Chapter 289

After analyzing Hanzo of the Salamander's objectives and plans, Ryosuke began to contemplate his own strategy and the points he could exploit in the impending Ninja World War.

In the original trajectory of the world, Hanzo of the Salamander's plan could be considered both a success and a failure.

The success lay in the fact that Hanzo of the Salamander did indeed ignite the Second Ninja World War.

He dragged the four major ninja villages, excluding Kirigakure, into the fray, creating a protracted and long-lasting war.

At the same time, Hanzo of the Salamander established an transcendent status for himself in the ninja world through this battle.

He led the Rain ninja to consecutively repel ninjas from Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Konoha.

Among them were not only the long-renowned Granny Chiyo of Sunagakure, but also the fledgling trio from Konoha—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—to whom he bestowed the title of "Legendary Sannin."

But likewise, Hanzo of the Salamander's plan could also be called a failure.

He did not lead the Rain ninja to a position of "hoarding goods for a high price," nor did he attain a status transcendent of external affairs.

In the years following the end of the Second Ninja World War, the Land of Rain once again fell into becoming a gladiatorial arena for the power struggles of the three great nations.

The reason was simple: the three great nations were simply too strong—strong enough to drive Hanzo of the Salamander to despair.

Hanzo of the Salamander had severely underestimated the great nations, especially the strength of Konoha.

In the vast Rain ninja force, apart from Hanzo of the Salamander himself, the others were completely disregarded by the three great nations.

As fellow Jonin, one Konoha Jonin could take on two Rain Jonin.

The disparity between them was almost impossible to quantify.

Halfway through the fighting, Hanzo of the Salamander looked back and discovered that the Rain ninjas were either dead or wounded, with few capable combatants left.

One particular event from the original story illustrates Hanzo of the Salamander's awkward predicament.

After defeating the troops led by the Sannin, Hanzo of the Salamander neither took them prisoner nor dealt a lethal blow.

Instead, after saying something as lukewarm as, "I acknowledge the strength of you three Sannin," he simply let them go.

Not only did he release them, but he also handed the antidote for his highly toxic salamander poison to the Sannin, fearing he might accidentally kill them.

Why was this?

Could it be that Hanzo of the Salamander was truly that kind of senior ninja who, regardless of his own losses, could maintain his composure even when facing a mortal enemy, providing "experience" and "titles" to the younger generation for free?

Of course not; if he were soft-hearted, Hanzo of the Salamander would never have been able to instigate the Ninja World War.

As for why he didn't move against the Sannin, the reason is actually quite simple.

That is, he didn't dare.

Yes, Hanzo of the Salamander didn't dare.

Imagine this: when the Salamander excitedly moved against the Land of Fire, waiting to engage the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, he hadn't expected that Hiruzen would only send the then-unrenowned Sannin to lead the defense.

Hanzo of the Salamander had likely prepared to kill these juniors and then force Hiruzen Sarutobi into a decisive battle.

But he hadn't expected that the more he fought, the more alarmed he would become—not to mention the strength of these three young ninjas.

And the duel between the leaders of both sides.

In the clash of the rank-and-file ninjas, the Konoha side had completely crushed the Rain ninjas; Hanzo of the Salamander's subordinates had been mostly wiped out before they had even really begun to fight.

How could he continue to play under these circumstances?

Afterward, having almost single-handedly overturned the Sannin and the Konoha troops, Hanzo of the Salamander fell into deep contemplation.

With the battle having reached this point, apart from the Sannin, the older generation of Konoha powerhouses remained firmly in their positions.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane.

Not a single one of these Konoha ninjas, who had made their names during the First Ninja World War, had appeared; how could Hanzo of the Salamander not panic?

If he killed the Sannin here and invited Konoha's retaliation, what could he use to parry it?

He couldn't possibly face them all by himself, could he?

Thinking of this, a smart man was already prepared to face the results calmly.

Without a doubt, Hanzo of the Salamander was a smart man.

He not only let the defeated Sannin go but also "thoughtfully" bestowed upon them the "Legendary" title to curry favor with Konoha.

So, to repeat the saying: do you think the ninja world is all about killing and fighting?

Wrong, the ninja world is actually all about human relationships and worldly wisdom.

This battle effectively shattered Hanzo of the Salamander's grand ambitions.

This led to the later, resigned Hanzo of the Salamander who just lay flat.

After understanding everything, Ryosuke also became clear on how to satisfy his own interests.

To repeat the saying: war is a double-edged sword; if used well, Kirigakure becoming wealthy overnight is not a problem at all.

Ryosuke came to the Land of Rain in person for two actual reasons.

The first point is to leverage the war to gain benefits for Kirigakure.

In this regard, Kirigakure possesses an inherent advantage.

The causal relationship of this war itself stems from the fact that some great nations have been exploiting small nations for years, leading to a backlash from these small nations.

All of this has nothing to do with Kirigakure.

And if one wants to reap the benefits without getting stuck in the quagmire.

One can refer to the operations of the "Beautiful Country" from his previous life.

Unless absolutely necessary, I will not take action myself, but instead export weapons to other warring nations in exchange for tangible benefits and resources.

Of course, because he is in the ninja world, such a strategy must undergo "localization reform" and cannot be copied dogmatically.

The second point is that Ryosuke came to "eliminate a pest."

After Uchiha Madara's death, the vanished Black Zetsu has always been a hidden danger.

Rather than waiting for Black Zetsu to come knocking, Ryosuke would rather strike first and eliminate Black Zetsu directly.

The current Ryosuke is not the Mizunuki Ryosuke of the past.

Back then, due to a lack of understanding of Yin-Yang Release, he could do nothing about Black Zetsu's Yin-style body.

Now, with Mizunuki Ryosuke's mastery of Yin-Yang Release, destroying Black Zetsu is simply effortless.

And as vast as the ninja world is, because Black Zetsu has the help of White Zetsu, it is almost impossible to ferret him out if he wants to hide.