Shimura Danzo, You Fool!
The scene was chaotic.
The contestants in the preparation area are also leaving.
Deva Path Pain, still wearing his gas mask, stood calmly in place, his gaze sweeping across the Match Arena until it landed on an elderly man in the audience.
Shimura Danzo.
The old man remained calmly seated in his place.
While Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, the two Hokage Advisor, left their positions to give orders to the Konoha ninjas, Shimura Danzo still made no move.
This old man...
I'm not worried at all about the One-Tail going berserk.
As the former intelligence manager of Konoha, Shimura Danzo had some knowledge of One Tail, Shukaku, in Hidden Sand Village. He even knew every time One Tail, Shukaku went berserk in Hidden Sand Village and the time it took for the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, to subdue it.
The Tailed Beast with the least Chakra in the Shinobi World ...
The trouble caused by the One-Tail can be resolved without much effort.
The real trouble...
It was never these Tailed Beasts.
Shimura Danzo slightly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the chaos in the arena until it stopped on the calm Amegakure in the preparation seat.
Although the Amegakure Shimura Danzo still understood that the other party was definitely watching him.
"Aren't you going to make a move?"
Shimura Danzo gripped his Ninja Blade, his gaze sweeping across his surroundings as he searched for anyone else. "Where is Orochimaru again?"
This problem...
The same thought also surfaced in Pain's mind.
Pain's gaze remained Shimura Danzo.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru's true form, Nagato, and Konan were also scanning the area, trying to locate him, but they had not received any news from Orochimaru.
After all...
When is the right time to take action?
It seems that Konoha is in chaos now because of the One-Tail Beast going berserk. At this point, it should be time to take action against Shimura Danzo, right?
However...
Pain never expected this.
He is currently being discussed by two film crew members on the viewing platform.
The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, had an extremely solemn expression, because he had always known how troublesome the Akatsuki was since the night of the Uchiha Night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
Orochimaru ...
Obito Uchiha ...
Itachi Uchiha ...
Based on the information gathered by Sarutobi Hiruzen, all three S-Rank Missing-nin from Konoha have intricate connections with the Akatsuki, which harbors immense ambitions.
At this moment, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, suddenly told him that the Leader of Akatsuki had infiltrated Konoha, which alarmed Sarutobi Hiruzen!
The leader of the S-Rank Missing-nin organization could not possibly be an ordinary person, nor could he possibly have infiltrated Konoha without making any moves!
"I'm just curious..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze sharpened, and he continued to question, "How did you Lord Kazekage, know anything about the Akatsuki?"
"This matter..."
"I really don't want to go into details."
When the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, reached this point, he seemed to sense Sarutobi Hiruzen's displeasure and suddenly changed his words, saying, "However, in order to gain the Hokage's trust, I don't mind sharing this information that brings shame to Hidden Sand Village..."
"I think..."
"Your Hokage shouldn't have forgotten the disappearance of the Third Kazekage before the Third Shinobi World War began..."
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.
This matter...
He truly cannot forget.
After all, the Third Shinobi World War began shortly after the Third Kazekage's disappearance. The Kazekage, who was also the Third, had suddenly disappeared in his prime and remained a mystery ever since...
"Could it be?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately realized the connection between the Third Kazekage's disappearance and the Akatsuki, and asked incredulously, "Was it done by the Akatsuki?"
"Theoretically speaking... they are their people."
"Our Hidden Sand Village's S-Rank Missing-nin, Sasori of the Red Sand, is the murderer who assassinated the Third Kazekage. During our investigation, we discovered that he had also joined the Akatsuki..."
"That's precisely why..."
"I've been keeping an eye on the Akatsuki's intelligence."
After the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, finished speaking, he continued, "For example, Obito Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha, both S-Rank Missing-nin from Konoha, were members of the Akatsuki..."
"Even..."
As the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, finished speaking, a strange smile appeared in his eyes, "Hokage, the Orochimaru's disciple, also once joined Akatsuki..."
Orochimaru ...
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression immediately turned ugly.
He had begun to believe the Fourth Kazekage Rasa's words to some extent, because he knew that such information was not something that ordinary people could obtain.
If it weren't for Itachi Uchiha, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't have Akatsuki, and he wouldn't have known Obito Uchiha's true identity later on.
"That's not all."
Seeing Fourth Kazekage Rasa, Sarutobi Hiruzen, knew that the latter was increasingly trusting him, so he immediately added fuel to the fire, "And Kisame Hoshigaki, the S-Rank Missing-nin from Hidden Mist Village who assassinated the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, has also joined the Akatsuki..."
"!!!"
Even though Sarutobi Hiruzen already knew how troublesome the Akatsuki was, he was still somewhat shocked that the death of another Kage was related to the Akatsuki!
