The Third Hokage: First Move Send Danzō to Prison

Deidara toyed listlessly with a clay spider in his hand, suddenly clicking his tongue. "Why's the boss taking so long, hmm?"

Sasori didn't even look up. "Be quiet, Deidara."

Just as Kakuzu finished counting his third stack of bills, the door to the conference room slid open silently.

The sound of wheels rolling across the metal floor made everyone look up sharply.

A new face?

No—

The same Rinnegan as the "leader"?!

So this is the true body of their leader.

A red-haired young man sat in a wheelchair, Konan quietly at his side. Paper flowers spiraled silently in the air around her.

"Everyone," the newcomer spoke.

Unlike the emotionless, divine voice of the previous "Pain," this one was calm and unexpectedly gentle.

"I am Nagato, leader of the Akatsuki."

"From this day forward, I will no longer hide behind the mask of 'Pain.'"

"Because what we face now... goes far beyond the original scope of the Akatsuki."

"The Five Great Nations have surrounded the Hidden Rain Village."

His voice was steady and clear. At that, he paused and swept his gaze across the room.

Good. Everyone stayed composed except for Hidan's usual idiotic grin. Still, these were all S-class rogue shinobi. Nothing less was expected.

Nagato continued:

"Those of you with ties to the Alliance family, fallback plans, alternate ambitions..."

"You may leave now. Walk out that door, and I will not stop you."

The room fell still. The sound of rain outside grew sharper, louder, as if the entire village was holding its breath.

Konan's hands tightened slightly on the wheelchair handles. She anxiously scanned the room. These people were rare talents. If any of them walked away now... Rain's bargaining chips would shrink further.

What? The Art Squad breaking up? Absolutely not!

With Itachi and Zetsu gone, the Akatsuki had become a pure artists' collective. Especially the leader's "Almighty Push" a masterpiece in Deidara's eyes.

Ever-loyal, Deidara was the first to speak.

"Boss, if anyone wants to desert, I'll be the first to stop them! Ain't that right, Sasori?!"

He rattled on, essentially pledging eternal brotherhood with Nagato.

He then shot a suspicious glance at the Immortal Duo.

Sasori narrowed his eyes in understanding. So that's it. The "Six Paths of Pain" were merely high-level chakra puppets, not much different from his own Human Puppet technique.

This Pain technique... far superior to chakra threads. Worth studying.

As for the talk about "ties to the Alliance," surely that was aimed at him and Deidara. That surrender letter? Burned long ago. His return to the Hidden Sand? Impossible.

With that in mind, Sasori spoke:

"I have no intention of leaving the Akatsuki."

Kakuzu stopped counting money and grunted, "I've got no ties to the Five Nations. I work for whoever pays. That's all."

Suddenly, Hidan stood up.

All eyes turned to him.

Kakuzu yanked him back down. "Sit your ass down, Hidan."

"What? I'm just going to the bathroom!"

"Sit."

Hidan, sulking, sat back down and grumbled after a pause, "You think I'd run away? No way I'm missing out on a bloodbath like this!"

Nagato nodded quietly to himself. The morale was solid. Even Konan let out a small breath of relief.

With no one leaving, it was time for the real discussion.

Konan wheeled Nagato to the head of the table before taking her seat.

Nagato's voice turned low and firm. "Right now, the Akatsuki controls six Tailed Beasts. Combined with your power all of you being at Kage-level or beyond we surpass the military strength of any shinobi village in history."

"With the Hidden Rain as our base, I intend to bring the Akatsuki into the light. We'll build a new great nation. One of our own."

"And then change this world."

Clap clap clap Deidara applauded on cue, eyes shining.

"So that's why the boss was collecting Tailed Beasts? Just like the First Hokage! Brilliant! Truly amazing!"

What a loyal man. Nagato and Konan gave Deidara a long look, both moved.

Sasori said coolly, "Changing the world means little to me. But after this, I hope the boss will share his puppet techniques."

As if there's any "technique" to it it's the Rinnegan, plain and simple.

Nagato agreed immediately. Whether Sasori could actually learn it was none of his concern.

Kakuzu gave a low hum. His green eyes gleamed as he said, "If we succeed... I want to be the Finance Minister."

He still remembered the day Pain crushed the Hidden Cloud Village. That destructive force it was like the First Hokage reborn. If Nagato could really pull this off... it just might work.

From a hired rogue to a founding lord? Kakuzu ran through the numbers in his head. Worst case, he could always go back to being a mercenary.

Nagato nodded. "Kakuzu, you're a natural for managing money. When Rain becomes a nation, you'll be Chancellor of the Treasury."

And Hidan? That war-hungry maniac was already shaking with anticipation. A bloodthirsty grin stretched across his face.

Deidara nodded in satisfaction. The House of Art stays united.

Seeing everyone rally around Nagato, the ever-pragmatic Kakuzu now offered up a plan: "I have a strategy. It can break the Alliance."

Oh? A plan? Everyone turned to the old general.

Kakuzu stood, his tone sharp and focused. "The true pillar of the Allied Forces is the Hidden Leaf. Killer B from the Cloud is a stray dog. Chiyo from the Sand and Terumi from the Mist are just following orders. That old mutt Onoki well, the Tsuchikage is only half-heartedly cooperating with the Leaf."

Deidara perked up. "Kakuzu, didn't know you were this clever."

Hidan added, "Yeah! You sound different lately."

Kakuzu snorted. Of course I sound different. I used to be a rogue. Now I'm a revolutionary.

Ignoring the younger generation, he continued, "All we need is someone to draw the enemy's attention directly. Meanwhile, we send a strike force to sneak into the Leaf's command base and eliminate their Hokage. Once Hiruzen is dead, the Alliance will collapse without a leader."

Now, who could take on such a mission?

Naturally, the only one powerful enough was their boss Nagato himself. And he used remote-controlled bodies. Even if the mission failed, there'd be no real loss. Kakuzu shot a meaningful look at Nagato, confident the man would understand his unspoken message.

But Hidan suddenly spoke up.

He scratched his chin. "Didn't you always brag about trying to assassinate the First Hokage? Why don't you try the Third next?"

Deidara lit up. "Yeah, yeah! Let's see it! C'mon, Kakuzu, show us what you've got!"

"…Hmm… If the boss agrees, I have no problem. My five chakra natures are itching for a fight anyway."

Kakuzu sneered and sat down, pretending not to care.

Sasori chuckled and teased, "I see Leaf has a 'Sleeping Dragon.' Kakuzu, you're our 'Hidden Tiger.'"

Deidara raised a hand with a grin. "Let's give him a new nickname how about…"

'The Five-Faced Demon!'"

Kakuzu instantly rejected it. "I already have a title. Polaris the Star of Wisdom in the northern sky. It's not my fault you're too ill-read to know that, Deidara."

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