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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 382
🕑 Added 2025-05-03 14:23:45 +0000 UTCChapter 382: Conspiracy Behind the Conspiracy
Hearing this, Sasuke was slightly stunned, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
He had only recently learned that the clan had not been annihilated, but had merely gone into hiding. How did Naruto know this information? Could it be that Naruto possessed some kind of mind-reading ability?
But after thinking it over, Sasuke gradually came to a realization.
During the mission to the Land of Waves, Naruto, like him, had been rescued by a mysterious ninja. The one who saved him was Shisui, so the ninja who saved Naruto must be connected to Naruto in some way.
Perhaps the mysterious ninja who saved Naruto belonged to the same faction as Shisui.
With that thought, Sasuke shook his head and said, “I don’t really know what they’re thinking. They don’t seem to plan on revealing their identities. It looks like they want to continue lurking in the village. Are you planning to come out into the open on your side?”
Naruto also shook his head and said, “No, she doesn’t seem to have any intention of showing herself either. I really don’t know what they’re thinking. They orchestrated this entire operation, yet they’re not stepping forward to claim any of the benefits.”
After this exchange, their sparring session also drew to a close.
Sasuke was still no match for Naruto, but he had long since grown used to it. Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Until he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke had no chance of surpassing Naruto.
Although Naruto didn’t look particularly strong, as long as the Nine-Tails within him gave its full support, Naruto could erupt with power comparable to that of the Hokage in a short period of time. Across the entire shinobi world, few could completely suppress him.
Despite conversing for so long, the two of them barely discussed the Third Hokage’s disappearance.
Naruto regarded the Third Hokage as just a stranger. In the past, he had been grateful for the Third Hokage’s special care, but once he learned that the old man had deliberately concealed his identity and had been using him all along, any gratitude he felt turned to cold indifference. He neither hated nor particularly liked the Third Hokage.
In the end, the Third Hokage was the epitome of a politician.
Sasuke, on the other hand, harbored much deeper resentment toward the Third Hokage. From Shisui, he had learned about the Third Hokage and the others’ suppression of the Uchiha clan, and even about the order given to Itachi Uchiha to carry out the massacre.
Maybe the Uchiha really had posed a threat to Konoha’s stability.
But as the Hokage, failing to resolve internal conflicts within the village was itself a sign of incompetence. What’s more, the Third Hokage had even tolerated the existence of Shimura Danzō.
If it hadn’t been for Shisui killing Danzō back then, the Uchiha would have lost more than just their clan name.
---
As time passed, the news of the Third Hokage’s disappearance could no longer be kept under wraps and gradually spread both inside and outside the village.
Within Konohagakure, when the ninja heard about the Third Hokage’s disappearance, most of them initially refused to believe it, but they quickly noticed that something was wrong. Could it be that something had really happened to the Third Hokage?
Under normal circumstances, if the village were attacked, the Third Hokage would have stepped up immediately to stabilize the situation.
But now, several days had passed, and the Third Hokage still hadn’t appeared. This made Konoha’s shinobi and villagers start to suspect the rumors might actually be true.
Soon enough, the Konoha leadership stepped forward to confirm the death of the Third Hokage, causing an uproar.
The death of the Third Hokage, like the death of the Fourth Hokage, was a heavy blow to Konoha. But while the Fourth Hokage had only ruled for a single year, the Third had ruled for several decades.
To put it bluntly, the Third Hokage had witnessed the lives of most of Konoha’s shinobi.
Many people refused to believe the Third Hokage had died, stubbornly clinging to the hope that he was merely missing. They had no idea who the next Hokage would be or what direction Konoha would take.
The foreign candidates participating in the Chūnin Exams also received the news and promptly sent it back to their respective villages.
For the smaller nations in the shinobi world, the death of the Third Hokage was a major event. It affected not only their future relations with Konoha, but also the overall balance of power in the shinobi world.
They had signed numerous treaties with the Third Hokage, and they were uncertain if the next Hokage would uphold them.
Ōnoki of Iwagakure and the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure were both visibly shocked upon hearing the news of the Third Hokage’s death. They began to consider whether they should seize this opportunity to attack Konoha.
Without the Third Hokage, Konoha would undoubtedly fall into chaos as factions scrambled for the position of Fifth Hokage. If they moved their forces now, even if they couldn’t reach the gates of Konoha, they could still bite off a sizable chunk of land at the borders of the Land of Fire to satisfy their ambitions.
