Mastermind of the Akatsuki

Before Danzō could list out Jiraiya's faults, several Jōnin who had once benefited from Jiraiya stepped forward, their voices cold as they spoke, "Jiraiya-sama betrayed the village? We'd really like to know when exactly Jiraiya-sama ever did that!"

Their questioning echoed the thoughts of most of the Jōnin present.

Jiraiya had never held back his strength for personal gain. He had declined the position of Hokage and instead devoted himself tirelessly, spending years outside the village conducting espionage. His contributions to Konohagakure were immense.

One could argue that anyone might betray the village, anyone but Jiraiya.

Faced with their questioning, Danzō let out a chuckle and said, "Have you forgotten what Jiraiya did during the Second Great Ninja War? He abandoned the village for three whole years just to shelter three advisors he saved in Amegakure. If he had stayed in the village during those years, things would've gone much smoother for us..."

At that, the Jōnin were silent for a few seconds. Then someone seemed to remember something and spoke, "Jiraiya-sama took in Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato from Amegakure, didn't he?"

"If Jiraiya-sama hadn't done that, Amegakure wouldn't have become our ally."

"During the explosive war with Kumogakure, we wouldn't have received support from Amegakure either."

Danzō stared at the Jōnin for a long while before saying,

"Do you think I never spoke with Hanzō back then? After the Third Great Ninja War ended, Hanzō had no choice but to ally with Konoha. He had no second option. Now you think maintaining good relations with Amegakure is the right move.

But what if I told you that Amegakure's strength has already quietly surpassed Iwagakure and Kumogakure, and even us, Konohagakure? What if I told you that it's already the strongest village in the ninja world?"

"Amegakure, the strongest ninja village? That's impossible!"

"Danzō is just spouting nonsense. Do you really believe what he says? I sure don't."

Danzō's claims sparked heated debate among the Jōnin. No one believed him. Since its founding, Konohagakure has held the top position among the ninja villages.

There had been challenges from other villages throughout history,

But whether from Sunagakure, Iwagakure, or Kumogakure, none had been able to shake Konoha's dominance. Even now, Konoha maintained a clear advantage over any single other village.

To the others, Danzō was acting like a rabid dog, flinging mud at Jiraiya in his final moments.

Having successfully angered the crowd, the Jōnin launched their assault on Danzō. Internally, he could only feel helpless. He had deceived many in his lifetime, but these final words were the truth from the bottom of his heart.

In his view, Jiraiya truly was a traitor to Konoha.

Had Jiraiya not saved Yahiko and the others, Akatsuki would never have formed. Hanzō the Salamander would not have been overthrown, and Amegakure wouldn't have taken such a drastically different path, evolving into a superpower beyond the five great villages.

Just then, Danzō's head throbbed as if splitting open, flashing with countless images.

He suddenly recalled a memory sealed deep within his mind, a memory from years ago that completely altered the course of his life.

Back then, Shisui had revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan technique, known as Kotoamatsukami.

To eliminate this potential threat and obtain the Kotoamatsukami technique for himself, Danzō had set a trap just outside Root's base under the pretense of discussing peace. He invited Shisui and launched a surprise attack.

It was at that moment his memories had been tampered with.

In the memories he currently possessed, he believed he had succeeded in stealing Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, then used a Transformation Technique to subdue the strongest Uchiha into his subordinate.

He then ordered Itachi Uchiha to annihilate the Uchiha clan and fully absorbed their legacy, turning the elite of the Police Force into tools of Root. Even with power enough to topple Konoha, he continued to submit to the Third Hokage.

It wasn't until he allied with Rasa and Orochimaru to implement the Konoha Crush Plan that he stepped into the light and began moving toward the position of Hokage. However, in the sealed memory, he hadn't succeeded against Shisui at all.

Shisui and a mysterious individual had wiped out all Root shinobi present, then used Kotoamatsukami to manipulate Danzō's will, turning him into a puppet.

In the years that followed, Shisui replaced him, inherited his will, and rebuilt Root from the shadows of Konohagakure.

As Danzō instinctively looked forward, he spotted Shisui hidden among the crowd and reached out.

Shisui looked at Danzō with a cold, detached gaze, the same gaze Danzō had always given his own Root shinobi. He now saw Danzō as a disposable tool.

Swallowing hard, Danzō opened his mouth. "Beware... the shinobi in the shadows..."

Before he could finish, Shisui activated the jutsu embedded in Danzō, forcing him to trigger the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing.

As the seal began, the surrounding Konoha Jōnin immediately sensed the deadly threat and retreated dozens of steps.

All eyes turned toward Danzō. His body was covered in dense sealing markings, which gathered into pools of black ink and sprayed outward.

In the next instant, everything within a fifteen-meter radius was engulfed by the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing.

It was a terrifying fūinjutsu that sacrificed the user's life to annihilate everything in its radius. Even the Five Kage couldn't survive it. Only half of the Tenchū Bridge remained at the center when the sealing ended.

Staring at the broken bridge, all the Konoha shinobi present were stunned, unable to believe what they saw.

The elder who had fought the Third Hokage for half his life and had even conspired to assassinate him, had just died like that? Without even putting up much of a fight in the end?

After a long silence, Kakashi finally broke it. "Everyone, now's not the time to freeze. We need to secure Root's base and go support Jiraiya-sama."

Might Guy and the others nodded in agreement.

Much had happened tonight. They were deeply shaken, but this wasn't the time to dwell on the past. They had to act quickly to deal with the crisis at hand. Danzō was dead, and both his body and memories had vanished from the ninja world.

But inside Root's base, there had to be clues left behind, evidence that could still prove Danzō's wrongdoings and forever brand him as a disgrace to Konohagakure.

