Mastermind of the Akatsuki

Jiraiya spoke in great detail, and the Third Hokage listened attentively. When he heard that the masked man had attacked the Eight-Tails jinchūriki, his expression shifted. If even the Eight-Tails could be targeted, then the Nine-Tails jinchūriki in Konoha was certainly in danger. Fortunately, the attack had failed.

Then came the incident of the Five Kage Summit. Hearing that the Fourth Raikage convened the summit to counter the masked man, the Third Hokage sighed, feeling he lacked such boldness. If Konoha's jinchūriki had been attacked under his watch, he would have opted to downplay the situation, covering it up as much as possible. But the Fourth Raikage had chosen to take the risk of inviting attacks from other villages by proposing an alliance against the masked man.

Thinking about this, the Third Hokage sighed lightly and asked, "So what was the outcome of the Five Kage Summit? Did the five great villages agree to unite against the masked man?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes, and not just the five great villages. Amegakure also joined. And because of Madara Uchiha's sudden appearance, we formed the Allied Shinobi Forces."

"Madara appeared, and you formed a shinobi alliance?" The Third Hokage frowned, puzzled. "Isn't the masked man Madara Uchiha? He might be strong, but attacking all five Kage at once seems overly arrogant."

Jiraiya shook his head. "It wasn't the masked man, it was the real Madara Uchiha. While the Fourth Raikage and I were pursuing the masked man, the real Madara launched a surprise attack."

"After the battle, we realized that what we had fought was merely a Wood Clone. Before leaving, he declared war on the entire shinobi world and told all the villages to prepare."

The Third Hokage's confusion deepened. A Wood Clone? Just a clone, yet it could suppress all the Kage present? But then again, he remembered the immense pressure from the battle at the Valley of the End when he was a child. Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage were legends, Konoha's strongest.

Only after growing up did he realize how much he had underestimated them. Compared to those two, his title as the "Professor" or "Strongest Hokage" was laughable. After a brief pause, the Third Hokage asked, "So who became the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces? Was it Ōnoki, or that brat A? Don't tell me it was Tsunade."

In the Third Hokage's view, only Tsunade, Ōnoki, or the Fourth Raikage could lead the alliance, since Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure were the strongest. Jiraiya shook his head. "None of them. But wait, how did you know Tsunade became Hokage? Did Orochimaru and Shisui even tell you that?"

"They did. They've never tried to hide such things from me. Maybe they think that even if I know, I can't do anything about it," the Third Hokage replied, his tone drawing sympathy from Jiraiya.

After all, they were both prisoners now. If the old man couldn't resist, his own chances were negligible. They were just two shinobi seeking some warmth in solidarity.

Jiraiya sighed and revealed, "The leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces isn't Ōnoki, A, or Tsunade. It's Byakuya from Amegakure, or more precisely, the leader of the Akatsuki, Byakuya. He defeated Madara's Wood Clone with overwhelming strength in front of everyone and became the undisputed leader of the alliance. But…"

Jiraiya paused for several seconds. He wasn't sure if he should reveal that Byakuya was the mastermind. For a shinobi, knowing too much could be dangerous.

Even Orochimaru and Shisui Uchiha might be Byakuya's pawns. The Third Hokage, puzzled by Jiraiya's hesitation, muttered, "To think Byakuya became the leader… Maybe he really inherited the Will of the First Hokage and Tobirama-sensei."

Just as Jiraiya remained indecisive, Orochimaru and Shisui appeared outside the cell. They glanced at the Third Hokage, then at Jiraiya. Orochimaru spoke slowly, "Jiraiya, you're about to say that Byakuya is working with Madara Uchiha, aren't you? That's not a secret to us."

Jiraiya's expression changed slightly, and the Third Hokage was visibly shocked. Byakuya, the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces, colluding with Madara Uchiha, those words, strung together, made perfect sense. If those two joined forces, they could crush the entire shinobi world.

Jiraiya glared at them warily. "Orochimaru, Shisui Uchiha… if I'm not wrong, you two are Byakuya's subordinates, right? What's your purpose in capturing me and the old man?"

"To stop you from dying in vain," Orochimaru said with a smirk. "And why are you so sure that Shisui-kun and I would be loyal to Byakuya? Just because he's stronger than us?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. Was there still a chance? Orochimaru continued, "A few months ago, Byakuya told me about his plan with Madara Uchiha. But I thought it was nonsense. I have no interest in this so-called Infinite Tsukuyomi. Escaping reality through genjutsu is something only cowards would do."

"I will never entrust my fate to someone else. In a world of illusions, I cannot pursue the limits of ninjutsu or uncover this world's true secrets." His declaration made Jiraiya and the Third Hokage frown. Orochimaru was still the same, mad, unrealistic, obsessed with ninjutsu. Yet compared to monsters like Byakuya and Madara, even a lunatic like him seemed almost sane.

Madara Uchiha wanted to bring eternal happiness through a dream. Byakuya wanted to use the threat of Madara to unite the shinobi world. Both plans, if even slightly mismanaged, could bring catastrophe. In contrast, Orochimaru's human experiments were relatively tame.

After listening to Orochimaru, Jiraiya and the Third Hokage turned to Shisui. With an emotionless face, Shisui said, "I don't care about the fate of the shinobi world or Konoha. But Byakuya and Madara Uchiha's plans threaten the Uchiha. For the sake of the Uchiha, I'll fight them to the death."

His voice was filled with unwavering resolve. Jiraiya and the Third Hokage could not doubt him. Shisui had once embodied the Will of Fire, but after Danzō's betrayal, he had lost faith in that ideal. Now, he cared only about his clan.

