Uchiha's personal opinion

"I have already been pardoned."

Ashura noticed the confusion of the gatekeeper Rain Ninja, so he took the initiative to mention it.

"It's you!"

The gatekeeper Yu Ren gasped in shock.

Issuing a warrant for arrest first and then granting a pardon—that's quite a classic story!

Moreover, according to the information obtained by the gatekeeper Amegakure, this former wanted criminal Ashura, whose origins and background are unknown, has extremely close ties with demonic caves such as Mount Myōboku!

Although the inside story was unknown to outsiders, it did not stop the gatekeeper, the Rain Ninja, from summoning a team of ninjas. One of them was chosen to go to the Rain Ninja Village's tower to report, while the rest stayed with him to watch Ashura.

Asura didn't seem to care.

During his time traveling in the ninja world, he had learned to see things from different perspectives, so he was able to treat such events, which were previously intolerable, with a calm mind.

Before long, the ninja who had gone to the tower to report returned and whispered a few words in the ear of the gatekeeper ninja.

"...Lord Hanzo wants to see you."

The gatekeeper, a Rain Ninja, was somewhat surprised, but quickly regained his composure and led Ashura into the interior of Rain Ninja Village.

Amegakure is an extremely unique ninja village.

Due to the constant rain throughout the year, most of the buildings in Rain Village are shaped like tall towers to prevent flooding. Furthermore, the continuous erosion from rainwater has given the building surfaces a somber and slippery appearance.

Unlike the uniform high-rise buildings in Konoha's new district, the tower in Amegakure stands out...

Ashura thought for a moment and found an adjective:

"...Rain Village is quite unique."

The gatekeeper, Yunin, didn't reply, but simply led Ashura forward. However, he probably couldn't tell whether Ashura's words were sarcastic or not.

"...This is it."

The gatekeeper, a Rain Ninja, stood at the entrance of the tower. He first bowed slightly to the guard ninja at the entrance, then turned to Ashura and gestured for him to enter.

Ashura then stepped into the tower.

Ashura first took off his rain boots under the guidance of the guarding ninjas, then removed his straw hat and raincoat, wiped his face with a hot towel, and then changed into a still steaming outer robe. Finally, he was guided into a magnificent hall.

But this is not where Hanzo of the Salamander met Ashura; it is merely the elevator lobby at the top of the tower.

"Such extravagance is simply not the work of a ninja..."

Although Ashura was inwardly unconvinced, he remained outwardly calm and, led by the guarding ninja, successfully passed through multiple security checkpoints and arrived at the banquet hall where Hanzo of the Salamander was located.

"Chief Hanzo, I've long admired your name..."

Upon seeing Hanzo the Salamander seated high above, Ashura was the first to bow.

"No need for formalities, please have a seat!"

Contrary to the rumors, Hanzo the Salamander, seated at the head of the table, was not wearing his signature gas mask. Instead, he was showing his face and cutting a piece of steak that was still bloody with a knife and fork.

As Hanzo the Salamander's breathing rose and fell, a faint wisp of green toxic gas emerged from his nose, but before it could spread, it was sucked away by a tubular ventilation system above his head.

Moreover, there was a sealing spell surrounding his seat, which appeared to be used to prevent the poison gas from leaking out.

Led by a guard, Ashura sat down behind a long table, whereupon a waiter served him the same large steak and poured him a full glass of sparkling wine.

Although Ashura wasn't a heavy drinker, he still unexpectedly swirled his wine glass around.

In his mind, a strongman like Hanzo the Salamander should prefer strong liquor.

"If I drink too much strong liquor, I might lose control of my breathing, causing the release of toxic gas beyond the limits of the gas collection device."

Hanzo, who was cutting steak, said something without even looking up.

"terribly sorry……"

Ashura immediately apologized for his unfounded speculation.

As for how Hanzo the Salamander knew his thoughts, Ashura didn't delve into it.

After all, for a strong person who rises from the bloody storms of the ninja world, reading between the lines is a basic skill.

“I have maintained correspondence with General Deguang, so I am aware of your situation…”

After cutting the steak into eight pieces, Hanzo the Salamander began to eat it in large bites, saying, "However, your choice was correct."

