Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Garp stared at the Demi-God, with him using his Observation Haki to analyze every single detail of the man before him.
If Garp were to compare the aura that the man had to someone, he would have to view him as a person who could easily sail the seas in the New World, with him being around the same level of power as an elite Navy Vice Admiral.
But, the level of Admiral stood above that, and Garp now possessed strength that fully eclipsed even those thanks to the addition of Chakra he now had.
In terms of appearance, Garp felt as if he was in his physical prime, with his memories telling him that his body's age was in his early 40's even if his memories went up until his 70's.
'So this man is the one who could defeat all three Sannin and force three of the world's nations to not fully turn the Rain into their own personal battleground.' Garp thought to himself.
"I adopted some grandkids and I need some supplies for them. I'm hoping you can assist me in getting them things like proper clothes and items for them." Garp said.
'So, this monster chose to adopt some children? I wonder for what reason he would wish to do so.' Hanzo thought to himself as he stared at Garp while deep in thought.
While it wouldn't be hard to give Garp the items, he still wished to gain something from the exchange.
Hanzo was fully capable of feeling the terrifying level of coercion that Garp passively gave off, with his power exceeding anything Hanzo had ever felt, and when you had seen people from the Sengoku Era, that was a huge compliment.
So now, Hanzo basically had two options for him to choose for.
One, give the items to Garp with a hope to build a positive relationship with the man in the long run, something that stood extremely beneficial for the Land of Rain, especially if he wished to establish the Rain as the Sixth Great Nation.
Or two, attempt to exchange the items for Garp to aid him in his war, with the battle against Iwa and Suna kicking back up while Konoha seemed to be taking a rest from interacting with them on the surface.
The answer seemed obvious to Hanzo.
"I can have the items prepared in a Sealing Scroll in about an hour. Would that suffice, Lord?" Hanzo finished with a question.
"Garp. Monkey D. Garp." Garp responded, with him then sitting down as Hanzo signaled for one of his Shinobi to gather the items for Garp.
As they sat, Hanzo decided to test the man's character, with him wishing to discern if he truly could be an ally to his cause.
"Mr. Garp, how far did you travel throughout the Land of Rain?" Hanzo began.
"Not far, though I did see quite a bit when attempting to find a decent house for me and the brats." Garp said while scratching his ear.
"Then, did you see any deserted Villages or destroyed towns along your way?" Hanzo asked.
Garp frowned, with him nodding slowly, as if understanding the solemnity of what Hanzo was saying.
"Do you think it's right for us to be trampled on because we're weaker than the other Nations?" Hanzo asked his true question, with the atmosphere in the room changing greatly.
Rather than the laid back Grandpa that he seemed like at first, he now looked like a seasoned War Veteran, one that had seen the horrors of the world and wished to speak on them.
"It's never right to trample on people just because they are weaker than you. That goes for anyone. But, does it matter if it is right or not? Because I'm sure we both know the answer to that question.
This is a cruel and sad world, one in which it's as simply as paying a small amount of money to kill someone you don't like. One where children are indoctrinated with the view that their homeland is more important than their lives or their comrade's lives. And yet, due to how this world is structured, no one has an issue with how this system is set up.
Even you wish to join this system. No matter the good intentions behind it, the horror that it would cause to the later generations that follow you would be terrifying. It's ironic that a system sparked by a man simply because he wished to end the suffering of children inevitably lead to conflicts greater than those from the era beforehand." Garp stated.
"Then what would you have me do? You speak as if challenging a system created by a man with power that could shape the very nature of the world would be a simple task. Even I, with the title of Demi-God and strength capable of defeating some of the Gokage, would be facing the combined wraths of the entire world if I were to challenge the accepted system." Hanzo said with a raised eyebrow.
"If you're afraid to challenge the system of those who claim to designate the norms of society, then you're a fool of the highest degree. Some people merely turned their head to issues like those, when the world around them is suffering and faced with a disease, yet instead of treating it, they would rather place a bandage on it than solve it. Others. wish to challenge the very nature of the world, with their Wills being so great that even in the face of death, they could smile as if their dreams would live on." Garp stated.
