Without a doubt, this is a scheme targeting Hidden Rain Village.
Moreover, this arrangement didn't require much careful preparation; it's highly likely that Iwagakure came up with it on a whim, slapping their foreheads and deciding to use it.
Especially after Hidden Sand Village decided to join them, Iwagakure's attitude towards Hidden Rain Village became even more casual and unrestrained.
Once Danzo understood this, he knew which side Konoha should side with.
If the original plan is followed, with Hidden Sand Village representing Hidden Rain Village in this meeting and securing more benefits for Hidden Rain Village, Konoha would not mind joining forces with Hidden Sand Village to support Hidden Rain Village from behind.
However, given the current situation, as the representative of Konoha, he cannot turn against Iwagakure, Hidden Sand Village, and the Land of Night for the sake of Amegakure, which is completely unrelated to him.
'It seems this is the end...'
Danzo thought to himself.
All the previously prepared plans were no longer needed, and he couldn't find any opportunity to exploit the situation.
Therefore, when Hidden Rain Village leader Songkang turned his gaze towards them, Danzo seated in his chair, coldly ignoring the pleading look in the other's eyes, showing no intention of speaking up for Hidden Rain Village.
The situation is very clear.
Hidden Rain Village is doomed to lose this negotiation; there is absolutely no chance of a comeback.
"..."
Songkang felt an unprecedented chill and despair. His mouth was agape, and for a moment he forgot how to speak, let alone how to retort.
No, rebuttal is useless.
Now, any explanation or rebuttal he makes is seen by those in power as laughable, like that of a comical clown.
They won't listen to him, and they're too lazy to reason with him. All he needs to do is come and sign the papers to settle the war reparations.
Songkang lowered his head. He could feel the malicious and mocking gazes from Hidden Grass Village, and his face felt a burning sting.
I feel like a monkey in a circus, manipulated by a trainer, whose only value is to offer a comical performance to bring joy to others.
We should have known about the ugly behavior of these major powers, and we were prepared to be humiliated, but why do we still secretly hope that these people will be reasonable?
This is probably the mindset of the weak; they always hope that those in power are symbols of fairness and justice.
Just like that departed God of Shinobi.
Behind Songkang, Hanzo's face twisted, his eyes, filled with chilling killing intent, swept towards the direction of Iwagakure. He seemed to have reached his limit of endurance, and even his breathing became heavier.
The old advisor from Iwagakure seemed to sense something as well, his cloudy eyes meeting Hanzo's gaze, which was filled with intense killing intent.
The old man from Iwagakure didn't speak, but merely pursed his withered lips, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, as if deliberately provoking him.
Hanzo's expression grew even colder.
His hand swiftly reached back to grab the handle of the scythe, and he took a step forward, about to use his Body Flicker Technique, when, with a snap, his arm gripping the Kusarigama handle was suddenly grabbed.
Hanzo's body jolted, and he turned in astonishment to look at Songkang, who was gripping his arm.
The other person kept his head down, not daring to show his current shameful state. His tall body became hunched over, as if a huge boulder was pressing on his back, preventing him from getting up. He shook his head with difficulty at Hanzo.
Although Hanzo couldn't see Songkang's specific expression, he could sense from the hand gripping his arm that the other man was begging him not to attack.
Hanzo was not a ninja who lacked a sense of the big picture. He knew very well that taking action in this place would not only bring no benefit, but would only make Hidden Rain Village's situation even more embarrassing.
But... he simply couldn't swallow this insult.
They've already taken advantage of us, trampling on Hidden Rain Village reputation. We can't just stand there smiling and let them trample on us at will.
When Hidden Grass Village attacked the Land of Rain, these people did not come to stop it.
Even as the Hidden Grass Village were burning, killing, and looting throughout the Land of Rain, these people still did not come to stop them.
Now that Hidden Grass Village has been defeated, they're all here, full of energy, trying to distort the truth.
What about all that fighting and struggling before?
What do the sacrifices of the Hidden Rain shinobi and the countless civilians of the Land of Rain mean to them?
Hanzo could not understand any of this, much less accept it.
"..."
Sensing the pleading will of Songkang, Hanzo finally backed down. The passion in his body seemed to have been doused with cold water, and he stepped back, slowly lowering his hand from the scythe handle.
His eyes were no longer as sharp as before, but filled with helplessness and confusion.
He suddenly didn't understand the meaning of his efforts to fight and train to become stronger...
He could do nothing; he could neither protect his companions and the people, nor could he uphold his own dignity.
Are you going to admit defeat?
