Or perhaps... it's taking one's own life.
Tsunade had seen this many times, where a bedridden ninja spent the rest of their life in suffering, a fate worse than death for a ninja.
Rather than turning into a shadow of a human, ending one's life is much easier, avoiding the sight of one's own wretched and humiliating appearance.
For Ringo Ameyuri, death was a relief.
"No matter which village, there's always this kind of political struggle..."
Tsunade took a sip of tea and sighed softly.
In this regard, as a member of Konoha Ninja, she couldn't laugh at other villages.
◎
Three days later.
In a small port town of the Land of Rainbow, in an unremarkable dark alley, the Earth General's head emerged from the ground, rotating more than 180 degrees to carefully perceive the situation within the town.
Upon sensing the 'target' chakra, he retracted back into the ground and quickly moved towards the 'target's' location.
In less than ten seconds, the Earth General stopped his body, emerging in a dark small room.
He looked around to ensure there were no problems before immediately performing a seal, pressing his palm firmly on the ground.
Boom!
With a burst of white smoke wafting through the room, the figures of Ayane, Ruri, and Hakushi appeared there.
"Such a dim environment."
"After all, it's a big shot from the Hidden Mist. If discovered, it would be very troublesome."
Hakushi chuckled lightly; his perception ninjutsu was also active here.
He turned to look at a wooden door beside him. Behind it was another room, where the 'target' was located.
"I'll handle the contact alone from here."
"Are you sure about this?"
"It's fine, the other party is coming alone. There's no need; you two handle the outside defense."
Hakushi nodded to the two women, pushed open the wooden door beside him, and walked inside.
The room he entered was similar to the previous one, dark and suitable for hiding. A figure stood with its back facing Hakushi in the darkness.
Upon hearing footsteps from behind, the figure turned around to face Hakushi.
"I didn't expect it to actually be you. It seems my estimation wasn't wrong."
Said the person in the darkness, somewhat surprised.
Hakushi glanced around the dark surroundings, then spoke to the person, "Choosing a place like this and even coming with a shadow clone, you're truly cautious."
"My real body is being watched by the Third, it wouldn't be good if they noticed anything."
"Let's get straight to the point; neither of us has much time. How do you plan to collaborate?"
Hakushi asked directly.
The other person had a prominent status in Hidden Mist, making it quite inconvenient.
Contacting someone like him, a renegade ninja, was already a risky move.
"I need you to heal Ringo Ameyuri's injuries and temporarily conceal her existence. For you, who controls the Land of Demons from the shadows, this should be simple."
"And what do you plan to exchange for that?"
"When the time is right, Hidden Mist will clear your names, erasing the warrant records of you as renegade ninjas."
Hakushi squinted his eyes.
The other party was able to foresee to this extent, indicating they had seriously studied the series of changes in the Land of Demons.
Some subtleties could be seen from this.
"Interesting. But I don't think a Ringo Ameyuri is worth you going this far. State the other conditions as well, and I'll weigh the pros and cons."
Although the Seven-swords Ninja were well-known, it wasn't worth Hidden Mist making such a big concession.
Clearing the names of renegade ninjas, especially the three of them with special status, would place tremendous pressure on Hidden Mist internationally.