Hanzo, who had escaped using the Shunshin technique, was drenched in cold sweat. What kind of power was that? It was terrifying. Ninjutsu had absolutely no effect on it. As soon as that purple dragon made contact, souls were immediately absorbed, leaving behind nothing but lifeless bodies.
"Good thing I ran fast. No wonder it's called the legendary eye." As Hanzo secretly shivered in fear, a beam of light suddenly stopped before him, and a shadowy figure stepped out casually.
"Who are you?" Hanzo studied the figure closely and recognized him, saying in shock, "Third Kazekage! You're actually still alive. Why are you here?"
"Official member of the Zero Organization, codenamed Demigod, am I right?" The Third Kazekage said mockingly. "I remember Megatron once gave you an order to lead our members in the Hot Springs Country. Why have you returned so suddenly and caused such a huge commotion?"
"You're also part of the Zero Organization?" Hanzo's heart leapt in shock, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Answer me." The Kazekage's tone was cold and questioning.
"You..." Hanzo's face filled with anger, but when he saw the icy, ruthless gaze from the Kazekage, he suppressed his anger and quickly said, "Danzo from Konoha reached out to me. He said a group had emerged in Sanshouo Hanzo's area that could threaten my position. He offered to help me destroy this group without asking for anything in return, so I returned from the Hot Springs Country to Sanshouo Hanzo's area."
The Kazekage asked further, "What was the result?"
"The organization's nominal leader is already dead, but the real leader remains hidden in the shadows. He possesses the legendary eye said to belong only to the Sage of Six Paths—the Rinnegan. I was no match for him, so I fled." Mentioning the Rinnegan, Hanzo's voice still carried a hint of fear.
"The Rinnegan?" The Kazekage repeated the name quietly. "The legendary eye that controls the cycle of life and death... No wonder Big Brother Kurotsuchi asked me to take charge of intelligence in Sanshouo Hanzo's area. Unfortunately, with this incident, his original plan must have been ruined."
"Compile a scroll detailing this battle and hand it to me," the Kazekage quickly ordered Hanzo. "Then return to the Hot Springs Country. Don't show yourself for a while. Now that the Rinnegan has manifested, this matter is beyond your involvement."
"But... Sanshouo Hanzo's area?" Hanzo hesitated.
"Hmph," the Kazekage sneered. "If you're not afraid of that Rinnegan boy coming after you for revenge, you may well ignore my orders. But the Zero Organization won't tolerate you either."
"Fine, I understand." Sighing, Hanzo decided to comply. The mysterious Zero Organization was his last lifeline. He knew clearly that the boy with the Rinnegan would surely come after him for revenge.
Back in Konoha, Anya finally learned from Senzawa everything that had happened in Sanshouo Hanzo's area and was filled with regret. Had he known this would happen, he shouldn't have hesitated—he should have acted decisively to seize the Rinnegan.
In the end, Anya had allowed himself a moment of softness. He didn't want Konan to find out that he was responsible, planning instead to wait until the Third Battle ended, then invited Konan back to Konoha to handle things calmly. Yet, with Danzo's interference, events had already spiraled far beyond his expectations.
So, the original Pain will still emerge after all.
After carefully reviewing the intelligence report brought by Sasori multiple times, Anya noticed the key details—purple chakra dragon and the manifestation of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. That's right. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, the Ten-Tails was manifested by the Rinnegan. The user needed only possess the ability to summon the Ten-Tails' physical form. But was the cost really that high? Nagato was nearly drained of his life energy on the spot—not due to chronic malnutrition, but because this single summoning alone had left him severely weakened. Madara Uchiha, however, had done it effortlessly.
Could it be due to insufficient chakra? Or was there another reason? Should he go to Sanshouo Hanzo's area to find them?
Anya pondered for a long time before finally deciding against it. Even if he went, there was no guarantee he'd find them. More importantly, he was currently one of Konoha's main fighters. The Third Hokage would never allow him to wander off on his own. Plus, Minato at the Iwagakure battlefield was waiting for him. He was completely unable to leave.
"You've been silent ever since you started reading that scroll. Did you receive some bad news?" Terumi Mei asked beside him, puzzled.
"Just a plan went sideways," Anya replied with a faint smile. "Kid, your illness has cleared up days ago. It's time to go back."
Mei looked hurt. "Are you trying to drive me away?"
"Oh come on, not drive you away," Anya sighed. "But Master Gen must be deeply worried without any news from you. Besides, there will inevitably be more battles between Kiri and Konoha. Stuck in the middle like this, your position will be very delicate. And I won't always be staying in Konoha, not going out on missions."
"In other words, once I join Kiri's ninja on the battlefield, we'll become enemies facing each other, right?" Just the thought of fighting each other on the battlefield made Mei's heart ache.
"What are you thinking?" Anya gently tapped her head, smiling affectionately. "I won't raise my hand against you. If it comes to that, I'll just pretend I can't beat you and run away."
"Hehe, then you'll be mocked by your own village's ninja as a coward," Mei said with a smile that quickly turned serious. "I hate war. After I return to the village, I'll persuade Master Gen to stop fighting. Kiri is already in internal chaos; how can we afford to wage war externally? It's causing chaos in the village."
"Silly girl. You can't change a thing alone. Only when you grow stronger will you truly have a voice." Anya clearly understood the rules of the Ninja World—strength defined power, and when one grew strong enough to ignore all rules, they could then establish new ones, just as Hashirama and Madara had done when they ended the Warring Clans era.
Anya, having decided to leave the village, went to see the Third Hokage on his own. Entering the Hokage's office, the Third wasn't surprised to see him. After taking a puff of his pipe, he said, "I think you probably already guessed it. Lately, Kiri hasn't launched a second attack. So, as you predicted, it came true."
Kiri must have been seeking an alliance. The next time they came, they wouldn't be so easily driven back.
"Even if they manage to form an alliance, their combat effectiveness won't improve significantly. After all, they won't fully trust each other. Lack of coordination will only hinder their performance."
Anya coolly analyzed, "Compared to them, Iwagakure is truly the real troublesome enemy."
Iwagakure, with the Will of Stone, has the strongest combat power by far. If it weren't for the large number of ninja lost during the assault on the Raikage's base, Konoha wouldn't have gained the upper hand at the Iwagakure battlefield.
"I suppose that means you're volunteering for the Iwagakure front this time," The Third caught the implication in Anya's words.
"Yes," Anya pointed toward a map hanging behind The Third. "Kannabi Bridge is a crucial stronghold jointly determined by me and Minato. If we destroy it, our side only needs a few Jonin to block the mountain pass. Iwagakure won't be able to build new bridges, their logistics supply will completely collapse, and the situation on the battlefield will immediately turn around."
The Third replied solemnly, "Onoki surely understands this as well. This battle will be difficult. Do you have confidence?"
"I do," Anya believed in herself and Minato equally. Together, there wasn't a single place in the Ninja World they couldn't take on.
"Good," The Third said with a gratified smile, already having a premonition in his heart—the end of the Third Battle was drawing near.
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