OberonLA

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 279

Chapter 279: From Today On, You Are Danzo

Upon seeing the shuriken-like pattern in the Mangekyō Sharingan, despair surfaced on Danzo's face. He knew the power of the Genjutsu Kotoamatsukami, which could quietly alter one's will. He wasn't sure whether his true self would remain after his will was modified.

The only thing he could foresee was that his dream of becoming Hokage was completely shattered.

From now on, Konoha would fall under the control of the two cunning indivi...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 278

Chapter 278: Shisui uses Kotoamatsukami

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Danzo’s eyes widened in shock as he fixed his gaze on the young boy standing before him. Despite the boy using a transformation technique to disguise himself, his playful demeanor and harmless smile made Danzo immediately recognize him as Byakuya, the very person who had once toyed with him and caused him so much apprehension.

But why was Byakuya here? Shouldn’t he be in Amegakure?

In that brief mom...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 277

Chapter 277: Do You Want to Become a Rogue Ninja?

In the ninja world, Sharingan genjutsu isn’t considered the most powerful. It can be broken with a simple disturbance in chakra.

But the premise is that external help is needed; otherwise, it is impossible to break the Sharingan genjutsu. This is why the Uchiha clan has always been so strong in one-on-one combat—they are adept at using their Sharingan.

However, just now, Danzo had broken free from the genjutsu in half a s...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 276

Chapter 276: Danzo-sama, What Are You Planning?

"Danzo-sama invited me to discuss the future of the Uchiha?" 

Shisui was momentarily stunned before showing a hint of surprise. 

The Root ninja did not elaborate further. He left behind a cold warning, “You’d better arrive on time,” before disappearing into the depths of the forest. 

After the Root ninja left, Shisui opened the handwritten message from Danzo. The note detailed the time and location of...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 275

Chapter 275: Danzo's Invitation

Half an hour later, Root leader Danzo and the two elder advisors arrived at the Hokage building.

Once seated, Danzo noticed that the Third Hokage’s expression seemed off. Frowning, he asked, “Sarutobi, what urgent matter prompted you to call us here?”

The Third Hokage nodded and got straight to the point. “Shisui just came to see me and reported something very important—it concerns the Uchiha. Some members within the Uchiha clan are ...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 274

Chapter 274: The Fearsome Kotoamatsukami 

Days later, under Byakuya's instructions, Shisui arrived alone at the Hokage building. 

As a member of the Anbu, Shisui’s identity ensured that he faced no resistance on his way. He easily reached the entrance to the Hokage's office. 

Knocking on the door and receiving the Third Hokage’s permission, Shisui slowly stepped inside. 

Inside the office, the Third Hokage was leisurely playing with his crystal ...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 273

Chapter 273: I Need Your Loyalty 

"Byakuya-sama, the Uchiha need your help," Shisui said. 

Upon receiving Shisui's message, Byakuya opened a drawer full of prepared plans for the Night of the Uchiha Massacre. He carefully considered which strategy to hand over to Shisui for execution. 

After some thought, Byakuya destroyed all the plans, dismissing the idea entirely. 

The Uchiha were never particularly clever, and if they failed to grasp his intenti...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 272

Chapter 272: Shisui's Resolve 

At dawn the next day, after reporting to Ryuma, a jonin, Itachi was assigned a surveillance mission. The target of his surveillance? None other than his own clan—the Uchiha. 

With a heavy heart, Itachi arrived at the ANBU surveillance room. 

The room was filled with countless screens, displaying nearly every corner of the Uchiha clan's district. Except for a few places like the Police Force Headquarters and Naka Shrine, the res...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 271

Chapter 271: Itachi and Obito

After conversing under the moonlight for a while, Shisui and Itachi both felt considerably better. 

Although there were ideological conflicts between the two, at their core, both sought to save their clan and prevent a clash between the Uchiha and the village. 

After encouraging each other, Shisui and Itachi left the cliff and headed in the direction of their respective homes. 

… 

On his way home, besides contem...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 270

Chapter 270: A New Choice for the Uchiha 

The Uchiha clan meeting had lasted less than an hour, but to Itachi, it felt as though he had endured a full year. Surrounded by clansmen who only knew how to demand but not contribute, a feeling of disgust quietly stirred in his heart. 

He couldn’t understand why his clan could be so foolish, so short-sighted, and incapable of considering the greater good. 

