Chapter 411: Hanzo's Conspiracy, Muyue's Suicide?

"Even Yahiko and the others can't know?" After a moment of silence, Nagato asked.

Nagato could sense that Yahiko cared deeply about and respected Muyue, regarding him as a direction to move forward.

"Not yet. The fewer people who know about this, the better. Once it's exposed, it will bring disaster to the Ninja Sect." Muyue shook his head and replied.

Muyue trusted Yahiko's character, but White Zetsu's intelligence-gathering ability was too strong. Muyue had to set up a barrier before revealing his identity. To prevent exposure, at this stage Muyue only planned to let Nagato know his true identity.

"Then why tell me? If you hadn't said it, probably no one would have discovered it." Nagato looked into Muyue's eyes, his fingers unconsciously pressing on the chair.

Muyue's transformation technique was very strong; Nagato couldn't see any flaw. He felt that Muyue was capable of that.

Nagato didn't understand why Muyue would tell only him. He didn't think he was more special than Yahiko, except for those eyes.

"As I said before, I don't want to interact with everyone under a false identity; it's just a helpless move forced by reality. So I believe there must be one person who knows my true identity. To avoid exposure, that person can only be the one I trust the most in the Ninja Sect." Muyue explained.

"I think that if it's you, Nagato, you can definitely keep my secret, just as you were willing to trust me and tell me your experiences."

Looking at Muyue's face, which wore a warm smile, Nagato once again felt trust.

This trust did not come from nothing; it was not because of his Rinnegan, but because he trusted Muyue, so Muyue trusted him too.

"I will do my best." Nagato made a solemn promise.

Muyue trusted him so much, so he definitely couldn't let Muyue down. Moreover, Nagato felt that Muyue was right—Muyue's true identity would indeed bring trouble to the current Ninja Sect.

Then Muyue began to teach Nagato the basic breathing method.

Nagato had now mastered six types of chakra nature transformations, and none of them were particularly outstanding, so Muyue hadn't yet decided which breathing method to teach Nagato. He would just start with the basic breathing method.

Teaching the breathing method was the best choice. On one hand, Nagato already knew many ninjutsu and didn't have a great need for more techniques.

On the other hand, the practice and use of the breathing method were not conspicuous, making it suitable for teaching in the current situation, and the breathing method itself had great potential.

【You taught your disciple the basic breathing method. Due to the disciple's great gratitude, a critical hit reward was triggered. You obtained the reward — Four Symbols Seal (Proficient Level).】

Looking at the information from the panel, Muyue nodded inwardly.

Revealing himself proactively earlier not only prevented Nagato from suffering a major blow but also helped increase trust. This kind of small secret known only to the two of them could effectively promote the development of their relationship.

Right after Muyue revealed his identity, Nagato's trust level dropped to one, but after Muyue explained, Nagato's trust level returned to two. And during the teaching, there was a critical hit reward, so overall, trust was increasing.

…

After learning that Muyue's side was willing to cooperate, Hanzo immediately chose a feng shui treasure land where Muyue and his group could rest forever.

It was a valley. Hanzo's plan was to lure Muyue and the others into the valley, then activate the traps and have his Rain ninjas attack from a high vantage point.

By now, Hanzo regarded the Ninja Sect as an enemy, so he would use every possible means to crush the Ninja Sect while minimizing Rain ninja losses as much as possible.

"This is how you should deal with these ninjas who shout peace slogans but harbor evil intentions." Shimura Danzo was very satisfied with Hanzo's specific actions.

Originally, Shimura Danzo thought Hanzo would disdain setting traps, but unexpectedly Hanzo understood quite well, which gave Shimura Danzo a feeling of regretting not having met him sooner.

Hanzo nodded calmly. He was not rigid when dealing with enemies.

Just then, the door to the Rain ninja leader's office was knocked.

"Enter." Hanzo said.

A Rain ninja pushed the door and walked quickly into the office, reporting: "Lord Hanzo, a ninja from Iwagakure wants to see you. He looks very angry."

