56-60

Chapter 56: Kakuzu Defeated, Team Assignments

Seeing this scene, most of the surrounding Akatsuki members didn’t show much surprise. Instead, they looked at Aizen with interest.

Kakuzu had five lives.

Most of the older Akatsuki members were aware of this.

But Aizen might not know.

If he became careless, life and death could change in an instant. The real fight was just beginning.

They were curious to see how Aizen would respond next.

Sure enough, just as Aizen retracted his Chidori, Kakuzu suddenly revived at full strength, leaping high into the air. His right arm separated at the wrist, releasing dense black threads from his arm, and his giant fist shot toward Aizen’s heart.

Kakuzu had launched his unique Earth Grudge Fear tentacle punch.

However, before Kakuzu’s fist could travel far, Aizen’s Chidori Sharp Spear pierced through his left abdomen, causing him to lose another heart.

“Ugh!” Kakuzu screamed in pain as he plummeted straight to the ground.

“Come on, Kakuzu, I’ve never heard of a dead man having chakra. Playing dead? That’s so outdated,” Aizen shrugged slightly and dismissed his Chidori Sharp Spear.

“You bastard, I’ll kill you!” Kakuzu roared, and the fire and wind masks on his back separated from his body, transforming into two black monstrous figures that began merging.

The two masks opened their mouths, each unleashing a blast of fire and wind.

This was Kakuzu’s combined jutsu, made up of his Fire Release: Searing Migraine and Wind Release: Pressure Damage—a composite technique known as Flame-Wind Chaos Wave.

“Well, well, looks like Kakuzu’s been pushed to his limit, pulling out a move like that,” Orochimaru chuckled, enjoying the spectacle. As he retreated to a safer distance to avoid getting caught in the attack, he glanced at Aizen, wondering to himself, “So, Aizen-kun, how will you respond to this?”

The other Akatsuki members also backed away.

In the next moment, Kakuzu formed a series of hand signs, and the fire and wind releases merged into a massive sea of flames, spreading toward Aizen.

Aizen looked at the rapidly approaching inferno, his expression calm.

With a symbolic hand sign from his left hand, the energy of the Tiangang Technique surged within him.

A massive amount of chakra gathered in his throat, and he unleashed it in the form of a gigantic fireball, more than ten times larger than a normal Great Fireball, which shot forward to collide with the sea of flames.

“That’s impossible! A Great Fireball... how can it have this kind of power?” Even Orochimaru, normally composed, couldn’t control his excitement, shouting in disbelief.

The other Akatsuki members, except for Pain, also wore solemn expressions.

After all, the Great Fireball Technique was a fairly common C-rank Fire Release jutsu in the ninja world.

But no one had ever seen someone unleash a C-rank jutsu with such overwhelming power.

It was already comparable to some forbidden techniques.

The sea of flames was instantly shattered.

But the fireball kept going, engulfing the combined forms of Kakuzu’s Fire and Wind masks.

Although Kakuzu narrowly escaped with his Earth Spear technique, he was in bad shape. He dropped to his knees, hands on the ground, gasping for air.

“What a monster...” Hidan wiped the sweat from his forehead, then glanced at Itachi and asked, “Hey, newbie, are all Konoha ninja this strong?”

“I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve seen him use ninjutsu,” Itachi replied blankly.

At this point, he hadn’t fully awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.

But even he was secretly shocked by Aizen’s strength.

To think that he could defeat Kakuzu, this monster, so easily.

Not only was he a master of genjutsu, but his ninjutsu was just as extraordinary.

What kind of powerful enemy had Danzo and the Third Hokage brought upon Konoha?

“Tch, what a buzzkill,” Hidan clicked his tongue and looked away, not wanting to embarrass himself further.

“Leader, it looks like the battle is decided,” Black Zetsu said, turning to Pain as a reminder.

