Chapter 611: Assassination

The Amegakure’s request for Sōsuke to observe the Chunin Exams did not cause much of a stir within the Shinobi Sect.

Compared to the Shinobi Sect’s large-scale lectures or the Youth Martial Arts Tournament which gathered numerous young geniuses from the Ninja World, the Amegakure’s Chunin Exams were too ordinary.

This was not even a joint Chunin Exams, but rather the Amegakure holding its own independent Chunin Exams.

However, no one paid attention to this point, because even if the Amegakure invited the Shinobi Sect to hold the exams together, the Shinobi Sect had no Ninja who could participate in the exams.

The Shinobi Sect had only been established recently, and the strength and abilities of its Ninja were more in line with their current Ninja rank.

The night before the Amegakure’s Chunin Exams, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato sat in a small pavilion at the Shinobi Sect’s base, chatting.

“It’s been really tiring lately,” Yahiko said, stretching his arms upwards.

“It should get much better from now on; most of the work is already done,” Konan said softly.

To prevent other areas of the Land of Rain from falling into chaos again, everyone in the Shinobi Sect had been busy recently.

“Yes, the overall situation has improved,” Yahiko said with a smile.

The tasks were indeed exhausting, but seeing his homeland gradually improve through their efforts, Yahiko felt it was worth it.

“Nagato, are you going to the Amegakure with Teacher Sōsuke tomorrow?” Yahiko suddenly remembered something and asked Nagato.

Nagato nodded.

In fact, Nagato was the only one from the Shinobi Sect who would truly go to the Amegakure with Muzuki.

Muzuki already knew it was a trap, so there was no reason for him to bring Shinobi Sect Ninja to risk.

He brought Nagato because Nagato was strong, and even if an accident occurred, Muzuki would be able to safely escape with Nagato.

“Oh no, I actually wanted to go too, but I was so busy recently that I forgot to tell Teacher Sōsuke,” Yahiko said with an annoyed expression.

He wanted to go to the Amegakure with Sōsuke, but Yahiko wasn’t going for the Chunin Exams; he wanted to meet Hanzo and ask him some questions.

Hanzo had come to the Shinobi Sect for both the Youth Martial Arts Tournament and the second lecture event, but Yahiko had been busy with various things at the time and had no time.

Yahiko really wanted to understand Hanzo’s true thoughts about the Land of Rain, and whether Hanzo truly desired peace.

When Iwagakure facilitated cooperation between the Rain Ninja and the Shinobi Sect, they said Hanzo had acted against the Shinobi Sect due to a misunderstanding.

But the real reason the Shinobi Sect was willing to cooperate was not that most people in the Shinobi Sect believed that explanation, but rather that cooperation would allow the Shinobi Sect to develop better and restore peace to the Land of Rain more effectively.

Yahiko had not forgotten Hanzo’s icy expression at the time, and he had kept the Kunai that threatened Sōsuke to commit suicide.

Based on the currently available intelligence, Yahiko felt that it was probably more than just a misunderstanding.

However, Yahiko also felt that Hanzo should not be a simple, faithless, and cunning Ninja.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be those beautiful stories circulating in the Ninja World, and Hanzo wouldn’t have so many Ninja who worshipped him in the Land of Rain.

Yahiko himself couldn’t figure out what the real Hanzo was like, so he wanted to find him in person to understand.

“Nagato, do you think it would be bad if I went to see Teacher Sōsuke now?”

“Very bad,” Nagato confirmed with a nod.

As the sole accompanying person, Muzuki had told Nagato about the dangers of this trip.

Although Hanzo had leaked information, he still harbored thoughts of competing with Muzuki, and then Danzo Shimura would also make a move.

Facing such a situation, Nagato certainly did not want Yahiko to go with them; it was simply too dangerous.

“Indeed, I’ll wait for next time then.” Yahiko scratched his head.

They were leaving tomorrow, and it would indeed be out of order for him to go see Sōsuke at this time… The next day.

Muzuki and Nagato departed together for the Amegakure to attend the Chunin Exams.

“When a battle breaks out, don’t think about anything else; the most important thing is to protect yourself,” Muzuki reminded him on the way.

Uchiha Madara would not take action against Nagato himself for now, but Danzo Shimura was definitely coming for Nagato’s Rinnegan.

“Understood,” Nagato nodded seriously.

He knew Muzuki was strong, so Nagato’s self-positioning was to take care of himself and not cause trouble for Muzuki.

Of course, if Muzuki truly encountered danger, and Nagato had the ability to help, he would certainly use it.

The Amegakure was located in the central part of the Land of Rain, not far from the Shinobi Sect in the southern part of the Land of Rain. Around eleven o’clock, Muzuki and Nagato arrived near the Amegakure.

Muzuki did not conceal his presence. He and Nagato, along with two of Nagato’s Shadow Clones using the Transformation Technique, walked openly on the main road, and were quickly discovered by the Rain Ninja.