Hanzo frowned. Coming at this time, it could only be about the Ninja Sect ninjas killing the Iwa ninja.

Shimura Danzo put on an apologetic expression and sighed, as if he felt sorry that his subordinates had failed in their cover-up.

"It seems my subordinates have missed something in their work." Shimura Danzo looked at Hanzo with an apologetic expression.

Shimura Danzo's expression was faked, but he wasn't lying. This wasn't his arrangement; Iwagakure's sudden involvement might cause unexpected complications in his plan.

"This is not your fault. I misjudged someone." Hanzo said in a heavy voice.

The Land of Rain and Konoha had no treaty of mutual friendship and assistance; Shimura Danzo was not obliged to help him. For Shimura Danzo to go this far was already a great kindness. How could Hanzo have the nerve to blame him?

Then Hanzo looked at the Rain ninja who had entered the office. "Bring them over."

Hanzo had intended to deal with Muyue and his group first and then explain the full story to Iwagakure. But since Iwagakure had already come to him, Hanzo would have to explain clearly now.

"Since Iwagakure is still at war with Konoha, I'll take my leave now." Shimura Danzo stood up and prepared to leave.

The desire to sign a peace treaty with Iwa was merely Shimura Danzo's pretext, so he had no intention of meeting the Iwa-nin.

Hanzō nodded in understanding.

Even if Shimura Danzo didn't leave, Hanzō would have to ask him to leave; otherwise, if the Iwa-nin saw the second-in-command of Konoha chatting with Hanzō in the office of the leader of Ame, and then linked it to the incident of Rain Country ninja killing Iwa-nin, the Rain Village would be unable to clear itself even if it jumped into the sea.

Soon the Ame-nin returned again, leading three Iwa-nin into Hanzō's office.

Hanzō calmly scrutinized the three approaching Iwa-nin.

The leading Iwa-nin wore a red tight combat uniform with a brown jōnin armor over it. His body looked very sturdy, with ordinary features but a large nose.

"They actually sent Kitsuchi. It seems Iwa-gakure takes this incident very seriously." Hanzō recognized that the leading Iwa-nin was none other than Kitsuchi, the son of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.

As a son of a Kage, Kitsuchi's strength and fame were inferior to the Fourth Raikage's, but in the current ninja world, he was still a notable young talent.

"Recently we discovered that ninja wearing Rain Country headbands killed our Iwa-nin. Iwa-gakure demands a reasonable explanation." Kitsuchi stated bluntly.

Although Hanzō was hailed as a ninja at the pinnacle of the ninja world, Kitsuchi had the entire Iwa-gakure behind him, so he showed no fear.

The Second Shinobi World War had already fully proven a fact: having a top-tier strongman in the ninja world isn't enough to change the outcome of a war.

Of course, this doesn't mean that an individual cannot change a war; it's just that Hanzō, as a strongman, wasn't strong enough. Hashirama Senju had already demonstrated to the ninja world the limits of individual power.

"We in Ame-gakure deeply sympathize with this matter, but it was not the work of Ame-nin. It was done by a group of Rain Country ninja called the Ninja Sect." Hanzō began to explain.

Hanzō told Kitsuchi the entire cause and effect of the incident. However, because Konoha and Iwa were at war, Hanzō changed the discovery by Root ninja to a discovery by patrolling Ame-nin.

"Although they are not Ame-gakure's ninja, they are still Rain Country ninja. I am deeply saddened by this incident. I will kill all these ninja who intended to provoke a war between Ame and Iwa." Hanzō stated his solution.

"They were all Iwa's brave warriors, carrying out important missions for Iwa. Lord Hanzō, you are a top-tier ninja whose name shakes the ninja world, and you are reasonable. Do you think a life for a life can cancel out this incident?" Kitsuchi did not approve of Hanzō's plan.

