lead coffin!

Before the coffin sat a tray containing three of Hanzo of the Salamander's personal effects: a broken chain sickle, an old respirator, and a Hidden Rain forehead protector. While everyone murmured in confusion, Nengshen Jingang stepped forward and signaled for silence.

"Please do not be surprised. There is a reason the coffin has been sealed in lead. Since childhood, Lord Hanzo had a venom sac from a highly poisonous Black Salamander implanted in his body... The assassin was so utterly deranged that he destroyed the venom sac, causing poisonous gas to leak out. Although several days have passed, small amounts of neurotoxin are still escaping. For the safety of all our friends, we had no choice but to seal the coffin in lead. Please view Lord Hanzo's personal effects and offer your condolences."

After attending the funeral, Jing Hang neither went with Rasa to inspect the factories nor spoke with the relevant people from the group. Using fatigue as an excuse, he turned down everything, had Pakura boil a barrel of mugwort water, and soaked alone in his room to wash away the bad luck. After quite some time, Jing Hang spoke toward a dark corner.

"Don't worry. There's no one within eight hundred meters. I checked with Iron Sand. Come out."

"It is better to be cautious. If plans are not kept secret, they become harmful." A figure stepped out of the shadows. It was none other than Danzo Shimura.

"What does Konoha Village mean by this? Are you planning to mediate the war in the north? You haven't even cleaned up the mess between yourselves and Hidden Mist Village in the east. Do you really have the spare time? Your precious grandson is still lying in our hospital!"

"You think I want to meddle in this crap? Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and the rest of them came up with this rotten idea. They want to join forces with Sunagakure and use military pressure to intimidate both Earth and Lightning, then convene the Second Five Kage Summit and use the combined power of four countries to force Hidden Mist Village into submission. Without sacrificing a single soldier, they can end the war simply by borrowing momentum and also display Konoha Village's international standing. Killing two birds with one stone."

"Huh, that idea isn't all that rotten. If handled well, it could really work. It would just hurt my business. If there's no war, my ninja blades and canned food probably won't sell as well."

"It's not just your little business. We fought tooth and nail to create peace, and then they can settle it with a few words of intimidation. Wouldn't that make all our efforts a joke?"

Jing Hang froze for a long while as he considered Danzo's words. Only after some time did he grasp the underlying meaning, and he burst into laughter. This Danzo was still clever enough, but too narrow in vision. After all that talk, it was still about his own power in Konoha Village.

"What are you laughing at?" Danzo's expression became somewhat awkward.

"I'm laughing because there's a problem with what you said!"

"What problem?"

"When all is said and done, you're the one who will be made into a joke. I'm the Kazekage. I'll just join your Hokage in intimidating people and settling matters. Who would laugh at me?"

"You!" Having his true motives exposed, Danzo's face immediately flushed red.

"Don't get worked up, don't get worked up. Don't be so hard to tease. To be honest, I don't support mediating the war right now either. But if you want to persuade the Hokage and that bunch of Konoha Village elders, this is what you should say. The evening after tomorrow, say this..."