Mastermind of the Akatsuki

With that thought, Danzo suddenly felt he had the upper hand. As long as he gave the order to attack Kakashi, the situation would immediately turn in his favor. He might even join forces with Orochimaru and pin the blame for the assault on Konoha entirely on Jiraiya.

However, when Danzo snapped his fingers, the Root ninja hiding in the shadows did not show themselves.

His expression darkened instantly. He scanned the surroundings, then turned his gaze to Kakashi and the others. Could it be that they had already neutralized his subordinates, leaving him completely isolated?

Kakashi took a step forward, drew a kunai, and said coldly, "Danzo, are you waiting for something? Those Root operatives hidden in the dark… or perhaps Shisui Uchiha? Do you wonder how we knew of your betrayal? Or why we're here to arrest you?"

Danzo's face turned unspeakably ugly. His eyes quickly locked onto Shisui among the crowd, now filled with panic.

Shisui was his most powerful subordinate, and the only one whose will had been altered by Kotoamatsukami.

With Shisui's strength, even the Third Hokage wouldn't be an easy opponent. Why had Jiraiya managed to capture him so easily and extract everything?

At that moment, Danzo realized a terrifying possibility.

What if Shisui had never actually been influenced by Kotoamatsukami? What if he'd been hiding by Danzo's side all this time, only waiting for the right moment to turn on him, and now, that moment had come?

A chill crept up Danzo's spine.

He had calculated everything so precisely… yet in the end, he was outmaneuvered by an Uchiha. He had foolishly tried to use the very clan that Tobirama-sensei had warned him about.

Danzo looked at Shisui, then at the approaching Konoha ninja.

The thought of fleeing sprang into his mind. If he were to fall into their hands, the consequences would be unimaginable, especially if they discovered he was holding Hiruzen Sarutobi captive in the Root base. That would bring ruin to all his plans.

Forming hand signs, he bit his finger and slammed it onto the ground.

A puff of smoke erupted, he had summoned his summoning beast, Baku, hoping it would buy him time to escape and preserve a sliver of hope for a comeback.

Baku was immensely powerful, no weaker than the massive beasts of the Three Great Sage Lands. With each breath, it unleashed violent Wind Release techniques, toppling nearby trees. Even the ninja present struggled just to stay on their feet.

Fortunately, the Konoha ninja here were all jōnin-level. After adjusting to the initial wind pressure, they launched their counterattacks, unleashing high-level ninjutsu that bombarded Baku until it writhed in agony.

Eventually, after suffering unbearable damage, Baku vanished as the summoning was forcefully ended.

With the beast dealt with, everyone turned toward Danzo, only to see that he had already fled far, now just a tiny black speck in the distance.

Among the jōnin present was a member of the Hyūga clan. Activating his Byakugan, he turned to Kakashi. "Danzo is heading toward the Root base. Should we pursue?"

Ordinarily, in a situation where Jiraiya was already engaged in battle, Shikaku Nara would be the most senior and qualified to lead.

But everyone had just witnessed Kakashi's calm command and strength. Unconsciously, they were now looking to him for direction.

Kakashi didn't hesitate. He issued his orders clearly.

"Shikaku-san, you, Chōza-san, and Inoichi-san go support Jiraiya-sama. The rest, come with me to pursue Danzo."

Shikaku glanced at Kakashi and nodded. "I trust your judgment. But Danzo once attacked Shisui; he might possess a Mangekyō Sharingan."

Kakashi nodded slightly, then led the Konoha ninja in pursuit of Danzo.

He was well aware that Danzo might possess a Mangekyō Sharingan. That was exactly why he had chosen to lead the pursuit himself. The Mangekyō was the ultimate eye technique of the Uchiha clan, with each eye harboring a power that defied reason.

For an ordinary ninja, defeating a Mangekyō wielder was almost impossible.

Only those on the level of the Legendary Sannin might be capable of doing so. Kakashi, while not one of them, happened to possess a Mangekyō Sharingan himself, putting him just close enough to that level.

As Kakashi's back disappeared into the distance, Shisui, hiding in the crowd, curved his lips into a faint smile.

