Just as he was about to kill Hanzo of the Salamander outright, Tetsuya shook his head and dismissed the thought.
"Pah, pah, pah! I really have spent too much time with Izuna. I can't keep filling my head with killing and fighting. I'm a merchant. A good merchant doesn't kill people himself."
Tetsuya picked up a piece of fruit from the platter and took a bite.
"Besides, killing him outright would leave far too many problems to deal with afterward. If the other Shinobi Villages saw that Hanzo of the Salamander was dead, they'd definitely start getting ideas. The situation in the Land of Rain would only get worse.
"How about killing him and having someone impersonate Hanzo of the Salamander to control Amegakure from the shadows?"
Tetsuya actually considered this the most reliable approach: find someone to replace Hanzo of the Salamander, or simply bring Hanzo of the Salamander himself under their control, then secretly run everything in Amegakure.
Once Yahiko and the others finished their training and returned to Amegakure, they could secretly make Hanzo of the Salamander give them important positions and help them build their standing in the village. When the time was right, he could step down and hand leadership of Amegakure over to them.
"Hey! That's a great idea! I'm a genius!"
Sitting beside him, Izuna watched Tetsuya talk to himself with some exasperation, but he barely reacted. It was nothing new, just an old habit.
Over the years, Izuna had often seen Tetsuya sitting alone and muttering to himself.
"What's got you so happy, genius? Come up with something good?"
Izuna deliberately raised his voice on the word "genius."
Tetsuya paid it no mind and smiled smugly instead.
"Hehe, I've found a pretty good path for Yahiko and the other two's future."
"Oh?