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"So you're supposed to be the leaders of the Hidden Rain? Hah—what a joke. Just a couple of kids, and one of them's a woman!"
Aka-tsuchi looked down at Hayato and Konan with barely concealed scorn. To him, Hayato still looked too young, too clean. Even though his body was packed with muscle thanks to the Hulk-like regeneration that let him push his limits in training, his pale, smooth skin and boyish face made him look like some pampered pretty boy once his clothes covered the bulk. And as for Konan—well, in his eyes, a woman didn't even count.
"You bastard, you're asking for it!"
Before Hayato or Konan could respond, the Rain shinobi around them were already glaring at Akatsuchi with murderous intent, weapons practically twitching in their hands.
Akatsuchi frowned. He hadn't expected Hayato and Konan to command that much loyalty in the Rain. But arrogance still curled on his lips. No matter how intimidating their glares were, he didn't believe anyone here would actually dare touch him. Sure, a few Iwa-nin had been killed inside the Rain's borders, but those were mostly genin and chunin. Maybe one or two jonin at best. No way the Rain would risk killing a Rock ninja envoy.
"Hmph. I'll remind you—I'm a representative of Iwagakure. Is this really how the Hidden Rain treats its guests?" Akatsuchi crossed his arms and sneered.
"Stand down!" Konan snapped, frowning as she waved off the Rain shinobi who were about to pounce.
Her restraint made Akatsuchi's smirk widen. Exactly as he expected. The Hidden Rain wouldn't dare oppose Iwa. They wouldn't dare to provoke them. That meant it was time to start pressing for what he came for.
"Now then, let's get to the point." Konan's calm eyes followed every twitch of his face, though a trace of disgust stirred in her chest. Years of leading a nation had taught her to stay composed.
Akatsuchi's voice dropped into a growl. "You Rain trash killed our people. That's a direct challenge to Iwa! So here's how this goes—you hand over the murderers, and on top of that, as compensation, the Rain will provide three years' worth of your grain harvest, most of your medical herbs, and all other resources we demand…"
His words dripped greed, his tone making it clear he wanted to bleed the Hidden Rain dry.
"You… what?!" Konan's face darkened. If his demands were actually met, the Rain wouldn't just be ruined—they'd be dragged right back to the miserable state they were in after the Second Great Ninja War.
"That's enough. Kill him."
Hayato's voice cut through the tension like a blade. He'd been watching silently until then, but once Konan had heard Iwa's true stance, he had no patience left for Akatsuchi's arrogance. With a sharp wave of his hand, he gave the order.
"What—what did you just say?" Akatsuchi froze, sure he'd misheard. Kill him? Did Hayato just say to kill him?
But while he stood there stunned, Hayato's guards didn't hesitate. The moment their leader gave the word, four elite jonin moved as one, striking in a blur.
Akatsuchi barely had time to register the attack. His strength was solid—he was already a competent jonin, maybe even brushing the edge of elite level. But he'd come here overconfident, never once imagining the Rain would dare to kill a Rock envoy. And these weren't ordinary ninja. Each of the four who struck him outclassed him individually. Together, he didn't stand a chance.
Pain exploded across his body as blades and jutsu tore into him. His vision blurred. For a heartbeat he saw himself from outside, his own body arcing high through the air—headless, blood spraying.
That corpse looked so familiar.
Then it hit him.
That was him.
Thud.
A headless body collapsed onto the ground, followed a moment later by the severed head itself. It rolled twice before stopping, its wide, unblinking eyes still full of confusion. Even in death, Akatsuchi couldn't wrap his mind around it—why had Hayato dared to give the kill order on him? He was an envoy from Iwagakure. Surely Hayato understood that killing him could provoke Iwa into retaliating against the Land of Rain.
As his last thoughts slipped away, regret finally surfaced. If he'd known things would end like this, maybe he wouldn't have strutted around acting so arrogant.
The Rain ninja watching from below couldn't help but feel a rush of satisfaction. Just minutes ago, Akatsuchi had been sneering down on them, full of smug superiority. Now he was nothing more than a corpse. The sight was almost cathartic.
As for Iwagakure's reaction? Whether they would rage, or whether this might spark a war with the Land of Rain—none of that crossed their minds. To them, it didn't matter. Their strength had been growing year after year, their nation rising in power. Many of them had secretly longed for a true fight against a worthy opponent. And above all, they had their leader.
Their eyes turned upward to where Hayato stood, gaze burning with devotion as though they were looking at a god. To them, Hayato wasn't just a man anymore—he was invincible, the kind of existence that could sweep aside any obstacle. As long as he was there, no problem seemed unsolvable.
After all, since Hayato had become the leader of the Land of Rain—together with Lady Angel, Konan—the country had transformed beyond recognition. Stronger. Sharper. Unstoppable.
Hayato had become more than a leader. He was a belief, a symbol. Practically every citizen of the Land of Rain worshipped him with fanatical loyalty. The less he appeared in public, the more mysterious and awe-inspiring he became in their hearts. Their faith only deepened.
"…Gather up this fool's corpse," Hayato ordered, his sleeve flicking as he turned away. "Send it back to Iwagakure as our answer. Either they pull every last ninja out of our land, or we meet them on the battlefield. No retreat. No surrender."
"Yes, Leader!"
Their voices rang with feverish devotion. This hardline stance, this domineering presence—that was exactly the kind of leader they revered.
Konan, standing among them, was far calmer than the rest. In her eyes, Hayato was also an unbeatable force. But she knew one truth better than anyone: war always left scars, and even victory came at a cost to the strength of a nation.
"....."