Hokage Building.
Inside the Hokage office.
The office was filled with people, and everyone looked very serious.
Fifth Hokage Tsunade sat in the main seat of the conference room, her palms clasped together, her brows furrowed tightly, and her expression unusually grim.
Even Nara Shikaku, the head of the jōnin team and Tsunade's deputy, wore a worried expression, showing no signs of the joy from his recent promotion to Hokage advisor.
After all...
The current situation is extremely severe!
Even during the Third Ninja World War, when Konoha was besieged by four major ninja villages, Shikaku, as the strategist, remained calm...
Now...
The enemy is just a group of rogue ninjas...
But Nara Shikaku had to push his brain to work at high speed.
"Kakashi."
Tsunade looked at Hatake Kakashi, who had come to report intelligence, and spoke softly, "First, tell us about the information you brought back, regarding Akihara Kagura..."
"Understood."
Hatake Kakashi adjusted his mask, covering his eyes: "Akihara Kagura is a ninja from the Uchiha clan..."
"Wait!"
Tsunade immediately interrupted him, questioning with a sharp gaze, "Isn't that person from the Senju clan?"
"In fact..."
"Akihara Kagura is indeed a ninja from the Uchiha clan..."
"Because he can freely activate or deactivate the Sharingan, and he has never exposed his Sharingan Kekkei Genkai..."
At this point, Hatake Kakashi recalled the conversation between Uchiha Madara and Akihara Kagura, and said solemnly, "Those eyes are the highest level of the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai, called the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and they have even evolved into the Rinnegan in Akihara Kagura..."
"Rinnegan!"
Tsunade's expression turned fierce suddenly. She remembered that Akihara Kagura had used Nagato's Rinnegan for his schemes but had never paid attention to those Rinnegan, because his backup plan involved Uchiha Sasuke possibly obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
As it turns out...
Now Kakashi tells her that Akihara Kagura himself possesses the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, which has even evolved into the Rinnegan...
That means...
He never cared about Sasuke's eyes at all!
"This explains everything..."
Nara Shikaku nodded slowly, understanding something: "Because Akihara Kagura already possesses the Rinnegan Kekkei Genkai, he never cared about the Rinnegan belonging to Nagato and Uchiha Madara, so he used those Rinnegan as a trap..."
"Those are eyes passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan..."
I
Hatake Kakashi nodded, speaking about Akihara Kagura's true heritage: "Kagura... Akihara Kagura has always been a ninja of the Uchiha clan..."
Hatake Kakashi told Tsunade about the records of the Hyūga clan and Akihara Kagura's self-narration, explaining in detail how an elderly member of the Hyūga clan's meticulous observations led to this crisis...
A thousand years ago...
The Sage of Six Paths' family's internal conflict...
The Sage of Six Paths' brothers' mutual destruction...
The Sage of Six Paths once destroyed the world to cover up history...
The Hyūga clan are descendants of Hamura Otsutsuki, the younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths, who came from the moon to the Ninja world, intending to reclaim the world's rule...
An elderly Hyūga discovered the powerful secret of the Senju and Uchiha clans, but was used by an Uchiha, who awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan...
That Uchiha passed down his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan through generations, seizing the records of the Hyūga clan and relics of the Senju clan, eventually falling into the hands of Akihara Kagura...
With this information, Akihara Kagura executed his plan step by step, successfully transplanting Hashirama cells and evolving his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan into the Rinnegan...
He further leveraged Uchiha Madara and Nagato's plans, gradually understanding the plan to revive the Ten-Tails, and at the moment of success, kicked everyone out...
"Wait a moment..."
Tsunade felt overwhelmed by the amount of information Kakashi conveyed.
For the first time, this Fifth Hokage felt her brain might not be enough, so she interrupted Kakashi, picking up the bark left by Akihara Kagura and Uchiha Madara in Konoha, questioning: "This doesn't match the Senju clan's records, which state that Kaguya Otsutsuki was the youngest daughter of the Sage of Six Paths..."
To ensure the accuracy of her words, Tsunade even had Yamato reactivate the bark using Wood Release chakra, revealing some historical records on the bark.
Clearly.
The histories of the two clans do not align.
"But..."
"Black Zetsu refuted the records on the bark..."