Kakuzu was an important member of Akatsuki and vital to their plan to resurrect Kaguya. Black Zetsu didn’t want to lose this valuable piece.

Pain, also not wanting to lose his treasurer, flew between the two combatants and declared, “That’s enough. The winner of this battle is Aizen.”

He turned to Kakuzu. “Kakuzu, any objections?”

Kakuzu, still recovering from the close call, saw the opportunity to yield and murmured, “I surrender.”

“Well then, a pleasant collaboration,” Aizen said, having already achieved his goal of placing everyone in Akatsuki under the illusion of his Kyoka Suigetsu. He was no longer interested in continuing the fight. He put away his Zanpakuto and appeared in front of Kakuzu in an instant, tossing the three money boxes from earlier.

Kakuzu’s eyes lit up, and his previous frustration and fear disappeared instantly. He reached out, then hesitated, speaking with a more subdued tone, “My Earth Grudge Fear is unique. I can’t teach it to you.”

“Don’t worry, I have no interest in learning such a grotesque technique. Just give me the five elemental jutsu you’ve already used or haven’t had the chance to use yet,” Aizen said calmly.

“I understand,” Kakuzu sighed in relief and happily accepted the money boxes. He pulled out a scroll from his robe and tossed it over. “This scroll contains Wind Release: Pressure Damage, Lightning Release: False Darkness, Earth Release: Earth Spear, Fire Release: Searing Migraine, and Water Release: Water Encampment Wall. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

Aizen nodded, put away the scroll, and stepped back to stand beside Pain without saying another word.

The other Akatsuki members gathered around, using body flicker techniques to return.

Pain swept his Rinnegan gaze over the group and spoke in a deep voice, “I called everyone here today for two reasons. First, to introduce two new members. Although we had an unexpected event, it’s no big deal. The member who just fought Kakuzu is named Fujiwara Aizen, and the other is Uchiha Itachi.”

“Their names are already well known across the ninja world, so I won’t go into further detail.”

“As for the second reason, it’s about team assignments. Everyone will be split into pairs and scattered across various parts of the ninja world.”

“Scorpion, you’ll be paired with Orochimaru, and you’ll be stationed in the Land of Wind.”

However, as soon as Pain finished speaking, Sasori immediately objected.

“Why do I have to be with this snake?”

“Oh my, I was just thinking I didn’t want to be stuck with this shady guy who hides in puppets all day,” Orochimaru chuckled, then glanced at Itachi, sticking out his tongue with a creepy smile. “I’d much rather be paired with Itachi than with Scorpion.”

“You bastard, are you ignoring me?” Sasori rasped from within his puppet Hiruko, his voice hoarse and grating.

“No, I just prefer being teamed with Itachi,” Orochimaru said calmly, his tone infuriatingly indifferent.

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 57: The Formation of the Akatsuki*

Pain ignored the bickering between Orochimaru and Sasori.

"Kakuzu and you will form a team. Head to the Land of Earth."

He assigned Kakuzu with a throwaway character, the one who didn’t even get a name in the original story and was quickly killed by Kakuzu.

Kakuzu had no objections.

In fact, he was a little pleased.

His hearts had just been destroyed by Aizen, and he was in need of some new high-quality ones.

After all, elite jōnin hearts were rare to come by.

And now, here comes a high-quality heart delivered to him on a silver platter.

All he needed to do was create an "accident" during the mission.

"Konan will still be with me."

As a senior member and Nagato's close friend, Konan naturally had no objections.

"Tenzō, you and Itachi will head to the Land of Water."

"Yes..." Tenzō reluctantly responded.

If he could avoid it, he never wanted to return to that country filled with blood and tears.

But in the Akatsuki, he was among the weakest, only slightly stronger than the throwaway character about to be killed by Kakuzu.

He had no right to refuse.

At least he wasn’t being sent to Kirigakure; otherwise, he’d probably be wishing for death.

After all, he had escaped from the Bloody Mist Village.

