Chapter 214: A Disagreement Sparks Hanzō's Killing Intent

"I wanted to wage war against the Land of Grass, and Konoha jumped in to stir up trouble, which eventually led to the outbreak of war. Now, I've chosen to back down and wait for someone to negotiate, but what does Konoha do? They send Tsunade, clearly showing they don't respect me at all."

Hanzō continued, his tone full of bitterness. "After being rejected, they bombed Amegakure's walls, forcing me to the negotiation table. I still compromised. But now, for the sake of my village and the Land of Rain, I've had no choice but to wage another war, this time against the Land of Iron. And here comes Konoha again, sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. Do they really think I, Hanzō, have no temper?"

"Forget about cooperation. I don't think I can live up to Konoha's expectations. As for the conflict with the Land of Iron, that's between the Land of Rain and the Land of Iron, it has nothing to do with Konoha," Hanzō dismissed Danzō's words, showing no interest in even entertaining a conversation.

Whether Danzō represented the village or himself didn't matter to Hanzō. He had no intention of dealing with either.

If they knew what was good for them, they would stop bothering him. If pushed too far, Hanzō wouldn't hesitate to make rash decisions, and Konoha would be the ones regretting it.

"This Hanzō is simply unreasonable!" Danzō's face turned livid with anger. He hadn't even had the chance to make his case, and Hanzō was already kicking him out, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Hanzō, are you saying you want to be Konoha's enemy?" Danzō challenged, deciding to use the weight of the village to pressure him.

Hanzō, who had taken a couple of steps away, suddenly stopped. His fists clenched, and his hand slowly moved toward his back. He turned his head and fixed Danzō with a cold stare.

"Are you threatening me?"

If Sarutobi Hiruzen had said this, maybe Hanzō would have tolerated it—but Danzō? Who did he think he was? Did he really think his title as Konoha's advisor gave him that kind of authority?

Who do you think you are?

Danzō could feel the killing intent emanating from Hanzō, and his heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, he took a step back.

"Danzō-sama, be careful!"

Noticing the shift in Hanzō's aura, Danzō's Root operatives immediately moved in, surrounding their leader in a protective formation. The rest of the team encircled Hanzō.

"Are you threatening me, Hanzō?" Danzō's anger flared.

Hanzō sneered, "You can threaten me, but I'm not allowed to threaten you? Seems I've overestimated you, Danzō, the so-called 'Root of Konoha.'"

"Stop him!" Danzō's pupils contracted as he saw Hanzō's hand reach for the handle of his scythe. He quickly retreated, knowing full well that Hanzō had made up his mind. This wasn't just a bluff; Hanzō really intended to kill him.

Damn Hanzō!

Cursing inwardly, Danzō continued to fall back. He wasn't about to put himself in such a dangerous situation.

After the incident with Chiyo, Danzō had become especially cautious. He wasn't about to risk his life. If his subordinates died, they could be replaced, but if he died, that was the end of everything.

"Coward!" Danzō spat while fleeing, still trying to save face. Hanzō only felt more disdain.

To think Danzō was part of Konoha's high command—he was nothing but a coward, not even on par with the Sannin.

At least the Sannin would fight back, willing to fight to the bitter end. But Danzō? All he did was run.

"Protect Danzō-sama!"

As soon as Hanzō revealed his intent, the Root operatives moved to shield their leader. A few stayed back to engage Hanzō, while the rest led Danzō to safety.

"Protect Lord Hanzō!" The Amegakure ninja, seeing the clash unfold, quickly joined the fray.

"Ahhh!"

Danzō could hear the anguished cries of his subordinates behind him. His body trembled with rage, but he couldn't afford to stay. Now that he had lost both an eye and an arm, his strength had diminished significantly. He stood no chance against Hanzō in his current state.

If he stayed, the one who would die would be him, Danzō.

"Hanzō, you coward, you only know how to leave your subordinates to die!" Danzō shouted as he continued to flee.

This madman!

Never in his wildest dreams did Danzō imagine that his simple words would push Hanzō over the edge.

Danzō was used to using the village's authority to pressure others. It was a habit he had developed in Konoha.

But what he failed to realize was that Hanzō, after the war with Konoha and the humiliation he had endured, had grown extremely sensitive to such condescension.

By trying to lord over Hanzō, Danzō had only succeeded in enraging him.

"Danzō-sama, run! He's coming after us!" The Root operatives fought valiantly to buy Danzō time to escape.

"Hanzō!!!" At this moment, all Danzō could think about was accelerating his recovery plan. He had grown tired of his weakened body, which had only hindered his power.

What would happen if he killed Danzō? Of course, it would offend Konoha, but Hanzō didn't care. He was intent on finishing Danzō off, regardless of the consequences.

Unfortunately, despite suffering heavy casualties, the Root operatives managed to hold off Hanzō long enough for Danzō to escape, leaving behind a trail of corpses.

Though they paid a heavy price, the Root operatives had succeeded in protecting Danzō and helping him make it back to the village.

"Danzō, you..." Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned as Danzō, disheveled and furious, stormed into his office.

Weren't you supposed to be in the Land of Iron, negotiating with Hanzō? How are you back already? And in such a sorry state?

Clearly, the negotiations had fallen apart—there was no other explanation for Danzō's condition.

Though he had already guessed the answer, Hiruzen still asked, "Danzō, did the negotiations fail?"

"He didn't even give me a chance to negotiate! That lunatic!" Danzō, caring nothing for his appearance, shouted in frustration.

"He wouldn't even let me speak, nor did he care about Konoha's authority. Hanzō has gone mad."

Does everyone need to bow to Konoha?

Clearly not. Many had chosen not to heed Konoha's influence.

Hanzō was just one of many.

"This is... really not good news," Hiruzen murmured, deeply furrowing his brow. Things were taking a turn for the worse, just as he feared.

With peace talks off the table, how would they handle the situation with the Land of Iron? It was a headache waiting to happen.

Hanzō had made it clear he wasn't interested in negotiating with Konoha, nor would he retreat just because Konoha told him to.

Worst of all, Konoha's reputation had been tarnished.

The esteemed advisor of Konoha, sent to negotiate with the leader of a small village, had been chased off and returned in disgrace.

It was a slap to Konoha's face. A very loud one.

Upon hearing the news, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado rushed to the Hokage's office.

The moment they saw Danzō's disheveled state, they knew things had gone terribly wrong.

Not only had the negotiations failed, but they had also stirred up more trouble.

"What happened?" Koharu asked, eyeing Danzō warily. Seeing Danzō's dark expression, Hiruzen sighed and answered.

"Hanzō refused to negotiate. He believes Konoha is trying to bully the smaller nations, specifically him and the Land of Rain."

Hiruzen gave a brief account of what had happened.

Whether it was entirely true, only they knew. After all, this was what Danzō had told him.

"Hanzō has some nerve, not even putting Konoha in his eyes. Hiruzen, we can't let this go, or else the other small nations won't take Konoha seriously anymore," Koharu snapped.

They couldn't just let this slide. They had to put Hanzō in his place, or Konoha's reputation would be damaged.

If they didn't act, what would stop other small nations from following Amegakure's example?

"I know," Hiruzen muttered, equally frustrated. "But the question is, what can we do about it?"

The best way to punish a village was through war.

But could Konoha afford another war?

No.

After the recent war with Amegakure, Konoha was now locked in conflict with Sunagakure. Suna was already on the verge of defeat, with victory in sight. There was no way Konoha could afford to start another war with Amegakure.

Especially since they had just signed a peace treaty.

Starting a war immediately after would be an embarrassment to Konoha.

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