"Lord Hanzo."
In the end, Hyuga Arin still chose to stay by Hanzo's side for the time being.
Based on the intelligence he had gathered, Konoha had already entered a semi-stagnant state. Most ninjas were on standby, waiting for a war that could erupt at any moment.
Even if he returned to Konoha now, he would end up with no missions. Leveling up would become extremely difficult.
Could he really just drag things out until the war broke out?
In just a few months here, he had already reached level 21, his strength multiplying several times over.
How could he be willing to go back to Konoha? How could Konoha compare to this place—danger everywhere, and opportunities to level up everywhere as well?
The choice was obvious.
"Mm." Hanzo nodded lightly in response, his eyes fixed on the table. A sheet of white paper lay before him as he slowly wrote something with a brush.
Hyuga Arin stood directly in front of Hanzo and couldn't see what he was writing.
He discreetly activated the Byakugan and glanced at him, confirming that this was indeed Hanzo's true body.
Hanzo finished his final stroke, looked at the character on the paper, and said without lifting his head,
"Come take a look. How is my writing?"
Hyuga Arin obediently stood up, walked over to Hanzo's side, and looked down at the paper.
A single character greeted his eyes.
"Rain."
He didn't know much about calligraphy, but looking at this character, he felt a chill—like being swept by killing intent.
So characters really could carry presence.
"It's written very well," Hyuga Arin said. "Next time, don't write it."
"…Hm?"
Hanzo finally looked up at him, a trace of surprise on his face. That answer was truly unexpected.
"You're not afraid of me?"
Among the people of the Rain Hidden Village, many worshipped him—but they also feared him.
Yet Hanzo couldn't see the slightest trace of fear on Hyuga Arin's face. Even his respect felt perfunctory.
This was the first time Hanzo had seriously observed him. Before, his gaze had merely brushed past.
Did this man really admire him? Hanzo couldn't feel it at all.
"There's nothing frightening about Lord Hanzo," Hyuga Arin replied casually.
If Hanzo's level weren't so high, he'd have drawn his blade and started the fight already.
What was there to fear?
He only hated that his own level was too low and his strength too weak.
"Hahaha." Hanzo burst out laughing. After a moment, he looked at Hyuga Arin again. "You're quite interesting."
Perhaps it was precisely because of this personality that he could speak so deeply. Without fear, one saw things more clearly.
"Come with me to the Rain Hidden Village," Hanzo said, setting down his brush.
"Uh… what!?" Hyuga Arin looked at him in shock. "Is it really okay to go to the Rain Hidden Village like this?"
He knew very well that Zhengzang was hunting Hanzo—this wasn't exactly a secret within the base.
Hanzo calmly put away the paper and glanced at Hyuga Arin.
"You seem to have some misunderstandings about my relationship with the Rain Hidden Village."
"I haven't betrayed the Rain Hidden Village. I simply disagree with the leader. What he does in secret is beyond my control."
Hyuga Arin understood.
On the surface, it was all smiles and harmony.
In the shadows, both sides wished the other dead.
…
Once they arrived at the Rain Hidden Village, Hyuga Arin finally understood Hanzo's relationship with it.
At the village entrance, two lines of ninjas knelt on one knee, forming a ceremonial path.
"Lord Hanzo!"
Everyone shouted in unison. The sound echoed through the entire Rain Hidden Village.
Yeah… their relationship was good.
No—this was too good.
Wasn't this kind of reception for a leader asking for trouble with Zhengzang?
Hyuga Arin glanced around but didn't see anyone who looked like the official leader of the Rain Hidden Village.
It seemed that on the surface, Hanzo completely dominated, while in the shadows, Zhengzang held the advantage.
What Hyuga Arin couldn't understand was this—
With Hanzo's prestige already at this level, how exactly was Zhengzang still fighting him?
Was it really just "righteous cause" crushing everything?
Like the Will of Fire—believe in it together, and even if your whole family is killed, you must forgive the other side?
Hyuga Arin was deeply shaken.
Hanzo walked straight ahead, expressionless, with Hyuga Arin following behind. Everyone remained kneeling, their gazes fixed on the two of them.
Hyuga Arin's eyes suddenly sharpened as he glanced toward a building on the left.
From there came a gaze filled with killing intent.
When the owner of that gaze realized Hyuga Arin had noticed, they were clearly startled and quickly withdrew it.
Hyuga Arin guessed that this was none other than the so-called leader of the Rain Hidden Village—
Zhengzang.
A figure who had no presence whatsoever in the original Naruto storyline, not even worth a passing mention.
Hanzo headed toward the building on the left. Hyuga Arin slowed his pace slightly and followed behind.
As he observed the Rain Hidden Village, he couldn't help feeling surprised.
Most of the buildings here were stone structures, but there were also plenty of modern elements—
Like utility poles.
There were power lines here.
Compared to the rest of the Land of Rain, this was like an entirely different world. Outside was still stuck in something resembling the ancient Warring States period, while the Rain Hidden Village was steadily entering modernization.
The gap was enormous.
Did no one find this strange?
This kind of technological growth was downright deformed. How had they even developed this stuff?
Hyuga Arin couldn't help complaining inwardly.
But following behind Hanzo, he couldn't speak freely. He behaved himself and acted like a useless bodyguard.
After all, if a fight broke out, what kind of bodyguard needed their employer's protection?
His did.
They reached the fifth floor of the building—the highest one. Upon entering, they found an entire tatami floor. It was clear that this level had been turned into living quarters.
Looking ahead, Hyuga Arin saw an elderly man with long hair seated calmly at a tea table, pouring tea from a kettle into cups.
Two cups were quickly filled with green tea.
In the ninja world, tea basically boiled down to matcha. How they had developed an entire tea culture around just matcha was beyond him.
This world truly had no "most ridiculous"—only "even more ridiculous."
"You've come, Hanzo," the old man spoke softly, a gentle smile on his face.
If not for Hyuga Arin's sharp senses, he would never have detected the killing intent hidden beneath that smile.
So this must be the leader of the Land of Rain.
Zhengzang.
"Teacher." Hanzo raised a hand slightly.
Hyuga Arin understood the signal. His figure flickered, and he leapt onto the ceiling beam like a shadow.
There were already several people hanging upside down from the ceiling. When Hyuga Arin joined them, all their gazes turned toward him.
Hyuga Arin gave an awkward smile and waved in greeting.
No one responded.
They simply continued to watch the conversation below in silence.
Hanzo knelt at the tea table, facing Zhengzang.
Zhengzang slid a cup of tea toward him, a nostalgic look on his face.
"Seeing you like this takes me back. You were the only test subject of mine who survived."
What kind of hellish memories are you reminiscing about?!
That was Hanzo's trauma!
Hanzo didn't respond directly. Instead, he said in a deep voice:
"Teacher… the Land of Rain is crying."
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