"As for Aizen..." Considering Aizen's powerful display just moments ago, Pain paused and said, "For now, you’ll team up with Zetsu. Zetsu's primary task is gathering intelligence and is not adept at combat. You'll have to endure this for a while. I'll find you a new partner soon."

"Fine, just make sure this guy doesn’t pop up while I’m sleeping." Aizen was a bit disappointed. He originally wanted to team up with Konan. After all, she was at least a woman. Being paired with Zetsu, a creation of Yin-Yang Release, wasn’t exactly his ideal situation.

Switching his tone, Aizen gave a nonsensical warning to Zetsu: "I tend to kill people in my dreams. When I’m asleep, don’t come near me."

"What does that mean?" White Zetsu asked, puzzled.

"It means if you dare to show up while I’m resting, I’ll cut you down," Aizen said bluntly.

"How should we call you then?" Black Zetsu asked, sweating a bit.

"Knock. Got it? Also, my residence in Amegakure is off-limits. If anyone besides Konan gets too close, I'll cut them down too." At this, Aizen gave an intimidating look to the surrounding Akatsuki members.

Seeing Aizen's overwhelming strength earlier, no one had any objections.

After all, this was a world where the strong ruled.

And the strong always had special privileges.

Besides, none of them were foolish enough to approach a man's room.

"I understand," Black Zetsu conceded.

Aizen was unpredictable. He had wiped out both the Sarutobi and Shimura clans without hesitation, so Black Zetsu didn't dare risk Aizen making good on his threat to cut them down.

"Leader, you've assigned teams to the Lands of Wind, Earth, and Water. You’re not sending me to the Land of Fire or the Land of Lightning, are you?" Aizen looked at Pain.

Pain responded, "No, we won’t bother with the Land of Lightning for now. Kumogakure isn't like the other villages; they don't waste energy on internal conflict. Our Akatsuki organization can't get involved there for the time being. As for the Land of Fire, you just wiped out the Sarutobi and Shimura clans. Going there now would draw too much attention. For the time being, travel between the smaller nations. Zetsu will give you specific tasks."

As Pain spoke, his Rinnegan glowed for a moment.

In an instant, everyone began floating in the air.

They left Amegakure, finally landing on a mountaintop.

Surrounded by a sea of clouds.

Everyone gathered around Pain, silently gazing at the bottomless abyss below.

Mountains, clouds, and ten individuals wearing black cloaks adorned with red clouds.

This was the debut of the original Akatsuki.

"The mission begins."

"Let the world know pain!" Pain shouted loudly.

The teams then split up, heading in different directions.

Kakuzu ran the fastest.

He was practically dragging his throwaway teammate by the collar, eager to replenish his hearts, afraid that Aizen might devour him or something.

Watching them disappear into the distance, Aizen silently mourned for the throwaway character, then turned to another soon-to-be victim, Tenzō.

By now, the Fourth Mizukage was under Tobi’s control.

Soon enough, Tobi would likely send them to Kirigakure to test Itachi’s Mangekyō Sharingan, using Pain’s orders as a pretext.

And Tenzō would become the unlucky soul, performing the famous scene of cutting through a Tailed Beast Bomb with a sword.

Quite a tough head, indeed.

"Hey, rookie, let’s go." Tenzō, feeling unnerved by Aizen’s gaze, called out to Itachi, slinging the Executioner’s Blade over his shoulder as he walked away.

Itachi glanced deeply at Aizen before following.

Now only Aizen, Zetsu, Pain, and Konan were left on the mountaintop.

"Let’s go, Old Black, and White Seven." Aizen shot a disdainful glance at the two halves of Zetsu, his body vanishing as a blur, disappearing from their sight in just a few steps.

White Zetsu: "..."

Black Zetsu: "..."

White Zetsu said, "Itachi is a filial son, Kakuzu is a tentacle monster... You’re Old Black, and I’m White Seven. Looks like Aizen hates us both. At least Orochimaru got the nickname 'Snake Uncle.'"

