Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 52 The Bloodstained Rust-Clad Blade (Please continue reading QAQ)

The land of rain.

Located in the central part of the largest continent in the ninja world, it borders the three major countries of fire, wind, and earth, and the three smaller countries of grass, birds, and rivers.

Between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain are towering mountains, which means that the Land of Rain is protected by high mountains on both sides, thus forming a leaky valley-shaped terrain that blocks the hot and humid air currents from the ocean from blowing towards the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind.

This forces the water-laden air currents to rise, where they condense into large amounts of orographic rain, which falls on the land of rain, causing concentrated rainfall.

It is precisely this extreme terrain that has caused most of the lands of the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind to be covered by desolate rocky terrain and deserts, creating a "crying kingdom".

Meanwhile, abundant rainfall converged into several rushing rivers, flowing like aortas to the surrounding countries, nourishing the Bird Country, the Grass Country, the River Country, and even providing the Wind Country with a few oases...

But the great power is not grateful to the land of rain.

Located between the three great nations of Earth, Wind, and Fire, the Land of Rain became a buffer and sacrifice in the great power struggles during both the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars, making this weeping land even more desolate and sorrowful.

Snap... Snap...

On the tallest tower in the entire Rain Village, a figure stood by the window, looking out. A gas mask covered his indifferent face, and long white and yellow hair fluttered in the wind behind him.

The rain lashed against the glass in the darkness, and apart from a small area illuminated by lamplight, everything else was so dark that nothing could be seen.

If an outsider were to see this man's face, they would be astonished by his aged appearance the moment they recognized him.

It's not just outward signs of aging, but a deep-seated sense of weariness.

That kind of stagnant, decaying, hollow atmosphere, as if eaten away by insects.

Hanzo, the "Poisonous Weapon," was once a powerful ninja who single-handedly overwhelmed a great nation during the Second Shinobi World War. He was once a hero and legend of Amegakure, a strongman who almost represented the upper limit and pinnacle of non-bloodline limit ninjas...

He is old.

He and Chiyo are of the same generation, and he is now over sixty years old.

He could feel his life force and strength draining away with perfect clarity.

The poison sac that he was once proud of implanted in his body has become the source of his pain and hatred.

Weakness and old age have made this once-powerful man suspicious, even assigning himself guards on a 24-hour shift system. Now, he lives in fear of death every minute of every day.

All of this is because of the terrifying power of that brat named "Nagato"...

"Hanzo-sama."

The voice from behind snapped Hanzo out of his reverie. He subconsciously frowned and glanced back before saying in a deep voice, "Still haven't found it?"

"I'm sorry, Lord Hanzo."

Facing the increasingly capricious Hanzo, the Amegakure ninja said in a trembling voice, "Most of the Akatsuki remnants have been wiped out, but we still haven't found those two leaders. Every time we discover a clue, we always end up empty-handed."

"It's just like……"

He paused here, not daring to continue, but Hanzo spoke in a slightly cold voice: "It's like they received advance notice and intelligence?"

As expected, Amegakure is still not clean!
Why! Why do people always betray me? I just want to live, I just want the Land of Rain to live. Am I wrong?

No, I did nothing wrong! If it weren't for me, the Land of Rain would still be a victim of the great powers!
The ones who are wrong are those naive people!
Sensing the violent killing intent emanating from Hanzo, the Amegakure ninja knelt behind him, heads bowed and trembling.

After a long while, the chill gradually dissipated, and Hanzo asked in a cold tone, "Is there anything else?"

"..."

The Rain Ninja's throat bobbed, and for a moment he dared not utter a word.

Seeing this, Hanzo felt uneasy, frowned, and growled, "Speak!"

"Yes! Yes!" The Rain Village ninja swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "According to intelligence, the Land of Fire has declared war on the Land of Lightning!"

"..."

The room was deathly silent. He didn't respond at all; he just kept his head down, not daring to look up.

A dark, leaden sky split open, a bolt of lightning ripped through the darkness, illuminating the world and Hanzo's pale, terrified face. Why? How could this be?
The Land of Fire has actually declared war on the Land of Lightning!

The Second and Third Shinobi World Wars were separated by more than a decade.

But now, only four short years after the Third Shinobi World War, the shadow of war has once again loomed over the ninja world.

Boom! !
A thunderous roar, like the deafening sound of a war drum, abruptly jolted Hanzo awake from his fear and panic.

"Lord Hanzo..." came the cautious voice of a Rain Village ninja from behind.

Hanzo quickly concealed the fear on his face and said in a normal tone, "I understand, you can leave now."

The Rain Village ninja paused for a moment, but still respectfully responded, left the room, and closed the door.

Although Hanzo has aged and his personality has become unpredictable, he remains a hero in the eyes of the ninjas of Amegakure.

but……

"War, war! Why! Why?!"

As a buffer zone between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth and Wind, if the war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning expands further, and the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth also decide to join the battle, the Land of Rain will have no chance of escaping becoming a victim once again!

Hanzo could even guess that after receiving this news, other major powers would definitely send people to the Land of Rain to test the waters.

Thinking of this, Hanzo looked at the rain falling on the waterfall outside the window, which was blown away by a strong wind and became like smoke and mist, making it difficult to see clearly.

What will happen to the Land of Rain if I die?
If I die, what will happen to the people of the Rain Kingdom?
If I die, how will I face those who sacrificed their lives?
If I die, will everything I have now vanish into thin air?

If I die, will I go from being a hero revered by thousands to a sinner despised by thousands?

Such thoughts kept popping into Hanzo's mind uncontrollably.

He felt like a rootless duckweed drifting in this murky pool, and beneath the rain and the rippling surface, there were schools of bloodthirsty piranhas swimming about.

The moment he shows even the slightest sign of fatigue, a piece of flesh will be torn from his body!
The entire Hidden Rain Village and the Land of Rain are supported by Hanzo's backbone.

It was precisely because of his existence that the Land of Rain was not severely affected during the Third Shinobi World War.

However, Hanzo is now far too old.

That once strong, broad, and proud back can no longer bear the weight of hundreds of thousands of incredibly heavy hopes.

Fear, trembling, timidity, shrinking back...

Hanzo's heart was almost swallowed up by these overwhelming emotions.

The once invincible and incomparably sharp blade is now being corroded by the bloodstains on it.

Meanwhile, three figures dressed in black robes with red clouds emerged from a cave near the edge of Amegakure.

Their emotionless, dead-like eyes gazed into the distance, clearly revealing the tallest tower in Amegakure, like an iron-gray giant standing amidst the low forest, looking down upon the world.

That's where Hanzo is.

"The Fourth Shinobi World War? Great powers are always so greedy."

The leader, Pain of the Deva Path, spoke in a cold tone, saying in a low voice, "Although we haven't found suitable corpses to create the Lower Three Paths of Pain yet, the Upper Three Paths of Pain alone are enough."

Given the current turbulent situation in the ninja world, he can no longer delay.

Only by taking control of Amegakure sooner can Akatsuki begin recruiting members.

He no longer took the old and frail Hanzo seriously.

Book Title: My Gene Sequence Evolves Infinitely

Recommendation: "I've tried my best, why are these higher-dimensional beings still alive!"

(End of this chapter)