After reaching an agreement with the Daimyo, Hanzo returned to the Hidden Rain Village.
To avoid arousing Besa's suspicion, he specifically fabricated an assassination mission with the nobleman who acted as an intermediary, giving his experience a basis.
In hindsight, Besa indeed did not become suspicious.
Although Besa had made up his mind to eliminate Hanzo and had gathered his trusted subordinates to formulate a perfect plan, Hanzo's immense power and his constant vigilance prevented Besa from finding an opportunity.
"Why won't you just die obediently, Hanzo?"
Besa muttered Hanzo's name bitterly in his heart.
He had once been relieved by Hanzo's strength, but now he felt as if he had raised a rebellious hound that, if not careful, would bite his throat.
If he could go back in time, he would never have provided Hanzo with any resources.
However, Besa clearly couldn't go back in time.
He could only face Hanzo's presence.
Although both wanted to eliminate the other, they constantly ran into each other and had to maintain a cheerful facade.
This atmosphere gradually infected others in the village.
Hanzo's faction and Besa's faction began an open and covert struggle, drawing in ninjas in the village whose positions were not clearly defined.
Both sides acted with extreme caution to avoid alarming the other.
Hanzo was somewhat weary of this infighting, but he couldn't stop, because if he did, he might be the one to die.
Besa was not a benevolent person; once he found himself in the position of the loser, he would surely be ruthless.
Fortunately, Hanzo had the support of the Daimyo, and Besa remained completely unaware of this, which was Hanzo's advantage.
Because of this advantage, his opportunity soon arrived.
One day, a letter arrived from the capital, summoning Besa, the leader of the Hidden Rain Village, for an audience with the Daimyo.
Besa had no doubts.
As the leader of a ninja village, it was natural to maintain a good relationship with the country's monarch, otherwise, they would face the same situation as the neighboring Hidden Sand Village.
It was said that the Land of Wind, indulging in pleasure, had severely cut military spending for the Hidden Sand Village.
The Land of Rain was not a country with flourishing agriculture, and commerce was limited due to Besa's covert resistance.
Therefore, the Hidden Rain Village was heavily reliant on the capital.
Since the Daimyo summoned him, Besa had no choice but to obey.
If he could obtain more funds from the Daimyo, it would be a worthwhile trip.
However, Besa's concern was Hanzo, who remained in the Hidden Rain Village.
If he left, that fellow might do something.
One had to remember that the Ninja World War had not been completely forgotten, at least not by the leaders of these ninja villages.
Besa clearly remembered how Kin-Gin of the Hidden Cloud Village had taken control of the entire village while their leader was away.
If it weren't for the deaths of Kin-Gin, who were the leaders at the time, that civil war in the Hidden Cloud Village might have been even more brutal.
In Besa's mind now, Hanzo was the Kin-Gin of the Hidden Rain Village, and he didn't have a "Hidden Leaf Village" to help him.
After much consideration, he decided to take Hanzo with him, leaving some trusted subordinates in the village, which made him feel more at ease.
When Hanzo learned of this, he almost burst out laughing.
This was exactly what he had hoped for.
He told the Hidden Rain ninja who came to inform him, "I understand.
Go back and report to the leader."
"Yes, Lord Hanzo."
The other party bowed and left, and before leaving, they exchanged a meaningful glance with Hanzo, conveying an understanding known only to the two of them.
Hanzo sat at the table, suppressing the joy in his heart.
He, of course, knew that Besa wanted to take him along precisely because he didn't want to repeat the incident of the Hidden Cloud Village.
However, he had long anticipated Besa's move, which was why he had set up such a trap.
If Besa left him behind, that would be for the best.
If he took him along, that would also be in accordance with the plan formulated at the beginning.
Either way, it was a victory for Hanzo.
"Leader Besa, I have been by your side for many years, and it hasn't been in vain.
I've seen clearly what kind of person you are, but have you ever seen me clearly?"
After the joy, a sudden sadness arose in Hanzo's heart.
When he was young, he had greatly admired Besa, the leader of the Hidden Rain Village.
He had endured arduous training, gained immense strength, only to protect this country.
Besa should have had similar thoughts back then, but the current Besa seemed so unfamiliar.
At this moment, Hanzo did not know that in the distant future, another young man would also be disappointed with his aging and unprogressive self, abandoning his childhood admiration and delivering divine judgment.