Based on Rain Country's information, Kitsuchi knew that what Hanzō said was probably eighty percent true. After all, with Ame-gakure in its current state, how could they have the nerve to actively provoke the Five Great Ninja Villages?

But this did not prevent Kitsuchi from seeking greater benefits for Iwa-gakure.

Hanzō understood Kitsuchi's meaning. To put it simply and bluntly: they needed to pay more money.

"Such an accident occurring is indeed our Ame-nin's dereliction of duty. We are willing to give some compensation to the sacrificed Iwa-nin." Hanzō said expressionlessly.

Hanzō was very displeased and unhappy, but he could only pay compensation to Iwa-gakure, because the current Ame was not strong enough to wage war with a major ninja village.

Hanzō hated the Ninja Sect even more, because all of this was caused by the Ninja Sect.

Hanzō quickly finalized a meeting time and sent a messenger to notify the Ninja Sect. Then he gathered the elite ninja of Ame-gakure and issued a mission.

The incident was sudden, and now many ninja of Ame-gakure did not know that Hanzō planned to eliminate the Ninja Sect.

Nearly a hundred elite Ame-nin were gathered by Hanzō in a meeting room. First, Hanzō's deputy explained the criminal acts of the Ninja Sect.

The deeds of Ninja Master Sōsuke and the Ninja Sect had spread too widely in the Rain Country recently. Hanzō was worried that some Ame-nin might believe in Sōsuke, so he first let them know the true face of the Ninja Sect.

"The Ninja Sect loudly preaches peace on the surface, yet they kill Iwa-nin and provoke conflict between the Rain and Earth countries. Their intentions are truly despicable..." Hanzō's deputy said with indignation.

Hearing that the Ninja Sect's ninja had done such a thing, the Ame-nin below were all surprised, because since the Ninja Sect appeared in the Rain Country, its reputation had been excellent, recognized by both ninja and civilians.

"I never thought Sōsuke-sama... would be so rebellious. I once thought he could bring positive change to the Rain Country." The Ame-nin jōnin who had once been ordered to investigate Muyue lamented.

Muyue displayed great strength and showed a desire for peace when giving lectures, which gave the Ame-nin jōnin the feeling that Muyue could change the Rain Country.

"Ichigo, you must be very unwilling to be defeated by someone like this." The Ame-nin jōnin said, looking at Kurosaki Ichigo sitting next to him.

Originally, based on the length of time Kurosaki Ichigo had joined Ame-gakure, he could not carry out a mission of this level. But Hanzō valued Ichigo's strength and his past experience fighting Muyue, so he gave Ichigo special treatment.

"Yes, next time I will definitely win." Muyue's shadow clone nodded with a smile and said.

Not to mention, sitting in the meeting room listening to others discuss how to deal with you was quite interesting.

After the meeting, Muyue's shadow clone returned to his temporary residence in Ame-gakure, dispelled the shadow clone, and let the memories flow back to the original.

At this time, because it was already night, Muyue was in his room alone studying sealing techniques.

After organizing the shadow clone's memories, Muyue quietly headed to Ame-gakure. Once within his perception range, he directly used Flying Thunder God to move to his temporary residence in Ame-gakure, created a shadow clone, and then used Flying Thunder God to leave.

The shadow clone being able to achieve this effect was a bit unexpected for Muyue.

He had originally only intended for the shadow clone to play a double act, but unexpectedly, Ame-gakure valued the shadow clone's strength and recruited it into the Hidden Rain Village.

Because it had just joined, the shadow clone could undertake few missions and at low levels, which avoided the problem of excessive chakra consumption and injury.

Mu Yue took the opportunity to plant a spy in Amegakure.

With a shadow clone acting as an inside agent, Mu Yue essentially participated in the conspiracy against himself, clearly knowing the location and type of every trap.

Three days later, on the day appointed to discuss matters of peace with Hanzo, many shinobi of the Shinobi Sect were very excited.

If Hanzo was not deceiving them, this cooperation would indeed be a milestone for the Shinobi Sect, and several milestones at once.

