"Pain..."
Placed before Danzo was a high-resolution photo.
It showed an adult male fully wrapped in a black cloak, unidentifiable by appearance and attire, with no indication of real identity.
Hidden Rain Ninja referred to him as 'Pain', and he was the current Leader of Hidden Rain Village.
A mysterious figure shrouded in enigmas from head to toe, his origins unknown, and intelligence on Hidden Rain Leader Pain was mostly fragmented, not forming a complete system.
Ever since Kanzo fell from power, Root had completely lost control over Hidden Rain.
Long ago, Root began investigating the new Leader of Hidden Rain, but there were no results; added to that, Konoha's attention at the time wasn't focused on the Land of Rain region, so the investigation plan for Hidden Rain was set aside.
If the Land of Rain hadn't erupted in civil war and involved the Daimyo's ruling system, the Great Nations probably wouldn't have intervened so decisively.
Rather than letting Hidden Rain Village hold power, the Daimyos of surrounding Great Nations preferred the Land of Rain Daimyo to continue governing the Land of Rain.
However, the Land of Rain Daimyo performed poorly during the Third Ninja War, sold out for personal gain, causing a complete uprising at the grassroots, challenging the Ninja Realm's absolute authority under the incitement and leadership of Hidden Rain Village.
The critical point here lies with the new Hidden Rain Leader, Pain.
"Killed Kanzo to ascend to power and quickly established authority in Hidden Rain, with many Hidden Rain Ninja loyal to him... is he a relative of Hanzou?"
Danzo stared at the person in the photograph, lost in thought.
But Danzo quickly dismissed this idea.
Because Hanzou's relatives were long bloodline-cleaned by Root, and later by Kanzo who ascended thereafter.
It was a complete extermination, more thorough than Konoha's Uchiha Clan.
After all, at the time, to eradicate Hanzou's influence in Hidden Rain Village, everything related to Hanzou was destroyed, which was part of Root's plan.
"Lord Danzo."
A Root Ninja walked in.
In the dimly lit room, candlelight flickered gently; only Danzo was inside.
"What is it?"
"We've established contact with Ryuma's side."
"Understood, what are the movements of Hidden Rain?"
The militia held Ninja Tools from the Land of Demons, which posed a certain threat to Ninja, but ultimately weren't true Ninja; small-scale attacks would be enough to shatter their aggressions.
The more people equipped with Ninja Tools from the Land of Demons, the stronger the destructive effect.
Conversely, in surprise encounter battles, their significant drawbacks became apparent.
Therefore, Danzo was truly concerned about the movements of Hidden Rain Village Ninja; once Hidden Rain was resolved, those militia summoned by Hidden Rain would scatter.
Their purpose was to suppress chaos, not merely to instigate killing.
The current situation had differences from the Third Ninja War period.
Back then, he needed to provoke Hanzou, so he secretly dispatched Root Ninja for massacres within the Land of Rain.
Now it's just localized conflicts, facing smaller nations rather than Great Nations like the Land of Wind or the Land of Earth, so methods can be somewhat gentler.
"Casualties differ little between us and the coalition; if the Land of Demons is willing to cut off weapon supplies, the coalition should soon gain the advantage."
The so-called coalition refers to the combined ninja forces of the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.
Though called a coalition, each acts for its own leader, not truly unified in management.
"Is the Land of Demons still not stopping weapon supply to small nations?"
Five Great Nations collectively approached the Land of Demons, requesting a weapon supply cut-off treaty for small nations; Danzo was aware of this.
The Root Ninja shook his head, indicating there wasn't a concrete result yet.
Given the huge profits involved, the Land of Demons wouldn't easily abandon them, even with pressure from the Five Great Nations; it's hard to force the Land of Demons to make concessions.
The key point is that the Five Great Nations aren't of one mind; saying it's collective action, but in truth, they're all seeking personal gain. Additionally, the Land of Demons holds the host position while the Five Great Nations are guests, making negotiations difficult.
"Monitor the movements of the Land of Demons closely, and also keep an eye on the Land of Waves. Recently, the Land of Demons has been extending its claws too far."
Danzo's voice was heavy.
He knew the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was plotting in the Land of Waves, intending to gather isolated island merchants within its borders and capture them, seizing the wealth of these illegal merchants entirely.
At that time, Root and Konoha would gain substantial funds to develop.
His only concern now was that the Land of Demons might interfere and sabotage the Daimyo of the Land of Fire's actions.
"Understood."
The Root Ninja nodded firmly and exited the room.
◎
Isolated Island.
On the top floor of the towering boardroom, the great merchants gathered once again.
"I bring a very heavy message: the Land of Demons has rejected our cooperation."
The great merchant responsible for negotiations and recruiting with the Land of Demons stated with a cold expression.
Though trying to restrain himself, everyone could see his eyes were very sombre, clearly expressing dissatisfaction with the Land of Demons after being rejected.
"Did Chiba Hakushi personally reject it?"
One of the great merchants asked.
"No, I didn't even get to meet them, despite numerous requests. They clearly don't see us, these great merchants, as worth meeting."