Mastermind of the Akatsuki

After reviewing the mission document several times, the Third Hokage fell into silence.

Previously, he had thought that Shisui was Danzo's puppet, but now it seemed that Danzo was just Shisui's puppet. Danzo's actions over the past few days were simply providing Shisui with an opportunity to step into the spotlight.

Taking a deep breath, the Third Hokage looked up at Shisui Uchiha and then said, "Shisui, in this battle between the police force and the Hokage building, you were the ones who won in the end. However, I'm curious about one thing: who is the ninja standing behind you? He seems to know so much about me and Danzo."

Shisui glanced at the Third Hokage and, with an emotionless face, replied, "Third Hokage, didn't I tell you? Since the day Danzo attacked me, I have already undergone a transformation. All these plans were devised by me alone. No one else was involved."

Seeing Shisui firmly deny it, the Third Hokage grew even more suspicious. He knew what kind of ninja Shisui was. If no external forces interfered, as long as peace between the village and the police force could be maintained, Shisui would have obediently executed orders even if it meant his own death.

The naive and kind Shisui could not have suddenly turned into a schemer surpassing Danzo overnight.

With a light sigh, the Third Hokage continued to probe, "Shisui, after everything that has happened, do you still need to hide things from me? Even though the Edo Tensei technique can make the dead speak... But with the methods of the ninja behind you, I'm sure they can prevent the dead from speaking as well."

Shisui looked at the Third Hokage, thinking to himself that the Third Hokage was indeed a crafty old fox. Even in a dire situation, he was still thinking, deducing that there were other ninjas and forces behind him.

Seeing that Shisui did not speak, the Third Hokage continued to analyze, "The ninja behind you doesn't seem to want to destroy Konoha. They didn't take advantage of the Konoha collapse plan to destroy the village. They merely wanted me to step aside and then quiet down."

Hizuren rubbed his chin, "So, I deduce that the ninja behind you is likely not from Iwagakure or Kumogakure. Kirigakure and Sunagakure are weaker in terms of national strength, and they recently had internal strife. They simply don't have the power to incite chaos in Konoha.

And I have a feeling that this collapse plan in Konoha is fundamentally similar to the internal unrest in Sunagakure and Kirigakure. Perhaps it's another confrontation between the Akatsuki and the masked man. I'm just not sure whether the force behind you is the Akatsuki or the masked man."

Hearing the Third Hokage's analysis, Shisui began to sweat, his eyes fixed on the Third Hokage as if he were looking at a monster.

The Third Hokage gave a helpless smile. "There's no need to be wary of me. I'm just a captive of you and the forces behind you. Even if I learn something, I can't stir up any trouble."

He then chuckled, "It's quite laughable, really. When I was in the Hokage building, I had to deal with various affairs, overwhelmed by a mountain of information. I didn't even have time to analyze things properly, becoming a puppet in the Hokage's position. But now, after being a prisoner here, I've gradually started to perceive the truth. Perhaps this is the saying: those involved are confused, while the bystanders see clearly."

At this point, the Third Hokage looked around, then suddenly shouted loudly, "Ninja hiding in the shadows, why don't you come out and face me? I want to know from you what the future of Konoha and the ninja world holds."

Upon hearing this, Shisui's expression changed slightly, and his internal sense of triumph disappeared.

He had defeated the Third Hokage and Danzo, but it wasn't by his own effort, it was thanks to Byakuya-sama's guidance. It was truly Byakuya-sama who had defeated the Third Hokage and Danzo.

After hearing the Third Hokage's voice, Byakuya, who had been hiding in the shadows, appeared.

This time, Byakuya didn't disguise himself, but boldly revealed his true form in front of the Third Hokage.

Upon seeing that the person was Byakuya, the Third Hokage was deeply surprised.

He had thought the ninja behind Shisui was the masked man, but to his surprise, it was Byakuya, whom he had personally invited as a guest. This was something he could hardly accept at first.

After a few minutes, the Third Hokage accepted this reality and looked up at Byakuya.

"I can't believe it's you. Why would you take action against Konoha? And when did Shisui and Orochimaru become your allies?"

