Walking along the road leaving the Land of Rain, Obito spoke with a casual air. "It's clear that trying to convince him with words is a total dead end."
"So, what do you intend to do?" Black Zetsu asked.
"A radiant, sunny, naive person filled with hope for the world doesn't fit our plans at all," Obito remarked. Before Black Zetsu could respond, Obito let out a small laugh. "But that's fine. After all... I used to be just like him."
Black Zetsu fell silent for a moment, while White Zetsu chimed in, "So, are you saying you want him to experience the same pain you did? So he can finally understand you?"
"Perhaps..." Obito Uchiha murmured softly.
…
A few days later, within the Hidden Rain Village.
Inside a spacious courtyard, numerous shinobi stood guard with rigorous discipline. Hanzo of the Salamander, the man revered as the "Demigod" of the shinobi world, was currently residing here. He sat cross-legged before a tea table, cup in hand, sipping slowly.
A Hidden Rain shinobi knelt before him, while several guards stood behind Hanzo, their vigilance never wavering for a second. It was evident that this former hero had indeed devolved into a "coward."
"So, they defied my orders?" Hanzo asked, taking a sip of tea.
As he spoke, because he wasn't wearing his respirator while drinking, a faint purple mist of poison swirled around his words. Fortunately, everyone in the room was wearing a gas mask; otherwise, they would have risked being poisoned to death by his mere presence.
"Yes, Hanzo-sama. The Akatsuki rejected your command and has already begun their operations," the Rain shinobi reported in a low voice.
"Sigh. A bunch of stubborn fools." Hanzo sighed, the concentrated toxins around him becoming even more menacing.
The kneeling shinobi hesitated, looking up at him briefly. Hanzo caught the look and asked directly, "Something on your mind?"
"Hanzo-sama, I..." The shinobi hesitated again, but ultimately shook his head. "No, nothing."
"Go and rest," Hanzo said with a wave of his hand, showing no intention of pressing the matter.
In truth, that shinobi had wanted to ask: Now that the war is over, why aren't we helping the people of the Land of Rain rebuild their homes? But in the end, intimidated by Hanzo's overbearing presence, he didn't dare speak up.
Hanzo seemed to understand the unasked question but didn't care. This former Demigod now cared for nothing but his own power. The Akatsuki had undoubtedly challenged his authority once again.
"Yura, what do you think we should do?" Hanzo suddenly asked.
A shinobi standing behind him replied, "Hanzo-sama, it is clear that the Land of Rain does not need two voices of authority."
"But..." Hanzo wavered slightly. "They are, after all, people of the Rain. And they haven't actually done anything wrong..."
Hanzo had not only become selfish; he had also lost his decisiveness. While his words sounded like an expression of mercy, Yura knew better. Hanzo was calculating: if he launched a campaign against the Akatsuki, would it deplete the Hidden Rain's military strength and thus weaken his own grasp on power?
Yura remained deeply loyal to Hanzo, even if he didn't entirely approve of the man Hanzo had become. After a brief silence, Yura spoke plainly: "Hanzo-sama, division will only plunge the Land of Rain into a more difficult predicament. I believe that compared to that, sacrifice is necessary."
Division. The word struck a chord. It meant a splintering of his power. A ruthless glint flashed in Hanzo's eyes.
Yura was skilled with words, providing Hanzo with the perfect justification: the Land of Rain could not be split into two centers of power, as that would be too damaging to the nation.
"You're right," Hanzo nodded. However, he hesitated again. "The Akatsuki may be naive, but they aren't truly weak. If a full-scale war breaks out... that isn't the result I want."
"Hanzo-sama is correct," Yura agreed, then added, "However, while the Akatsuki appears strong, its core weakness is glaring. Such a naive organization shouldn't be able to stay unified under these conditions..."
Hanzo nodded. "You're right. The rise of such an organization is indeed perplexing."
An idealistic group that believed they could achieve world peace through dialogue was an anomaly. It was almost like those environmental activists on Earth, clearly lacking logic, yet somehow managing to stir up a massive following. It was mind-boggling.
But behind such "brain-dead" activists, there was usually dirty political theater. The Akatsuki, on the other hand, relied mostly on Yahiko's personal charisma.
As Yura said, this organization shouldn't have been able to emerge, let alone remain cohesive, but it was a reality. The clever Yura had identified their weakness: everything in the Akatsuki relied on Yahiko. At most, it relied on that core trio.
Once those three were eliminated, the Akatsuki would instantly collapse.
In truth, this was exactly what would happen. After Yahiko's death, Nagato took over, and the organization rapidly darkened, eventually imposing a "reign of terror" over the Land of Rain. If the members of Akatsuki were all truly "optimists" like Yahiko, they wouldn't have turned dark so easily. This proved that the current ideology of the Akatsuki was sourced entirely from one man: Yahiko.
