Land of Rain.
Rain seems to be the eternal destiny of this land. The continuous rain woven into a giant gray net, covering the entire Land of Rain.
In an ordinary house, a bonfire crackled, and the orange light dissipated some of the coldness and humidity.
Kakuzu was sitting cross-legged next to the fire, using Kakkō to count a pile of wet bills intoxicatedly. He carefully steamed each piece of money with Chakra, smoothed out the wrinkles, and then neatly stacked them together. His focused look seemed not to be dealing with money, but to care for his newborn child.
"Eight hundred thousand, eight hundred and fifty thousand... Tsk, these brats are really poor. After fighting for so long, the trophies they collected are not enough for me to pay for my appearance." He was counting, cursing and complaining.
Opposite him, the man codenamed "Tooth" - Hatake Sakumo, was meticulously wiping his samurai short sword with a clean soft cloth. The blade reflected a cold light under Kakkō, just like his silent and sharp eyes at this moment.
He turned a deaf ear to Kakuzu's complaints, as if the only thing in the world worthy of his attention was the sharp blade in his hand that had drank the blood of countless strong men.
"Hey, I said 'teeth', you don't have any idea at all?" Kakuzu finally finished counting the money, stuffed the pile of treasures into his arms, patted them, and then raised his head with dissatisfaction and looked at his temporary partner.
"The deposit paid by Lord Chen is enough to cover the cost of this mission." Hatake Sakumo's voice was as calm as water, and he wiped the dagger without any pause.
"That's a deposit! A deposit!" Kakuzu's voice suddenly raised an octave. "You and I both know how difficult this job is. The opponent is 'Demigod' Hanzo of the Salamander, who is a living legend walking in Shinobi World! Not to mention being a nanny for those little guys from the 'Xiao' organization! This price is not worth it at all!"
Hatake Sakumo finally stopped and raised his head. His weathered eyes looked particularly deep under Kakkō. "You can also choose to go back."
"You..." Kakuzu was speechless. Of course he knew that he couldn't. He could think of the consequences of not completing the task with his toes, and it would definitely be much more miserable than facing Hanzo of the Salamander.
"Hmph." Kakuzu snorted coldly and changed the subject, "But then again, what is going on in that Senju Chen kid's head? The tactics he taught Xiao's brats are really fucking evil."
When it comes to this, even Kakuzu, a money obsessed person who has his head full of money, can't help but show a hint of amazement.
"I think back then, the old guy Hanzō led the main force of Amegakure and surrounded the No. 100 people of the Xiao organization in a valley, and it was about to be destroyed. What was the result?" Kakuzu chuckled, his tone full of gloating, "Those brats just relied on digging. Tunnels, machinery, hidden weapons, and traps were used to throw Hanzō's main force into chaos. When the main force attacked, they broke into pieces and hid in the mountains; as soon as Hanzō's people relaxed, they came out in the middle of the night to burn grain and fodder and carry out assassinations. They turned a good encirclement and suppression campaign into a pot of rotten porridge."
Hatake Sakumo also had a flash of approval in his eyes.
As Konoha's top combat force, he has commanded countless battles, large and small, but he has never heard of the "Akatsuki" organization's style of play.
"That's not called evil, that's called 'guerrilla warfare'." Hatake Sakumo corrected calmly, "Avoiding the real and attacking the weak, the enemy is advancing and we retreat, the enemy is stationed and we harass, the enemy is tired and we attack, the enemy retreats and we pursue. These sixteen words capture the essence of the weak defeating the strong."
He paused and continued, "What is even more terrifying is the so-called 'countryside encircling the city' strategy. Lord Chen He... saw more than just a battle between ninjas."
Kakuzu's expression also became serious.
Although he is greedy for money, he is not stupid. After living for so many years, he has seen more storms than most ninjas have heard in a lifetime.
"That's right." Kakuzu nodded with deep understanding, "This Shinobi World, whoever controls the ninjas controls the power. Five Great Shinobi Villages, that's how it comes about. But that kid is good, he bypassed the ninjas directly and turned his attention to the civilians who we usually wouldn't even look at."
"'Xiao' organized the gang of kiddies to help the villagers build houses, distribute food, and build schools in the remote areas... They turned the civilians who were overwhelmed by war and harsh government into their most solid backing. Those villagers were their eyes, their ears, and their granary. As soon as there was any movement in Hanzō's troops, the people of 'Xiao' would receive the news immediately. When the army drove past, they couldn't even catch a shadow of the ghost."
When Kakuzu said this, he couldn't help but marveled. "Hanzō wanted to crush it with his army, but he found that he punched into the cotton. The more troops he has, the greater the pressure on logistical supplies, and those people from 'Xiao' have food wherever they go. One goes and the other goes, the old guy Hanzō probably has a headache now and wants to hit the wall."
"So, Lord Chen is the real chess master." Hatake Sakumo said with a hint of imperceptible awe, "He treats the entire Land of Rain as a chessboard. The Akatsuki organization, Hanzo of the Salamander, and even us are all chess pieces in his hands. Others are thousands of miles away, but they can accurately stir up the situation in the entire country."
"It's a pity that those brats are still too naive." Kakuzu curled his lips, "They still think about some bullshit 'peace'. If Lord Chen hadn't been advising them behind the scenes, they wouldn't even be able to squeeze Hanzō between their teeth. That guy named Yahiko is simply a hot-blooded idiot."
"Idealists who are too naive need to be beaten by the iron fist of reality in order to grow." Hatake Sakumo slowly took White Fang Tanto back into its sheath, "Lord Chen just provides them with an opportunity to live and practice their ideals. As for where they can go in the end, it depends on themselves."
Just then.
In the shadow of the cave, the ground suddenly rippled like water waves. A strange figure with a pure white upper body and a Uzumaki pattern on its face slowly "grew" out of the rock.
"Master Ya, Master Kakuzu." White Zetsu's voice had a unique rustling sound that seemed to be made by the friction of plants.
It's White Zetsu.
When they saw White Zetsu suddenly emerging from the ground for the first time, both Kakuzu and Hatake Sakumo were frightened, not only because of White Zetsu's strange appearance, but also because the other party could appear next to them without anyone noticing.
At that time, they directly attacked White Zetsu, which meant that White Zetsu could drill into the ground very quickly, otherwise it would have been scrapped on the spot.
Still relying on drilling back and forth, they quickly called out the flag of Senju Chen, and said the docking code and their mission - to find and observe every move of Shimura Hanzō. Only then did the two of them stop.
However, the two of them still have no idea what White Zetsu is.
I just know that this strange creature is the secret force of Senju Chen.