"Stop overthinking. Let’s catch up," Black Zetsu urged.

With that, Black Zetsu merged with the ground, chasing after Aizen underground.

Moments later, a vortex appeared beside Pain, as if space itself was twisting.

Soon after, a masked man with an orange spiral mask and a single right eye visible emerged from the vortex.

Arms crossed, he looked confident and composed.

"How’s the situation?" Tobi asked in a deep voice.

"Everyone, including Aizen and Itachi, are currently gathering funds," Konan responded.

Pain turned his head toward Tobi, "What about you? Have you found the next member yet?"

Tobi shook his head, "Still searching. Our organization has no use for weaklings. How are Aizen and Itachi?"

"Itachi hasn’t made a move yet, so it's hard to judge. But having the Mangekyō Sharingan suggests he has a certain level of skill. As for Aizen, he's incredibly strong. Kakuzu was completely powerless against him," Konan replied.

Tobi wasn’t surprised. He had experienced Aizen's power firsthand. He was an unfathomable figure, not only because of his strength but also his composure, as if he controlled everything. In their brief encounter, Aizen had even seen through his phasing ability.

He had almost lost his life, along with a Sharingan.

"His strength is likely even greater than that. You should keep a close eye on him. If used properly, he’ll be a major asset to our plans."

With those parting words, Tobi’s right eye socket twisted again, pulling his body into the vortex as he vanished.

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 58: The Upcoming Birth of Sarutobi Mirai*

"It seems this guy is quite wary of Aizen," Konan said as she walked over to stand next to Pain.

"To wipe out the Sarutobi clan, which had thousands of members, in such a short amount of time definitely shows a high level of skill," Pain responded calmly.

"So, what should we do next? Should we continue following his orders and let Zetsu team up with Aizen?" Konan asked.

"For now, we don't have a better option," Pain replied, turning to look at Konan. "Any leads on the woman Aizen asked us to protect?"

"Yes," Konan nodded.

"That quickly?" Pain was a bit surprised.

After all, most of the Akatsuki’s intelligence came from Zetsu, who was allied with the masked man. Without relying on Zetsu, and with Konoha strictly locking down any Uchiha-related information, it wouldn’t have been easy to find out who Mikoto was.

"No, it wasn't too difficult. I just asked for her name directly, then did a simple investigation. She's called Uchiha Mikoto. Interestingly enough, she seems to be Uchiha Itachi’s mother," Konan explained.

"That is quite interesting. Rumor has it that except for Itachi's brother, the Uchiha clan had no survivors. I didn’t expect there to be another one besides Uchiha Izumi. It seems the Uchiha massacre wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed," Pain murmured to himself. "But it doesn't concern us much. Our priority is ensuring the plan proceeds smoothly."

As he spoke, Pain’s body slowly floated into the air, drifting toward Amegakure. Konan unfolded her Paper Dance technique, her body transforming into countless paper sheets that followed him.

At the foot of the mountain:

Aizen stood there, bored, looking at Zetsu. "You guys are slow."

"You’re just too fast," White Zetsu retorted, handing over several scrolls. "These are your next missions."

Aizen glanced through the scrolls and rolled his eyes. "Assassinations, bridge demolitions, bandit exterminations... You guys really take on any kind of mission, huh?"

"We don’t have much choice. The organization is just getting started and needs a lot of funds," Black Zetsu explained.

"If you’re so short on money, why not just do what I do? Find a wealthy family and rob them. There’s no shortage of corrupt merchants and landlords in this world. Kill them afterward to keep things quiet. No need to take on these pointless missions," Aizen said as he browsed the scrolls.

"There are no secrets in this world. The ninja world's iron rule is to earn money through missions. Even the Five Great Nations adhere to this, and the Akatsuki is no exception. If we break this rule, we’d likely invite a joint attack from the Five Nations," Black Zetsu patiently explained.

