"You incompetent, cowardly fools, how dare you tell me what to do?" Crushing the letter in his hand, Ryun sneered disdainfully.
That Konoha had contacted him through Kushina was not surprising to Ryun. However, the mere Third Hokage had no right to order him around.
The Land of Earth wanting their two Jinchuriki back would not be that easy!
In a hidden cave within the Land of Waterfalls, Ryun used the Samehada to extract the Tailed Beasts' chakra through the bodies of the two Jinchuriki.
The process was somewhat monotonous and lasted a considerable amount of time. He had to pause midway to eliminate pursuing Iwa-nin.
Hiding and moving around like this, he spent five days before finally finishing absorbing the Four-Tails and Five-Tails' chakra. He also left a highly concealed, mysterious technique inside the Tailed Beasts.
After completing this, he summoned a special python as thick as an arm.
"Take these two back to Otogakure."
Ryun pointed at the unconscious Jinchuriki on the ground and issued the command.
The python quickly understood the instruction. It then opened its massive jaws, disproportionate to its body, and swallowed both Jinchuriki whole in two bites.
This was a special python from the depths of Ryūchi Cave. Its interior was a separate space. Even after swallowing two living people, its body showed no signs of swelling.
The two Jinchuriki were sealed with multiple layers of seals by Ryun and would not wake up for a long time.
As for the python's safety on the journey, he wasn't worried. If it encountered danger, it would immediately return to the summoning realm with the two people. This was why he dared to entrust them to this python.
Ryun did not want to return to Otogakure just yet. Furthermore, his trip to the Land of Waterfalls wasn't just aimless wandering. After all, this country possessed a Tailed Beast...
"Have they sealed the village? Because of me?"
Standing on a high point on the outskirts of Takigakure, Ryun frowned subconsciously.
In his opinion, Takigakure's reaction was clearly excessive. For a major village with nearly ten thousand ninja, to be this defensive against one person... seemed far too timid.
"Should I launch a strong attack..."
Ryun stared at the distant village, pondering silently.
"Forget it, it's not time yet... There's still plenty of time. Being too aggressive will only push the Five Great Nations to desperate measures sooner..."
Ryun ultimately dismissed the idea of attacking a hidden village and forcibly capturing the Seven-Tails.
Although he was now hated by the major nations of the ninja world, things hadn't yet reached a life-or-death struggle between them.
If he were to destroy Takigakure and forcibly seize the Tailed Beast now, the Five Great Nations would undoubtedly set aside their grudges and unite decisively. They would then prioritize assembling a massive force to eliminate him, this unstable element causing chaos in the ninja world.
The Hidden Stone Village was already chasing after him like a mad dog. Attracting more attention from the great nations at such a time was clearly unwise.
Ryun stayed in the Land of Waterfalls for quite some time. During this period, he tried to find Kakuzu but found nothing.
That guy had likely defected from Takigakure long ago, so not finding him within the Land of Waterfalls was understandable.
Not long after, Ryun left the Land of Waterfalls and headed south into the Land of Rain.
That red-haired boy with the Rinnegan had been on his mind for a long time. Ryun had searched for him for a considerable period, but unfortunately, never found any trace of him.
Gradually, he lost patience. So, he single-handedly barged into Amegakure.
"You are... Uchiha Ryun???"
In front of a luxurious high-rise building, several Rain-nin stopped the approaching figure.
"Where is Hanzo? Take me to him."
Ryun's appearance and characteristics were no secret in the ninja world, especially those terrifying heterochromatic eyes. Anyone who had heard of him could easily recognize him on the spot.
Before these Rain-nin could react, an elite jonin had already shunshined in front of Ryun and spoke respectfully, "Lord Ryun, Lord Hanzo requests your presence. He is upstairs..."
Hanzō of the Salamander had already sensed him through the rain. The amount of chakra Ryun possessed was simply too terrifying. The moment he stepped into Amegakure, Hanzo immediately became alert.
Of course, this was also because Ryun wasn't deliberately hiding his presence.
Entering the brightly lit building, Ryun saw Hanzō of the Salamander kneeling before a tea table, waiting for him.
"After causing such great trouble, you now swagger into my Amegakure so openly. Doing this will get us all killed," Hanzō of the Salamander said gravely.
"Oh? Is the famed Demigod afraid?" Ryun sat down opposite him and mocked.
"Not afraid. Simply don't want to take the blame, nor be implicated by you." Hanzō of the Salamander's expression remained cold.
"I'm hungry. Have someone bring some food," Ryun said, ignoring him.
10 minutes later.
The original tea table was now covered with various wines, meats, fruits, and beautiful servants attending diligently.
"Fine wine, delicious food, beautiful women... Lord Hanzo really knows how to enjoy himself..." Ryun couldn't help but tease after taking a sip of the excellent wine.
Hanzō of the Salamander's later rapid corruption was also inextricably linked to this kind of comfortable environment.
After getting used to a life of luxury and debauchery, who would still have any grand ambitions?
Wine, women, wealth, and power are the things that most easily erode a hero's spirit.
"Was it you who bombed the port of the Land of Earth and set a trap to capture the two Jinchuriki of the Hidden Stone Village?" Hanzō of the Salamander finally couldn't restrain his curiosity and asked.
"Yes."
Ryun responded casually while eating the delicious food.
"The Two-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails... You've captured so many Tailed Beasts... What is your ultimate goal?" After getting Ryun's confirmation, a strange chill instantly arose in Hanzō of the Salamander's heart.
This guy's ambitions were vast. Hanzō of the Salamander had a strong premonition that Uchiha Ryun would probably stir up even greater storms within the ninja world!
"What, you really want to know?" Ryun asked with a smile.
"..."
Hanzō of the Salamander fell into brief silence upon hearing this.
"Fine, don't tell me. But after this meal, please leave Amegakure immediately."
Hanzō of the Salamander's attitude was firm. He would absolutely not shelter Uchiha Ryun at such a time.
"I hate people telling me what to do."
Ryun ate his pastry, his cold, heterochromatic eyes fixed intently on Hanzo.
Unable to withstand the oppressive force of that strange Sharingan, Hanzō of the Salamander quickly averted his gaze in panic.
This eye had already been demonized by rumor in the ninja world. That Hanzo dared to meet its gaze at all showed considerable nerve.
"Help me find three people. Two boys, one girl. Around my age. Their names are Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan. If you find them within the Land of Rain, contact me through this."
After a full meal, Ryun formed hand signs and summoned a small red snake for communication.
"Take good care of this little one. Don't let it die. And don't make me wait too long. Otherwise, you know the consequences."
Ryun did not consider Hanzo's willingness. He explained the contact method on his own and, after saying this, left without looking back.
"All edge exposed yet knowing no restraint. The face of an early, short-lived death!"
Watching the slightly thin figure disappear into the rain, the anger in Hanzō of the Salamander's eyes gradually subsided.
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