Nara Shikaku reminded the Hokage, hoping she wouldn't assume the Senju clan's records were accurate: "Moreover, Black Zetsu could alter the Uchiha clan's stone tablet, so it's not surprising that the Sage of Six Paths rewrote the Senju clan's history…"
This creates a vicious cycle.
Which historical record is correct?
The Senju clan's records claim that Black Zetsu altered the Uchiha clan's stone tablet. However, combined with the Hyuga clan's historical records, it indicates that the Senju clan's history might also have been altered...
Because the ancient historical information does not match...
Now, Konoha wants to discuss which clan's history is the true one, leading to conflicts between the Hyuga and Senju clans, with the Uchiha clan's records also being tampered with...
"According to our known theories..."
Nara Shikaku bowed his head in deep thought and proposed a bold hypothesis: "If the Senju clan's tree bark was modified by the Sage of Six Paths, the Uchiha clan's stone tablet by Black Zetsu, then the Hyuga clan's history might be the most authentic..."
"That is possible..."
Hatake Kakashi recalled Black Zetsu's reaction when hearing the Hyuga clan's historical records; it didn't seem fake: "That creature named Black Zetsu, upon hearing the Hyuga clan's records, seemed to feel vindicated..."
"But..."
"If the Hyuga clan's records are true..."
Nara Shikaku frowned and said in a deep voice: "Then, is Black Zetsu the will of Kaguya Otsutsuki or the Sage of Six Paths?"
"Summon Hyuga Hiashi first."
Tsunade, always direct, decided to summon the head of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hiashi, to inquire about the Hyuga clan's history: "Ask Hyuga Hiashi if there are any records about Black Zetsu in the Hyuga clan's history."
However...
Hyuga Hiashi's face was filled with confusion and shock.
As the head of the main family of the Hyuga clan, he was unaware of such records within his clan. How could he not know if there were any historical records within his clan?
Even...
Hyuga Hiashi was completely ignorant of these historical secrets...
Seeing Hyuga Hiashi's furrowed brows and puzzled expression, Tsunade decided not to press further, as the Hyuga clan's history was long past.
"I have a hypothesis."
Nara Shikaku, the smartest man in Konoha, looked at the Senju clan's tree bark and spoke softly: "Based on these ancient historical relics..."
"The Uchiha clan's stone tablet must have been left by Black Zetsu, with the sole purpose of deceiving the Uchiha clan. Uchiha Madara was the one who fell for it..."
"The Senju clan's history must have been left by the Sage of Six Paths, with contents specifically designed to warn future generations about Black Zetsu..."
"The Hyuga clan's wooden tags were recorded by a Hyuga clan ninja, targeting the Uchiha who betrayed the alliance, killed him, and gained eternal eye power, namely, the ancestor of Akihara Kagura, or rather, specifically targeting Akihara Kagura..."
"Speaking of which..."
Nara Shikaku suddenly smiled. In this critical moment, he thought of an interesting theory: "Things are becoming interesting..."
"Hmm?"
Tsunade looked at her new advisor with some surprise.
"Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu, Akihara Kagura..."
Nara Shikaku looked at these names and took the initiative to explain: "The appearance of these three historical relics targets individuals who could potentially cause great harm to the ninja world..."
"..."
The Konoha ninjas present fell into deep thought.
Nara Shikaku shook his head, a hint of worry reappearing in his heart, and he sighed: "It feels like an invisible hand of fate is slowly pushing them into the world's view, making us aware of their origins and information..."
"This is getting serious..."
Tsunade raised her eyebrows and asked: "Apart from the Uchiha clan's stone tablet, aren't the remaining two clan relics always in the hands of Akihara Kagura?"
Nara Shikaku's brows remained furrowed: "The Senju clan's relic was thrown out by him because he already knew its contents and didn't care about the relic. Black Zetsu became the victim of the Senju clan's relic..."
"As for the Hyuga clan's relic..."
"There is a simpler method..."
"For example, he could order a Hyuga clan ninja to read its contents, yet he took it out in front of everyone..."
"That…"
Tsunade interrupted Nara Shikaku, reminding him, "Due to the events of the Chunin Exams years ago, the relationship between the Hyuga clan and the former Hokage's advisors is very tense..."
In fact...
It can be said to be quite poor.
