"And just like that… the original Akatsuki was destroyed."
A quiet heaviness settled over the room again.
"Their leader, Yahiko — dead.
One of the founders, Nagato — crippled.
Their members — slaughtered.
Their dream — shattered."
No one interrupted.
No one even dared to breathe loudly.
---
"After everything collapsed," Akira continued, "a mysterious masked man contacted Nagato."
Jiraiya's eyes widened—not in shock, but in recognition, as if a puzzle piece had finally clicked into place.
"That man manipulated Nagato. Twisted him. Brainwashed him. And in his despair…" Akira's voice lowered, "…Nagato believed him."
Akira leaned back in his chair, expression unreadably calm.
"From that moment onward, the second Akatsuki was born.
The Akatsuki you all know today."
---
"After Yahiko's death, Nagato lost his belief in idealistic peace," Akira said quietly. "He came to believe that true peace can only be achieved by shocking the world with a fear so great that no one would dare start another war."
Silence deepened.
"'If everyone feels the same overwhelming pain,'" Akira quoted, "'they will hesitate before fighting again.'"
A few shinobi looked down at their hands.
Nagato's reasoning wasn't… entirely unreasonable. That made it worse.
"He wanted to build a weapon of such unimaginable destruction that nations would fear even thinking about war. The threat of shared suffering, he believed, would create temporary peace.
Not real peace.
Not lasting peace.
But a cycle. A pause. A balance born from terror."
Akira's words seemed to echo against the walls, lingering like ghosts.
"The world would know pain," he said softly, "and through pain… understand peace."
---
The room was so silent it felt as though sound itself had died.
Not even the faint rustling of paper or the hum of chakra in the Hokage's office existed. A heavy pressure—like an invisible tide—settled over everyone.
They understood something fundamental:
Nagato had not been born evil.
He had been pushed—bit by bit—from idealistic peace… to ruthless peace.
A peace demanded through death.
A peace soaked in blood.
Even though every shinobi present doubted idealistic peace could ever truly exist… they all wished it could. Because the path Nagato chose was one no sane world should ever walk.
Finally, Akira inhaled.
"After Yahiko's death, Nagato rebuilt Akatsuki from the ashes. He began taking missions—high-level ones. He recruited wandering S-class criminals. He intervened in wars between nations, turning chaos into profit."
Many flinched at the word.
Profit.
Profit through Chaos.
Pain converted into income.
"Akatsuki became more than a terrorist group," Akira continued. "They became a business empire built on violence."
He paused.
"They operated in the black market—assassinations, forbidden jutsu retrievals, battlefield manipulation. Anything that brought money, they took. Because all of it was preparation. Accumulation. A foundation."
Tsunade frowned. "A foundation for what?"
Akira's expression hardened.
"To build a weapon. The weapon Nagato seeks."
He let the silence stretch.
"The Ten Tails."
Confusion rippled across the room.
"There are nine tailed beasts," Jiraiya said weakly. "Where does a tenth come from?"
Even Kakashi looked shaken.
Akira remained steady.
"In the ancient era, the Nine Tailed Beasts didn't exist. They were born from a single entity—the Ten Tails. The Sage of Six Paths divided its power into nine halves. Those halves became the tailed beasts."
He pointed outside.
"And its body… is the Outer Path Golem. The one Nagato summoned. The one that killed everyone that day."
The temperature of the room seemed to drop.
"So we've been living in a world built on half-truths," Tsunade whispered.
Akira nodded.
Jiraiya's face had gone pale.
"So you're saying Nagato will gather all nine tailed beasts… force them back into the golem… and revive the Ten Tails?"
Akira nodded once.
"You're exactly right."
Jiraiya's hands trembled. Not from fear.
From guilt.
"So our mission," Akira said,
" 1) is to stop Nagato's rise. To defeat him before he reaches that stage.
2) stop the fourth great Ninja war from happening. "
Everyone leaned forward.
"We will demand that Nagato kills the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails jinchūriki. And in return… Konoha will hand him the true culprit of Yahiko's death."
" I know Danzo would agree to it as Chronarch once heard Danzo saying
Everything I do is for the sake of Konoha
So we will give him the chance"
Gasps filled the room.
He continued:
"With the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails gone, the Hidden Cloud will be forced into silence for at least a year. Other nations will hesitate to act as well—they will be too afraid for their own jinchūriki. No one will start a war with Konoha until Akatsuki has been dealt with."
Another wave of silence washed over them.
Tsunade leaned forward, fingers tapping lightly against the desk.
Her voice was calm, but her eyes carried the sharpness of a war strategist.
"I have a doubt," she said. "What if the Akatsuki also sees through our plan?"
Everyone turned to her.
"It's openly visible that while we are sacrificing Danzo, we're also pushing for the deaths of the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails jinchūriki. If Akatsuki plans to revive the Ten Tails, then their strength must be far beyond ordinary. They have many S-rank criminals. If I were their leader…"
Her gaze hardened.
"…I would take all tailed beasts at once. So other nations would have no time to react."
Itachi's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Even Kakashi couldn't deny the logic.
