The next morning at the head of the Uchiha clan's residence, DJ Shen was knocked out cold in bed after wrapping up his DJ set.
"Brat! Don't you dare sleep! Wake up right now!"
Kazushi, who'd been dragged around all night by party fanatics, was furiously shouting outside Shen's bedroom door.
Our young genius groaned lazily: "Old man, I'm wrecked. Can we chat after I crash for a bit?"
Kazushi practically exploded with rage upon hearing this, hopping around angrily while cursing under his breath: "You brat! If you've got guts, then don't go to sleep! Get up and dance already!"
Fugaku, who hadn't slept well either, calmly watched this familiar scene unfold. Last night wasn't just tough on him—nearly ninety percent of Konoha probably didn't get any sleep either.
The music that blasted through the night sky and the vibrations from several thousand people dancing weren't just noise—they were seismic. Even ANBU captains thought it was an earthquake.
"Bang bang bang!"
Loud knocking shattered the silence.
"Clan Head! We demand justice!"
The unified shouts startled Kazushi. He quickly opened the door to greet the angry clansmen, but his face immediately turned awkward when he saw them.
"Clan Head! Please rein in the second young master already!"
"Yeah! Do you know how my last month has been?"
"The second young master parties till dawn every other day! We normal folks just can't take it anymore!"
Hearing all their complaints, Kazushi forced a smile, doing his best to look regretful without actually meaning any of it. Did they really think he didn't want to stop DJ Shen? It was just that every time he tried, those damn party lovers held him back before he could even get on stage. Otherwise, there was no way his own brat would still be acting so cocky.
"Clan Head, we're not trying to stop the second young master from enjoying his hobby—we're not even asking for a complete ban. But maybe he could cut back just a little on how many times a month he does this?"
"You're absolutely right! I'll make sure to give everyone a satisfactory response!"
"Then we'll take our leave first. Looking forward to good news from you, Clan Head!"
After dealing with the group of protesting clan members, Kazushi finally relaxed. He let out a heavy breath, his face twisting into a dark scowl: "Uchiha Shen! Get your lazy butt up right now!"
The father-son showdown lasted from morning into the night. Thus, the reputation of the Uchiha Genius gradually spread across Konoha.
Amegakure, named precisely for its endless rain, was a small nation bordering the Land of Fire.
"Daimyo! In Uzugakure, there are merely weak ninja who possess great chakra reserves. Why not secretly bring these individuals—who are highly valuable for sealing tailed beasts—to our land?" A man wearing a gray ninja vest challenged Amegakure's Daimyo.
Looking at the uncovered upper half of the speaker's face, Amegakure's Daimyo showed no sign of anger—in fact, he looked quite afraid. Trembling slightly like the drizzle outside, he stuttered, "Amegakure cannot confront Konoha directly."
"Daimyo! You are far too weak-willed!"
"Our purpose is to protect the Uzumaki clan of Uzugakure, not to oppose the entire Uzugakure. And without a tailed beast's power, how can this country survive under pressure from the Five Great Nations? Listen to the rain outside—the rain that never stops all year round represents this country's tears!" As Hanzo spoke, his eyes turned sharp, and his tightly clenched fists revealed his firm stance.
After a moment's hesitation, the Daimyo of Amegakure agreed: "Fine then, Hanzo. I'll grant your request—but you must bring other nations on board as well. We cannot withstand the wrath of Konoha's Hidden Leaf Village alone."
Hanzo showed no obvious emotion upon receiving consent, as he inwardly weighed the pros and cons: "Sunagakure imprisons jinchuriki regardless of their strength or weakness, while Mist has long remained distant from shinobi conflicts and likely won't be interested. That leaves me with Kumogakure, Iwagure, and Takigakure—better contact all three just in case."
"Very well. Amegakure will form covert teams with every interested nation and head toward Uzugakure to take away a few Uzumaki clan members. I only hope that you'll offer your full support when the time comes, Lord Daimyo."
"Now now, Hanzo, how much time exactly do you need for preparation?" The daimyo relaxed slightly, seeing that the other man hadn't dared openly provoke the strongest nation, making his own decision at the same time.
"If we drag this out too long, Konoha's Anbu might discover it. There are already little rats appearing within Amegakure. I plan to execute the operation within one or two years."
"One or two years? Can't you possibly—"
"Daimyo, they're sacrificing themselves willingly—for Amegakure's future!"
"Crack!" A bolt of lightning flashed as Hanzo finished speaking.
Though still unsure about the tight timeline, the daimyo seemed to be convinced, hunching over as if persuaded: "I—I understand. Hanzo, the future of Amegakure is entrusted to you."
"I certainly will take responsibility for the future of both Amegakure village and this entire country!" With these words, Hanzo turned around, stepping onto the windowsill ready to leave.
"Crack!"
Watching the pale flash of lightning illuminating half of Hanzo's silhouette, the daimyo felt deeply conflicted inside. He didn't know whether Hanzo's plans made within one or two years would be discovered by Konoha, but he could only trust that the latter wouldn't lead the Land of Rain into destruction.
Meanwhile, beneath the heavy rainstorm, Hanzo sped away from the daimyo's mansion with his eyebrows tightly knitted together. Glancing sideways at a certain spot behind him, he suddenly halted his steps: "Come out! Haven't you been following me continuously for the past half year?"
A figure wearing a mask stepped forward: "As expected of the Half-God. Lord Hanzo, I mean you no harm whatsoever."
"Which village's Anbu are you from? With such exceptional concealment abilities, you're certainly no minor character in your village!"
The mysterious Anbu stiffened his body but chose not to answer directly.
Hanzo wasn't too worried—he figured they were probably from Konoha or Sunagakure: "Fine, don't answer. If you can dodge my single attack, you may safely leave the Rain Country."
As soon as he spoke, Hanzo darted forward, swinging the blade of his chained sickle toward the masked figure—an instant-decision strike.
"[Flash Slash]!"
"A mysterious Anbu member was secretly shocked. Obviously, he knew quite a bit about Hanzo. Though he quickly sidestepped to evade, the cold blade still slashed across his chest.
"Good reflexes," mocked Hanzo, "but this kusarigama is coated with poison. Any last words?"
Silence.
His opponent simply clutched his wound and said nothing. Hanzo's gaze revealed a flicker of admiration. He then retrieved a small vial from the ninja tool pouch at his waist and tossed it toward the mysterious Anbu agent.
"This is the Kai. Don't let me see you within Amegakure's borders again, or next time your injury won't be just one wound."
Surprised that his enemy would actually give him an antidote, the masked ninja started to express gratitude but was cut short.
"Don't thank me. You and I are nothing more than ants in this cruel world. It was your loyalty to your village that moved me. Remember what I've told you!"
As Hanzo vanished from sight, the masked Anbu couldn't shake off a sense of unease: "Could such a prominent figure truly be planning to start a war in secret? Does he not intend to target the shinobi directly? Then what exactly is his objective?"
Meanwhile, Hanzo walked away wearing a serious expression, completely devoid of his earlier look of approval. "That person must be one of the Third Hokage's direct Anbu agents. Only a Konoha ninja could maintain such defiance when facing me."
Indeed, Hanzo had staged this entire performance for the benefit of that Anbu spy. He decided that by letting this enemy go before Amegakure had finalized its alliances with other villages, he could at least avoid drawing too much attention from Konoha. Hanzo, known as the strongest force in the shinobi world, still had enough self-awareness.
Would Hanzo's feigned weakness trick Konoha into lowering its guard?
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