Once they reached the Root base and saw the extent of Danzo's crimes, public opinion about both the Uchiha and the Hokage faction would be completely reversed.

He had planned for this moment for years, never daring to let down his guard for even a second.

About ten minutes later, the Konoha jōnin arrived at the Root base.

Seeing Danzo's figure approaching, the guards at the base immediately came forward to greet him. Danzo gave a small nod, then issued the order to block the pursuers.

Though puzzled, the Root guards obeyed the command.

Soon, they spotted Kakashi and the others approaching. Confused looks appeared on their faces. Something was clearly wrong in the village. Why would so many jōnin be chasing after Danzo?

After a moment's hesitation, the Root ninja moved to block Kakashi's group.

Kakashi gave them a glance, then gestured to Might Guy.

With a shout of "Konoha Whirlwind," Guy instantly dealt with the Root operatives in their path.

Though Root members were elite, mostly seasoned chūnin or higher, selected with care and rigor, and could even resist jōnin when acting in coordinated squads, they weren't enough against Konoha's jōnin unit.

After knocking them out, Guy casually removed their masks and bound them tightly with rope, ensuring they wouldn't be able to move when they awoke.

As they moved deeper into the Root base, they encountered more operatives.

This time, some of the guards were Root jōnin, fighters whose strength rivaled the elite. Even Guy struggled to subdue them quickly.

In the end, it was only through the overwhelming numbers of Konoha's jōnin that they were able to bring them down.

After defeating a Root jōnin, Might Guy habitually removed the man's mask, only to freeze in place when he recognized the face beneath it.

Someone who had bullied him and Obito back during their time in the Academy was a familiar face from the Konoha Police Force.

This man… was an Uchiha.

Why was an Uchiha jōnin working under Danzo? Could it be… there was more to the Uchiha Clan Massacre than they'd been told?

Guy's thoughts spiraled, but he couldn't find any solid answers, so he had to let it go.

The other jōnin, however, all frowned deeply.

They began connecting the fallen Root jōnin with Shisui Uchiha… and reached a terrifying conclusion.

The Uchiha Clan Massacre, on the surface, looked like Itachi Uchiha had lost his mind and, with help from outside forces, turned his blade on his own people.

He had single-handedly exterminated the clan that once helped found the village. But in truth… the situation was far more complex than they had imagined.

Danzo Shimura had been directly involved in the massacre, and had even taken the surviving Uchiha jōnin, brainwashed and controlled them, and turned them into operatives of Root.

The reason Danzo had cultivated so many hidden forces was simple, he wanted to seize power and become Hokage.

Just a month ago, Danzō secretly contacted the rogue ninja Rasa and Orochimaru. The three of them worked together to devise a plan to bring down Konoha and successfully caused the death of the Third Hokage.

If it hadn't been for Byakuya from Akatsuki and the Fifth Kazekage arriving in time to intervene, Konoha would have completely collapsed.

Wait... a Konoha jōnin suddenly thought of another possibility.

Maybe Orochimaru and Rasa's original intention in initiating the Konoha Collapse Plan wasn't actually to destroy the village, but rather to eliminate the Third Hokage and, at the same time, create an opportunity for Danzō to emerge as a hero.

Just imagine it: after the Third Hokage's death, if Danzō had appeared in a heroic fashion to save Konoha, his reputation would've skyrocketed. Riding that wave of prestige, his chances of winning the Fifth Hokage election would've been extremely high.

But Danzō's betrayal of the village was simply too much.

People could accept infighting and scheming during a Hokage election, even digging up dirt on each other to block opponents from being selected. But all of that hinged on one condition: the village's interests must not be harmed.

Danzō's actions clearly went against the village's interests.

Even if he somehow managed to become the Fifth Hokage now, the damage done to the village would still be irreversible.

The failure of the Chūnin Exams would cause the daimyō and nearby minor villages to start doubting Konoha's strength.

The fact that the Fifth Kazekage Rasa and Byakuya from Akatsuki had to step in and save Konoha didn't come without a price. Many treaties previously signed with Sunagakure would now be nullified, and the village would be forced to give Amegakure more favorable terms.