"...Why do you say that?"

Ashura was somewhat surprised.

"You also have some old grudges against Mount Myōboku, don't you?"

Hanzo the Salamander said without any pretense, "Then, congratulations on escaping the fate of being destroyed along with Mount Myōboku."

"This……"

Ashura frowned, unsure of what to say.

“I have already received General Deguang’s letter…and after this meal I will have to do rehabilitation training, so I can’t chat with you for long…after all, according to what Deguang-kun said, you are quite a talkative person.”

"Hanzo the Salamander" said to himself.

Ashura's brows furrowed more and more tightly.

Is this something that can be said everywhere in the letter?

Ashura kept cursing in his heart.

"Tell me, what do you want to know?"

After finishing the last piece of beef on his plate, Hanzo the Salamander pushed the empty plate aside, wiped his mouth, and said seriously.

"So direct..."

Ashura was somewhat surprised.

"I heard you're going to write a travelogue, and the shogunate will publish it..."

"I can't believe it," said Hanzo the Salamander without changing his expression.

"Understood……"

Ashura chuckled to himself.

"Is the Shogunate's war preparations related to Mount Myōboku?"

"Do you really think that making such a big show of things is just to deal with those defeated underlings from Kumogakure and Iwagakure?"

Hanzo the Salamander took a sip of sparkling wine and said leisurely, "Where do they get such a big reputation!"

"So, Lord Hanzo..."

Ashura asked with a hint of probing.

"I have accepted the shogunate's summons."

Hanzo the Salamander said, "It's a pity that these wonderful days will have to be interrupted for a while again..."

After saying that, Hanzo the Salamander couldn't help but touch the fat on his belly.

"May I ask a question? Has Amegakure already joined the shogunate?"

Ashura asked again.

What difference does it make whether we join or not?

Hanzo the Salamander retorted, "All the ninja under my command want to receive long-term stipends from the shogunate. As their leader, do you think I can just purge them all out of the way?"

"..."

Asura was speechless.

Based on the publicly available information he collected, as well as his travel experiences, he felt that the Land of Rain and even the Hidden Rain Village were more like a production base or ninja training base for the shogunate or a joint venture, rather than the rumored semi-shogunate, semi-ninja village society.

However, upon closer reflection, it makes sense. After all, if it weren't for the existence of the shogunate, the United Company wouldn't have needed to help stabilize prices.

Therefore, although Hanzo of the Salamander sacrificed the independence of the ninja village, he gained a way out for the Land of Rain and all the Rain Ninja.

Perhaps, for small countries, survival is the most important thing...

"But won't indulging in the pleasures of wine, meat, wealth, and women erode a ninja's will?"

Ashura decided to change the subject.

"I've fought half my life, what's wrong with enjoying myself a bit!"

Hanzo the Salamander snorted coldly, and a waiter immediately brought over a steaming hot steak and placed it on the table.

"Besides, how much money can a little food and drink cost? Compared to the national effort spent on raising military equipment back then, it's nothing!"

"...You're right!"

Having nothing to say, Ashura chuckled twice and then began cutting his steak.

"But you're right..."

Hanzo the Salamander suddenly said, "Extravagant indulgence in wine, meat, wealth, and women can indeed erode a ninja's fighting spirit..."

"so what?"

Ashura immediately raised his head.

This is the first time his "talking skills" have worked!

"Now that the flesh on my thighs has grown back, it's truly embarrassing..."

Hanzo the Salamander shook his head and sighed, while Ashura nodded repeatedly.

"so!"

Hanzo the Salamander declared resolutely, "Starting tomorrow, I'm giving up alcohol!"

Chapter 443 The First Economic Crisis in the Ninja World

"Before we even made a move, Kumogakure and Iwagakure were already in complete disarray..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu read the intelligence department's report on the ninja world's dynamics in a relaxed manner, while speaking to Konoha and the Shogunate's high-ranking officials, including Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Yomo.

After Konoha reached a unified strategic consensus on expanding its military and preparing for war to destroy Mount Myōboku, Uchiha Tokumitsu established a temporary power center, bringing together all the leaders of Konoha, the Shogunate, and various affiliated forces under his command.