"Who attacked you?"
Danzō Shimura wore an angry expression and waved his subordinates onward to search the vicinity. In truth, he was still debating his next move internally, while sending his men to gather more intelligence.
[Kotoamatsukami is powerful and extremely useful, but it's still just a Mangekyō Sharingan technique,] he mused. Shisui Uchiha had already used it more than once on the battlefield, so even the Kirigakure enemies knew of it. Among the older generation in Konoha, it definitely wasn't a secret.
If he could simply control people at will without detection, why bother scheming to become Hokage through other means? He could just place everyone under Kotoamatsukami, one by one. Yet it wasn't that simple. He could only control one person at a time, and among the group traveling with Link were Gaara—a jinchūriki—and other witnesses he couldn't simply kill off.
Nara Shikaku or Hiruzen Sarutobi would immediately notice something was amiss if Link started acting strangely, and that would expose Danzō's secrets—both the fact he had Shisui's eye and his desire to control Konoha's geniuses. Such a precious trump card should be played only under the right circumstances.
"It was the Akatsuki," Link answered calmly, not even glancing at the Root members fanning out to search. "The enemy was Sasori of the Red Sand from Sunagakure."
"The Akatsuki again?" Danzō sneered. "That group is indeed a grave threat. They've targeted you multiple times. We should wipe them…"
He took the opportunity to stoke the flames of shared enmity, as any seasoned politician would do. Even if he knew the plan was nearly impossible, it always paid to talk big.
From the perspective of the Great Nations, organizations like the Akatsuki were basically communal toilets—convenient receptacles for dirty work, and easily disowned once they became too odious. Despite everyone knowing the Akatsuki's membership consisted of criminal ninja hiding in Amegakure, no one truly moved to eradicate them.
The larger nations often used such mercenary organizations for tasks they couldn't openly handle themselves. It was the same reasoning behind the tolerated existence of bounty stations in the underground.
Danzō's fame as the embodiment of Konoha's darkness had persisted even after his loss of official power. At the Five Kage Summit in the manga, the Fourth Raikage immediately recognized him as "the dark side of the ninja world." That was because Danzō personally bore the role of the "toilet" for Konoha.
When someone volunteered to be the "private toilet" for a communal problem, they naturally left a deep impression on all involved.
"Yes, I fully support Lord Danzō leading troops to Amegakure to annihilate the Akatsuki," Link replied with a cheery smile. "If you set out, please take me along—I'll contribute financially and physically."
He gestured for Kankurō to move faster in collecting their spoils, lest certain shameless types try to claim them.
His words left Danzō speechless. This "little brat," barely more than ten years old, neither got swept away by emotion nor fell for Danzō's lofty rhetoric.
"Right… how did your mission go?" Danzō asked, changing the subject.
"Oh," Link responded lightly. "We've completed our assignment. When we left the Land of Rivers' capital, the place had just been attacked by the Akatsuki."
Danzō's eyes flickered. Without further discussion, he offered a couple of perfunctory compliments, then hurried off with his men into the night.
"Safe travels, Lord Danzō," Link called after him, waving. Once Danzō vanished, Link signaled his shadows to stand down. Turning to his three subordinates, his expression became calm again. "Let's go."
Kankurō reluctantly handed over the scrolls of captured puppets, looking as though he were giving away his bride on her wedding day.
Temari, noticing the stark difference between Link's easy grin from earlier and his current composure, felt an urge to make a snarky comment but couldn't find the words.
[It's a pity we lost Kabuto…] Link mused, hoisting the large scroll he'd left guarded by shadows at the battle's start.
Caught in the fight with Akatsuki, there had been no time or energy to recapture Yakushi Kabuto. Deidara stood ready to intervene, and without the means to pursue him into the sky, the attempt was fruitless. Flying opponents could be frustratingly elusive.
[I should move on to the next experiments with the tailed beast chakra. The real question: can my earth dragon handle it?]
As they ran, Link's thoughts drifted toward the tailed beast chakra experiments. From his success with feeding a piece of it to his shadows, he had some ideas about harnessing it effectively, but plenty of risks remained.
The most straightforward method would be to make his Earth Dragon consume it—but what if it couldn't handle the power and got destroyed? Who knew whether the jutsu would allow him to create another conscious Earth Dragon? Or if he gave it permanent existence, how big would it become, and where would he keep it?
Moreover, the Earth Dragon's intelligence was higher than that of his shadows; if it truly became a living entity, would it still stay loyal? So many complications…
…
Land of Rivers Capital—early dawn.
Danzō stood amidst the ruins, his face grim. Several charred bodies lay nearby, silent witnesses to his shattered plans.
Everything had fallen apart: his collaborator lay dead, the Daimyō's son also gone. Even if that son had been uncooperative, it was a matter that could have been managed. Now, with them physically wiped out, the Land of Rivers was open for any ninja faction to exploit. It was no longer a private meal for him to feast upon.
While an ongoing civil war would indeed provide abundant mission requests for a while, it wouldn't count as his personal political achievement. His entire scheme—to solidify the Land of Rivers under his control, gift it to the new Daimyō, and in return secure their backing for his Hokage ambitions—had crumbled.
All talk of vengeance on Sunagakure or forcing the Land of Wind's surrender was just political theater. No politician truly does exactly what they proclaim.
Now everything was lost. The Land of Rivers would remain a battleground, spawning countless missions, but none benefiting Danzō personally. Worse, he'd soon have to face the wrath of the new Fire Daimyō for this debacle. His anger grew.
"Akatsuki…" Danzō muttered through clenched teeth. He understood the organization itself was but a tool, and the real culprit behind his failed schemes was likely the one wielding that blade. Yet he couldn't help his swelling desire to see the Akatsuki utterly destroyed.
~~~
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