35 Hanzo Confronts Akatsuki

As Hanzo and his ninja, followed by the Mist ninja, made their way towards the Akatsuki headquarters, they noticed a group of ninjas standing in front of it. Hanzo immediately recognized the distinct figures of the three leaders - Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato - among the group of twenty-five ninjas, all dressed in black kimonos with gray slashes, just as described in his report. His eyes fixated on the red-headed individual with purple eyes and six black circles, confirming the details provided in the report.

Once they reached the clearing where the Akatsuki stood, the Rain and Mist ninja surrounded them, Hanzo seized the opportunity to address them. "So, this is the infamous Akatsuki, spreading their influence across the Land of Rain in the name of peace through understanding? Yet, all I see are Konoha ninjas attempting to seize control of my country," Hanzo remarked, observing the surprise on their faces.

Yahiko, as the leader, sought to understand why Hanzo perceived them as Konoha ninjas and questioned, "Lord Hanzo, what do you mean by us being Konoha ninjas? We have never been to Konoha." Yahiko couldn't comprehend how Hanzo possessed knowledge of their past training under Jiraiya when they were younger.

However, to their shock, Hanzo's next statement instilled worry within Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato. "So, you're telling me that as children, you were not trained by Jiraiya from Konoha?" Hanzo inquired, closely observing their reactions to confirm the truth.

Hanzo couldn't understand how the Mizukage learned this information within his own country, especially when Hanzo himself was unaware of it. The expressions on the faces of the three standing before him, after hearing his statement, provided almost certain confirmation of the accuracy of the information.

"Lord Hanzo, I will not deny that we were trained by Jiraiya. However, I promise you that we have nothing to do with Konoha. We haven't even had any communication with Jiraiya since he left several years ago," Yahiko proclaimed, sensing that the meeting had strayed far from his initial expectations.

"Oh, so now you admit to being trained by a Konoha ninja, yet you claim there is no connection to Konoha. Do you not see the contradiction in your statement?" Hanzo said, staring down Yahiko, fully aware that he was the leader. In a deceptive gesture, Hanzo signaled an undercover agent within the Akatsuki to take Konan hostage, exploiting the momentary distraction caused by his earlier statement. The ninja pressed a kunai against Konan's throat.

Yahiko and Nagato were taken aback, shocked, and hurt by the betrayal from one of their own teammates. However, the truth quickly unfolded as Hanzo spoke again. "You see, the problem with trying to understand one another lies within our nature as ninja. Ninja lie, cheat, and steal. So how can we ever hope to understand each other when all we do is kill?"

Hanzo spoke while fixing his gaze on the fearful expressions of Yahiko and Nagato. "You never realized that one of your own was already working for me. Now, I'll give you a choice. If you truly want us to understand each other, then prove it," Hanzo declared, shifting his focus from Yahiko to Nagato. "Boy, take a kunai and kill your leader. Once you do that, I will release the girl, and we can start to understand each other," Hanzo concluded with conviction.

Hanzo's true intention was to manipulate Nagato's mind, distracting him and making it easier to defeat him. Hanzo did not want to risk his own life by engaging in direct combat with a powerful doujutsu user.

Unbeknownst to Hanzo, Madara had already influenced his thoughts before this encounter, utilizing his potent Sharingan to implant ideas through Genjutsu and erase Hanzo's memory of the events. This was all part of Madara's elaborate plan, as Hanzo would never consider such a scheme on his own, preferring to crush his adversaries with sheer force.

Nagato was taken aback by what Hanzo had just said, and he could only stare at him in a state of confusion. But before he could refute Hanzo, Yahiko spoke up.

"Lord Hanzo, are you absolutely sure that if I were to die, you would be willing to work with my friends? Do I have your word as the leader of the Land of Rain?" asked Yahiko, determination shining in his eyes.

