Purple Cat and the others hadn't been sent on many missions recently—most were still alive.
That alone made Yagami breathe a little easier.
Soon, he met the new recruits joining their squad.
The most important among them was White Sheep, a reconnaissance ninja.
This new White Sheep was from the Aburame clan, skilled in insect-based scouting.
His insects could scout a distance of roughly one kilometer.
Yagami felt a flicker of disappointment.
The previous White Sheep—who'd had the Byakugan—could cover three kilometers.
This new one's insects barely reached a third of that range.
The gap in scouting ability was enormous.
Besides, insect-based scouting always had a delay.
The kikaichū had to return to their host before transmitting any information.
White Sheep spoke first:
"Captain, we've never worked together before, but my insects tell me… you don't seem very pleased with me?"
Yagami blinked. So those bugs could sense emotions too.
He replied evenly,
"It's not that I'm displeased. I was just thinking about the previous White Sheep.
He died on our last mission—just felt a bit sentimental, that's all.
Get acquainted with the team.
You'll need to understand them as much as they understand you."
Not long after, Captain Yellow Dog issued a new summons.
At the camp gate, Yagami saw Danzō—accompanied by two ROOT operatives.
Another mission under Danzō.
The ANBU advanced silently.
They left the Land of Grass and entered the rain-filled basin of the Land of Rain.
Heavy clouds hung overhead, and before long, the drizzle became a downpour.
This country never stopped crying.
The endless rain made life here harsh—little food grew in such a climate.
Most crops couldn't survive, the locals subsisted on aquatic plants like water caltrops and edible greens.
Recon squads came and went, constantly reporting back to Danzō.
Their sole job: gather intelligence for him.
Still, there was one advantage to following Danzō—intel was always up-to-date,
and since he valued his own life above all else, he would never walk into danger unprepared.
Soon, about three kilometers outside the Rain Country's capital, Danzō came to a halt.
According to intel, Hanzo was inside the capital itself.
Through the curtain of rain, the city loomed ahead—gray and mist-shrouded.
The ANBU encircled Danzō in silence, rainwater streaming down their cloaks.
An hour later, a group emerged from the city gates.
Danzō nodded slightly, and the ANBU moved as one, blocking their path.
At about fifty meters apart, Yagami finally saw Hanzo.
The "Demi-God" wore a mask and a cloak, wielding a massive scythe.
He looked left, then right, voice cold and incredulous.
"Danzō. My Hidden Rain has already declared war on your Leaf.
How dare you come here? Have you come to die?"
His tone dripped with confidence.
The "Demi-God of the Ninja World"—a man strong enough that Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzō, and even the Third Kazekage all took him seriously.
But Danzō merely smirked.
"Hanzo—so much for your so-called 'Demi-God' title.
You've been played like a fool by Ōnoki.
The Hidden Cloud has already declared war on the Hidden Stone—
The Third Raikage himself is leading troops through the Land of Rivers, invading from the north.
Meanwhile, the Leaf is pressing Stone's southern flank in the Land of Grass.
If not for your interference, we'd already have driven them into the Land of Earth.
I hear Ōnoki promised you mission contracts in the Land of Birds and protection quotas from its daimyō.
If you hadn't been swayed by his lies,
you could have simply attacked the Land of Birds yourself.
With Hidden Stone fighting on three fronts, the spoils would've been yours regardless!
Ōnoki gave you what he couldn't even defend in the first place—
and you're killing yourself for his sake.
A great deal for him… and utter stupidity for you.
You may have strength, but as a leader of a small village,
your political sense is pitifully weak.
Why not cooperate with the Leaf instead?
Let me teach you what it means to think strategically."
It was rare for Danzō to speak at such length—and he made perfect sense.
Too much sense, in fact.
Hanzo's face twisted with fury.
He was, after all, a disaster in politics.
If he weren't, the Land of Rain wouldn't later fracture into factions and rebellion after rebellion.
The early Akatsuki led by Yahiko had begun as a peaceful reformist group—
until Hanzo's blunders forced it into Nagato's violent revolution.
Enraged, Hanzo formed hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Words failed—so he turned to violence.
A massive salamander burst forth, its maw opening to exhale a cloud of aged, lethal poison.
Purple gas rolled out thick as fog.
Raindrops hissed as they struck the miasma, sizzling and corroding.
The salamanders native to Hidden Rain thrived in perpetual rain,
and this one—Hanzo's partner—was the strongest of its kind.
When the rain mixed with the toxin, it reacted violently, boiling and seething in midair.
Several ANBU unleashed Wind Release techniques, but the poison cloud didn't disperse.
Only when Danzō himself spat out a massive gale did the purple haze finally clear.
Yagami cursed under his breath.
Old bastard Danzō— I dodged to the side, and you blew the poison right toward me?!
Fox Squad scrambled to reposition—
but Hanzo's men were already waiting there.
They struck as the ANBU were midair, unable to change direction.
Kunai, poisoned needles, and shuriken rained down.
Yagami's fingers flashed through seals:
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
The torrent rose, blocking most of the attacks.
A fireball roared past him, scattering Hanzo's troops.
Captain Yellow Dog shouted,
"Everyone, focus on Hanzo!
Give Lord Danzō an opening to act!"
Danzō remained motionless behind them—
his usual method: let subordinates gather intel, then move for the killing blow…
or retreat, if things turned sour.
Yellow Dog charged first, leading with an enormous Fire Dragon Bullet—a flame sphere dozens of meters wide.
The inferno lit half of Hanzo's body.
But Hanzo was a master of Water Release.
A Water Formation Wall, ten times larger than Yagami's, surged up—
effortlessly neutralizing the flames.
Yagami moved to flank—only to nearly be crushed by the salamander's massive tail.
He barely dodged in time. One hit, and he'd have been nothing but paste.
If I'm going to die, he thought grimly, it damn well better be by Hanzo's hand—not some overgrown lizard's.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear Barrage!"
Dozens of towering earthen spears erupted upward—each more than ten meters high—
impaling toward the salamander.
Its skin was slick, sticky, and incredibly tough.
The spears couldn't pierce through—
but they did manage to pin its left limbs for a brief moment.
"Nice work!"
Yellow Dog shouted in praise—then unleashed another Fire Dragon Bullet.
Every ninja had their one signature jutsu.
No matter how many techniques you learned,
only the ones you could reliably use in real combat were truly yours.
Ever since Yagami met Captain Yellow Dog,
the man had only used that one technique—Fire Dragon Flame Bullet—
but he wielded it with terrifying efficiency.
Three massive fire dragons surged forth, engulfing Hanzo from all sides.
At the same time, ANBU on the other flank unleashed their own Fire Releases.
Flames closed in, two waves converging—Hanzo had no escape.
Or so they thought.
Hanzo's hands flashed through seals.
"Water Instant Technique!"
He and the salamander vanished.
Yagami felt a chill race down his spine—the air around him dropping in temperature.
The cold-blooded salamander reappeared behind him.
Hanzo's Water Instantaneous Movement had teleported even his gigantic summon.
A gleaming blade sliced through the rain.
Yagami's head flew from his shoulders.
[System detected host death. Activating Arc of the Moon System…]
Such a powerful Water Instant Jutsu... I want it…