Chapter 170

Sansho-uo Hanzo would probably use the excuse of "exceeding ability" to shirk and refuse.

"It's very simple."

Ryosuke said with a smile, pointing forward while speaking.

A wisp of rainwater followed Ryosuke’s guidance to the position he pointed, forming two characters condensed from rainwater: "Uzumaki."

Subsequently, the rainwater turned into a vortex and scattered onto the ground.

Hanzo of the Salamander was naturally well aware of the reputation of the "Uzumaki."

However, he did not understand why Ryosuke would bring it up at this moment. Hanzo did not rush to answer, waiting instead for Ryosuke’s further explanation.

"There are a few exiled members of the Uzumaki clan currently within the borders of the Land of Rain."

"It just so happens that I have developed an interest in sealing techniques recently."

"I hope the leader of the Rain can help me locate them. You wouldn't refuse such a small favor, would you?"

Ryosuke continued to speak with a smile, his tone exceptionally calm, though a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

He was certainly not foolish; in his speech, he naturally mentioned only the Uzumaki clan and kept his mouth shut regarding the Rinnegan.

Furthermore, Ryosuke was not in the least bit worried that the Rain ninja would recognize Nagato’s eyes as the Rinnegan after finding him.

As one of the three great dōjutsu of legend in the Ninja World, no one could be ignorant of the value of the Rinnegan.

But the problem was, who had ever actually seen it?

Ordinary ninja, Hanzo of the Salamander included, had likely only heard the legends of the Rinnegan.

Those who didn't know would likely only sigh upon seeing Uzumaki Nagato: "What a perfectly fine young man, to have developed cataracts at such a young age."

In the original story, among those who had seen Nagato, only Jiraiya recognized his eyes as the legendary Rinnegan due to the heritage of Mount Myoboku.

Because of this, he mistook Nagato for the "Child of Prophecy" and provided him with careful guidance.

But later, facts proved that sometimes good intentions do not necessarily lead to good rewards.

And at this moment, Hanzo of the Salamander, who rose from the grassroots, naturally lacked the ability to recognize the origin of Nagato’s eyes.

If he had been able to recognize the Rinnegan, he wouldn't have ended up crashing and burning at Nagato’s hands later on.

Upon hearing this, Hanzo first furrowed his brows, but they soon smoothed out.

"Very well."

In the end, he chose to nod and agree.

Just as Ryosuke said, finding a few people within the Land of Rain was indeed a trivial matter given the capabilities of the Rain ninja.

The reason Hanzo had hesitated for a moment was that he had considered deeper levels of interest.

The Uzumaki clan were no small fry in the Ninja World; their mastery of sealing techniques made them a unique existence. At the same time, because the Uzumaki were in-laws to the Senju clan and had close ties with Konoha, small nations in the Ninja World dared not provoke them.

Likewise, in the Ninja World, the Uzumaki clan had become synonymous with "sealing techniques."

Because of the special nature of sealing techniques, they possessed power comparable to forbidden techniques in certain situations, which is why high-level sealing techniques were secret arts that every major ninja village craved.

The reason Hanzo hesitated was that, for a brief moment, a trace of greed had stirred in his heart.

But soon, this trace of greed was killed off by Hanzo.

Not to mention the pressure currently coming from Kirigakure and Mizunuki Ryosuke himself.

Although the Ninja World is vast, the fundamental laws are always the same.

No matter where one is, high-level abilities and secret arts can only be mastered and possessed by those who have reached a certain level of strength and status.

If Ryosuke’s intelligence was correct, what status could a few Uzumaki clan members who chose to leave their homeland possibly have?

If they truly had ability and status, they wouldn't be drifting into a chaotic war-torn land like the Land of Rain; they would be honored guests of any major ninja village in any great nation.

In other words, there was little profit to be gained from these Uzumaki refugees.

Another point worth noting was that what the major ninja villages lacked were high-level sealing techniques; some shallow, low-level ones had long since spread throughout the Ninja World.

Offending the Fourth Mizukage for the sake of a few Uzumaki refugees was indeed not worth it.

Furthermore, Ryosuke’s request was only to find their location and tracks, not even requiring the Rain ninja to take action, so there was no possibility of offending the Uzumaki clan itself.

Weighing it all together, Hanzo was naturally willing to help Ryosuke with this "small favor."

Seeing this, a distinct arc appeared at the corner of Ryosuke’s mouth.

With this, the few things he had come to the Rain ninja for personally were basically all settled.

Just then, a commotion coming from the mansion caught the attention of the three people present.

Relying on their keen perception, the three naturally knew that this mansion had welcomed an intruder.

Hanzo immediately swept his gaze toward Mizunuki Ryosuke, and seeing this, Ryosuke naturally shook his head.

The person choosing to invade the heart of the Rain ninja at this moment could absolutely not be one of his people.

Even if Kaguya Yuta and Momochi Zabuza had such ability, they would never dare to act rashly before receiving Ryosuke’s orders.

Seeing Ryosuke deny it, a sharp glint appeared in Hanzo’s eyes.

He hadn't expected that his strategy of "luring the enemy into the trap" would actually hook a big fish that didn't fear death.

Immediately, Hanzo prepared to rush toward the location where the intruder was attacking.

"Leader Hanzo, if it is convenient, may I observe from the side?"

Ryosuke asked Hanzo, who was already poised for action.

"Of course."

To this, Hanzo did not refuse; instead, he revealed a confident smile.

Clearly, he also wanted to take this opportunity to "flex his muscles" for Ryosuke to demonstrate the strength of the Rain ninja.

"Many thanks."

Ryosuke only smiled and nodded; although his expression remained indifferent, a flickering gaze appeared in his eyes.

In this timeframe, there was only one person he could think of who had the ability and the guts to invade the core of the Rain ninja.

—Who else could it be but Tsunade?

"I didn't expect her to be so reckless in her youth."

A figure immediately appeared in Ryosuke’s mind.

After a soft sigh in his heart, Ryosuke felt somewhat helpless.

This existence was not only a headache for Sarutobi Hiruzen, but even Ryosuke found her difficult to deal with.

The identity of Senju Tsunade was of great importance; she must not be allowed to have an accident here, otherwise, Konoha’s retaliation would throw all of Ryosuke’s plans into chaos.

Moreover, Tsunade was a very important character in the original story; without her, many things would develop in unknown directions, which would also bring great disadvantages to Ryosuke.

And the most important point—well, those who know, know.

Therefore, Ryosuke absolutely could not let her have an accident at the Rain ninja's base.

Immediately, Ryosuke had already prepared the aftermath for this Senju Princess.

On the other side, Tsunade had killed her way to the courtyard of Hanzo’s mansion without any pressure along the way.

Just as mentioned before, Tsunade had basically not encountered any effective resistance along the way, almost pushing through everything.

This made Tsunade even more convinced that Hanzo’s lair was currently in a state of emptiness.

Little did she know that behind her, more than twenty elite Rain ninja were already poised and waiting; as soon as she entered the center of the encirclement, they would strike without hesitation.

"BANG!!!"

After punching away an ordinary Rain ninja responsible for guarding the courtyard, Tsunade walked into the very center of the mansion.

If one were to look down at the entire Hanzō residence from high above, one would discover that the layout of the buildings forms the shape of the character "Lü."

Except for the small courtyard where Hanzo lived, all other core institutions of the Rain ninja were in the courtyard where Tsunade was currently standing. As long as one passed through here and continued inward along a small path, one would reach the small courtyard where Hanzo lived.

Without a doubt, Tsunade had entered the true heart of the Rain ninja.