บท 167: Chapter 167: What situation is this?!
Within the Konoha Village, turmoil was unending.
Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned Homura Mitokado overnight.
Hiruzen laid out the situation to Homura, hoping he could persuade their old friend Shimura Danzo, who was outside the village, not to cause trouble with the power he wielded and to seek a peaceful resolution if possible.
"I will talk to him," Homura promised, aware of the severity of the issue. Despite being a perennial peacemaker, he was confident: "Danzo and we have been friends for many years. He might have taken extreme measures, but everything he does is for the sake of Konoha…"
Homura, looking at Hiruzen, seriously suggested, "Before I summon Danzo back, why don't you strip Akihara Kagura of his position as the head of the Root and announce that he is no longer a candidate for Hokage, and let him enter the Anbu..."
Hiruzen immediately shook his head.
He thought Homura was politically naïve; this was not the time for political maneuvering and games. One must be firm yet not overly weak.
Why strip Akihara Kagura of his position at this time? Wouldn't this be openly yielding to Shimura Danzo? What leverage would they have in negotiations with Shimura Danzo then?
Most importantly…
Was Homura too concerned about Danzo, his old friend, believing everyone would compromise politically, forgetting that Akihara Kagura was the village's strongest asset?
Though Kagura lacked the Sharingan, his talent in wood release made him a prodigious genius, perhaps unmatched even by Danzo's subordinates!
Hiruzen was already worried about how to relieve Kagura of his duties without alienating him. After all, regardless of how many people Danzo had, Kagura seemed the most suitable successor to the Hokage from the current perspective.
"Enough," Hiruzen sighed, instructing, "For now, you must hurry over tonight, lest Danzo takes any rash actions…"
"Okay," Homura agreed.
At the Root's base.
The underground base remained shrouded in darkness.
Akihara Kagura sat on the railing in a corridor of the base, quietly staring into the abyss of the Root's base, surrounded by twelve masked Uchihas.
These were the actors for tonight.
Kagura had these people discovered by the Anbu, leading up to Shimura Danzo's doorstep, thus casting irremovable stains on Danzo.
"Change into your masks," Kagura commanded without looking up.
"Yes," the twelve Uchihas obeyed Kagura's order, instantly moving aside to change their masks, then returned to their dorms in the Root without hesitation.
As the Uchihas were changing masks, White Zetzu Awei's body slowly emerged from the ground, softly reporting the information he had gathered.
"My true form has found me and informed me of several things…"
"First, Shimura Danzo discovered the Akatsuki…"
"However, Danzo wanted to contact the leader of Rain Village, Hanzo, to continue pursuing Akatsuki, but Hanzo disagreed and instead informed Nagato. Nagato intended to kill Danzo, but to avoid raising Konoha's alertness and hatred, Obito intercepted the plan…"
"Young man, Uchiha Obito and Nagato hope you can handle Shimura Danzo's investigation of Akatsuki, to prevent Danzo from uncovering anything…"
"What a hassle…"
Kagura rubbed his forehead but nodded in agreement: "I've solved this kind of trouble for them many times…"
[System Prompt]: [New Mission (Nagato): Resolve the issue of Shimura Danzo and the pursuit squad's investigation of Akatsuki.]
[System Prompt]: [New Mission (Uchiha Obito): Resolve the issue of Shimura Danzo and the pursuit squad's investigation of Akatsuki.]
Honestly.
These kinds of missions had become all too familiar.
Akihara Kagura had previously solved the problems of Hatake Kakashi, Jiraiya, and others investigating Akatsuki, and now he was to solve the investigation led by Shimura Danzo.
Akihara Kagura was merely speaking rhetorically; deep down, he didn't hold any significant resentment. After all, the instances when the Akatsuki organization was investigated were largely due to his own actions.
It was only fitting that he dealt with the problems he created.
However...
This time, Shimura Danzo's ability to track down the Akatsuki organization wasn't caused by Akihara Kagura.
"It was me who led them to it..."
White Zetzu Awei looked at Akihara Kagura with a playful smile and whispered, "The Akatsuki organization has recruited several new members, but it seems they don't respect you enough. There's even one guy who really hates you, so I thought of causing them a little trouble…"
"Don't let them find out..."
Akihara Kagura frowned.
"It's okay."
White Zetzu Awei shook his head, not caring about it at all, even looking for praise, "Didn't you say Orochimaru covets your body? I pinned all this on Orochimaru."
Akihara Kagura had no choice but to give White Zetzu Awei a thumbs up.
"There's another matter."
