Chapter – 696 Unexpected Encounter With Akatsuki

Drip! Drip!

In a dark and damp cave, the intermittent sound of water droplets falling resonated. Danzō assumed the lotus position, seemingly oblivious to the water droplets cascading onto his head. In truth, he might not have even registered the constant rainfall.

His mind, saturated with tumultuous emotions, had the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan spinning rapidly. Despite the whirlwind in his eyes, they appeared unfocused, as if ensnared in a Genjutsu. In this state, he muttered to himself, "Just you all wait... As soon as I obtain those eyes, I will become the strongest in the Shinobi World. Akatsuki, Amatsukami—none will escape my dominance!"

"The shinobi world belongs to me and me alone. Konoha belongs to me and me alone... Tobirama-sensei, I am going to show you how I unify the Shinobi world and bring glory to Konoha!" 

Danzō's internal turmoil spilled out in a torrent of words. His emotions, bordering on uncontrollable, transformed his muttering into fervent declarations.

"Oh, it's not that I hate you or anything," he began, his voice tinged with obsession. "I just want you to understand that your decision to make Sarutobi the Hokage was WRONG! It should have been me! A weakling like Sarutobi doesn't deserve to be Hokage... under his leadership, the village has only decayed and will continue to decay! Only I am capable of bringing back Konoha's former glory and leading the village forward!"

Witnessing Danzō in this state, an observer would likely conclude that he had become completely immersed in his own world of illusion. His descent seemed irreversible, marked by the transition from muttering in self-hypnotism to hysterical shouting and roaring.

"Only I, Shimura Danzō, am a worthy Hokage. Others are just trash!" he exclaimed with a maniacal laughter. "Konoha, Konoha is obviously mine. The entire Shinobi world is mine. Everything belongs to me and me alone!"

As Danzō continued muttering in the depths of his self-induced illusions, an eerie atmosphere surrounded him, the faint sound of footsteps reached his ears, abruptly pulling him out of his trance. With a peculiar smirk, he mumbled, "Are you finally here?"

Soon, a group of shinobi clad in black with red cloud prints materialized before him. Observing them, Danzō's initial excitement shifted to disappointment. "Oh, it's just your group..."

However, as he noticed the eyes of the approaching individuals, his disappointment transformed into excitement. With a smirk, he uttered, "Rinnegan... Really wonderful Dōjutsu... I wonder what my eyes will be like after they evolve...? Heh, they will definitely be stronger than the Rinnegan!"

Without a doubt, the individuals standing before Danzō were the Six Paths of Pain. Deva Path regarded Danzō with indifference, his gaze fixed on Danzō's eyes, as he muttered, "So, he really has the Mangekyou Sharingan..."

Deva Path's reaction to Danzō's possession of the Mangekyou Sharingan was neither surprise nor concern. To him, it was merely a pair of eyes, nothing that warranted excessive attention.

As Danzō rose from the ground, he sighed, "I hadn't expected that the person who would find me first would be you, but it doesn't really matter. Let me test the power of your eyes."

Facing Deva Path, the individual who had singlehandedly destroyed Konoha, Danzō displayed no trace of fear. Instead, he seemed eager for the confrontation, stating, "You'll be a good warm-up before I fight them."

Deva Path, somewhat surprised, remarked, "So it seems you have been waiting for someone else to find you..." He then shook his head and added, "Oh well, not that it matters, since I am going to put an end to your life today." 

"Me, and die, especially at your hands?" Danzō sneered. "You send a bunch of puppets and dare to assert that you are going to put an end to my life? Humph, you barely know my power! Whether it's your Akatsuki Organization or the Amatsukami Organization... all will be destroyed by me! This shinobi world will only be ruled by me!"

Unfazed by Danzō's arrogance and provocations, Deva Path ceased engaging in words. Instead, he raised his hand and muttered, "Shinra Tensei!"

…

In another cave.

Madara' and Zetsu proceeded into the cave, finding Shimura Danzō seated in the lotus position. As the three members of the Akatsuki Organization approached, Danzō emitted a cold snort. "I didn't expect that the Akatsuki Organization would dare to come to me looking for trouble... I will remember this. Consider yourselves lucky this time!"

Without waiting for further words, he swiftly weaved a series of hand signs. With a 'poof,' his body exploded into a burst of white smoke and disappeared.

Zetsu remarked, "Shadow Clone. It seems that this location is the wrong one. This means Nagato will be the one fighting Shimura Danzō." 

"So, it seems," muttered 'Madara,' his expression thoughtful. He continued, "But something is bugging me."

Zetsu, puzzled, asked, "What?"

'Madara' explained, "From the way Shimura Danzō's clone reacted to my arrival, he wasn't surprised or panicked that someone located him. He seemed rather disappointed, as if he was expecting someone else to find him. However, the person he was expecting didn't come..."

Zetsu frowned and said, "Aren't you thinking a bit too much? The reason he didn't panic is probably only because he was a clone and not the original him. I doubt he would have remained so calm if it were the original him."

Shaking his head, 'Madara' disagreed, "I don't think so." After a brief pause, he added, "In any case, send a few of your clones to Nagato's side and instruct them to be careful. It seems there is something more happening here than we know."

Zetsu expressed his surprise, saying, "Alright." He then added, "But I still think that you are probably worrying too much. Even if there's more to it than we know, we don't need to worry about Nagato. That guy is a monster through and through, and no one except Yama is his opponent. Even if Shimura Danzō has absorbed some Kekkei Genkai and has gotten his hands on the Mangekyou Sharingan, he is no match for Nagato."

'Madara' responded with a light mutter, "I hope that's the case."

In the Shinobi World, numerous rumors circulated about Shimura Danzō, making it challenging for anyone, except Danzō himself, to discern precisely what had happened and what was currently transpiring. 'Madara' found that more and more things were slipping out of his control. With Project Tsuki no Me at stake, he couldn't afford any disruptions. Dealing with one troublesome Amatsukami had hindered his progress, and now another Danzō had appeared, further complicating matters.

The true extent of Shimura Danzō's strength and danger remained undetermined, causing 'Madara' some concern. If something were to happen to Nagato, and the pair of Rinnegan that Nagato possessed, it could jeopardize the entire Project Tsuki no Me—an outcome 'Madara' couldn't allow under any circumstances.

While 'Madara' was engrossed in his thoughts, the sudden sound of explosions reverberated from outside the cave.

Boom! Boom! Boom! BOOM!

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