A group of Rain Village Ninja instantly became furious.
The sound of ninja blades being unsheathed rose continuously.
The Konoha Ninja opposite them had actually humiliated The Hidden Rain Village; how could these loyal Rain Village Ninja of Hanzo endure such provocation!
Kandachi of the Salamander's anger flashed across his face; he waved a hand to stop his subordinates' actions and said coldly, "Are you insulting us from The Hidden Rain Village?"
"If you want to fight, then come on!"
Yamanaka Fuu, on behalf of Uehara, coldly scrutinized the many Hidden Rain Ninja and said deeply, "I don't mind being humiliated personally, but I am now representing Lord Danzo!"
This statement immediately stopped the Hidden Rain Ninja in their tracks.
Anyone willing to die for their superior's honor would earn respect, a culture deeply rooted in the Ninja World, and The Hidden Rain Village has somewhat of a samurai atmosphere.
Yamanaka Fuu, fearless in the face of death, merely wanted to secure a meeting with Lord Hanzo for his superior, so his superior wouldn't return empty-handed.
It was somewhat admirable!
Kandachi of the Salamander didn't feel much; he furrowed his brow and asked deeply, "I agree to let Lord Hanzo and Lord Danzo meet, but the time and location..."
"We have considered this matter."
Yamanaka Fuu, on behalf of Uehara, promptly took advantage of the opportunity to propose his idea, "If Lord Danzo appears in The Hidden Rain Village, it would be detrimental to both Lord Hanzo's prestige and Lord Danzo's safety..."
At this point, Uehara Naraku paused before continuing, "So Lord Danzo plans to arrange the meeting location at the place where we last collaborated to eliminate the Akatsuki, to discuss how to thoroughly solve the Akatsuki problem."
"..."
Kandachi of the Salamander remained silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "I will try to facilitate this meeting, and I will reply to you as soon as possible tomorrow... If Lord Hanzo agrees, the meeting time will also be notified to you tomorrow!"
"Alright."
Yamanaka Fuu, on behalf of Uehara, nodded.
Since the negotiations were over, there was no need for them to linger there.
"Wait..."
Just as Uehara Naraku and Six Paths Pain were about to leave, Kandachi of the Salamander suddenly spoke up again to stop them, "If Lord Danzo cannot meet Lord Hanzo's conditions, this meeting may end badly..."
"..."
Uehara Naraku halted his steps, a smile forming at the corner of his lips. He spoke softly with his back to Kandachi of the Salamander, "Rest assured! Since Lord Danzo is willing to come personally, he will surely give Lord Hanzo a satisfactory answer."
A very satisfying answer.
Alright, perhaps some people won't be too satisfied with the answer, but at least Konan and Nagato will be very satisfied, and that's enough.
Uehara Naraku was willing to vouch for it with his dignity.
This statement clearly gave Kandachi of the Salamander a piece of mind, as he believed Shimura Danzo's concession would certainly satisfy Hanzo of the Salamander.
Some fools are indeed hopeless.
To expedite the cooperation, Kandachi of the Salamander hurried back to The Hidden Rain Village with his men to report their negotiation results to Hanzo of the Salamander, while also showcasing his own abilities.
It was precisely due to his vigorous advocacy that the Konoha Ninjas were forced to make a concession.
Hanzo of the Salamander was least interested in him, merely frowning in contemplation, "Does that guy Shimura Danzo still want to cooperate with us?"
After their last collaboration, he had ditched Danzo once!
Shimura Danzo had sent people intermittently to urge him, yet Hanzo of the Salamander had no wish to get involved in Konoha's Hokage struggle but merely intended to use Danzo.
Hanzo of the Salamander indeed hoped fervently for Danzo to ascend to power.
However, truly supporting Shimura Danzo publicly could potentially incur the wrath of Sarutobi Hiruzen. With The Hidden Rain Village's current strength, it would be hard to withstand.
As the saying goes, "A camel dying of hunger is still bigger than a horse."
