Minato frowned, sensing the thorny nature of the situation.
During the last inauguration ceremony, the representative from the Land of Forests made some nice remarks, saying that from now on, Konoha would take the lead, and they would live in harmony and no longer easily start wars.
They turned their backs on you as soon as they got back, they have absolutely no integrity!
I thought that becoming Hokage would allow me to do things I wanted to do but couldn't before.
It was only during this time that he came to understand the difficulties of the Third; there were simply too many things to consider.
Despite possessing immense strength, he is confined to this room, unable to once again dominate the battlefield and intimidate the enemy.
Danzo that Minato Namikaze remained silent, Danzo spoke up, reminding him, "If we don't take a strong stance against this, others will think we're weak and easily bullied, and the situation that has just stabilized will collapse."
" Danzo's words make a lot of sense, but I think we should first send an envoy to communicate and find out what caused their betrayal before we start to resolve the issue."
Taking action rashly could cause panic among neighboring smaller countries and trigger another major war.
As a senior advisor, Danzo still needed to be given face.
Minato first agreed with his point of view before expressing his own thoughts.
Danzo replied, "These small countries allied with Konoha because they value our strength, not our so-called tolerance, before the Land of Forests completely defectes."
I believe we should immediately dispatch Anbu to carry out a Decapitation strike to ensure they do not join forces with Iwagakure."
" Danzo, times have changed. Perhaps we should try new ways to solve the problem. The village needs to recuperate now," Hiruzen Sarutobi said at the opportune moment.
Previously, he and Danzo worked together very well, one openly and one covertly, one externally and one internally.
The current Hokage is Minato Namikaze, not Hiruzen Sarutobi. Minato Namikaze's existence cannot be ignored.
Bang!
Danzo slammed his cane heavily onto the floor.
"Hmph, womanly compassion!"
He then stood up, slammed the door, and stormed out to express his dissatisfaction.
Seeing the somewhat somber atmosphere in the room, Utatane Koharu quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, " Danzo's actions were a bit radical, but they were for the sake of the village."
"Well... I understand," Minato Namikaze said with a smile.
"I plan to send Kakashi's Anbu squad to investigate first. If what Elder Danzo said is true, then we'll have to consider the worst-case scenario."
Mitokado Homura agreed, "This is currently the safest solution."
"Indeed, we should trust the young people; they have already inherited the Will of Fire. However, when it comes to intelligence gathering, I have a more suitable candidate."
Utatane Koharu glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "You mean... that child?"
"Yes, there are always some people who can transcend the constraints of their families and think from the village's perspective. Minato, this matter still requires your intervention."
"Alright, I'll go see Fugaku later."
Outside the door, after Danzo, two Root members immediately stepped forward to guard him on both sides.
He muttered to himself, "Do they really think that by saying a few nice words, those small countries will bow down and submit? How foolish!"
" Danzo, the Anbu have been scrutinizing us very strictly lately. If we act on our own, what will happen to the Fourth Hokage..."
"Some things don't necessarily require you to do them yourself. Hanzō; aren't the Amegakure ninja the best at these kinds of assassination missions?!"
Last time, so many skilled fighters died trying to help Hanzō deal with Akatsuki's troubles; his heart was bleeding.
Since we're allies, shouldn't we share each other's burdens?
"Yes, I'll take care of it right away."
Amegakure.
"Captain, we've found out. Hanzō's former subordinates are now led by Ran'on Jonin. For the past few years, he's been stationed in Kyoto as Guardian Ninja for the daimyo."
" Ran'on? So it was him."
Aoki Tsuki suddenly realized that when the Shinonome Squad withdrew to the village ahead of schedule, it was the Ran'on Squad that took over.
The two sides were acquaintances, but unexpectedly, this guy refused to accept the village's offer of amnesty.
"Yes, those people are now gathered around him, fighting against the village. The daimyo probably already knows about Hanzō's death."
"What are we waiting for? Assemble our forces immediately!"
As long as these people are alive, the village will never have peace.
"Clear!"
Aoki Tsuki immediately explained the situation to Konan, obtained the handwritten letter from Pain to the Daimyo of the Land of Rain, stamped it, and then led five elite squads straight to Kyoto.
That night, a group of people wearing straw hats and black raincoats took advantage of the darkness and sneaked into Kyoto along the moat.
At the daimyo's mansion, Ran'on stood under the eaves, watching the incessant rain outside, her eyes filled with anxiety.
The omnipotent Hanzō, the embodiment of faith in his heart, was silently murdered.
The Land of Rain is a small country, Amegakure is also a small village. The fact that it has survived to this day in the cracks between large countries is entirely due to Lord Hanzō.
Now that Hanzō has lost his protection, if other villages discover this situation, the country will be destroyed in an instant.
"Who exactly is Pain? None of the men we sent to assassinate him last time escaped."
Just as he was deep in thought, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded outside the mansion.
"Enemy invasion!!"
"They're from the village... Bastards! Kill these traitors..."
"Baka yarou! Kill..."
In their eyes, Hanzō was the true heir, and the villagers were nothing but a bunch of cowardly usurpers who had betrayed Lord Hanzō and lost their beliefs.
He deserves to die!!!
