Chapter 72: The Hesitant Hanzo of the Salamander

When Yahiko mobilized his forces, the escort team tasked with delivering Byakuya found themselves in a bit of a dilemma.

According to protocol, dangerous fugitives like Byakuya needed to be severely injured or sealed with jutsu to ensure safe transport.

However, the situation at the time was rather complex, leaving the Amegakure emissaries reluctant to make any demands.

If glares could kill, the eyes of the Akatsuki ninjas were close to tearing them apart. They were prepared to die resisting the Akatsuki, but they did not want to be noticed by Akatsuki members and meet an accidental death in peacetime.

After leaving the Akatsuki, the emissary team initially tried to restrict Byakuya, only to encounter an extremely tricky problem.

Byakuya was no ordinary ninja; he was an elite ninja who had mastered the Paper Jutsu.

With the ability to kill elite ninjas in a short period of time, the team feared for their safety if they came into too much contact with Byakuya.

Seemingly aware of their thoughts, Byakuya lifted his ninja attire, revealing densely packed explosive tags.

At the sight of these tags, the emissary team immediately hesitated. Would these tags really explode if touched? This was highly doubtful.

Watching the hesitant Amegakure ninjas, Byakuya became interested and adopted a surrendering posture. "Respected ninja elders, I am a dangerous criminal. Are you sure you don't want to bind me?"

Hearing Byakuya's words, the emissary team became somewhat fired up but restrained themselves.

The village was not far from the Akatsuki base, and they could return before nightfall. Byakuya could be arrogant in front of them, but these tricks would be useless before Lord Hanzo.

Seeing the emissary team give up control over him, Byakuya proceeded to ask several questions related to the previous envoy but received no answers.

These ninjas, who knew nothing when asked, caused Byakuya to lose interest.

He had wanted to engage these Amegakure ninjas in a battle of wits and courage, but they only knew how to move forward without giving him a chance to use his "Mouth Jutsu."

Indeed, he didn't have the bloodline limit; controlling life and death with cursed seals suited him better.

However, if this group didn't provoke trouble on their own, he could plan his next moves accordingly. After all, although the emissaries sent by Hanzo were not killed by him, they still had some connection to him.

If he hadn't voluntarily provided information to Danzo about Hanzo's emissaries' visit, Danzo wouldn't have sent assassins on his own.

At this moment, he was contemplating what kind of demeanor to present to Hanzo upon reaching Amegakure. Should he appear wronged and enraged at Hanzo?

While Byakuya pondered, Black Zetsu quietly approached the prison wagon.

After seeing the relaxed expression on Byakuya's face, Black Zetsu furrowed his brow, then performed a ninjutsu to initiate a voice communication with Byakuya.

"Byakuya, I've only been away for a day, and you've already been captured?"

"Lord Black Zetsu, it's a long story, but I believe I've been framed by that old Danzo, which led to me being captured by the ninja from Amegakure."

Black Zetsu was full of question marks; he couldn't grasp what had happened exactly.

Just as he was about to ask, Byakuya continued explaining:

"Lord Black Zetsu, do you remember the letter I wrote to Danzo a few days ago? In that letter, I mentioned the visit of Hanzo's emissary to the Akatsuki, right? Based on my speculation, Danzo probably sent someone disguised as me to attack Hanzo's envoy, leaving evidence at the scene to frame me for the attack.

By doing so, Danzo could provoke a conflict between the Akatsuki and Amegakure, plunging the Land of Rain into chaos. In that situation, whether he intervenes to aid the Akatsuki or to help Amegakure, he stands to gain immense benefits."

Black Zetsu listened intently. Yes, Byakuya's analysis made sense.

"But aren't you, as the victim, too calm about this? Someone is trying to frame you and put you in mortal danger. Is it really wise to remain so composed?" Black Zetsu asked, seemingly understanding Byakuya's thoughts.

As if anticipating Black Zetsu's concern, Byakuya sighed.

"Lord Black Zetsu, although I know who framed me, I have no way to retaliate. If I expose my collusion with Danzo, the Akatsuki won't tolerate me either. Then, besides Amegakure, my former comrades will also hunt me down."

Seeing Byakuya looking crestfallen, Black Zetsu recalled his own experiences over the millennia and offered a solution: "Do you need me to get you out? Dealing with those Amegakure ninjas wouldn't be too difficult for me."

"No, forget it. Yahiko and the others may not get along with me, but they'll definitely find a way to rescue me."