It was at that moment that one of the Shinobi entered the room, with him holding the scroll that held what Garp could only assume was the resources he asked for.
Garp then stood and prepared to leave, though he decided to say one more thing to Hanzo before he left.
"Challenging a world that is rotten is something that only the brave are capable of doing, because they know that even if they die, their dreams never will. Because people don't die when they take their last breath, they die when their will is forgotten."
~
"Do you think he will become a threat to your plans, Lord Hanzo?" The Shinobi in the room asked Hanzo.
Hanzo didn't answer him at first, with him looking out of his window at the small camp he had behind him, with him usually imagining it one day becoming a Village that his people could be proud of.
But, Garp's words rang in his mind, with him being unable to fully come to a decision on if he would actually listen to him.
'Am I afraid of how the other Village's would react? Is that why I am hesitant to actually challenge the system that lets the larger Nations use us as nothing more than a battlefield, just so their own lands don't get harmed? Those that live their battles get to return to their home, a Village physically unaffected by the war, yet my people are forced to rebuild their destroyed homes just so that they can barely survive?' Hanzo questioned in his mind, with his Chakra swirling erratically as he thought about it more and more.
Just then, a Shinobi entered the room and reported that the Sand had sent another small army through their land towards Konoha, with their hope being to catch them off guard.
That seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back.
Dense Chakra blasted in the room, shattering the windows and making the entire building shake with cracks.
"NO MORE SHALL THE RAIN BE A MERE PAWN FOR THE GREATER POWERS!!!" Hanzo yelled out in anger.
Garp's words sounded in his head once more, yet this time, rather than just dismissing them, he seemed to accept them.
'If a God like Hashirama could force this world onto this path, then I shall simply have to change it back. Afterall, I am the one closest to reaching that level in the current world.' Hanzo thought to himself before he gave his orders to the two Shinobi who seemed to be unable to breathe thanks to his aura.
"Prepare our troops, I'll be going to while out this Sand Army. And Gyoto, you will go to the man who just left here. You're job is to offer him a leadership position in our forces. Tell him that my will is firm, and that this world must change." Hanzo spoke.
The first of many changes in the world began due to Garp's actions, and the effects of it would have lasting consequences.
~
"So you're saying that a man who was around 9ft tall came and helped you three recuperate, and afterwards he left with three children?" Hiruzen asked as he looked at his students with an incredulous expression on his face.
"It's more likely that Hanzo's poison left lasting after effects on them, making them hallucinate." Koharu said as she looked at the Sannin as if they had lost their mind.
"Perhaps the Yamanaka should take a look at them, after all, not many leave a battle with Hanzo with no lasting wounds, physical or mental." Homura added.
"We know what we saw you old crones!!" Tsunade yelled as her Chakra grew agitated
"Yet we are supposed to believe that after your battle with the Demi God, the man that can contend with your Sensei and the other Gokage, a random giant came and saved you three? Hiruzen, I told you that the brats were too green to take an important position like being the commanders of a platoon. Now look, an entire platoon has been wiped out." Danzo said from the corner as he looked at the newly named Sannin.
"Well, Elder Danzo, do you believe that you, Elder Koharu, and Elder Homura could so better in the battle against Hanzo?" Orochimaru asked as he narrowed his eyes at the man.
"Enough."
And just like that, the argument ceased.
For that was the level of power that the current God of Shinobi possessed.
When he made a statement, it carried weight.
He was far from the peace loving old man that was tired of war and had a body that weakened him greatly.
He was the current 'Shinobi no Kami', a God amongst Shinobi and a man whose very presence on the battlefield would force all Kage to also join the war, with that being the only reason he was hesitant to get involved.
"You three will report back to the battlefield after a check from Inoki. Once that's done, be prepared since we have intel that the Sand has begun to move. I doubt Hanzo will make any more major moves since his battle with you, making the War lose a major component. Good luck." Hiruzen spoke while smoking his pipe, his words ending the conversation as all three Sannin left the room without another word.