Upon receiving the news, Hanzo quickly led the Rain Ninja to the Village entrance to welcome Sōsuke.

When Muzuki and Nagato reached the Amegakure gate, they immediately saw Hanzo standing at the very front.

“Sōsuke, you’ve arrived,” Hanzo greeted him coolly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at a Ninja in a Rain Ninja uniform beside him.

Muzuki followed Hanzo’s gaze. That Rain Ninja was no different from an ordinary Rain Ninja, except that his mask was very strange, with extremely small holes for the eyes, so small that one would doubt if these two small holes could even function.

“Hanzo, I’m here,” Muzuki replied with a smile, giving the masked Rain Ninja an appraisal.

【Name: Danzo Shimura】

Looking at the familiar panel, Muzuki nodded inwardly.

This time Danzo Shimura had taken the initiative to provide an opportunity; it would be somewhat impolite if he didn’t make a move.

Danzo Shimura didn’t care about their meaningless conversation; he was focused on the Ninja Sōsuke had brought.

“He only brought three Ninja. Should I say he’s confident or that he has no one under him?” Danzo Shimura thought with a hidden delight when he saw that besides Sōsuke and Nagato, only two Shinobi Sect Ninja had come.

The fewer people Sōsuke brought, the more convenient it would be for his assassination.

He might not even need a prolonged fight; a sudden close-range attack could send this Ninja Master on his way.

“The Six Paths Sage’s eyes.” Looking at Nagato’s Rinnegan up close, Danzo Shimura instantly felt that his Three-Tomoe Sharingan was no longer as appealing.

Nagato, feeling Danzo Shimura’s gaze, looked back at Danzo Shimura.

“Powerful Chakra, is he one of today’s enemies?” Nagato thought after seeing Danzo Shimura’s Chakra with his Rinnegan.

After approaching the Amegakure, Nagato had entered a state of alert, in case of a possible attack.

Danzo Shimura shifted his gaze to Nagato’s Shadow Clones, as if inspecting all the Shinobi Sect Ninja.

“The third stage hasn’t started yet. I’ll take you to your resting place first,” Hanzo said, then turned to look at the Amegakure gate.

In an instant, the Rain Ninja behind Hanzo retreated to both sides, clearing a wide path.

Hanzo deliberately slowed his pace as he walked, moving alongside Sōsuke who had stepped forward, and together they entered the Amegakure.

“The time for action is almost here, but Muzuki still hasn’t arrived,” Danzo Shimura scanned his surroundings, frowning slightly.

Muzuki was also an important trump card for him; if Muzuki didn’t arrive in time, he would be missing a trump card.

Danzo Shimura was a bit anxious, anxious enough to want to scold Muzuki, but he couldn’t do anything now because Muzuki wasn’t beside him, so he couldn’t scold him.

The only thing he could do now was to wait for Muzuki to arrive at the Amegakure, and then after everything was over, find any excuse to reprimand Muzuki.

Suppressing the impatience in his heart, Danzo Shimura followed Hanzo into the Amegakure.

Hanzo and Muzuki walking side-by-side on the Amegakure’s main street attracted many gazes.

Some uninformed Amegakure residents were curious as to who Muzuki was, to be able to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Hanzo.

Although Muzuki’s alias was well-known, and many ordinary people had heard of Sōsuke’s legends, they didn’t recognize his face.

Unlike ordinary people, all Amegakure Ninja could recognize that the person walking beside Hanzo was Sōsuke, the leader of the Shinobi Sect.

“Could it be that the Village and the Shinobi Sect are truly going to reconcile completely?” a Amegakure Ninja couldn’t help but wonder.

Both the Amegakure’s Ninja and the Shinobi Sect’s Ninja knew that the treaty was a result of mutual compromise, not a sincere cooperation between forces of the same country.

Sōsuke’s powerful individual strength was enough to threaten the Amegakure, while the large number of Ninja in the Amegakure would prevent the Shinobi Sect from carrying out its work in the Land of Rain.

Currently, a considerable portion of the Rain Ninja in the Amegakure disliked this situation because they all recognized Sōsuke, and even admired him, believing that this was depleting the Land of Rain’s national strength and was meaningless internal strife.

Before the establishment of the Shinobi Sect, many Rain Ninja in the Amegakure already had a good impression of Sōsuke because of his conduct.

Later, because their leader Hanzo took the lead in spreading negative news about Sōsuke, the number of this group decreased.

However, after Sōsuke defeated Hanzo, established the Shinobi Sect, held teaching activities, and a series of other events, the number of Amegakure Ninja who recognized Sōsuke surged.

Some Rain Ninja risked punishment to secretly listen to Sōsuke’s lectures.

The reasons were actually very simple: first, Sōsuke was indeed strong enough to defeat Hanzo even with a natural attribute disadvantage.