On the way to assist Jiraiya, many Jōnin reflected on Danzō's final words.

The claim that Jiraiya-sama had betrayed Konoha was baseless, Jiraiya would never do such a thing. But the rest of what Danzō had said… might hold some truth.

After witnessing Byakuya's performance during the Konoha Crush, they were beginning to understand Amegakure's real strength.

Right now, Amegakure was a powerful ally, strong enough to deter Iwagakure and Kumogakure. But if the day came when Amegakure turned against Konoha, it could become an even greater threat than either of those villages.

In dealings between ninja villages, friendship could exist, but more often than not, it was about eternal interests.

As long as Jiraiya lived, his status as a former mentor could help preserve the alliance between Konoha and Amegakure for at least a decade or two. But after that, nothing was guaranteed.

Jiraiya would die eventually, and Amegakure would inevitably come under new leadership.

More people began thinking about the future of Konohagakure. With Danzō dead, Tsunade had lost her last competitor, becoming the Fifth Hokage was now just a step away.

But could Tsunade really take on the role of Hokage? After being away from the village for so long, did she still understand it?

When everyone returned to the Forest of Death, the battle between Jiraiya and Orochimaru was already nearing its end. Both had summoned their signature beasts, Gamabunta from Mount Myōboku and Manda from the Ryūchi Cave.

The clash of these two colossal creatures leveled nearby hills and forests with ease.

On the ground, the battle between Jiraiya and Orochimaru was even more intense. Jiraiya unleashed a variety of Sage Techniques, while Orochimaru relied on his Bloodline Limit to defend himself.

After years of experimentation, Orochimaru had finally cultivated a clone possessing multiple Bloodline Limit. By accelerating its growth, he made the clone into a suitable new vessel, significantly increasing his combat strength.

However, despite the power of such a clone, there were fatal weaknesses. Due to conflicts and rejection between different Bloodline limits, Orochimaru couldn't fully harness their advantages.

Adding in the support from Ino-Shika-Chō and others, Orochimaru gradually started to fall behind.

"Orochimaru, surrender now. I don't want to have to kill you today," Jiraiya said, halting his attacks, hoping Orochimaru would give in. He truly didn't want to kill a friend of several decades.

As he aged, Jiraiya found his number of friends dwindling. Especially after the death of the Third Hokage, he suddenly realized he was now among the oldest generation in the village and could no longer avoid his responsibilities.

Orochimaru didn't grow angry. Instead, he laughed and attacked again.

When Jiraiya was forced onto the defensive, Orochimaru decided it was time to leave. Even though Byakuya's plan had already succeeded, he had no reason to remain in the village.

Before he left, Orochimaru deliberately left behind a snake clone to distract Jiraiya. When Jiraiya approached, the clone lunged at him and said, "Jiraiya, to keep your idiotic self-alive, I'll leave you one piece of advice. Always be wary of the Akatsuki. Always be wary of Byakuya. Never stand against him."

Jiraiya frowned. He didn't understand what Orochimaru meant. Why warn him about the Akatsuki and Byakuya?

Wasn't Byakuya an ally of Konoha, along with the Akatsuki and Amegakure? Even if Byakuya had a problem, Yahiko and Konan would surely tell him before Orochimaru ever would.

Still, Jiraiya turned to the toad sage on his shoulder and asked, "Fukasaku-sama, what do you think about Orochimaru's warning?"

Fukasaku rubbed his chin and replied, "I don't know much about your ninja world, but based on my experience, it doesn't hurt to be cautious. Byakuya is too powerful. No amount of vigilance is too much."

Jiraiya nodded, taking Fukasaku's words to heart. He looked in the direction Orochimaru had fled and sighed softly.

From that final warning, it was clear Orochimaru still cared about his safety. But Jiraiya still couldn't understand why Orochimaru would attack their old sensei. Had the village really grown stagnant and lifeless under the Third Hokage's leadership?

If possible, Jiraiya wanted to ask Orochimaru face-to-face. But it was already too late. Pursuing Orochimaru recklessly could lead to an ambush. Rather than take that risk, it was better to stay and protect Tsunade.

Walking over to Tsunade, Jiraiya asked Shikaku Nara, "Shikaku, how's Tsunade's condition?"

Shikaku sighed. "She's not seriously hurt physically, but she's suffered a major psychological blow. We don't know when Lady Tsunade's hemophobia will be overcome. If someone else figures it out next time..."

At that moment, Tsunade suddenly opened her eyes and said to Shikaku and Jiraiya, "No need. I've already overcome my hemophobia. It's no longer a weakness."

As she spoke, she cut her own arm, letting the blood flow freely and forcing herself to look at it. After a few seconds, she completely adapted to it, and a look of steely determination appeared in her eyes.

Hemophobia was, at its core, a mental illness, rooted in Tsunade's fear of blood and her desire to avoid responsibility.

Now that she had willingly accepted her role as a village leader, overcoming hemophobia naturally followed. It could no longer be used as an excuse to run away.

"You're cured?" Ino-Shika-Chō was thrilled.

Tsunade was a skilled ninja and an exceptional medic, but her hemophobia had rendered her powerless. Once she turned that weakness into a strength, she could unleash her full potential, both as a formidable fighter and a brilliant healer.

And she could serve as a symbol for Konoha, uniting the wavering centrists in the village.

Jiraiya stood in stunned silence for a moment, then smiled and said, "Welcome back, Tsunade. We can fight side by side again."

Tsunade nodded in acknowledgment.

Just then, Kakashi and the others arrived, bringing news of Danzō's suicide using the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing and their findings from the Root base.

Hearing of Danzō's death, Tsunade and Jiraiya were both momentarily stunned.

They had prepared themselves to confront Danzō head-on, but unexpectedly, he was already dead, and in such a self-destructive way.