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Chapter 483: The Truth is Revealed, Danzo Exposed?
Chapter 483: The Truth is Revealed, Danzo Exposed?
In the Land of Rain, within the Rain Ninja Village, Huang Tu, accompanied by several Iwa ninja jonin, made their way towards the Rain Ninja headquarters, heading straight for the leader's office.
As they drew closer to their destination, Huang Tu noticed numerous Rain Ninja hiding in the shadows, a stark contrast to the meager guard he had encountered on his previous visit.
"Worried about Souyuukei's beheading strategy? Looks like that battle completely shattered his pride as a demigod." Huang Tu shook his head inwardly.
No wonder Hanzou hadn't taken a single step outside the Rain Ninja Village since his defeat at Souyuukei's hands. Even within his own village, he was cautious to a fault.
"Only Lord Huang Tu may enter," said a Rain Ninja from the shadows as he intercepted Huang Tu, who had intended to bring his subordinates into the Rain Ninja leader's office.
Mo Fu and Huo Guang, who were following Huang Tu, frowned. They couldn't believe that a ninja organization that had been thoroughly beaten still dared to act so arrogantly.
"Wait here for a moment," Huang Tu said, gesturing for the Iwa ninja to wait as he entered the leader's office alone.
Hanzou had no reason to attack him, and after being scared out of his wits, he certainly wouldn't dare try anything.
"Huang Tu, while I mourn the loss of your villagers who perished at the hands of the Ninja Sect, the current state of the ninja world does not permit me to commit the full force of the Rain Ninja Village to a battle with the Ninja Sect. I ask that your village handle the matter of vengeance on its own. Should the Iwa ninja force reach the borders of the Land of Rain, they will not be hindered by my village," Hanzou said directly.
He assumed that the Iwa ninja intended to bring up the deaths of their comrades who had fallen to the Ninja Sect.
It was out of the question for Hanzou to take on the Ninja Sect or Souyuukei again. However, if the Iwa ninja insisted on taking matters into their own hands, Hanzou would wholeheartedly support them.
"Lord Hanzou, according to our investigation, there has been a misunderstanding. Our Iwa ninja were not killed by the Ninja Sect but by the Konoha ninja," Huang Tu explained, shaking his head.
While the Iwa ninja had indeed conducted an investigation, they hadn't uncovered any useful information. Blaming Konoha served the dual purpose of stoking Konoha's enmity and providing the Iwa ninja with a way to save face.
For the Iwa ninja, it no longer mattered which faction or ninja village had slain their comrades in the Land of Rain. What mattered now was finding a way to cause trouble for the formidable Konoha.
The Iwa ninja wanted to incite conflict between the Ninja Sect and the Rain Ninja Village, and the current state of affairs in the Land of Rain was not in their favor. The Rain Ninja Village and the Ninja Sect were currently locked in a stalemate, with both sides suffering internal strife.
The Rain Ninja Village boasted a large number of ninja, while the Ninja Sect possessed elite fighters, including powerful individuals like Souyuukei, Kakuzu, and Nagato. As a result, neither side dared to make a move against the other.
Onoaki's plan was to defuse the tension between the Ninja Sect and the Rain Ninja Village, uniting them against their common enemy—Konoha.
"A misunderstanding?" Hanzou's expression darkened at this revelation.
The Rain Ninja Village had lost dozens of elite ninja in their attempt to eliminate the Ninja Sect, and Hanzou's own reputation had suffered greatly. Now, the Iwa ninja were claiming that it had all been a mistake. Hanzou's blood pressure rose as he felt his temper flare.
While Hanzou's decision to move against the Ninja Sect had been influenced by various factors, the Iwa ninja certainly bore a significant share of the blame.
"To express our apologies, the Iwa ninja are willing to compensate your village for its losses and assist in repairing the relationship between the Rain Ninja Village and the Ninja Sect," Huang Tu offered, his tone calm and unwavering.
Onoaki was more than willing to return the money he had extorted from the Rain Ninja Village, even doubling the amount, if it meant causing trouble for Konoha.
Hanzou's face remained impassive, but his mind was already made up.
If the Iwa ninja hadn't been killed by the Ninja Sect, there might never have been any conflict between them in the first place.
Hanzou had taken action against the Ninja Sect due to their attempts to instigate a war and threaten his influence in the Land of Rain.
If it truly was a misunderstanding, then the first source of conflict would be eliminated, and judging by the Ninja Sect ninja's expressions during their meeting, the second source might never have occurred either. It seemed the Ninja Sect ninja were sincere in their desire for cooperation.
"But it's too late now," Hanzou sighed inwardly.
Whether or not the Iwa ninja had been killed by the Ninja Sect was no longer relevant. The Rain Ninja Village and the Ninja Sect now shared a more direct enmity.