Even setting aside the slim odds of success for a coup, eve...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 269

Chapter 269: Danzo's Successor 

During the mission debriefing, Itachi provided a meticulous and detailed account of the task, though Danzo listened with little interest. 

To Danzo, a rogue Jōnin—regardless of their elite status—was insignificant. Against the vast military power of Konoha, no lone traitor could cause any real upheaval. 

Instead, Danzo’s attention remained firmly on Itachi. In his heart, he was determined to mold Itachi into a fine subord...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 268

Chapter 268: Two Spies

Kabuto observed Danzo's reaction closely, quietly musing to himself.

Danzo was one of Konoha's high-ranking officials, the head of Root, and could dispatch entire squads of ninjas with a mere wave of his hand, orchestrating "unexplained accidents" for any troublesome Jonin.

Yet, the moment Byakuya’s name was mentioned, Danzo’s composure cracked. His face clearly revealed tension and unease, which left Kabuto curious—what exactly had Lord Byakuya ...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 267

Chapter 267: The Suspicious Danzo 

[Upper Jonin Nonō has joined the Akatsuki. You have received the "Walking Priestess’ Intelligence Specialization."] 

[Walking Priestess’ Intelligence Specialization: After serving as a spy across the ninja world for over a decade, Nonō developed a method for quickly training spies, refined during her time running an orphanage.] 

Hearing the system notification in his mind, Byakuya casually clicked to claim the reward. H...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 266

Chapter 266: Kitsuchi's Mission 

Not long after Byakuya and Konan left, Kitsuchi led the Iwagakure ANBU to the outskirts of the training ground. 

Even from several kilometers away, he could hear explosions booming intermittently and saw the blinding light of a Dust Release beam. His heart began to worry about the old man’s health. 

Although the old man was one of the most powerful shinobi in the ninja world, his age was catching up to him. His stamina and re...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 265

Chapter 265: The Shadow of Ōnoki

“Cloud is a bandit, Sand is weak, and Mist is embroiled in the Blood Mist Crisis. Among all the ninja villages in the world, only Ōnoki-sensei’s Iwagakure can be our cooperation partner.”

Without realizing it, Byakuya had already started addressing Ōnoki as “Ōnoki-sensei” instead of “Tsuchikage-sama.”

Ōnoki noticed the change in address but didn’t comment on it. Instead, he accepted Byakuya’s respectful tone with a smil...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 264

Chapter 264: Discussing Villages Over Wine 

Hearing this, Ōnoki squinted his eyes slightly, becoming even more intrigued by Byakuya. 

Due to its geographic constraints, despite being one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Iwagakure lags far behind the Land of Fire's Konoha in terms of wealth and commission opportunities. 

Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the only one they surpass in wealth is Sunagakure, located in the arid desert. 

However,...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 263

Chapter 263: Negotiation

Under the cleansing power of Dust Release, the vines and rocks disintegrated into their atomic states. After completing the technique, Ōnoki steadied himself, clutching his aging back, and used sensory ninjutsu to confirm no remaining chakra signatures in the vicinity. Finally, he let out a long, relieved sigh. 

He hadn’t initially intended to unleash such a massive Dust Release technique. The immense chakra cost and uncontrollable power risked har...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 262

Chapter 262: Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World 

Provoked by Byakuya’s taunts, Ōnoki initiated an attack. 

He first descended to the ground, forming hand seals before slamming his palms onto the earth. Instantly, he lifted a massive boulder weighing several tons and hurled it violently toward Byakuya’s position. 

With a swift movement, Byakuya vanished and easily evaded the falling rock. He reappeared atop another boulder, his face brimming w...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 261

Chapter 261: Byakuya, Who Respects the Elderly and Loves the Young 

As the battle between Deidara and Konan reached a fever pitch, both began using explosive tags and explosive clay without holding back, hoping to determine the ultimate winner through mutual bombardment. 

The synergy between the two caused the surrounding landscape to be riddled with craters, as if it had endured a war of the Shinobi World. 

Faced with such a scale of combat, Byakuya remained ...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 260

Chapter 260: The Art of Explosion and the Explosion of Art

"This..." Kabuto hesitated, unsure whether he should speak.

In front of others, he could keep secrets well, but his resolve wavered when it came to the director.

Seeing his reaction, Nonō refrained from pressing further. Whether Kabuto was a spy infiltrating the orphanage or someone trained there to become one, she was certain their familial bond was genuine.

If her questioning would put Kabuto in a difficult ...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 259

Chapter 259: The Spy’s Fate (Part 3)

"She is…?" 

