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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 380
🕑 Added 2025-04-20 16:00:04 +0000 UTCChapter 380: The Fear and Respect of Konoha’s Shinobi
As the fierce battle raged across Konoha, an uninvited guest arrived at the Hokage Building.
With the Third Hokage gone and the elite Anbu forces occupied elsewhere, Obito easily infiltrated the building and made his way to the chamber where the Scroll of Seals was kept.
His target was a forbidden jutsu inscribed on the scroll, Edo Tensei, the technique that could summon the dead from the Pure Land back to the world of the living.
Before witnessing Byakuya’s battle against the First and Second Hokage, Obito had been skeptical of Edo Tensei’s power. He hadn’t believed the technique could pose any real threat to the shinobi of this era.
But after seeing Hashirama and Tobirama in action, he had made up his mind.
He would bring Madara Uchiha back.
Madara alone would be enough to deal with the uncontrollable force that was Byakuya and finally bring forth the Infinite Tsukuyomi, achieving eternal peace.
Stepping into the chamber, Obito flipped open the Scroll of Seals, triggering the barrier traps left behind.
With a simple Kamui phase-through, he avoided the trap’s attack and successfully obtained the scroll, quickly locating the section detailing Edo Tensei.
The technique’s principle was simple. By using a portion of the deceased’s remains, the summoner could link to their soul in the Pure Land and resurrect them into a special vessel. Depending on the quality of the vessel, the revived individual’s strength would vary.
For Obito, finding a suitable vessel wasn’t difficult.
The White Zetsu were ideal Edo Tensei hosts as using them would allow the reincarnated shinobi to reach their full potential.
Now, all that remained was locating Madara’s corpse.
The only complication was that Madara had once told him he didn’t want to be revived through Edo Tensei; he desired a young, living body and had planned to be resurrected through Nagato’s Rinne Rebirth.
Obito pushed aside his stray thoughts and left the Hokage Building.
Before vanishing, he glanced in Byakuya’s direction, his eyes deep with meaning.
Today’s stage belonged to Byakuya, so he wouldn’t interfere. But this would be Byakuya’s last performance.
Once Madara returned, everything would change. The positions of power between them would completely reverse.
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As time passed, more and more shinobi disengaged from their own battles and turned their attention toward the clash at the arena.
Among them were Jiraiya, leading Konoha’s defensive forces, and Sasori, commanding the Suna forces.
With so many eyes on him, Orochimaru grew increasingly uneasy.
After Hashirama and Tobirama’s Edo Tensei bodies were once again shattered, Orochimaru made up his mind; he had to retreat.
First, he had Hashirama cast the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, shrouding the battlefield in an impenetrable blackness. Then, under the cover of the darkness, he slipped away into the jungle.
Before leaving, he didn’t forget to issue a command, ordering the First and Second Hokage to continue fighting.
When the darkness finally lifted, Jiraiya and the reinforcement squad arrived at the arena.
Appearing beside Byakuya with a flicker of movement, Jiraiya asked, "Need a hand, Byakuya? It looks like you're struggling against the First and Second Hokage on your own."
Byakuya, looking visibly exhausted, shot him an irritated glance.
"Jiraiya-nii, do you even need to ask? You know how strong the First and Second Hokage are. If they weren’t in Edo Tensei form, I would’ve been defeated already."
His complaint left Jiraiya momentarily speechless.
There was no denying it, setting aside Tobirama, Hashirama had been in a league of his own back in the day. Without his overwhelming strength, the Warring States Period would never have ended, and the one nation, one village system would have never been established.
The fact that Byakuya had held his own against both Hokage for so long already spoke volumes about his power.
Byakuya paused for a moment before continuing, "Oh, right, Jiraiya-nii, do you know what jutsu Orochimaru is using? I’ve taken down those two Hokage of yours countless times, but they keep regenerating so quickly. What exactly does it take to make them stay down?"
Jiraiya glanced at Byakuya and replied, "If I’m not mistaken, Orochimaru is using Edo Tensei. Shinobi revived by Edo Tensei have unlimited chakra and rapid regeneration. The only way to truly defeat them is through sealing techniques."
Byakuya frowned. "Such a twisted jutsu… how did it even come into existence?"
At those words, Jiraiya's expression turned a bit awkward. He raised a finger and pointed toward the Second Hokage standing not far away.
Tobirama’s face darkened immediately. But under Orochimaru’s control, he was unable to speak in his own defense.