Hanzo, seeing the determination in Yahiko's eyes, couldn't believe that a ninja could be so naïve. Nevertheless, he continued with the charade and spoke, "Yes, you have my word as the leader of the Land of Rain. I will not only spare your friends but also bring them back to the Rain Village and proclaim them as Heroes of the Rain," said Hanzo with such conviction that Yahiko couldn't help but smile.

However, Konan, who was being held hostage, spoke up and said, "No, Yahiko! You can't die! This is your dream for peace! If anyone should die, it should be me. You and Nagato are the key to peace."

Nagato, hearing Konan speak, was about to agree with her when Yahiko suddenly threw a kunai at him. Nagato, with his keen reflexes, easily caught the kunai by the handle, holding the blade facing away from him.

Yahiko, seeing Nagato holding the kunai with determination in his eyes, rushed forward, forcing Nagato to stab him in the chest with the kunai. Everyone watching was shocked to see Yahiko impale himself, but before anyone could say anything, Yahiko spoke to Nagato and Konan.

"Nagato and Konan, listen to me. I do this myself for peace in the Rain. Nagato, I know that once peace reaches the Rain, you can then bring peace to the ninja world. My dream will come true through you. You are the child of Prophecy, as Jiraiya once told us, destined to bring peace to the world," said Yahiko as blood leaked from his mouth, his breath growing weak.

Turning to Hanzo, who saw the look on Yahiko's face, Yahiko signaled for the ninja holding Konan to release her, his last act of dying with a clear mind instead of lashing out with dying strength. Konan rushed over to catch Yahiko, who was still being held by Nagato.

"Konan, Nagato, live on and bring peace," were Yahiko's last words as he closed his eyes and released his last breath, being held by his two oldest and closest friends.

Konan and Nagato were filled with sadness upon Yahiko's death, but before they could even process it, screams from their comrades and the sound of jutsus going off filled the air. While they were watching Yahiko's final moments, Hanzo had already issued the command to attack and was preparing to strike at both Nagato and Konan, who were crying over Yahiko.

In this moment, Nagato felt a surge of emotions running through him, causing a surge of chakra to overflow and pressure to be released from his eyes. Feeling an urge to use summoning jutsu, Nagato pressed his hands together and slammed them on the ground, screaming, "Summoning Jutsu!"

The ground began shaking as a giant wooden figure with nine closed eyes and chains on its hands and feet emerged from the ground. Hanzo, the Rain ninja, and the Mist ninjas were taken aback by the appearance of the large wooden figure. They had never witnessed a summoning like this before.

However, before they could react, the figure released a long black rod with multiple pointed ends, which stabbed into Nagato's back. Upon feeling the connection established by this strange summon, Nagato was flooded with knowledge of its uses, while his own chakra was continuously drained.

Nagato wasted no time and urged the creature to open its mouth, resulting in an ear-shattering scream. The figure then released dozens of small chakra dragons from its mouth, which relentlessly chased and passed through the Rain and Mist ninja. As the dragons swallowed these ninjas, they caused no physical harm, but the victims appeared drained, like mummies who had been stripped of their chakra.

Hanzo, witnessing the devastation caused by Nagato, felt deceived by the Mizukage. He tried to escape the pursuit of several dragons, but despite his efforts, he couldn't avoid them all. Eventually, he was caught and drained to a husk, dying on the spot.

After everyone, including their own teammates, was killed, only Nagato and Konan remained with Yahiko's lifeless body. Nagato felt utterly exhausted from the use of the statue, which caused the black rods in his back to break and the giant summon vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Konan, having witnessed the events unfold, turned to Nagato with concern, bombarding him with rapid-fire questions. "Nagato, are you okay? What was that thing? And what are those rods in your back?" she asked, not wanting to lose her last remaining friend.

"I'm okay, Konan," Nagato replied, trying to catch his breath. "I believe that was part of the sage's plan because I felt the urge from my eyes to summon it."

Madara, who had been watching the spectacle with Black Zetsu, was ecstatic to see his plan unfold without a hitch. He was particularly pleased that Nagato had summoned the Gedo Statue. "Let's go, Zetsu, and make sure to leave a clone to keep a close eye on them," said Madara as he prepared to leave.