"Uncle Sōsuke, do we all have to go? Wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate?" Yahiko asked after thinking.

He felt that bringing too many shinobi might leave a bad impression on Hanzo, giving off a feeling of being wary of Hanzo and suspecting his intentions.

Mu Yue nodded and replied, "For a meeting, we really don't need too many people to go."

After all, the opponent was a top-tier powerhouse like Hanzo; if he brought too many people, Mu Yue couldn't guarantee everyone's safety.

Many shinobi of the Shinobi Sect looked at Mu Yue with anticipation; no one wanted to miss such a big event.

"Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, Kakuzu, Chi Changye, Kuroda..." Mu Yue named eight shinobi in a row.

These were all shinobi he favored, with exceptional strength and strong self-preservation abilities.

"Why do I have to go? I'm not a shinobi of your Shinobi Sect." Kakuzu's eyelid twitched as he complained; he didn't want to get involved in this mess.

"What I mean is, if you want to come, you can follow; if you really don't want to, you don't have to," Mu Yue replied with a faint smile.

Kakuzu made a thoughtful expression.

Upon hearing his name, Yahiko couldn't help but show a delighted smile.

Yahiko, who had a strong sense of identification with the Shinobi Sect, was very happy to participate in this milestone meeting. Another source of joy was that Yahiko had always wanted to talk with Hanzo; he wanted to know Hanzo's views on peace.

Nagato didn't feel much about it; he was satisfied as long as the Shinobi Sect could reach a cooperation with Amegakure. He didn't need to witness it personally.

Chi Changye's face flashed with a hint of worry; he always felt that Hanzo was up to no good, and that this meeting might go wrong.

"Boss, do your best! You're going to meet your idol this time," Kyūsuke teased, knowing that Yahiko admired Hanzo.

Yahiko scratched his head and smiled, not taking it to heart.

Amid the laughter and farewells of several dozen shinobi, Mu Yue and his group set off for the appointed valley.

Kakuzu frowned, but eventually followed Mu Yue and the others.

He felt that this meeting would result in trouble, so he didn't really want to go.

But since Mu Yue was going, Kakuzu had no choice but to follow, because if something happened to Mu Yue, he would have to wait fifteen years for the seal to automatically release.

At the entrance of the valley, Mu Yue and the others met Hanzo, who was waiting.

Hanzo brought even fewer shinobi than they did, with only two shinobi by his side.

"Senior Hanzo, we meet again," Mu Yue greeted with a smile.

"I never expected that in such a short time, you would accomplish so many things that surprised me," Hanzo said calmly.

Hanzo still remembered how he had specifically warned Mu Yue to be careful of black market shinobi not long ago, never expecting that Mu Yue would so quickly oppose him.

Noticing Kakuzu beside Mu Yue, Hanzo was a little surprised.

Hanzo wasn't very surprised that Kakuzu was alive; after all, Kakuzu had dominated the black market for decades, so it was normal for him to have many ways to stay alive.

But it seemed that Kakuzu had joined the Shinobi Sect.

Hanzo's expression remained unchanged; one more Kakuzu wouldn't affect his ability to kill them all.

With a large number of explosive tag traps, plus himself as a top-tier powerhouse of the shinobi world leading one hundred elite shinobi from Amegakure, Hanzo was confident he could take down anyone in the current shinobi world.

In fact, the preparations were originally even more thorough. Hanzo had planned to capture a shinobi of the Shinobi Sect to blackmail Mu Yue and the others, but Mu Yue was wary and had the Shinobi Sect shinobi gather together. To avoid alarming the target, Hanzo abandoned the capture plan.

Moreover, Iwagakure was also coming to observe. In order not to expose his cooperation with Shimura Danzo, Hanzo had to reluctantly decline Danzo's assistance.

"Senior Hanzo, it's your deeds that surprise me," Mu Yue replied with a faint smile.

The two sides, chatting and laughing, entered the valley.