No...
To be precise...
Three S-Rank Missing-nin Shinobi World Kage are now connected to the Akatsuki: Obito Uchiha, who killed the Fourth Hokage; Sasori of the Red Sand, who assassinated the Third Kazekage; Kisame Hoshigaki, who killed the Fourth Mizukage ...
This organization...
It can no longer be described as ordinary danger!
It's not just that the other side is constantly gathering those missing-nin who have assassinated Kage, or it's very likely that the other side has been secretly orchestrating the major event of assassinating Kage!
The death of a Kage could not only deprive a ninja village of its powerful fighting force, but could also plunge the village into prolonged political chaos!
"Just."
"After learning that Kisame Hoshigaki had killed the Fourth Mizukage, I paid even closer attention to the Akatsuki, and as a result, I uncovered some more secrets..."
"Konoha and Akatsuki had a huge feud in their early years."
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, seemed to know everything, and continued with a smile, "Your village's Hokage assistant, Danzo Shimura, once assisted Hanzo of the Salamander in Amegakure, nearly destroying the Akatsuki organization completely. Your feud began long ago..."
"Danzo..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but look in the direction of Shimura Danzo.
This guy...
They've really done something big behind the scenes!
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but be troubled by Shimura Danzo's ability to cause trouble!
But...
What troubled Sarutobi Hiruzen the most was...
Shimura Danzo had secretly contacted Salamander Hanzo of the Hidden Rain Village and even joined forces with Salamander Hanzo to attack the Akatsuki, yet he didn't tell the Hokage about it!
This matter is so important...
If you have information about the Akatsuki, instead of just having a superficial understanding of it, you can calmly make preparations in advance to deal with the dangerous Akatsuki!
"So..."
As Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, he glanced at the Hidden Rain Village ninja still seated in the arena, a suspicion that needed confirmation forming in his mind. "How did the Lord Kazekage know that the Leader of Akatsuki had infiltrated Konoha? Was it to seek revenge against Konoha for an old grudge...?"
"Doesn't Your Hokage already know the answer?"
The Fourth Kazekage Rasa, noticed the movement in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes and understood that Sarutobi Hiruzen might have already guessed. He immediately gave Sarutobi Hiruzen a decisive piece of evidence.
"Just as the Hokage guessed."
"But I found out some information beforehand: Lord Salamander Hanzo was killed, and all his confidants were executed by the Leader of Akatsuki. The Akatsuki then took over the leaderless Hidden Rain Village."
"Therefore..."
"When I learned that Amegakure were participating in the Chunin Exams, I guessed that the Leader of Akatsuki would most likely use Chunin Exams opportunity to infiltrate Konoha..."
The Fourth Kazekage Rasa, Rasa, seemed to know everything about the Akatsuki. He even glanced at Shimura Danzo was still sitting in his original seat. "I just don't know if they're after revenge or have some other conspiracy..."
"That Danzo guy..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath and suppressed his anger!
This old friend Shimura Danzo ...
They actually refused to tell him this information!
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't care about Shimura Danzo and Salamander Hanzo attacking the Akatsuki; he was only concerned that Shimura Danzo wouldn't reveal information to him, the Hokage, about his actions!
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but recall Shimura Danzo's unusual behavior over the past month. His old friend suddenly seemed restless, frequently visiting Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, and even attending the Chunin Exams!
Maybe...
Shimura Danzo had long been aware of the threat posed by the Akatsuki!
This guy probably also knows about Salamander Hanzo's death and is worried about Akatsuki's retaliation, constantly fearing being assassinated by Akatsuki!
This idiot...
Shouldn't I, as the Hokage, protect him?
Which time did a problem occur...?
Didn't I solve it for him?
This guy...
I really don't understand at all!
How could such a dangerous organization as Akatsuki be motivated by mere revenge? There must be a deeper conspiracy at play!
Because Danzo concealed information about Akatsuki in order to avoid being held accountable for colluding with Salamander Hanzo, Konoha ended up in such a passive position in front of its ally Hidden Sand Village!
Now...
And yet, I'm being led by the nose by this Kazekage!
If the threat from Akatsuki wasn't so close, and if it weren't to avoid internal conflicts within Konoha High Command arising in front of the Kazekage, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have really wanted to call Shimura Danzo over...
Etc...
How did the other party know...?
I didn't get any information about the Akatsuki from Danzo!
A hint of suspicion suddenly appeared in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes. He stared intently at the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, in front of him, a bad feeling creeping into his mind, which made his eyes look dangerous.
"Lord Kazekage, you and Danzo..."
"Yes."
"To jointly combat the threat posed by the Akatsuki..."
The Fourth Kazekage Rasa, narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly unable to contain his smile, "There is indeed a tiny connection between us..."