Chapter 105: Scattering the Players
With all three sides eyeing each other warily, none dared to act rashly, yet none were willing to let the others leave peacefully. A tense stalemate settled over the battlefield.
But the silence didn't last long—Ishiro's voice broke it.
"Hanzō, do you really think Danzō will let you off the hook after this? Even if you hadn't poisoned his men, he still would've turned on you the moment Akatsuki was dead. Now that you've made the first move, he'll make sure the Hidden Rain Village is punished when he gets back to Konoha."
"You don't have many choices left. If you side with Nagato and help eliminate what's left of Root, I represent Iwagakure and will help mediate a truce between you and Akatsuki."
"I came to the Rain Country on the Tsuchikage's orders—to handle its civil conflict."
Danzō's face turned stormy, his eyes full of killing intent as he glared at Ishiro. He barked at Hanzō:
"Hanzō! Don't forget, we're allies. Konoha doesn't betray its allies. You're not seriously going to believe the lies of that kid up there, are you?"
Danzō might be untrustworthy, but Konoha's reputation still held weight. At the mention of "allies," Hanzō hesitated.
But Ishiro spoke again:
"Konoha values its allies, yes—but it values traitors even more. They abandoned Uchiha Madara, remember? Do you think a minor ally who struck first like you stands a chance?"
"We Iwa-nin are different. Earth Country now has major trade routes with the Rain Country. Right now, we're only trading with Akatsuki, but if you want in, we're open to it."
"And we understand—if you're backed into a corner, you could destroy those trade routes. That would be bad for us too. So we won't attack you. In fact, we'll do everything we can to preserve peace in the Rain. Even if that means going against Konoha."
At that, Hanzō's heart began to waver. What he wanted now was a dignified way out, and more importantly, a new backer. The Rain Village had grown too weak to stand on its own. He had originally hoped for support from Konoha, but now that bridge was burned. If Iwagakure was extending a hand—that wasn't bad.
His gaze toward Danzō turned cold.
Realizing he was losing Hanzō, Danzō prepared to give the order.
But Ishiro was faster.
"Hanzō, hold Danzō back! Nagato—take out the remaining Root!"
Nagato didn't hesitate. With a Body Flicker, he rushed the surviving Root squads. His Shinra Tensei was already off cooldown—he unleashed it immediately.
Meanwhile, Hanzō, seeing Nagato's move, committed. He took a step forward—toward Danzō.
Danzō's face turned dark. He bit his thumb, formed hand seals, and shouted:
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive Baku appeared with a roar, unleashing a Wind Release attack at Hanzō.
Hanzō hesitated over whether to summon his salamander, but realized Danzō had only summoned the Baku to buy time—the man was already retreating.
Danzō's voice echoed behind him:
"Fall back!"
The remaining Root members hesitated for a moment, then followed orders. Four stayed behind to cover the retreat, while ten or so fled with Danzō.
The Baku held Hanzō up for a moment before vanishing. The four rearguard Root ninja couldn't hold Nagato off long—he killed them quickly.
Now, only Hanzō and Nagato remained.
Still high in the air, Ishiro called out:
"That's enough for today, Hanzō. Take your men and return to Amegakure. We Iwa-nin will send someone to mediate between you and Akatsuki."
Hanzō stared up at him for a long moment.
"Very well, young man. I'll await your word in the Rain Village."
He then led his remaining subordinates away.
Even Hanzō was shaken. With Danzō gone, he had to face Nagato alone. He wasn't confident. And now that he had completely severed ties with Konoha, he couldn't afford to alienate Iwa as well.
—
After Hanzō left, Ishiro landed beside Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan.
He cast Sensory Ninjutsu, sweeping the entire area.
No enemies.
No Zetsu clones.
He finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Earlier, the battle had been too chaotic. From the air, he couldn't properly scan the battlefield. And Nagato had blasted the terrain with massive Wind Release techniques. Only now could they finally rest.
Everyone sat down.
All four were exhausted. Ishiro was doing better than the rest—he had expected most of what happened. He checked his chakra reserves. Still plenty left.
So he created Earth Clones and sent them to retrieve the corpses scattered across the battlefield—those of Danzō and Hanzō's elite shinobi. All at least chūnin-level. They'd be worth a fortune in contribution points.
He sealed the corpses and gathered valuable items, leaving the rest to Akatsuki.
When he finally finished, Yahiko came forward to thank him.
His passion was gone—Hanzō's betrayal had crushed him. Yahiko had believed his cause was just, and that Hanzō, as the Rain's military leader, would support him.
Instead, Hanzō had tried to eliminate him.
Ishiro didn't know how to comfort him. He simply patted his shoulder.
"When I was in Iwagakure, we got word that Root was active in the Rain Country. I volunteered to come and check on you. I planned to visit your base, but you weren't there."
"Then I noticed I was being followed. I feared there might be spies in your ranks, so I stayed hidden and monitored Root movements. I had no idea Hanzō had allied with outsiders to kill you."
"That's why I didn't save Konan immediately. I'm sorry."
Konan shook her head.
"Don't say that, Ishiro. If it weren't for you, we don't know what would've happened today."
Yahiko nodded.
"Yeah, Ishiro—if you hadn't given Nagato that fake kunai, I'd be dead right now."
Nagato added:
"Your tactics saved us. Without your guidance, I couldn't have fought them all."
Ishiro smiled faintly.
"The danger's passed, but the Rain's still in turmoil. Hanzō showed his hand—if no one intervenes, the conflict will only get worse. I need to return to Iwagakure and report everything to the Tsuchikage. He'll send a diplomat to mediate."
Yahiko blinked.
"Wait… aren't you the mediator?"
Ishiro rolled his eyes.
"That was just a lie to give Hanzō an out. He didn't believe it. Danzō didn't believe it. Only you believed it."
Yahiko scratched his head awkwardly.
"So… what happens to the Rain Country now?"
Ishiro thought for a moment.
"You always wanted a peaceful world where all ninja could understand each other, right? Hanzō clearly fears your influence. Why not just give him the Rain Country?"
"You only need a small territory here as your base. Then expand Akatsuki outward—make it a borderless peacekeeping force across the world."
Yahiko was stunned. He didn't want to abandon the Rain, but he also didn't want to drag civilians into war. Maybe this was a peaceful path forward.
Ishiro watched him quietly. He felt a little guilty. His suggestion had less to do with Yahiko's ideals and more to do with Iwagakure's interests.
Iwa would act as the mediator. If Hanzō had no influence left, there would be no benefit to mediate for.
Of course, Iwa could strike deals with Akatsuki instead, but idealists like Yahiko wouldn't take bribes.
So Ishiro encouraged them to cede control, preserving peace while also benefiting Iwagakure.
As expected, Yahiko agreed. So did Nagato and Konan.
Ishiro had just saved their lives. His influence over them had never been stronger. All three agreed—this was the right path.
With that, the biggest hurdle was cleared. From here, everything else would be easier.
—
The four of them rested that night.
By morning, they had fully recovered.
Ishiro prepared to leave.
Yahiko had plenty to handle. The three Akatsuki leaders had been gone for over a day. Their people were probably panicking.
Nagato had his own revelations—his use of the Rinnegan was too limited. He needed to deepen his mastery.
Konan was determined to grow stronger. Her power had held the others back—she wouldn't let it happen again. Seeing Yahiko nearly die had shaken her deeply.
Ishiro activated Light-Weight Boulder and Camouflage, then soared into the sky—full speed toward Iwagakure.
That night, he landed outside the village.
He touched down quietly, circled to the main gate, and entered.
He didn't stop anywhere else.
He headed straight for the Tsuchikage's office.
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