Shimura Danzo, hiding in the shadows, also smiled at this sight.

To make Hanzo oppose Mu Yue and the Rinnegan, he had expended a great deal of effort, and even lost a batch of Root elites.

Having come this far, Danzo had actually changed many details of the plan.

Danzo originally intended to kill Nagato and his group and frame Iwagakure, but he didn't expect Nagato to be so powerful that he instantly killed all of his Root elites.

The Iwa ninja hidden on the other side silently watched everything.

After all, this was a showdown between the Ninja Master Soyosuke and the Demigod Hanzo; even without a mission, Kitsuchi was very interested.

Although Soyosuke had only recently become famous, his battle record was solid—he had soundly defeated Kakuzu head-on.

"Pity this isn't a fair fight." Kitsuchi believed Hanzo would definitely win.

Because this was itself a conspiracy targeting Muyue and the Ninja Sect; Hanzo had prepared in advance, while Muyue and the others were still completely unaware.

Kakuzu looked around; both sides were high cliffs, and the valley's entrances and exits were very narrow, making it very convenient to block people.

"Lord Hanzo, what are your views on the current situation in the Rain Country? How do you think we can better achieve lasting peace in the Rain Country?" Yahiko asked impatiently.

The Rain Country was full of legends about Hanzo; Yahiko had long admired Hanzo, and now that he saw the real person, not initiating conversation with Hanzo immediately was out of respect for Muyue.

"Developing ninja strength is the fundamental solution to the Rain Country's chaos; as for lasting peace, that depends on the situation of the great nations. Additionally, it's important to eliminate ninja organizations within the country that try to incite war." As Hanzo answered Yahiko's question, he gathered chakra.

"And what else?" Yahiko looked at Hanzo expectantly, thinking he would hear a profound discussion about peace.

Hanzo did not continue answering Yahiko's question. He gave a look to the two accompanying ninja, then burst his chakra and used the Body Flicker Technique to vanish to the top of the valley.

The other two Rain ninja, upon receiving Hanzo's order, quickly retreated and detonated the trap.

Boom!!

A violent explosion sounded, the roar echoing through the entire valley. The thick smoke from the blast enveloped Muyue and his group.

"Hanzo is quite thorough too." Kitsuchi felt that the real Hanzo was different from the rumors.

He wasn't opposed to Hanzo's methods; ninja aren't samurai—they don't have a code of one-on-one duels. A ninja who can achieve victory is a good ninja. It's just that the rumors about Hanzo were a bit too idealized.

"I wonder if the Rinnegan can be directly transplanted and used like the Sharingan." Shimura Danzo wanted to retrieve Nagato's Rinnegan.

It was important that the enemy did not have the Rinnegan, and it was also important that Shimura Danzo himself possessed the Rinnegan.

After all, these were the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, inherently mysterious.

"Did something go wrong with the trap? The explosion location is off." Hanzo, looking down at Muyue's group from a height, noticed a major problem.

He should have lured Muyue and the others to the center of the explosion, but on the scene, Muyue and his group were only caught in the blast's edge.

The dust and smoke cleared, revealing a flowing water shield and Muyue and the others completely unharmed.

At the moment the explosive tags detonated, Muyue gathered chakra and used Water Wall, perfectly blocking the blast's aftermath; they didn't even have a speck of dust on them.

Hanzo frowned deeply. Originally, according to his plan, this explosive tag trap should have killed all ninja except Muyue and Kakuzu, while injuring Muyue and Kakuzu.

But due to an unknown accident, his explosive tag trap only consumed the chakra for Muyue's Water Wall, which made Hanzo feel something was wrong.

However, Hanzo wasn't panicked. With 100 elite Rain ninja plus himself as a top-tier powerhouse, even a direct fight would be enough to take down Muyue and his group.

"What's going on?" Yahiko looked blankly at the valley turned into a mess by the explosive tag bombardment.

He didn't understand what had happened, or rather, his subconscious didn't want to understand.