"Hiru-"
"I said enough." Hiruzen cut Danzo off as he glanced at him, with that being more than enough to silence the man, not wishing to test his old friend without any benefits being on the line.
"Those three wouldn't lie. It seems we shall be careful in dealing with the Land of Rain from now on." Hiruzen said.
The three elders then left the room upon seeing he was done with the conversation, though no one knew what thoughts were raging in his mind.
~
"I'm back, brats!!" Garp said as he opened the door, seeing all three of the children in the living room, yet he could see the slight surprise and happiness they had upon seeing him.
'They must have thought I abandoned them but they didn't know where to go. Truly, a pitiful world.' Garp thought to himself as he sighed.
He then infused Chakra into the scroll, with smoke erupting as it revealed beds, food, utilities, and other necessities that the family of four would need.
"Alright brats, pick out your rooms so that we can start setting it up." Garp said as he began tidying up the house, fixing any issues it had while turning it into a home for them.
Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato seemed to look at the items in disbelief, with Garp knocking all three on the head when he saw that they hadn't moved.
"Hey!! What was that for!!" Yahiko yelled as he rubbed his head from the wound.
"You kids were spacing out. Don't think so hard on it. I'm your Grandpa. So that means I'm going to take care of you from now on. Now go pick your rooms out before I give you my Fist of Love again!!" Garp said with a smile at the end, though the three children couldn't believe this was actually happening.
Garp simply smiled at the three, with him finishing fixing up the house.
~
"Do-Do you think he really means it?" Nagato asked, a slight glimmer of hope rising his heart as he, Yahiko, and Konan stood in one of the rooms.
"He seems to. I mean, I thought he had left us, but he only went to get us supplies. Maybe we should give him a chance. At least it's better than staying outside." Konan added.
"I think he does. The Old Man seems to actually care about us. Why, I don't know. But I just feel that we can trust him." Yahiko said firmly, with him feeling the care that Garp had given them.
The man had taken three orphans that he did not know and chose to find them shelter and take care of them, even though he didn't have to.
They didn't have anything that the man could want, and even if he did, with his strength, he would have easily been able to take it.
They had seen how horrible the world could be when they were searching for food and shelter, with some people even going as far as telling them to give him Konan for a few bites to eat.
Yahiko never wanted his friends to go through pain like that again, and if the Old Man could take care of them so that they would not have to, he would give him a chance.
Unbeknownst to three, Garp stood in the hallway with a slight smile, with the three talking about how they were going to set up their room.
'This is how children should live.' Garp thought to himself slightly as he went to his room, with him looking at the 10 Devil Fruits that laid on his new desk.
"Now, the question is, which one do I wanna eat?"
~
"Wait." Ebizo said as he and his Shinobi stopped, with him looking up on a nearby cliff after sensing a Chakra signature from there.
However, he saw a figure who he thought would no longer be actively participating in the war staring at him with cold eyes, with his Chakra seeming to be saturated in every single drop of rain that fell near them.
Hanzo jumped down form the mountain, with the ground cracking once he arrived, though his Chakra seemed to envelop the entire army of Shinobi, with him drawing his blade.
"I shall only tell you Suna Shinobi this one time. Leave these lands and never return. The Land of Rain is protected by me. If you wish to continue, you will need to go through me." Hanzo said as his Chakra grew even denser, with it beginning to crack the ground.
Ebizo looked at Hanzo and began weighing his options as though he knew he was no match for the man, he felt he could hold on long enough for their reinforcements to arrive.
"Step aside Hanzo. We shall not trouble you or your forces while we travel." Ebizo said, though he began filtering his Chakra in case of Hanzo's sudden use of his poison.
"Don't say I gave you no option to retreat." Hanzo said as suddenly, the water on the ground began forming into dragons, with them charging at the Suna Shinobi.
Hanzo jumped into the army, ready to showcase why he was bestowed with the title of the Demi-God.
~
The Shinobi under Hanzo could only wince slightly as he was stared at by a man over 9 feet tall, with him looking at him with a deathly cold gaze.
"Why are you here?" Garp asked.
"Lord Hanzo asked me to relay a message to you. And it is of extreme importance." The Shinobi said.