Later, Nagato would inherit Yahiko's "legacy" and use his overwhelming strength to lead these wavering people into the shadows.
"In my view, as long as we prune the three leaders of the Akatsuki, the organization will quickly crumble from within. With your prestige, Hanzo-sama, you can step in after their collapse to take over their forces and further consolidate your power," Yura suggested.
Hanzo nodded slowly. "You're right. So, your plan is to kill the three of them? Is there an opportunity?"
"Not at the moment, but an opportunity can be created. The leader of the Akatsuki is clearly a naive fellow. If you, Hanzo-sama, were to invite them to a meeting under the guise of 'peace negotiations,' expressing a desire to 'use their influence to engage with the great nations', the opportunity will present itself," Yura explained.
"You mean I should use that as a pretext to meet them, and then take them out when they're off guard?" Hanzo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Exactly," Yura nodded.
Hanzo rubbed his chin, clearly enticed by the plan. After a long while, he added, "But using such dishonorable methods... my reputation..."
Yura smiled. "Hanzo-sama can choose a partner. In the end, let that partner take the blame. We can play the role of the victim as well, can't we?"
Hanzo chuckled. "An excellent idea. And who do you think would be willing to shoulder such a dishonorable burden for us?"
"I believe you already have the answer in mind, Hanzo-sama," Yura replied with a smile.
"Indeed. Shimura Danzō... the mad dog of Konoha who doesn't bark but bites hard," Hanzo murmured.
Danzō had been making overtures to him for a long time, but back then, neither trusted the other, and there was no real reason to cooperate. Now, however, there was.
A sinister plan began to take shape in Hanzo's mind. He would team up with Danzō to eliminate the Akatsuki trio. Afterward, he would publicly claim that Konoha had attacked their meeting site to sabotage the alliance. The leaders of Akatsuki would have tragically perished, and the blame would lie entirely with the Leaf. This narrative would not only keep him clean but also allow him to absorb the Akatsuki under the banner of "revenge."
Of course, once they were absorbed, there would be no actual revenge. He could brush it off with other excuses or engage in a trade of interests with Danzō. This way, Hanzo would be the undisputed authority in the Land of Rain.
Thinking of this, Hanzo fully committed to the plan. "Send someone to Konoha to contact Danzō. Tell him I'm interested in the proposal he made years ago."
"Yes, Hanzo-sama," Yura responded and quickly went to execute the order.
Hanzo picked up his teacup again and blew on the steaming liquid. The concentrated poison instantly dyed the water purple, looking utterly terrifying. But Hanzo didn't care; he downed the "poisoned tea" in one go.
…
Konohagakure, Land of Fire.
Namikaze Minato, wearing his Fourth Hokage cloak, walked into the Hokage Residence, greeting people warmly along the way.
"Lord Fourth!" the guards at the entrance saluted.
Minato smiled. "Good work."
He walked through the building to his office. Upon opening the door, he saw Hiruzen. Although Hiruzen had stepped down from the position of Third Hokage, he had been guiding Minato on the duties of the office recently. This time, their roles were reversed, Hiruzen was now the one assisting.
Any other Fourth Hokage might have suspected Hiruzen of trying to maintain shadow control over Konoha's power. But Minato had no such dark thoughts; he listened to Hiruzen's teachings earnestly, and he was finding the path of the Hokage increasingly smooth.
"Oh? Minato, you're here? Looking at your face, did something good happen?" Hiruzen asked with a smile, pipe in hand as he sat on the sofa.
Minato had a radiant smile on his face, looking a bit bashful. "There is something to be happy about, Lord Third."
"You don't mind sharing it with an old man like me, do you?" Hiruzen teased.
Minato nodded, then said with a slight blush, "Kushina said... she wants to have a child. Haha... hahahaha..."
The final laughs were a bit silly, but a kind, grandfatherly smile appeared on Hiruzen's face. "Ah, to be young. Congratulations, Minato..."
Minato nodded happily, but then turned slightly concerned. "But since Kushina is a Jinchūriki, won't the process be quite dangerous?"
"Mito-sama once spoke of this. It is indeed extremely dangerous for a Jinchūriki during childbirth. Therefore, do not mention this to anyone else. Once she is actually pregnant, the timing must be kept as a top secret. Her delivery must be handled by the most trusted people. My wife has a lot of experience in this area; when the time comes, let her help deliver Kushina's baby..." Hiruzen advised.
Minato said excitedly, "Really? That would be wonderful."
But after a quick laugh, he scratched his head sheepishly. "Though, we haven't even started yet... It's probably a bit early to be talking about this, hahahaha."