Naruto: I, the villain template, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 209 Hanzo's Cowardice, Sand Village and Konoha Join Forces Against Rain Village!

"Your so-called benevolent and virtuous lord has left so many people without a way to survive, and countless disasters have occurred."

"And I, standing before you, am willing to give those who have no other way to survive a choice, and yet you call me a thief..."

Yun Chuan tilted his head, feigning confusion, and laughed, "Do you find it funny?"

"You..." The samurai opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.

But soon he started cursing and swearing without any regard for the consequences, repeating the same old rhetoric about loyalty and righteousness over and over again.

After hearing the samurai curse the north, traitors, and bandit leaders, the boy finally connected the man in front of him, who was as gentle as a nobleman or even more so, with the recent propaganda about the rebellion in the northern part of the Land of Rain.

According to the daimyo of the Land of Rain and others, "Muzan Unkawa" was once the son of a nobleman who fled to the north in a sorry state after killing his brother and father. He has been portrayed as a cruel and ruthless demon.

Ugly, evil, tyrannical...

Such terms were used to demonize Yun Chuan, thereby discouraging the southern civilians from fleeing to the north.

Although the person in front of him was completely different from the image of a demon in his mind, and even the opposite of that image—handsome and kind—the boy still felt a little scared for a moment.

His family lived a happy and well-fed life. Before the village was destroyed, his parents had cursed him, saying that only ungrateful and shameless scum would rebel against that great lord.

But now, everything has been lost, and the boy is somewhat lost.

"court death!"

Looking at the samurai who was still babbling despite having lost his hands and feet, Asa's tone turned cold, but he was stopped by Yun Chuan beside him as soon as he took a step forward.

Yun Chuan didn't say anything, he just quietly watched the warrior who had little strength left but still wanted to vent his hatred and anger.

The way of the samurai is the principle that orthodox samurai must strictly adhere to. It is based on a spiritual belief in virtues such as righteousness, courage, benevolence, courtesy, sincerity, honor, loyalty, and self-discipline.

"Gi" (righteousness) was the strictest teaching in the samurai code, requiring samurai to abide by principles of righteousness and morality.

"Courage" requires a warrior to have the spirit of daring to act and perseverance, as well as superb martial arts skills.

"Ren" (仁) prevents warriors from becoming militaristic brutes, and instead teaches them to possess virtues such as tolerance, love, compassion, and mercy.

"Courtesy" is not just about manners, but also an outward expression of feelings and care for others.

"Sincerity" requires the samurai to remain honest while resisting external temptations.

The concept of "honor" encompasses personal dignity and a clear awareness of value. It requires a warrior to be willing to give everything for honor, and to possess the qualities of distinguishing right from wrong and maintaining patience and perseverance.

"Loyalty" is of paramount importance. It is the bond that exists between people in all kinds of circumstances. Loyalty to one's master is a creed that a samurai must adhere to.

"Self-discipline" requires warriors to restrain their personal desires and not let their beliefs be swayed by desires, so that they can serve their lord and protect their country and people.

Only by practicing these virtues can a warrior maintain his honor; this spirit is neither good nor evil.

However, after ninjas became the mainstream in the ninja world and samurai became appendages of the nobility, the "Way of the Samurai" went to extremes and gradually became distorted.

If the father is at fault, the son should remonstrate three times and if the father does not listen, then weep and follow him. If the ruler is at fault, the minister should remonstrate three times and if the ruler does not listen, then flee from him.

However, the samurai placed increasing importance on "honor," "self-discipline," and "loyalty," and placed greater emphasis on the rules of conduct between ruler and subject, while neglecting righteousness, courage, benevolence, propriety, and sincerity. Even if the monarch was tyrannical and immoral, the subject was still required to fulfill his duties as a subject.

There is no doubt that this kind of thinking goes against orthodoxy.

"A pathetic and foolish fellow, filled with baseless hatred and anger."

Yun Chuan smiled and said in a calm tone, "The only value of such a tool, devoid of self and aiding and abetting evil, is to die along with those nobles."

Having said that, he stopped looking at the samurai and turned to look at the boy.

"Hey, kid."

Asa, dressed in a black robe, walked over, took out a money pouch from his pocket, handed it to the boy, and said coldly, "Take this for your travel expenses, and go home with those people and hide. Don't come out again."