"What else could it be? Of course, your revered Lord Hanzo wants to kill you. To still be naive at this point is simply too ridiculous." Kakuzu sneered mercilessly.

In Kakuzu's view, Yahiko was too naive—naive to a terrifying degree.

"Just as I thought, something's wrong." Chishōya also sighed.

Upon seeing the specific terrain of the meeting location, he could almost be certain that Hanzo had ill intentions, and he had warned Muyue with an extremely faint voice when entering.

Just then, the often gloomy sky of the Rain Country began to pour rain; raindrops the size of beans fell equally onto everyone.

"Even heaven is helping me. It seems no more accidents will occur." A hint of a smile appeared on Hanzo's face.

For him, who excelled in Water Release, rainy weather was very favorable; for Muyue, who excelled in Fire Release, it was the worst weather.

"Why... why has it come to this?" Yahiko looked at Hanzo in bewilderment.

They had been talking so well—why did they suddenly attack?

Nagato and Konan were also stunned by this sudden turn of events. They had both supported cooperating with the Rain Ninja Village and had never expected this to happen.

"Didn't we say we would protect the peace of the Rain Country together? Why are you doing this?" Yahiko demanded loudly of Hanzo.

At this moment, Yahiko deeply regretted the passionate speech he had given before the vote. If not for him, perhaps there would have been more opposing votes.

Without a doubt, this cooperation was a conspiracy—a plot to destroy their Ninja Sect.

But Yahiko was truly puzzled. He couldn't understand why Hanzo would do this, since destroying them brought Hanzo no benefit whatsoever.

"Am I not maintaining the peace of the Rain Country?" Hanzo replied calmly.

"If you truly wish for peace in the Rain Country, then die. The Rain Country will be more peaceful without the Ninja Sect."

Yahiko clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on Hanzo. He had never imagined Hanzo could be such a treacherous and vicious person.

After this, Yahiko might never believe any rumors again. Hanzo had truly taught him a harsh lesson.

"It's nothing more than boring reasons like worrying you'll affect his power and influence," Kakuzu said sarcastically. "You want peace with all your hearts and seek nothing else, but others don't necessarily think that way. They only believe what they want to believe."

Watching Muyue and Yahiko betrayed and trapped in danger, Kakuzu seemed to see a reflection of his former self.

Although their experiences weren't exactly the same, the nature was quite similar.

"Sensei, I'm sorry," Nagato said, looking at Muyue apologetically.

He had also been one who supported the cooperation, and Nagato felt he was partly to blame.

"How could this be your fault? You are merely the victims." Muyue shook his head and patted Nagato's head.

If someone had to take the blame, even Muyue would have to accept a share.

Because Muyue knew everything, yet silently watched the incident unfold without stopping it.

Stopping this incident would not have been difficult for Muyue—he simply could have not attended the meeting.

But that wouldn't resolve the conflict; it would only delay its eruption. As long as the Ninja Sect continued to develop, it was bound to clash with Hanzo's Rain Ninja Village, unless Hanzo and his forces also joined the Ninja Sect.

However, knowing Hanzo as he did, Muyue found that unlikely. Hanzo had his own beliefs and pride. Without a special experience, he would never humble himself to join an organization founded by a junior.

Muyue's current logic was actually the same as when he watched his disciples fight against the Mist Jonin during the Chunin Exam.

He would train his disciples as much as possible, while ensuring with absolute certainty that no accidents occurred. But in the Rain Country, there was an additional task: training the Ninja Sect.

Since the conflict was unavoidable, the goal was to maximize benefits while resolving it.

Muyue believed that after this incident, Yahiko and the others would become more mature, and the entire Ninja Sect would undergo a transformation.

Under Muyue's protection, the Ninja Sect had always progressed smoothly without encountering any setbacks, causing some Ninja Sect shinobi to be overly optimistic.

Whoosh!

Hanzo flung a sharp kunai, which landed in front of Muyue.

