"Yūhi Kurenai, you'll take the lead in recruiting a genjutsu team from the village!"
The Third Hokage made the decision final.
Hiruko, with his five Bloodline Limits, had even given the Fourth Kazekage trouble, showing how difficult it was to deal with him through conventional means. Now, knowing that Hiruko had been defeated in a genjutsu duel by Shinji, who only had a three-tomoe Sharingan and wasn't particularly known for genjutsu, forming a genjutsu team to target Hiruko naturally became the best choice for Hidden Leaf's leadership.
When it came to genjutsu, as a jōnin specializing in it, the task of assembling the genjutsu team naturally fell to Kurenai.
"Yes!" Kurenai stood and acknowledged the Hokage's formal order.
Shinji's lips twitched, but he ultimately chose to stay silent.
He couldn't exactly shout out that his victory over Hiruko in the genjutsu duel was due to possessing the strongest dojutsu in the current shinobi world—a pair of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Perhaps Kurenai's genjutsu isn't inferior to Hiruko's…" Shinji thought to himself.
His focus on genjutsu had been limited, so he wasn't entirely sure of Hiruko's genjutsu prowess. Besides, aside from dojutsu-based genjutsu, there were sound-based and scent-based genjutsu—anything that could affect perception could serve as a medium for genjutsu.
Koharu Utatane spoke up, "Hiruzen, I heard Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya have left the village for training. It's too dangerous to be out at a time like this. You should recall them immediately!"
Rescuing Hidden Rock's Jinchūriki was the priority, but protecting their own Jinchūriki couldn't be neglected. With Naruto outside the village, if the Akatsuki attacked, the village wouldn't be able to provide timely support.
The Third Hokage replied, "I've already notified Jiraiya."
Koharu nodded.
With most agenda items discussed, the meeting room gradually quieted.
Kakashi, after a moment of thought, asked, "Lord Hokage, at the temporary meeting in the Land of Birds, all the villages agreed to share their intelligence on the Akatsuki. Should Hidden Leaf do the same?"
"Yes," the Third Hokage nodded lightly.
Kakashi pressed, "Regarding Hidden Rain Village, does the village know something?"
The Third sighed, "Alas…"
The faces of the advisory elders, Koharu and Homura Mitokado, darkened.
"Hmph!" Tsunade let out a soft scoff.
The reactions of the Third and the advisory elders made the atmosphere in the meeting room turn strange. Those in the know remained silent, while those unaware looked puzzled.
After a moment, the Third said, "In truth, the village does have some knowledge about the Akatsuki's base and its leader."
"What?" Several people in the room were shocked.
Yakumo and Sasuke exchanged glances, both growing tense.
Having started, the Third no longer held back. He recounted how Jiraiya had once taken in three war orphans in the Land of Rain and how Danzō had collaborated with Hanzō of Hidden Rain to ambush the early Akatsuki.
Kakashi asked, "The three orphans Jiraiya took in back then in the Land of Rain—are they the ones who founded the Akatsuki?"
"Correct," the Third confirmed. "When we withdrew, we encountered Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, three war orphans. Jiraiya, soft-hearted, decided to take them in and stayed in the Land of Rain for three years. After Jiraiya left, he heard they formed an organization with Yahiko as the leader—the precursor to the Akatsuki!"
Tsunade picked up the story, briefly recounting the events.
Of course, she didn't mention that Jiraiya had been traveling the shinobi world, taking disciples and searching for the 'Child of Prophecy' due to the Great Toad Sage's prophecy from Mount Myōboku.
Kurenai said, "So, the Akatsuki's leader is Jiraiya-sama's disciple? Why is he so extreme, opposing the five great shinobi villages?"
Tsunade said angrily, "It's all because of Danzō's schemes!"
She then detailed how Danzō had collaborated with Hanzō to orchestrate Yahiko's death and suppress the early Akatsuki.
"No wonder…" Many shook their heads and sighed.
The attendees finally understood why the Third and the advisory elders had reacted the way they did.
If Danzō were still an advisor, such dark secrets would have been nearly impossible to discuss openly. Or rather, if Danzō hadn't been ousted from the advisory council and the village hadn't taken over Root's classified files, they wouldn't even know about the foolish things Danzō had done in the Land of Rain.
Kakashi's expression sharpened. "With the Akatsuki's rise, doesn't that mean Hanzō of Hidden Rain is…?"
The Third nodded. "Hanzō hasn't appeared in public for years, and Hidden Rain's isolation has kept the news from spreading. I believe Hanzō is likely dead, and Hidden Rain, cut off from the outside world, is very possibly the Akatsuki's base!"
Asuma asked, "Since Yahiko was killed, who's the current Akatsuki leader?"
Tsunade answered, "The other one of the three orphans—Nagato! The one who revealed the 'Sage's Eye' during the Grass Country War was him!"
Those who had fought in the Grass Country War immediately recalled the frail, red-haired man in a wheelchair.
Koharu suddenly said, "If the other villages learn that the Akatsuki's leader is Jiraiya's disciple, won't that cause unnecessary trouble?"
Homura agreed, "Yes, if Danzō's actions come to light, it could give the other villages an excuse to attack us!"
Tsunade snorted coldly, "If it was done, what's there to hide?"
The Third, however, said, "This is indeed a valid concern!"
If the other villages learned that the Akatsuki's leader was trained by Jiraiya and that the conflict stemmed from a conspiracy between Danzō and Hanzō, they would undoubtedly pin the blame on Hidden Leaf.
Seeing the leadership's concerns, Shikaku said, "We only need to share with the other villages that the Akatsuki may be hiding in Hidden Rain. As for the leader's connection to Jiraiya or Danzō's conspiracy with Hanzō, we should keep that hidden!"
The Third nodded. "Indeed, with a great enemy before us, we must maintain the alliance of the five great shinobi villages!"
With the Third setting the tone, the intelligence team began preparing to share the information.
After the meeting:
Yakumo and Sasuke were both preoccupied with their thoughts.
Having learned the origins of the 'Dark Akatsuki' at the meeting, they couldn't help but think of their own 'Dawnbreak' and speculate about the connection between the two.
Finally free, Shinji had no interest in dwelling on these old stories. He had more important matters to attend to!