After she assumed office as Hokage, Hyuga Hiashi visited her, hoping Tsunade would continue to uphold the Hyuga clan's system of the main and branch families.
If Akihara Kagura wanted to order a Hyuga clan ninja to help him read relics, this would likely not be hidden from the Hyuga main family...
Over the years, the Hyuga clan's ninjas have indeed had almost no contact with the Root.
Nara Shikaku could only slowly nod, reluctantly agreeing with Tsunade's viewpoint, though he couldn't help but feel some doubts and unease.
"Maybe it's been suppressed for too long..."
Unable to find an answer, Shikaku explained to himself, "Akihara Kagura has been in Konoha for at least over ten years, and despite having the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, he has never been able to use it..."
In any case, they at least knew Akihara Kamura's background and why he could obtain such great power...
Generations of patience...
Akihara Kagura had been planning since he was young...
Finally, he obtained his current formidable power.
"Summon all Jonin..."
"To the meeting room for a meeting!"
Tsunade slammed her fist heavily on the table.
The Jonin of Konoha didn't dare to delay and quickly gathered for the meeting. They all knew exactly what was going to be discussed.
"We are facing a very troublesome enemy..."
"Obviously, everyone here knows that the village's advisor Akihara Kagura has defected. We have information that this first SSS-class rogue ninja in Konoha's history is about to launch a plan to destroy the ninja world and recreate it..."
Nara Shikaku had to get straight to the point, speaking in a deep voice, "Although Hanzō of the Salamander, the leader of Rain Village, has contacted allies to join forces against Akihara Kamura, we still need to assess the enemies we face..."
"Based on our current intelligence..."
"These are the enemies we need to confront..."
"Black Zetsu, the former advisor Akihara Kagura, and his Root ninjas. According to some reports, these Root ninjas were saved Uchiha members from the night of the clan's annihilation..."
"An unknown number of Edo Tensei resurrected individuals, including at least the First, Second, and Fourth Hokage, with the Third Hokage currently sealed..."
"Firstly, Black Zetsu."
"Black Zetsu is suspected to be the dark will of the Sage of Six Paths or Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Its true purpose is unclear. According to all known intelligence, Black Zetsu claims there is an extraterrestrial threat to the ninja world and wants to revive Kaguya to save the world. However, historical records suggest that Black Zetsu aims to revive the Ten-Tails and rule the world, having been a behind-the-scenes manipulator for over a thousand years..."
Nara Shikaku took the intelligence on Black Zetsu very seriously, considering it a highly troublesome unknown entity: "Currently, Black Zetsu's abilities are unknown. It can freely hide in any area, including within the earth, and can possess and control a ninja, potentially having the ability to live forever..."
"..."
A group of Konoha ninjas nodded.
Many of them had seen Black Zetsu and knew it had no particularly strong power, always relying on Akihara Kagura's protection.
"Next..."
"Akihara Kagura."
"This is the most powerful enemy we face this time..."
Nara Shikaku looked at the Jonin, whose expressions instantly changed, and said in a deep voice, "I believe everyone here has witnessed his power, or even had interactions with him. You should know how terrifying this man, once called Konoha's future, truly is. At thirteen, he already showed enough power to destroy Konoha..."
"According to known intelligence, the former advisor Akihara Kagura is from a branch of the Uchiha clan. He infiltrated the Konoha Orphanage from a young age, later joined Orochimaru's lab, and after transplanting the First Hokage's cells, he returned to Konoha. There, he learned Wood Release, colluding with Uchiha Obito to become Akatsuki's spy in Konoha..."
"He single-handedly killed over a hundred Grass Village ninjas..."
"The Fourth Mizukage of Mist Village, the Third Tsuchikage of Rock Village, and the Fourth Raikage of Cloud Village have all been captured by him. Sand Village, Mist Village, and Cloud Village have all been attacked by him alone. The Konoha Crush Plan four years ago was also led by him alone..."
"Among the five great ninja villages..."
"Currently, no one can defeat him."
"Based on our intelligence, Akihara Kagura has outstanding talent, mastering all chakra nature transformations, including Yin and Yang Release..."
"Akihara Kagura can learn any ninjutsu just by reading its scroll or even hearing someone explain how to use it, including but not limited to S-rank techniques..."