In the eyes of the Amegakure Guard, Hanzō is a thing of the past; Lord Pain is the new hope of Amegakure, a god.
The new gods have given them the opportunity to climb the social ladder, and they must steadfastly defend their interests.
Enemies meeting are bound to be furious, and the once quiet mansion instantly erupted into chaos.
"You finally came! I didn't expect it to be you, you brat..."
Ran'on stared at the blue-haired youth standing opposite him. He still remembered how the other man, who was just a Chunin a few years ago, had been so cautious in his presence.
"Captain Ran'on, there aren't many Jonin alive in the village. Each one is precious. We should look forward."
"When I was still Genin, I swore to be loyal to Lord Hanzō. Protecting him is protecting the Land of Rain. This is my ninja way."
On the contrary, you, the one who betrayed your own beliefs, don't you feel ashamed?
Aoki Tsuki nodded and said, "You're right, a person who betrays their own beliefs is a piece of trash, but I've never been loyal to any one person, but to the village."
When Hanzō represented the village, I was loyal to him; but when he only cared about protecting his own position, it didn't matter who the village chief was anymore.
"Shut up! Lord Hanzō is definitely not that kind of person. He has spent his whole life fighting for the village and the country," Ran'on said excitedly.
"People change. Hanzō was a human being, not a god."
"You are forbidden from slandering Lord Hanzō again! Kill him!"
Ran'on, wielding Kunai, angrily charged towards Aoki Tsuki, a flash of white light appearing.
Click...
The Kunai, and as it sliced through the air, Ran'on's body froze.
puff...
A large amount of purple poisonous mist gushed out, and Ran'on turned into a puddle of clear water and fell to the ground.
"Hmph, that trick won't work on me."
I remember when I first became a bodyguard, Satō Ichirō used this method to teach the new recruits. Amegakure all have the habit of wearing gas masks.
Aoki Tsuki finds it difficult to breathe and usually doesn't wear one.
That doesn't mean he wasn't wary of this move.
Just as he leaped to escape the poisonous fog, several kunai carrying Explosive Tag Kunai towards him at perfect timing.
"Hmph, a mere trick."
Aoki Tsuki quickly Hand Seals with his left hand, unleashing " Water Release: Water Trumpet ".
A wave of water shot out from its mouth, engulfing the incoming Kunai and Explosive Tag, and producing two muffled explosions.
Aside from splashing water all over him, he wasn't hurt at all.
"Hmm? Something's not right, there's something wrong with this rain..."
Although it was night, the sticky, slippery feeling wasn't like rain; it was more like oil. "Is this... the Black Rain Technique?"
roar...
Suddenly, an orange-yellow fire dragon shot out from the darkness and rushed towards us.
Fire Release: Fire Dragon Technique
Sizzle...
The black oil and water ignited rapidly upon contact with the fire, causing the fire dragon's power to surge several times over. The intense heat instantly turned the rainwater within a radius of tens of square meters into white water vapor.
Fire Release techniques are limited in the Land of Rain, but Ran'on did the opposite, cleverly using the oil rain to turn it into an advantage.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique
A massive water dragon rose from the ground and crashed headfirst into the fire dragon.
Rumble...
The violent impact generated a large amount of white smoke that billowed out, severely obstructing the vision of both parties.
Aoki Tsuki immediately entered the Rain Breathing state, preparing to counterattack. Just then, the thick fog in front of him was cleaved open by a blue crescent-shaped light.
Water Release: Water Blade Slash
" Rain Cutter!"
A white blade of light sliced horizontally, cutting the highly condensed water blade in two.
"It's not over yet!"
Ran'on's hands flew as she unleashed another offensive Ninjutsu, "Ninjutsu: Rain of Senbon Bones."
The raindrops falling from the sky paused for a moment, then were infused with Chakra, transforming into the shapes of Senbon before suddenly accelerating and plunging downwards.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
The attacks were executed flawlessly, wave after wave, giving the enemy no chance to breathe.
This is the fighting power of a veteran Jonin.
Aoki Tsuki indeed didn't have time to Hand Seals the Water Formation Wall to intercept, but he remained calm, Ninjutsu doesn't necessarily require the use of the hands to activate.
His hair shot out from behind him, transforming into a blue curtain that completely enveloped his body.
Puff puff puff...
The Senbon Rain couldn't penetrate the hair's defenses and turned back into water, flowing to the ground.
The white mist had completely dissipated by this time, Aoki Tsuki used his Body Flicker Technique to directly attack Ran'on, and the two engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
Ding... ding... ding
After only a few moves, Ran'on's Kunai was cut in half again, and Aoki Tsuki seized the opportunity to kick him to the ground.
"Your movements have slowed down. Did you deplete too much Chakra?!"
He unleashed five or six Ninjutsu in succession; even Jonin would find it difficult to withstand such onslaught.
"Phew... So what if it is?"
Ran'on got up from the ground, panting heavily, secretly shocked by the strength of his opponent. He realized that he was probably going to die today.
"This is your last chance. Pledge allegiance to the new leader, and you and your men may survive."
Aoki Tsuki gestured for the latter to look around; he had brought only elite troops, and Ran'on's men were no match for them.
The casualties have already been heavy.