Taking a deep breath, Jiraiya looked toward Orochimaru and Shisui, a flicker of hope in his eyes. "Since you both oppose Madara and Byakuya… then what do you plan to do next? Are you going to join forces with us?"

Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya, then shook his head.

"Besides strength, the old man is worthless. As for you, Jiraiya, you've accomplished nothing all these years. I can't trust either of you. However, if you're willing to follow orders, Shisui and I might be willing to spare you, and we can come to some kind of arrangement."

Jiraiya and the Third Hokage exchanged a glance. Then Jiraiya said, "We're willing to join you. But with how terrifying the strength of Byakuya and Madara Uchiha is, how do you two plan to deal with them?"

Orochimaru smiled mysteriously and said, "What we can't do doesn't mean the previous Hokage can't. Old man, you've seen the power of the First and Second Hokage, haven't you?"

"You plan to use the Edo Tensei?"

The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't approve of Orochimaru's approach.

Orochimaru spread his hands and said, "Besides summoning the past Hokage, who else do you think can go against Madara and Byakuya?"

The Third Hokage fell silent. He knew that to face those two, Edo Tensei might truly be the only option. But to recklessly disturb the slumber of the former Hokage…

Just as he tried to object, he said, "Orochimaru, it's true that the jutsu can summon the First and Second Hokage, but they won't be able to unleash their full power. Even with Edo Tensei, I doubt it will…"

Orochimaru let out a mocking laugh. "Old man, do you think Shisui and I spared your life without a reason? We've already mastered a way to let the reanimated shinobi regain most of their power. But this method, while allowing them to retain most of their strength from life, also causes us to lose control over them. The reanimations become dangerously unstable. That's why we need you to persuade the First and Second Hokage to fight for our side."

"You want me, the Third Hokage, to face the First and Second Hokage?"

Just the thought made the Third Hokage's scalp tingle. He didn't know how he'd face such a situation. In today's Konoha, he was the oldest and most respected shinobi. No one dared question him. But before Hashirama and Tobirama, he was just a fledgling boy barely starting out.

If they found out what had happened to Konoha over the years…

Orochimaru saw through the Third Hokage's thoughts and said mockingly, "Sensei, what's wrong? Don't you even have the courage to face the First and Second? Or are you just afraid of them?"

The Third Hokage's heart trembled. He quickly forced himself to preserve his dignity. "I just feel it's extremely disrespectful to disturb their rest. But for the sake of Konoha and the shinobi world, I'm willing to persuade them."

Jiraiya looked at the old man in disbelief. "You're seriously going along with Orochimaru's plan? That jutsu is a forbidden technique in the village!"

The Third Hokage glanced at Jiraiya. "Forbidden techniques are jutsu used only in times of absolute crisis. Isn't this the most dangerous time of all? If the First and Second Hokage decide to hold someone accountable, I'll take full responsibility."

Jiraiya held back his emotions for a long while before finally saying with deep emotion, "Old man, you… you've carried too much for the sake of the village."

Off to the side, Shisui rolled his eyes. He really wanted to punch the old man. Even after becoming a prisoner, the Third Hokage was still putting on this benevolent facade. Back then, he himself had been fooled by that image, until Danzō took him down.

But for the sake of Byakuya-sama's plan, he kept his thoughts to himself.

After both sides reached an agreement, Orochimaru and Shisui transferred Jiraiya and the Third Hokage from the prison to the Root laboratory, where they would carry out the Edo Tensei ritual.

Before reaching the lab, the Third Hokage had plenty of his own calculations. Orochimaru's use of that jutsu was indeed desecration of the dead, but to him, this was also an opportunity he couldn't afford to miss.

If he could reanimate the First Hokage and Tobirama-sensei at their peak, then the balance of power in their group would shift; no longer would Orochimaru and Shisui hold the reins. That power would return to Hashirama and Tobirama. That was the confidence he placed in them, and also the confidence he had in himself as their student.

But when they arrived at the Root lab, both the Third Hokage and Jiraiya were stunned. Nearly a dozen Uchiha shinobi stood there, all with fully activated three-tomoe Sharingan, and all capable of using Wood Release.

Even more shocking, Orochimaru had already reanimated a large number of ninja. Each one of those souls had been among the best in their respective fields during their lifetime.

With such a formidable lineup, even the First and Second Hokage might not be able to turn the tide.

Orochimaru noticed the Third Hokage's expression and curled his lips into a faint smile. He knew his former teacher too well. Precisely because he knew him, he had prepared all this in advance.

As they walked deeper into the lab, the Third Hokage saw three kneeling white figures. In the past, he might have assumed Orochimaru had captured innocent people for the ritual, but now he understood. These were clones known as White Zetsu, subordinates of Madara Uchiha.

Using Madara's own minions to revive the First and Second Hokage… it wasn't a bad option.

After a moment's thought, the Third Hokage said, "Orochimaru, when will the ritual begin? Besides the First and Second, who else do you plan to summon?"

Orochimaru casually replied, "Of course, the Fourth Hokage. I never liked him, but he's at least a strong fighter. Who knows, he might prove useful at a critical moment."

"The Fourth…"The Third Hokage's mind conjured the image of that spirited blond ninja and he sighed inwardly. If it had been him who died in the Nine-Tails' attack instead of Minato Namikaze… would things in Konoha have turned out better?

While the Third Hokage was lost in thought, Orochimaru had already completed the hand seals. Slamming his palm onto the ground, he called out, "Forbidden Technique: Edo Tensei!"