Chapter 17: Another Day of Danzo Slamming Doors
Hanma stood on the high rooftop, releasing a faint aura of blood over Konoha.
The blood's scent allowed him to sense everyone's chakra. Back in the ANBU, Hanma had always wanted to comment that the chakra of Rain ninja had a sorrowful, rainy smell, and their mental states seemed quite unhealthy.
"Heh, there they are."
Hanma glanced at a luxurious carriage, sensing three chakras exuding the rainwater smell inside it.
In a flash, he appeared in front of the carriage.
The lead coachman looked at the tall Hanma with disdain and sneered, "Who are you? Do you know whose carriage this is? This is the daimyo's!"
Ha, spies disguised as a daimyo. Quite inventive. It's a pity they didn't use their intellect for ninja duties.
With a casual wave of his hand, the violent fist wind shattered the carriage, and the hidden two along with the coachman instinctively used the Body Flicker Technique.
Hanma smiled and asked, "So it turns out the Rain Country's daimyo knows the Body Flicker Technique?"
The three Rain ninja dropped their pretense, grinning maliciously, "Kill him!"
Bang. Bang.
Two muffled sounds.
Two more heads exploded like overripe melons.
The remaining Rain ninja couldn't believe his headless companions as he looked at Hanma in terror.
"It's over, we encountered the Blood Wolf."
Due to his long-term involvement at the borders and dealings with ANBU from other countries, Hanma was renowned.
His rapid and violent taijutsu style, often leaving enemies in pieces, earned him the nickname Blood Wolf in the ANBU.
Some even said it wasn't so bad to encounter the Blood Wolf, as the death was quick and painless.
The Rain ninja bit his teeth and swiftly produced a talisman from his wrist, ready to activate it.
Hanma blurred into motion, gripping his neck, slicing his spinal cord with two fingers like a blade, and severing his main joints swiftly.
The Rain ninja, unable to move any part of his body, lay like a dissected frog on a lab table, conscious but completely immobilized.
Hanma picked up the talisman the Rain ninja was going to activate, examining it with interest.
It was a sealing talisman, probably containing some secret technique?
Certainly not an ordinary explosive tag.
Hanma carefully wrapped it in chakra, putting it away while waiting for the ANBU and police force to arrive.
He stared idly at the so-called daimyo's carriage.
Speaking of daimyo, they are a strange component of the ninja world. Lacking sufficient martial power yet holding high positions.
In the case of the Land of Fire, it's somewhat understandable.
When the Senju clan disbanded, the name vanished, but the bloodline connections persisted.
A change in surname didn't mean Nawaki wasn't the direct grandson of Hashirama Senju.
About half of the Senju continued as ninjas, their branches and leaves spreading, which is why genius often emerged among Konoha's ninjas and civilians.
The Senju genes were improving Konoha.
The rest took important positions in the Land of Fire or married into the daimyo's family, starting new lives.
Thus, the most crucial supporters of the Land of Fire's daimyo were none other than erstwhile Senju clan members.
This is why, despite Danzo's brazenness, he didn't dare harm the daimyo.
However, if a small country's daimyo were killed, the remaining daimyos might issue bounties, but it would stop there.
After about two minutes, the police and ANBU arrived slowly. Hanma looked at them and said indifferently:
"ANBU, numbers 24 and 56, the Inuzuka clan feels shame for you."
"Tetsuhiko, Enbu, the Uchiha are shamed by you too."
The arriving four hung their heads in shame, bowed deeply, and said in unison, "We apologize deeply, Senior Hanma!"
Twenty years had passed since the First Great Ninja War. The benefits from Tobirama Senju's sacrificial victory turned into economic gains, which Konoha enjoyed abundantly, greatly enriching its physical resources.
However, this wealth numbed many Konoha ninjas, eroding their sense of danger.
Small, hungry countries, bled dry and desperate, gazed at Konoha with hungry eyes.
In the future, the poor Suna would have its Kazekage mining for gold; how much more miserable could their ordinary ninjas and civilians be, prompting them to launch hopeless wars.
Indeed, history tells us people never learn from history.
Hanma pointed at the Rain ninja on the ground and instructed, "There's one survivor. Don't let any mistakes happen."
"Yes, Senior."
Waving off, he headed home, musing about what to cook and say to Tsunade that night.
Getting more agitated, Hanma felt a rare and unfamiliar tension.
He forgot his earlier reflections. What history, what insights—was anything more important than romance?
The young ninjas watched Hanma leave, and collectively sighed in relief.
"Ha? Even your Uchiha clan is afraid of Senior Hanma?"
"You might not know, but our clan leader has been bedridden recently. I heard he nearly got killed by him two days ago."
"Our ANBU heard about it too. Apparently, during the command selection, Senior Hanma fought two at once."
"Wasn't it five? But it's normal for Senior Hanma. It's good nobody died."
"Hey, tell us more about Senior Hanma. I'm a junior in my clan and hard to get any news."
"In general, he's really terrifying. Get grazed, you're hurt; get hit, you're dead. Get it?"
The Rain ninja, like a dead fish, wished to join in, but couldn't speak, his eerie eyes indicating agreement.
Hokage Office.
Danzo angrily pushed the door, seeing the smoky office, and his anger surged, questioning loudly:
"Konoha, infiltrated by a few Rain ninja! Hiruzen, ANBU is outrageous!"
The Third Hokage also looked unhappy and sighed, "Indeed, the pain of war comes quickly and fades quickly. The village's ninjas are growing complacent."
Danzo slammed the table and continued questioning:
"Ninjas don't act like ninjas anymore. What's the use! Hiruzen, you're too old-fashioned!
I've always suggested applying to the daimyo for our Land of Fire merchants to handle foreign trade, not letting foreign traders into our village!"
The Third Hokage stepped forward, face-to-face with Danzo, and loudly retorted:
"Easy for you to say. If foreign trade were simple, your Root wouldn't keep asking me for funds!"
Still feeling dissatisfied, he continued, "Your Root took so much funding. What are the results? In five years, Root hasn't produced half of Orochimaru's results!"
Mentioning funds and results, Danzo's face-tightening bandages shook in rage. The funds went to Orochimaru, but he couldn't tell Hiruzen that, the old dog!
After thinking it over and finding no retort, he could only utter the cliché:
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
"Danzo, I'm the Hokage!"
Konoha Interrogation Room, Morino Ibiki, grinning savagely, summoned his ancestral torture chamber, locking the Rain ninja inside.
The ANBU Captain, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the Third Hokage's eldest son, ordered grimly:
"Summon Fugaku Uchiha, Shikaku Yamanaka, and Might Dai. We must uncover stolen information and the number of intruders."
Who would've thought Konoha's ANBU had grown so lax?
This was not good news for the upcoming war.
Fortunately, that jerk was still around, making a timely intervention. Surprisingly reliable.
Recalling his days in ANBU trying to assert dominance and being promptly knocked out by Hanma, Shinnosuke only smiled slightly.
A strange kind of camaraderie, perhaps, as he once said, "You never know someone until you fight them."
Ninja, after all, respect strength.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke reminisced about past events.