"The fall of Uzushiogakure is a perfect example. They tried to combine their village with the structure of a nation, which the other countries wouldn’t tolerate, leading to their destruction."

"How disgusting. To think that people with such power submit to weak leaders. This world really is pitiful," Aizen remarked. He formed a hand seal with his right hand, and with a "poof," several shadow clones appeared out of thin air.

After distributing the mission scrolls to his clones, Aizen turned to Zetsu and said, "You lead the way. Let the clones handle the combat. As long as we don't run into a Kage or a powerful Jinchūriki, there shouldn’t be any problems."

"Isn’t this approach too lazy? I can sense that each of your shadow clones has a lot of chakra, but shadow clones can’t restore chakra. If they run out and delay the mission, the leader will hold you accountable," Black Zetsu argued, not wanting to lose sight of Aizen.

"Don’t worry about it. These aren’t ordinary shadow clones. They can restore their own chakra. If something goes wrong and the leader gets upset, I’ll take full responsibility," Aizen reassured him. "Alright, that’s settled. I’m off to train. If you get a new mission, just give it to one of my clones. If they run into something beyond their ability, they’ll contact me."

With that, Aizen disappeared in a flash, leaving Zetsu behind.

"What do we do?" White Zetsu asked in a voice only he and Black Zetsu could hear, as they stared at the spot where Aizen had vanished.

"He’s really a troublesome guy. Let’s just take his clones to the mission site for now, then report this to the leader and Tobi later," Black Zetsu replied, merging into the ground.

After Black Zetsu left, Aizen paused in his step and glanced toward Konoha, muttering to himself, "Judging by the time, Danzo and Asuma’s child should be born soon."

At the same time, in the Land of Fire, within Konoha Village...

In a secret underground base, dim candlelight flickered as a breeze blew through, making the flames dance.

"You’re awake. How are you feeling now? I’ve locked down the news, so no one will know about your condition. You can rest and recover without worry," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, sitting by the bedside, looking at his once-rebellious son Asuma lying there, lifeless and despondent. A wave of pain washed over Hiruzen’s heart, and he let out a long sigh, unable to finish his sentence.

It had been nearly seven days since the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Uchiha clans were wiped out.

Konohamaru had already been discharged from the hospital and was taken back to the Hokage building by Hiruzen, where he was entrusted to Special Jonin Ebisu’s care to prevent further emotional damage to the young boy’s fragile heart.

To further protect Konohamaru, Hiruzen had immediately locked down the news that both he and Asuma had been castrated.

Given Asuma’s physique, despite losing some ribs and his "manhood," Konoha’s medical capabilities should have allowed him to recover quickly.

But in life, there are no guarantees.

During Asuma’s medical check-up, the medic-nin discovered something astonishing inside his body—an organ only found in females, and it already had a resident.

The life growing inside Asuma was incredibly vigorous, changing rapidly day by day.

In just a few days, Asuma’s stomach had ballooned like a ball.

The medics were terrified and immediately reported this to the hospital director, who in turn informed the Third Hokage.

Hiruzen was both shocked and conflicted—partly relieved that the Sarutobi family wouldn’t die out, but also horrified that his son, a grown man, was the one carrying the child.

If word of this got out, Hiruzen’s reputation as the "strongest Hokage" would be utterly ruined.

Still, to preserve the Sarutobi line, he decided to keep the child. He moved Asuma to a secret underground base, bringing along the medical staff who were aware of his condition.

*Chapter 59: Shimura’s Ambition and Danzō's Plot*

There was no choice, they had to go through with it.

They had used up all the medications.

And yet, the child was perfectly fine.

The medical ninjas said that unless they used forceful methods to extract the child, it would continue to grow until full term.

Fortunately, Konoha had plenty of skilled medical ninjas who could perform a C-section.

As for safety, they had it covered.

