Chapter 71 : Danzo is Done For?

Rain Country.

Akatsuki, Secret Base.

After Uchiha Itachi spoke, Kakuzu, Hidan, Sasori, and Deidara, they kept an eye on Uchiha Ran. 

Just moments ago, Konan had entered with the Fifth Hokage, who was riding atop Water Country's Mizukage's summoning beast, which had taken them by surprise.

On one hand, they were amazed that Uchiha Ran had remained in Kirigakure for a few minutes before making his way to Rain Shinobi Village using the Flying Thunder God technique. It showcased the immense power of this technique.

On the other hand, they found it quite annoying that Uchiha Ran had arrived on a Suicune's back.

Most importantly, it was because of the news that Konan had brought with her.

"Nagato has decided to collaborate with the Fifth Hokage. As our leader, he doesn't intend to force anyone. You're all free to choose whether to stay or leave. But the Fifth Hokage values your skills and wants to personally recruit you. 😊"

In reality, Uzumaki Nagato was still immersed in his history books, but Konan believed that he would be convinced by Uchiha Ran, so she delivered the message directly.

Upon hearing this news, the members of the Akatsuki organization were taken aback.

No one could have anticipated that after years of careful planning and organization, they were about to take action when their leader decided to "betray" them. It was outrageous!

But Konan showed no intention of explaining further. She used her control over white paper to wrap Yahiko's body and brought him over to her side.

After Uzumaki Nagato chose the path of a sacrificing Rinnegan, all the corpses lost their Rinnegan and could no longer be remotely controlled; they had become lifeless bodies. 

If those bodies were exposed for too long, they would deteriorate. Uchiha Ran had promised to resurrect Yahiko after the completion of the Akatsuki's mission. 

Konan didn't want to make any mistakes in this regard.

Once Yahiko was resurrected and reunited with Uzumaki Nagato, she wouldn't have to bear the burden of being the former deputy leader anymore.

"I'm curious, how do you plan to convince me?" Kakuzu asked with a tone of contempt. Being the oldest among them, he had faced off against the First Hokage in his time and didn't believe that Uchiha Ran could sway him.

Uzumaki Nagato's Rinnegan was reliable, and Kakuzu preferred working as a lone mercenary, if not for the circumstances.

However, before Uchiha Ran could respond, a notification bell rang.

Immediately, Uchiha Itachi sent a message.

The discussion about recruitment was temporarily put on hold.

As the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ran couldn't reveal that he knew about the Akatsuki's existence.

But no one expected Uchiha Itachi to inquire about his options.

"So, you've come to ask the right person," Uchiha Ran replied with a smile. 

He wasn't a fan of being a "hero." 

On the contrary, his mindset leaned more towards a "villain," focused on his own objectives. Of course, if one possessed significant abilities, he didn't mind getting involved in "big picture" matters. 

However, he had strong reservations about the village's decision to annihilate the entire Uchiha clan. They said it was for the village's sake, but it also dragged the village into a darker path.

As the eldest son of the Uchiha clan's head, Uchiha Itachi should have firmly stood by Uchiha Fugaku's side, even if it meant sacrificing everything for the clan's survival.

Well, true Uchiha indeed had a strong tendency for sibling affection, which could sometimes lead to disaster.

However, Uchiha Ran was willing to offer Uchiha Itachi some enlightenment and suggestions now that the opportunity had presented itself.

After all, these two bonus options were connected, and it indicated that Uchiha Itachi's motivation was for Uchiha Sasuke's benefit.

"You can utilize it," Uchiha Ran replied, not waiting for a further explanation.

Yet, messages on the gold list kept pouring in.

[Uchiha Sasuke: You bastard, you're still on the Bloodline Limit list. Did you make it to the Top Three? But I am going to surpass you and kill you one day?)]

[Uchiha Itachi: Silly little brother, if you can make it to the list, so can I, and I'm even ahead of you. Can you catch up and beat me?)]

As expected of the elder brother who gifted the sea to Sasuke, he instantly perceived Sasuke's thoughts and engaged him in the conversation, further agitating him.

Uchiha Sasuke's response was filled with anger, "Damn it, Itachi, you dare show up! I want to kill you!"

[Uchiha Itachi: Silly little brother, your IQ is far from the Fifth Hokage who made the list.]

[Uchiha Itachi: I'm waiting for you, but do you have what it takes?)]

[Uchiha Sasuke: Uchiha Itachi, you bastard! I'll XXXXXX!]

[Uchiha Izumi: Itachi, why? Why did you massacre the clan with that Uchiha Obito?]

[Uchiha Itachi: I simply wanted to prove my ability.]

[Uchiha Sasuke: Bastard! XXXXXX!]

[Uchiha Izuna: Just bean sacks! @ Uchiha Izumi, you said Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito slaughtered our clansmen, did they?]

[ Uchiha Itachi: I merely wanted to test my abilities.]

[Uchiha Sasuke: Asshole! XXXXXX!]

[ Uchiha Izuna: You bastard, you disgrace the Uchiha!]

[ Uchiha Izuna: @ Uchiha Ran, although Tobirama's Impure World Reincarnation Technique is annoying, you resurrect me with this jutsu, and I'll personally eliminate this white-eyed wolf.]

Uchiha Izuna, who had no concept of a village at the time of his death, only understood the concept of family and clan and couldn't comprehend Uchiha Itachi's twisted ideology at all.

Onoki chimed in, "Isn't this ultimately Second Hokage's fault?"

