Hokage, I Choose Orochimaru, Ten Years to Ascend the Moon

Realizing that what he said to the internal members sounded as if it were meant for spies to hear.

He was well aware of this, knowing that there were definitely those within the Uchiha Clan who secretly supported Konoha. After all, even a genius like Shisui had previously leaned toward the Konoha side.

Although he didn't understand the intention behind doing so, he simply trusted Uchiha Gin.

"Recently, many ninjas from Amegakure have been investigating the Akatsuki. It seems they have discovered something."

"Shimura Danzō from Konoha also appears to have surfaced in Amegakure!"

At the Akatsuki's monthly remote meeting.

Zetsu directly informed everyone of the intelligence he had gathered.

"The organization's strength has accumulated sufficiently; it is time to take control of a ninja village."

"Shisui, how much do you know about this Shimura Danzō?"

The Deva Path's voice was extremely cold.

It was as if he were pronouncing the fate of Amegakure, while simultaneously questioning Shisui about Shimura Danzō.

After all, Shisui had been invited to join by Uchiha Madara, and the Deva Path did not have a high level of trust in him. There were few people present at the moment, and very few with the strength to be considered core members.

The Deva Path, Konan, Sasori, Kakuzu, Zetsu, Biwa Juzo, and Shisui—these were the only ones present.

"He is the head of Konoha's Root Organization. On the surface, it is responsible for training new Anbu recruits, but behind the scenes, he handles all of Konoha's dirty work, including espionage, assassinations, intelligence gathering, and so on..."

Shisui had no illusions about dealing with Shimura Danzō and directly exposed his intelligence.

However, he did not say a word regarding Konoha's classified secrets.

At the same time, he had not expected that Danzō would actually be colluding with Amegakure. Now that he had defected, eliminating Danzō was one of the things he intended to do.

"Do you think it is possible that Shimura Danzō was sent by Konoha?"

The Deva Path continued to ask.

Shisui was silent for a moment at this question.

"That possibility cannot be ruled out."

Shisui finally gave this reply.

In truth, he roughly understood that it was highly likely Danzō had been arranged by the Third Hokage to investigate the Akatsuki.

That was why he had hesitated for a moment, leading to this final answer.

"Then, in three days, we will move directly against Amegakure. The meeting point is..."

The Deva Path did not fully trust Shisui either; he was merely asking.

After all, if Shisui were to betray them, Uchiha Madara would handle it when the time came. For now, his priority was to seize control of Amegakure.

Shisui had not expected that his first mission after joining the Akatsuki would be such a massive undertaking: annexing Amegakure, a village whose strength was second only to the Five Great Nations.

He was anxious to pass the intelligence back, but he could not find any opportunity to do so.

Shisui and Biwa Juzo hid in the forest outside the lake of Amegakure.

The target of this mission was to eliminate Hanzo of the Salamander. This mission was to be carried out by the Deva Path and Konan, with Sasori and Kakuzu providing support. After all, the main goal was not to destroy Amegakure, but to preserve as much of its living strength as possible to serve the Akatsuki.

At the same time, it was also because the Deva Path did not wish to see too many innocent ninjas die.

As for Shisui and Biwa Juzo, their task was to capture Shimura Danzō, or kill him if there was no other choice.

The Deva Path needed to confirm Konoha's intentions; after all, the Akatsuki was not yet ready for a head-on collision with the Five Great Nations. The Tailed Beast collection had not yet begun, and once they had enough Tailed Beasts, they would no longer need to fear the Five Great Nations.

Only core members of the Akatsuki were involved in this operation; the peripheral members were completely unaware of it, which was also to prevent intelligence leaks.

"Do you have any understanding of Shimura Danzō's abilities?"

Biwa Juzo asked Shisui while wiping his Kubikiribōchō.

He was quite curious about Shisui, the newcomer, because he looked too young—only in his teens. However, since he had the ability to become a core member of the Akatsuki, his strength should not be an issue.

Moreover, having been listed as an S-rank missing-nin by Konoha, his strength was certainly not simple.

"He was severely injured in the last Great Ninja War and lost an eye. He hasn't made a move in a long time, and all that is known is that he excels in Wind Style."

Shisui thought for a moment before speaking.

Then, recalling the intelligence Uchiha Gin had given him regarding Danzō, he continued: "He may have seized a Sharingan from the Uchiha Clan to use; we need to be careful."

This time, Shisui truly wanted to kill Danzō!

The Akatsuki could not be wiped out yet; it needed to be used to stabilize the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha, forcing Sarutobi Hiruzen to focus all his attention on the Akatsuki.

When the time came to truly move against the Akatsuki, he believed he could provide more value than Danzō ever could.

"Isn't it difficult for anyone other than the Uchiha Clan to use the Sharingan?"

Biwa Juzo said in surprise.

For an ordinary person, possessing a Sharingan would actually lead to a decrease in strength, as their chakra would be unable to sustain the consumption of the eye.

Kirigakure possesses intelligence on this matter; after all, they have a user of the Byakugan. It is precisely because the Byakugan has almost no restrictions compared to the Sharingan that they chose it, even though the Sharingan is easier to obtain.

Perhaps this guy has some secret.

This time, I can force it out of him.

Shisui did not reveal anything regarding the First Hokage Cells.

"You Konoha ninja are very formidable. Do not underestimate these old monsters; remember to give it your all when the time comes."