If you just admit defeat and give up, you'll feel much lighter.
As long as he is not expected to do anything and does not respond to others' expectations, he can shirk all responsibilities and live an incredibly carefree life every day.
But... does this really have to go on?
Will giving up on yourself make you happy?
Hanzo gritted his teeth inwardly.
Reality told him to bow his head, but deep in his heart, a loud voice kept telling him—once he truly bowed his head, he would never be able to raise it again for the rest of his life.
'I have to admit, you are stronger now, but the battle won't end here. Sooner or later...'
Hanzo raised his head again, the confusion in his eyes gradually dissipating. His gaze slowly moved, memorizing every figure and face of the people above him.
Tell yourself that this is a stumbling block that you will have to overcome in the future.
His sudden upright posture silently declared one thing: Hidden Rain Village had lost this war, but the true victory still belonged to Hidden Rain Village.
The battles belonging to Hidden Rain Village have neither begun nor will ever end.
◎
The talks lasted less than an hour and ended very smoothly.
After all, a ceasefire agreement that only requires Hidden Rain Village and signature doesn't need to waste much time.
The new leader of Hidden Rain Village, Songkang, seemed weak, but surprisingly, he did not sign the agreement immediately at the meeting. Instead, he asked to have time to return to Hidden Rain Village and discuss the matter with the villagers before making a decision.
The Iwagakure faction readily agreed, since whatever Hidden Rain Village did next would only be a death throes.
Furthermore, in order to prevent Hidden Rain Village from delaying, Iwagakure set a bottom line of half a month.
After this time, Iwagakure will seek justice for Kusagakure in another way.
That was a method that Hidden Rain Village absolutely did not want to see.
Afterwards, Hidden Rain Village returned to Amegakure on their own, while Iwagakure took everyone to Kusagakure to stay temporarily, waiting patiently for Hidden Rain shinobi to come in person half a month later to sign the compensation.
As the core driving force, Iwagakure will take 40% of the profits from this meeting, the Land of Night will take 40%, and Hidden Sand Village will take the remaining 20%.
As for Konoha, which came uninvited, none of the three parties would concede a single coin.
Danzo, representing Konoha, felt regret over the outcome, but he wasn't exactly disappointed.
If Konoha truly valued this meeting, they wouldn't have just sent three young people from the new generation; they would have sent at least some high-ranking officials with significant influence.
"What a pity, I was hoping to get a chance to fight that Hanzo hero named Hidden Rain Village..."
After the meeting, Doichi returned to the Land of Night with the group, feeling very sorry that he had not been able to compete with the hero of Hidden Rain Village.
The rest is no longer their concern; the Land of Night has a designated department to coordinate with and take charge of matters in Kusagakure.
"That's impossible, after all, if we really took action, Hidden Rain Village's situation would only get worse."
Mifune, from the same squad, responded.
The three members of the team, Aburame Jūjirō, Shiraishi Aotori, Uchiha Megumi, nodded silently, not believing that Hidden Rain Village would have the courage to resort to violence under those circumstances.
No, that's not courage at all; it's courting death.
"Speaking of which, the reason that Hidden Rain Village hero was able to defeat Hidden Grass Village was probably because of his Summoning Beast and poison, which left the Hidden Grass Village ninjas with no way to retaliate."
Zhi Shilang then spoke, sounding as if he cared about something.
For example, the use of poison is a skill that the Aburame Clan excels at.
The insects bred by the Aburame Clan often possess unique toxins, and they are even among the best in the Ninja World at Poison Removal.
He was curious about what kind of deadly poison the Hidden Rain Village hero had used that rendered all the Hidden Grass Village ninja helpless, forcing them to seek help from the Iwagakure.
"He's also a master of the Body Flicker Technique and swordsmanship. It's said that once he sets his sights on someone, Jonin of Hidden Grass Village can't manage to form Hand Seals."
Mifune then added, his hand quietly gripping the hilt of the Samurai at his waist, his voice lowering.
Although he is also a master swordsman, he can no longer prevent Jonin from Hand Seals, even though the quality of the Jonin Hidden Grass Village is relatively low.
"Yeah, so it's a bit of a pity. But maybe we'll have a chance to fight in the future. And that guy from Hidden Cloud Village... I heard he's already become the Third Raikage."
Doichi then thought of the Raikage, who was far away in the Land of Lightning.
His opponent's strength and fighting style left an extremely deep impression on him, and even after a long time, he still remembered them vividly.
In the next battle, he will definitely use his gradually perfected Gentle Fist to determine the true victor and see whose Nintaijutsu is superior.