But there's one thing that doesn't make sense, which is why Uchiha Itachi wants to capture the Tailed Beasts?
How did he find Han's trail?
The whereabouts of the Jinchuriki are highly confidential within the Hidden Rock Village, so where did a Renegade Ninja get the intelligence on Han and specifically capture him?
No matter at whom he points his suspicions, Onoki feels an incredible headache.
The current intelligence is too little, making it impossible to conduct reasonable reasoning and analysis.
"Continue to search for Han's trail. Besides the Land of Demons, I hope there won't be another mysterious and deeply hidden force..."
Onoki still decided to continue the investigation, and at the same time to strengthen the protection of the Four-tailed Jinchuriki, to prevent another occurrence of a Jinchuriki disappearance.
"Yes, I will arrange it."
"Is there anything else? If not, I have things to handle. Thanks to Deidara's antics, I'm even more annoyed now."
"There's a letter from the Daimyo, indicating an intention to form an alliance with the Land of Fire."
Kitsuchi then presented a letter.
Onoki took the letter and read it from start to finish.
"The Land of Rain, huh? I didn't expect them to plan to strike at a time like this."
"After all, the Hidden Rain Village is a tough nut to crack. If the Hidden Rain Village were to fully take power, it wouldn't be good for the Daimyo."
Kitsuchi said.
"Who is the current leader of the Hidden Rain Village? Do we have any intelligence on him?"
Onoki asked.
Kitsuchi shook his head and replied, "Ever since Hanzo stepped down, he's mysteriously disappeared from the Ninja Realm. It's said that he also cut ties with Danzo from the Root. The one currently ruling the Hidden Rain Village is called Pain, an exceptionally mysterious guy."
"Pain? Was there such a Hidden Rain Ninja among Hanzo's subordinates in the past?"
Onoki frowned.
Hanzo of the Salamander was indeed an old adversary of his.
As the saying goes, know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.
In the past, to deal with Hanzo, he gathered a lot of intelligence on him, including investigating every single one of his trusted aides without missing anyone.
Onoki remembered that Hanzo's trusted aides didn't include a ninja named 'Pain'.
"No, there wasn't. In all the Hidden Rain Village ninja intelligence we've recorded, there's no one by the name of Pain. We only know that the Hidden Rain Ninjas refer to their leader as Pain."
"So, he's a ninja with a mysterious background."
"Yes."
"How is his strength?"
"Unclear, but according to reliable intelligence, after Hanzo stepped down, all spies who infiltrated the Hidden Rain vanished without a trace. Since then, the Hidden Rain has completely severed communication with the outside and only operates within the Land of Rain. Other than that, there's nothing noteworthy."
Kitsuchi's expression was solemn.
Onoki pondered for a moment and said, "The person in charge of the civil war issue in the Land of Rain for the Land of Fire is Danzo from Root. He had a close cooperative relationship with Hanzo, the previous Hidden Rain Village Leader who was overthrown. Since the Daimyo has agreed to cooperate with the Land of Fire, when working with Danzo, we must be extra cautious."
"Father, what do you mean?"
"Danzo and Orochimaru schemed against Hanzo during the Third Ninja World War. There's really no sense of security in aligning with such people. Anyway, as long as we suppress the Hidden Rain Village's bid for power, that's enough. After all, compared to the Land of Rain, the issues with the Land of Demons concern me more."
Onoki gazed deeply towards the west.
In summary, although the Land of Fire reaped the spoils of victory from the Third Ninja World War, it suffered extreme losses itself.
The battle between the Land of Wind and the Land of Demons led to the Kazekage of The Hidden Sand's depression and the loss of thousands of ninjas, almost wiping out the hard-won recovery of strength from the Third Ninja World War. It truly lived up to being at the bottom of the Five Great Nations.
If not to curb the development of the Land of Demons, the Land of Wind might have been removed from the ranks of the Five Great Nations, giving way to the Land of Demons.
It can be said that in the western part of the Ninja Realm, the biggest enemy of the Land of Earth is no longer the Land of Fire, but the Land of Demons, which is developing fiercely and with greater energy.
Intervening in the Land of Rain's civil war at such a time, and loosening vigilance on the Land of Demons, is not a wise choice.
But it's a proposal from the Daimyo, and without violating principles, Onoki is also reluctant to offend the Daimyo of the Land of Earth.
Ending the Land of Rain's civil war promptly and quickly refocusing attention on the Land of Demons is Onoki's true desire.
◎
"The Hidden Rock's movements have changed as well."
The continuous rain covered the entire valley, and White Zetsu reported to Konan.
Nagato had already gone alone to the Land of Demons to conduct cooperative negotiations, temporarily bringing the Land of Demons over to support the Hidden Rain Village.
Therefore, the affairs of the Hidden Rain Village were temporarily handled by Konan, and White Zetsu was responsible for battlefield intelligence gathering and probing enemy movements.
"Do you know how many people?"
Konan furrowed her brows tightly.
"About three hundred people, with the main force being Chunin."
White Zetsu replied.
After hearing this, Konan slightly bowed her head in contemplation. Three hundred Hidden Rock Ninja wasn't a lot; compared to the Third Ninja World War, the forces Hidden Rock committed to the battlefield were quite sparse.
But Hidden Rock entering the field is a very dangerous signal.
The Land of Earth, which had been watching from the sidelines, also intends to intervene, aligning with the Land of Fire. Their target is only one—Hidden Rain Village.
Only by once again stepping on the Hidden Rain Village, or even destroying it, would these great nations feel at ease.
Because compared to the Hidden Grass Village in the Land of Grass, the Hidden Rain Village possesses a dangerous potential factor.