Tetsuga's movements had begun to stiffen on occasion. He knew he didn't have much time left.
Seizing an opening, he swiftly unleashed the finishing move he had been preparing for so long.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"
Across dozens of square meters, sharp stone spikes crisscrossed like fangs.
Compared with the time Aoki Tsuki had seen it before, both its range and speed were on another level.
Crucially, the directions of the attacks within its range were random and unpredictable.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Splash...
The spikes pierced nothing but a mass of water. Hanzō had vanished.
"So fast! He even dodged the Earth Spears. He really is worthy of standing at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World."
Tetsuga's eyes widened. He was disappointed that his Ninjutsu had failed, but he also admired Hanzō's strength.
Of everyone he had fought in the past, he could count the people who had successfully evaded that move on one hand.
"Have you finally decided to use your core Ninjutsu?"
Hanzō appeared opposite Tetsuga, a trace of exhaustion hidden beneath his calm expression.
Over the past few years, he had clearly felt that his stamina and mental strength were far below what they once were, and his Chakra was declining rapidly.
Five years ago, he could have easily slaughtered an elite Jonin like Tetsuga.
Now he had to probe him carefully and wear down his Chakra.
"This ends here, Iwagakure brat."
Hanzō vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was already behind Tetsuga, hooking the sickle in his hand around the latter's neck.
Clang...
The sickle struck as though it had hit hard granite, leaving only a faint mark.
"Is this... the Hardening Technique?"
Hanzō recognized the technique instantly and responded at once, reaching around to slap an Explosive Tag onto Tetsuga's back.
The Hardening Technique's strength was its durability, but its weakness was the loss of mobility.
Boom...
Tetsuga was blasted away. Even with the Hardening Technique's protection, he was left dizzy and disoriented, blood pouring from his mouth.
"We're not done yet!"
Hanzō had an immense wealth of combat experience, and each move led into the next.
He had even calculated roughly where Tetsuga would land in advance and had just set a trap there.
He slapped the ground with one hand. "Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation!"
A dense mass of Explosive Tags immediately appeared on the ground beneath Tetsuga and spread over his body in an instant.
"Ah... Earth Release: Hardening Technique!!"
Tetsuga's terrified voice rang out as he desperately tried to withstand the dense bombardment by strengthening his body's defenses even further.
His figure was quickly swallowed by the flames.
Boom, boom, boom...
"Amazing! That's Lord Hanzō's technique. Once you're caught in its range, there's almost no chance of survival," Kurokawa said in shock.
"He really is worthy of his reputation," Aoki Tsuki added admiringly.
Who wouldn't covet that move? Unfortunately, he had never heard of anyone being taught it.
After the leader of the Iron Fang Group was slain, the remaining members were cut down by the Jonin of the core guard as easily as chopping vegetables.
Easy merits like those were never going to fall to Chunin like Aoki Tsuki and the others. They were only fit to be cannon fodder exploring the mine.
Aoki Tsuki even saw Shinonome cut down several enemies in succession, with an enthusiasm he had never shown while serving as a Guardian Ninja for the daimyo.
"I feel like I've learned something again."
"Learned what?" Shioame had appeared beside him at some point.
"How to serve Lord Hanzō better, of course," Aoki Tsuki replied. "By the way, what happened with your squad?"
"Things went pretty smoothly at first. We cleared the traps, went deep into the mine, and ran into the enemy. Then our way back was blown up.
"Luckily, our captain took someone alive, and we found a way out."
Shioame's face was full of lingering fear. If he hadn't been a sensory ninja, the captain probably would have abandoned him long ago.
"Man, you guys really have guts."
Aoki Tsuki hadn't expected anyone to rush inside without regard for their lives. No matter how great the merit, you had to survive to claim it.
Wasn't becoming Lord Hanzō's guard supposed to be about enjoying yourself?
Shioame gave a bitter smile. "We didn't want to, but the captain did. What could we do?"
The contrast showed how wise Satō Ichirō was. At a fork, he had them split up, leaving the decision in his squad members' hands.
Whether to advance or retreat was entirely up to them. If they weren't afraid of death and wanted to earn merit, no one would stop them.
If they wanted to take it easy, no one would care either.
As they spoke, Tsunodahara walked slowly over. He seemed to have a smile on his face at all times.
"You're Aoki Tsuki, Satō's capable subordinate, aren't you?"
"Oh, Captain Tsunoda, you flatter me. I'm just a nobody. It's an honor that you even know who I am."
Aoki Tsuki didn't dare get conceited. What Jonin didn't possess both talent and strength?
As a mere Chunin, he had to remember his place at all times.
"No need to be modest. So many of us went in this time, but your squad was the only one to bring back a prisoner. That alone is enough for Lord Hanzō to remember you."
"Uh... w-well... that was pure luck."
Aoki Tsuki had just heard Shioame say that they had also taken someone alive and found an escape route, but they hadn't brought the prisoner out.
They had probably killed him.
He and Kurokawa, the two clever fellows, had made their attempt to claim credit a little too obvious.
"My squad lost two people this time. Interested in working under me? I'm easy to get along with," Tsunodahara suddenly said.
Aoki Tsuki's heart jolted, and he hurriedly replied:
"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Captain Tsunoda, but Captain Satō has been good to me, and I have to repay him properly. Of course, if I have the chance to join you on a mission in the future, I'll give it my all."