Byakuya shook his head.

"Even if Danzo didn't frame me, I would have killed Hanzo's envoy. The Land of Rain isn't big enough to accommodate both the Akatsuki and Amegakure."

Upon hearing this, Black Zetsu was stunned, and his gaze towards Byakuya became more nuanced.

'So you're not innocent after all. You just had your plans preempted by Elder Danzo,' Black Zetsu thought, recalling Byakuya's past methods. He realized he didn't need to worry about Byakuya.

This guy was just like him, capable of manipulating people behind the scenes and, most importantly, ambitious.

After ensuring his pawn would be safe, Black Zetsu prepared to depart. Before leaving, he turned to Byakuya and said, "Let me know if there's anything, and don't forget our plan to rule the world."

Byakuya nodded in acknowledgment and replied, "Indeed, there's something I need your help with, Lord Black Zetsu. I want control over Shiro to facilitate communication with my subordinates."

Black Zetsu didn't refuse Byakuya's request. Using his Mayfly Technique, he located Shiro and had him possess the prison wagon.

With everything in place, Black Zetsu vanished underground and headed towards the direction of the Land of Fire.

Byakuya was just a pawn he had casually arranged. The truly important pieces were Madara Uchiha and Obito. Only by controlling Madara's successor could the Eye of the Moon Plan become safe and reliable.

As Black Zetsu's chakra disappeared, Byakuya breathed a sigh of relief.

Although unsure why Black Zetsu was in such a rush, being scrutinized by such an old schemer still made him uncomfortable.

After all, from the storyline's perspective, Black Zetsu's method of controlling Six Paths of Pain was truly bizarre. Byakuya didn't know how to defend against it. While such methods surely came with a price, what if they were used against him?

Clearing his mind of distractions, Byakuya began issuing orders to Shiro, instructing him to return to their base with his paper clone.

After being captured, his Anbu would surely be getting easy. They needed Byakuya to hammer their asses.

This journey to Amegakure was a test for Yahiko and also a test for his spy network subordinates.

If they didn't behave, they would lose their value.

---

A few hours later, Byakuya and the emissary team successfully arrived in Amegakure.

Gazing at the steampunk-styled ninja village, Byakuya narrowed his eyes, focusing on the tall tower in the central area of Amegakure.

In the original storyline, Nagato and Konan, who embody gods and angels, often stood atop and overlooked Amegakure from above, transforming it into a secluded sanctuary.

Unfortunately, after the Fourth Great Ninja War ended, due to the absence of strong defenders, Amegakure descended once more into chaos and became a forsaken land.

Seeing a change in Byakuya's expression, a member of the emissary team muttered under their breath, calling him a country bumpkin.

Even skilled ninjas from rural areas must be impressed by the magnificent structure birthed under Lord Hanzo's rule.

Crossing a gate of steel, the prison cart moved along the main road, with Byakuya aboard.

Because of the year-round rain, the air carried a musty smell, and pedestrians were often undernourished to the point of not even being comparable to villagers under Akatsuki's rule.

At this moment, a member of the envoy team pointed towards the spacious streets and said to Byakuya, "Take a look, this is the Amegakure. If you hadn't attacked Lord Kandachi, you could have lived here with the Akatsuki. But now, you're only here to face Lord Hanzo's judgment."

Byakuya couldn't be bothered to respond to the member of the envoy team, silently noting the terrain of the Amegakure in his mind.

Sooner or later, he and the Akatsuki would be settling in the Amegakure, so it was good to become familiar with it in advance.

Glancing at the unresponsive Byakuya, the member of the envoy team snorted coldly and stopped bothering further, leading Byakuya toward the Hidden Rain Building.

Upon arriving at the Hidden Rain Building, Byakuya stepped down from the prisoner wagon and, under the escort of the Rain Shinobi, met Hanzo of the Salamander.

Hanzo of the Salamander was a lean old man wearing a gas mask. Despite his advanced age, his gaunt face and determined eyes still reflected the vigor of his younger years.

The gas mask wasn't for fear of poison from others but to prevent others from being poisoned.

Due to the poison sacs sewn into his body, the air exhaled by Hanzo of the Salamander also carried toxins, which could easily harm his teammates.

While Byakuya scrutinized Hanzo of the Salamander, Hanzo also observed Byakuya.

Although he knew that Byakuya was young, Hanzo was still somewhat surprised to see the teenage Byakuya in person.

