Year 25 of the Konoha Calendar, Land of Rain.
The entire Land of Rain had turned into a battlefield.
From the Land of Grass, Land of Waterfalls, Land of Bears, Land of Hot Water, to the Land of Rivers, countless shinobi surged into the Land of Rain under the banner of defeating the "big boss," Hanzō of the Salamander.
Of course, their primary role was nothing more than stirring up chaos.
The real main force came from the Land of Earth—the shinobi of Iwagakure.
However, Hanzō remained unfazed. In his prime, his abilities were at their peak.
What's more, the battlefield was the Land of Rain, a place abundant in water.
For someone like Hanzō, who excelled in Water Release ninjutsu, this was a perfect advantage. Coupled with his powerful summoning beast, the salamander Ibuse, whose poisonous gas could unleash devastating area-of-effect attacks, he was the bane of weak shinobi armies.
As for the war's catalyst, the Seven-Tails, Chōmei, it had long since vanished without a trace.
Interestingly, there was another formidable force in the Land of Rain—the shinobi of the Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
However, these Sunagakure shinobi focused solely on evacuating civilians from the Land of Rain. They ignored the ongoing conflict entirely, and when chaos-seekers tried to interfere, they mercilessly eliminated them.
Under their protection, the displaced civilians of the Land of Rain, anxious and uncertain, left the homes where their families had lived for generations and moved to the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain.
Upon arrival, they were pleasantly surprised to find that the new Daimyō of the Land of Rain had already made all the necessary arrangements!
Men dug trenches, women cooked meals, and children were told to go play elsewhere.
Despite the hard work, life here was surprisingly better. Working eight hours a day digging trenches earned them more money than an entire week's labor back home.
And with Sunagakure shinobi providing security, the once-displaced civilians quickly fell in love with their new lives.
Some elderly people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis were especially enamored with the dry climate of the Land of Wind.
Damn! This place is amazing!
In the Land of Rain, their knees ached 365 days a year. But in the Land of Wind? Not a single day of pain!
Is this the magic of the dry desert? Love it, love it!
While the battlefield in the Land of Rain raged on, the scene shifted to the Hokage's office in Konoha, where the village's top brass were holding a meeting.
The agenda? Whether or not Konoha should intervene in the conflict in the Land of Rain.
Seated on the sofa, his face as dark as ever, Danzō Shimura scanned the room before speaking first.
"My suggestion is to get involved. We should send a few elite squads to infiltrate the Land of Rain and secretly offer Hanzō of the Salamander some assistance.
If possible, the squads can remain hidden to monitor the situation.
If Hanzō manages to hold off the Iwagakure forces, we can quietly withdraw and even earn his gratitude.
But if he fails to withstand the assault, we can seize the opportunity to eliminate him and claim his head!"
As soon as he finished, Koharu Utatane, a woman in her early thirties who still retained some youthful beauty, nodded enthusiastically.
Danzō's words resonated deeply with her.
So this is Danzō? Why didn't I realize how clever he was before?
Beside her, Homura Mitokado cast a sidelong glance at Koharu, his brow furrowing ever so slightly.
Though Danzō's plan made sense, Koharu needed to remember her role as a fence-sitter. After all, the true boss—Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage—had yet to speak.
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat with his pipe in hand, frowning in thought.
Sending elite squads to provide covert support was indeed a good idea.
With Rinjin Sokuhō on their side, they could subtly guide Hanzō, turning him into a shield for the western front of the Fire Nation.
As things stood, Hanzō was already doing an excellent job of draining Iwagakure's war potential.
But Hiruzen's thoughts extended far beyond that.
As Hokage, he had to consider the bigger picture.
To be blunt, this entire war had been orchestrated by Rinjin Sokuhō from the very beginning.
According to intelligence from their spies in Amegakure, the Land of Wind had been evacuating civilians from the Land of Rain while simultaneously digging irrigation channels along their shared border.
And then there was the sudden appearance of the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki.
The entire situation felt deliberate, as though an unseen hand was manipulating the battlefield from the shadows.
Whether or not Konoha chose to intervene, Hiruzen knew he had to consider Rinjin Sokuhō's ultimate goal in orchestrating this conflict.
And what was Rinjin's goal?
Based on past behavior, Hiruzen deduced that Rinjin had been steadily accumulating power.
First, he had stolen the Shadow Clone Technique and the Flying Thunder God Technique from the Scroll of Seals.
Then, the Two-Tails disappeared from Kumogakure, while Iwagakure's Four-Tails, Son Gokū, appeared on the battlefield in the Land of Grass.
There was no need to overthink it—this was undoubtedly Rinjin's doing.
After all, he was the only one capable of using the Flying Thunder God Technique, a space-time ninjutsu that allowed him to appear and disappear at will.
It was clear that Rinjin had already obtained the Two-Tails.
Moreover, he had also learned the Eight Gates from Hiruzen himself.
And judging by his past missions with Jiraiya and the others, Rinjin seemed to have also picked up the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the signature taijutsu of the Third Raikage.
From this series of deductions, it was evident that Rinjin was highly purposeful in his actions. Everything he had done so far was aimed at amassing strength.
And why was he gathering strength?
To seek revenge.
To be fair, Hiruzen didn't want Rinjin to pursue vengeance.
He had a nagging feeling that if Rinjin succeeded in his revenge, his allegiance would no longer lie with Konoha. Instead, he might become an independent force equal to Konoha.
After all, Rinjin was already the nominal Daimyō of the Land of Rain.
At this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if he eventually became the leader of Amegakure.
Hiruzen would much rather keep Rinjin in Konoha, using him to remotely guide Hanzō of the Salamander.
Hanzō, though powerful, wasn't particularly dangerous in his actions.
As Hiruzen pondered, his brow furrowed deeply. A troubling thought crossed his mind.
During the recent "Iron Crisis," one village had not only emerged unscathed but had also profited immensely.
Kumogakure.
Turning to Danzō, Hiruzen's gaze grew serious.
"Danzō, recount in detail your recent mission to Kumogakure with Rinjin Sokuhō. Leave nothing out."
For the first time in a while, Hiruzen used a commanding tone, his voice heavy with authority.
Hearing this, Danzō's expression immediately turned solemn. He nodded firmly and began recounting the events.
When he got to the part where Rinjin was sent flying three times by the Raikage, Hiruzen found it mildly amusing.
But when Danzō described how Rinjin haggled with the Third Raikage in reverse, Hiruzen's smile faded, his face darkening.
Good grief, Rinjin! Bargaining with the Raikage while delivering heavy blows to the Uchiha Clan—what nerve!
And when Danzō mentioned how Rinjin flirted with the Raikage's secretary right in front of him, Hiruzen's face turned pitch black.
You shameless Third Raikage! Resorting to dirty tricks like using a honey trap—how despicable!
But as Hiruzen pieced together the events, his heart sank deeper and deeper.
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