"Hey! Dead-fish eyes, I'm talking to you!"
The scar-faced ninja stood up and walked over, stopping at the table where Hyūga Kumokawa and the other three sat, towering above them and looking down with contempt.
His sinister gaze swept across their faces, his tone carrying intimidation and threat:
"You four look unfamiliar, and your behavior is suspicious. I have reason to believe you're spies. Come with me obediently."
Unfamiliar, my ass.
Spies, my ass.
This was the capital of the Land of Rain, not Amegakure itself.
Unlike the Hidden Rain Village, the capital wasn't sealed off from the outside world.
Merchants came and went freely, and there was no way this guy could recognize every single face.
And besides, plenty of people had overheard that statement just now.
The only reason Kakashi got singled out was because his dead-fish eyes drew hostility like a magnet.
This was nothing more than "killing the chicken to scare the monkeys"—a warning to others who had overheard words that should not be heard, telling them to keep their mouths shut.
"…Unlucky."
Realizing this, Kakashi sighed inwardly. He also knew that fleeing was impossible right now. Running would only confirm they were guilty and expose them.
Even if they managed to escape, it would alert the enemy and make their mission infinitely harder.
So, after a brief silence, while secretly condensing his chakra, Kakashi slowly lifted his head and said coldly to the scar-faced ninja:
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
At those words, the three Ame-nin who had been sitting in the back and had planned to stay out of this couldn't help but exchange uneasy glances.
They sensed trouble. All three stood up and walked over.
"Hm?"
Seeing that these four didn't seem afraid at all, the scar-faced ninja suddenly felt a bad premonition.
Still, he refused to back down and sneered:
"Hah! You four cripples sitting together can't even muster three pairs of eyes, and you dare question me?"
After all, Hatake Kakashi only revealed one eye, and Hyūga Kumokawa had kept his eyes shut the whole time, feigning blindness.
Naturally, they couldn't "make up three pairs of eyes."
"Idiot!" Kakashi's tone instantly turned sharp. "Just for what you said, we could execute you right now!"
The scar-faced ninja's forehead veins bulged.
He stepped forward, about to attack—but a long-haired ninja behind him quickly reached out to stop him.
"…You. Are you ANBU?"
The long-haired ninja narrowed his eyes, carefully observing Kakashi's group, and his gaze eventually landed on the silent "Tenzō."
Tenzō—who would later be known as Yamato—was once "Kinoe," a Root operative. Having only recently joined the ANBU, the cold, deathly aura of Root still clung to him, not yet faded.
And Hanzo's ANBU weren't like Konoha's ANBU. They were more like death-soldiers, loyal only to him, protecting him with their lives.
"…Now it's your turn to come with us." Kakashi neither confirmed nor denied, replying only in a cold voice.
Hearing this, the four Ame-nin's faces instantly changed. Their suspicions were confirmed.
Lately, Hanzo had grown paranoid, convinced Akatsuki remnants were hiding inside Amegakure.
He ordered the ANBU to investigate thoroughly, and many people had been implicated.
The entire Hidden Rain was living in terror, fearful and suspicious of each other.
And to them, the aura around Tenzō felt exactly the same as those hound-like ANBU. That realization filled their hearts with dread.
If Hanzo found out what they had just said, even if they weren't executed, they would be skinned alive.
The scar-faced ninja exchanged a quick glance with the long-haired one, both instantly understanding what the other was thinking.
"Hahaha, so you're Rain's brothers after all. Forgive us, forgive us—we were out of line."
The scar-faced ninja suddenly put on a look of realization.
Laughing awkwardly, he bent down and reached into his robe, intending to pull out some money. He hoped these four "hounds" would be the kind who could be bribed.
They didn't dare strike ANBU directly. But if money could resolve things, that was acceptable.
Yet just as he reached inside, Hyūga Kumokawa suddenly raised his head, shouting loudly:
"What are you trying to do!?"
The scar-faced ninja and the other three Rain-nin froze for a moment in confusion.
But before they could react, Kakashi's team struck in unison, coordinated to perfection.
One hand grabbed a wine bottle.
One bottle smashed down on an Ame-nin's head.
Bang! Bang, bang!
Bottles shattered before they could even be opened. Red wine mixed with blood sprayed out, raining crimson inside the tavern.
