"It's raining again, just like last time," Yusuke thought to himself, feeling the drizzle falling on his skin.
This wasn't Yusuke's first time stepping into the Land of Rain. He had also carried out missions in Rain during the previous war.
Chakra circulated within his body, a faint layer of Fire Release chakra, imperceptible to others, covered Yusuke's body. When the fine raindrops fell onto this layer of Fire Release chakra, they were all burned away.
It was "burned" because it wasn't using high temperatures to evaporate the raindrops. Otherwise, Yusuke would look like a steam engine to others, with steam rising from his entire body.
The Konoha delegation didn't have to wait long after arriving in the Land of Rain. Hanzo of the Salamander quickly came to greet them personally.
Danzō and Hanzo clearly weren't meeting for the first time. They immediately began chatting familiarly.
Among the drenched ninjas, Yusuke, whose hairstyle remained upright, immediately caught Hanzo's attention. Yusuke was also carefully observing this ninja known as the "Demi-God" in the ninja world.
From his appearance, Hanzo certainly had the vibe of a second-rate boss. He was wearing the ordinary uniform of Rain Village, but he had a black short cloak over his shoulders. He wore a metal gas mask that covered his mouth and cheeks, revealing only his eyes and nose.
He had long, dry yellow hair flowing down his back, but his eyes were extremely fierce, making him look like a real bad guy. His weapon also seemed rather cheap — a sickle connected to a chain, with a weight attached to the other end of the chain.
Hanzo wore a gas mask not to protect himself from others using poison, but rather, to prevent his own poisonous breath from affecting those around him!
In the village where Hanzo was born, there was a highly poisonous black salamander. After the salamander died, its poison sac was implanted into young Hanzo's body, giving him a resistance to poison.
Whenever he breathed, those around him would inhale the poisonous air, so everyone was afraid of young Hanzo. To avoid affecting others, Hanzo was forced to wear a mask and breathe through his mouth.
Hanzo couldn't easily remove his mask, although it would give him an advantage in battle. But if his poison sac in his abdomen ruptured during battle, even Hanzo wouldn't be able to withstand the salamander's poison.
After the Konoha group followed Hanzo to the lodging assigned to them, they stayed there to rest for a while. Danzō and Hanzo went off to a secret meeting, no one knew where.
Yusuke wasn't interested in these two "hidden" talks. For Yusuke, he only needed to be present at the formal official negotiations, witness the negotiation process between Danzō and Hanzo as the Third Hokage's envoy, and report back to the Third Hokage.
Of course, if Yusuke was the Third Hokage's direct subordinate, he would probably try to find out if there was any secret deal between Danzō and Hanzo.
But right now, Yusuke had no intention of working for the Third Hokage, so he just relaxed in the lodging, conserving his energy, and waiting for the official negotiations to begin.
In Hanzo's secret chamber, Danzō was sitting in a chair, closing his eyes and resting. Behind him stood two trusted Root ninjas. Opposite Danzō sat Hanzo, with a displeased expression.
"Are these the compensation terms Konoha has set? It's really harsh! According to your demands, even if Rain Village goes on for another five years, we might not be able to recover." Hanzo read through the document in his hand and said coldly.
This document was the compensation terms proposed by Konoha. It was clear that Danzō hadn't considered the village's interests and had leaked the content to Hanzo before the formal negotiations.
Danzō remained with his eyes closed and said slowly, "I can make a significant concession on the terms, but you have to pay a price elsewhere."
Hanzo didn't care about the concession Danzō mentioned. Instead, he changed the subject, "There's no need for concessions. As long as you do me a favor, I'll agree to all the terms on this document!"
Danzō was startled. His closed eyes suddenly opened wide.
He knew that the terms on this document were very harsh. Originally, Danzō had planned to betray some of the village's interests, make concessions, and then have Hanzo compensate him for Root in other ways. But now, Hanzo had actually agreed to the terms on the document, making Danzō very curious about what Hanzo meant by "helping."
"What kind of favor? Tell me." Danzō said calmly.
Hanzo said slowly, "Have you heard of an organization called 'Akatsuki'? They've been active near Rain Village recently, spreading a ridiculous theory of peace."
"With your strength as the 'Demi-God,' can't you handle this insignificant organization?" Danzō asked.
"The leader of this organization is not simple. According to intelligence, one of Akatsuki's executives possesses the legendary Rinnegan!" Hanzo dropped a bombshell.
Hearing Hanzo's words, even with Danzō's composure, he couldn't control his emotions. He opened his eyes wide in surprise and said, "What? You mean the legendary 'Sage's Eye'?"
Seeing the greed in Danzō's eyes, Hanzo's lips, hidden behind his gas mask, curled up slightly, "Yes, it's the Rinnegan, known as the 'Sage's Eye.' The opponent's strength is still a mystery, so I haven't dared to make a move."
"But I've recently found out about their internal situation. As long as you help me, I'm confident that we can wipe them out! Then, we can each take one Rinnegan. Moreover, I'll agree to all the terms of this negotiation, allowing you to make a great contribution to Konoha. It will also help you in your future pursuit of the Hokage position!" Hanzo continued.
He believed that with the conditions he had offered, Danzō had no reason to refuse.
"I agree to this cooperation, but are you really sure we can handle a ninja with the Rinnegan?" Danzō frowned.
Although he was very covetous of the legendary Rinnegan, Danzō also knew that a ninja who possessed these eyes would definitely not be easy to deal with.