Byakuya shook his head and said, "Third Hokage, let me correct you. Both Orochimaru and Shisui are my subordinates. And is it really so strange for someone of my background to take action against Konoha?"

He smirked, "Third Hokage, it seems you've forgotten about my Uzumaki heritage."

The Third Hokage's expression changed slightly, then he said, "Is this about the situation in Uzushiogakure? There was a reason Konoha didn't send reinforcements. At that time, Konoha was under siege. By the time we dealt with our problems and tried to support, Uzushiogakure had already fallen."

Byakuya nodded and said, "I know this. I understand Konoha's predicament."

The Third Hokage was puzzled and asked, "Then if you don't hate Konoha, why would you act against us? I remember there shouldn't be any conflict between Konoha and Amegakure, right?"

Byakuya looked at the Third Hokage with a puzzled expression. "When did I ever act against Konoha?"

Byakuya then started recalling Hizuren's own backhand tactics.

"The Uchiha Clan massacre night and the Konoha collapse plan this time, don't you see my influence there? If I hadn't been involved, would Shisui and Orochimaru have dared to join forces to devise the Konoha collapse plan?"

The Third Hokage glared at Byakuya, displeased with his attitude.

Byakuya chuckled lightly and said, "Shisui is my friend. Would you have me stand by and watch my friend be harmed by his own stupidity and naivety? Besides, if Danzo hadn't made a move against Shisui, would Shisui have killed him in return?"

You should be asking Danzo why he attacked Shisui. If he hadn't attacked Shisui, would the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha have eased and perhaps not reached such an extreme point?"

The Third Hokage remained silent for a while, then said, "This is my responsibility. But why did you ally with Orochimaru? He's a rogue ninja wanted by Konoha."

"..." Byakuya pondered for a moment, then replied, "I didn't intend to make contact with Orochimaru at first. But one day, he attacked me, and I almost killed him. After saving his life, he voluntarily became my subordinate and has helped me with a lot of things over the years. As for why he attacked Konoha, that's a matter between you and your student. It has nothing to do with me."

Byakuya's words left the Third Hokage speechless. The way Byakuya and Orochimaru connected seemed purely accidental. However, given Orochimaru's personality, it wasn't surprising that he would attack a young genius like Byakuya.

But Byakuya was too tough. Orochimaru himself had ended up being defeated.

The Third Hokage then asked, "Why did you go after Danzo? He shouldn't have offended you."

At this, Byakuya flashed a friendly smile.

"Third Hokage, you should know about Danzo's actions in the Land of Rain. Do you think I was his friend or enemy when he was in the Land of Rain? I've been waiting for Konoha to explain this, but you've all been avoiding it."

The Third Hokage fell silent, unable to say anything more. Danzo had attacked the Akatsuki in Amegakure, and now that their scheme killed him, it seemed perfectly justified.

After a moment of silence, the Third Hokage asked again, "Byakuya, what are your plans for Konoha in the future?"

Byakuya glanced at Shisui before turning back to the Third Hokage.

"With Shisui here, I don't plan on acting against Konoha. I will focus on dealing with the masked man. His actions pose a threat to the safety of the entire ninja world and must be stopped."

"But I remember that your village, Amegakure, does not possess a Tailed Beast." Hizuren interjected.

"The Third Hokage is mistaken. Amegakure does have a Tailed Beast. Even if we did not possess one in the past, we certainly do now."

The Third Hokage seemed to recall something and said, "Did you also make a move on the Tailed Beasts? Could it be that you've acquired the Seven-Tails from Takigakure?"

Realizing this, the Third Hokage did not show much of a reaction.

When the First Hokage distributed the Tailed Beasts, it was done with consideration for the balance of power among the major ninja villages. Given Amegakure's current strength, it would indeed be eligible to receive one.

Byakuya neither denied nor confirmed the Third Hokage's words, nor did he confirm whether Amegakure had obtained the Seven-Tails.

After answering so many questions, Byakuya lost interest in continuing the casual conversation with the Third Hokage. After assisting Shisui in stepping into the limelight, he had no reason to stay in Konoha.

