"Y-You… who are you?"
The older Sunagakure shinobi stared at the young man who appeared before him, his expression extremely grim.
They had only killed a few Amegakure ninja inside the Land of Rain's borders, never expecting someone to suddenly appear and save those people.
Before he could react, he noticed the young man's black pupils suddenly turn scarlet.
And then—there was no then.
In the eyes of the three Amegakure shinobi, the young man merely flicked a kunai casually, and that powerful Sunagakure shinobi collapsed onto the ground.
The entire process was over before the man even realized it, killed without resistance.
He didn't even have time to scream.
The young Amegakure team captain tried to crawl up from the ground, but the poison coursing through his body had robbed him of all movement.
It wouldn't be long before the poison claimed his life.
"Cough, cough… thank you." The boy violently coughed out a mouthful of black blood, looking gratefully at the youth in the straw hat.
Renya gave him a glance, then began rummaging through his ninja pouch for an antidote.
"You two… go back to the village for treatment. Don't worry about me." The boy gave a bitter smile at his two teammates. "The senbon were poisoned. I probably won't make it back."
"Captain, we'll go back together!"
"If you go, we all go. We can't leave you behind."
Their genin squad had gone out on patrol, only to be ambushed by three Sunagakure shinobi. In the end, only these three managed to survive.
Naturally, the other two didn't want their captain to simply die like this. Even though they themselves were badly wounded, they still wanted to carry him back.
"Quite the touching scene, nya." Scar purred softly as he appeared in front of the three.
The moment the black, fat cat appeared, all the grief the three had worked up instantly evaporated.
"Enough. Here—this bottle is the antidote." Renya tossed them a porcelain vial.
The three Amegakure shinobi stared blankly at the bottle lying in front of them, frozen in place, not knowing what to do.
"Cough, cough, cough…" The boy hacked up another mouthful of black blood.
"What are you still staring for, nya?" Scar tilted his head in puzzlement at the three. "Hurry up and give him the medicine, or he really will die of poison."
Were these three knocked silly by the Sunagakure shinobi? The antidote was right in front of them, yet they didn't know to use it.
"R-Right, the antidote! Give him the antidote!" The wounded Amegakure ninja clutching his abdomen quickly grabbed the vial, opened it, and poured it straight into his captain's mouth.
Renya's lips twitched at the sight. Was that really necessary? It was just a little poison—did they really have to use up the whole antidote in one go?
Good grief. What a waste.
Still, he didn't say anything, only watched in silence.
The boy's previously darkened, bluish face quickly flushed with color once the antidote took effect, but due to his injuries, he soon grew pale again.
"Benefactor, thank you." The boy struggled to rise, bowing deeply to the young man and the cat.
The other two quickly supported each other and followed his lead, bowing in gratitude.
"Don't thank me yet. I saved you under one condition."
Under their puzzled gazes, Renya explained: "Take me to Salamander Hanzō."
The three were from Amegakure, so naturally it would be easier for them to see Salamander Hanzō than for him. That was the real reason Renya had saved them—having guides was better than wandering aimlessly.
"You want to meet the leader?" All three instantly frowned, hesitating.
Although this young man had just saved them, they had no idea why he wanted to see their leader.
If they recklessly brought him to Hanzō-sama, what if his intentions were malicious?
Even if Hanzō-sama was immensely strong, they dared not take such a risk.
"Yes. I want to meet Salamander Hanzō." Renya nodded, not denying it.
His main reason for coming to the Land of Rain was to gauge the strength of Salamander Hanzō, to see whether he was truly worthy of the title "Demi-God."
In other words, he was simply bored and had come here to stir up trouble…
"What is your purpose in seeking out the leader?!" The boy's expression hardened, his grip on the kunai in his hand tightening instinctively.
If this man dared harbor any evil intentions toward their leader, he would attack without hesitation.
For every Amegakure shinobi, Hanzō was like a figure of faith—absolutely not to be defiled. Even if this man was their savior, he would not be forgiven!
"My purpose?" Renya took in every detail of their tense posture. "Of course—it's to spar with Hanzō."
"Spar?!" The boy's face turned cold. "I'm sorry. We cannot take you there!"
The strength this young man had displayed was definitely on the level of an elite jōnin.
As shinobi of Amegakure, they could never allow someone this dangerous into their village. It could bring irreparable harm.
Even more so, they couldn't possibly cause trouble for Hanzō-sama!
"Do you think I'm easy to talk to?" Renya looked expressionlessly at the boy, his voice cold. "I wasn't asking for your opinion."
These guys were clearly pushing their luck.
As he spoke, his black pupils instantly turned scarlet again, three black tomoe spinning slowly within them.
The three Amegakure shinobi froze, their own eyes reflecting the same three tomoe—clearly trapped in genjutsu.
"Wouldn't it have been easier to do this from the start, nya?" Scar gave him an exasperated look. If it had been Madara-sama instead, they'd already be inside Amegakure by now.
Renya said nothing, merely controlling the heavily wounded trio to lead the way.
The rain began to ease, though the air still hung thick with dampness.
Renya stood before Amegakure's towering steel gates, gazing up at the shinobi village covered in endless pipes and iron structures.
Rainwater dripped down the rusted metal, producing a rhythmic sound.
"So gloomy, nya…" The fat cat hid behind Renya, tail swishing uneasily.
On either side of the gate stood four Amegakure shinobi. Unlike the three genin guides, they all wore breathing masks, only their sharp, wary eyes visible.
On their foreheads, the symbol of four wavy lines was engraved—the mark of Amegakure.
"Stop!" One of the guards stepped forward, his voice muffled through the mask. "State your name and purpose."
They did not overlook Renya just because he was accompanied by three of their village shinobi. Not just anyone could freely enter Amegakure—this was an order long given by Hanzō-sama.
With no other choice, Renya activated his Sharingan and placed the guards under control as well.
The heavy iron gate creaked open, letting out an ear-piercing screech of metal against metal.
Renya stepped into the village's interior and immediately felt the oppressive atmosphere.
The people on the streets moved hurriedly, with almost no one stopping to speak. Every building was fitted with complex drainage systems, channeling the constant rain from the rooftops into underground tunnels.
"Looks like the people here don't live too well, nya," Scar muttered quietly.
Renya didn't reply. His gaze swept along both sides of the street. Most of Amegakure's buildings were constructed from steel and concrete, their surfaces mottled with rust and water stains.
Finally, his eyes landed on the tallest structure in the center.
If nothing went wrong, Salamander Hanzō would be inside…
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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