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Dong dong dong—
"Lord Hokage, I've returned to deliver my report."
Sasuke's voice cut through the heated argument inside the Hokage's office. Only then did the two elders realize they had forgotten to close the door upon entering.
Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, felt a wave of fatigue wash over him as Sasuke spoke. The current situation was chaotic enough—why add more noise to the storm?
Still, since it had already come to this, there was no reason to turn Sasuke away. He was, after all, a jōnin now, and a key figure in Konoha's new generation of strength.
"Come in," Minato said.
Sasuke pushed the door open and stepped inside. Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane narrowed their eyes at him with visible disdain.
But Sasuke remained composed. He wasn't afraid of what they might try to pin on him. No one had witnessed what transpired. Even Orochimaru's suspicions were conjecture. And even if the Sannin presented "evidence," would anyone trust the word of a missing-nin?
"I overheard some discussion regarding Elder Danzo outside. Perhaps I can offer some insight that may help clear the name of the Uchiha clan," Sasuke said plainly.
The roles in the Hokage Council had changed. Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi now served as advisors, while Homura and Koharu had been moved to elder status.
Before anyone else could speak, Sasuke continued, "I was assigned a mission to the Land of Grass. Not long after arriving, I witnessed a major battle—and Danzo Shimura was involved. I personally saw him there. I can't say why he was present, but I saw him with my own eyes."
"Hmph! I thought you had something meaningful to share. Do you expect us to believe that Elder Danzo randomly appeared in the Land of Grass to battle rogue shinobi?" Koharu scoffed, cutting Sasuke off mid-sentence.
"Elder Koharu, perhaps we should let him finish before making judgments," Minato said, trying to de-escalate.
"Fine," Koharu grumbled. "Let's hear what story he's come up with."
Sasuke resumed his explanation.
"I remained hidden to observe what was going on. To my shock, Danzo was in the company of Orochimaru—our village's missing-nin. Their enemies? Two rogue shinobi wearing cloaks patterned with red clouds on a black background."
At the mention of the red cloud cloaks, Sasuke's sharp eyes caught subtle shifts in Koharu and Homura's expressions. This wasn't the first time they'd heard of the Akatsuki.
"One of the two enemies was a rogue from Iwagakure, with blond hair and perched on a giant clay bird. The other controlled puppet constructs—his weapons manipulated sand and iron."
"Magnet Release…" Minato muttered, startled.
The kekkei genkai of Magnet Release was exceedingly rare. The most well-known user was the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure.
"A puppet that uses a kekkei genkai?" Minato's brow furrowed. "That would suggest he's using human puppets from Sunagakure… made from actual shinobi. These types of puppets can retain the unique traits of the living."
"What did the puppet look like?" Minato asked.
"Dark blue hair styled like a hedgehog, piercing yellow eyes, stern face, tall build, shrouded in a dark robe," Sasuke replied without hesitation.
"That matches the Third Kazekage exactly. His sudden disappearance was a key factor that triggered the Third Great Ninja War. So… he was turned into a human puppet? And no one in Suna noticed?" Minato's voice dropped. "Whoever pulled this off is an incredibly dangerous individual."
He then turned back to Sasuke. "Please, continue."
"The Akatsuki members confronted Orochimaru and accused him of betrayal. The puppet master fought Orochimaru, while the blond Iwa rogue attacked Danzo using clay-based explosives."
"If this is true, why didn't you step in to assist Elder Danzo?" Homura snapped. "You stood by and watched while a Konoha elder was under attack?"
Sasuke's gaze remained calm.
"First, I lack the strength to intervene in a battle of that magnitude. Engaging would have only endangered me without helping anyone. Second, I had a mission to complete. Gathering intelligence was already beyond my mission parameters—rescuing Danzo was not part of it. Had I compromised the mission, Danzo himself would have chastised me. He's always insisted that missions come first.
And third," Sasuke added coldly, "Danzo was actively colluding with Orochimaru—a known enemy of the village. I had every reason to suspect that he was betraying Konoha. In such a case, my priority is to observe and report, not interfere."
Sasuke's measured words left Homura momentarily speechless.
Koharu, however, posed the next question. "And how do you expect us to verify your story?"
"The battle took place not far from Kusagakure," Sasuke replied. "Many Grass ninja would have seen the aftermath. If you want verification, investigate the area. I ensured I wasn't spotted—but there may be local witnesses who saw the Akatsuki battling Danzo."
He wasn't bluffing. He had taken care to avoid being seen during the fight. If witnesses spoke, they'd corroborate the presence of Danzo and Akatsuki—not Sasuke. That was enough to lend credibility.
"What happened after that?" Minato asked, his mind piecing together the fragments of this new threat called Akatsuki.
"Due to the wide blast radius of the clay explosives, I was caught in a minor blast and injured. I had to retreat. After healing up in the Land of Grass, I completed my mission and returned to Konoha," Sasuke said calmly.
Nine truths and one lie. That was Sasuke's strategy—and it was nearly impossible to pick apart.
"In other words, we can't confirm Danzo's death," Minato said slowly, "but this 'Akatsuki' organization is real, and dangerous. The two rogues you encountered are likely core members. If Orochimaru has joined them, their threat level rises even further."
Minato's expression darkened. "With members capable of defeating someone like Danzo, and turning Kazekage-level shinobi into puppets… we need to uncover the goals of this Akatsuki organization immediately."
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