Worst case, after everything was done, they'd transfer them to Danzō's underground organization, ROOT.

That way, there wouldn't be anyone left to gossip.

Then, they'd simply alter the birth date and announce that the child was the last surviving orphan of the Sarutobi clan.

"Now you're telling me all this, but what's the point? Our whole clan was wiped out. Big Brother and Sister-in-law are dead, and yet you didn't even form a task force to avenge them. Are you really that scared of Fujiwara Aizen? Or are you just afraid of losing your position as Hokage?"

Sarutobi Asuma, heavily pregnant, stared lifelessly at the ceiling. He hadn't even glanced at his father, the Third Hokage, and his tone was calm, yet filled with resentment.

"Sigh, I know you're angry with me. But as Hokage, I had my reasons. First, we still don’t know the true identity of the killer. Even if it really was Fujiwara Aizen, Konoha, after the Sarutobi, Uchiha, and Shimura clans were wiped out, no longer has the strength to send out another task force."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed deeply.

Asuma erupted, "The only one capable of using Kurenai’s Genjutsu technique, Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, was him! He might have been wearing a mask, but even if he turned to ash, I'd recognize him. He even admitted it himself!"

"Which is exactly why I issued a wanted order. But Aizen's corpse was found in public. That's an undeniable fact, and the mask and sword were missing. Because of this, there are still many in the village who believe he was framed. I’ve been under a lot of pressure too," Hiruzen said, his tone full of helplessness.

"Say whatever you want. After all, you're the Hokage." Asuma’s tone softened, and he casually asked, "Old man, how’s Kurenai doing these days?"

"Aizen's betrayal hit her hard. She still hasn’t recovered from it. She’s voluntarily requested a transfer to the medical corps, stepping back from the front lines."

Hiruzen sighed deeply, momentarily reminded of his former student, Orochimaru. Then he added, "After you’ve had the child, maybe you can go see her."

"See her? In my current state? What right do I have to go see her? Should I go tell Kurenai that I’m a eunuch now, and pregnant to boot?"

A self-deprecating smile crossed Asuma's face, followed by a flash of hatred in his eyes. It was all Aizen's fault. He had destroyed the Sarutobi clan and ruined Asuma's body (PS: not a typo, or we could just use “life”).

Hiruzen felt a pang of pity for his son but couldn’t help asking, "Your belly only started showing the night of the massacre. Do you remember if the killer did anything else to you besides attacking you with a blade?"

Asuma paused, recalling the horrific memories from that night. Just before he blacked out, it seemed like someone had forced something down his throat.

"After castrating me, he shoved some kind of liquid into my mouth. Then I was kicked away and passed out."

Asuma seemed to remember something and quickly followed up, "Old man, when I confronted Fujiwara Aizen, it seemed like he had a deep grudge against you and the Sarutobi clan. Be honest, did you back him into some kind of corner, leading him to seek revenge?"

No one knew his father’s true nature better than Asuma.

He was a hypocrite—cold, calculating, and ruthless. It was precisely because Asuma despised his father’s vile nature that he left to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

But he soon realized that the Daimyō was just as corrupt.

Not much better than his old man. So, he came back.

All he wanted was to be with Kurenai and, through his "efforts," become Hokage.

Who would’ve thought things would turn out like this?

"Who told you that? I’ve always valued him, making him Kurenai’s disciple and even breaking the rules to promote him to jōnin. How could I have wronged him?" Hiruzen maintained his composure, stood up, and walked to the candlelit table, turning his back on Asuma.

Staring at the flickering candlelight, he felt a moment of regret.

Regret that he hadn’t seen through Aizen earlier, letting him become such a threat.

But it was too late for that now.

Life had to go on.

All he could do was hope that someone from the black market would eventually kill Aizen. If not, at least finding his body would be something.

That way, they could confirm the real culprit.

Unlike now, where the clan was wiped out, and there was still no definitive answer.

