Chapter 43: Chapter 42: Hanzō of the Salamander
Amegakure.
Under the guards' repeated urging, Hanzō reluctantly entered the office and frowned at the mountain of reports piled on the desk. He began to deal with them one by one while the guards beside him watched, filled with worry.
They were concerned about their leader, Hanzō, and also worried about the future of the Land of Rain. Hanzō used to be enthusiastic about his work, caring for his subordinates, and dedicated to the rise of the Land of Rain.
Under his leadership, they repelled invaders from the Land of Wind, drove the Sand Ninja out of the Land of Rain, and made Amegakure the most famous ninja village outside the Five Great Ninja Villages. However, at some point, Hanzō began to change.
Not only did he lose his ambition to expand the borders, but he also became lazy in handling domestic affairs. His long-term laziness directly led to many ninjas leaving Amegakure, and bandits started running rampant in the area.
As guards who had come all the way with him, they could also guess the reason for Hanzō's fall.
It seems that because the Land of Rain is located in the midst of the Four Great Wars, Amegakure simply cannot expand outward. Unable to see hope of becoming a great nation, Hanzō simply gave up his responsibilities, and his vision became increasingly narrow.
From hoping for the rise of the Land of Rain, to only focusing on the area around the Amegakure Tower.
If it weren't for these people's reminders, Hanzō probably wouldn't even bother with official duties, spending all day in his room drinking tea and alcohol, enjoying life.
They hoped in their hearts that Lord Hanzō could regain his original intentions and lead them to actively start a war.
Hanzō also noticed the guards' strange looks, but he didn't say much.
These people simply didn't understand the plight of the Land of Rain. The problems within the Land of Rain cannot be solved simply by striving.
In the last Great Ninja War, Amegakure Village did not emerge victorious and will not be victorious in future Great Ninja Wars.
Rather than risking involvement in the Great Ninja Wars, declaring isolation from the outside world is better.
Given the barrenness of the Land of Rain, as long as there is enough fighting strength, there's no need to worry about other countries attacking the Land of Rain.
As for whether the ordinary people within the borders are living well, that's none of his concern. The reputation he built up in the first half of his life is enough to enjoy in the second half. There's no need to waste time and energy on meaningless work.
However, despite his laziness towards his duties, he has always maintained contact with the major ninja villages and has been involved in numerous secret conspiracies.
When he began handling official affairs, Hanzō quickly took note of a mission report from Shigure, a leader of the black market. Shigure is responsible for tracking the movements of wandering ninjas within the Land of Rain through the movement of the black market.
In Shigure's report, Hanzō quickly noticed the phrase "Akatsuki Organization."
"Akatsuki" means the first light of dawn.
This self-proclaimed Akatsuki Organization piqued Hanzō's interest even more, and he seemed to have heard of this organization somewhere before, feeling somewhat familiar.
Suppressing his doubts, Hanzō turned to one of his subordinates before pointing at the report.
"Does anyone here know about the Akatsuki?"
Upon hearing Hanzō's question, the guard beside him hurriedly came forward.
"Lord Hanzō, the Akatsuki has been very active recently within the Land of Rain. It's said to be a recently established peace organization. They seem to be dedicated to promoting mutual understanding among people and have been helping villagers combat bandits and wandering ninjas."
"Helping to combat bandits?"
Hanzō frowned.
"So, they're a ninja organization. Tell me more about the specifics of this organization."
"Yes," the guard nodded, then proceeded to provide the gathered intelligence.
Upon learning that the founder of the Akatsuki Organization was a student of Jiraiya, Hanzō's demeanor shifted, his countenance growing more grave.
While the Akatsuki Organization's activities of amassing ninjas and safeguarding ordinary citizens held little significance for him, as it contributed to upholding security within the Land of Rain, the fact that it was established by one of Jiraiya's disciples heightened his vigilance.
Hanzō, a subordinate of the fallen Jiraiya, had covertly taken in three orphans following his defeat, and these three orphans had somehow formed a peace organization.
Hanzō contemplated whether Jiraiya himself was the mastermind behind this peace organization and whether it posed a threat to his rule. However, he then fleetingly shook his head.
How could a newly formed organization possibly threaten his rule? Even Jiraiya, along with Orochimaru and Tsunade, wouldn't be his match.
Of all the things in the ninja world that made him wary, only those few old guys his age did.
Moreover, he maintained good cooperation and relations with the leadership of Konoha. They even worked together before, implementing a conspiracy that led to the Third Raikage's death at the hands of Iwagakure.
With this kind of relationship, Konoha wouldn't dare to make a move against Amegakure Village. Moreover, if the Akatsuki Organization were truly a spy organization, their actions wouldn't be so conspicuous.
Continuing to listen to his subordinates' reports about the Akatsuki Organization, Hanzō became even more convinced that they posed no threat. Their actions seemed more like his own in his younger days—full of vigor and hope for the future.
But how long could such hope last? This young man named Yahiko would eventually be defeated by reality, just like he himself chose to submit to reality. At that time, Yahiko might voluntarily submit to him and become an elite ninja under his command.
Instead of worrying about these matters, he thought about the conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure, which was the biggest threat to Amegakure Village.
With this in mind, Hanzō opened another intelligence file detailing the process of the Battle of the Kannabi Bridge and information about Minato Namikaze.
The new youngster was known as Golden Flash as he used Flying Thunder God Technique, giving no time to the opponent before they would meet their end.
The information related to Minato stimulated Hanzo of the Salamander. He wondered if he was hearing this news correctly or if he was just too old.
After all, his moving technique could consecutively kill several elite ninjas in a short period.
This ninja named Minato Namikaze might become his formidable opponent in the future. Compared to Minato Namikaze, Yahiko was nothing.
They weren't even on the same level.
Konoha was truly deserving of its reputation. After producing strong individuals like the Sannin and Sakumo Hatake, it gave rise to another exceptionally skilled ninja in less than ten years.
Meanwhile, within Amegakure, there weren't even a few decent elite ninja, let alone a successor being chosen.
If something were to happen to him, there would be no successor for Amegakure. Perhaps even Konoha, with whom relations were currently good, would turn its attention to Amegakure.
Why was the Land of Rain so weak? Why couldn't he groom a qualified successor?
What should be done with Amegakure after his death?
With these thoughts, Hanzō suddenly felt weary. He sighed lightly and left the office, heading towards his room.
He needed to rest properly before continuing with his duties.
Seeing this scene, the guards' expressions dimmed noticeably. It had only been less than two hours of work, and Lord Hanzō was already off to indulge in pleasure again.
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