"Sōsuke, you are the founder and leader of the Ninja Sect. If you are willing to take your own life, I will let the others go," Hanzo said in a flat tone.

Hanzo wanted to end the battle safely, so he would not miss any opportunity to reduce the pressure of combat.

Of course, even if Muyue killed himself, Hanzo would not let Nagato and the others go, but that would save Hanzo a great deal of effort.

Hanzo's words completely shattered the fan filter Yahiko had for Hanzo, leaving nothing behind.

In Yahiko's eyes, the former Hanzo had been a great ninja with lofty ideals. Now, in Yahiko's eyes, Hanzo was a despicable villain, cunning and treacherous.

"Uncle Sōsuke, don't do what he says. Let's fight him to the death!" Yahiko said through gritted teeth.

Right now, he wished he could rush forward and punch Hanzo in the face twice.

Although Hanzo was very strong, Yahiko believed they still had a chance. If Muyue alone couldn't beat Hanzo, adding Kakuzu would surely ensure victory. Then their seven ninjas could easily handle the two Rain Ninja.

"Perhaps I can cooperate more with Hanzo in the future," Danzo Shimura thought, watching Hanzo's tactics. The more he saw, the more he approved.

A ninja who achieves victory by any means is a true ninja. Danzo Shimura greatly admired the current Hanzo.

"I do not recommend that you make this choice, because it is seeking your own death," Hanzo said expressionlessly.

As Hanzo finished speaking, a hundred elite Rain Ninja lying in ambush on the mountain instantly surged out, looking down from a height at Muyue and the others.

Seeing the Rain Ninja suddenly appear, Yahiko was dumbfounded.

He truly hadn't expected Hanzo to go to such lengths to deal with them—setting traps and ambushing them with a large number of ninjas.

Chi Changye and Jiao Du were not surprised. Since it was Hanzo's scheme, how could he only bring two subordinates?

For a moment, Mu Yue and the others seemed to have fallen into a desperate situation.

"Among the Ninja Sect, I am the one who has best learned Uncle Zong Youjie's thoughts. I will die in his place." Mi Yan grabbed a kunai from the ground and said.

If his own death could buy Mu Yue and the others a way to live, Mi Yan would die without hesitation.

After all, as things had developed to this point, the responsibility on him was heavy. His fan filter for Hanzo had caused him to trust Hanzo too much.

"You are not qualified. Only Zong Youjie, as the leader, is qualified." Hanzo refused Mi Yan's proposal.

Among the eight people present, only Jiao Du and Mu Yue were worthy of Hanzo's attention. In Hanzo's eyes, the others could be instantly killed at will, not worth caring about.

"Teacher Zong Youjie, you absolutely must not commit suicide. Even if you commit suicide, Hanzo will never let us go." Chi Changye, worried that Mu Yue might be impulsive, quickly said.

Chi Changye did not believe Hanzo's lies. In order to eliminate the Ninja Sect, Hanzo had lied and set up an ambush. How could he possibly let the Ninja Sect members who had entered the encirclement go?

Chi Changye put himself in Hanzo's shoes. He would definitely choose to uproot the problem, not only killing all the ninjas in the valley but also sweeping away all the Ninja Sect ninjas who had not come.

"Zong Youjie, you are naive but not stupid. Don't make me look down on you." Jiao Du kept mocking with his mouth, his eyes fixed on Mu Yue's body.

Jiao Du felt that given the wisdom Mu Yue had shown, he shouldn't commit suicide, but Jiao Du couldn't be one hundred percent sure—after all, Mu Yue had still come to this cooperation meeting that was clearly a trap.

"Ninja Master Zong Youjie, how will you break the situation?" Huang Tu, who was watching the show on the side, thought curiously.

Huang Tu thought about it from a different perspective and realized that if he were in such a predicament, he would surely die.

If he committed suicide, Hanzo wouldn't spare his companions. If he didn't commit suicide, he couldn't win in a direct fight. Either way, he would die.