[ Uchiha Izuna: What do you mean?]

Onoki elaborated, "The Konoha Police Force isolated the Uchiha clan by assigning them complete responsibility."

The Konoha Police Force, enforcers of the village, were inevitably the objects of hatred.

Most Uchiha were naturally tsundere, or rather, they appeared aloof, even though they were driven more by love than arrogance. It was just that their expressions came off as cold and arrogant.

Cracks had formed as a result.

[Senju Hashirama: Tobirama, how could you do such a thing?]

[Tobirama: Who made the Uchiha naturally inclined toward evil!]

Hashirama: I've told you, don't speak of them like that!]

[Uchiha Shisui: Second Hokage, I'm curious, why are Uchiha born with evil tendencies?]

[Tobirama: Well, it's been said before, I don't mind repeating it. Uchiha has a dangerous ability - Izanagi and Izanami - which manipulate fate. 

It's natural for them to swing between altering and deciding fate. Sharingan's power is derived from this concept of "loss" - losing a loved one for gaining greater power. 

After losing love, Uchiha can become extreme and easily commit wrongdoings. That's why I put Uchiha in charge of the Konoha Police Force, hoping to restrain them through law. 

Additionally, I had other plans, like converting Uchiha's personal love into a greater love. Unfortunately, I never had the chance."

Tobirama's explanation shed new light on everyone's understanding of the Uchiha. 

No one knew that this was the truth. 

It was rumored that the Uchiha clan hated Second Hokage the most, but his intentions were to stabilize the Uchiha clan.

No one realized that the truth was so different.

[Uchiha Shisui: I understand now. So, the Will of Fire is right, the village is right, and the Uchiha clan is right. The real villain here is Shimura Danzo!]

At this moment, Shisui had an epiphany.

Even though he had lost his eyes, he could still read the messages in the gold list chat. 

When he learned that the Uchiha clan had been annihilated and that Uchiha Itachi was responsible, he couldn't comprehend it. But now, he understood.

The Will of Fire was right, the village was right, and those in power were wrong.

It was Shimura Danzo!

[Senju Tobirama: Shimura Danzo?]

[Uchiha Ran: Yes, it's the same old man who also tried to assassinate me (-I'm leaving out some explicit language he used to accuse Danzo of evil deeds, to spare the readers).]

[Shimura Danzo: Uchiha Ran, you're defaming me. Everything I do is for the sake of the village.]

[Uchiha Shisui: What about my eyes, then?]

[Shimura Danzo: Your Kotoamatsukami can manipulate a person's will. Such a dangerous ability should not remain in the hands of the wicked Uchiha.]

[ Uchiha Ran: You're quite skilled, but even if you assassinated me, did you even realize that I'm Uchiha?]

[Shimura Danzo: Exactly!]

[ Uchiha Ran: You really have no shame. What if you assassinated my mentor, the Third Hokage?]

[Shimura Danzo: Hiruzen is old and corrupt, and his decisions are detrimental to the village's interests.]

[ Uchiha Ran: All for Konoha?]

[Shimura Danzo: It's for the sake of Konoha.]

[ Uchiha Ran: What about Orochimaru's experiments with Hashirama's cells, your arm full of Sharingan, specifically designed for casting Izanagi? Is that also for Konoha?]

[Shimura Danzo: That's right!]

"Hey, how did he find out?" Danzo thought, shivering with fear.

His most well-guarded secret had been exposed like this.

[Senju Hashirama: Hashirama cells?]

[ Uchiha Madara: Sharingan in one hand?]

[Senju Tobirama: Tsunade, clear the way for me when I return to the village. I hope to send this villain to the afterlife today.]

[Tsunade: Understood, Second Grandpa!]

"No, I have to escape!" Danzo realized.

His biggest secret had been unveiled like this.

[ Uchiha Ran: @ Second Hokage, you used the wrong method with the Uchiha.]

[Tobirama: Huh?]

[Uchiha Madara:??]

[Senju Hashirama:???]

[Uchiha Ran: You restrained them when you should have guided them. The more you suppress the Uchiha, the stronger the rebound becomes. In my opinion, you should have let the Uchiha learn fraternity directly; then, nothing would have gone wrong.]

[Senju Tobirama: ?]

[Uchiha Madara: ?]

[Senju Hashirama: ?]

[Uchiha Ran: I don't get it. Love isn't about imprisoning or guiding; it should flow freely. In fact, as long as there's fraternity, there should be no issues.]

[Uchiha Ran: Let me give you a simple example. Uchiha Madara shared his love with Uchiha Izuna and the First Hokage. 

After Uchiha Izuna was killed by the Second Hokage, Madara didn't turn to darkness or seek revenge. Instead, he joined hands with the First Hokage to establish Konoha. Do you understand?]

[Senju Hashirama: Clear, that makes sense. According to Ran's theory, I must be very important to Madara.]

Uchiha Ran looked at Madara and Hashirama, who were arguing affectionately, and shook his head gently. His words had conveyed profound wisdom.

He might have said those words, but they held great wisdom.

The Uchiha clan had too little love and too much extremism.

For the sake of peace, he needed fraternity.

After all, he was still an Uchiha.

He had sacrificed so much for the sake of peace.

Konan looked at Uchiha Ran with mixed emotions, feeling that he was contemplating something rather audacious.

[Uchiha Ran: Let's get back to business. Spirits and heroic spirits, I know the points come from the worlds of "Summoning King" and "Fate." My personal suggestion is to choose one.]

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