He was astonished that Byakuya possessed the strength to kill a high-ranking ninja at such a young age.

If carefully nurtured, becoming an elite among the Jonin in the future, even becoming my right-hand man, would not be difficult. The Amegakure also wouldn't need to worry about successors.

This sparked a fondness for talent in Hanzo's heart, but ultimately he dismissed the thought.

The person Byakuya killed wasn't just anyone, but his right-hand man, a high-ranking ninja he had dispatched, who was not only an envoy but also a descendant of the same clan.

Thinking this, Hanzo sighed inwardly and said to Byakuya, "You are Byakuya, aren't you? When you killed my subordinate the night before last, did you ever imagine this moment? The cooperation between me and the Akatsuki is inevitable. Why did you have to interfere?"

Byakuya glanced at Hanzo, showing a look of anger. "I didn't kill your subordinate. If I had done it, I wouldn't have left evidence behind."

"Maybe so, but right now you're the prime suspect."

After a pause, Hanzo continued, "When sending people to capture you from the Akatsuki, I carefully reviewed the intelligence related to you.

You grew up as an orphan in the Land of Rain, only joining the Akatsuki within the last two years. Unlike other Akatsuki members, you execute missions cleanly and are well-regarded among the people of the Land of Rain.

However, during the review, I found information regarding Kusagakure.

In March of this year, Kusagakure suffered an unidentified attack. The attackers seemed to have taken prisoners from the village and the Hidden Grass Building was attacked by a mysterious person skilled in explosive tags, who also robbed a large amount of ninja arts.

If my guess is correct, that mysterious person must have been you. With the precedent of attacking the Hidden Grass Mansion, your act of killing my subordinate Jonin also becomes plausible. You indeed have the courage for it."

After Hanzo revealed the attack on the Kusagakure, Byakuya widened his eyes, showing a fearful expression on his face. His body couldn't help but tremble, as if all his secrets had been exposed.

However, in reality, Byakuya was only slightly surprised that Hanzo had guessed he was behind the attack on the Kusagakure.

Nevertheless, regardless of Hanzo's later attitude, he still possessed some investigative ability, which was why he was able to develop the Amegakure to a point just below the Five Great Ninja Villages.

As for the actions of attacking the Kusagakure, seizing their ninja arts, and rescuing Akane, Byakuya didn't even care.

At that moment, besides the maximum-security prison housing the ninjutsu, the Kusagakure's ninjas were all weaklings, barely a match for even a single glance from Nagato.

Even if Hanzo were to inform the Kusagakure of the news, what difference would it make?

Seeing Byakuya trembling in fear, Hanzo inwardly acknowledged his own intimidating presence. However, at that moment, Byakuya composed himself and somewhat indifferently smirked.

"If Lord Hanzo believes I killed the messenger, then I cannot defend myself. After all, I am just an ordinary ninja of the Akatsuki. Whatever Lord Hanzo says is true, whether it's the attack on the Kusagakure or killing the envoy—it was all me. I understand that Lord Hanzo doesn't want to see the rise of the Land of Rain, fearing we might threaten your position."

Faced with Byakuya's mocking remarks, Hanzo was momentarily at a loss for words.

It seemed like he was only bullying a young boy, accusing him of attacking the Kusagakure and killing his subordinate.

After all, a ninja capable of such acts would at least possess the strength of a Jonin, and even the renowned young genius Kakashi, who is highly esteemed in the ninja world, doesn't currently possess such power.

Moreover, Byakuya is technically a ninja of the Amegakure, under his command.

If news of him suppressing and killing his own genius subordinate were to spread, who knows what sarcastic remarks the Five Great Ninja Villages would make?

And what does he mean by not wanting the rise of the Land of Rain?

Making the Land of Rain one of the five great ninja villages influencing the ninja world has been his wish for decades. However, due to the awkward position of the Land of Rain, this wish has never been realized.

Upon hearing this, Hanzo was truly tempted to kill someone.

But Hanzo hesitated.

Byakuya is a young talent who will surely become a talented ninja of the Land of Rain in the future.

Killing him would be somewhat regretful, but not doing so would damage his reputation as a demigod and fail to satisfy his old subordinates.

For a moment, the renowned Hanzo of Salamander didn't know how to deal with Byakuya.

After pondering for a moment, Hanzo gave orders to the ninjas beside him, "Take the criminal Byakuya to the dungeon. I will personally interrogate him later."

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