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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 377
🕑 Added 2025-04-17 16:00:25 +0000 UTCChapter 377: Do You Think I'm Danzō?
Seeing the coffin behind Orochimaru, the Third Hokage’s expression changed drastically.
Although he had never used this technique himself, he knew it well, it was the Edo Tensei, a forbidden jutsu created by the Second Hokage. It could drag the dead back from the Pure Land, an extremely evil technique.
But in the next moment, his shock turned into fury.
The coffin behind Orochimaru slowly opened, and two figures, one in blue and the other in red, stepped out. Third Hokage was all too familiar with them. They were none other than the First Hokage and Second Hokage, both of whom had passed away long ago.
Summoning the deceased First Hokage and Second Hokage right in front of the current Hokage, this was nothing short of an insult to Konoha.
Struggling to contain his rage, Third Hokage lunged at Orochimaru, gripping his staff, transformed from Enma, in hand. He wanted nothing more than to crush this treacherous disciple to death. However, Orochimaru calmly took a few steps back, using the First Hokage and Second Hokage as his shield.
The First Hokage opened his eyes, clasped his hands together, and unleashed Wood Release to defend himself. Thick vines sprouted from the ground, blocking Third Hokage’s attack.
Taking advantage of the distraction, the Second Hokage launched an assault from the side.
Caught between the two, the Third Hokage quickly fell into a disadvantage. Even though neither the First Hokage nor the Second Hokage was at full strength, he was still no match for them.
Byakuya glanced at Orochimaru before shifting his gaze to the battle between the Hokage. A thought surfaced in his mind; he wanted to fight them.
Even if this wasn’t the First Hokage at his peak, it would still serve as a benchmark to measure his own strength. Only by having a point of reference could he better plan his next steps.
In a flash, Byakuya appeared beside the Third Hokage, easing some of his pressure.
Seeing Byakuya interfere, Orochimaru’s expression flickered. Then, he loosened his control over the First Hokage and Second Hokage, allowing them to regain part of their consciousness.
Since Byakuya was interested in fighting the Hokage, he wouldn’t stop him.
This was also a good opportunity to test Byakuya’s strength. If Byakuya could defeat the First Hokage and Second Hokage, then he was still the Orochimaru of Akatsuki. If not, then Byakuya simply wasn’t strong enough.
As the curse seal's influence weakened, the clarity in the First Hokage and Second Hokage’s eyes returned.
Scanning their surroundings, the two Hokage frowned. The First Hokage spoke first. "Aren’t I dead? Is this the village? Why am I here?"
Halfway through his sentence, he noticed the Second Hokage beside him. "Tobirama, are you messing with your forbidden jutsu again? Didn’t I tell you that disturbing the dead is very rude?"
The Second Hokage’s expression darkened as he responded flatly.
"Aniki, I think you should take a good look around. I’m just as dead as you. Clearly, someone used Edo Tensei to drag us back from the Pure Land."
The First Hokage, however, remained unconcerned. "Isn’t that because you studied Edo Tensei in the first place? I told you long ago to stop developing jutsu. Every jutsu you create is more dangerous than the last."
The Second Hokage didn’t reply. Instead, he turned his gaze to Byakuya, Third Hokage, and Orochimaru.
Judging from their positions, he and his brother had likely been resurrected by this androgynous-looking individual. The person’s goal was undoubtedly to destroy Konoha. As for how the enemy had learned Edo Tensei, that was unknown.
Right now, the most important thing was to find a way to break free from the jutsu and kill the user on the spot. If possible, he also wanted to see what had become of Konoha after his death.
At this moment, the First Hokage finally sensed that something was off. He frowned as he looked at the Third Hokage and then said, "Tobirama, look at that old man over there, isn't that Sarutobi? How did he become Hokage?"
The Second Hokage's face darkened as he replied, "Sarutobi was the Hokage I appointed before I died. I never expected that we would one day become enemies of Konoha. As for the boy next to him, I don’t recognize him."
"You don’t know him?" The First Hokage looked puzzled. "But I think he’s very strong."
Hearing this, the Second Hokage immediately turned to stare at his older brother. He knew just how powerful his brother was. So, if even he said someone was strong, then that person’s strength was undoubtedly unfathomable.
Yet strangely, the Second Hokage himself didn’t sense anything particularly extraordinary about this young man.