Biwa Juzo offered this advice to Shisui.

The memory of how the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were kicked into the Lucky Trio by Might Duy remained vivid in his mind.

If he were to see Might Guy right now, he would undoubtedly turn and flee without a second thought, having no intention of engaging in a fight.

Even now, the sight of a bowl-cut hairstyle was enough to trigger his PTSD.

"Understood, I understand."

Shisui nodded.

At the same time, he felt puzzled; rogue ninja did not seem as savage as he had imagined.

Meanwhile, the Deva Path, accompanied by Konan and the Animal Path, headed directly for Amegakure.

They visited under the name of the Akatsuki, presenting a letter of surrender, with the general intent of defecting to Amegakure and becoming a subordinate force.

To minimize casualties, Nagato believed that meeting Hanzo of the Salamander face-to-face and killing him directly was the best method, so using a letter of surrender was the easiest way to secure an audience.

Before meeting Hanzo of the Salamander, the Deva Path, Konan, and the Animal Path underwent multiple inspections, removing all dangerous items such as ninja tools and explosive tags.

In the dimly lit room illuminated by candlelight, only the Deva Path was permitted to approach. Konan and the Animal Path waited outside, monitored by Amegakure ninja.

The Deva Path knelt on the tatami. Nearby, a ninja picked up the Akatsuki's letter of surrender, carefully opening it to confirm there were no traps or poisons inside before stepping behind the curtain to hand it to Hanzo of the Salamander.

"Back then, Amegakure launched a campaign to wipe you out. Do you not hate me?"

Hanzo's voice drifted from behind the curtain.

Originally, Hanzo had long forgotten this organization, but after Danzo's reminder, how could he not recall the name?

"In the beginning, the Akatsuki was too naive and did not understand the grand trend."

"As ninja of the Land of Rain, we should have prioritized protecting this country. We were ignorant of many things, which led to the disruption of Amegakure's interests. It was the Akatsuki's fault."

The Deva Path's voice was cold, yet the response was humble.

In this narrow room, he could already strike, but for the sake of stability, the Deva Path would only act once he confirmed he was facing Hanzo himself.

"I heard that Uchiha Madara is also a member of your Akatsuki. Is this true?"

However, Hanzo's sudden inquiry caused the Deva Path's pupils to constrict.

Far away, Nagato, who was controlling the body via chakra, also revealed a look of shock.

"What is it, Nagato!"

Konan asked in surprise. She had not seen this expression on Nagato for a long time. The one accompanying Nagato was merely a paper clone; her true body had been with Nagato the entire time.

"The situation has been exposed. Attack immediately."

After saying this, Nagato focused entirely on controlling the Deva Path.

Inside the room, the Deva Path erupted instantly, crashing through the curtain and lunging toward the figure sitting cross-legged in the back.

Seeing that it was indeed Hanzo of the Salamander, the Deva Path raised his hand to strike. At the same time, Hanzo revealed a look of shock, for he recognized the person before him—it was clearly the deceased Yahiko, not the other person with the special ocular jutsu he had expected.

"Banshō Ten'in!"

With a wave of his hand, he exerted a gravitational pull.

Hanzo was instantly yanked from the floor into the Deva Path's right hand. Simultaneously, the ninja guarding Hanzo immediately swung their blades at the Deva Path's right arm.

The ground also shifted as a large number of explosive tags were manipulated, gathering around the Deva Path.

"Shinra Tensei!"

The Deva Path did not hesitate to unleash a omnidirectional Shinra Tensei, repelling everything in the vicinity while preparing to use this strike to kill Hanzo.

"BOOM!"

A powerful repulsive force expanded, instantly destroying the building. The shockwave from the explosive tags was also repelled, surging outward and destroying numerous surrounding houses.

"Water Clone!"

In the smoke, the Deva Path frowned.

Just now, Hanzo had not been blasted into a bloody mist by the repulsive force; instead, he had turned into a splash of water.

Was he prepared for this all along?

Is this the influence brought by Konoha's Danzo?

The Deva Path speculated.

However, he did not panic. He only wished to minimize casualties, but if someone truly stood in the way, then their deaths would simply be a necessary sacrifice for the sake of peace.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

A multitude of figures emerged in the surrounding area.

Hanzo led hundreds of Amegakure ninjas, encircling the entire perimeter.

"Hmph, I never expected that you didn't die back then!"

"Not only that, but you also stole your companion's eyes. You were lucky to escape once before, but this time, I will kill you for good!"

Hanzo's eyes were filled with fury.

Had he been unaware, he truly might have been ambushed and killed.

"I am Pain now. I am a god!"

Deva Path lifted his head, gazing coldly at Hanzo.

This man must die!

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Simultaneously, the Animal Path, who had followed along, directly summoned the Other Four Paths.

In the distance, Nagato signaled Konan to notify the others that they could begin.

Shisui: Danzo, I am here to claim your life.

"It seems the original plan has failed."

Biwa Juzo looked toward the direction of Amegakure. The massive explosion that had just rung out made it clear that the plan initially formulated had not succeeded.

They had intended to minimize unnecessary combat and stabilize the situation by directly controlling the high-ranking officials, but that now seemed impossible.

Shisui organized his ninja tools, prepared to end Danzo's life. He did not intend to let Danzo live, as he would inevitably expose a great deal of Konoha's classified intelligence. It would be best if there were nothing left of him, so he had to give it his all.