"Oh, so it was Konoha's Second Hokage? Then never mind."
Byakuya’s tone was one of complete indifference.
He then added, "I’ve heard stories about the Demon of the Senju, Tobirama. He was no less of a mad scientist than Orochimaru."
In any other situation, Konoha’s shinobi would have been outraged at such blatant disrespect toward the Second Hokage. But Byakuya was simply stating a fact.
While Tobirama had indeed established the Academy system and helped stabilize the village, his approach to experimentation had been ruthless and utterly pragmatic.
After some thought, Byakuya turned to Jiraiya and said, "Jiraiya-nii, you take the Konoha shinobi and deal with the Second Hokage. I’ll handle sealing the First Hokage myself."
Jiraiya nodded and immediately led Konoha’s forces to engage Tobirama.
With the help of the Sealing Corps and the older Ino-Shika-Chō trio, they quickly managed to suppress the Second Hokage.
Tobirama, now restrained, glanced at the young shinobi holding him down, his gaze filled with a complicated mix of emotions. Even after his death, Konoha had produced some truly skilled ninja.
Meanwhile, Byakuya engaged Hashirama in close combat, swiftly weaving golden Adamantine Sealing Chains toward him, restricting his movements.
Just as Hashirama prepared to counter, a sudden shift occurred.
From outside the village, Orochimaru, having already fled, chose to release Edo Tensei.
As the technique unraveled, Hashirama and Tobirama’s bodies began to crumble, their souls drifting upward toward the sky, returning to the Pure Land.
At that moment, Tobirama raised his hand, intending to use Edo Tensei: Release, a hidden failsafe known only to the jutsu’s creator.
By activating this technique at the moment of Edo Tensei’s cancellation, a summoned soul could resist being sent back to the Pure Land and instead remain in the living world as a free Edo Tensei body.
Hashirama noticed Tobirama’s actions and immediately spoke up.
"Tobirama, stop. We’re already dead. We shouldn’t interfere with the affairs of the living."
Tobirama frowned. "But the shinobi world still needs us! That damn Orochimaru is still out there, and that Uchiha using Madara’s name needs to be dealt with!"
Hashirama sighed and shook his head. "I know Konoha is facing trouble, but if we help once, there will be a second time, and a third. Konoha cannot remain under our shadow forever. If the boundary between life and death continues to blur, the shinobi world will never know peace."
Tobirama, for all his defiance, had always listened to his older brother in the most crucial moments. This was precisely why he was the Second Hokage and not the First.
As Hashirama’s Edo Tensei body faded, he cast one last glance at Byakuya, his expression unreadable.
Byakuya noticed, but he said nothing. He simply stood there in silence, watching the two great Hokage vanish from the world once more.
With the First and Second Hokage finally dealt with, the tension that had gripped Konoha’s shinobi began to ease.
When they turned to look at Byakuya, their eyes were filled with a new kind of respect, one that bordered on reverence.
Before, they had heard of Byakuya’s strength, knowing he was powerful enough to be considered for Hokage.
But hearing was one thing. Seeing was another.
And now that they had witnessed his strength firsthand, they finally understood just how terrifyingly strong he was.
Over the years, Konoha’s shinobi had poured immense effort into barely sealing the Second Hokage. Yet, Byakuya had managed to withstand both Hokage simultaneously, even launching counterattacks.
Now, with the First and Second Hokage’s Edo Tensei bodies finally defeated, Sasori had also stabilized Gaara, who had gone berserk earlier.
When it came to handling Shukaku, Sasori had no shortage of experience. After dispelling the genjutsu that had affected Gaara, the One-Tail naturally returned to his body.
At that moment, Jiraiya and the others suddenly realized something and turned to Byakuya.
"Byakuya, where is the Hokage?"
In a crisis like this, the Hokage should have made an appearance.
Byakuya looked just as confused. He glanced at Jiraiya and said,
"Didn’t the Hokage go to find you for backup? You mean you haven’t seen him?"
Jiraiya and the Ino-Shika-Chō trio exchanged uncertain glances, their expressions turning thoughtful.
For years, they had disagreed with the Third Hokage on various policies. However, their differences were merely political; none of them had ever doubted his commitment to Konoha.
Yet now, with the external threat resolved, Hiruzen Sarutobi was nowhere to be found.
Could it be that Orochimaru’s true target hadn’t been the village at all, but rather the Third Hokage himself?
