"Hey! Dead fish eyes, I'm talking to you!"
The scar-faced ninja stood up and walked over, stopping beside the table where Hyuga Arata and the others sat, looking down at them from above.
His vicious gaze swept across their faces, his tone laced with intimidation and threat: "You four look unfamiliar, and your behavior is suspicious. I have reason to suspect you're spies. Come with me, quietly."
'Unfamiliar my ass. Spies my ass. This was the capital of the Land of Rain, not the Hidden Rain Village, there was no complete isolation from the outside world. There were plenty of merchants from other places here. There was no way this guy knew all of them.'
'Besides, plenty of people had heard that remark and snuck glances at him. It was just that Kakashi's dead fish eyes were too punchable, so he got singled out.'
'This was nothing more than killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, warning anyone who heard something they shouldn't not to spread it around.'
"Bad luck."
Realizing this, Kakashi sighed inwardly. But he also knew that running now was not an option, it would only confirm their suspicious identity.
Even if they escaped, it would alert the enemy and make the mission harder.
So after a brief silence, while secretly gathering chakra, he calmly raised his head and looked at the scar-faced ninja. "Do you know what you're doing?"
Hearing this, the three Rain ninja who had been sitting behind, originally not planning to get involved, instinctively exchanged glances, sensing something was off. They stood up and walked over.
"Hm?"
Seeing how fearless the four seemed, the scar-faced ninja's heart skipped a beat, but he refused to back down verbally. "Oh? You four cripples sitting together can't even make up three pairs of eyes, and you still dare question me?"
Kakashi only revealed one eye, while Arata had kept his eyes closed the entire time, pretending to be blind. Together, they really couldn't make three pairs of eyes.
"Idiot!" Kakashi's tone suddenly turned cold. "With just what you said earlier, we could execute you on the spot!"
The scar-faced ninja's veins bulged as he stepped forward, about to lash out, but the long-haired ninja behind him quickly reached out to stop him.
"You… are you ANBU?"
The long-haired ninja narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the four, his gaze finally settling on the silent Tenzo.
Tenzo, who would later be known as Yamato, was once Kinoe from the Root. Having only recently joined ANBU, he still carried that deathly, cold aura from Root.
And Hanzo's version of ANBU wasn't like Konoha's; it was closer to a group of loyal, expendable enforcers devoted solely to protecting him.
"Now it's your turn to come with us," Kakashi said coldly, neither confirming nor denying.
At that, the expressions of the four Rain ninja changed drastically; they were now certain of their guess.
Recently, due to the failure to capture the remnants of the Akatsuki, Hanzo had grown paranoid, suspecting spies within the Hidden Rain. He had ordered ANBU to investigate thoroughly, dragging many people into it.
Now, the entire village lived in fear.
To them, the aura around Tenzo was identical to those "hounds" of the ANBU, instantly filling them with fear.
If what they had just said reached Lord Hanzo, even if they didn't die, they'd be severely punished.
The scar-faced ninja and the long-haired one exchanged glances, instantly understanding each other's intentions.
"Haha, so you're brothers from the Hidden Rain, our apologies, our apologies, we were rude."
The scar-faced ninja forced a smile, bending down as he reached into his clothes, intending to pull out money, hoping these "hounds" were the type that could be bribed.
They didn't have the guts to attack ANBU, but bribery? That was doable.
But just as he reached into his clothes,
Arata, beside Kakashi, suddenly raised his head and shouted loudly: "What are you trying to do?!"
The scar-faced ninja and the other three froze for a moment, before they could react, all four of Arata's group moved instantly, their roles perfectly coordinated.
One person grabbed a bottle.
One person smashed it into a Rain ninja.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Unopened bottles shattered, red liquor mixing with blood, splashing like a crimson rain inside the tavern.
Clearly, the Rain ninja's limited combat ability and reaction speed were no match for the four from Konoha, who came from ninja clans, ANBU, and Root.
Three of them were knocked unconscious instantly from head strikes. Only the burly scar-faced ninja merely felt his vision go dark.
"Y-you… are, "
His first instinct was to form hand seals, but his wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Five slender fingers, smooth as jade.
Crack!
"AAAH!!"
A crisp snapping sound rang out. His words turned into a scream as he instinctively tried to pull his hand back.
But it felt as though his hand was stuck in a mountain, completely immovable. The young man in front of him was like an immovable peak.
Crack! Splurt!!
A horrifying force erupted from that grip. Bones shattered with a sickening sound, muscles were crushed instantly, and blood sprayed from between the fingers.
Amid the grotesque squelching of flesh being compressed, his wrist was completely mangled. Overwhelmed by the pain, his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness.
Thud.
Arata expressionlessly released his grip. The scar-faced ninja collapsed.
Witnessing such brutal violence, the tavern patrons, who were about to scream, fell silent, like chickens with their throats grabbed.
"And you dare insult Lord Hanzo? You ignorant trash!"
Arata shouted angrily, then turned to the stunned crowd, his tone impassioned and furious:
"Who gave us a peaceful life? Who made the Land of Rain strong?!"
"It was Lord Hanzo! Remember this, Lord Hanzo is the hero of the Land of Rain! A hero is to be revered, not insulted! As long as Lord Hanzo stands in the Hidden Rain, the great nations will not dare invade!"
"Lord Hanzo is the sun of the Land of Rain! Anyone who spreads destabilizing, cold-hearted nonsense will be severely punished!"
His voice was fervent, almost fanatical.
The crowd, originally frightened, froze for a moment, then subconsciously exchanged looks. Their emotions strangely calmed, and a spark of belief appeared in their eyes.
At Arata's side, Kakashi's mouth twitched slightly.
He knew very well Hanzo's status among the people.
Most citizens genuinely revered him, having grown up on his legends. The reason the Land of Rain wasn't devastated in the Third Great Ninja War was largely due to his reputation deterring other nations.
So when the scar-faced ninja complained about Hanzo, the civilians, though silent, were inwardly dissatisfied.
But Kakashi hadn't expected Arata to seize on this so quickly.
Originally, Kakashi had planned to subdue the four while posing as ANBU, then silence the crowd through authority.
But that approach would likely breed resentment and rebellion, and someone would eventually report it.
Arata's method, however, was clean and efficient, completely flipping the narrative, sounding just like a fanatic devotee of Hanzo.
"Ah, so you're ninja, my lords!"
The tavern owner, who had been hiding behind the counter, finally reacted and hurriedly bowed. "Thank you for eliminating such scum for the Land of Rain and the Hidden Rain!"
The crowd nodded in agreement, their fear gone, now looking at the fallen ninja with disgust.
Scum like that deserved to die.
"Thank you for your understanding."
Seeing the situation resolved, Kakashi reminded the crowd: "Everything you saw and heard today must not be shared. We hope for your cooperation."
"Of course!"
"We understand!"
"We didn't see anything!"
Everyone nodded obediently.
Under their watch, Kakashi's group carried the four unconscious ninja out. The tavern owner even personally escorted them to the door.
The four vanished using the Body Flicker Technique, leaving behind money for drinks and cleaning.
The crowd watched in admiration.
Such pure and unwavering conviction, taking not even a needle or thread from the people.
These were the true guardians of the Land of Rain.