Chapter 96: Meeting Between the New and Old Clan Leaders

"Everyone, as you can see, I'm merely defending myself. This doesn't violate our peace treaty among the Five Great Hidden Villages."

No one responded. The ninjas from the other three Hidden Villages were silently gathering their chakra, glaring at Hanma with increasing tension.

The blood-soaked ground and scattered limbs around emphasized Hanma's ruthless and fierce combat skills, making his innocent words seem hollow.

"If Uchiha Hanma had faced me just now, would these dead Mist ninjas be my current situation?"

Whether it was the old Chiyo, the relatively young Ay, or Kurotsuchi, they were all silently contemplating this question.

Although these individuals were engaged in chaos before Hanma's arrival, they were merely probing to understand each other's capabilities, using it as a show of power.

But Hanma's blatant killing of elite Jonin from other villages, while remaining indifferent, sent chills and confusion through everyone, making him seem more like a rogue ninja.

"He brutally killed the Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen. This is not the behavior of Konoha ninja. It's too unusual!"

"Could it be that Konoha plans to initiate the next Ninja World War?"

This was the common doubt in the hearts of the Sand, Stone, and Cloud ninjas present.

Under the leadership of the Third Hokage, Konoha had always presented itself as the peace envoy of the ninja world, using defensive strategies in negotiations and rarely attacking first.

Hanma's actions were a severe provocation to the Mist. Killing Mist's Jonin in cold blood without a declared war gave the Third Mizukage every reason to wage war against Konoha.

But Hanma was not worried. The Third Mizukage, having lost three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, would only find the current situation of the Mist more helpless.

Not to mention Orochimaru had already set his plans in motion in the Mist and was about to act.

Facing both internal and external pressure, the overwhelmed Third Mizukage might send a harshly-worded condemnation letter to Konoha at most, which wouldn't have any substantial impact.

Ay and Kurotsuchi exchanged a glance, silently communicating through sensory ninjutsu.

"Although I don't want to admit it, this Konoha scoundrel probably has strength comparable to my father. With him here, we have no chance of obtaining the Box of Ultimate Bliss."

"Intelligence underestimated him. Uchiha Hanma's taijutsu is on par with the Raikage. He's not someone we can deal with."

"Moreover, Hanma's actions are odd and very dangerous. Unlike Konoha's usual behavior, I suggest we retreat and abandon this mission!"

Kurotsuchi analyzed the situation and prudently decided.

Although the Cloud Village often appeared aggressive, it wasn't just a bunch of brutes who only knew how to fight.

In a future where this village, known for decades of training in taijutsu, would be the first to develop a chakra cannon capable of striking space, its technological prowess was unrivaled in the ninja world.

Even now, the Cloud Village was the first on the verge of perfecting the Jinchuriki technique.

Beneath the appearance of its aggressive tendencies, the Cloud Village hid a tough wisdom.

Ay slightly nodded towards Hanma and said in a deep voice:

"Since Konoha has intervened, we Cloud ninjas will withdraw our support for Grass Village."

With that, Ay and Kurotsuchi used the Body Flicker Technique and swiftly retreated.

Hanma politely nodded and didn't stop the Cloud duo.

Unlike the Mist, if Hanma killed Ay and Kurotsuchi, the enraged Third Raikage would likely invade the Land of Fire's borders the very next day, seeking justice for his son.

In that case, the Third Hokage would once again stir public opinion, branding Hanma as the instigator of war, dissipating the Uchiha's hard-earned advantages.

Chiyo, looking grim, glanced at Kurotsuchi beside her, inwardly cursing:

Chiyo had intended to form a temporary alliance with the Cloud and Stone ninjas to counter Hanma and seize the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

But she didn't expect the Cloud ninjas to withdraw so decisively, leaving her in an awkward position.

Kurotsuchi stepped forward, saying in a deep voice:

"Since Hanma is here, we believe he can handle the Grass Village issue. We'll take our leave."

With that, Kurotsuchi and the Stone Jonin Daishi also departed, leaving only Sand ninjas Chiyo and Rasa.

Hanma's lips curled into a smile. Whether it was Kurotsuchi or Ay, these second-generation ninjas were tough to deal with.

But Sand, as the previous war's defeated nation, had no standing.

To be blunt, even if Chiyo and Rasa died here, with its tailed beasts gone, Sand had no leverage to wage war against Konoha.

This is the ninja world, where the strong dominate the weak. Even Hanma is no exception.

"Granny Chiyo, quite tasteful of you to bring a kid along on a mission."

Hanma teased, looking at the still teenage Rasa.

This red-haired boy would eventually become a significant figure, one of the most abstract ninjas in the ninja world.

Under his manipulation, Gaara, originally a nice kid, nearly turned into a monstrous figure.

Despite Hanma's mockery, Rasa maintained a strong facade, but deep down, he was terrified.

Rasa knew very well that his strength, not even twenty years old, was not much stronger than the Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

Chiyo, gritting her teeth, inwardly stewed in malice, her eyes occasionally flashing with fury, yet she remained silent.

As a seasoned ninja, she clearly understood that if conflict erupted, they had no chance of winning.

More critically, she had Rasa, Sand's future financial savior, who must remain unharmed.

Despite her desire to see Konoha ninjas drop dead tomorrow, she had no choice but to grumble and disgruntledly retreat.

Thus, among the five great villages summoned by Grass Village, only Hanma remained.

Hanma slowly walked into the abandoned Ghost Lantern City, finding it empty.

The prisoners were gone, leaving only the giant Box of Ultimate Bliss in the center, with a hooded man sitting atop it.

This strange sight was not unfamiliar to Hanma, but he was curious about how daring this person was.

In the movie adaptation, the Ghost Lantern City lord had sacrificed all prisoners to the Box of Ultimate Bliss but only dared to trick Naruto, never daring to deceive the Five Great Hidden Villages.

"Young one, do you know who I am?"

A low, hoarse voice came from the hooded man who revealed eyes with swirling patterns.

At that moment, Hanma entered the highest level of alert.

Facing Uchiha Madara, this would be Hanma's greatest challenge in the ninja world!

(End of Chapter)