The conflict between the Rain Ninja Village and the Ninja Sect could not be easily resolved, and the vengeance sought for the ambush would not simply disappear because of a misunderstanding.
"What do you intend to do now?" Hanzou asked, his tone indifferent.
"I can put the greater good first and refrain from taking action against the Ninja Sect, but I cannot guarantee that the Ninja Sect ninja will reciprocate our goodwill," Huang Tu replied.
"Then we must be forthright and honest. I believe that in the face of righteousness, the Ninja Sect ninja will understand the difficulties you've faced, Lord Hanzou," Huang Tu continued.
"We will bring back good news soon," Huang Tu said confidently, unperturbed by Hanzou's remark.
To increase Huang Tu's chances of convincing the Ninja Sect, Hanzou informed him about Danzo Shimura's initiative to collaborate and destroy the Ninja Sect together, concealing only a few details.
Hanzou didn't know who was deceiving him, Huang Tu or Danzo, but he just wanted to go back to the way things were and asked for nothing more.
Upon hearing that Danzo Shimura, the second-in-command of Konoha, was also involved, Huang Tu instantly felt their Iwa ninja plan had a much higher chance of success.
Subsequently, Huang Tu, accompanied by the Iwa ninja, rushed to the Ninja Sect's base without delay.
After settling the matters in the Land of Rain, he might also need to make a trip to the Land of Grass, as the Iwa ninja were creating troubles for Konoha on multiple fronts.
Apart from Huang Tu's meddling in the Land of Rain, the Iwa ninja were also inciting the radical factions in the Grass Ninja Village in the Land of Grass to join the war and eliminate the Konoha ninja on the battlefield.
The sudden appearance of the Iwa ninja put the Ninja Sect's ninja on guard, and they surrounded Huang Tu and his group.
"We are not your enemies," Huang Tu said, raising his hands slightly to indicate he meant no harm. "I have important matters to discuss with your leader, Souyuukei."
The Ninja Sect's ninja exchanged glances, not trusting Huang Tu's words. After the incident with Hanzou's fake cooperation, they had all become more cautious.
Just then, Mu Yue's shadow clone, who had received the notification, arrived with Nagato, Yahiko, and the others.
Although her main body was in Konoha, Mu Yue had been creating shadow clones with the Yang Seal, allowing them to exist for longer periods, so she wouldn't disappear right after taking on a disciple.
"Iwa ninja... Is this about the encounter at the border?" Yahiko saw the forehead protector on Huang Tu and felt something was amiss.
Due to Danzo's meticulous cover-up, Yahiko still believed that they had killed Iwa ninja that day.
"If you have something to say, just say it," Mu Yue's shadow clone said after a moment's thought.
Although she didn't know the reason for the Iwa ninja's visit, Mu Yue was certain it wasn't a pleasant matter, even if it appeared harmless on the surface.
The Iwa ninja had been a real nuisance during the Third Great Ninja War, and their sudden appearance now certainly didn't bode well.
Huang Tu wasn't concerned about the setting, as he wasn't discussing any secrets. He spoke directly, "I am here on behalf of the Rain Ninja Village to clear up a misunderstanding with the Ninja Sect. The Rain Ninja Village and the Ninja Sect should not be enemies."
The surrounding Ninja Sect ninja glared at them angrily, and some even took out kunai from their ninja tool pouches, ready to strike at the first sign of trouble.
Although Hanzou's fake cooperation incident hadn't caused any actual losses to the Ninja Sect, it was only because of Mu Yue and her companions' strength.
If not for Mu Yue's powerful abilities, their respected founder of the Ninja Sect would have died in the ambush, and the other elites wouldn't have been able to escape.
"A misunderstanding?" Yahiko, usually playful and cheerful, wore a serious expression. "It didn't seem like a misunderstanding when Hanzou took action."
The admiration Yahiko once held for Hanzou had now turned into distrust.
He would never forget that day.
They had gone to meet Hanzou with high hopes, expecting a fantastic alliance where both sides would work together to maintain peace in the Land of Rain.
However, what awaited them were traps and ambushes. Yahiko couldn't forget the cold look on Hanzou's face as he threw kunai, demanding that Mu Yue commit suicide.
"You're only saying it was a misunderstanding now that things have turned sour?" Chouzaya suspected another scheme.
Although the Rain Ninja Village currently held the upper hand, the Ninja Sect had more powerful ninja. If the situation continued to develop, the Ninja Sect would ultimately defeat the Rain Ninja Village.
The Ninja Sect ninja unanimously expressed their dissatisfaction with the Rain Ninja Village.
Mu Yue gestured for everyone to calm down, and the noisy environment immediately became silent. She looked at Huang Tu and said, "If you're here to clear up a misunderstanding, then at least explain where the misunderstanding lies."
Mu Yue needed to understand the Iwa ninja's intentions before she could devise a countermeasure.