Tsunade continued:
"But according to your plan, Akira… if they are not ready yet, they might intentionally avoid taking the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails right now. Because that would expose them. Or worse—if we give them the mission, what happens if Akatsuki acts early? Or attacks all jinchūriki simultaneously?"
The room stiffened at the possibility.
Before the tension could deepen further, Akira smiled lightly.
"Your concern makes sense, Tsunade-sama," he said. "But the reality is simpler than that."
Everyone focused on him.
"For now, Akatsuki is not ready. Nagato wants the Ten Tails, yes—but even if Akatsuki wanted to attack every village right now, they physically can't."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Reason?"
Akira answered with the weight of certainty.
"The Three-Tails hasn't even been reborn yet. It will take at least three to four years. Without it, forming the Ten Tails is impossible. Meaning: even if they capture all the others today, they still cannot complete their plan. If they can't form Ten-tails immediately after capturing the tailed beast then the whole ninja world would fight to death with Akatsuki."
Akira continued:
"So what we're giving Nagato… is bait."
He let the word settle.
"If Nagato takes it, we strike two birds with one stone."
His fingers lifted—two points in the air.
"First: the Hidden Cloud Village loses Two-Tails and Eight-Tails. Their morale and military power collapse instantly.
Second: Akatsuki exposes itself to the world. Their movements, their power, their methods—everything becomes visible."
A cold smile tugged at Akira's lips.
"And knowing Nagato… knowing his arrogance, his God-complex… he will not resist the bait. He believes he is invincible. He will take the mission."
Jiraiya exhaled slowly.
Tsunade, however, wasn't done.
She leaned forward again.
Her voice dropped.
"One last question, Akira."
He nodded for her to continue.
"If Akatsuki wants all the tailed beasts… then why attack the Hidden Cloud first? Why not come for Nine-Tails? Why not attack Konoha and take Danzo as well?"
The room froze.
The question had weight—real, tactical weight.
Even Kakashi closed his book.
Even Jiraiya straightened.
Akira didn't answer immediately.
He lowered his eyes, thinking.
When he finally spoke, the room held its breath.
"…Because of strength."
Everyone looked at him.
He elaborated:
"Everyone in the ninja world knows that Konoha is currently the strongest village. Not by a small margin—by a massive one. We have you and Jiraiya, both peak Kage-level. Itachi has been rising at an incredible speed. And Danzo… although he is no longer capable, the world still believes he is a Kage-level powerhouse."
He paused, letting the point sink in.
"Konoha has the deepest jutsu library, the most dangerous sealing techniques, most number of ninja clans and the strongest defensive capability."
His voice lowered.
"And above all… Nine-Tails is the hardest to capture."
A few nodded unconsciously.
"So of course," Akira concluded, "Akatsuki will leave Nine-Tails for last. They will avoid Konoha until the very end. Attacking us first would be suicide."
Silence followed his words.
---
Akira rose from his seat, dusted off his clothes, and turned toward Itachi.
"And so," he said calmly, "the responsibility falls onto you.
You will be the one to restrain Danzo."
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained silent.
Akira continued:
"You can seal all of his classified memories.
All his forbidden jutsu knowledge.
Everything he has ever buried inside that mind of his—absorb it."
A few shinobi stiffened at how casually Akira said it.
"Then," Akira added, "you will strip him of Hashirama cell on his body.
Every fragment. Do not leave even a speck."
He reached into his sleeve.
"And finally… take Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan from him."
Gasps shook the room.
Tsunade's fingers tightened around the edge of her desk.
Kakashi unconsciously touched his own eye.
Akira placed something on the table—a thin, metallic needle, dark red markings swirling around it like living ink.
"This," Akira said softly, "you will insert into his internal organs. Deep.
Do not pierce the heart—pierce around it."
He slid the needle toward Itachi, who stared at it with visible confusion.
"This mark," Akira continued, tapping the design with his finger, "belongs to the Chronarch.
The instant Nagato agrees to the deal… this mark will activate."
His voice dropped, almost whispering:
"And when Danzo is delivered to him… the Chronarch can kill him instantly."
A heavy silence followed.
It was Fugaku who finally broke it.
"…Akira."
His voice trembled in a way no one had ever heard.
"Why… does Danzo have Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Everyone turned to him.
Fugaku's eyes burned—not in rage, but in something far deeper.
Fear.
Hope.
Pain.
"And when," Fugaku continued, "did Shisui awaken the Mangekyō in the first place?"
Every head turned toward Akira.
Itachi's breathing stopped.
Even Jiraiya leaned forward.
For the first time in the entire meeting, Akira didn't remain calm.
He slowly lifted his head.
A smile carved its way across his lips—wide, wild, almost relieved.
As if he had been waiting.
Waiting for someone to ask.
Waiting for this exact moment.
His eyes glimmered—not with mischief, but nostalgia. Power. And tragedy.
"Well…" he said quietly, voice dripping with emotion,
"…to answer that…"
He exhaled.
"…I must tell you all a tale."
The room leaned in.
A story waited.
A truth buried under years of silence.
A legend no one had ever heard.
Akira's voice lowered.
"The tale of Uchiha Shisui…"
....