Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 131 The Tiger That Has Escaped Its Cage
"Lord Hanzo, are you really getting old?"

"Hanzo doesn't even dare to make a move anymore..."

"Were they scared out of their wits by Konoha and Sunagakure?"

"What 'hero'? He's nothing but an old coward who cowers in his tower and only knows how to send people to protect himself!"

"I heard that Hanzo has been killed..."

"Yuyin, it's over...we're finished..."

Hanzo stood like a rock on the red tongue, his heavy, suppressed breathing coming from beneath his mask, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists tightly.

His eyes gleamed with barely suppressed anxiety.

Standing here, through the rain curtain before him, Hanzo could feel the death permeating the villages on the border of the Land of Rain, villages ravaged by war.

Fear is spreading rapidly through the Land of Rain like a plague. People whisper among themselves, their eyes filled with the fear that the tragedy of the Second Shinobi World War will be repeated.

Rumors and gossip about him circulated throughout Amegakure and even the Land of Rain.

Every word of disappointment and disdain felt like a whip lashing his face!
All of this was stimulating his long-dormant fighting spirit.

He longed to descend upon the battlefield as he had in the past, to crush those invaders who dared to trespass on the territory of the Rain Kingdom like insects with his scythe and deadly poison!
He longed to sink the bones of those invaders into the filthy mud of the Land of Rain, and to reaffirm the fearsome name of "Hanzo" that had once made the five great nations tremble with their blood and death!
But he can't!

Because of that person's command, that 'Shadow's' command!

That mysterious being granted him the power to return to his peak and even surpass his former self, using incomprehensible means to revitalize his aging and decaying body.

However, the price of this power is a certain degree of obedience.

That guy said it wasn't the right time yet, there wasn't enough bait.

Bait?

What kind of bait?
Those ninja from Konoha and Sunagakure?
What exactly does 'Shadow' want to do?
Hanzo didn't know.

However, before Sunagakure and Konoha crossed his bottom line, he had no choice but to obey the 'Kage's' orders and be tied up here.

Standing at this highest point, in the cold rain, enduring the inner torment and the growing doubts and ridicule from the outside world, I waited impatiently.

Every explosion that came from afar lashed at his already taut nerves.

"..."

In contrast, Nagato ignored Hanzo's habitual self-pity.

He sat on the edge of the red tongue with one leg casually dangling outside, the other leg bent, his elbow resting on his knee as he gazed into the distance.

Those deep Rinnegan eyes pierced through the heavy rain, their invisible perceptions outlining the Sand Village and Konoha ninjas fighting each other madly on the border of the Land of Rain.

Rain Tiger Free Technique is a ninjutsu that uses chakra to create rain clouds and then make them rain. Each drop of rain is closely connected to his senses.

Its unique climate adaptability allows it to perform at its best in rainy weather, reduces chakra consumption compared to conventional sensory ninjutsu, and enables it to monitor the entire area around the clock to prevent infiltration by external forces.

If he had the power he once possessed as Pain, this technique would have only covered Amegakure at most, but now it can sense the entire Land of Rain.

And all of this, just like Hanzo, is because of that person.

Therefore, compared to Hanzo's anxiety, Nagato appeared unusually calm.

Because he knew more about the secrets of the 'Kage' than Hanzo did, and knew about the power lurking in the shadows that overturned the ninja world's understanding.

He knew that 'Shadow's' words were not unfounded; this seemingly incompetent and indifferent detachment must be hiding an important plan.

So he simply sat quietly, like a stone statue unmoved in the wind and rain, waiting for the command to be given.

Just as this oppressive silence seemed to solidify, a calm, smiling voice came from behind without warning.

"Time is up."

Hanzo and Nagato's bodies jolted simultaneously. Nagato slowly retracted his foot, which was hanging outside, while Hanzo suddenly turned around, splashing water in the process.

Behind them, in the shadow of the demon's throat, the deep darkness coalesced as if alive, and figures silently emerged from it.

That face was still shrouded in shadows, blurring the view. A wide black robe enveloped his figure, revealing only a profound depth that seemed to devour all light.

"Shadow, what did you say?"

Hanzo's heart pounded like a drum, and he blurted out the question instinctively.

The 'Shadow's' gaze seemed to pierce through the rain curtain and land on a gigantic maw that had long since opened for this feast.

No explanation or motivation is needed.

"Go."

'Shadow's' voice was unusually calm, even gentle, but the words it uttered sent chills down the spines of those around it:
“Purge them out.”

The moment the words fell, the 'shadow' seemed to vanish silently in the rain, like ink scattered by the rain.

It was as if that command was the sole reason he had come here.

Or rather, he came here to open the cage that was holding the tiger.

hum! !

Hanzo suddenly unleashed a chilling killing intent that could freeze the space around him, and the chakra he had accumulated inside him instantly boiled and burst forth.

The tiger, which had been confined in a cage and starving for several days, could only pace restlessly in the cage, as if it had caught the scent of flesh and blood.

His eyes locked onto the distance, revealing the sharpness that once terrified the five great nations. The anxiety in his eyes transformed into a naked, fanatical killing intent, eager to drink blood.

At that moment, only one thought remained in Hanzo's mind.

kill! !
In an instant, his figure disappeared from the spot, heading towards the border of the Land of Rain.

Along with it, Nagato's figure also disappeared.

------

At this moment, on the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, lies the frontline command post of the Sand Village forces.

Outside the tent, the rain pattered, and the damp chill characteristic of the Land of Rain had already seeped in, the air heavy with the scent of earth.

Inside the tent, however, it was a completely different scene. The stove and lamplight emitted a warm glow, dispelling most of the chill, but also highlighting the tired and somber faces on each one.

The Sand Village's Jonin sat upright around a wooden table covered with a map, their eyes fixed on the elderly woman in the main seat, whose gaze was sharp as a hawk's.

Good evening, everyone.

Chiyo's gaze swept across the faces of the Sand Village Jonin present, and she laughed, "Why do you young people seem more nervous than this old guy? Can't you relax a bit?"

Upon hearing this, the Sand Village ninjas present smiled in agreement, but there was no real smile in their eyes.

They all knew that this strategic meeting would determine the fate of the village.

"Alright, let's begin the battle plan now. First, the first point..."

Chiyo cleared her throat, looked up from the document, and smiled, "Increase our strategic depth in the Land of Rain, extending beyond the borders to resource-rich areas."

(End of this chapter)