After receiving the Rain Shadow Hat, Hanzo of the Salamander, whose fighting spirit Izuna had crushed with a single slash, regained his confidence. He planned to choose a date to formally announce himself as the First Rain Shadow.
The moment that decision was announced, all of Amegakure erupted with excitement.
The reason was simple. During the Second Shinobi World War, Hanzo of the Salamander's prestige in Amegakure had reached its peak. Naturally, the entire village supported his decision to become the Rain Shadow.
As for what the major villages thought, who cared? In the eyes of the people, their Lord Hanzō was invincible.
Of course, in any village, alongside the blindly zealous, there were also those who kept a clear head. They knew that if their leader did this, he would inevitably become a target of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and Amegakure would be in trouble.
But that clearheaded minority amounted to little in the face of the public's fervor. Without sufficient strength, a small group could not stand against the tide.
At the Chiba Estate, Tetsuya and Izuna were fishing beside a small river.
As usual, Itachi brought over an intelligence report. This time, however, he also carried an exquisitely presented invitation.
"Oh? Something new this time?"
Tetsuya looked at the invitation in Itachi's hand with some surprise.
"Yes, boss. This is a letter from the tentacle monster, and this is an invitation from Hanzo of the Salamander."
"An invitation from Hanzo of the Salamander?! Interesting. Is it addressed to me?"
Tetsuya took Kakuzu's letter and Hanzō's invitation.
While Tetsuya examined the envelope and invitation, Izuna handed his fishing basket to Itachi.
Itachi's eyes went wide at the sight of the basket brimming with fish.
Tetsuya opened the envelope and began to read.
In his letter, Kakuzu briefly