Reconnaissance Mission: Amegakure's Akatsuki (Update 2/3)

There were many reasons that led to Hiruzen Sarutobi's death.

The suppression of the Konoha Ninja Clans, the greed for young and talented Ninja, the plundering of Konoha's wealth, the framing of young Kage-level Ninja, the indulgence of Shimura Danzō, the cowardice and concessions to foreign powers, and so on.

However, what directly ignited Shazo's murderous intent and led him to kill the Third Hokage was Hiruzen Sarutobi of Jiraiya to seize control of Naruto Uzumaki's affections by becoming his mentor.

Shazo never expected that Hiruzen Sarutobi died, the Toad of Mount Myōboku would jump out again.

The idea these Toad gave Jiraiya was to get close to Naruto Uzumaki.

Regardless of Jiraiya's true purpose, his closeness with Naruto Uzumaki will influence Shazo's plans for Naruto's future.

Shazo highly values Naruto Uzumaki, recognizing the immense value hidden within him, and will not allow anyone else to touch him.

But he couldn't possibly kill Jiraiya for that.

When Shazo killed Hiruzen Sarutobi, he made many preparations beforehand and cleaned up all traces afterward.

No matter how perfectly it was done, any Konoha Ninja with a brain would know it was him.

Ninja don't rely on evidence; they simply consider motives, abilities, and beneficiaries.

The motives for killing Hiruzen Sarutobi can be found in Shazo's case, as can those of the various Ninja Clans Clan Leader in Konoha, especially Shisui Uchiha and Hyuga Hiashi.

Aside from the Sarutobi Clan, Utatane Clan, and Mitokado Clan, almost every Ninja Clans could be considered a beneficiary of the killings.

Neither of these two aspects can identify the murderer, but the ability to kill can.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was old, but he was still Kage-level Ninja. At that time, there were only three Kage-level Ninja in Konoha who were capable of defeating him: Jiraiya, Shazo, and Shisui Uchiha.

But the only one capable of silently eliminating Hiruzen Sarutobi is Lord Shazo, who defeated the Fourth Raikage and the Cloud Ninja Army.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi had truly lost the hearts of the people, and no Konoha Ninja was willing to condemn Shazo, who was about to become the Fifth Hokage, because of his death.

Even Tsunade and Jiraiya each had their own reasons for not standing up to avenge their teacher.

Thus, the matter was easily resolved through the tacit understanding among the Konoha Ninja.

Ultimately, Naruto Uzumaki's fate was merely the trigger; Hiruzen Sarutobi's most fundamental cause of death was his 30 years of self-destructive behavior, which alienated the people of Konoha.

Aside from his stance, Jiraiya had no other choice but to die.

If Shazo were to kill him like this, the consequences would be quite serious.

Shazo thought about it for a while and then had a new idea.

Since we can't kill Jiraiya, let's drive him far away from Konoha.

Jiraiya Jiraiya's current goal is to leave Konoha without becoming missing-nin, Shazo decides to grant his wish and find him a mission to keep him busy.

If he's unlucky enough to die en route to his mission, Shazo will give him a grand funeral.

And even with the best of luck, he still couldn't complete that mission.

Shazo went to the Tingting Department and found records of the former Anbu and Root regarding Amegakure from the vast amount of intelligence data.

Using his precognitive memories as clues, Shazo spent half a day finding more than 50 pieces of relevant information.

By piecing together the information from these intelligence reports, we can roughly reconstruct the events of over a decade ago Shimura Danzō led the Root Ninja in Sneak Attack the First Akatsuki.

The changes in Amegakure in recent years suggest that Hanzo of the Salamander is dead.

Combining the destruction of the First Akatsuki with the death of Hanzō, the former "strongest Ninja in the Ninja World," it's not hard to conclude that the Akatsuki has been resurrected and has successfully taken its revenge.

It's important to understand that Hanzo the Salamander was different from the Third Hokage. He was deeply loved by the people of Amegakure, and the Amegakure ninja were all willing to sacrifice themselves for their leader.

The fact that the Ninja was able to kill Hanzo of the Salamander so easily under such circumstances demonstrates the immense power he possessed.

When mentioning the Akatsuki, Jiraiya would definitely think of Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.

When it comes to power far beyond the comprehension of Ninja, Jiraiya couldn't possibly have forgotten the concept of the "Child of Destiny."

Shazo sneered. He believed that once Jiraiya knew this information, he would definitely jump up and investigate Amegakure at all costs.

He then found nearly a hundred pieces of intelligence on Kirigakure and used a pen to highlight the most important parts.