Even though the Uchiha Clan of Konoha has been wiped out recently, leaving them greatly weakened, it's still no match for their small Ninja Village.
Hanzo of the Salamander, considering his age, was a bit fearful of death.
Now he only wished to maintain his Ninja Demigod title, ensuring his current power and prestige were not compromised.
It's rather embarrassing to admit, but if Hanzo and Shimura Danzo continue to cooperate this time, he plans on ditching Danzo once more.
Anyway, considering Danzo is in his sixties and doesn't appear to have a shot at the Hokage seat, deceiving him wouldn't provoke Konoha's full retribution...
Besides, given Shimura Danzo's ruthless and dark conduct, his end was bound to be unsavory eventually.
Were it not for the Akatsuki's resurgence, Hanzo of the Salamander wouldn't truly wish to continue cahooting with Danzo for fear of inviting disasters.
Recalling his chief concern, Hanzo of the Salamander asked deeply, "Has there been any action from the Akatsuki? Have any more posts been attacked by their members?"
"There have."
Kandachi of the Salamander nodded in a low voice, "While returning today, I received news that the northern outpost was ambushed by two rather capable younglings, killing off most of their personnel."
"..."
After a brief silence, Hanzo of the Salamander lowered his head and said, "Is the Akatsuki beginning to recruit exceptionally talented young ninja...? Kandachi, agree to the Konoha Ninja's request. I wish to see Shimura Danzo."
Upon seeing Kandachi of the Salamander nod, Hanzo added, "On the meeting day, remember to bring more personnel to ensure nothing goes awry."
"Yes."
Kandachi of the Salamander agreed respectfully.
After seeing Kandachi nod in satisfaction, Hanzo further asked, "Where will our meeting take place?"
"At the location where Lord Hanzo besieged the Akatsuki in those days."
Kandachi of the Salamander replied softly, "This is also a jointly proposed location by the Konoha Ninja and myself because they don't wish for Shimura Danzo to enter the village to avoid potential dangers; I too don't want Lord Danzo to enter, lest it damages Lord Hanzo's prestige."
In Hanzo of the Salamander's eyes flashed a fleeting fear, which was quietly concealed. This aged man then tightly clenched his fist, striking it upon the table, "Alright, that place will do! We must annihilate the Akatsuki this time!"
Everything went as Uehara Naraku expected.
Kandachi of the Salamander agreed to their request, setting the meeting for the day after tomorrow and agreeing on the official location.
That place was where Yahiko once committed suicide.
Konan felt a rush of emotions, her nails digging into her palm, "Does this mean our plan succeeded?"
"At least half of it has succeeded."
Nagato nodded, continuing in a deep voice, "If Hanzo of the Salamander shows up there the day after tomorrow, we absolutely cannot let him escape this time!"
Uehara Naraku glanced over the two and chuckled lightly, "Perhaps that Ninja Demigod will be pleasantly surprised?"
"This time, he will certainly be surprised!"
Nagato clenched his fists in hatred, then looked at Uehara Naraku curiously, "Uehara, how were you sure Hanzo would choose to meet Danzo there?"
"Because Teacher Konan and Lord Nagato believed that to be a meaningful place."
Uehara Naraku raised his head slowly, continuing in a soft voice, "Hanzo would also deem it a place of special significance for his next step in eradicating our Akatsuki, so he will definitely agree to meet there."
Maybe this is the power of mysticism?
In the Ninja World, people are actually quite superstitious!
After speaking, Uehara Naraku added, "Just like if one day I can't find Teacher Konan, I'll go to the cave where we first met because I know it's a place of extraordinary significance for her."
"Is that so?"
Konan looked puzzled, but after thinking it through, she found Uehara Naraku's words reasonable.
After a bit of thought, Konan asked, "Naraku, where is a significant place for you?"
Uehara Naraku looked into Konan's curious eyes, saying, "I am still searching; perhaps Teacher Konan will find it before I do?"