The arena had descended into chaos.
In the preparation area, the remaining competitors were evacuating. Deva Path Pain, however, stood calmly in place, his gas mask obscuring his face. His eyes swept over the pandemonium before finally landing on an old man in the stands.
Shimura Danzo.
The old man sat quietly in his seat, unmoved. While the other Hokage advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, had left to direct the Konoha ninja, Danzo remained perfectly still.
The old man... wasn't worried about the One-Tail's rampage in the slightest.
As Konoha's former intelligence chief, Danzo had extensive knowledge of the Sand Village's One-Tail, Shukaku. He knew of every incident where Shukaku had rampaged and how the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had suppressed it each time.
The Tailed Beast with the least chakra in the world... Dealing with a rampage from the One-Tail didn't require much effort.
The real trouble was never the Tailed Beasts.
Danzo looked up, his gaze sweeping over the chaos until it landed on the calm Rain ninja in the preparation area. Even though the ninja wore a gas mask, Danzo knew the man was looking right at him.
Still not making a move? Danzo thought, his hand tightening on his blade as he glanced around, searching for other figures.
Where is Orochimaru now?
The same question was on Pain's mind. His gaze remained fixed on Danzo. His true body, Nagato, along with Konan, were also scanning the arena for Orochimaru, but they had received no word from him.
When was the right time to act? Konoha was engulfed in chaos.
Was this the moment to strike at Danzo?
However, Pain never expected that at this very moment, he was the topic of conversation between the two Kage on the viewing platform.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, wore a grim expression. Ever since the night of the Uchiha massacre, he had known how dangerous the Akatsuki organization was. Orochimaru, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Itachi... based on his information, all three of Konoha's S-rank rogue ninjas were deeply connected to the Akatsuki—an organization with massive ambitions.
Now, the Fourth Kazekage had just told him that the Akatsuki's leader had infiltrated Konoha, and the news made Hiruzen incredibly anxious. The man who could unite so many S-rank rogue ninjas couldn't be ordinary. He wouldn't have snuck into Konoha unless he planned to make a move.
"I am curious, Lord Kazekage," Hiruzen said, his gaze sharp. "How did you come by this information about the Akatsuki?"
"That is... a matter I would rather not discuss in detail," Rasa replied, noting Hiruzen's displeasure.
He quickly changed his tone. "However, to earn your trust, I don't mind sharing this information, although it does not paint the Sand Village in a favorable light."
"I trust, Lord Hokage, that you have not forgotten the disappearance of the Third Kazekage right before the Third Great Ninja War..."
"..."
Hiruzen nodded slowly. He hadn't forgotten. The war had started soon after the Third Kazekage—a man from Hiruzen's own generation—vanished in his prime. His disappearance had always been a mystery.
"Could it be...!" Hiruzen immediately made the connection. "Was it the work of the Akatsuki?"
"In a sense... yes," Rasa confirmed. "Our village's S-rank rogue, Sasori of the Red Sand, was the one who assassinated the Third Kazekage. We tracked him and discovered he had joined the Akatsuki. That is why I have kept a close watch on all intelligence related to them."
The Fourth Kazekage continued, "For example, Konoha's S-rank rogues, Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Itachi, are both members of the Akatsuki. Even..."
Rasa's eyes flashed with a strange smile. "Even your own student, Lord Hokage, Orochimaru, was once a member."
"Orochimaru..." Hiruzen's face soured. He half-believed Rasa, because this was not information that just anyone could obtain.
If it weren't for Itachi, Hiruzen himself wouldn't know much about the Akatsuki or Obito's true identity.
"And that's not all," Rasa pressed on, seeing that Hiruzen was convinced. "The man who killed the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura—the Hidden Mist's S-rank rogue, Kisame Hoshigaki—also joined the Akatsuki."
"!!!"
Even knowing the Akatsuki was a formidable group, Hiruzen was stunned to learn that another Kage-killer was among their ranks.
No—more accurately, at least three ninjas responsible for the deaths of a Kage were connected to the Akatsuki: Obito and the Fourth Hokage, Sasori and the Third Kazekage, and Kisame and the Fourth Mizukage.
This organization... was beyond dangerous.
They were either actively recruiting Kage-killers or, worse, secretly orchestrating the assassinations themselves. The death of a Kage wasn't just a loss of a village's strength—it could plunge that nation into long-term political turmoil.
"Moreover," Rasa said, speaking as if he knew everything, "after I discovered Kisame had killed the Fourth Mizukage, I paid even closer attention to Akatsuki intelligence and uncovered more secrets. Konoha and the Akatsuki have a history."
He smiled. "Your own advisor, Danzo Shimura, once assisted Hanzo of the Rain in an attempt to wipe out the Akatsuki. Your grudge with them runs deep."
"Danzo..." Hiruzen looked toward Danzo, who was still sitting calmly.
That man... he was always making major moves in secret.
Hiruzen was constantly getting headaches from Danzo's troublemaking. But what infuriated him most was that Danzo had collaborated with Hanzo to attack the Akatsuki and hadn't breathed a word of it to him.
Something this important... If he had known more about the Akatsuki, he could have prepared for this danger.
"So then..." Hiruzen began, glancing at the Rain ninja still sitting calmly in the arena.
He had a suspicion that needed confirming. "Lord Kazekage, how do you know the Akatsuki's leader infiltrated Konoha? Are they here for revenge?"
"It seems you already know," Rasa said, realizing Hiruzen had guessed the truth.
He then provided the final piece of the puzzle. "Just as you suspect. I learned that Hanzo was killed, and all of his followers were executed by the Akatsuki's leader, who then seized control of the Rain Village. And so, when I heard Rain ninja would be participating in these exams, I suspected their leader would use the opportunity to sneak into Konoha."
Rasa rattled off his intelligence on the Akatsuki as if it were his specialty, even glancing at Danzo. "I just don't know if this is about revenge, or if there is another, deeper plot."
Danzo, that fool...
Hiruzen took a deep breath, suppressing his rage. His old friend had refused to tell him any of this. Hiruzen didn't care that Danzo had collaborated with Hanzo.
What infuriated him was that Danzo had withheld all this intelligence from him, the Hokage!
He recalled Danzo's strange behavior over the past month—his restlessness, his constant visits to Koharu and Homura, his insistence on attending the exams. He must have known about Hanzo's death and was worried about retaliation from the Akatsuki—afraid they would come to assassinate him.
That fool... Didn't he know the Hokage would protect him?
Who was always there to clean up his messes? The man just didn't get it.
An organization as dangerous as the Akatsuki wouldn't just be after revenge; there had to be a deeper scheme.
To avoid being reprimanded, Danzo had kept this vital intelligence secret, placing Konoha at a severe disadvantage in front of its supposed ally. And now, Hiruzen was being led around by the nose by the Kazekage.
If the Akatsuki weren't such an immediate threat and if he didn't have to air Konoha's dirty laundry, Hiruzen would drag Danzo over here right now.
Wait a minute... How did Rasa know that Hiruzen hadn't learned any of this from Danzo?
Hiruzen's eyes filled with suspicion as he locked his gaze on Rasa. A bad feeling began to rise in his gut.
"Lord Kazekage... you and Danzo...?"
"Yes," Rasa confirmed, his eyes narrowing into slits as if he couldn't hide a smug smile. "To deal with the Akatsuki together... there has been a small degree of cooperation between us."