In the cave, an Akatsuki Organization meeting was in progress.
"Heh-ho-ho~" Deidara was the first to break the silence. His unique laughter echoed through the cave, carrying an appreciation for chaos.
"I heard that old ghost Danzo from Konoha was taken out by someone?"
Kakuzu's low, emotionless voice rang out, carrying undisguised disgust and a hint of... heartache.
"Hmph, that old fellow's head was on the Black Market for over a decade, and the bounty had accumulated to a quite considerable sum. Now, that steady asset has just evaporated. It's simply a massive waste!"
He only cared about tangible economic losses and had zero interest in power shifts or the balance of strength.
Pain spoke: "Danzo's death is an established fact. Zetsu, report the details and the participants involved."
Zetsu's voice rang out.
"It is confirmed that Uchiha Sasuke, the traitor Orochimaru, and several of his core subordinates were involved in this incident. According to intelligence, Danzo captured several members of the Hyuga Clan, and Hyuga Hinata may have also been involved."
He paused, as if savoring the lingering resonance of this information.
"Hyuga Hinata?" Kisame Hoshigaki, carrying his bandage-wrapped Samehada blade, grinned, revealing his iconic shark-like teeth. His tone was full of doubt.
"Her again, that Young Miss of a prestigious Konoha family. But what kind of role could a little girl possibly play?"
He could not associate that Byakugan girl with a powerful individual.
Everyone's gaze, including Pain's cold Rinnegan, turned toward the consistently silent Uchiha Itachi, since his brother was also involved.
Itachi had no time to discuss Hyuga Hinata with them. He was more concerned about where Shisui's eye was after Danzo's death, whether Sasuke was controlled by Kotoamatsukami, what the current situation was, and if there were any serious injuries.
Konan's cold voice rang out, carrying her usual rationality and calm.
"Regardless of whether Hinata was involved, she is highly likely to cause unpredictable interference and variables in our future Tailed Beast Capture Plan. Tobi's attempt to recruit her also failed; we must keep a close watch on her from now on."
Pain Heavenly Dao finally made the decision.
"The original plan remains unchanged, but resource allocation and surveillance priorities need adjustment. The collection of Tailed Beast intelligence will be accelerated. Konoha will inevitably fall into a power vacuum and brief chaos due to Danzo's death. This is our perfect opportunity to act on the opening. Meeting adjourned."
...Inside a small tavern.
Jiraiya, Uzumaki Naruto, and Senju Tsunade sat around a slightly old wooden table. The sake and side dishes on the table had long since gone cold.
Jiraiya and Naruto had been here for a while. They had tried many ways but failed to help Tsunade overcome her Hemophobia; some plans even nearly resulted in Jiraiya taking a punch from Tsunade.
During this time, Jiraiya hadn't been idle either, gathering intelligence and not neglecting his book writing.
Naruto, on the other hand, was trying to find a solution while he continued to Cultivate.
Upon learning the news through his intelligence network, Jiraiya abruptly set down his sake flask. With a serious expression, he even subconsciously looked left and right before lowering his voice.
"Hey, Tsunade, Naruto! I just received intelligence. That old fellow Shimura Danzo is actually dead."
"Huh? Elder Danzo?"
Naruto had a confused look on his face. He didn't have much of an impression of him, only wondering why such a big shot would die.
Tsunade, who had been leaning lazily against the back of her chair, involuntarily sat up slightly straighter.
In her eyes, a sharp glint flashed and vanished. Danzo—this name represented the deepest dark side of Konoha, an existence that ran counter to the 'Will of Fire' pursued by her late lover Kato Dan and her brother Nawaki.
His death was by no means as simple as losing a high-level Elder; it meant the collapse of a massive shadow force that had occupied Konoha for years, and a drastic change in the power structure.
"How did he die? Tell me the details."
Jiraiya took a deep breath.
"The news sent by the Old Man is extremely complex and mind-blowing. Traces of Uchiha Sasuke, Orochimaru, and his core subordinates were confirmed at the scene. But the most crucial and unbelievable part is that Hyuga Hinata was present, and she was the absolute key to Danzo's defeat and death. One could even say she defeated Danzo head-on."
"Hinata?! She's already that powerful?"
Naruto looked shocked. Weren't they classmates? How could he be so far behind her?