Had this entire attack been nothing more than a distraction, allowing Orochimaru to assassinate the Hokage in the chaos?
Jiraiya’s expression darkened at the thought. Without hesitation, he ordered Konoha’s forces to search for Hiruzen.
The village had already lost one Hokage ten years ago. They couldn’t afford to lose another.
Just then, Shisui arrived with a squad of Root shinobi.
Seeing Shisui, his body still wrapped in bandages, the surrounding shinobi frowned in disapproval. Their dislike wasn’t directed at him personally but at Danzo and Root as a whole.
Despite some improvements in Root’s reputation over the years, the organization had long been infamous within Konoha.
And now, after arriving so late to the battlefield, they were drawing even more suspicion.
Ignoring the wary gazes, Shisui walked up to Jiraiya and said,
"We encountered Orochimaru’s elite forces earlier, so we were delayed. Did you manage to capture him?"
The Konoha shinobi shook their heads.
Upon seeing their expressions, Shisui frowned and muttered, "You mean to tell me you couldn’t even take down a mere Orochimaru? Looks like Sarutobi really is getting old… At his age, why does he still refuse to step down?"
His words weren’t particularly loud, but every Konoha shinobi present heard them.
None of them spoke.
Finally, Jiraiya, unable to hold back, quipped, "Danzo-dono, you’re getting up there in age yourself. When will you retire from Root and step away from the Hokage Building?"
Shisui’s face stiffened slightly.
"Oh, there’s no rush," he replied with a forced smile. "I can still contribute to Konoha. I feel quite young, actually."
After exchanging a few more jabs, the shinobi focused on clearing the battlefield and searching for the Third Hokage.
Meanwhile, Shisui, acting as the Hokage’s stand-in, escorted Byakuya and Sasori to a reception room for a small-scale meeting.
As an undercover Akatsuki agent within Konoha, Shisui took the opportunity to report his recent achievements.
Under his leadership, Root had undergone significant reform. Its influence now reached into nearly every aspect of life in Konoha, transforming it into an immense and deeply rooted presence.
And just minutes ago, Shisui, alongside Kushina, had defeated the Third Hokage.
After delivering his report, Shisui turned to Byakuya and asked, "Byakuya-dono, do you have any further instructions? And regarding the next Hokage… do you have any recommendations?"
Byakuya glanced at Shisui and said, "I'm not interested in choosing the next Hokage, but I did promise Kushina that her son, Naruto, would become the Hokage after the next one. As for the Fifth Hokage, you all can decide for yourselves."
"If you want to be Hokage, or if you'd rather someone else take the position, it's up to you. You Uchiha have always wanted to hold the Hokage title, haven’t you? It wouldn't be too surprising if Danzo finally fulfilled that ambition."
Shisui shook his head. "Me? Becoming Hokage? That’s out of the question. The burden of that role is too great. I can’t handle it, and neither can anyone else from our side."
Byakuya chuckled. "So that means it still comes down to either Tsunade or Jiraiya? What about the Hyūga clan? Do they have any interest in the position?"
Shisui shook his head again.
"The Hyūga don’t have the energy to compete for the Hokage seat. As per your orders, I've been working alongside Hizashi to suppress the Main Branch and abolish the Caged Bird system. If things go as planned, within a decade or so, the Hyūga will no longer have Caged Bird at all."
At that moment, Sasori, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up.
"Why not make Gaara the Hokage? It’s not like Konoha has any outstanding candidates left anyway."
Halfway through his sentence, Sasori realized how absurd the idea was and quickly corrected himself.
"My real suggestion is that you, Byakuya-dono, should take the Hokage seat. Aren’t you a descendant of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans? If you officially joined Konoha, becoming Hokage wouldn’t be out of the question."
Byakuya shot Sasori a look. His eyes alone made it clear that this conversation was over.
Before anyone could press the topic further, Byakuya suddenly sensed something. He turned toward the Hokage building.
The barrier he had casually left in the underground vault had been broken.
Someone had taken the Scroll of Seals.
Was it Black Zetsu? Or Obito?
No longer dwelling on the matter, Byakuya refocused and said,
"Let’s put the Hokage discussion aside for now. We need to talk about our next move. Right now, we control Konoha, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure. If we can bring Iwagakure and Kumogakure under our influence, we can form a true Shinobi Alliance and bring lasting peace to the world."
Byakuya then turned serious, "What do you two think? Any good strategies for handling Iwa and Kumo?"
