The ripple that spread through the ring was the summons of Pain, leader of the Akatsuki. Finding a safe place, Aoyama entered the mental projection state and appeared within the organization's secret cavern.
At this point, the Akatsuki was still in its early stages. Counting everyone together, there were only seven members. The first was their leader, Pain, with the goddess-like Konan at his side. Then came Orochimaru, Zetsu (the black-and-white entity), Sasori of the Red Sand, Kakuzu, and finally, Aoyama himself.
As for "Tobi"—that is, Uchiha Obito—he still lurked in the shadows, not yet showing his face. Most likely, he would only officially appear once their plans formally began, using some excuse to join the Akatsuki.
So for now, excluding Uchiha Obito, the Akatsuki had seven official members.
Seeing that everyone was gathered, Pain wasted no words. His voice was cold and direct:
"Everyone. Our base has been exposed. A few days ago, Shimura Danzō, leader of Konoha's Root, led his men in an attack. I have already cut him down, but according to the intelligence Zetsu recovered, Konoha has sensed something amiss. They will likely launch an assault against us."
"It's true," Zetsu chimed in, his strange voice echoing. "I worked hard to dig up some highly classified information. Right now, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, is still preoccupied with the war against Iwagakure, so he won't march here in full force. But smaller probing missions? Those are inevitable. With Konoha's current strength, they will likely send an elite squad led by Hatake Kakashi."
"Kakashi Hatake, huh?" Sasori of the Red Sand sneered, his tone tinged with interest. "I recall they call him the 'Copy Ninja.' He's also the son of the White Fang of Konoha, isn't he? Zetsu, tell me everything you know. I'd like to see if this so-called Copy Ninja is worthy of becoming one of my works of art."
"If it truly is Kakashi Hatake coming," Kakuzu interrupted, his voice cold and firm, "you can have the body—but the head belongs to me. Kakashi's head is worth a fortune in the underground exchange."
Even before Konoha's forces had arrived, the Akatsuki members were already bickering over how to divide up the enemy's body parts.
Sasori wanted to test whether Kakashi was worthy of being turned into a puppet masterpiece. But when Kakuzu declared his claim on the head, Sasori's mood soured. A puppet without a head was no longer art.
Kakuzu, however, didn't care about art at all. He only reminded them repeatedly not to damage the target's head, since its value lay in the bounty.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru stood silently, his serpentine tongue flicking across his lips as his eerie golden eyes glittered with a chilling light. He said nothing, but anyone observant enough would notice that his gaze often lingered on Pain's Rinnegan, full of dark desire.
Perhaps Pain knew exactly what Orochimaru was thinking. But he ignored him. Orochimaru was nothing to be concerned about.
Aoyama only shrugged. To him, it looked like Konoha was doomed once again. He was grateful he defected early; otherwise, if he had marched into Amegakure alongside Kakashi's squad, he would likely have been skewered by Pain's black rods long ago.
Konoha.
Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat with a grim expression as he flipped through the documents spread across his desk. His head was pounding. On top of inheriting Root's forces, he had also obtained their research findings.
But as he read the reports—especially those concerning forbidden jutsu—he couldn't help but curse inwardly. It was a small blessing that Shimura Danzō was already dead; otherwise, Hiruzen would have dragged him out and had him executed by a thousand cuts.
There were not only experiments on Wood Release, but also secret dissections of Konoha's major bloodline clans. The Uchiha and Hyūga, in particular, were Root's main targets of study.
With a weary sigh, Hiruzen muttered, "Danzō… You always claimed it was for Konoha's sake. But looking at these things, how am I supposed to believe you? If you were still alive, I would strip away all your authority without hesitation. If these materials were ever leaked, the village would collapse overnight."
Koharu Utatane's face was grave. "Danzō hid too many things from us. If we had known he was carrying out such acts, we would never have supported him. Hiruzen, now that Danzō is gone and Root's research has stalled, what do we do next? Say something."
Homura Mitokado placed down the documents with a heavy sigh. "She's right, Hiruzen. What happens now? We need your decision."
Neither elder dared to voice their suggestions. Just looking at the stacks of research made their scalps tingle with dread. Worse, many of the projects had been filed under joint proposals—ones they had signed under Danzō's persuasion.
It was fortunate that Danzō was dead. Otherwise, if these records were revealed, the clans of Konoha would revolt instantly, and the Hokage's entire faction would be overthrown.
Hiruzen gave them both a sidelong glance, cursing inwardly: You always lecture me about what's for Konoha." Was it really for the village—or yourselves? Now I finally see the truth. You two certainly know how to play the game.
If anyone claimed that his two old comrades were unaware of Danzō's activities, Hiruzen would never believe it. The documents bore their fingerprints all over.
The truth was clear: Konoha's three elders had long been colluding in secret, carrying out countless schemes outside the Hokage's knowledge. The realization left Hiruzen deeply unsettled.
Yes, power was intoxicating. Everyone lusted for it. But as Hokage, Hiruzen now had much to consider.
After pondering a while, he finally said, "Danzō's actions must never be revealed. But some of his research is undeniably useful to the village. We can't let these projects die just because he's gone."
Homura's heart skipped a beat. He asked cautiously, "Hiruzen… what are you saying?"
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed as he glanced at both elders, a calculating gleam in his gaze. "As Hokage, I order you to continue Danzō's secret projects. But I will not provide anything in writing. You'll carry out everything yourselves. Understood?"
Damn it… He's throwing us under the cart!
Both elders cursed silently. They could see what Hiruzen was doing—keeping his own hands clean while pushing the risk onto them. If anything went wrong, all blame would fall on them. The anger of the clans and villagers would be directed squarely at Koharu and Homura, while the Hokage would remain untouchable.
But they had no choice.
That same afternoon, after heated disputes, an elite Konoha squad quietly slipped out of the village and headed toward the Land of Rain.
The team was led by Kakashi Hatake. But the moment they departed, they were already spotted by White Zetsu, who knew exactly which path they were taking.