But the boy, whose face was covered in mud and who wore only a few tattered rags, just looked at him silently, gazing up at that cold, hard face.

"Oboro," the boy suddenly said.

"...What?" Asa paused for a moment, then realized he was referring to her name. She frowned, somewhat impatiently, and said, "Why aren't you answering?"

"My lord, our village has been destroyed," the boy "Oboro" said calmly.

Asa paused for a moment, then continued, "It doesn't matter if the village is destroyed. Home is where your family is. This money is enough for you to find a safe place and build a new village."

"My lord, my parents died under the pressure of that nobleman. My sister was also captured by that nobleman's warriors not long ago. My brother chased after them, had his limbs broken, and was thrown out. He didn't survive either."

A chilling calmness, or rather, numbness, was etched on Long's face.

"Thank you, you're a good person, unlike those beasts in human skin, but..."

Seeing Asa's slightly stunned expression, Oboro extended her right hand, which had lost its index finger, and pushed the money pouch back to her: "I don't need it anymore."

Upon hearing this, Asa fell silent for a moment.

Weren't the Sand Village forces already defeated? How did the southern part of the Land of Rain end up like this?

He had initially believed that the invasion by a powerful nation was the root cause of all the tragedies, but now it seemed that, at least, not entirely...

If Lord Kumokawa hadn't been there in the northern part of the Land of Rain, would it have ended up like the southern part of the Land of Rain?

I'm sure it will happen, after all, it's just separated by a river, and it was Yunchuan that made that river an insurmountable barrier.

"Your name is Oboro, right?"

While Asa remained silent, Yun Chuan strode over, pointed to the samurai with severed limbs beside him, and looked at Long Xiao, asking, "Would you dare take him to the Daimyo's residence and speak to the Daimyo on my behalf?"

Long paused for a moment, staring into those deep blue eyes, seemingly thinking a lot, yet also seemingly thinking nothing at all.

Finally, he staggered to his feet and sneered, "What's there to be afraid of with my worthless life?"

"Alright." Yun Chuan's smile deepened as he turned to look into the shadows and said with a smile, "Yi Long, it's your turn to make the trip."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yoshitaka stepped out of the shadows in silence, his hand on the short sword at his waist, his gaze as cold as rain.

"I will obey your command."

He responded and met Long's gaze. Their eyes met, and he sneered, "Kid, when you get there and see blood, don't wet your pants in fear."

----------

Meanwhile, at the border post between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire.

The rain lashed down in the dark night, pounding against the tents. Apart from a small area illuminated by tall lamps, the rest of the camp was shrouded in darkness, and nothing could be seen.

Hanzo, his face weathered by time, stood by the window inside the tent. Through the thin, transparent plastic window, he could see the rain cascading down the waterfall, blown by the strong wind into the air like smoke and mist.

He drifted like a rootless duckweed in this murky pool, amidst the torrential rain and the rippling surface, as if swarms of thirsty tigerfish were swimming about, each wanting to tear a piece of his flesh.

Hanzo looked down at the half-full basket of grain on the ground, and in an instant, anger, guilt, humiliation, fear... all sorts of emotions surged into his heart.

This amount of food is only enough for one day for the Rain Ninja. How can it possibly feed a living person?

On the way after parting ways with the old man without saying goodbye, he saw too many things that he had previously overlooked.

He looked towards the town and saw that the once prosperous and bustling stone houses, teeming with craftsmen, were now dilapidated and in ruins.

He looked towards the riverbank and saw that the place that had once been full of life and joy had been completely submerged by the river that brought prosperity.

He saw that the once bustling port, which used to handle ships, was now a ruin ravaged by war; he saw that the few remaining wheat fields had fallen to the ground; and he saw that the civilians he had rescued from Sunagakure had starved to death by the roadside.

He didn't even dare to stop, he could only keep running and running, in a disheveled state, until he returned to the border post.

Has the Land of Rain really come to this?

What has he been working on all this time? What has he actually changed?

Hanzo, who dared to confront the Sunagakure forces, now dares not even leave his tent, for he is afraid to look at the civilians and witness their miserable state.

The number of civilians who have died now far exceeds that when Musashi was in charge of Amegakure. Countless civilians have starved to death due to the increasingly heavy taxes.

He certainly knew the reason for all of this.