White Zetzu Awei looked at Akihara Kagura, providing an important piece of information: "Shimura Danzo is looking for an opportunity to target Hozuki Mangetsu of the Mist Village!"
Akihara Kagura was familiar with Shimura Danzo's way of thinking. That his old superior wanted to do this was not at all surprising to him!
Shimura Danzo wanting to target Hozuki Mangetsu was actually beneficial for Akihara Kagura, as it presented an opportunity to frame Shimura Danzo.
"Lord Danzo is my former superior."
Akihara Kagura sighed inwardly and signaled for twelve Uchihas to come over, saying, "Since this is something Lord Danzo wishes to do, I must help him. Follow Awei..."
"Yes!"
The twelve Uchihas promptly bowed and agreed.
Although Akihara Kagura verbally expressed his intention to help Danzo, this "help" seemed to add another crime to Danzo's name, which they were more than willing to commit to.
"This is..."
White Zetzu Awei looked at their eyes beneath the masks, surprised, "Why do they all have the Sharingan?"
Akihara Kagura introduced to White Zetzu Awei, "These are our new subordinates, experimental products left by Lord Danzo, possessing both Wood Release and the Sharingan. They don't have names; calling them anything is fine. I'll slowly tell you more about this. Take them and help Lord Danzo..."
After speaking, Akihara Kagura asked White Zetzu Awei, "How are Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune performing? Any signs of betrayal?"
"No."
White Zetzu Awei shook his head, continuing, "That kid named Torune is smart. Yamanaka Fu, though older, is a bit dumber..."
"That's good."
Akihara Kagura gestured to them and said, "Off you go. The envoy sent by the Third Hokage to meet Lord Danzo has already departed. Make sure this matter is taken care of promptly."
"Yes!"
The twelve Uchihas quickly nodded.
"Then I'll take them along."
Bones sprouted from White Zetzu Awei's body as he cheerfully said, "Conveniently, I possess two Kekkei Genkai as well..."
"Don't reveal them carelessly."
Akihara Kagura sighed, patted White Zetzu Awei's shoulder, and solemnly instructed him, "Don't rush anything; let them go see Lord Danzo first."
"Inform Lord Danzo that the Third Hokage secretly utilized Hashirama's cells and the Sharingan to cultivate a double Kekkei Genkai experiment. However, to avoid criticism from the ninja clans in the village, let Lord Danzo bear the blame for conducting illegal human experiments and return to the village as soon as possible to face punishment."
"Shimura Danzo won't agree, will he?"
"It doesn't matter whether he agrees or not; just inform him."
"Then you go inform Torune and Fu to help Lord Danzo instigate a conflict between the Konoha and Mist ninjas, then help in the assassination of the Mist ninjas and the envoy from the Konoha, Homura Mitokado, making Lord Danzo bear the blame for tearing up the alliance between the Konoha and the Mist..."
"I understand what you mean!"
White Zetzu Awei, quite intelligent, nodded quickly and then gestured to the group of Uchihas: "Follow me! I'll lead you to perform a great play!"
...
The Uchihas could only follow.
The Uchihas didn't know what kind of monster this White Zetzu really was.
However, they knew that Akihara Kagura would lead them to revenge, knew that their surviving clan members were saved by Kagura's orders to Shisui, and also knew that the survivors were in Kagura's hands, waiting for them to carve out a path to live anew in the ninja world.
On the other hand,
In the Land of Rain, Rain Village.
Shimura Danzo, braving a torrential downpour, personally led a small team to meet with Hanzo of the Salamander, hoping to renew the alliance they once had.
However...
They didn't even see Hanzo's face.
"The Akatsuki organization hasn't been annihilated yet..."
Shimura Danzo, frowning, could only reluctantly leave with his team, returning to the joint pursuit force camp of the Konoha and Mist Villages.
Ever since Shimura Danzo started investigating Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Itachi, he hadn't found much information, only to finally learn that they had joined the Akatsuki organization, becoming members of it.
As someone who had once participated in the annihilation of the Akatsuki organization, Danzo immediately thought of his old ally, Hanzo of the Salamander, and came to the Rain Village to meet and renew their former alliance with Hanzo. Unfortunately, not only did he not get to meet Hanzo, but he also faced hostility from many Rain ninjas.
After some time, Danzo discovered that, nominally, the Akatsuki organization had been eradicated by Hanzo. Could it be that he received false information?
To verify the truth...
Danzo even led a team to dig up a grave at the former base of the Akatsuki organization, supposedly burying the body of the organization's leader, only to find the grave empty.
This...
Where has the Akatsuki organization been annihilated?
Was Hanzo just deceiving himself?
