章 88: Chapter 87: Client
Several hours after Byakuya left the Hidden Rain Village's prison, rumors spread within the prison that Hanzo had chosen to end his own life following prolonged interrogation. The former demigod of the ninja world, known for his illustrious reputation, opted for suicide to preserve his final dignity amidst disgrace.
The rumor didn't circulate for long before the current leader of the Hidden Rain, Yahiko, declared it as false. Former village leader Hanzo of the Hidden Rain had not perished but was merely imprisoned within the village's confines, restricted from freely leaving until the end of his sentence.
Faced with Yahiko's clarification, some ninjas chose to believe it. Another faction, however, remained convinced that Hanzo had indeed perished; otherwise, why would members of Akatsuki need to step forward to refute the rumors? They dismissed Akatsuki's actions as a mere attempt to deceive.
Yet for most ninja, whether Hanzo lived or died no longer mattered. The era belonging to Hanzo had ended, and the new era under Akatsuki was just beginning.
After spreading the rumor of the demigod's death, Byakuya brought Hanzo to the ANBU headquarters.
He planned for Hanzo to assume the role of ANBU commander and part-time instructor, responsible for rooting out ninja with ill intentions toward the Hidden Rain and for training new recruits in ANBU.
Once Hanzo donned the Anbu Fire Masks, he met Byakuya's subordinates.
Byakuya's subordinates appeared spirited and battle-hardened, clearly experienced elite ninja. However, after observing their training process, Hanzo began to doubt the origins of these individuals.
While their combat abilities were commendable, their ninjutsu and physical styles were diverse—ranging from Leaf Village techniques to Sand and Stone Village secrets.
How did this motley crew of ninja come together? Could they have been captured?
Thinking this, Hanzo looked to Byakuya, who nodded.
"These individuals were all once spies infiltrating Akatsuki. Influenced by Akatsuki's ideology, they eventually chose to join the ANBU of Akatsuki. You'll need to find a way to train them into capable elites who can protect the Hidden Rain."
Hearing that Byakuya's subordinates were former spies from various countries, Hanzo's expression darkened. The composition of these individuals was indeed too complex. Wasn't there a concern about their potential betrayal?
However, recalling Byakuya's methods, Hanzo also found solace.
Under the dual suppression of Wood Style and seals, even if these individuals managed to escape, they would have no chance of survival.
Moreover, based on his understanding of Akatsuki, these individuals might actually accept Akatsuki's ideology. After all, apart from Byakuya, most members of Akatsuki were naive fools.
At this moment, Byakuya suddenly turned to Hanzo and asked, "Do your best. If it doesn't work out, then so be it."
Feeling underestimated by Byakuya, Hanzo replied in a subdued tone, "Although I'm no longer at my peak, training these people will be well within my capabilities. Just give me a few months, and I'll have them all trained into jonin."
"I hope so..." Byakuya's tone carried doubt.
"Just trust me," Hanzo said earnestly.
Having agreed to become an instructor in the ANBU, he would fulfill his promise. In the process, he would also vent some of the resentment brewing within him through the ANBU.
In these past few days, he had accumulated quite a bit of anger.
Listening to Hanzo's assurance, Byakuya turned and left.
Byakuya wasn't particularly interested in watching Hanzo educate new recruits. He preferred to return to his office for some rest.
Returning to his office, Byakuya sat down in his genuine leather recliner and began tapping his fingers on the desk, contemplating today's tasks.
At his level, he worked whenever he pleased, enjoying an extremely free double-oh-seven lifestyle.
This was the biggest difference between working and entrepreneurship: one worked for oneself, the other for a boss.
However, even without a boss above him, he still had his own concerns, namely dealing with the client who provided tasks.
Only by satisfying the client could he continue to earn a steady stream of coins.
After a brief moment of relaxation, Byakuya took out paper and pen from the drawer, starting to write a letter.
The content of the letter was simple: a brief report on recent work, along with thanks to the client for their assistance, looking forward to the next collaboration.
Once the letter was written, Byakuya used spirit summoning jutsu to summon his ninja hawk.
After dealing with the Root spies, Byakuya did not dispose of his spirit summoning beast, partly because the giant eagle was very impressive, and partly to maintain contact with Danzo, to see if there could be future collaborations.
In the operation against Hanzo this time, Danzo had put in tremendous effort.
If Danzo hadn't framed him and reached a collaboration with Hanzo to deal with Akatsuki...
Akatsuki might still be hiding in the mountains, without any chance of swallowing up the Hidden Rain Village. In this respect, Danzo might even be Akatsuki's greatest hero, without needing any rewards.
Byakuya had always admired Danzo for his self-sacrifice, illuminating others.
As for Danzo betraying him, those were insignificant matters.
If it weren't for his existence as a golden finger, he would have run away long ago. With the golden finger and his knowledge of the subsequent plot, he had always held the initiative, playing Danzo like a puppet.
Moreover, during the negotiations, he actually had a way to prevent Danzo from escaping.
After serious consideration, he chose to abandon the pursuit.
On one hand, he didn't want to expose too much of his strength. If techniques like the Mayfly Technique were discovered by Black Zetsu, it would be very troublesome and could seriously affect their future plans.
On the other hand, living Danzo is more useful than a dead one.
As long as Danzo is there stirring up trouble, Konoha will remain in chaos for a long time.
Konoha is the strongest ninja village in the ninja world. If they were to unite, it would be very detrimental to the future development of the Akatsuki.
Most importantly, both he and Danzo are mature ninjas who prioritize interests over personal grievances.
The empty promises of drawing them in with grand schemes don't work. To win them over, you need tangible benefits.
And once there's a possibility of progress, betraying allies is just a routine operation. In the future, there may even be opportunities for Danzo to work together to weaken Konoha.
After a moment of emotion, Byakuya tied the letter to the leg of the Ninja Hawk and let it fly.
Soon, the ninja hawk turned into a black dot in the sky and disappeared into the distance.
After completing all this, Byakuya turned and looked at the Black Spider beside him. This dark figure, resembling a pitcher plant, is currently his only boss, Black Zetsu.
After disappearing for several days, Black Zetsu finally appeared in front of him again. Byakuya was somewhat puzzled about Black Zetsu's disappearance but did not ask.
Quietly watching the ninja eagle soar, Black Zetsu looked at Byakuya, who had already become the leader of the Akatsuki:
"Byakuya, congratulations on becoming the leader of the Akatsuki. We're one step closer to our plan to dominate the world."
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