Hanzo opened his mouth, but no words came out.
He hadn't expected that Konoha would already understand the situation of the Land of Rain and Amegakure to this extent.
Back during the Second Great Ninja War, why had he finally snapped and declared war on the Five Great Nations?
At that time, the war hadn't fully erupted yet. Conflicts between the great nations were still restrained, limited to localized friction. The Land of Rain had not initially refused to act as a buffer zone.
But the behavior of Sunagakure and Iwagakure had been utterly unbearable, especially those Sand ninja who were practically driven mad by poverty.
Not only did they attack enemy ninja, but they showed no regard for civilian lives during battles. Many even looted, burned, and killed at will. Even the Kazekage turned a blind eye.
After all, Sunagakure's finances were poor; looting civilians reduced their burden.
And since they weren't robbing their own people, the lives of small-nation civilians meant nothing.
So the young Hanzo, unable to endure it any longer, overturned the table and led Amegakure in defiance of the Five Great Nations.
But back then, he was young, truly young.
Proud. Ambitious. Full of ideals.
He swore to change the Land of Rain, to bring it peace. He believed he could reshape the world by his own strength.
He thought he was special.
He thought he and his comrades were like the protagonists of a story, and protagonists didn't die.
But when he was wounded in battle and reached out, only to touch the blood-soaked corpses of his comrades… when he watched more and more people collapse from exhaustion and starvation…
He understood.
No one in this world is special.
No one.
So, having faced reality, he spared his enemies, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.
Because at that time, the Land of Rain and Amegakure were already on the brink of collapse, out of both manpower and supplies. They couldn't afford to face the fury of Hiruzen Sarutobi after losing his students.
So, having faced reality, he allied with Danzō Shimura to kill Yahiko, a young man so much like his former self.
Because in his eyes at the time, Yahiko's ideals were nothing but unrealistic fantasies, ideas that would destabilize his hard-earned power and drag the Land of Rain into an abyss.
But now… Hanzo felt regret.
If that young man were still alive…
If that one named Nagato were still here…
If he hadn't struck against the Akatsuki…
If Amegakure had successors…
During the Second Great Ninja War, the Land of Rain had neither won nor lost only because of Hanzo himself.
Back then, he was at the peak of his strength.
But now, he was old. Weak. Declining.
Which meant the Land of Rain had lost its final bargaining chip.
Now, in the face of Iwagakure and Sunagakure's plundering, unless they chose not to resist, resisting again would only lead them back to the same fate, running out of resources and collapsing.
So now… their only path seemed to be cooperation with Konoha.
No, call it what it really was.
Dependence.
…
After a long silence, Hanzo turned to look at the Amegakure ninja behind him. His voice was hoarse.
"What do you think?"
The moment he said it, he felt sick.
He knew he wasn't giving them a choice, he was shifting the burden of choice onto them.
He was running away.
Avoiding the decision he should make.
Avoiding the responsibility he should bear.
He couldn't even face himself anymore.
He had become the very kind of person he once despised.
And just as he expected, the Amegakure ninja fell into silence.
They weren't ignorant of their situation. The Land of Rain no longer had the resources to sustain another resistance like in the past.
The gap between them and the great nations was simply too vast.
And yet,
Even so, they wished Hanzo would act like before.
Strike decisively.
Show Konoha that Amegakure was not weak, that Hanzo's authority was not something a teenager could challenge.
Even if it meant sacrificing their lives, they would follow him willingly.
But now, Hanzo had compromised.
Were they disappointed? Perhaps.
But this was the best option left.
Did they understand? Perhaps.
But submitting to a great nation they hated so deeply…
That was something they could not accept.
Humiliation. Anger. Resentment. Confusion. Helplessness…
The resolve in their hearts seemed to dissipate. Even their grip on their weapons weakened.
Seeing this, Kakashi Hatake let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Hanzo had truly changed.
This negotiation would likely succeed.
Just as Kakashi was about to speak, Drip…
A drop of red liquid fell from the top of the tower, splashing onto the ground, breaking the suffocating silence.
Drip… drip…
Standing beside Hanzo, Shenda subconsciously looked up. A few drops landed on his lips, the familiar metallic smell made him freeze.
Crack!
A sudden, piercing sound echoed, like glass shattering.
The glass dome at the top of the tower exploded.
Shards rained down from above as if a curtain had been torn open. Wind howled into the tower.
Then, a dark figure plummeted from above, slamming down between Kakashi and Hanzo.
Boom!
Both the Konoha and Amegakure ninja instinctively stepped back.
But blood burst outward, splattering across their faces.
They stared in shock at the twisted figure on the ground.
It was a corpse.
Its entire body grotesquely distorted. The head had been twisted several times, barely connected to the neck by skin. Its face still held an expression of terror.
There were no clean wounds, only brutal deformation.
Like a towel wrung dry with overwhelming force.
Bones and flesh twisted and burst outward, pale bones piercing through the skin, a horrifying display of raw brutality.
"Was it you…?"
Hanzo instinctively looked at Kakashi, only to see Kakashi looking back at him the same way.
"Not him."
"Someone else intervened."
They reached the same conclusion at the same time, and both looked up.
Above the shattered glass dome, a figure hovered in midair.
The dim moonlight behind him illuminated everything below, exposing the fear and unease on everyone's faces.
Every bit of filth and ugliness inside the tower was laid bare.
"How disappointing."
"The once proud Hanzo… has had his spine broken and become nothing more than an old dog."
He looked down at them from above, his mocking voice declaring his presence.