Konoha was unlike the other villages, where placing Shisui in the position of Hokage would be a very difficult task.

Rather than spending time on subjugating Konoha, it was better for Byakuya to focus his energy on Naruto and Sasuke. Both of them would possess power far surpassing the Hokage, enough to defeat entire villages by themselves.

---

A month and a half after the Chunin Exams, Byakuya finally returned to Amegakure.

Upon his return, he was immediately called to the Amegakure headquarters for a high-level meeting.

The meeting's content was simple: mainly, it discussed the Chunin Exams, the Konoha Collapse Plan, and the subsequent Obito-related rebellion.

Seeing Byakuya sitting upright in his seat, Yahiko couldn't help but feel a great deal of frustration.

Before Byakuya left for Konoha to attend the Chunin Exams, he had a bad premonition that things would go awry. Sure enough, Konoha had fallen into chaos.

First, the Third Hokage was attacked and killed by Orochimaru, and then Danzo was killed on the eve of the coup. Both of these figures had been important to the ninja world for decades, but their deaths didn't seem to matter much to Amegakure.

The Third Hokage had ruled Konoha for decades, and his death was a blow to the history of the village. But for Amegakure, his death wasn't significant.

Amegakure's good relationship with Konoha was largely due to Jiraiya, not the Third Hokage. As long as Jiraiya wasn't involved, there wouldn't be a conflict between the two villages.

As for Danzo's death, the higher-ups in Amegakure felt a sense of relief.

Danzo, the man who had once put the Akatsuki organization in jeopardy, had finally died at the hands of Konoha's own, executed for his treasonous actions. The only regret was that they hadn't personally dealt the fatal blow.

But now that Danzo was dead, the next thing to consider was how to handle the relationship with Konoha.

After the Third Hokage's death, the Hokage position would surely fall to Jiraiya or Tsunade. Either of them would strengthen the cooperation with Amegakure, but the future path for Amegakure could not afford such a false peace.

Eventually, Amegakure and the Akatsuki would form an alliance to dominate the ninja world. Konoha would be a significant obstacle along the way.

From this perspective, Jiraiya becoming Hokage might not be a good thing.

With his abilities, Jiraiya could unite Konoha and bring out the full power of the village, making the most of its size and population.

Yahiko and the others didn't want to see Jiraiya in battle.

But if the Akatsuki did not take action against Konoha, then Obito would likely steal the Nine-Tails before them. If that happened, Obito would be their real enemy, and the entire ninja world would face a much greater crisis.

It seemed as though Yahiko understood Byakuya's thoughts, as he said, "Yahiko, we don't necessarily have to attack Konoha. As long as Masked Man presents a real threat, the ninja world will still unite."

Upon hearing this, both Yahiko and Nagato looked relieved.

However, there was still the issue of finding a common enemy for the entire ninja world. Obito's threat, at least for now, appeared quite limited. He might be able to provoke wariness from individual villages, but he was still far from being able to challenge the larger villages.

More importantly, once a threat strong enough to unite the ninja world was dealt with, the situation would return to one of mutual distrust and power struggles.

Yahiko and Nagato instinctively looked at Byakuya, hoping for some guidance.

This time, Byakuya did not share his inner thoughts with them. He quietly left the meeting room, seemingly without a solution to offer. Seeing Byakuya's retreating figure, Yahiko and Nagato realized that he was not invincible.

Some matters would ultimately require their own consideration. Byakuya, after all, could not provide them with all the answers.

Had Byakuya known their thoughts, he would not have been moved much. Compared to Yahiko and Nagato, who truly embodied the Will of Fire, Byakuya had little interest in such ideals.

He was simply focused on providing methods for the Akatsuki's rapid growth. After all, the strength of the Akatsuki directly determined his own power, and no one would stop him from becoming stronger.

Byakuya's departure was not due to Yahiko and Nagato's problems but because he had detected the presence of Black Zetsu.

Just moments ago, Black Zetsu had signaled him, indicating that Byakuya should meet with him as there was something important to discuss. Black Zetsu never contacted Byakuya casually unless there was an urgent matter at hand.