Second, Sōsuke was the leader of a Ninja force in the Land of Rain, and there was a natural sense of identity with a strong person from their own country.

Third, Sōsuke had charisma and strong abilities, and he truly taught things.

The fourth reason was related to Hanzo.

Previously, most of the Rain Ninja in the Amegakure worshipped Hanzo, but Hanzo not only suffered a defeat but also repeatedly lost to a junior like Sōsuke. With this comparison, it was hard for the Rain Ninja not to feel that Sōsuke was the way out for the Land of Rain.

Facing the Rain Ninja and Amegakure residents who cast curious glances, Muzuki returned a gentle smile.

Perhaps a certain Rain Ninja was too excited, or for some other reason, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, “Teacher Sōsuke!”

“Teacher Sōsuke!” Some Rain Ninja instinctively followed suit.

Seeing someone take the lead, some Rain Ninja joined in, and the sound instantly grew louder.

Hanzo looked at this scene, his mood a bit complex.

Sōsuke could be sincerely called ‘Teacher’ by people in the Amegakure, but would anyone in the Shinobi Sect sincerely address him, Hanzo, as Lord Hanzo?

Hanzo felt that there probably wouldn’t be, after all, the Shinobi Sect had almost been annihilated by his hands.

Perhaps only Sōsuke, that magnanimous fellow who was somewhat unlike a Ninja, would call him Senior Hanzo with a hint of teasing.

Danzo Shimura looked at this scene with a thoughtful expression.

He remembered that Muzuki seemed to be quite beloved by his students, and even the Root Ninja who had been taught by Muzuki spoke of him with respect.

“Just let Muzuki train some teachers to conduct special training; he shouldn’t be the one to teach,” Danzo Shimura thought to himself.

Otherwise, if a bunch of Jonin and Chunin also called Muzuki ‘Teacher Muzuki’ like the current Rain Ninja, would his position as Hokage still be stable?

Nagato looked surprised, not expecting Muzuki to be so popular in the Amegakure. Even with Hanzo standing right next to Muzuki, they dared to call him ‘Teacher’.

“Lord Hanzo is here, no loud noises!”

A Rain Ninja behind Hanzo stepped out and reprimanded them with a stern expression.

Sōsuke had risen to fame in the Ninja World by stepping over Hanzo; he couldn’t control things outside the Amegakure, but inside the Amegakure, he couldn’t let Sōsuke act so arrogantly.

The sounds on the field immediately quieted down significantly, because they recognized the speaking Rain Ninja. This was the squad leader of the Amegakure’s Jonin, one of the Amegakure High-Ranking Ninja.

Just as the Amegakure High-Ranking Ninja was about to say another word, Hanzo spoke.

“This is not a solemn place; there’s no need for such formality,” Hanzo interrupted coolly.

Acting like this made it seem as if he was deliberately trying to intimidate Sōsuke, causing him to lose face to Sōsuke for no reason.

The Amegakure High-Ranking Ninja was stunned, looking at Hanzo in disbelief.

He hadn’t said anything wrong just now, had he? He was speaking up for Hanzo, so why was Hanzo reprimanding him?

Although he felt a bit wronged, the Amegakure High-Ranking Ninja did not retort, but silently retreated behind Hanzo.

The situation in the Amegakure was different from ordinary Ninja Villages. Hanzo held absolute power, and these so-called Amegakure High-Ranking Ninja were no different from ordinary Rain Ninja in front of Hanzo.

The surrounding Rain Ninja stirred, all believing that this time, the Amegakure and the Shinobi Sect were going to completely reconcile.

After walking some distance, Hanzo spoke, “This was not arranged by me.”

“I didn’t think it was arranged by you,” Muzuki replied with a chuckle.

He certainly didn’t think Hanzo would do something so tasteless, because Hanzo had already exposed Danzo Shimura’s plan to kill him, so there was no need to deliberately do such a thing again.

Hanzo remained silent, walking on.

As they went deeper, Muzuki noticed that the surrounding buildings became sparser, and he rarely saw pedestrians.

However, Muzuki was not flustered. His Byakugan and Transparent World were already activated; no one could ambush him, neither Hanzo beside him nor Danzo Shimura behind him.

When they reached a desolate area, Muzuki saw a well-built two-story house.

It just looked a bit eerie because there was nothing else around.

“Is this considering my training needs? That’s really nice,” Muzuki said with a smile, looking around.

“You can think of it that way,” Hanzo replied expressionlessly.

While the two were talking, Danzo Shimura, standing behind Sōsuke, gripped the Kunai he had hidden in his sleeve beforehand and quietly closed the distance between himself and Sōsuke.

He held his breath, gathered a large amount of Chakra in his arm, and then suddenly stabbed towards Sōsuke’s heart.

“I got him!”

Looking at Sōsuke, who was still chatting happily with Hanzo, Danzo Shimura was overjoyed, as if he saw the sage art inheritance and the Rinnegan beckoning to him.