However, after careful thought, both Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage abandoned this plan.
They had both tasted defeat at Konoha’s hands before, and what’s more, Konoha was allied with Amegakure. Even if Konoha fell into chaos following the Third Hokage’s death, Amegakure couldn’t be underestimated.
Unless Iwagakure and Kumogakure joined forces, there was no way they could contend with Konoha and Amegakure together. But the chances of Kumogakure and Iwagakure cooperating were close to zero. The two villages were bitter enemies, and unless faced with the threat of annihilation, they would never form an alliance.
---
Several days later, Konoha held the funeral for the Third Hokage.
The ceremony took place at the Hero’s Memorial, and just like the Fourth Hokage and his wife, the Third Hokage’s coffin contained no remains — only some of his personal effects.
During the funeral, many of Konoha’s shinobi wept uncontrollably, recalling their memories of the Third Hokage.
Some of them had benefited from the Third Hokage’s kindness, while others had suffered under his oppression. But in this solemn moment, they all simply wanted to quietly send him off on his final journey.
After all, from this day onward, the time of the Third Hokage had truly come to an end, and no one knew what the future would hold.
Watching his own funeral from a distance, the Third Hokage's expression was extremely awkward, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
He was clearly still alive, yet the Konoha shinobi believed he had died, and they even held a grand funeral for him, allowing him to personally witness his own death. There was nothing more absurd in the entire shinobi world than this.
Thinking of this, the Third Hokage turned his head to look at Shisui beside him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
That day, after being defeated by the combined efforts of the Uzumaki shinobi and Shisui, he thought he was surely going to die. Even if he didn’t die, he would be permanently controlled by Kotoamatsukami, becoming Shisui's puppet.
But unexpectedly, Shisui didn’t kill him. Instead, he brought him to attend his own funeral.
This left the Third Hokage unable to see through Shisui anymore. Shisui was no longer that young Uchiha boy, full of the Will of Fire, whose thoughts the Third could easily read. Now, Shisui was the leader of Root, a schemer even more terrifying than Danzō.
However, there was one thing the Third Hokage couldn’t figure out: after his "death," why didn’t Shisui try to become the Fifth Hokage? Becoming Hokage had always been the dream of the Uchiha clan for decades.
Could it be that Shisui and the Uchiha had an even bigger scheme?
At that moment, Shisui looked at the Third Hokage with a playful expression and said, "Third, how does it feel to attend your own funeral? Besides you, no one else in the shinobi world has ever enjoyed such a privilege."
Seeing Shisui take the initiative to mock him, the Third Hokage wasn’t angered. Instead, he voiced the doubt in his heart, "Shisui, you and Orochimaru joining forces—was it really just to fake my death?"
Shisui glanced at the Third Hokage and said, "Killing you was Orochimaru’s idea. He’s your good disciple, unwilling to see you continue to rot away. He wanted to give you a dignified end."
Shisui sighed, "To be honest, I didn’t want to take part in Orochimaru’s plan, because your existence is the greatest obstacle to Konoha’s growth. Keeping you alive weakens Konoha even more."
Hearing this, the Third Hokage's expression darkened.
Shisui's words were truly like a blade to the heart. What did he mean by saying Konoha could continue to be weakened only as long as he lived? If not for him constantly patching up this broken ship called Konoha, it would have sunk long ago.
After a moment of silence, the Third Hokage said to Shisui, "You say that my being alive weakens Konoha. Then tell me, where exactly did I go wrong over these years? If I hadn’t forcibly suppressed the internal conflicts, the village would’ve already fallen into civil war."
The former Third Hokage paused before a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.
"I deeply regret now, regret that I didn’t act against the Uchiha earlier. If I had done so when there were signs of rebellion, things wouldn’t have come to this. Shisui, do you truly think the Uchiha were completely blameless?
I can say for certain, even if your Uchiha clan became Hokage, you wouldn’t be able to lead Konoha to strength. You would only cause Konoha to fall apart and not even last this long."
Facing the Third Hokage’s questioning, Shisui responded flatly, "Third, I already knew all that you’re saying. That’s why I never led my clan to start a coup or erase the Uchiha name from Konoha. My clansmen are proud and unstable in their emotions.
If they don’t experience an unprecedented failure, they will never settle down. That’s why I deliberately hid my identity, waiting until we reached the brink of destruction before stepping in to save them, changing their thinking and the Uchiha’s future."
