Yahiko was so startled that he almost thought he had misheard. "This... Lord Hanzō, what did you say? Me? No, no, that's far too... inappropriate. You're the pillar of the Land of Rain!"
Hanzō turned his head. His eyes were exceptionally clear, utterly devoid of their former ambition and calculation. Only exhaustion and a trace of relief remained:
"Don't turn me down, child. I came back from death's door. As I lay on the ground listening to you speak, many things I could never understand before suddenly became clear. In terms of fighting strength, I may still be capable, but when it comes to truly leading the Land of Rain toward peace..."
He gave a self-mocking smile. "Deep down, I never actually had that pure dream of peace. Power, status, strength, fear... those are what I know. I instinctively protect them, even eliminating threats at any cost..."
He closed his eyes slightly, seemingly recalling something, then opened them and looked straight into Yahiko's eyes, which shone with idealism.
"But you, Yahiko, you're different. You have that true dream in your heart. When you helped me up, I even felt a little ashamed of myself."
"The Land of Rain needs someone like you, someone who carries the light of peace in his heart, not a stubborn old man who only knows how to build walls of fear and strength along the same old path."
"So take it, child. Take my title of Demigod and use it to deter your enemies and pave the way for your dream of peace. This is probably the last useful thing I can do for this land."
Hanzō finally finished speaking, panting deeply as though he had exhausted all his strength.
Yahiko stood motionless, gazing into Hanzō's eyes for a long time.
He saw exhaustion, sincerity,