It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a treasure trove. How could Hanzo possibly expect it to be returned immediately upon his return? Sure enough, after Torifu made a phone call to the Kazekage, the Kazekage also expressed great indignation and joined the battle.
Three against two didn't seem like a fair fight, but since Hanzo could still summon the Salamander, it was considered a three-on-three.
"Hokage, I still have two unfinished documents here. I'm leaving right away and should arrive by the afternoon."
"Good. Once you and Ōnoki arrive, I will begin the Perception Ninjutsu. Blaze's whereabouts will be instantly exposed, and the battle will be imminent."
After Torifu's announcement went out, the remaining ninja in Central City immediately gathered around.
"W-what does this mean? You want us to return to Sunagakure?"
A robust man nearby heard this and looked at him: "It must be that the Hokage-sama has a new plan. Didn't they say Hanzo and Blaze haven't been found yet? This is probably about that."
"So, does this mean we all have to return to our respective villages? The friendships we worked so hard to build will probably be completely wiped clean again."
The remaining ninja were all actively discussing the situation, trying to guess what was going on. Some, however, immediately followed the Hokage's advice and began forming teams to return to their respective villages. Others planned not to leave, wanting to personally experience what the Hokage's Ninjutsu looked like.
The large crowd debated beneath the notice board for a long time, but ultimately, they reached no consensus or unified plan. Torifu was too lazy to listen to their clamoring; he gave them the afternoon to make their own choices. If they chose to stay, Torifu would definitely ensure their safety and convenience. For those who chose to return to their villages, Torifu also allotted them time to quickly leave Central City and even the entire Land of Rain's borders. After all, Torifu's Ninjutsu would shroud the entire Land of Rain, and if someone was trapped by the technique somewhere unknown in the wilderness, they would be in for a terrible ordeal—they might not even survive.
"Hokage-sama, will you be handling today's documents?"
A person wearing Iwagakure's uniform walked in, carrying a small stack of files. Torifu's face twitched when he saw them. These documents were pure torment for him; he didn't even handle his own village's affairs, handing everything over to a puppet. Yet, here he was in a foreign country, and someone was still asking him to deal with public affairs. These tasks were very easy to manage. They often only required a signature, but even such simple tasks needed to be repeated over and over again, which was why Torifu felt mentally exhausted.
"Just place them on the desk for now. Someone will come to approve all those documents shortly."
The ninja left the office after hearing this, and quiet was restored to the room.
At this time, the Kazekage and the Tsuchikage had prepared everything and began moving toward Central City's direction. They estimated that if they ran, it would only take two or three hours. After all, both of their Great Nations bordered the Land of Rain. And without the constraints of a traveling entourage, the two Kage naturally moved as fast as possible, nearly achieving supersonic speeds through the air. Torifu actually hadn't expected them to meet up so early, but since they were coming, he didn't mind.
Unlike the cold quiet of the office, the secret underground base was extremely hot. The temperature in the underground base where Hanzo and Blaze were hiding had already reached forty degrees Celsius, and it continued to rise. Blaze sat cross-legged on something resembling an altar, which was surrounded by various mystical symbols.
"What in the world is this thing! The base is too hot for anyone to stay in! If this continues, our whereabouts will quickly be exposed! Then what will you do?!"
Kakuzu was currently furious. The moment he woke up in the early morning, something felt off; while sleeping, he had felt like someone had thrown him into a steamer. He woke up to find he was practically being cooked! After a long search, he discovered that Blaze was responsible for this action, seemingly to enhance her own power. But boosting her power didn't mean she could abuse him like this. A man of his age simply couldn't endure this intense heat. However, opening the base's door would expose them to detection, making their situation even more dangerous.
Hanzo, having reached the limit of his patience, finally decided to pressure Blaze. Blaze, sitting cross-legged on the altar, heard Kakuzu's complaints and a smile curled on her lips: "You'll have to endure it, even if you can't! Don't you want everything you've ever dreamed of? If you can't even stand this, then hurry up and leave this place."
Hanzo was so angry his teeth ached: "That's easy for you to say! How am I supposed to leave? The outside world has long been surrounded by cloud and mist; as soon as I go out, my exact location will be sensed! If they attack immediately, can you win?!"
Blaze shook her head upon hearing this: "In my current state, there's no way I can win, but once my plan is completely successful, no one will be my match!"
"But I don't even know what your plan is! How am I supposed to believe and help you? We're in the same boat now." Hanzo regained his composure and began to soothe Blaze with his words.
Blaze, her red hair fluttering as she sat on the altar, sighed helplessly: "Ah, fine. Since you put it that way, I'll tell you."
"I fed the Ronin outside a special secret medicine. If they are killed after taking it, the medicine instantly activates, collecting the power released by the killer along with the power of the one killed, and slowly sinking it into the ground."
She then pointed to the altar beneath her: "This thing gathers the energy that sinks underground, and I need to perform the final refinement—refining it into pure Chakra to be used by me, thereby increasing my power."
Hanzo now had only one thought: Where did you get such a strange thing? He then had a change of thought: Tens of thousands of Ronin and dozens of Kage-level ninja had already died in the Land of Rain. If the power of everyone who died was gathered in this altar, wouldn't he also become a powerhouse like Blaze just by extracting the pure Chakra from it? However, this idea was quickly dismissed. Firstly, Blaze's strength was too great; he couldn't defeat her. Secondly, even if he did win, he wouldn't need to use the altar. He could essentially retire on the spot.
Thinking of this, Hanzo sighed: "Is purification a difficult process? Why do you have to make such a spectacle?"
"Of course it's difficult. Otherwise, did you think I was putting on a show for you? This thing absorbs the energy extremely slowly; it will likely take about seven days to completely absorb it all."