"When can I leave this place?" Asuma abruptly changed the topic.

The saying goes, "Like father, like son." The reverse is just as true.

Asuma no longer cared whether his father had driven Aizen to the brink or not. All he knew was that Aizen was now his mortal enemy.

Once his body healed, he would devote his life to vengeance.

If he ever crossed paths with Fujiwara Aizen again, he would kill him.

"The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow night. You’ll need about half a month to fully recover after that." Hiruzen paused and added, "I’ll announce to the public that this child is the last survivor of the Sarutobi clan. Have you thought of a name for the baby?"

"Tomorrow, huh?" Asuma let out a long sigh. His high-pitched voice carried a hint of complexity.

He was about to become a father. Yet the mother wasn’t Kurenai, the woman he truly loved.

And all of it was Aizen's fault.

That demon had destroyed him.

Asuma’s eyes flickered with a mixture of frustration, hatred, confusion, and a barely perceptible trace of bitter satisfaction, which ultimately turned into a sigh. He murmured to himself, "Sarutobi Mirai... I’ll name the child Sarutobi Mirai."

Whether the baby was a boy or girl, they would carry the hope of reviving the Sarutobi clan.

While Asuma was busy naming his child, things were far grimmer for Danzō.

Having drunk the childbearing water of the Mother and Child River a day before Asuma, Danzō had now reached the point of labor.

Because he had transplanted the cells of the First Hokage, ordinary anesthesia barely worked on him.

As a result, he endured the agony of an open surgery as they extracted the child.

"Waaah!"

With the sound of a baby crying, Danzō’s child was born.

It was a girl.

The ROOT medical ninja quickly stitched Danzō up.

Despite the immense pain, Danzō immediately ordered his subordinates to test whether his daughter had inherited the Wood Release ability.

The results thrilled Danzō. "Lord Danzō, we’ve detected some genes in the child similar to those of the First Hokage."

(End of chapter)

*Chapter 60: Black Zetsu Snitched on Me*

Hearing those words, Danzo was so excited that he almost jumped out of bed.

He was aware that Asuma Sarutobi was pregnant.

He was certain that it was Aizen's doing.

Before the extermination of the Sarutobi, Uchiha, and Shimura clans, he had summoned Aizen, though he didn’t know what Aizen had done to him.

But after that, his abdomen began to bloat inexplicably, and he experienced nausea, dry heaving, and fatigue—symptoms usually only seen in pregnant women.

After the massacre, Danzo immediately gathered the Root medical ninjas to examine him.

The results were identical to Asuma Sarutobi’s.

There was a little "house" inside him.

And inside that house, a little one was growing.

Though he didn’t know what Aizen’s intentions were.

Whether it was out of dark humor or revenge.

But holding on to the idea of continuing the Shimura lineage, Danzo ultimately decided to have the child.

Yet he never expected such a surprise.

The child was born.

But the "house" remained.

Did this mean he now had the potential to transform the Shimura clan into a Wood Release clan?

"Lord Danzo, the child is healthy. Have you thought of a name for the young lady?" At that moment, Root shinobi Yamanaka Fū’s words interrupted Danzo’s thoughts.

Danzo looked at the child and, after a moment of thought, said, "Let’s call her Shimura Kaen. This child will be the next Hokage after me."

When the second child was born, he planned to name him Shimura Kage.

As for the third, he’d have to think carefully.

Maybe Shimura Zanjin?

Aizen wasn’t aware that Danzo’s children had inherited a weakened version of the First Hokage’s cells. And even if he knew, he wouldn’t care, because at that moment, Konan had summoned him to her room.

"Do you have a problem with our organization?" Konan asked coldly, staring at Aizen, who was lounging on her couch as if it were his own home.

"No way! Free meals, free lodging, good pay after every mission, great benefits, and everyone speaks nicely. I love it here," Aizen said casually, lying back with his legs crossed and his hands behind his head.