The current Hanzo was like that young man at the time, but he didn't know if he would also face such an end.
Regardless of Hanzo's silent sigh over the cruelty of fate, what needed to be done still had to be done.
After a final confirmation, he awaited the day of their departure.
Three days later, Besa stood at the village gate with three trusted subordinates and Hanzo, saying to the subordinates who remained in the village, "I'm entrusting the village to you."
Besa's implied meaning was not to let Hanzo's faction make any moves.
His trusted subordinates naturally understood this, nodding repeatedly.
Seeing this, Besa turned around with satisfaction and said, "Let's go."
The others departed one after another, and Hanzo turned to follow, his gaze meeting that of one of the trusted subordinates who remained in the village, then he left without a backward glance.
The group wore waterproof cloaks and straw hats, advancing through the ceaseless heavy rain.
None of them spoke, as Besa had no intention of conversing with Hanzo, and similarly, Hanzo wouldn't bother with a cold shoulder.
Although at this moment, it felt like a good time for a heart-to-heart talk, after all, the two sides would soon determine a victor, Hanzo thought it over and decided to give up.
Hanzo merely silently calculated their route.
If he hadn't miscalculated, the ambush arranged with the Daimyo should be right ahead.
Sure enough, shortly after the four of them proceeded, someone suddenly flashed out from the side, treading on the puddle-filled ground, quickly surrounding the four.
"Who's there!" Two of Besa's trusted subordinates immediately blocked in front of him, while the remaining one was behind Besa.
Hanzo watched indifferently from the side.
"Who are you?" Besa scrutinized the other party.
Although they wore ordinary clothes, no different from commoners, their exposed muscular bodies and agile movements proved that they were not ordinary people.
They were not ninjas, but professionally trained samurai.
There were about thirty samurai surrounding the four, which posed a considerable threat to a ninja squad.
However, Besa didn't feel troubled; the opponent's strength wasn't particularly great.
If they were samurai from the Land of Iron, he might consider fleeing.
He was somewhat curious as to why there were samurai blocking his path, and he said, "Who is behind you? Don't you know my identity?"
"Of course we know, you are a national traitor, and you deserve divine retribution!" one of them shouted.
"National traitor?" Besa heard this term and was slightly startled, a bad premonition suddenly arising in his heart.
The other party called him a national traitor; in other words, their own stance was...
As someone who had survived the Warring States period, Besa's intuition was extremely sharp.
Before he could even think of a certain possibility, his body already sensed danger.
He hastily raised his hand to form a hand seal, not even bothering to turn his head, and said, "Quick, keep an eye on Han—"
The moment the word "Han" left his lips, Besa heard a slight sound from beneath his feet.
He lowered his head slightly and saw layers of explosive tags wrapped around his legs.
Even in the constantly flowing rainwater, bright flames ignited on the surface of the talismans.
Bang—
Besa flew out like a kite with a broken string.
His other trusted subordinates were also caught off guard and involved in the explosion.
The samurai hadn't expected such a situation, but they quickly reacted, realizing this was a golden opportunity.
Without a word, they all shouted and charged forward.
Besa finally managed to steady himself on the ground, feeling a piercing pain in his right leg and burning pain in other areas.
More than these, what angered and shocked him was the fact that he had fallen into an ambush.
These samurai were probably under the Daimyo, and Hanzo's move at this moment undoubtedly meant that their two sides had allied.
"As expected of you.
I have great confidence in the Explosive Flame Formation."
Hanzo, dragging his scythe, leaped in front of Besa, his tone somewhat regretful.
Due to their limited strength, Hidden Rain ninjas often focused on assassination techniques.
Although Hanzo was a Water Release ninja, he was exceptionally skilled at using this unexpected Fire Release: Explosive Flame Formation.
In the future, he would use this technique to cripple Nagato's legs, leaving him dependent on his tools for movement.
"When exactly did you ally with the Daimyo?" Besa gasped, staring at Hanzo with wide eyes.
"Does that have anything to do with you?" Hanzo shook his head and said, "This is probably the last time I'll address you.
I have nothing more to say.
You understand the reasons; I merely struck first."
"You..." Besa had just uttered a single word when the other party swung his scythe towards him.
At this moment, Besa already knew that he couldn't go back.
With one leg almost crippled and the side effects of the Fire Release, he couldn't defeat the prepared Hanzo.
He had lost, completely lost.
This was his only thought.