Chapter 213: Danzō and Hanzō's Tense Meeting

The two of them split up, and Takuya headed to the mission department.

"Bring me the missions and requests related to the Land of Rain and the Land of Iron."

"Understood, please wait a moment."

The person at the mission desk pulled out the scrolls and began sorting through them. It didn't take long for the missions and requests from both regions to be gathered.

Takuya began reviewing them.

There weren't many missions for the Land of Rain, but there were quite a few for the Land of Iron. Most of them were escort missions—escorting caravans heading to the Land of Iron.

The person at the desk, cigarette in mouth, explained, "Since Hanzō from Amegakure has been attacking the Land of Iron, the number of escort missions has spiked recently. This request in particular has a nice payout. If you're interested, you could take it."

"Let me have a look," Takuya said, unfurling the scroll.

The request was to escort a caravan delivering food and medicine to the Land of Iron. The food was just an extra item, but the medicine was what the Land of Iron needed most desperately at the moment.

Looks like the war had really hit the Land of Iron hard. Hanzō had given those samurai quite a rough time.

There was even a time constraint.

Glancing over the conditions, Takuya narrowed his eyes.

The mission's reward was quite substantial.

No doubt, Takuya was interested.

He wasn't desperate for money, but who would say no to earning more?

An A-rank mission offering a reward of two million ryō—according to the commission split, as the leading jōnin, he could earn close to one million ryō himself.

But was this really worth that much money for just an A-rank mission?

After all, mission difficulty and rewards were usually tied together. You couldn't always gauge a mission's true risk just by its rank; some C-rank missions could pay more than B-rank ones.

"Isn't there something off about this mission?" Takuya asked.

"Shouldn't it be classified as an S-rank mission?"

Takuya directed his gaze at the person in charge.

The mission's classification seemed suspicious.

"These escort missions aren't placed in the S-rank category because there's a chance you won't even encounter any enemies. But if a battle does happen, it could easily escalate to S-rank difficulty. The Hokage himself decided to classify it as an A-rank mission," the man explained, taking another drag of his cigarette.

"So there's a chance of running into Hanzō, the so-called 'demi-god,' right?" Takuya completed the thought.

It was labeled as an A-rank mission instead of S-rank because, if luck was on their side, they could get to the Land of Iron without any conflict.

But if they were unlucky...

They might attract the attention of Amegakure's forces—or worse, Hanzō himself might show up. Since Amegakure was attacking the Land of Iron, Hanzō wouldn't want to see any supplies, especially medical supplies, reaching their destination.

The mission clerk gave a helpless shrug.

Takuya chuckled, "An interesting mission—coming from the mission department rather than being directly assigned by the Hokage."

Konoha's missions and requests were divided into two categories. The first involved missions you could pick and accept yourself from the mission department. The second type was directly assigned by the Hokage, who would designate specific teams to carry out high-level or special missions.

Usually, A-rank and S-rank missions were assigned by the Hokage. Only a handful of high-level missions ended up in the mission department.

The clerk lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled, "This mission's been sitting here for days. No one suitable has taken it."

"Interested?"

Wasn't that obvious?

Takuya rolled his eyes. Due to the war, most of the high-ranking jōnin were at the front lines, and only a few had remained in the village.

This mission specifically required a jōnin to lead.

But how many jōnin were dumb enough to take this mission?

Everyone knew there was a high chance of running into Hanzō, the so-called 'demi-god.' The reward was high, but it wouldn't matter if you couldn't live to spend it.

Besides, this wasn't a direct assignment from the village. Who in their right mind would gamble their life, hoping they wouldn't cross paths with Hanzō?

The war with Amegakure had only recently ended. All of Konoha's jōnin knew how terrifying Hanzō could be.

As a result, this high-paying mission had been collecting dust for days, with no takers.

The Third Hokage hadn't assigned a team to it because Danzō had already left the village and was on his way to the Land of Iron, likely negotiating with Hanzō as they spoke.

Sending a supply convoy to the Land of Iron now would risk those negotiations falling apart if they ran into trouble. That's why the Hokage relegated the mission to the mission department.

He knew that no jōnin in the village would be eager to take on this mission.

Those with the strength wouldn't touch it, and those without the strength would be too afraid of Hanzō to even consider it.

"I'll think about it," Takuya said, leaving the mission department without making a decision. There were plenty of other suitable missions available, so there was no need to rush.

"Such a shame," the mission clerk muttered as he watched Takuya walk away. This mission wasn't looking promising. A high reward didn't mean much if no one was willing to accept it.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder—why hadn't the Hokage assigned this mission to a specific team? Hopefully, they wouldn't end up sending a random squad. If they did run into Hanzō... well, that squad would be in for some serious trouble.

Meanwhile, in the chaotic war zone of the Land of Iron, Hanzō and Danzō met face to face, each flanked by their forces.

Especially Danzō, who had brought almost all of his Root operatives with him. Clearly, he didn't trust Hanzō and feared an ambush.

Danzō was a cautious man with great ambitions, but he cherished his life even more. The size of his entourage wasn't about making a statement—it was about ensuring his safety.

Hanzō, however, had no regard for Root, leaving them behind as he confidently approached. Glancing at Danzō, whose head and shoulder were still wrapped in bandages, Hanzō sneered, "Looks like that old hag Chiyo did a real number on you."

Danzō's remaining eye flashed with hatred, his expression cold.

"And it seems that losing the war has sapped your will to fight, Hanzō. You've been reduced to mocking others for their injuries."

"Hah!" Hanzō scoffed.

"Let's cut the nonsense. We both know what kind of people we are. Why are you here, Danzō?"

Hanzō wasn't naive—he knew Danzō had ulterior motives for seeking him out.

Just thinking about the recent defeat, Konoha's disregard, and the gaping hole in Amegakure's defenses made Hanzō's face twitch under his gas mask. His tone grew even frostier as he addressed Danzō.

"I'm here to propose a deal."

Danzō didn't mention the mission Konoha had given him. To him, the village's orders were secondary to his personal agenda.

Hanzō paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"A deal? If I had to guess, you're here on behalf of Konoha, asking me to withdraw and abandon my assault on the Land of Iron, right?"

Did you really think I wouldn't see through your little schemes, Danzō?

Talk of a deal—what a joke.

Hanzō's laughter was harsh and grating, especially to Danzō's ears.

"That's the village's business—it doesn't concern me," Danzō admitted that Konoha had tasked him with negotiating a retreat, but made it clear to Hanzō that he didn't care about that. His focus was on his personal interests.

Do you think I'll believe you? Hanzō's eyes narrowed in disdain. This man was not to be trusted.

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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 260+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters

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