"Please."
The other party had no unnecessary nonsense and turned sideways to make way for a passage. The surrounding Amegakure ninjas also quietly retreated like the tide, hiding in the shadows again, as if they had never appeared.
Orochimaru chuckled "haha" and followed.
When Amegakure arrived, Senju Chen followed Orochimaru, his eyes calmly scanning the surrounding environment. Different from the last time he came to express his condolences, this time, he could clearly feel that the air was no longer filled with pure vigilance and sorrow, but a more condensed and colder atmosphere of chilling.
There were almost no traces of civilians on the streets, only groups of patrolling ninjas walking in uniform steps through the rain. Their eyes were sharp and numb, like a clockwork war machine, with every part operating efficiently and ruthlessly.
'It seems that Hanzō has completed the mobilization before the war.' Senju Chen secretly thought, 'The entire Amegakure has turned into a huge war fortress. This man's control is really terrifying.'
What they were brought to was not the mausoleum-like mansion last time, but a taller steel tower located in the center of the city.
This is the real heart of Land of Rain.
Hanzo of the Salamander was standing in front of the huge map, still wearing his iconic attire, and a steady and powerful breathing sound came from under the breathing mask. He did not look back, but said in a low voice, "Orochimaru, you came faster than I expected."
"Hahaha... We, Konoha, are very sincere about this alliance." Orochimaru glanced at the sophisticated instruments and maps on the wall, and said with a hoarse smile, "It seems that Lord Hanzō has prepared the tools for the upcoming war."
Hanzō slowly turned around, his eyes, like two sharp blades quenched with poison, passed over Orochimaru and fell directly on Senju Chen, Shisui and Maruboshi Kosuke behind him.
"Konoha's sincerity is just to send a few of you?" There was unabashed scrutiny and oppression in his tone.
Shisui and Maruboshi Kosuke looked stern and tensed their bodies subconsciously. The terrifying aura, like a mountain collapsing, made it difficult for them to breathe.
Only Senju Chen still looked calm. He even raised his head and looked at this person he had only met two years ago.
'What a strong sense of oppression... it feels even stronger than the last time I saw it.' Senju Chen's mind was racing, 'However, in addition to being powerful, this aura also contains a hint of subtle decay and... suspiciousness. It seems that the death of his son and the betrayal of his subordinates have hit him harder than imagined. A strong man who is no longer absolutely confident can be easily exploited.'
"Lord Hanzō." Orochimaru took a step forward and stood in front of the three of them calmly, taking most of the pressure off for them. "We just came here first, Konoha's reinforcements will arrive soon."
Hanzō's eyes stayed on Orochimaru's face for a few seconds.
"Hmph." He snorted coldly, which seemed to agree with Orochimaru's statement. This time Konoha needed him to contain or even attack Iwagakure. He believed that Konoha would not do something stupid like cutting off his own limbs.
"According to our agreement, you Konoha need to help me clean up those 'worms' hiding in the village." Hanzō's voice came through the mask, cold and ruthless, "In return, I will provide you with all conveniences, and give them a fatal blow on the battlefield between you and Iwagakure."
"Of course." Orochimaru licked his lips, his golden snake eyes flashing with excitement, "Getting rid of those nails from Kirigakure and Iwagakure is the first thing we have to do."
"Kirigakure, it's up to you to handle it." Hanzō's answer was straightforward, "I'll handle Rock Shadow Village's people."
The advantage of this approach is that Rock Shadow Village will not discover that Land of Rain has formed an alliance with Konoha, which will facilitate the subsequent "surprise".
Two men standing at the top of Shinobi World decided the life and death of countless people with the calmest tone. This so-called "covenant" was a naked exchange of interests from the beginning.
Senju Chen listened quietly, but his mind was thinking rapidly.
Hanzō needs to rely on the power of Konoha to stabilize his shaky rule and remove the "nails" in the country.
As for Konoha High Command, Amegakure is needed to contain Sunagakure and Iwagakure to reduce the pressure on the frontal battlefield.