At that moment, Orochimaru stepped forward with a sly smile and said, "First Hokage-sama, Second Hokage-sama, your time for reminiscing is over. Your mission is to destroy all of Konoha."
Upon hearing this, both the First Hokage and Second Hokage's faces grew grim. However, bound by the curse seal’s restrictions, they had no way to resist. Their hands were forced into forming seals, launching an attack on Byakuya and the Third Hokage.
At the same time, they urged Byakuya and the Third Hokage to retreat and find reinforcements.
Byakuya simply shook his head lightly. Then, pressing his palms together, he cast Wood Release: Jukai Kōtan to counter the First Hokage's Wood Release.
Seeing this, both the First Hokage and Second Hokage froze in place.
If they weren’t mistaken, Byakuya had just used Wood Release. And judging by the sheer scale of it, his strength had already reached Kage level.
Realizing this, the two Hokage suddenly felt a sense of relief. The First Hokage even sighed in admiration, "Sarutobi, you've nurtured quite the talent over the years. To think that Konoha has once again produced a Wood Release user."
The Third Hokage's face flushed with embarrassment as he hurriedly explained, "First Hokage-sama, Tobirama-sensei, Byakuya isn’t a Konoha ninja. He’s from Amegakure, he’s only visiting Konoha."
"...He’s not a Konoha ninja?"
The First Hokage and Second Hokage exchanged glances, finding it hard to believe what they had just heard.
A Wood Release user inside Konoha, yet he wasn’t a Konoha shinobi? It was almost unthinkable. This made them suspect there was more to the story than what was being said.
Orochimaru chuckled playfully before adding,
"A Wood Release user who isn't from Konoha, doesn’t that seem perfectly normal? First Hokage, Second Hokage, perhaps you should ask your dear sensei what exactly he’s done over the years to let Konoha end up like this."
After a brief pause, Orochimaru continued, "In today’s shinobi world, the Senju, Uchiha, and Uzumaki clans no longer exist. They’ve long since become history."
His words sent a jolt through both the First Hokage and Second Hokage. They turned to the Third Hokage and demanded, "Sarutobi, is what he said true? And from the way he speaks… does that mean he's your student?"
The Third Hokage let out a bitter laugh, then nodded.
"Orochimaru is my disciple… and everything he said is true. After Tobirama-sensei passed, the Senju clan disbanded. The Uzumaki clan was attacked by several villages and was wiped out. As for the Uchiha, they rebelled a few years ago… they are no longer part of Konoha. This is all my fault..."
The Second Hokage looked at the Third Hokage, his gaze complex. Then, after a moment, he said, "No, Sarutobi, I believe you had your reasons. The fact that you are here, fighting to protect Konoha, is proof enough of your dedication. Right now, all you need to do is survive and lead the remaining Konoha shinobi in resisting."
Orochimaru's expression darkened as he said, "Tobirama-sama, I haven’t finished playing with my sensei yet. How can you just decide on your own to let him escape? He is the Hokage of this village!"
The Second Hokage let out a cold chuckle and replied, "You should worry about yourself first. I am the creator of Edo Tensei. Did you really think this technique could restrict my actions?"
With that, the Second Hokage quickly formed hand seals, attempting to break free from the caster's control.
But in the next instant, his expression soured. He had failed to escape Orochimaru’s control. With no other options, he turned to look at the First Hokage. However, the First Hokage showed no interest in breaking free, he was too engrossed in his fight with Byakuya.
After realizing that their Wood Release techniques could not overpower each other, the battle shifted to taijutsu. And during their exchange, the First Hokage discovered that Byakuya also used the Uzumaki clan’s fūinjutsu, which immediately piqued his interest.
The Second Hokage soon noticed something was off as well, Byakuya's techniques felt eerily familiar.
His sealing techniques came from the Uzumaki clan.
His taijutsu carried hints of the Uchiha style.
And his broad, relentless combat style perfectly embodied the Senju way.
But what was truly terrifying was that this boy's chakra seemed limitless.
How could he fight the First Hokage for so long without running out of stamina? Could it be that this kid was the strongest shinobi in the current era?
As Byakuya continued his clash with the First Hokage, he gradually got a better sense of his own power level.
From this fight alone, it was clear that this weakened version of the First Hokage was no match for him. If he wanted to, he could seal him away right here.
But if it were the First Hokage at full power… that would be an entirely different story.
