"Regarding the Akatsuki," Mei Terumi spoke up. "The Mist rogue ninja Raiga Kurosuki and Kakuzu, the Takumi Rogue Ninja, are suspected to be members of that organization!"
A furrowed his brow. "Suspected?"
"They acted like they had a plan," Mei explained. "Even after they were captured, someone paid a fortune to get them back, which proves they were part of the same group! And in the world of shinobi, there aren't that many powerful people around. There's no way two new, mysterious, and powerful organizations could just pop out of nowhere, right?"
A recalled what Seiki Shimaseki had told him about the Xu organization, but chose not to elaborate. "What about you all? Any more to add?"
"I've got no additions," Onoki said as he turned to Mei, "but I do have a question. Mizukage-sama, your Fourth Mizukage was really under someone else's control?"
At his words, not only the people inside the hall but even the guards outside quietly perked up their ears.
Clearly, everyone was curious about this question.
"That's right!" Mei declared firmly. "If you don't believe me, just ask the Fourth himself. After stepping down, he's been taking on missions in the village to atone for his past actions!"
"I'm not doubting that," Onoki replied. "I'm just wondering—could the one who controlled the Fourth also be with the Akatsuki?"
Onoki sighed inwardly. He must really be getting old. In the past, whether true or not, he would've already smeared both Seiki and Mei in public, accusing them of secretly colluding to manipulate the selection of the village's Kage.
"It's unclear," Mei slightly shook her head. "The Fourth himself has no memory of the shadowy mastermind either. But I don't think the shadowy mastermind and Kakuzu and Raiga are the same group. Otherwise, they wouldn't have fought each other back then, which gave us the chance we needed."
As they discussed, Danzo was deep in thought. "Could it be him—the Masked Man who warned me about the Nine-Tails disaster?"
Precisely because of his foresight and ability to spot problems early, Homura and Koharu had ultimately chosen him at the last moment, believing his steady leadership could guide Konoha toward stable development.
"He ambushed Minato Namikaze and could be the one who controlled the Mizukage. I need to stay sharp," Danzo thought.
Meanwhile, near a small hill close to the venue:
"Remember, our target is Danzo Shimura!" Pain warned. "Once we enter, don't even hesitate. Grab him as fast as you can!"
Sasori frowned. "Shouldn't we explain the Akatsuki's goals to them first?"
"We can handle the deception after we've got Danzo," Pain coldly replied. "I'll use Shinra Tensei first to scatter them and make them think we're targeting everyone. Then, while they're separated, we'll concentrate all our firepower on Danzo. Got it?"
Sasori nodded. "Understood."
Tobi chuckled. "Pain, your clone talks a lot!"
Pain shot him a cold look. "Move out!"
Inside the hall, the discussion continued.
A summarized gravely, "Although there is no conclusive evidence yet, from the information we currently possess, Akatsuki is undoubtedly an extremely dangerous and powerful organization. Their actions in the smaller nations are definitely not as simple as their stated goal of fairness... For instance, they aim to reestablish the shinobi world order!"
Rasa asked, "You suspect they are spreading ninjutsu specifically to oppose us?"
A's expression darkened. "Their top-tier strength may already rival any of the great villages, possibly even surpassing them. Their only weakness lies in their foundational and mid-level forces. The unrestricted dissemination of chakra seeds exactly compensates for this deficiency!"
Everyone present frowned deeply, as the Ninja Academy was primarily meant for talent selection, which is why significant time was invested in foundational training.
This method had clearly proven effective. From each graduating class, two to three Jonin usually emerged, forming the essential cornerstone that allowed the Five Great Hidden Villages to operate smoothly.
However, if the elite training model were abandoned, two or three years would be more than enough for ordinary individuals with moderate potential to become Genin.
Considering the massive population base of the shinobi world, even with a relatively low success rate, it would still produce an enormous force that could shake all the major ninja villages.
Realizing this, Onoki tapped the table and said, "No matter what their ultimate objective may be, we absolutely cannot allow them to act so recklessly any longer!"
A asked, "Tsuchikage, what's your suggestion?"
Onoki replied, "We should also start spreading chakra. Compared with that organization, as the recognized authorities of the shinobi world, we would naturally gain more trust from the common people!"
Danzō slightly nodded. "I think this is a good proposal, though we will need a temporary alliance..."
At that moment, suddenly, multiple guards' warnings echoed from outside, followed by a cold voice.
"Who are you? Stop immediately!"
"Go any further and don't blame us for taking action!"
[Shinra Tensei]!
As soon as the words were spoken, the conference hall was blown apart by a tremendous Repelling Force!
Caught completely off guard, the Five Kage and their retainer guards were all flung outward.
Still, they were powerful and experienced. Even though they had never encountered such an attack before, they stabilized themselves in a very short time.
"Mizukage, watch out!"
"Kazekage, beware of the assassin!"
Tatsuma and Kinoto rushed to Danzō's side for protection. Yet Danzō himself was uncontrollably flying forward.
"That was the Repelling Force just now, and now it's the Attracting Force?" Danzō thought in astonishment. He had never even heard of such an Elemental Technique before.
However, this didn't stop him from making quick decisions.
[Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Baku]!
Danzō summoned the Baku with extraordinary speed, crashing into its massive body to stop himself.
Clearly, the normal power of [Universal Pull] wasn't enough to move the enormous body of the Baku.
Just as Danzō started to relax slightly, multiple powerful auras simultaneously rushed toward him!
"No good. The previous attraction wasn't random. Their target was me!" Danzō realized with both shock and anger, feeling as if the entire world had turned against him today.
Then, anger boiled inside him, "A bunch of stinking rats! Don't think I'm scared of you!"
[Wind Release: Vacuum Great...]
Yet, as he was forming seals at top speed, an unbearable itch suddenly flared on his butt—as if he had to scratch it right now!
"Cursed! What the hell is this?! No, I must hold on!"
Those charging toward Danzō were confused—how come Danzō, who looked furious a moment ago, suddenly winced in pain like he was suffering some kind of gut punch?
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"Endure, endure... I can't endure anymore!"
Although Danzō forced himself to suppress the urge with every ounce of his willpower, he still faltered slightly on the final seal.
Then, the wind sphere already formed in his throat suddenly went out of control, shooting out white streams of air from every facial orifice.
Some of the gas also blasted out from behind him in a violent fart, sending blood droplets flying everywhere!
Uzumaki Ichiro, residing within the Living Puppet, saw Danzō fly straight toward him from a fart and momentarily froze, "Have ninjas of this era really developed their techniques to such a forbidden level? How terrifying!"
Seeing Danzō knock himself unconscious with just one technique and even explode blood from his pants, the other Four Kage slowly felt a question mark forming in their minds—was this some kind of self-harm strategy?
Even "Tongren," who secretly hid and used Kashitsukihiko no Kami on Danzō as he left, muttered in amazement, "This technique seems to possess terrifying power!"
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