Chapter 935 : Confusion reigns Supreme!

There were many objectives behind Hiruzen’s decision to march an army to the battlefield where Akuro and Danzo had clashed. Yet nearly all of them were built on uncertainty. Whether it was confronting Akuro directly, recovering Danzo’s body, dismantling potential traps, or seizing intelligence, none rested firmly within Konoha’s grasp. They depended solely on the unknown designs of their enemies.

The single certainty Hiruzen had counted on was Konoha taking control of the Lightning Crystal Vein that very day. But instead, what greeted them was a deep, gaping hole—silent, empty, and stripped of even the faintest trace of lightning energy. Had Danzo himself not confirmed its existence, none among them would have suspected that a vein had ever run beneath that soil.

The discovery left the clones of Hiruzen and the experienced clan leaders dumbfounded. They couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. Kakashi’s clone arrived moments later, having secured the dead, only to feel the same cold disbelief settle over him.

The silence was finally broken by Fujin's clone, who grumbled, “I'm now suspecting everything Elder Danzo said…”

The remaining clones silently glanced towards him. Kakashi's clone thought, ‘First Danzo suspected Fujin's involvement in his death. Now, Fujin is suspecting Danzo's death confessions…’

Hiruzen's clone narrowed his eye, analyzing, ‘Even though they had conflicts, Fujin isn't the type to bear grudges against the dead. Besides, the situation is beyond absurd. I can understand his thoughts.’

Hiruzen's clone shook his head and said, “Since I reanimated Danzo, I can sense whether he's lying or telling the truth. Even if that wasn't the case, what would Danzo gain by lying to us? It's too easy to uncover…”

Still gazing into the hole, Fujin's clone argued without backing off, “I didn't say he's lying.”

The expressions of remaining clones immediately became grim as they realized what Fujin was hinting at. Kakashi's clone muttered, “A Genjutsu… You think Danzo was fooled by a Genjutsu and everything he saw and believes is what the enemy wants him to believe?”

Fujin's clone nodded, “Only that can explain these anomalies. Even the veins that have been exhausted hundreds of years ago have traces of lingering energy. How could this vein disappear completely within a single day of being discovered?

This entire matter was fishy from the get go. How could a Lightning Crystal Vein appear so suddenly? Our exploration teams should have discovered it decades ago. Only an illusion could perfectly explain its sudden appearance and disappearance. Besides, it isn't the only clue pointing towards this possibility…”

Shibi's clone muttered, “The missing seals. You believe they were illusions too? However, this isn't the sole incident. From our intel, a large number of seals Akuro imprinted in the Raikage Building vanished when he retreated. He could have removed them before leaving…”

Shikaku's clone corrected him, “Akuro couldn't remove all of his seals from the Raikage Building. However, he had a lot more time here. It won't be absurd for him to remove them…”

Fujin's clone shook his head, “Removing seals take far longer time than imprinting them. That is especially true when you create a formation complicated enough to fool a Grandmaster of Elder Danzo's caliber.

Of course, it is possible for Akuro to possess some ancient technique that we're unaware of. That was my first thought. Perhaps its also possible for him to possess a technique that could help him extract the entire vein in a few hours and remove all its traces. If we assume he isn't aware of the Edo Tensei jutsu, he may have very well done so to avoid letting us learn of the truth behind Danzo's death or to hide the fact that Akuro may have recovered a significant portion of his strength.

However, I have a feeling that it isn't so simple. Even after dying, Elder Danzo could still not understand how he failed to detect the seals on several occasions. If he was in a Genjutsu, it would explain better why he failed so terribly.”

Fujin's analysis forced the remaining clones to evaluate the situation again. After a while, Hiruzen's clone sighed, “We could use the same logic to say Akuro's knowledge on Fuinjutsu is far beyond us. We have already seen the unfamiliar seals the Jashin fanatics possessed. Despite researching for nearly 3 years, we have barely scratched their surface. Yet, the few discoveries we have had have helped progress our Fuinjutsu far quicker than at any point in our past.