Danzo had no choice but to keep requesting meetings, continuously being rejected, and could only go back to the camp on his own, planning to continue considering his strategy.
However...
The ninjas of the Mist Village raised objections.
Hozuki Mangetsu, the leader of the Mist ninjas, immediately went to Shimura Danzo's resting tent and asked, "Lord Danzo, when can we finally find their whereabouts? It's been over two months; we can't keep coming up empty-handed, can we?"
"Where did we come up empty-handed?"
Shimura Danzo squinted at Hozuki Mangetsu and questioned, "Haven't we already found out that Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Itachi, and Kisame Hoshigaki have all joined the Akatsuki organization?"
"Where is the Akatsuki organization?"
"The whole Land of Rain knows that the Akatsuki organization has been annihilated!"
"The Akatsuki organization has not been annihilated!"
"I, along with Hanzo of the Salamander, had once surrounded and attempted to annihilate the Akatsuki organization years ago. That organization was not destroyed at that time and has already continued to take root and sprout. Hanzo is just deceiving himself..."
Shimura Danzo, holding his cane, firmly believed in his judgment, and the many pieces of evidence he found also proved that the Akatsuki organization had not been annihilated!
Shimura Danzo also inquired about the whereabouts of Orochimaru, learning that Orochimaru had once joined the Akatsuki organization and had proactively sent someone to contact Orochimaru in the Land of Rice Fields.
"We just want to know when we can find the Akatsuki organization."
Hozuki Mangetsu revealed a sharp fang, softly pressing on: "Lord Danzo, we have been out for more than two months now, and many are growing restless. The ninjas of the Mist crave blood, they need a battle now…"
"I will find out soon!" Shimura Danzo declared, pounding his cane on the ground.
If this were in the Konoha Village, no subordinate would ever dare to question his orders, not even Akihara Kagura dared. This brat named Hozuki Mangetsu really had a death wish!
"I'll be leaving first."
Hozuki Mangetsu took an apple from Danzo's table and left the tent, leaving only a message: "I hope Lord Danzo can give us an answer soon…"
"Don't worry." Shimura Danzo coldly watched him leave, harboring his own thoughts.
As soon as the specific information about the Akatsuki from Orochimaru arrives, Shimura Danzo plans to let these Mist ninjas and the Akatsuki both suffer losses, secretly taking Hozuki Mangetsu's life.
"Is there any news from the village?" Shimura Danzo inquired with his two personal guards.
"No new orders yet…" Yamanaka Fu cautiously responded.
Aburame Torune added, "We're deep in enemy territory in the Land of Rain; the village might not even know our whereabouts. Should we send someone to check in the village…?"
"You arrange for someone." Shimura Danzo waved them off.
"Yes." Aburame Torune nodded.
As they left the tent, they encountered a group wearing the standard attire of the Root division, all masked, each with a pair of Sharingan eyes!
"This is…the Sharingan…"
"Take us to see Lord Danzo." The leader of the group coldly glanced at Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Fu, seemingly aware he was one of Akihara Kagura's men, and said softly, "This is also Lord Kagura's order."
"Yes…" Aburame Torune nodded.
Inside Shimura Danzo's tent.
"What is this about?" Shimura Danzo, the old man, was startled to see this group of Sharingan ninjas, questioning who they were, as these Sharingan users also had wooden spikes on their backs, obviously harboring a huge secret.
These individuals… were dual Kekkei Genkai ninjas with both Wood Release and Sharingan!
When did such ninjas appear in the village? Without waiting for Shimura Danzo's question, these Sharingan ninjas arrogantly spoke up, as if they were the rebirth of the Uchiha clan: "Shimura Danzo, we are a secret ninja force directly under the Hokage, specially here to notify you."
"By the order of the Third Hokage, Shimura Danzo has been covertly using the First Hokage's cells and the Uchiha clan's Sharingan to illegally cultivate dual Kekkei Genkai ninjas."
"This has been exposed. To avoid causing unrest in the village, Shimura Danzo must take responsibility for the illegal experiments and return to the village to face punishment immediately."
"What?" Shimura Danzo looked at these masked red-eyed individuals, his eyebrows involuntarily furrowing: "What are you talking about? I... don't quite understand, what's going on?"
What a joke!
What situation is this!
I don't know anything, how am I suddenly forced to return to the village to face punishment!
Shimura Danzo, looking at these Sharingan users with wooden spikes on their backs, felt a chill in his heart. Could these dual Kekkei Genkai individuals be experimental subjects secretly created by Sarutobi Hiruzen?
That monkey… Wants to make him return to the Konoha to take the fall?
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