Hearing Byakuya's words, Kabuto's face turned pale, and his breathing grew rapid. He had already deduced the identity of the target. 

The traitor Danzo wanted him to eliminate was most likely none other than the orphanage director, Nono Yakushi. 

The reasoning was straightforward. Due to the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, very few within Root opposed Danzo. Those who did were either people with sensit...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 258

Chapter 258: The Spy's Fate (Part 2) 

Deidara, a genius youth from Iwagakure, mastered the secret technique of Explosion Release at a young age. With this ability, he could craft various bombs from clay and even achieve the power of flight. 

If all had gone as expected, Deidara might have married Kurotsuchi and paved his way to becoming the Fourth Tsuchikage. 

However, fate played a cruel trick on him. During a rebellious escapade to avoid confinement, Deidara...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 257

Chapter 257: The Spy's Fate (Part 1)

After the situation in the Land of Snow fully stabilized, Byakuya and Konan began their journey back to Amegakure.

When the two arrived at the Land of Snow’s port, the nation's reward for their efforts came belatedly. Compared to the profits from their conquest of the Sky Ninja Village, the reward from the Land of Snow was pitifully small.

Aside from a few Ice Release techniques that could only be used in polar conditions, the only othe...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 256

Chapter 256: The Reward from the Hidden Sky Village

Upon seeing the rewards of Dark Medical Ninjutsu and Body Revival Technique, Byakuya was momentarily stunned. However, through the system prompts and the memories in his mind, he quickly understood the purpose of these two secret techniques.

In simple terms, both jutsus enhanced the upper limit of physical strength while also offering some healing abilities and immunity to minor injuries.

For Byakuya, who possessed traces o...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 255

Chapter 255: Recruitment work can sometimes rely on subordinates

"A true puppet master can control their puppets without chakra threads; your understanding of puppet techniques is shallow," Sasori said, his tone edged with disdain.

Upon hearing this, Shinnō and Orochimaru both fell silent. Sasori was right—they had indeed underestimated the full scope of puppet mastery, assuming that chakra threads were the only method. Shinnō’s loss, therefore, wasn’t entirely unwarranted...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 254

Chapter 254: The Genius Puppeteer

After successfully repelling the joint assault from Sasori of the Red Sand and Orochimaru, a manic grin appeared on Shinnō’s face. His confidence soaring, he taunted them, "Orochimaru, if this is all you've got, you should get on your knees and beg for mercy now. Maybe, if I’m in a good mood, I’ll let you both live!"

(AN: Classic Chinese troupe. Sigh.)

Hearing this, both Sasori and Orochimaru’s expressions turned odd. This was Shinn...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 253

Chapter 253: The Secret Technique of Flesh Activation

Leaping down from the cliff, Sasori and Orochimaru walked confidently toward the hidden Sky Ninja Village. Before they reached the heart of the village, a group of Sky Ninja, wary and hostile, quickly surrounded them.

These Sky Ninja were remnants of their once-feared village, having survived in secrecy for years. Their ultimate goal was to see their floating fortress soar through the skies once more and take revenge on the Kon...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 252

Chapter 252: Divergence on Immortality

In Byakuya’s memory, after the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War in the original timeline, the shinobi world enjoyed more than a decade of peace.

During this time, the nations of the shinobi world developed various chakra-based weapons that rivaled the power of tailed beasts. For example, Kumogakure developed the chakra cannon, while Kirigakure created an entire chakra-powered fleet—testaments to the vast potential of chakra technology....

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 251

Chapter 251: This Is the Treasure We Need

Seeing this scene, both the remaining Yukigakure (Snow Ninja) shinobi and Koyuki, Konan, and the others were deeply shocked, taking a long moment to process what had just happened.

Doto’s strength was widely recognized by Yukigakure’s ninja. They believed that while his power might not rival the Five Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it was not far behind. Yet, before Byakuya, their leader Doto couldn’t resist at all.

Ko...

Mastermind of the Akatsuki 250

Chapter 250: Dominant Suppression

When Byakuya saw the Snow Ninja captain use Ice Release, he initially thought that the Yuki clan from Kirigakure, who possessed the true Ice Release kekkei genkai, might have fled here to escape Obito’s persecution and joined the Snow Ninja Village. However, after defeating the captain, Byakuya realized that these Snow Ninja weren’t from the Yuki clan.

Their Ice Release techniques relied on the frigid climate of the Land of Snow and the amplif...