Was Shimura Danzō the One Who Attacked the Akatsuki Organization?

Shimura Danzō had attacked the Akatsuki Organization?

Hearing this news, Jiraiya's expression changed. He finally understood why Nagato and Konan hadn't contacted him all these years.

When it came to Shimura Danzō's actions, Jiraiya truly wasn't surprised at all. The reputation of this Darkness of Shinobi was such that people could believe he was behind every bad thing that happened.

No matter what, Shimura Danzō was still a member of Konoha. Even if his actions were personal, they essentially represented Konoha's stance.

It could be said that Konoha hadn't merely attacked the Akatsuki Organization; it had directly killed the organization's former leader as well, truly making mortal enemies of Nagato and Konan.

"It was the joint hunt by Konoha and Hanzo of the Salamander that made me understand how fragile the Akatsuki Organization's ideals were. If we truly want to maintain world peace, then you great nations must also feel the same pain as us small nations!"

Pain's cold voice echoed through the tower. Konan glanced at him with concern, but in the end, Deva Path Pain didn't continue explaining all their plans. Instead, he slowly floated in midair.

"Now, you great nations still want to take everything away from the Akatsuki Organization. But I'm no longer who I was back then!"

"Shinra Tensei!"

Before Jiraiya could respond, a terrifying repulsive force erupted. Uchiha Shūichi, who had been ready for it, flashed away like a streak of lightning, dragging Yūhi Kurenai with one hand as electricity crackled around him. In a flash, he escaped the attack's range.

Jiraiya, who knew little about the Six Paths of Pain's abilities, felt the wall of repulsive force rushing toward him and looked shocked. He grabbed Yamanaka Fū, who was standing beside him, and retreated at top speed.

Only Hyuga Homura, who was farther away, was left staring blankly. Watching the terrifying wave of force surge toward him from every direction, he gritted his teeth.

"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

The Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven was a secret Gentle Fist technique, generally taught only to members of the main family. In reality, though, any branch family member who became a Jonin could usually master this move.

The Byakugan lacked the Sharingan's ability to copy techniques, but its powers of observation were even greater. As long as one had the necessary physical aptitude, one could get a general understanding of most Gentle Fist techniques just by watching them with the Byakugan.

Hyuga Homura had figured out the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven on his own. It might not have been honed through countless repetitions like the main family's version, but it could still be called an absolute defense with no blind spots.

But against Shinra Tensei, this so-called absolute defense was barely stronger than glass. In an instant, Hyuga Homura was sent flying.

Fortunately, although the technique hadn't protected him, it had acted as a cushion. Hyuga Homura flew backward, coughing up blood and likely breaking countless bones, but at least he hadn't been killed in one blow.

"The Six Paths of Pain have all come out to face us. What an unimaginable reception!"

Uchiha Shūichi set Yūhi Kurenai down. The Three Tomoe in his eyes suddenly underwent a strange change, turning into four-pointed shuriken. He shot a brief glance at Konan, who was behind the Six Paths of Pain.

Konan paused for a moment, then leapt into the air. A pair of white wings unfurled behind her, and her clear voice rang in Pain's ears.

"I'll deal with that Uchiha. He doesn't look like an ordinary opponent."

Deva Path Pain nodded slightly and replied in an even tone.

"Go ahead, Konan. I'll handle our teacher here!"

In the original story, Konan's record might have seemed unremarkable, but she was actually a tough opponent within the Akatsuki Organization. Pain wasn't worried about her at all.

For one thing, Sasori of the Red Sands had joined the Akatsuki Organization only after a fierce battle with Konan. In other words, Konan was by no means weak among Kage-level Ninja.

Spreading her white wings, Konan flew straight toward Uchiha Shūichi, unleashing a barrage of paper techniques mixed with Explosive Tags.

In truth, Konan's techniques had no especially flashy tricks. Even when her paper techniques reached a level of endless variation, they still couldn't make up for their lack of offensive power.

So once she began fighting head-on, Konan could only rely on turning paper into Explosive Tags and launching a completely unadorned bombardment.

From a certain perspective, the explosive genius Deidara wouldn't necessarily surpass Konan when it came to explosions. The six hundred billion Explosive Tags of the Art of the Godly Paper Person were even more terrifying than Deidara's final self-destruction.

The Paper Release Secret Technique could produce six hundred billion Explosive Tags because Konan had accumulated them over many years. She certainly couldn't make that many during an ordinary battle.

But even one ten-thousandth of that—sixty million Explosive Tags—would be enough to blow an ordinary Kage-level Ninja to pieces.

Although Konan seemed merciless as she attacked with a relentless barrage, she was actually rather stiff in battle, and her moves were quite monotonous. Her destructive power was immense, but she posed little threat to a ninja at Uchiha Shūichi's level.

Amid the repeated explosions, Uchiha Shūichi and Yūhi Kurenai retreated farther and farther, gradually leaving the tower battlefield and moving in a direction where the others couldn't see them.

It seemed that the villagers had been evacuated beforehand. There were almost no civilians to be seen in Amegakure now, allowing the two of them to fight without holding back. The battle was utterly earth-shaking.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire!"

"Shuriken Shadow Clone!"

"Dance of the Shikigami Paper!"

Yūhi Kurenai, who had been running in disarray to one side, looked at the chaotic battlefield and gave a bitter smile. Her genjutsu was of little use against Konan, who was flying through the air.

Without the genjutsu she excelled at, Yūhi Kurenai was no more than an ordinary Elite Chunin. All she could do was use techniques like Shuriken Shadow Clone to provide a little support.

Once Konan used a move like the Dance of the Shikigami Paper, which made her immune to physical attacks, even throwing shuriken became pointless. Yūhi Kurenai couldn't help feeling helpless.

The next second, countless pieces of white paper split off from Konan's body before gathering into three clones. The clones flicked their hands, sending sharp paper shuriken flying straight toward Yūhi Kurenai.

These shuriken weren't just as sharp as steel; each one also bore the markings of an Explosive Tag, making them like tiny bombs. Their explosive power was not to be underestimated.

Yūhi Kurenai dodged and weaved, thinking she'd escaped the blast radius. But amid a series of explosions, ragged scraps of white paper whirled out and left a mist of blood across her body in an instant.

Explosive Tags in the Ninja World didn't contain things like steel balls. They caused damage purely through intense heat and the expansion of air. Even if their explosions were louder, they still couldn't match the power of modern grenades.

Konan's paper was different, though. Saturated with Chakra, the white paper had become almost as sturdy as metal. The instant it exploded, its fragments were as deadly as the sharp shrapnel of a grenade.

Yūhi Kurenai had treated them like ordinary Explosive Tags and thought she'd escaped their range. She'd never imagined that fragments of white paper would pierce her.