The Land of Rain, Amegakure.
As the name suggested, it was a country perpetually shrouded in rain.
Hanzo of the Salamander, known as the "Half God" of the ninja world, sat atop the central tower of Amegakure, gazing at the village veiled by the rain curtain, lost in thought.
His face, hidden by a gas mask, revealed only a pair of bewildered eyes.
"Sigh!"
He let out a sigh, murmuring to himself, "I hope the people of the village can understand my plight in launching a war against the Five Great Nations!"
"If we don't find a way out for the village soon, sooner or later, the Land of Rain will be swallowed by those wolves and tigers among the great nations."
"The best-case scenario, I suppose, would be like the Land of Grass, reduced to a battlefield for the great powers?"
"At that time..."
Hanzo shook his head, silently reaffirming his conviction.
Everything he did was for the people of the Land of Rain to live in peace and stability. Living in perpetual rain was hardship enough; if these pitiable people were to continue suffering the oppression of the great ninja villages, then he, the Half God, would truly become a laughingstock.
"Leader, as you commanded, the team heading to the Land of Wind has been fully assembled."
"It's time to depart!"
Shindara of the Salamander's deep voice echoed from behind Hanzo, a hint of unconcealed excitement mixed in his tone.
Hanzo turned to look at him, his eyes filled with authority.
"Shindara!"
"Your temperament..."
"The reason I'm waging war against the Lands of Wind and Fire is not for hatred or slaughter."
"Your current thinking is dangerous!"
Shindara of the Salamander froze, his head bowing slightly, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.
Hanzo rose and walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and gripping it firmly.
"You are my brother, and I'm not saying this to blame you!"
"But as the leader of the Land of Rain, I must consider the entire country and the people who trust me within the village."
"War is permissible, but the ultimate goal is peace!"
"Excessive killing will only bring more suffering to this world."
"The fundamental purpose of this war is simply to let those high and mighty great ninja villages know that we, the weak, can also form a force that commands their respect when we unite."
"Only then will the people of the Land of Rain have hope of holding their heads high."
"Do you understand?"
As Hanzo's right-hand man, Shindara of the Salamander understood his intentions. However, he had his own different views on the so-called peace Hanzo spoke of.
"Leader, as the Half God of the ninja world, you naturally have the right to say such things!"
"But I am different. I simply hope that your prestige can spread throughout the ninja world through this war, and that in the future, all ninjas who mention your name will have to hold Amegakure in awe from the bottom of their hearts!"
"And to achieve this goal, there is no other path than slaughter!"
"If one person doesn't fear Amegakure, then kill ten; if ten people don't fear Amegakure, then kill a hundred!"
"In the end, you will be the only voice left in the ninja world, and you will be the new God of the ninja world!"
"And at that time, the ninja world will no longer be able to ignore the existence of the Rain, and your will shall reign supreme over the Five Great Ninja Villages and the Daimyo!"
Hanzo's pupils contracted, and the arm holding Shindara's shoulder slowly retracted.
"Shindara, you..."
After a moment of silence, looking at Shindara's eyes blazing with fervor, Hanzo gently shook his head.
"Perhaps the victories from attacking a few small countries before have given you some unrealistic fantasies."
"But I must tell you, the Five Great Ninja Villages are different from the ninja organizations of those small countries."
"Their politics, education, resources, number of ninjas, secret techniques, and so on, are beyond comparison to those rabble."
"To be honest, even I have never dared to hope that the Land of Rain would one day be on equal footing with the Five Great Nations."
"That's simply unrealistic!"
"Even if the Five Great Nations were to fill the gaps with sheer numbers, Amegakure wouldn't have enough space to accommodate them all!"
"We... are too weak!"
Shindara's eyes were full of defiance, and he snorted, his neck stiff.
"Hmph!"
"Why should the leader boost the morale of others?"
"You are a dignified Half God; who in the ninja world can be your opponent now?"
"Amegakure may be small in area, but we can still fight and seize!"
"Like Konoha, why do they get to monopolize the resource-rich Land of Fire? Why must we be confined to this Amegakure where even survival is a luxury?"
"Why?"
"I'm not convinced! All the brothers in Amegakure are not convinced!"
Hanzo's heart skipped a beat, and a hint of anger flickered in his eyes.
"Silence!"
He reprimanded in a low voice, looking at the man spouting wild claims with a cold expression and profound disappointment.
"Shindara, if you hold such an idea, you absolutely won't survive this war!"
"You don't need to go on the surprise attack on the Land of Wind this time!"
"Stay in the village and reflect properly. When you've figured things out, then you can fight alongside me for the future of Amegakure!"
"Guards!"
After speaking, Hanzo summoned a few trusted subordinates, pointed at Shindara of the Salamander, and sternly issued the order to detain him.
"Watch him!"
"Before I return, do not let him leave this tower by even half a step!"
"If he tries to leave, break his limbs and drag him back!"
The two subordinates' eyes flickered with hesitation, but since it was the leader's order, after a moment's delay, they gave Shindara of the Salamander an apologetic nod and locked him in a room.
"Leader, let me out!"
"Why don't you trust me? The ninjas of the Five Great Nations are all terrible. Even if we don't kill them all as I said, at least let them taste the power of our Amegakure!"
"Take me with you, Leader!"
He wouldn't dare to break out in front of Hanzo. Shindara of the Salamander could only bang on the door with all his might, trying to make the stubborn Hanzo change his mind.
Seeing that his words showed no sign of acknowledging his mistakes, Hanzo snorted angrily and descended the tower with two trusted subordinates.
"Damn it!"
"Leader, why can't you listen to my advice?"
"Those great ninja villages have always been riding on our heads, defecating and urinating on us, they deserve to die... Ah..."
Hearing the angry roars faintly from behind him, Hanzo's eyes twitched, and for a moment, he didn't know how to express his current feelings.
"Sigh!"
"If everyone in the village had the same idea as Shindara, the Land of Rain would probably never see a day of peace."
"If killing were truly effective, could powerful figures like the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha not have wiped out all the forces in the ninja world?"
"But why didn't they do so?"
"The desires for hatred and slaughter have muddled your mind, Shindara. I hope you can come to understand!"
Although Hanzo didn't know what method would bring true peace to Amegakure, he knew that war and military deterrence might work, but wanton killing...
It was absolutely impossible!
Hanzo emerged from the tower, took the scythe handed to him by a subordinate, swept his gaze over the allied forces of Amegakure and a few small countries' ninjas below, and coldly issued his declaration.
"Leave half our forces to defend against an attack from the direction of the Land of Fire. The rest of you, come with me to the Land of Wind battlefield!"
"The war has begun!"