"Are you sure you don't want to go talk to them now?" asked Black Zetsu, looking towards Madara as he started to disappear into a spiral.

"It is not the right time yet. After the Chunin Exams, you should leak the information of Hanzo's death, causing even more chaos in the Land of Rain before I reappear before them," responded Madara before completely disappearing.

Black Zetsu waited until Obito had fully disappeared before speaking to his White Zetsu half. "Arrogant brat, but I have to admit we are much closer to freeing mother than we have ever been before," said Black Zetsu.

White Zetsu took the opportunity to express his concern. "And what do we plan to do about the Shigaraki village? They are steadily increasing in strength, and we still can't enter the village to investigate," he said with a nervous tone.

Black Zetsu cursed himself, knowing that he was partially responsible for all of this due to his past mistake of creating that creature. However, he was determined to free his mother and wouldn't let anything threaten that.

He responded to White Zetsu's question with a determined voice, "Well, that woman has to leave the village when the Chunin Exams start, so we can use that opportunity to investigate the village. As for what to do, we will determine that after our investigation."

As Konan and Nagato mourned Yahiko's death, Black Zetsu merged with the ground, disappearing from the area, leaving only the two of them behind.

In the Land of Shigaraki, two weeks before the final of the Chunin Exams, Rin Uzumaki was focused on improving her strength before heading to Konoha as the representative of the Shigaraki Village. In the past, Rin would have been excited about going to Konoha, considering the supposed relationship the Uzumaki shared with the Senju.

However, after working alongside Orochimaru for months before his disappearance, Rin had learned the true nature of Konoha's higher-ups and discovered that there was only one living Senju left. She realized that not only were Konoha's higher-ups responsible for the death of the Senju Clan, but they had also betrayed the Uzumaki, saving only one member for their own purposes and ensuring she had a child.

This realization further fueled Rin's determination to get stronger. She saw the ninja world for what it truly was, a place of betrayal, where people used and abused one another, and the strong preyed on the weak. This fueled Rin's determination to become stronger because at this point, the only person Rin could truly trust was Kurogiri, who didn't use or abuse her, but protected and strengthened her.

After Orochimaru's disappearance, Rin doubled down on studying sealing arts, determined to recreate Orochimaru's curse mark. She had discovered that it was a lesser sage mode developed by Orochimaru himself. Rin was determined to create a version based on the Shigaraki sage mode, doubling the power output, and increasing her strength by ten instead of just by five.

Rin didn't have to worry about the functioning of the village, as the ninja under Kurogiri's subconscious mind control ensured that everything ran smoothly. From patrols to mission assignments, and even training sessions for the younger kids, the operations of the village continued without any room for mistakes.

After Orochimaru's departure, Rin was officially registered as one of Gigantomachia's users. This massive creature would now respond to her verbal commands. Understanding the potential of Gigantomachia as her ultimate trump card, Rin didn't want to take him as is to Konoha. Instead, she used sealing jutsu to establish a psychic beast contract with Gigantomachia, allowing her to summon him anywhere she desired.

Rin knew that this was the best way to utilize Gigantomachia's abilities, especially its invisibility. As soon as it was summoned, no one would be able to see it, potentially catching them off guard and allowing for a sneak attack.

A week before the start of the Chunin Exam finals, Rin successfully completed her own version of the curse seal that could enhance their Shigaraki sage mode tenfold. With the assistance of Kurogiri's subconscious, Rin spent the next three days applying the seal to all the available ninjas in the village. She even managed to apply the seal onto Gigantomachia, further increasing his already immense strength. Rin believed that she was fully prepared to go to Konoha.

In three days, Rin planned to leave for Konoha, aiming to arrive just in time for the Chunin Exam finals. With her newfound sealing ability, curse mark, summoning contract and the strength of her village behind her, Rin was confident that this tournament would be eventful. The results of the finals had the potential to shake the very foundations of the ninja world.