Chapter – 697 Is it Danzō vs Akatsuki?

Boom! Boom! Boom! BOOM!

The sudden explosion jolted 'Madara' from his thoughts. After a brief glance at Zetsu, he swiftly rushed outside the cave. Upon emerging, he discovered Sasori engaged in battle against a team of Konoha Anbu, while Tobi cheerfully observed from the sidelines.

Given that Konoha had tracked down Danzō's location, they were naturally here to apprehend him. Unfortunately, upon locating the cave, they ran into Sasori and Tobi, who were standing guard. At the sight of the Anbu team, especially those with distinct silver hair, Sasori harbored thoughts of revenge for his parents, who had perished at the hands of Konoha's White Fang. Consequently, he launched an attack against the Anbu team.

Perched on the back of the Chimera Bird once belonging to Hiruko, Sasori glanced at 'Madara' and inquired, "Dealt with him already?"

Zetsu shook his head, "Shimura Danzō is not here. This location is just a diversion. He is very likely on Nagato's side."

Sasori sighed in dissatisfaction, "Sigh, I wanted to personally kill him and use his body for my new puppet. Now it seems I came here for nothing." He then glanced at the team of Konoha Anbu not far away and spoke with a smile, "Oh well, I suppose it doesn't matter anymore. I can kill them all and use them for my puppets. Although not as good as Shimura Danzō, they also seem to be good material."

Sasori's focus at this moment was solely on revenge and puppets. The Konoha Anbu before him were merely perceived as potential puppet material.

On Konoha's side, as the Anbu shinobi observed 'Madara' and Zetsu emerging from the cave, a sense of panic set in. One of the Anbu shinobi leaned toward Kakashi's side, whispering nervously, "Sir, what to do now?"

The Anbu team had arrived with the sole intention of hunting down the seriously injured Shimura Danzō. They never anticipated encountering members of the Akatsuki Organization, let alone facing three formidable individuals simultaneously—Sasori, Tobi, and 'Madara,' with Zetsu also present.

The reputation of the Akatsuki members preceded them, known for being challenging adversaries. If they had only encountered one member, there might have been a slim chance of putting up a fight, but dealing with three simultaneously left them with zero chances of victory. Simply retreating with their lives would be considered a significant achievement.

Amid the heightened tension, Kakashi appeared unfazed by the Anbu's question. His attention remained fixed on the masked man who claimed to be Uchiha Madara.

Feeling Kakashi's intense gaze, 'Madara' narrowed his eyes. Internally, he noted, 'Seems like Kakashi has really guessed it... it appears that I can no longer hide from him...' Continuing his thoughts, he mused, 'Well, no matter. Even if Kakashi has figured it out, it changes nothing... my goal remains the same!'

While 'Madara' was absorbed in his thoughts, Sasori unfurled a scroll and spoke with a playful smirk, "This is the new and improved puppet technique I have created. Konoha Anbu, Hatake Kakashi, you people are going to be the first ones facing this. Do struggle for a while because I need to collect some data in order to perfect it."

With that, he slammed his hand on the unfolded scroll, and puff! A human puppet materialized on the battlefield. It possessed white hair and two distinctive red dots on the forehead, unmistakably a member of the nearly extinct Kaguya Clan.

The intrigue surrounding Sasori's new and improved puppet technique begged the question: What set this puppet apart from others?

The answer lay in the fact that this human puppet wasn't controlled by traditional chakra strings manipulated by puppeteers. Instead, it was adorned with black conspicuous rods at strategic points, reminiscent of Nagato's Six Paths of Pain.

With his latest creation ready for action, Sasori declared, "Don't die so easily!" And so, the battle commenced.

…

Somewhere in the sky.

Perched atop the explosive clay bird, Kuroto—whose soul currently resided within the Earth Chakra Nature Clone—activated his Byakugan to survey the surroundings. Like the previous clones, his Byakugan possessed exceptional quality, allowing him to observe vast distances without the need for any special equipment.

As Kuroto observed, he noticed a battle unfolding in the distance. He furrowed his brow and muttered, "A battle between shinobi? That cave in the distance should be the place Itachi told me about. It seems that other parties are also present there. The only question is, who is fighting whom? Are they from the five great shinobi villages confronting Shimura Danzō, or are they someone else? It appears that to see the identities of the parties, I have to get a bit closer..."

Having brought the explosive clay bird a bit closer, Kuroto attempted to discern the identities of the individuals engaged in the battle. To his surprise, he exclaimed, "Akatsuki Organization?" His suspicion evident, he muttered, "What the hell is Akatsuki Organization doing here?"

Despite being several tens of kilometers away from the cave, he couldn't discern the precise situation. However, he could identify several figures adorned in a distinctive black cloak with red cloud prints, leading him to conclude that members of the Akatsuki Organization were indeed present.

Slowing down the speed of the explosive clay bird, he continued to use his Byakugan to scrutinize the battlefield. Doubtfully, he pondered, "Is the Akatsuki Organization fighting against Danzō?"

Uncertain of the other party's identity, Kuroto entertained the possibility that it might indeed be Shimura Danzō. If his ssumption proved correct and the Akatsuki Organization was truly engaged in a conflict with Danzō, he considered it quite troublesome. While there was the potential to exploit the conflict between Akatsuki and Danzō and use the opportunity to eliminate both, he harbored doubts about it being such a straightforward task.

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