Pressing forward, Kakashi and the others soon arrived at the deeper parts of the Root base.

Finally, at the central cross-section of the underground hall, they cornered Danzō. He seemed to have given up on escaping and locked his sharp gaze on Kakashi, then suddenly asked:

"Kakashi, do you remember the last time we met here?"

Kakashi nodded and replied, "Of course I remember. Back then, you led Root shinobi to block Yamato and me. If the Third hadn't shown up in time, both of us would've died."

"Yes, you would've died. That's the price of betraying me," Danzō sighed lightly and continued, "If you hadn't found Hiruzen Sarutobi, I would've already acquired the Sharingan and Wood Release kekkei genkai. All the tragedies that followed would never have happened."

Kakashi frowned, scoffing coldly. "Turning on your comrades is a betrayal of the Will of Fire."

"Hmph!" Danzō snorted. "The Will of Fire is nothing but a slogan, easily modified and casually wielded. Do you think Hiruzen Sarutobi was clean? He and I both treated the Will of Fire as a mere tool."

These words made the surrounding Konoha jōnin visibly agitated. They couldn't tolerate such defamation against the Third.

Kakashi, however, remained relatively calm. He knew the Third Hokage wasn't a perfect shinobi. He had plenty of flaws. But no matter what, he was still a far better person than Danzō.

Seeing their angry expressions, Danzō continued:

"Before arriving here, you should've encountered those specialized Root shinobi. They were all members of the Uchiha Police Force. They are my proudest creations. You're probably angry that I used cursed seals and genjutsu to control the Uchiha and make them serve Root.

But have you ever thought about who actually gave Itachi Uchiha the order to wipe out his own clan? Compared to ordering the annihilation of an entire shinobi clan, I was far more merciful."

Pausing, Danzo continued, "I saved these Uchiha remnants, who were supposed to be killed, and let them atone by guarding the village from the shadows. They carried on the responsibilities of the Police Force in darkness."

Danzō's words left the Konoha shinobi silent for a long time.

They questioned the truth of what he said, whether the Third Hokage had actually ordered the annihilation of the Uchiha. After some thought, they came to the conclusion that he probably did.

The Third must have issued some kind of directive. Otherwise, the Uchiha wouldn't have been eradicated so quickly.

Those Uchihas scattered throughout the shinobi world didn't avoid returning to Konoha because they feared other Uchiha. They were afraid of being eliminated by the Third.

With that thought, the Konoha jōnin's reverence for the Third Hokage dimmed a little.

At that moment, Kakashi, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke up: "Danzō, no matter how much you smear the Third, it won't change your current situation. You betrayed the village and colluded with Orochimaru. That's undeniable."

"Undeniable?" Danzō narrowed his eyes. "What proof do you have that I colluded with Orochimaru? You're just choosing to believe Shisui Uchiha. You're believing Jiraiya's one-sided story. I have never done anything to betray Konoha.

In fact, your father's suicide back then… was something Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't be separated from. Tell me, why would a village that supposedly treasures the Will of Fire and the protection of comrades suddenly start pushing the belief that 'the mission matters more' after Konoha's White Fang failed his mission?

Why did the very shinobi your father saved accuse him and then later die on the battlefield in Sunagakure?"

Kakashi's eyes grew colder as he stared at Danzō. "What else do you know?"

Danzō's lips curled into a smile. He then said, "I know a lot. Including even more mistakes made by the Third Hokage… and evidence that Jiraiya betrayed the village."

"Mistakes by the Third? Evidence that Jiraiya-sama betrayed the village?"

Upon hearing this, the Konoha jōnin looked at each other in shock. They had only come to pursue Danzō, but now they were hearing one hidden secret after another.

Tonight's events had been nothing short of explosive.

First, Tsunade was ambushed. Then Shisui Uchiha returned from the dead. Then news broke that Danzō had conspired with Orochimaru to collapse Konoha. And now they were hearing about the Third Hokage causing the death of the White Fang.

These were things none of them dared to even think about before, but now Danzō was laying them bare, one by one.

And now he was even saying he had dirt on Jiraiya-sama. Could it be… Jiraiya really did something to betray the village?