"Then why have I heard you’ve been slacking off and using shadow clones to do your missions?" Konan’s eyes grew even colder.

Earlier that day, after Aizen had left, Black Zetsu had led his shadow clone to the right direction but immediately went to snitch to Obito, Konan, and Pain, who were discussing Akatsuki’s future plans.

"Using a shadow clone, huh? What a carefree guy," Obito said, feeling a headache coming on. He looked at Pain. "Any ideas? This guy just joined, and he’s already acting so casually. If he keeps this up when we start capturing tailed beasts, it could cause problems."

Nagato, controlling Pain, briefly sensed Aizen’s chakra, discovering that he was training somewhere in Amegakure. Remembering Aizen’s intel, he thought for a moment and said, "He’s the type who responds to kindness but resists force. If you push him too hard, he’ll just slack off even more."

"Let Konan handle it."

Nagato thought of the deal they had made with Aizen. As long as Uchiha Mikoto remained a weakness for him, there was no reason for him to refuse them.

"Konan?" Obito was a bit confused.

Then he recalled how Aizen had betrayed Konoha for a woman and publicly declared that no one but Konan was allowed in his quarters.

Sending Konan seemed like a good choice.

Thinking this, Obito turned to Konan and said seriously, "We’ll leave it to you."

"I understand," Konan replied coldly, nodding.

And that led to the current situation.

"Tch, it’s that old snitch Black Zetsu again, huh?" Aizen clicked his tongue.

Konan continued, "I know you’re powerful, and your chakra levels are among the highest in the organization. But nothing is absolute. Shadow clones have their limits. Since the organization provides you with everything you need, I hope you’ll take your missions seriously."

"As long as you complete the missions assigned to you, the organization won’t interfere with your free time."

"Fine, fine, what a hassle. I’ll track down that old snitch Black Zetsu tomorrow and complete the mission myself. How’s that?" Aizen said, sounding resigned.

"That’s for the best," Konan replied, nodding in satisfaction. Then she added, "If you have any requests before that, feel free to ask. The organization will do its best to accommodate you."

"Requests, huh?" Aizen paused, then suddenly looked at Konan with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "How about you become my partner?"

"Partner with me?" Konan blinked in confusion. "Why?"

"Teaming up with that creepy half-plant guy is gross. Plus, he loves snitching. At least you’re easier on the eyes," Aizen complained.

"Good-looking, huh..." Konan, like most women, couldn’t help but smile slightly when complimented on her appearance.

But then she thought of Nagato’s frail condition and quickly regained her cold demeanor, shaking her head firmly. "No. I already have a partner, and I help the leader run the organization. I can’t complete missions with you. You’ll have to wait for your new partner."

Three months later.

Aizen stood in front of a bandit camp.

With a single hand seal, he muttered, "Fire Release: Head-Hard Flame!"

A massive amount of chakra gathered in his throat, and he unleashed it in a fierce burst.

In an instant, the huge camp was engulfed in flames, leaving none of the nearly one hundred bandits alive.

"That was a pretty straightforward solution. It seems you’ve mastered Kakuzu’s jutsu quite well," Black Zetsu’s voice suddenly echoed in Aizen’s ear as a large Venus flytrap slowly emerged from the ground.

"It’s just a B-rank jutsu, no big deal." Aizen turned, looking annoyed. "By the way, is my new partner ready yet? If not, I’m fine with teaming up with Sister Konan. At least she’s nicer to look at."

"Looks like we’ve been rejected again," White Zetsu said with a mocking tone.

Ignoring White Zetsu, Black Zetsu continued, "Konan is the leader’s partner. She can’t team up with you. Your partner will take a bit more time."

"Tch, you old snitch. You’re just making excuses again. I haven’t even dealt with you for tattling on me last time," Aizen clicked his tongue, yawning in frustration. "So, where’s the next mission?"

"Takumi Village," Black Zetsu said as he handed over a scroll.