"Over the years, the scrolls of techniques from Konoha, Cloud Village, Sand Village, and Mist Village, including forbidden techniques, have been stored in Konoha. As an advisor, Akihara Kagura had access to all of them for study..."
"We can even confirm one thing..."
"Akihara Kagura has likely learned all basic elemental techniques in the ninja world, including Fire, Lightning, Wind, Water, and some Earth, as well as Yin and Yang Release techniques."
When Nara Shikaku spoke to this point, even he could feel the terror of Akihara Kagura, and his voice involuntarily paused.
Drip, drip...
Sweat dripped down from the chin of a jōnin.
The expressions of the other jōnin also gradually became somber.
Just mastering almost all the ninjutsu in the ninja world is enough to make anyone aware of the other party's strength!
"Is this... true?"
A jōnin wiped the sweat off his forehead and softly tried to refute, "I remember Lord Kagura... Akihara Kagura is only twenty-one years old..."
"This is normal."
Hatake Kakashi interrupted him, providing his own evidence for Nara Shikaku's words: "When I first tried to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, I only explained the principle of the technique to him, and he directly mastered it, even teaching me how to learn it..."
"That's the most difficult time-space technique in the village..."
Some jōnin who had previously encountered the Flying Thunder God Technique looked at Hatake Kakashi in astonishment, knowing how difficult the technique was: "Kakashi, is this true?"
"Exactly."
Hatake Kakashi nodded.
While the jōnin present were still digesting this information, Nara Shikaku continued to talk about something even more terrifying.
"Now..."
"Let's continue summarizing the abilities of our enemy!"
Nara Shikaku reached out and pulled a blackboard from the conference room, softly saying, "Many of these abilities are still unknown to us, but they are undoubtedly extremely powerful..."
"Currently, Akihara Kagura has mastered at least five Kekkei Genkais..."
"The first Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, and even the most advanced Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan..."
"What is known so far is that the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan can use Susanoo, as once used by Uchiha Shisui in the village, but even more powerful than Shisui's, capable of destroying Konoha with a single strike..."
At this point, Nara Shikaku looked at Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy: "Both Kakashi and Might Guy have seen Akihara Kagura's Susanoo with their own eyes..."
"That's right."
Hatake Kakashi nodded, recalling the battle between the two Susanoo, and said solemnly: "A single strike can destroy Konoha..."
"This..."
A jōnin wanted to question this.
"Please be quiet."
Nara Shikaku interrupted them and continued to present his information.
"The second Kekkei Genkai, the Wood Release of the First Hokage. Those present should have also seen Akihara Kagura use Wood Release, which has the power to destroy Konoha and easily conquer any of the great ninja villages. Mist Village, Sand Village, and Cloud Village have all been taken by him using Wood Release..."
"The third Kekkei Genkai, the Rinnegan, the Sage's eye. Its specific abilities are currently unknown, as Akihara Kagura has not demonstrated them to anyone. Based on what we know, even the basic dōjutsu of the Rinnegan possesses the power to destroy Konoha..."
"..."
Everyone present broke out in a cold sweat.
Although they already knew Akihara Kagura was extremely powerful, what was wrong with Nara Shikaku? Why did he always use Konoha as an example!
"The fourth Kekkei Genkai, Dust Release. This Kekkei Genkai likely originated when he captured the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. The time between him acquiring Dust Release and his first use of it in front of Lord Jiraiya was very short..."
"So we have reason to believe that Akihara Kagura, who has mastered all the basic nature transformations, can easily merge these nature transformations into new Kekkei Genkais. He may possess more unknown Kekkei Genkais..."
"The fifth Kekkei Genkai, Lava Release. The source of this Kekkei Genkai is unknown, but it is likely that he formed Lava Release through the combination of fire and earth nature transformations. The power of his Lava Release technique..."
Nara Shikaku once again looked at Hatake Kakashi, seemingly wanting to hear more details from him, as he only knew part of the information before the meeting.
"His Lava Release..."
Hatake Kakashi recalled the magma pillar that soared into the sky and chose to answer Nara Shikaku's question with a simple and direct sentence.
"It can destroy Konoha."
~~~
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— Ending + Extra Chapters!
Read upto Chapter 348: End! + Extra Chapters of Sasuke's Rebirth where the world Akihara Kagura is not around. Thank you!