Hanzō Sells Out Danzo

Shimura Danzō was definitely not a man who kept his word, but Hanzō had no choice.

Just as Shimura Danzō had said, you had no right to choose. You could only trust him—trust that he would help lobby for you.

"Danzo, you like manipulating people, don't you?"

Jingyi took out a scroll, tied it to Puppet Crow's leg, and controlled the puppet as it flew toward Amegakure.

You wanted to use Hanzō's hand to get rid of me and keep yourself clean?

Not a chance.

Jingyi was certain that Hanzō did not know Shimura Danzō had been stripped of his position.

Only Shimura Danzō, as the Hokage Advisor, could help lobby for them and help Amegakure.

If Shimura Danzō no longer held the position of Hokage Advisor and was merely a schemer resting at home, would Hanzō still listen to him?

Puppet Crow flew to Amegakure, found the building where its leader worked, aimed at one of the guards, and dropped the scroll before turning and flying away.

"What was that?"

Noticing something falling from the sky, the ninja on duty instinctively caught the descending scroll and looked around in confusion. The pitch-black night sky was still pouring with rain, and he could see nothing.

"A scroll? Who sent it?"

Could someone be watching me?

The Amegakure ninja on duty was startled. After checking repeatedly and confirming no one was around, he finally ducked under shelter from the rain and opened the scroll.

The moment he read two lines of its contents, his expression changed drastically. He hurriedly put away the scroll and rushed toward Hanzō's office.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in!"

Hanzō's tone was not pleasant, because he was still struggling over whether to agree to Shimura Danzō's deal.

"Leader, someone delivered an intelligence scroll."

The ninja on duty presented the scroll.

Hanzō picked it up and asked, "Who delivered it?"

They infiltrated the village so brazenly?

Did they really think so highly of themselves that they didn't even take me, Hanzō, seriously?

"I don't know..."

The ninja on duty shrank his neck, afraid of being blamed or punished by his leader.

"Fine. Leave."

Hanzō could not help feeling disappointed. Compared to the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Amegakure's ninja were still somewhat unreliable. Aside from himself, there were only a few ninja in the village capable of standing on their own.

After all, the Land of Rain was only so large, and there were only so many people who could become ninja. There was no room to be selective; anyone capable of refining chakra could receive training.

Although the number of ninja had increased, their quality was not particularly impressive.

Among the many small countries and small villages, they stood alone at the top. But compared with the Five Great Shinobi Villages, they were not worth mentioning.

Waving the ninja on duty away, Hanzō opened the scroll and began reading.

"Hmm? Hmm!!!"

After only glancing over the scroll, Hanzō's eyes widened behind his respirator.

Shimura Danzō had been stripped of his position as Hokage Advisor?

And that man had still come before him and tried to manipulate him.

"Damn it!!"

He had been played. Shimura Danzō had simply wanted to get something for nothing, using a little intelligence to control him. The lobbying and the deal were all nonsense, because Shimura Danzō had no right to make such promises now.

"Danzo, you dared to deceive me!"

Thinking of how he had spent two days agonizing over it, worrying that war would break out in the Land of Rain and that Konoha would drag Amegakure into the conflict, only to find that he had been troubling himself for nothing, infuriated him.

Then who had sent this scroll?

Surely it could not have been Jingyi Hyuga, the man Shimura Danzō wanted dead.

"Guards, seize the men Danzo left behind. Take them away and interrogate them for intelligence, then bring the information to me."

No matter who had sent the intelligence scroll, Hanzō had become suspicious. He would no longer trust Shimura Danzō so easily.

As for whether the information was true or false, he only needed to interrogate the ninja Shimura Danzō had left behind.

Even if the ninja Shimura Danzō left behind was a death warrior, Hanzō could still extract intelligence from him.

In the Shinobi World, there were too many ways to dig intelligence out of corpses. Every village had corresponding methods; some were simply stronger than others.

Two hours later, a document was delivered into Hanzō's hands.

"Shimura Danzō!!"

After reading the document, Hanzō flew into a rage. The information in the scroll that had appeared from nowhere was true.

Shimura Danzō had been stripped of his position as Hokage Advisor and was currently resting within his clan.

He did not hold even the slightest bit of authority.

Hanzō's face gradually reddened behind his breathing mask.

"Danzo, I had wondered why you couldn't even kill a mere medical ninja. So you were plotting against me, trying to get something for nothing?"

"Good!! Very good!"

"Send this intelligence, along with the corpse, to Konoha Camp and hand them over to Konoha's people. I want to see how Hiruzen Sarutobi will deal with Shimura Danzō."

Assassinating ninja from his own village, asking outside forces to act, and leaking the village's intelligence—once those charges were confirmed, they would be more than enough for Shimura Danzō to suffer.

"Yes, Leader!"

"Wait. I'll deliver them myself!"

Shimura Danzō, since you had shown no mercy, do not blame me for being ruthless. You were the one who treated me like a monkey first.

Thinking about how he had been manipulated like a monkey, Hanzō wanted nothing more than to kill Shimura Danzō.

Early the next morning, the ninja on watch at the camp sounded the alarm.

All the ninja in the camp became tense.

The reason was that Hanzō, the leader of Amegakure and the so-called demigod, had arrived uninvited—and he had brought a corpse with him.

The demigod's reputation was well-known throughout the Shinobi World. Little Honda, the camp captain, forced himself to step forward and negotiate with him.

Fortunately, Hanzō had come striding openly toward the camp and did not look as though he intended to attack it. Otherwise, there would have been no negotiation—only battle.

"Jingyi, Hanzō, the leader of Amegakure, has arrived. He also brought a corpse. The captain has gone to negotiate with him, and a major battle may break out."

As Jingyi's protector, Sarutobi Mishima went directly to the medical room.

"Hanzō came?"

As the leader of a village, arriving in another country without any prior notice could easily cause misunderstandings.

Even if you had no hostile intentions.

Could the intelligence sent yesterday have worked?

Jingyi guessed at Hanzō's reason for coming.

"May I ask why the demigod has entered the Land of Fire?"

Little Honda still treated Hanzō with respect. After all, the man was the leader of a village and a powerful figure famous throughout the Shinobi World. He had to be given the proper respect.

Hanzō threw the corpse in his hand at the entrance of the camp.

"A few days ago, Shimura Danzō came to Amegakure and offered me a great deal of Konoha's intelligence in exchange for a deal. He hoped I would kill a medical ninja named Jingyi Hyuga. I refused him.

This is one of the men he left behind. I hope you will report this matter to the Hokage as soon as possible. Tell him that I have no intention of becoming enemies with Konoha."

"What?"

Little Honda practically jumped into the air. The corpse was a Konoha ninja?