Hanzo smiled sinisterly, "To be honest, I'm not entirely confident if we're fighting directly. But I've found their weakness. As long as your people cooperate, it's a sure thing."
Danzō said solemnly, "Then I'll stay here for a few more days and cooperate with your plan. But you have to let me know all the details of the plan."
Danzō didn't completely trust Hanzo. He didn't want to be used as a pawn by Hanzo.
"You can rest assured about that. The key to this plan depends on your subordinates. I know your Root organization has many talented people who are skilled in espionage. You need your subordinates to infiltrate the other organization and seize a key figure for me. With that person, the ninja with the Rinnegan will be helpless." Hanzo said.
"Alright, you can send someone to notify me when you execute the plan." Danzō nodded.
"By the way, there's an interesting ninja in your team today. It seems like raindrops can't even get close to him. He looks pretty strong." Hanzo remembered Yusuke when he greeted Danzō.
For Hanzo, the more powerful ninjas involved in his plan, the better.
Danzō snorted coldly, "That guy is the Third Hokage's person watching me. Don't count on him for this plan. You should have heard of him. He's the one called 'Flame Sword,' Uchiha Yusuke."
Knowing Yusuke's identity, Hanzo nodded and didn't say anything more. He had thought that Yusuke was a skilled ninja from Danzō's Root organization and that he could use him this time, but he didn't ask any further questions since he wasn't Danzō's person.
Yusuke was completely unaware of the conspiracy between Danzō and Hanzo against Akatsuki.
The next day, Yusuke participated in the formal negotiations between Konoha and Rain. The entire negotiation process was very dull and boring, but the anomalies within it aroused Yusuke's vigilance.
Although the negotiators from both sides pretended to bargain, Rain actually made concessions on every term in the end!
This was a very unusual phenomenon. After all, Hanzo of the Salamander wasn't a weak leader. Even if Rain was in the position of a defeated nation, they shouldn't have conceded to this extent!
"Danzō and Hanzo must have reached some kind of secret agreement." Yusuke frowned.
But while he suspected it, Yusuke didn't know what kind of deal they had made in secret.
After all the compensation terms were negotiated, Hanzo and Danzō signed the agreement, and the Konoha delegation's mission to Rain Village to negotiate compensation was basically complete.
Back at the lodging, Yusuke asked Danzō, "Danzō-sama, the mission is complete. When will the delegation return to Konoha?"
"I'm going to stay here for a few more days." Danzō glanced at Yusuke.
"What's the reason?" Yusuke asked.
Danzō flicked his wide sleeve and snorted coldly, "I'm the leader of the delegation. I don't need to explain myself to you." After saying this, he ignored Yusuke and strode away.
The two trusted subordinates who were closely following Danzō also glared fiercely at Yusuke. One of them was Yamanaka Shika, who had tried to sneak attack Yusuke but had been taught a lesson.
Looking at the backs of Danzō and his men leaving, Yusuke frowned and thought to himself.
At this point, it was a crucial time for the Fourth Hokage election in the village. Danzō, as Orochimaru's recommender, had been working to secure support for Orochimaru in the village.
The Third Hokage, at this time, had sent Danzō to Rain Village to negotiate. Perhaps he was trying to interfere with Danzō and Orochimaru's election plans.
Under normal circumstances, after the negotiations were over, Danzō should have returned as soon as possible, not wasted time staying in Rain Village.
This could only mean that Danzō's purpose for staying in Rain Village was more important than supporting Orochimaru's bid for the Fourth Hokage!
Over the next few days, Yusuke secretly followed Danzō. However, Danzō, as the leader of the ninja world's top spy organization, had excellent reconnaissance work in place, and Yusuke couldn't get close to him. He even almost got caught by Root's reconnaissance ninjas several times.
"Danzō-sama, someone seems to have been following us these past few days. I've instructed the ninjas in charge of reconnaissance, but we still haven't been able to catch them." Yamanaka Shika said respectfully to Danzō.
"It shouldn't be Hanzo's people. It must be Uchiha Yusuke secretly watching me. Sarutobi really knows how to give me trouble." Danzō snorted coldly, then continued, "Don't worry about him for now. How is our plan going?"
"It's all been arranged. We've controlled several members of Akatsuki. When the plan begins, we'll definitely be able to cooperate with Hanzo to capture the target." Shika said.
"Good. Hanzo has also set a meeting time with the leader of Akatsuki. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I must get the Rinnegan. Only I am worthy of possessing this legendary 'Sage's Eye'!" Danzō said calmly. However, his slightly trembling voice betrayed his excitement.
"But if the person secretly following us is really Uchiha Yusuke, will he oppose us and sabotage our plan?" Shika asked with worry.
Shika didn't think that Yusuke posed any threat to their plan, but he hated Yusuke for making him look foolish in front of his subordinates.
If he could use Danzō's hand to eliminate him, that would be the best.
Danzō waved his hand, "He can't do anything in the Rain Village territory. Once I get the Rinnegan, he'll be the first one I deal with."
Three days later, Yusuke, who was secretly watching Danzō, discovered that Root personnel had suddenly mobilized in large numbers. Knowing that Danzō must have a major plan, he immediately followed Danzō's men from a distance.
Danzō wasn't wearing his usual half-black, half-white kimono. He had changed into a Konoha ninja uniform, indicating that Danzō himself might be involved in this operation.
At this time, in a valley in the Land of Rain, Hanzo of the Salamander and the leader of Akatsuki, Yahiko, were formally meeting. Nagato and Konan stood beside Yahiko, and a group of Akatsuki members stood behind them.
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