Pausing, Shisui smiled, "The Uchiha alive today will always be feared by Konoha, and with that fear comes the constant risk of annihilation. But a clan that has already been destroyed cannot be destroyed a second time. Once we lose the Uchiha name, only then can we truly integrate into the shinobi world, just like the Senju once did."
At the mention of the Senju, the Third Hokage fell silent for a few seconds, then fixed his gaze on Shisui and said, "Shisui, given that you are now the leader of Root, it’s not surprising you would think this way. But I am curious how you managed to defeat Danzō. You shouldn’t have been prepared for him."
Shisui’s heart skipped a beat.
Before Danzō’s attack, he had blind trust in Konoha. Even when facing a schemer like Danzō, he still had hopes in his heart.
If it hadn’t been for Byakuya-sama’s timely warning, he would never have survived that ordeal. The Uchiha would have been completely wiped out that night by the joint effort of Itachi Uchiha and Danzō.
After a moment of contemplation, Shisui feigned calm and said, "Third, maybe you’ve never seen my true face. From the beginning, I have been on guard against all of you. The reason I shared information about Kotoamatsukami was only to lure you into my trap."
"Maybe so…" the Third Hokage sighed, then said, "But I still believe you carry the Will of Fire. Under your management, Root is completely different from how it was under Danzō. If my disappearance and death can lead to Konoha’s revival, then perhaps it’s not a bad thing after all."
Shisui sneered and said to the Third Hokage, "Do you think I kept you alive to let you witness my brilliant methods of saving Konoha from collapse? No, I kept you alive so you could witness Konoha’s destruction with your own eyes."
The Third Hokage's face immediately darkened. "You plan to destroy Konoha in front of me? If you have a problem, take it out on me. There’s no need to target Konoha."
"When did I ever say I would target Konoha?"
Shisui looked at the Third Hokage and said, "Third, I’m not like you. I won’t issue orders to annihilate the Sarutobi clan just to get rid of Asuma Sarutobi. The Uchiha aren’t that petty. Do you remember all the unresolved conflicts from your time in office? They will slowly tear Konoha apart."
The Third Hokage frowned, unable to understand what Shisui was getting at.
Shisui couldn’t be bothered to explain any further. After finishing their "tour" of the Third Hokage's funeral, he took the Third Hokage back to the Root headquarters.
After winding through several corridors, they arrived at the deepest secret chamber.
This place was called a secret chamber, but in reality, it was a prison filled with sealing barriers. No matter day or night, the lights were always on, making it impossible to tell the passage of time.
Inside this chamber, the Third Hokage saw a familiar figure. This person was none other than his old friend, the former leader of the Root organization, Shimura Danzō.
Danzō sat on the tatami mat in the chamber, eyes closed, his face expressionless.
If not for the slight rise and fall of his chest, indicating he was still breathing and refining chakra, the Third Hokage would have thought his old friend was already dead.
However, why had Shisui spared Danzō? And why had he brought him here?
Could it be just to let him and Danzō meet, to exchange thoughts and compare their strengths, merely to satisfy Shisui’s twisted amusement?
If Shisui knew what the Third Hokage was thinking, he would certainly deny it outright.
What he was about to do next was part of a revenge plan he had devised after consulting with Byakuya-sama. Byakuya-sama had told him exactly what the Third Hokage and Danzō valued the most.
As the Third Hokage was speculating about Shisui’s intentions, Danzō suddenly opened his eyes.
He glanced at Shisui beside the Third Hokage, then at the Third Hokage himself, and smiled as he said, “Shisui, you’ve done well. Not only did you join forces with Orochimaru to defeat Hiruzen Sarutobi, but you even captured him alive and brought him here. Once I become Hokage, I will definitely let you rebuild the Uchiha clan.”
The Third Hokage was momentarily stunned, while Shisui lowered his head and replied respectfully, “Yes, Danzō-dono. As long as I can rebuild the Uchiha clan, I am willing to offer my life to Danzō-dono, even unto death.”
Hearing this, the Third Hokage’s heart was shaken.
Could it be that everything Shisui had just told him was a lie? That Shisui had not, in fact, turned against Danzō? That all of this was Danzō’s plan from the beginning — that Danzō had secretly taken control of the Uchiha clan and even formed an alliance with Orochimaru?
Was everything part of Danzō’s scheme to become Hokage?