It was clear—the Rain-nin's combat skills and reflexes were far inferior to the Konoha shinobi, who came from clans, ANBU, and Root.
Caught completely off guard, three of the four Rain-nin were instantly knocked unconscious by blows to the head.
Only the scar-faced one, with his larger frame, remained barely conscious, his vision darkening.
"You… you're…"
His first instinct was to weave hand seals. But his wrist was suddenly grabbed—by five slender fingers, smooth as jade.
Crack!
"AAAHHH!"
A crisp snap rang out. The scar-faced ninja's scream replaced his unfinished words as searing pain tore through his wrist.
He tried to yank his hand back, but it was as if it were caught in solid stone—immovable.
The boy gripping him was like an unshakable mountain.
Crack! Splurt!!
A terrifying force erupted, bones snapping with a chilling crunch. Muscles ruptured, blood bursting between the captor's fingers.
Amid the grotesque sound of flesh crushing, the scar-faced ninja's wrist twisted into a mangled mess.
Overwhelmed by agony, his eyes rolled back as he fainted.
Thud.
Hyūga Kumokawa released his grip without a change of expression. The scar-faced ninja collapsed, unconscious.
Witnessing this bloody and brutal sight, the patrons who had been about to scream all clamped their mouths shut like strangled chickens.
"Still dare insult Lord Hanzo, you ignorant dogs courting death!"
Hyūga Kumokawa roared furiously, then turned to the stunned crowd. His expression and voice brimmed with anger as he declared loudly:
"Who gave us peaceful lives? Who made the Land of Rain strong?"
"It was Lord Hanzo! Remember well—Lord Hanzo is the hero of the Land of Rain! Heroes are to be revered, not insulted. As long as Lord Hanzo remains in Amegakure, no great nation will dare to invade!"
"Lord Hanzo is the very sun of the Land of Rain! Anyone daring to voice demoralizing, treacherous nonsense will face severe punishment!"
His impassioned tone overflowed with fanatic reverence.
At his words, the once-frightened patrons blinked in surprise.
Their panic strangely began to ease, and in their eyes appeared a faint light as they looked toward Kumokawa and his companions.
[Ding! Your lie has been judged as [Distorting Black and White]. Individuals such as Kojima Hiroshi and Berry experienced emotional fluctuation, reaching the level of [Firm Belief]. You gain 300 Truth Points.]
Beside Kumokawa, Kakashi's lips twitched.
He fully understood Hanzo's position in the hearts of Rain citizens.
Most truly revered him. Many had grown up hearing Hanzo's legends.
The reason the Land of Rain avoided being crushed in the Third Great Ninja War was because Hanzo's reputation made other nations wary.
So, when the scar-faced ninja had spoken ill of Hanzo, though civilians didn't dare speak out, they had indeed been dissatisfied inside.
What Kakashi hadn't expected was Kumokawa seizing that point so quickly.
Kakashi himself had planned to impersonate ANBU, suppress the Rain-nin, and then order everyone to keep silent.
But such a hard-handed method would only breed resentment. People might comply at first but soon whisper, and eventually report them.
Kumokawa's method, however—swift, cunning, and perfectly in character as a Hanzo fanatic—flipped the situation on its head.
"…So you're esteemed ninja as well!"
The tavern owner, who had been hiding behind the bar, finally stood up and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you, honored lords, for cleansing traitors for the Land of Rain and Amegakure!"
The patrons, now free of fear, all nodded and praised them. Their eyes turned hateful as they glared at the unconscious Rain-nin.
Such ungrateful scum deserved death!
"Thank you all for your understanding."
It was best to settle things quietly. Kakashi looked around the tavern, reminding them:
"What you've seen and heard today must not be spread. I hope you'll all cooperate."
"Of course, of course!"
"We understand!"
"We saw nothing!"
Everyone nodded vigorously, quickly sitting down again.
They watched as Kakashi's team hefted the four Rain-nin. The tavern owner even rushed to the door to send them off personally.
The four disappeared with Body Flicker, leaving behind money for drinks and cleanup.
The patrons, watching them go, felt admiration rise in their hearts.
Pure and unshakable conviction. Not taking even a needle or thread from the people—this was truly the guardian deity of the Land of Rain!