Throughout the rest of the mission, Shimura Danzo made no further moves.
Whether before or after meeting the Rain ninjas, he stayed perfectly quiet.
Ideally, everyone on the same side should stop plotting ways to hurt each other.
The group traveled swiftly until the Hidden Rain Village finally appeared in the distance.
Looking at the shape of the Land of Rain, it resembled both a stomach and a kidney.
It seemed multifunctional—capable of both digestion and detoxification.
The Hidden Rain Village itself was located roughly in the center of the country.
The Leaf squad remained extremely cautious as they approached.
If you were looking for powerhouses, this place certainly had them.
Hanzo of the Salamander was the primary target of their vigilance.
Then there was Nagato, whose presence only Hagoromo truly understood.
Further down the line, Sasori of the Red Sand was likely still hiding in this country.
The chances of bumping into him again were also possible.
The Rain guides didn't lead them in circles or take any convoluted detours.
They followed the standard route straight into the heart of the Hidden Rain.
There was no point in hiding the village's location anyway.
Even if Konoha's intel department only had three Genin, they'd find a village-sized target.
When the village first appeared in Hagoromo's sight, its style was instantly recognizable.
The architecture was incredibly distinct—tall, thin, and metallic.
The outer walls looked like clusters of vertical pipes with a rusty, industrial tint.
Many buildings had foundations set directly into the water, like an urban sea.
Hagoromo wondered if he'd run into a gondolier in a place like this.
To him, the village looked like a bowl filled with vertical chopsticks.
This wasn't an aesthetic choice; it was an adaptation to the climate.
In a place where it rained every single day, chopsticks drained water quite easily.
The others didn't share Hagoromo's interest in the local masonry.
Danzo's group was indifferent, while the other three in Hagoromo's squad were visibly tense.
This was the enemy's headquarters, and the Hidden Rain had always been shrouded in mystery.
The village maintained a strict isolationist policy that defined its history.
Even years later, the news of Hanzo's death wouldn't leak out for a long time.
At the village entrance, the guides performed a simple handoff.
The seven-man Leaf team entered the village without encountering any resistance.
Hanzo was being pragmatic; he didn't order any invasive body searches.
If someone frisked Danzo, he might scream like a maiden before blowing them up.
A low-level thug would just end up dead for trying.
The guides didn't lead the squad to the literal center of the village.
Usually, a leader like Hanzo would reside in the tallest central tower.
Instead, the Leaf squad was led into a building of very average height.
This made Hagoromo slightly uneasy—was there a ton of C4 buried in the basement?
He was overthinking again; if the Rain wanted them dead, they wouldn't have let them in.
Hanzo was waiting inside the building.
At this point, Hagoromo stepped back, allowing Danzo to step forward.
"Shimura Danzo? Did the Third Hokage not come himself?"
The voice was raspy, muffled by a gas mask—this was Hanzo of the Salamander.
He was flanked by only about ten ninjas, keeping the meeting relatively balanced.
If he had brought a small army, it would have been a blatant intimidation tactic.
Doing that on his own doorstep would have looked incredibly petty.
Still, Hanzo was dreaming if he expected the Third Hokage to show up in person.
Their statuses weren't equal, and the Hokage didn't need to risk his life here.
Moreover, the Rain was the side surrendering to the Leaf, not the other way around.
Accepting Hanzo's desire to stay a shut-in was respect enough; the Hokage wasn't coming.
Danzo was more than enough of a match for him.
"I am the representative of the Leaf, authorized by the Hokage."
Danzo's expression didn't change as he stated the fact to Hanzo.
Heaven only knew what he was actually thinking behind that calm mask.
In Konoha, the Hokage's word remained the only one that truly mattered.
Hanzo didn't press the issue; it had just been a casual opening remark.
He was smart enough to know the Hokage wouldn't actually show up.
His next words were blunt and to the point.
"Representative, is it... I intend to surrender to Konoha and end this war."
Danzo didn't respond immediately, knowing there was more to the statement.
"But there is one condition: after peace is established, I expect help if necessary."
"Peace... we would certainly welcome that," Danzo replied.
"However, given the current state of the Hidden Rain... you can't hold out much longer."
"In this situation, do you really think you're in a position to set conditions?"
As the losing side, the Leaf should be setting the terms, just like they did with the Sand.
However, the Land of Wind was a Great Nation; the Rain had been squeezed dry.
Hagoromo glanced toward Danzo from behind his mask.
This guy is being a bit blunt, isn't he?
Even if it was the truth, wouldn't that attitude wreck the negotiations?
"So, you're saying negotiations are impossible?" Hanzo's tone shifted.
It seemed Comrade Hanzo wasn't very good at the art of the haggle.
Could he not tell that Danzo was just testing his resolve?
The Leaf ninjas tensed up instantly as Hanzo's voice dropped.
Before he even finished speaking, a Rain ninja lunged forward like an arrow.
The target was, naturally, the Leaf delegation.
One disagreement and they were already trading blows?
BOOM!
The enemy's path was suddenly blocked by a large, round object.
Hagoromo gripped the neck of his gourd like a massive baseball bat.
He slammed it down violently directly into the attacker's path.
It hit the ground right in front of the enemy's nose!
He could have easily crushed the man's head, but he chose not to.
He didn't follow up with a second strike.
Danzo acted as if the brief scuffle hadn't even happened.
"And what exactly is this condition of yours?" Danzo asked calmly.
"Due to years of war, an insurgent organization has risen outside my control."
"They are developing at an incredibly rapid pace... I want them dealt with completely."
"With the Rain's current strength, I cannot pull them out by the roots."
"I expect Konoha's cooperation when the time comes."
Hagoromo's eyebrows twitched; he heard Hanzo's words loud and clear.
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