One day later.
Rain fell in a steady drizzle.
Hanzo of the Salamander lay reclined on his bed, his body wrapped in bandages. His lifeless eyes stared through the window at the rain outside.
The rain of Amegakure seemed as if it would never stop.
"Lord Hanzo, the three leaders of the Akatsuki and their subordinates have arrived. The department heads and core officials of Amegakure have also gathered."
Tianyu appeared inside the room and knelt on one knee. His gaze toward Hanzo was filled with worry.
Just one day earlier, Hanzo had returned to Amegakure heavily wounded.
The sight had shocked all the shinobi of the village.
In the Land of Rain, and especially within Amegakure, Hanzo of the Salamander was their sky.
If something happened to him, it would be no different from the sky collapsing over the Land of Rain.
Both Tianyu and Kanzō had been extremely anxious, repeatedly asking Hanzo what had happened.
But Hanzo merely said that the battle had ended in mutual defeat, offering no further explanation.
Instead, he ordered Kanzō to invite Yahiko and the other Akatsuki leaders, while instructing Tianyu to summon all the key officials of Amegakure for an internal meeting.
He said he had an important announcement to make.
Though worried, Tianyu and Kanzō did not dare to disobey Hanzo's orders and carried them out immediately.
"Let's go," Hanzo said as he stood up.
He casually draped a coat over his shoulders and walked toward the door.
"It's time for the Land of Rain to move toward a brighter future."
Tianyu's expression flickered slightly, but he said nothing and simply followed behind Hanzo.
Before long, the two arrived outside the Great Conference Hall of Amegakure.
Inside, the hall was already filled with people.
Most of them were influential officials who controlled various departments within Amegakure.
The rest were members of Akatsuki, led by Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
Many of the Amegakure shinobi were quietly observing Yahiko's group, whispering among themselves.
Most of them had at least heard of the Akatsuki organization.
Some had even interacted with them before.
Opinions varied greatly.
Some doubted them.
Some supported them.
Some looked down on them.
Others admired them.
But one thing puzzled everyone.
Why were members of Akatsuki attending an internal high-level meeting of Amegakure?
Tap… tap… tap…
The door opened.
Hanzo walked into the conference hall.
The murmuring instantly fell silent.
Everyone present showed the utmost respect and reverence for the legendary leader of Amegakure.
"Lord Hanzo… you're injured?!"
Suddenly, one of the rain shinobi noticed the bandages wrapped around Hanzo's body and cried out in alarm.
The entire hall immediately erupted into chaos.
"Lord Hanzo, who did this?! I'll kill them myself!"
"A few days ago I heard rumors that Lord Hanzo had been attacked, but I thought it was just gossip. I didn't expect it to be true!"
"With Lord Hanzo's strength, how could someone injure you?! Was it Konohagakure or Iwagakure?!"
Voices filled the room as everyone reacted with shock and fury.
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