"Ah... that really is a shame. I had high hopes for you."
Tsunodahara sighed. "We'll talk again when we have the chance."
"All right, let's talk again when we have time." Aoki Tsuki nodded repeatedly.
He knew when to advance and when to retreat. He hadn't gotten angry after being turned down and had left room for another opportunity. It wasn't easy for a Jonin to speak that way to someone beneath him.
Only after his captain had left did Shioame say, "Little brother, I hope you get promoted to Jonin soon. Then you can transfer me to your command."
"That's a long way off. I'd be perfectly happy being a Chunin for the rest of my life." Aoki Tsuki shook his head.
"Really? Why don't I believe you?" Shioame rolled his eyes.
"Man, you're experienced and have worked under quite a few Jonin. Tell me, do they have other ways of making money?" Aoki Tsuki asked quietly.
When Tsunodahara had tried to recruit him just now, it had seemed like he wanted him to do some work for him.
He didn't know the details and didn't dare agree rashly.
"Obviously. Jonin may earn twice our salary, but that income isn't enough to cover their expenses. They all have other sources of income.
"We subordinates are free labor. How could they possibly leave us unused?"
"Like what?"
Aoki Tsuki was curious. Satō Ichirō had never privately asked him to do anything, after all.
Shioame looked troubled. "It's stuff that can't be brought into the open. I can't talk about it."
Aoki Tsuki had just turned down Tsunodahara's offer, so Shioame didn't dare tell him the specifics.
"I understand, I understand. I won't ask."
By then, the enemies on the battlefield had all been dealt with, and everyone began clearing the battlefield.
The vanguard's mission had been to breach the underground mine, so they hadn't taken part in the encirclement. They had only stood by, ready to assist, and set off back to the village once the core guard was finished.
The rewards were handed out the next day.
Everyone who had survived the vanguard received 100,000 ryō. Aoki Tsuki and Kurokawa received an additional 50,000 ryō for taking a prisoner alive.
After that, the Land of Rain suddenly grew quiet.
Hanzō had personally led a team to wipe out the Iron Fang Group, the largest rebel organization in the country, thoroughly intimidating the troublemakers.
It let everyone know who the true master of the country was.
However, the Iron Fang Group's disappearance also created a power vacuum, and one organization seized the opportunity to grow rapidly.
They helped people mediate conflicts and prevented bloodshed on multiple occasions.
By spreading the ideal of "building a bridge to peace through dialogue without using force," they won the support of more and more people.
Perhaps people had realized that, as a small country, they really couldn't beat the others-not even Hanzō could.
As a result, the prevailing mood among the populace began to shift.
More and more people joined the organization, especially idealistic young people who were dissatisfied with the status quo and yearned even more to change their country.
By the time Hanzō noticed this force, two years had already passed.
By then, the organization had grown to a considerable size.
In a dim room, Hanzō frowned deeply at a document in his hand. "What's the story with this organization called Akatsuki? Which village is behind it?"
The rebel forces within the Land of Rain were like weeds. They had to be cleared out every so often.
There was no end to them. There was simply no killing them all.
As he grew older, Hanzō found himself increasingly unequal to the task.
"Well... we don't have any leads yet. All we know is that they began to emerge in the past two years. The organization's leader is named Yahiko, and he's good at swaying the people.
"Now, when conflicts arise between various groups, many of them go to him for mediation. They've taken quite a few commissions from us."
"He sounds like a very capable fellow," Hanzō commented mildly.
To find a new path and rise so suddenly in a place like the Land of Rain, where the three great nations fought, showed that Akatsuki's leader was quite intelligent.
Shinonome, who was guarding the door, was struck by a thought when he heard this. He turned and entered the room, dropping to one knee. "My lord, I remember something about this organization. A few years ago in Kyoto..."
Shinonome quickly told him everything he knew.
By then, someone had retrieved the records from that time and handed them to Hanzō, who swiftly looked through them.
"Go summon Aoki Tsuki."
"Yes!"
Aoki Tsuki was baffled when he received the summons.
For the past two years, he had diligently shown up for work, and as far as he knew, he hadn't made any major mistakes.
He also had to admit that he had been corrupted and had fallen into depravity, taking part in the smuggling and sale of strategic supplies.
But he couldn't be blamed for that. He wasn't the only one doing it.
If the water was too clear, there would be no fish. To fit in with the group, he had no choice but to go along with them.
Shioame's captain, Tsunodahara, had approached him several more times afterward. Unable to keep refusing, he had joined in, doing things like leading teams to hand over goods.
He was paid thirty to fifty thousand ryō each time, equivalent to a month's salary.
What guard could resist that kind of temptation?
What does that old geezer want with me... Could he have found out something?
He entered the room with an uneasy heart.
When he saw Shinonome standing inside, his heart tightened. Nothing good ever happened when that guy was around.
Sure enough, as soon as Shinonome saw Aoki Tsuki enter, he demanded, "Aoki Tsuki, do you know what you've done wrong?"
Aoki Tsuki was straightforward about it. He immediately dropped to one knee, lowered his head, and said, "I've done wrong, Lord Hanzō."
Only after admitting his fault did he turn to Shinonome. "Captain Shinonome... may I ask what it is I've done wrong...?"
He had done too many things wrong to speak carelessly.
He had to see what his superior said.