Then Shazo Zuo ordered Uchiha En, who was beside him, "Go find Lady Tsunade and Lord Orochimaru."

Lord Jiraiya, and Shisui.

"Tell them to come to the Hokage's office to see me; I have a task for them."

Uchiha En respectfully replied, "Yes, Lord Hokage."

Ten minutes later, Tsunade was the last to enter the Hokage's office.

She habitually reached out to sweep the documents off the desk, only to be surprised to find that the Fifth Hokage's desk was perfectly clean, with just a small stack of white papers.

Moreover, two rows of brand-new sofas have been added in front of the Hokage's desk. Orochimaru and Jiraiya sitting on the sofas with their eyes half-closed, looking extremely comfortable.

Moreover, the Fifth Hokage was backed by Shisui Uchiha, not the sinister and vicious Shimura Danzō.

Tsunade then realized with a profound realization that the Hokage had changed.

Since Orochimaru was subdued by the Fifth Hokage, he has maintained the most positive mindset and his attitude towards the Fifth Hokage is the most natural and unpretentious.

He spoke first, asking, "Lord Hokage, have you summoned the three of us for some important mission?"

Shazo was satisfied with Orochimaru's attitude. He smiled slightly and said, "There is an important mission that requires Ninja of Konoha Sannin caliber to take charge."

He handed the information about Amegakure to Shisui, who then passed it on to the Konoha Sannin.

While distributing the intelligence, Shisui Uchiha explained, "Ever since the Uchiha Clan Massacre, my clan Clan Leader Izumi Uchiha Clan been searching for the escaped missing-nin Uchiha Itachi, as well as that Masked Mangekyō Sharingan Ninja."

"Based on the results of three years of investigation, and combined with the information submitted by Lord Orochimaru, we have narrowed our focus to Amegakure (the Amegakure)."

"The Fifth Hokage re-examined and sorted through the intelligence on Amegakure, discovering some important information that had been previously overlooked. After piecing it together, he found the situation to be quite serious."

Shisui Uchiha paused, then said seriously, "We've discovered that Amegakure is being secretly controlled by a clandestine organization called Akatsuki, and the leader of Akatsuki is an unprecedentedly powerful Ninja."

"And the leader of Akatsuki most likely harbors an irreconcilable hatred towards Konoha."

Orochimaru listened intently, his expression more serious than ever before, and first took the information and began to read it carefully.

Tsunade, however, was completely bewildered and at a loss for what to do.

Jiraiya was stunned when he heard about the Akatsuki. When Shisui said that Akatsuki Konoha, he jumped up and shouted, "That's impossible!"

Shazo smiled inwardly, but on the surface he said very seriously, "Lord Jiraiya, you can check the Root Operations Record numbered G-99012."

"That document clearly records that Shimura Danzō, leading the elite Root Ninja at the time, cooperated with Hanzo of the Salamander in a joint operation to eliminate the Akatsuki."

"Their plan of deception and ambush has achieved initial success, and they have undoubtedly killed the Akatsuki leader, Yahiko."

Jiraiya was stunned. With Orochimaru's help, he quickly found the corresponding documents. The more he read them, the more grim his expression became. He muttered to himself, "This is impossible. How could this be? Why would Danzo want to ambush the Akatsuki?"

Shazo sneered, "Why did Shimura Danzō want to ambush the Akatsuki? Of course, it's because their three leaders are your disciples, Lord Jiraiya."

Jiraiya was shocked. "Because of me? But although I dislike Danzo, I've never offended him. Why is he targeting me?"

Shazo shook his head without answering, but Orochimaru spoke up instead, "Idiot Jiraiya, you are Teacher Sarutobi's disciple, one of the strong contenders for the Fourth Hokage, that's why Shimura Danzō is targeting you."

Jiraiya was dumbfounded. "Shimura Danzō wants to become Hokage?"

Orochimaru and Tsunade asked in surprise, "Jiraiya, you didn't know?"

Jiraiya stared wide-eyed, feeling utterly bewildered and completely unable to grasp the logic behind it all.

Orochimaru sighed, too lazy to explain that his, Tsunade's, Dan Katō's, Hatake Sakumo's, and others' Bad Luck were all due to the same reason.

He told Jiraiya, "I used to be a member of Akatsuki. Although I didn't know this happened more than ten years ago, the information matches what I know about the Akatsuki leader's current situation, so I can confirm the information's authenticity."

"Jiraiya, Shimura Danzō must have considered the Akatsuki as part of your Akatsuki, and specifically targeted them for suppression."

Jiraiya asked, both angry and puzzled, "Why would Danzo think that?"

