"Lord Masashige, this is the last time I will call you 'Lord'. Hand over the position of Amegakure's leader, and I will lead Amegakure to true victory."
Hearing this, Masashige shook his head and said, "I will never hand the Village over to you, never!"
"Lord Masashige! It seems you truly are old! Is this position, with its glory, power, and wealth, so captivating to you?!"
"Further talk is useless!" Masashige said, "You will only lead the Land of Rain to the abyss! If you want this position so badly, then come and take it! Take it from my dead body!"
"Lord Masashige! Why can't you understand my feelings?!" Hanzo roared, "Can't you feel everyone's anger and resentment?!"
Masashige opened his mouth, looking at the furious faces opposite him.
No matter how angry or resentful, it's better than dying.
The Land of Rain, this country, cannot be sacrificed due to a moment of angry impulse.
But...
He was also angry and resentful...
"Ghost Hanzo! If you can do it, then come and take it, and then lead this country wherever it may go!"
Anyway, he wouldn't see that day, whether it was fortunate or unfortunate.
With that, Masashige flicked his sleeve and left.
Hanzo watched Masashige's retreating figure and angrily shouted, "Lord Masashige! You forced our hand!!"
As he spoke, the Shinobi behind Hanzo simultaneously drew their weapons.
And the Shinobi on the opposite side instinctively raised their weapons.
A great battle was brewing.
"Stop!" Masashige roared.
Under Masashige's long-standing prestige, the Shinobi on his side successively put away their weapons.
"Hanzo, you wouldn't be thinking of killing defenseless comrades right now, would you?" Masashige said coldly, "Give us some time. We'll decide after life and death."
Hanzo raised a hand, signaling the Shinobi behind him to put away their weapons.
"Lord Masashige! In my heart, you have always been a hero! In the very end, don't let my hero be disgraced!"
"Hero?!" Masashige sneered, "I've just been running away, that's all. Back then, I led everyone to run away, to survive in the cracks between the Great Nations, nothing more!"
"Hanzo, if you think you're stronger than me, then lead everyone in your own way, become the hero you believe in! But I will never acknowledge you!"
The negotiation ultimately ended unhappily.
As one leader exited, guarded by his subordinates, the other also retreated with his subordinates.
Time was running out; something truly big was about to happen.
"This fellow named Hanzo is a boring and naive man."
The old man said this to Miki.
Miki glanced at the old man and asked, "Continue dancing?"
"Hahahahaha!" The old man burst into wild laughter, reaching out and forcefully patting Miki's shoulder.
Because there was no killing intent, the four of them made no special movements.
"Konoha has finally produced an interesting Shinobi."
Miki stumbled from the pat.
This guy!
"You're really not afraid of death, are you?" To actually dare to touch Hime, Miki said faintly.
As expected of you.
"Hmph, you still have a lot to learn!" The old man said, "Tolerance is the foundation of whether a powerful Shinobi is strong or not."
Miki asked, "How great is your tolerance?"
"Hmph! Of course, it's to bring peace to the Ninja World from now on, with no more wars!" The old man laughed.
"How is that different from the boring man Hanzo you spoke of?" Miki said.
"He can't do it!" The old man pointed to himself and said, "I can do it!"
"That's the difference!"
"The one just now was just a naive brat who talked big, a brat who hasn't even seen the Ninja World clearly."
"Boring." Miki said coldly.
"Then what about your tolerance?" The old man asked.
Miki pointed to the sun above her head.
The old man looked up, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Fly into the sky?"
"Shoulder to shoulder with that thing." Miki said.
"Hahahahahaha." The old man laughed wildly without restraint, saying, "An interesting tolerance. I'll help you achieve that wish when the time comes."
"You can't." Miki said seriously, "You can't even understand what I'm saying."
Fly into the sky, shoulder to shoulder with the sun, the world changes with me.
"You also can't understand what I'm saying." The old man crossed his arms and snorted proudly.
The world awaits my change.
"How about dancing?" Miki said coldly.
"Next time." The old man snorted, "I still have a lot of things to do, no time to fool around with a brat like you."
"Then, next time." Miki said.
"I look forward to seeing you again next time, Mushi-Hime brat." With that, the old man disappeared with Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique).
"That guy didn't make hand seals just now, did he?" Kiba scratched his head and said, "He used Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique), right?"
No matter the situation, he was a monster.
"It was Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)." Chiri said.
Hitomi said, "That guy is not right. The face on his chest is a bit creepy. He might have some serious illness."
Kiba scratched his head.
"It's fine, he won't live much longer anyway." Miki said, "Don't worry about it, as long as he doesn't hinder us from completing our mission."
While that was true, Kiba still felt a faint unease.
"Now it's time to start the hunt." Miki said, "If we don't take down that Ghost Hanzo, Konoha will be dragged into the war by him."
The topic shifted.
Kiba nodded and said, "Then, do you know his location?"
Although he asked, Kiba felt that Miki must have been prepared.
Miki shook her head and said, "I don't know now, but Hanzo will definitely go to kill that guy named Masashige, and Masashige will certainly be in the most conspicuous place in the Village."
"The fleeing Masashige, huh." Chiri said softly, "Will he still run away this time?"
"No!" Hitomi said, "That man is ready to die."
"Even with the will, his old and frail body is powerless to stop the young Hanzo." Kiba said, "So, he chooses to be buried with the Land of Rain by dying?"
And Miki said inexplicably, "The young dragon slayer eventually becomes the evil dragon..."
Kiba felt that this statement had a deep meaning, but it didn't seem to be about Masashige.
Was it Hanzo?
"Boring fellow, in the end, the only one changed is himself."
"He becomes no longer himself."
"That's quite tragic."
Miki said.
"Let's go, go back to eat and rest. We might have to work overtime tonight. Midnight is the hardest to endure."
It all depended on how impatient Hanzo was, and whether he would give Miki the favor of a peaceful night's sleep.
So, in the end, Hanzo did not grant that favor.
The Land of Rain was burning.
After the meeting ended, the activities of the Rain Hidden Ninja became frequent.
Shinobi would occasionally swiftly pass by on the drainage pipes outside the hotel where Miki and the others were staying.
This situation continued until nightfall.
The entire Land of Rain became eerily quiet. Residents kept their doors and windows tightly shut, and the usually bustling streets were deserted.
Until midnight, an explosion echoed throughout the city.
Flames shot into the sky.
The entire city began to rampage.
Shouts of killing reverberated in the heavy rain, as Shinobi fought to the death for their respective beliefs.
In the streets, in the alleys, on the rooftops, on the balconies.
Killing and being killed.
Bodies fell from the sky, plunging into the rainwater.
Opening the window, Miki looked at the street. Rainwater mixed with blood flowed on the ground, into the dark sewers.
"The opportunity has come."
The three nodded at her words.
"Operation start!"
With that, the four rushed out of the window into the rain, swiftly running along the drainage pipes on the building's edge.
Fires flickered on the horizon.
Like dawn in the darkness.
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