"In truth, Lord Hanzou genuinely wanted to cooperate with the Ninja Sect to build a peaceful Land of Rain," Huang Tu recited the lines prepared by the Iwa ninja. "However, a traitor from Konoha interfered, leading to Lord Hanzou taking the wrong action against the Ninja Sect."
It would have been difficult for Huang Tu to come up with such an explanation himself, but memorizing the lines wasn't a problem.
In Huang Tu's version of events, the Rain Ninja Village was not the aggressor but had been deceived by Danzo of Konoha, while both the Iwa ninja and the Ninja Sect were victims, injured by the Konoha ninjas.
In essence, it all boiled down to the misdeeds of the Konoha ninjas.
"So, the ninjas we killed that day weren't Iwa ninjas after all." Yahiko pieced together everything he had experienced, aligning it with Huang Tu's account, and found that it surprisingly made sense. It seemed that what Huang Tu said was indeed the truth.
Yahiko felt momentarily bewildered, unsure how to face the Rain Ninja Village and Hanzou from that point on.
If what Huang Tu said was true, then Hanzou's actions towards them didn't seem entirely unreasonable.
"Konoha ninjas..." Longmen subconsciously glanced at Mu Yue.
He was the only one in the Ninja Sect who knew her true identity.
Although it was hard to believe, the renowned ninja master Souyuukei and the well-known powerful Konoha ninja, Lieyang Mu Yue, were one and the same.
"Do you have any evidence to prove that what you're saying is true?" Longmen quickly shifted his gaze back to Huang Tu and asked.
Even if Konoha ninjas were indeed involved in the whole incident, Longmen felt that it was unlikely to have anything to do with Mu Yue. After all, she had risked her life to protect them during that encounter.
"Of course, we have evidence," Huang Tu replied, continuing to recite the lines he had memorized. "If you want it, we have plenty, and we, the Iwa ninja, will not tolerate anyone using the death of our comrades to further their schemes."
Since the Iwa ninja had dared to initiate this plan, they must have prepared everything in advance. After all, the death of their ninjas was the spark that ignited this whole situation, and fabricating evidence was not a difficult task for them.
As he spoke, Huang Tu signaled for his subordinates to bring out the fake evidence they had prepared.
"With the current chaotic state of the ninja world, where the five great nations are attacking each other, the Rain Ninja Village and the Ninja Sect, as ninjas of the Rain Country, should work together to face external threats," Huang Tu continued, seizing the opportunity to persuade them further.
Mu Yue had a good idea of what the Iwa ninja village was trying to accomplish.
If he wasn't mistaken, the Iwa ninja village intended to transform the internal strife within the Rain Ninja Village into an external conflict directed at Konoha, making both the Ninja Sect and the Rain Ninja Village create trouble for Konoha.
Mu Yue could only admire Danzo's clever scheme.
If Danzo succeeded, Konoha would need to mobilize a ninja force in the thousands to resolve the issues caused by the Rain Ninja Village.
After all, if the Ninja Sect and the Rain Ninja Village joined forces, they would possess a formidable combination of ninjas and demigods at the top level.
However, no matter how cunning Danzo was, he could never have anticipated that the leader of the Ninja Sect would be a Konoha ninja.
"I need to discuss this with my companions before giving a reply," Mu Yue said, neither refusing nor agreeing.
Huang Tu was in no hurry and settled down in the vicinity, awaiting Mu Yue's response.
Subsequently, Mu Yue assembled the Ninja Sect ninjas for a meeting, where over a hundred Ninja Sect ninjas voiced their opinions, discussing whether to set aside their hatred and collaborate with the Rain Ninja Village.
"Hanzou is despicable, but what the Iwa ninja said makes sense," one of them said. "If we continue to fight with the Rain Ninja Village, it may ultimately be the Rain Country that suffers."
"What's most important is to identify the root of the problem, Konoha," another ninja added. "The current split in the Rain Country's strength may very well be something Konoha is pleased to see."
Huang Tu's words did not succeed in dispelling the Ninja Sect ninjas' resentment towards Hanzou, but they did stir up their animosity towards Konoha.
"Let's not assume that everything the Iwa ninja said is factual just because they presented evidence," said one of the ninjas, Chi Changye, who maintained a skeptical attitude.
"Ninjas are motivated by self-interest," Kakuzu said, crossing his arms. "The Iwa ninja wouldn't bother themselves with the peace of the Rain Country unless there was something in it for them. Think carefully about what they stand to gain from all this."
As a senior member of the group, Kakuzu was all too familiar with the nature of ninja villages.
The Iwa ninja would never allow anyone to exploit the death of their comrades for personal gain, and if there was sufficient benefit, they would even sacrifice their own ninjas to achieve their goals.
In the end, all eyes turned to Mu Yue, who had remained silent throughout the discussion.
(End of Chapter)
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