Chapter 75: Hidden Agendas

Under the protection of guards, Hanzo of the Salamander arrived at a forest outside the village.

Here, Hanzo encountered Danzo dressed in ninja attire, accompanied by a swarm of Anbu from Konoha. Hanzo couldn't help but furrow his brows.

In terms of numbers, Danzo brought too many ninjas—eight squads totaling thirty-three individuals.

These were no ordinary ninjas as they were elite members of Konoha's assassination unit, each surpassing the strength of typical Chunin, a force capable of altering local wars. They should not to be underestimated.

After a moment of contemplation, Hanzo looked towards Danzo nearby. "Danzo, why have you brought so many people here? Are you planning to attack the Amegakure?"

Danzo shook his head and replied, "Just came to visit an old friend, to see if we can continue our cooperation from last time and weaken the strength of Iwagakure."

Hanzo glanced at Danzo and said, "Aren't your Konoha Anbu constantly hunting down the Jounin of Iwagakure? It takes them over a decade to recover from each loss of Jounin."

Danzo sighed lightly, revealing a hint of reluctance in his eyes. "That's Minato Namikaze's merit. What does it have to do with me? Konoha is about to hold the election for Hokage. If I can't quickly gain significant merits, that kid will become Hokage."

"So you're still thinking about the Hokage position. If Amegakure has such outstanding successors, I will certainly step down and let them take over. The world is better off with younger people," Hanzo retorted, detecting the sarcasm in Hanzo's words.

With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, Danzo replied, "Minato is different from me. He has always disliked plotting conspiracies in the dark. Once he takes office, it will probably be difficult for us to cooperate as we are doing like before."

Pausing for a moment, Danzo continued, "However, the Amegakure also has outstanding successors. I've heard that a new ninja organization has emerged in the Land of Rain, gaining considerable popularity among the people."

"Even Danzo knows about it?"

A sharp glint flashed in Hanzo's eyes as he nodded, "Indeed, such an organization exists, but they've been causing me some headaches recently."

"If they can make Lord Hanzo uneasy, then I'm quite interested."

"It's nothing much, just that a high-ranking member of the Akatsuki killed one of my dispatched ninjas. Now my Amegakure and the Akatsuki are at odds. Danzo, speaking of which, the other high-ranking members of the Akatsuki are disciples of your own Jiraiya."

"Jiraiya's disciples?"

Danzo frowned slightly, "I've heard about this. He took in several students from the Amegakure, but how did they establish a ninja organization and even come into conflict with Lord Hanzo?"

Hanzo stared at Danzo for a few seconds, seemingly trying to see through him with his eyes, but couldn't decipher anything.

At this moment, Danzo seemed to think of something and suggested, "Since they've clashed with the Amegakure and caused difficulties for Lord Hanzo, why don't we join forces to resolve this trouble?"

Hearing this, Hanzo looked at Danzo in surprise, "They are disciples of Jiraiya. They are almost half of Konoha's ninjas. Aren't you concerned about Jiraiya's thoughts?"

"Jiraiya would not know about this, and if I can help resolve trouble for Lord Hanzo, I am willing to assist. However, when I campaign for Hokage, I may need Hanzo's support."

With that said, Danzo revealed a gloomy smile.

Hanzo didn't immediately accept or reject Danzo's proposal; he stood in place, weighing the pros and cons.

From a practical standpoint, the Akatsuki did pose a threat to him. With Danzo's help, the losses in dealing with the Akatsuki could be minimized. But Danzo wouldn't help without a reason.

If dealing with the Akatsuki could weaken his competitors, the cost would be too high. If the operation to exterminate the Akatsuki suffered heavy losses, Danzo would undoubtedly be held accountable upon returning to Konoha.

And there was also a huge doubt: was Danzo's arrival too coincidental?

Could it be that there was something valuable within the Akatsuki that Danzo had his eye on?

At this moment, Hanzo suddenly remembered something he had overlooked—the red hair of Nagato, a high-ranking member of the Akatsuki. Red hair wasn't rare in the shinobi world, but it was a symbol of the Uzumaki clan.

Could Danzo's target be Nagato, suspected of having Uzumaki blood?

After all, Uzumaki clan members were the most suitable candidates for being Jinchuriki, and to be elected Hokage, one must firmly grasp such a powerful weapon.

Thinking of this, Hanzo no longer hesitated and decided to cooperate with Danzo to eradicate the Akatsuki.

By now, whether or not Byakuya had attacked the messenger was no longer important. Since Byakuya had been captured, an irreparable rift had appeared between the Akatsuki and the Amegakure.

Therefore, it was best to offend them completely and directly strangle the Akatsuki in the bud.

After losing the obstacle in the form of Akatsuki, the Land of Rain no longer had any ninjas that could threaten him.

So about the Amegakure's heir, it is more reliable to cultivate one's own people. For example, the senior members of the Akatsuki sure are outstanding but not good for the position of an heir.

After all, what is good for the Land of Rain may not necessarily be good for Hanzo, the leader of the Amegakure.

In the first half of his life, he made great efforts to save this weeping country, but he failed in the end. It was time to start thinking about himself.

After serious consideration, Hanzo agreed to cooperate with Danzo.

What Hanzo didn't notice was that Danzo's eyes were filled with malice. He didn't give a damn about Hanzo, the so-called demigod in the ninja world. However, both sides were very satisfied with this cooperation.

Hanzo was glad that he could reduce losses while resolving the troublesome Akatsuki organization, only needing to sacrifice an inconsequential Uzumaki ninja and make a promise.

Danzo, on the other hand, was delighted.

The plan he had been plotting for months was finally reaching its climax.

To create chaos in the Land of Rain.

First, he contacted the Akatsuki's senior member, Byakuya, using his desire to become the leader of the Akatsuki, secretly gathering intelligence from the Amegakure, and jointly devising an assassination plan.

Now, that boy might still be immersed in the dream of Akatsuki in crisis and then stepping forward to become a hero.

Unfortunately, Danzo never intended for Byakuya to become the leader of the Akatsuki.

From start to finish, he was only using Byakuya, exploiting his ambitions to create discord between the Amegakure and the Akatsuki, which could threaten Konoha's internal organization.

Next, all that was needed was to exterminate the Akatsuki together with Hanzo.

Then, they could achieve the goal of weakening the Amegakure and gaining a solid and reliable alliance.

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