It wasn't particularly shocking to Aoyama that Shimura Danzō had been revived. What surprised him was more the method. After all, Danzō had been killed by the Six Paths of Pain—yet somehow he was standing here again thanks to the forbidden Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation). It had to be because of Orochimaru's interference.
And in truth, it made sense. Danzō had always been afraid of death. He never acted unless absolute safety was guaranteed, preferring to send Root operatives to die in his place.
That explained why he had marched straight into the Rain Village back then. He must have thought Hanzō of the Salamander was still alive, still ruling Amegakure, and that by siding with him, the village would be "safe." He never once considered that the very reason Akatsuki operated openly from the Rain Village… was because Hanzō had already been killed.
In the past, Danzō had allied with Hanzō, used his so-called "Demi-God" title as bait, and tried to lure Akatsuki's leaders into the open. When that failed—and when he saw firsthand the overwhelming power of Nagato's Rinnegan—Danzō had quietly retreated.
In Danzō's mind, Akatsuki was nothing more than a minor nuisance. The only reason he approached Amegakure at all was to use Hanzō as a shield. And that arrogance had cost him his life… or should have.
Now, however, he stood before them again.
Orochimaru smirked, neither nodding in agreement nor shaking his head in refusal. He seemed to be weighing his options, calculating what to demand in return.
The so-called greatest scientist of the shinobi world—to him, life and death were nothing more than research material. As long as he could find a loophole, death itself was something he could dissect, twist, and reassemble.
Resurrection? Orochimaru thought. With enough effort… possible.
Danzō's gaze stayed fixed on him, full of grim determination. If he remained trapped in Edo Tensei, he would never again reach for the Hokage's seat. But if he could truly return to life, his ambitions could continue. To the common people, the Hokage was simply "Sarutobi Hiruzen." Very few even knew the name "Shimura Danzō." His path back to power could still be carved.
Orochimaru's smile widened.
"Of course it can be done. But…"
As expected, he wasn't about to give anything away for free. Aoyama sighed to himself. With Danzō and Orochimaru back in league, there would always be the chance that the old war hawk could crawl his way back to the surface.
What a shame—Nagato had killed him once already, yet it hadn't stuck. With all the bizarre techniques in the shinobi world, it wasn't surprising. Still, Aoyama couldn't help but imagine Nagato's face if he ever saw Danzō alive again. He might just unleash a Chō Shinra Tensei (Super Almighty Push) out of sheer rage.
And then—
A shadow like liquid night slipped silently across the ground, suddenly latching onto Danzō's body. Both Orochimaru and the Root shinobi around them froze in alarm.
Aoyama's brows shot up. He recognized that darkness instantly.
"Black Zetsu…" he muttered.
Danzō's Edo body stiffened under the intrusion, his teeth grinding as he forced his mouth to move.
"You… what are you?!"
Black Zetsu chuckled, voice low and mocking.
"Me? Just call me Black Zetsu. Honestly, when Pain assigned me to 'shadow Orochimaru,' I thought it was nothing more than a sightseeing trip. Who would've thought I'd stumble into such a delightful surprise?"
"You're… with Akatsuki!"
Danzō's eyes went wide. The thought that one of Akatsuki's operatives had trailed Orochimaru all the way back into Konoha made his stomach turn.
But the one most rattled was Orochimaru himself. He prided himself on paranoia and caution, on slipping through the world unseen. And yet… Black Zetsu had followed him the entire way without his notice.
Aoyama, meanwhile, casually stepped back to a safe distance. He dropped the unconscious Uchiha patrolman onto the ground, then sat cross-legged on the man's back as if settling in to watch a stage play.
Orochimaru's expression twisted into a dark sneer.
"How very… interesting. Did Pain suspect me all along? Was this because I am a former Leaf shinobi? Or… did he send me and Aoyama back to Konoha specifically to lure out Danzō?"
Shadows of suspicion coiled in his mind, souring his mood.
Danzō snarled, "Akatsuki scum. You dare invade Konoha itself? This isn't Amegakure! This is my territory!"
The memory of his death still burned inside him, and the thought of Pain filled him with bitter hatred. But he also remembered the overwhelming might of the Six Paths… and knew he could not face them head-on. His Edo body gave him some measure of safety, but he could hardly march to Sarutobi with the truth. No—he needed power, patience, and perhaps Orochimaru's cooperation.
Still… Akatsuki appearing in Konoha? That was an unexpected gift. With Edo Tensei's immortality, he could gamble boldly.
Black Zetsu chuckled.
"Well, who knows? But according to Pain's orders, next… I'll need to…"
Danzō's eyes widened.
"That hand seal—!"
Orochimaru and Aoyama's expressions both sharpened.
"A Summoning Jutsu?!"
Black Zetsu forced Danzō's body to weave through a sequence of seals. The Root operatives hesitated, unsure whether to intervene. Without orders from Danzō, they dared not move.
Too late.
Danzō's palm slammed against the ground. The summoning array flared open, chakra lines spreading like cracks in the earth. An immense pressure descended, suffocating the air itself.
The Six Paths of Pain had arrived.
The aura alone pressed down on every Root shinobi, crushing their will to fight. The difference between god and mortal—that was the weight of the Rinnegan. Some nearly dropped their kunai on the spot.
Aoyama gave a cheerful wave, while Orochimaru's face turned grim. To Aoyama, there was no pressure—after all, the one Zetsu had been shadowing was Orochimaru, and the one making deals with Danzō was Orochimaru. He was just a bystander.
Pain's six bodies swept the scene with cold, merciless eyes. The Root uniforms hadn't changed in all these years; they were instantly recognizable.
Danzō tried to force words past his controlled mouth, but Black Zetsu's spike pierced through his Edo body. Dark yin–yang chakra flooded in, silencing him.
"Edo Tensei or not," Black Zetsu whispered coldly, "you can still be erased. Rest well in the Pure Land, Danzō. The shinobi world no longer needs your name."
With that, the shadow will sever him.
Pain did nothing to stop it. He merely watched. And when the Root ninja finally gathered their courage to move, Pain moved faster.
The Six Paths struck like thunder.