Both sides got what they needed and hit it off immediately.
'And I...' An imperceptible heat flashed through the depths of Senju Chen's eyes, 'What I need is experience points and a large amount of Chakra. These are enough to allow me to completely control my own destiny in the troubled times in the future! This war, for me, is the best stage!'
He even looked forward to what kind of "surprise" those Kirigakure ninjas would bring him.
"This is the list and location of a group of "Kirigakure" who have infiltrated." Hanzō picked up a prepared scroll from the console behind him and threw it to Orochimaru, "They are a group of hidden stakes planted by Kirigakure at Amegakure. They are quite powerful. The leader is a squad leader of Kirigakure Assassination Division."
Orochimaru took the scroll, unfolded it and glanced at it, the curvature of the corner of his mouth became more and more sinister. "Hehehe... Then I wish us a happy cooperation."
"I need to see the results." Hanzō's tone was unquestionable, "Before sunrise tomorrow."
"As you wish."
Leaving the control tower, the rain seemed to be getting heavier.
The cold rain beat on the cloak, making a dense sound. Orochimaru led the three of them to a temporary stronghold under the guidance of a Amegakure ninja.
It was an abandoned steel building with a large interior space, but that was all. It was damp and cold, and the air was filled with the smell of rust and mold.
"Teacher, I can't believe this Hanzō." Shisui Uchiha, who had been silent all this time, finally couldn't help but say after the Amegakure ninja left. His pair of Three-Tomoe and Sharingan still had a trace of solemnity with lingering fear.
"He is so abnormal." Maruboshi Kosuke was also leaning on a wooden stick, and his old voice was full of wisdom. "As soon as we met, he gave us such a clear and time-limited task. This is not like an ally, but more like summoning subordinates. It feels more like a test."
"Hehehe..." Orochimaru let out a deep laugh. He walked to a broken window and looked at the gray rain outside. His voice was faint, "Of course he can't trust us. How can a king who can't even trust the person next to him trust outsiders so easily?"
"He gave us the list, which is equivalent to opening a small gap in his intelligence network to us. He wants to use us to test the quality of the members under his command, and also wants to use this to see how sharp our 'knife' Konoha is."
Orochimaru turned around and his eyes fell on Senju Chen. There was a hint of playful consideration in those golden snake eyes.
"Little Chen, what do you think about this?"
After getting along with each other in the past two years, Orochimaru has unconsciously asked Senju Chen for his opinion. He found that his disciple often had amazing words and brought him different ideas.
Senju Chen raised his head with a slightly confused expression on his face. "Teacher, I think... that Lord Hanzō, he seems to be very scared."
The word "Afraid?" made both Shisui and Kosuke stunned.
"Yeah." Senju Chen nodded seriously, "Although he looks very powerful and majestic, I always feel that he is more impatient than last time. It's like the feeling when we encounter an enemy that we can't beat when we are on a mission and want to escape, but have to bite the bullet and fight against it."
He used the simplest language to tell the most essential truth.
Orochimaru The smile on his face froze in an instant.
He stared hard at Senju Chen, and deep in those snake eyes, there was a turbulent wave.
He knew that Hanzō was old, and he also knew that Hanzō was suspicious, but he had never thought of using the word "fear" to describe the former Demigod of the Ninja World.
But now, when Senju Chen pointed it out in the most straightforward way, he suddenly realized that this might be the answer closest to the truth.
Afraid of losing power, afraid of being replaced, afraid that my name "Demigod" will eventually decay with age, afraid that I will no longer be able to protect Land of Rain.
I am even more afraid that this war will spread and even swallow up the entire Land of Rain.
After a long time, Orochimaru let out that hoarse laugh again, but this time there was a hint of inexplicable excitement and cruelty in the laughter.
"Hehehe... well said! So well said!"
"But an old male lion who is injured and afraid of having his territory taken away... is the most dangerous."
He stuck out his long tongue, licked his lips, and glanced at the scroll in his hand.
"Let's go and see our guests."