Tsunade's beautiful brows furrowed tightly. This wasn't the first time she had heard the name Hyuga Hinata; she had already risen to fame several years ago, hailed as a konoha hero and the strongest of the younger generation.
As one of the Sannin and a powerhouse who had stood at the Ninja World's Peak for many years, she knew exactly how shrewd and troublesome Danzo's strength was. His 'Root' department was like a poisonous snake hidden in the shadows. How could he have been taken down by someone of the younger generation?
"Are you sure the intelligence isn't wrong?" Tsunade questioned.
"The Old Man would never talk nonsense about something concerning Konoha's Foundation, let alone use such certain wording."
Jiraiya shook his head.
Had a peer of Naruto's already attained this kind of strength? Thinking back to his own younger days, he probably couldn't have done it either.
Tsunade involuntarily leaned forward, her gaze locked onto Jiraiya's face.
"Jiraiya, tell me everything you know and have observed about this Hyuga Hinata."
She was starting to get interested in Hinata. It wasn't that there were no strong women, but she had never seen one with such an overwhelming gap over others.
"Well... about her..."
Jiraiya stroked his chin and began to reminisce.
"I haven't spent much time in Konoha lately, always coming and going in a hurry. I've only seen that girl a few times. She's different from others; she looks very calm, and you can feel her strength is immense. I've chatted with her a bit, and her thinking is also quite unique."
The more Tsunade listened, the more curious she became... Just as Jiraiya and Tsunade were talking, inside Konoha Village, another equally unsettling piece of news was spreading among the high-ranking officials and intelligence personnel.
Inside the Analysis Room, several senior analysts were looking over some documents.
"Is it confirmed? The Root members' testimony, and the traces at the scene..."
"Yes, according to the descriptions, the characteristics basically match."
Another analyst took a deep breath, his tone full of disbelief.
"But according to the archive records, he should have died of exhaustion years ago during the Chunin Exams while pursuing Uchiha Sasuke!"
They were discussing Kimimaro. Based on the memories of Root members, they were deducing who was present at the scene, and then, based on the descriptions, they discovered this individual who shouldn't exist.
"Is it some kind of high-level disguise technique?"
"It could also be cloning technology. That guy Orochimaru has always been doing human experiments, hasn't he?"
...At almost the same time, a toad from Mount Myōboku also brought similar intelligence to Jiraiya.
"Little Jiraiya, Fukasaku the Sage asked me to remind you," the Messenger Toad said in a serious tone.
"The Great Toad Sage saw something terrifying. That boy from the Kaguya Clan named Kimimaro seems to have awakened from death. That is to say, he has been resurrected! On Orochimaru's side, they are likely conducting some extremely dangerous Forbidden Jutsu research involving the boundaries of life and death."
When Jiraiya received this news, his expression became even more grim.
He had just finished telling Tsunade and Naruto about Danzo's death and the matter with Hinata, and now he had received intelligence about Kimimaro's resurrection. He felt that it was just one thing after another.
"What happened now, Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked, seeing Jiraiya's face suddenly darken.
Jiraiya rubbed his temples and briefly explained the Messenger Toad's intelligence.
"A person who should have died has come back to life. Orochimaru is very likely researching Forbidden Jutsu concerning the boundaries of life and death."
"Huh? Isn't that just resurrection? Pervy Sage, are you kidding me?" Naruto looked skeptical.
Meanwhile, Tsunade, upon hearing 'resurrection' and 'Orochimaru may be conducting Forbidden Jutsu research involving the boundaries of life and death,' her golden eyes instantly burst with light.
Resurrection!? The boundaries of life and death!
This was the Domain she had spent her whole life trying to challenge, yet knew well its cruelty and taboo. Her study of Medical Ninjutsu and her creation of the Creation Rebirth technique were also her ways of fighting against these heartless rules of life and death.
Had Orochimaru, her former teammate, truly fallen completely into the Evil Path in his pursuit of eternity and power?
Not only was he conducting human experiments, but he had now even touched upon the taboo of 'resurrecting the dead,' which was a desecration of life!
Danzo's death, Hinata's staggering strength, and now Orochimaru's Forbidden Jutsu research.
Tsunade stood up abruptly, her chest heaving with emotion, though at this moment, no one was there to admire it.
"Jiraiya, pack up. We're going back to Konoha."
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