SJIN: Chapter 17
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After Mizuno finished discussing with Kakuzu, he didn't return to Konoha directly. This place was on the border of several small countries, and he wanted to visit one more person.
Land of Rain.
Hanzō of the Salamander squatted on a patch of empty ground.
The sky was hazy, and the humidity in the air was high, as if a downpour could come at any moment, giving a sense of inexplicable pressure.
Hanzō of the Salamander looked at the young man in front of him. He couldn't discern the other's true intentions.
"Are you truly representing Konoha Ninja Village?" Hanzō of the Salamander asked.
Mizuno nodded. "If you agree, I guarantee that Konoha's relevant documents will arrive within three days."
Hanzō of the Salamander frowned. "Kinkaku and Ginkaku, they're no small fry. Why should I help you? What do I get out of it?"
Mizuno looked up at the sky, then pointed to the surroundings.
"You can have this, Amegakure."
Hanzō of the Salamander sneered. "Amegakure is already mine."
That was true. In the entire Amegakure, no, in the entire ninja world, there were very few who could surpass Hanzō of the Salamander in strength. If he wanted to establish this village, no one could stop him.
But Mizuno didn't think so. "Hanzō-sama, you establishing Amegakure is one thing. The Five Great Nations acknowledging Amegakure is another."
Hanzō of the Salamander was surprised by these words.
Indeed, no matter how small the village, it needed international recognition.
It wasn't as simple as just setting up a stronghold. Hanzō of the Salamander didn't want to force the Five Great Nations to acknowledge the Land of Rain through war. The cost for the Land of Rain would be too high.
Mizuno knew that Amegakure was founded by Hanzō of the Salamander, and it even participated in the Second Shinobi World War in the future. But it didn't matter. At least for now, they desperately needed the support of a major nation.
"You mean, as long as I help you with this, Konoha will acknowledge the Land of Rain's legal status?" Hanzō of the Salamander confirmed.
Mizuno nodded. "That's right. You should know what Kinkaku and Ginkaku represent to Konoha. They are the ones who killed the Second Hokage. As long as they can be brought to justice, Konoha is willing to make some concessions."
Hanzō of the Salamander's eyes flickered. He was considering it.
After a long time, he nodded.
"Good, it's a deal."
...
...
Konoha Ninja Village.
In the Hokage's office.
Sarutobi looked at Mizuno's battle plan and frowned.
"I can't believe you would be so bold," Sarutobi said. "The Land of Rain is no big deal, but that Kakuzu and Hanzō of the Salamander, can we really trust their strength?"
Sarutobi hadn't met these two people. At this time, Hanzō of the Salamander wasn't yet renowned throughout the ninja world, so he was very worried.
"It would be best if you could give me a few more helpers." Mizuno said, digging his ears.
Sarutobi sighed. "Konoha's biggest concern right now is manpower. If Hatake Sakumo was here, it would be fine. Unfortunately, that guy went to the Daimyo's place, and he took a lot of talent with him."
He's still complaining about this? Mizuno frowned slightly. This showed that Sarutobi was really concerned about this matter.
"Alright, I'll have Danzo and Kagami help you. Danzo has a lot on his plate recently. If he can't go, I'll ask him if he has any available manpower. This is a major event. It must succeed."
Mizuno was very surprised. Sarutobi's determination was unexpectedly strong.
...
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Land of Iron.
An unknown corner.
Water flowed silently forward, a lifeless appearance. The sky was gray, making people feel restless.
Ginkaku squatted on a rock, cupped a handful of water, quickly splashed it on his face, and then cupped some to drink.
He didn't know when this kind of life would end.
"Big Brother, what should we do now?" Ginkaku asked Kinkaku on the other side.
Kinkaku's situation was slightly better. At least, his mentality wasn't as bad. "Don't worry, the Land of Iron is ruled by samurai, there are very few ninjas. We'll be careful, and we won't be discovered for now. Let's lay low for a while."
Ginkaku nodded. "Yeah, after all, we killed two Kage."
Thinking of the Second Hokage being ambushed, a smile appeared on Kinkaku's lips.
A light rain began to fall from the sky. Ginkaku stood in the rain, feeling a little depressed.
"Let's find somewhere to take shelter from the rain." Kinkaku stood up.
Ginkaku turned around, frowning slightly at the raindrops in the sky.
"What's wrong?" Kinkaku asked.
Ginkaku's voice was very low. "No, nothing. I just feel... this rain is a bit strange."
"You're just not in the right mindset. Stop thinking about it."
Ginkaku nodded and simply stopped thinking about it.
But on the border of the Land of Iron.
Hanzō of the Salamander suddenly opened his eyes.
"Found them. The two of them are hiding there."
Through raindrops, sensing a specific ninja within a certain range is difficult in a ninja village with a large number of ninjas. But in the Land of Iron, with two people with such strong chakra perception, it couldn't be anyone else.
At his side, Kakuzu silently bent down, wrote on a scroll, and sent a bird flying with it.
"It will take at least two days from Konoha to here," Kakuzu said. "If it rains for too long, it will be suspicious. I'll go watch them."
Hanzō of the Salamander nodded. "You're quite thoughtful."
How could such a clearly extraordinary and experienced guy be obeying Konoha? Hanzō of the Salamander thought secretly.
Kakuzu saw his suspicion. "He paid. He's very generous."
With those words, he disappeared into the earth.
When Mizuno received Kakuzu's message, he had already gathered his team and was preparing to leave.
Uchiha Kagami was very surprised. "Besides the four of us, there are other helpers?"
Mizuno nodded. "I found two outside reinforcements."
Kagami smiled. "That's good. I was really worried with just the four of us."
Danzo didn't come this time. He sent two elite members of Root, Yamanaka Hi and Aburame Shigen.
Mizuno looked at them and thought of Yamanaka Shika and Aburame Torune from the original story. It seemed that Root's tradition of using these two clans had been there since its establishment.
They were both support-type ninjas. Mizuno didn't expect them to be able to directly confront Kinkaku and Ginkaku on the front lines, but sensory-type ninjas were extremely important. Having these two on the team was indeed reassuring.
"I'm going to tell you about our opponents now," Mizuno said. "Kinkaku and Ginkaku are ninjas who rely heavily on information. Let's talk as we go."
Kinkaku and Ginkaku themselves were incredibly powerful. Besides that, they also had many Six Paths Tools. In the worst-case scenario, they had the Red Gourd, the Binding Immortal Rope, the Seven-Star Sword, the Banana Fan, the Amber Pure Bottle, and so on. All of these were in their hands. This indeed needed to be carefully guarded against.
Under Uchiha Kagami's shocked gaze, Mizuno began to explain his battle plan.
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