However, I understand your thoughts. I have a similar feeling. We were already suspicious. Now, this feels even more like a scheme than a coincidence…”

Kakashi's clone voiced his confusion, “Elder Danzo possessed Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan… How could he fall in a Genjutsu so easily and fail to ever notice it?”

Fujin's clone immediately answered, “He kept Shisui's eye hidden under the bandages. It's possible he may have fallen into a Genjutsu before he had the opportunity to unseal his eye. Besides, is Mangekyou Sharingan truly infallible? There's another pair of eyes, far deeper ingrained in the legends than Mangekyou…”

After informing Jiraiya and Tsunade about the leader of Akatsuki possessing the Rinnegan, Hiruzen had also informed the council. Everyone recalled that intel at that very moment.

Hiashi's clone frowned, “We still don't know what abilities the Rinnegan possess. We can't rule out the possibility of it possessing a powerful Genjutsu. Perhaps it can also explain how the Fourth Mizukage, a perfect Jinchuriki, was controlled for so long.

Even if it ain't the Rinnegan, it isn't too farfetched to believe the ninja who secretly controlled the Fourth Mizukage fooled Danzo too. However, why would Akatsuki scheme so much to target Danzo? What purpose would it serve?”

As Konoha's lead strategist, everyone subconsciously glanced towards Shikaku's clone, who didn't disappoint. He thoughtfully explained, “Perhaps they intend to make a move on our village in the future. Either to kidnap Naruto, or for some other purpose. Removing an unpredictable factor like Danzo is something every strategist would prefer.

The other possibility is they simply intended to restrict Konoha's strength, and Danzo seemed like the easiest target. In the recent times, every other major village has suffered heavily, while Konoha was relatively unharmed. Suna suffered heavily due to Orochimaru's betrayal and war against us. The Civil War has crippled Kiri. Kumo lost a large number of their elites due to our schemes and Akuro. Iwa lost Han to Akatsuki and suffered some losses during the hidden clashes against us.

We suffered too. Lord Third's injuries were a big blow to us, but the other villages don't know about it.

Even with his injuries, the delicate balance of the ninja world is steadily being tilted in our favor. Perhaps Akatsuki wants to maintain the previous balance, ensuring no village can stand above the rest. It may get in the way of their objectives. Unfortunately, it's difficult to accurately guess their remaining objectives without more intel…”

While everyone pondered the implications, Fujin's clone gleefully thought, ‘As expected of Shikaku. He accurately reached the conclusion I wanted him to reach. Though I failed to correctly estimate the impact of my lies, I created a contingency to confuse Konoha further. Since I resolved a massive headache like Danzo, it's only logical I replace it with a few smaller headaches.’

After killing Danzo and reading his memories, cleaning up the battlefield wasn't truly a challenge for Fujin. The fake Lightning Crystal Vein had been created with the help of a seal formation and hundreds of Lightning Crystals. Even though Fujin lost a portion of the Lightning Crystals, he had designed the formation such that what remained could be recovered easily. Similarly, the seal formation was easy to dissolve with the correct method. Removing the seals he used to distract Danzo weren't as difficult to remove as Fujin's clone claimed either.

As such, the only proof of what happened there were the dead bodies of Danzo and his subordinates, and the destruction left behind by their battle. Of course, Fujin could have hidden them too, but there was no point. Due to the Edo Tensei jutsu, Konoha would learn of what happened either way. Removing just half of the traces was far more effective in creating confusion.

As Fujin expected, Hiruzen's clone was having massive headaches at that moment. He sighed internally, while wondering, ‘A string of coincidences leading to Danzo's death at the hands of Akuro, an ancient expert… A scheme where Akatsuki took advantage of Danzo leaving the village and sent Akuro to eliminate him… Or, a bait laid by the leader of Akatsuki, or their secret member, to lure and eliminate Danzo to limit Konoha's strength… Which one is true? Or, is the truth entirely different, something we all overlooked?

Sigh, why is your death so troublesome, old friend? Like Akuro claimed, is this karma for all the scheming we did back in the day?’

[A/N: The aftermath of Danzo's death and Akuro's mind games was much greater than I initially thought off 😵‍💫 I'll try to wrap it up in the next chapter, and move the story forward.]