That man had no weaknesses, he was a monster.
After taking another blow from the First Hokage and having his Wood Release clone intercept the Second Hokage, Byakuya turned to the Third Hokage and said, "Sarutobi, leave the First Hokage and Second Hokage to me. You should go handle other matters."
The Third Hokage hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to retreat.
He had expected Byakuya to be strong, but he hadn’t imagined that Byakuya could hold his own against both the First Hokage and Second Hokage.
Originally, he had planned to take this opportunity to deal with Orochimaru, but when he saw the last unopened coffin beside Orochimaru, he hesitated.
After the Third Hokage left, Orochimaru did not make any moves. First, because the First Hokage and Second Hokage were occupied with Byakuya. Second, because he had already accounted for the Third Hokage escaping in their plan.
He had wanted to give his sensei a dignified end, but the old man had chosen to flee instead. Sighing softly, Orochimaru refocused on the battle between Byakuya and the two Hokage.
At this point, it was clear that killing Byakuya here was impossible. That mountain was not so easily climbed. Until he was absolutely certain of victory, he would remain a loyal member of Akatsuki.
However, Edo Tensei was proving to be quite an intriguing technique. If he could collect enough strong corpses, he might even be able to start a world war.
---
After leaving the battle, the Third Hokage quickly dispatched a few Oto-nin who stood in his way and made his way back into the village.
Standing atop a tall building, he glanced toward the exam arena, then toward the outer walls.
He was torn.
Should he gather reinforcements to fight Orochimaru? Or should he go support Jiraiya and the Konoha defense force?
At that moment, he noticed the presence of Root shinobi.
Danzo was leading them, lurking in the shadows.
It was clear that they were holding back, refusing to engage in the battle between the invaders and Konoha’s defenders. They were preserving their strength.
This wasn’t the first time Danzo had done this. During the Nine-Tails’ attack, Root had remained inactive. Now, during the Konoha Crush, they were doing the same, staying hidden, conserving their forces.
Yet back on the night of the Uchiha Massacre, Danzo had been the first to move against the Uchiha.
Hearing this, the Third Hokage felt a surge of fury rise within him. Without hesitation, he and a few Anbu instantly appeared in front of Danzo, his voice booming with anger:
"Danzo, why aren’t you on the front lines!?"
Shisui had already noticed the Third Hokage’s approach. Without missing a beat, he replied, "Sarutobi, I am preparing for possible ambushes. Orochimaru and Rasa’s plan won’t be that simple, they definitely have other allies."
"That’s your excuse for standing by and doing nothing?"
The Third Hokage’s expression darkened. His voice carried a chilling authority. "If you refuse to act now, I will strip you of your authority over Root immediately!"
Shisui merely chuckled before responding, "Sarutobi, Root has never relied on the village’s funding. Do you really think your threat will work? Besides, if you hadn’t let Orochimaru go back then, would we even be in this situation now? Sarutobi, do you realize it? You’ve sat in the Hokage’s seat for far too long."
The Third Hokage caught the shift in Shisui’s tone and suddenly seemed to realize something. His eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Danzo, how did you know about Orochimaru and Rasa’s alliance? Unless… you were working with them?"
Shisui smiled ambiguously and said, "It seems you’re not as foolish as I thought, Sarutobi. You actually figured out that Root and Orochimaru have been collaborating. I expected you to stay in the dark a little longer. I had assumed that Orochimaru would take care of you, but it seems he was too soft-hearted after all."
The Third Hokage was so enraged that he let out a laugh. "Danzo, you actually sided with Orochimaru against the village? Do you really think that after I die, you’ll be able to become Hokage?"
"No…" The Third Hokage shook his head and continued, "You will only be remembered as a traitor. The next Hokage will be chosen between Jiraiya and Tsunade. Sarutobi, do you really think our goal is the Hokage’s seat?"
"Isn’t it? You’ve dreamed of becoming Hokage since childhood. But you buried yourself in too much darkness; someone like you was never fit to be Hokage."
"Haha…" Shisui laughed and then said, "I abandoned that dream long ago. And who told you that I am Shimura Danzo? Root is no longer the organization you once knew."
Hearing this, the Third Hokage’s eyes widened in shock as he demanded, "You’re not Danzo? Then who are you?"
Comments
Shahzaam
Bro the cliffhanger omg