This time, it was Shazo who explained on behalf of Orochimaru: "Starting from the Second Shinobi World War, the Land of Rain has been the main battlefield for Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure."

"After Hanzo of the Amegakure rose to power in Hanzo of the Salamander, he led Amegakure in numerous strategic maneuvers, causing countless troubles for Konoha."

"The three of you also earned the title of 'Konoha Sannin ' from Hanzō, so you should be quite familiar with this history."

From Konoha's perspective, conquering Amegakure is an urgent necessity.

"You, Jiraiya, suddenly stayed in the Land of Rain for three years, raised three children with the strength of Jonin, and even established the Akatsuki organization, attracting a large number of Rain Village ninja to join. Isn't this just a different way of attacking Hanzo of the Salamander from his base?"

"If the Akatsuki takes control of Amegakure and then joins Konoha, wouldn't you Jiraiya, have performed an unparalleled feat, making you the obvious choice for the Fourth Hokage?"

"How could Shimura Danzō, who aspires to the Hokage Position, possibly tolerate you achieving such a great victory?"

Jiraiya was dumbfounded. "I never thought of that. I don't even want to Hokage, how could I let Yahiko and the others join Konoha?"

Shazo chuckled, "What's the use of you not wanting to? You can't stop Shimura Danzō from suspecting you."

"Alright, Lord Jiraiya, don't be discouraged. I didn't call you here to tell you bad news."

Jiraiya regained his senses and asked in the most respectful tone, "Does the Fifth Hokage need me to gather information about Amegakure?"

Shazo nodded and said, "Although Shimura Danzō executed by me three years ago, he was still Hokage Assistant..."

It is also a fact that the Root chief surrounded and killed the Akatsuki.

"The leader of Akatsuki was capable of killing Hanzo, the Hanzō. His strength definitely surpasses that of an average Kage-level Ninja, and he has the ability to threaten the safety of Konoha."

"I need to confirm who the leader of Akatsuki is, what abilities he possesses, and most importantly, whether he still harbors hostility towards Konoha."

"If he only hates Shimura Danzō and doesn't have any direct hostility towards Konoha, I'm willing to pay a huge price to gain his forgiveness. Afterwards, through Lord Jiraiya's connections, we can rebuild the friendly relations between the two ninja villages."

"But if he harbors a deep hatred for Konoha and is determined to take Konoha, then I'll have to find a way to strike ahead of time and eliminate the source of the danger."

"Although our Konoha has wronged the Akatsuki, I am the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, and I must and can only consider matters from Konoha's perspective."

Jiraiya stood up, but didn't know what to say.

Shazo's attitude was clear and sufficiently gentle and generous. He couldn't let Konoha betray Akatsuki, allowing Akatsuki to do whatever they wanted.

Jiraiya's expression quickly hardened. "Leave the task of investigating Amegakure and Akatsuki to me, Fifth Hokage."

Shazo nodded and smiled, "That's excellent."

He then looked at Orochimaru: "Lord Orochimaru, you were once a member of the Akatsuki. With your abilities, you can certainly provide more detailed information, such as their Ninjutsu, personalities, hobbies, and even their appearance."

Orochimaru hissed and chuckled, "No problem."

After saying that, he used Transformation Technique to turn himself into a male Ninja with orange hair and his face pierced with numerous black nails.

But none of this fashionable and trendy outfit could compare to the eye-catching allure of those pale purple Rinnegan eyes.

Orochimaru spoke up, "This is the Akatsuki leader I met, codenamed Pain."

Jiraiya was stunned. "Yahiko?"

Orochimaru and Tsunade also taken aback. "You mean that face is Yahiko's?"

Jiraiya replied, "Yes, although he's grown up and his appearance has changed somewhat, that face is still Yahiko's!"

"Besides, how could Yahiko have the Rinnegan? The Rinnegan is Kekkei Genkai that only Nagato possesses!"

Tsunade speculated, "Could the intelligence be wrong? Was it Nagato who died back then, not Yahiko, and Yahiko took Nagato's Rinnegan?"

Shazo interrupted their speculation, "No, the information should be correct. The one who died was Yahiko with orange hair. Nagato, the Red-haired Boy, was only injured in the legs by the [Explosive Flame Formation]."

"If those eyes are the Rinnegan, then I can guess what happened."

All eyes turned to Shazo, who calmly stated, "Yahiko was killed. Nagato stole Yahiko's body and used the unique abilities of the Rinnegan to turn it into a puppet."

"The placement of those black face spikes is interesting. They would be absolutely uncomfortable for a living person, but for a corpse puppet, they are the best control points."