It's a stalemate, a constant drain on resources, and a relentless exploitation of people...

Musashi once said: You can't save everyone.

Hanzo understood, but he didn't know that many more people would die because of him.

He told himself that this was a necessary sacrifice, a necessary growing pain to end the war. Only by ending the war could he stand on equal footing with the great powers, and only in this way could the Rain Kingdom achieve lasting peace.

However, Hanzo overestimated himself.

Perhaps it is due to the unique geographical environment, or perhaps it is due to the atmosphere of the entire country.

In the ninja world, there is only one consensus regarding the ninjas of Amegakure.

— "Narrow-minded".

Even though Hanzo possessed a strength unlike that of ninjas from small countries, he still could not escape the influence of his surroundings.

Just like the weapon he used, called "chains".

No matter how sharp it may be in Hanzo's hands, it cannot change the fact that it originated from agricultural tools.

As a warrior who upheld righteousness, courage, benevolence, courtesy, and sincerity, he could not take all of this for granted as a sacrifice. His once strong and broad back could not bear the weight of hundreds of thousands of incredibly heavy hopes.

What if we lose?

If I lose, how will I face those who admire me?

If we lose, how can we face those who starved to death because of the increased taxes?

If he loses, will he go from being a hero admired by thousands to a sinner despised by thousands?

Fear, trembling, cowardice, shrinking back...

If we hadn't rebelled against the great powers out of sheer arrogance, perhaps this war could have ended much sooner, and perhaps the Land of Rain wouldn't have lost so many people.

Such thoughts kept popping into Hanzo's mind uncontrollably.

This once invincible and incredibly sharp blade is now being corroded by the bloodstains on it.

"Lord Hanzo."

Lost in thought, I suddenly heard a cautious voice behind me.

Hanzo snapped out of his daze, quickly concealing the fear on his face. He turned to look at the one-eyed Rain Ninja behind him and asked in a normal tone, "What is it?"

"The Konoha resource escort team has arrived," the one-eyed Rain Ninja said, bowing his head.

Upon hearing this, Hanzo paused for a moment, then his expression gradually turned cold.

Yes.

At this point, there was no room for him to back down.

Now, if he backs down, he will be utterly disgraced, which terrifies him more than death.

"Let's go see what Konoha is up to this time."

Hanzo said coldly, his words as hard as a hammer driving a nail into a table. As he stepped out of the tent, a thunderclap, like the sound of a war drum, rang out in the sky.

Rumble!!

A huge hole seemed to have opened in the gray sky. A bolt of lightning ripped through the darkness and illuminated the world. Large raindrops poured down from the hole, forming crisscrossing channels on the ground.

With the sound of thunder, the rain seemed to be getting heavier and heavier, and the wind was mixed with the rumble of thunder.

Followed by hundreds of Rain Ninja, Hanzo arrived at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire, looking up at two figures in the distance through the rain.

Those were Tsunade from Konoha and Chiyo from Sunagakure.

boom!!

Fires rose in the camp behind Hanzo, and the roar of the explosive tags shattered the rain, setting the stage for this premeditated event.

"Hanzo, that's enough. Surrender!"

Chiyo's voice pierced through the rain and reached Hanzo's ears clearly.

Sensing the killing intent emanating from ahead through the cold rain, Hanzo, wearing a gas mask and holding a kusarigama, understood.

His pale yellow hair flew wildly in the wind and rain, but at this moment, Hanzo calmed down.

"The Land of Wind and the Land of Fire have joined forces... Are you great nations unwilling to even give us a way out?" Hanzo slowly raised his hand, removed his mask, and said softly, "Since that's the case..."

Before he could finish speaking, ripples spread across the water beneath his feet, and he vanished from everyone's sight in an instant with terrifying, almost silent speed.

At the same time, Tsunade, who had been silent all along, unleashed a surge of scarlet chakra filled with a violent aura, and her originally orange-yellow pupils instantly shrank into fox-like vertical pupils.

Bang! !

The scythe swept towards Tsunade's neck, but was blocked by the dark red chakra fist. At the moment the two collided, sparks flew profusely at the point of impact.

The firelight acted as a wall, separating the two people on either side. Hanzo, whether talking to himself or to Tsunade in front of him, whispered, "Then let us die here."

Perhaps, dying on the battlefield was the best ending for them.

(End of this chapter)