Hanzō Sold Danzo Out at the First Opportunity

Shimura Danzō was certainly 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 me, trust that I would help persuade them.

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

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

You wanted to use Hanzō's hand to get rid of me while keeping 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's advisor, could help lobby for them and assist Amegakure.

If Shimura Danzō no longer held the position of Hokage's advisor and was merely a schemer hiding at home to rest, would Hanzō still listen to him?

The Puppet Crow flew to Amegakure and found the building where its leader worked. It aimed at one of the guards, dropped the scroll, then turned and flew away.

"What was that?"

Noticing something fall from the sky, the ninja on duty instinctively caught the descending scroll and looked around in confusion. The night sky was pitch-black, and rain was falling; he could not see anything.

"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 there, he finally ducked beneath shelter from the rain and opened the scroll.

After opening it and reading only two lines, his expression changed instantly. He hurriedly put the scroll away and rushed toward Hanzō's office.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in!"

Hanzō did not sound pleased, because he was still debating whether to accept 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?

Were they taking themselves too seriously, thinking Hanzō was beneath their notice?

"I don't know..."

The ninja on duty shrank back, afraid that the leader would reprimand or punish him.

"Fine. Leave."

Hanzō could not help but feel disappointed. Compared to the five great shinobi villages, Amegakure's ninja were still somewhat unreliable. Other than himself, there were only a few who could stand on their own.

After all, the Land of Rain was only so large, and there were only so many people who could become ninja. They could not be too selective; anyone capable of refining chakra could receive training.

Although the number of ninja had increased, their quality was lacking.

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

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

"Hm? Hm!!!"

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

Shimura Danzō had been removed from his position as Hokage's advisor?

Then why had that man come before him and tried to manipulate him?

"Damn it!!"

He had been played. Shimura Danzō had merely wanted to get something for nothing, using a scrap of intelligence to control him. All that talk of persuasion and deals was nonsense, because Shimura Danzō no longer had the qualifications for any of it.

"Danzo, you dared to deceive me!"

Thinking of how he had agonized over this for two days, worrying constantly that war would break out in the Land of Rain and that Konoha would drag Amegakure into it, only to discover he had been troubling himself for nothing...

Then who had sent this scroll?

Surely it was not Jingyi Hyuga, the medical ninja Shimura Danzō wanted dead?

"Someone, 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 already grown suspicious. He would not trust Shimura Danzō so easily again.

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 had left behind was a suicide operative, Hanzō could still pry intelligence out of him.

In the Shinobi World, there were too many methods for extracting intelligence from corpses. Every village had its own 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, which had come from who knew where, was true.

Shimura Danzō had been stripped of his position as Hokage's advisor and was currently resting at home with his clan.

He did not possess even the slightest authority.

Hanzō's face beneath his breathing mask gradually reddened.

"Danzo, I had wondered why you could not even kill a mere medical ninja. So you were setting your sights on me, trying to get something for nothing?"

"Good!! Very good!"

"Send this intelligence and the corpse to the Konoha camp. Hand them to Konoha's people. I want to see how Hiruzen Sarutobi intends to deal with Shimura Danzō."

Assassinating ninja from his own village, asking an outside force to do the job, and leaking the village's intelligence—once those charges were proven, Shimura Danzō would certainly have a taste of suffering.

"Yes, Leader!"

"Wait. I will deliver it personally!"

Shimura Danzō, since you were heartless, 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.

The ninja throughout the camp immediately tensed up.

Amegakure's leader, Hanzō the so-called demigod, had arrived uninvited—and he had brought a corpse with him.

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

Fortunately, Hanzō had swaggered over openly and did not appear to be attacking the camp. Otherwise, this would not have been a negotiation, but a battle.

"Jingyi, Hanzō, Amegakure's leader, 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 is here?"

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

Even if he 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 remained respectful toward Hanzō. After all, the man was the leader of a village and a renowned powerhouse in the Shinobi World. He had to be given the respect he deserved.

Hanzō threw the corpse in his hand before the camp entrance.

"A few days ago, Shimura Danzō came to Amegakure and attempted to make a deal with me using a considerable amount of Konoha intelligence. He wanted me to 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?