Chapter 326: Everything unfolds! Hanzo is a Puppet?!

Chapter 326: Everything unfolds! Hanzo is a Puppet?!

Atop the tower.

Hanzō of the Salamander was still delivering his speech.

Standing beside him, the Five Kage also felt a surge of pride, for anyone who saw the 100,000-strong ninja alliance below would feel a sense of grandeur and develop an unshakable confidence in victory.

Here...

There are 100,000 people!

Just at that moment, a blue Yasaka Magatama flew over. This technique, activated by Susanoo, soared across the sky toward the tower!

Everyone's attention was involuntarily drawn to it!

Everyone also saw the source of the technique: not far from the assembly point of the ninja alliance, on a hillside, stood a blue Susanoo as tall as half a mountain!

Uchiha Madara, controlling the blue Susanoo, launched an attack on the high-ranking members of the ninja alliance, an abrupt change that shocked everyone!

This guy...

How dare he!

How dare he attack the alliance at this moment!

For the high-ranking members of the ninja alliance, the sheer number of people brought immense confidence. The 100,000 ninjas present, if each used a water release technique, could drown him!

"Kamui!"

At this critical moment, Hatake Kakashi's eyes suddenly widened, and his Mangekyō Sharingan absorbed the Yasaka Magatama into the Kamui dimension!

"Uchiha Madara!"

Tsunade, her face contorted with rage, looked at Uchiha Madara in the distance. She could hardly contain her anger and roared, "You... are you declaring war on the ninja alliance at this time?"

"What ninja alliance..."

Uchiha Madara squinted his eyes. With the repulsive force of the Rinnegan, he slowly floated towards the tower, his voice icy: "The commander of the ninja alliance is a puppet of Akihara Kagura. Who is this alliance really against?"

!!!

Everyone present stood in astonishment!

This guy...

What is he talking about?

The commander of the ninja alliance, Hanzō of the Salamander, is a puppet of Akihara Kagura?

The ninjas present looked up at Hanzō of the Salamander on the high platform in disbelief, gazing at the commander they revered...

This is the finest ninja in the world. Even the Five Kage respect his noble character and are willing to let him be the commander!

How could this be possible!

"A Six Paths puppet?"

Jiraiya asked gravely.

Having fought with Nagato before, Jiraiya knew the Rinnegan could control puppets. A heavy feeling settled in his heart: could Hanzō of the Salamander be a puppet of Akihara Kagura?

"As expected..."

"I knew it..."

"This puppet can't deceive Madara..."

Hanzō of the Salamander admitted it. The voice of the Six Paths puppet came from the main body, and though Hanzō's voice was still old, he admitted his identity. His eyes gradually turned into Rinnegan.

"Rinnegan!"

Many people saw the change in Hanzō's eyes!

"How could this be..."

Hatake Kakashi's heart felt as cold as an icy abyss. Fear swept through him instantly: "How could this be... how could it be like this?"

"This... how could..."

"Are you kidding me..."

"What is going on here..."

Nara Shikamaru's body started to tremble, fear engulfing his mind, rendering him incapable of thinking: "What is going on? Our alliance commander is that guy's puppet... Lord Hanzō... was the first to advocate for the formation of the ninja alliance... how could he be controlled by someone..."

As the son of the ninja alliance's strategist, Nara Shikaku, Shikamaru was highly intelligent and thus invited to participate in the strategy formulated by his father...

During that time...

Nara Shikaku often mentioned Hanzō of the Salamander.

Because of Hanzō of the Salamander's noble character, Konoha's proposal to form a ninja alliance to resist Akihara Kagura was accepted by the ninja world.

"Calm down!"

Temari, a ninja from the Sand Village, quickly regained her composure and slapped Nara Shikamaru across the face, leaving a red handprint: "Now is not the time for wild thoughts!"

"I know..."

Nara Shikamaru immediately regained his senses, covering his cheek, his heart still pounding violently: "But... I don't know what to do..."

"When did Hanzō become his puppet, what else has that guy done, and what can we do to escape his control..."

This is a question facing all the ninjas.

Even some of the most resilient ninjas couldn't help but ask themselves a question when they saw Hanzo of the Salamander revealing the Rinnegan and heard the voice of Akihara Kagura...

Now...

What should they do?

Were all their actions under Akihara Kagura's control?

And even...

Guided by Akihara Kagura...

A chill ran through the knowledgeable ninjas.

The Five Kage present felt a mix of pain and collapse, a trace of rage appearing on their faces, the fury of having their wills manipulated!

Nara Shikaku, the strategist of the Ninja Alliance, felt his fingers tremble slightly, his brain momentarily stagnating and unable to function!

How could...

Such a thing happen!

The Supreme Commander of the Ninja Alliance was actually a puppet of Akihara Kagura!

What does that make this Ninja Alliance?

When did this happen, and does it make all the strategies he, the advisor, devised a joke?

No...

No, that's not right...

The important thing now is to get information!

If Lord Hanzo was only captured and killed by Akihara Kagura in the past few days, then everything can still be salvaged, proving that their current path is not wrong...

But if Lord Hanzo became Akihara Kagura's puppet before the formation of the Ninja Alliance, it would mean they were trapped in a grand conspiracy!

"How unexpected..."

Nara Shikaku took a deep breath, a smile appearing on his face: "I'm very curious, when did this happen?"

"Yes, when did this happen!"

Jiraiya stared at Hanzo of the Salamander's body and asked sternly, "When did you kill Hanzo and start controlling his body?"

"Long ago, I suppose?"

Hanzo of the Salamander extended his hand, stroking his cheek, the aged voice of the Six Paths Puppet calmly spoke: "About ten years ago... I deceived you all about one thing, Jiraiya-sensei..."

"Actually..."

"I awakened the Rinnegan much earlier..."

"Earlier than I previously told you all. I probably activated the Sage Body after transplanting Hashirama's cells, and it took less than a year to awaken the Rinnegan. Hanzo of the Salamander was the third puppet I created..."

"Of course, these efforts alone were insufficient, as the ninja world had long forgotten Hanzo of the Salamander. Many young ninjas no longer remember this figure..."

"But I knew that three people would definitely remember..."

Akihara Kagura, controlling Hanzo of the Salamander, directed his gaze at Tsunade and Orochimaru, a raspy laugh emanating from his throat, "Lady Tsunade, Lord Orochimaru, Jiraiya-sensei, you would definitely remember this old man..."

"Among the great nations of the ninja world..."

"Konoha's power is the strongest..."

"Because of my presence, Konoha's influence is unprecedented. I facilitated Lord Orochimaru's assassination of the Third Hokage, successfully reviving his name..."

"I deliberately abandoned the position of Hokage."

"I intentionally acted extremely radical, relinquishing the struggle for the Hokage position, to ensure either Jiraiya-sensei or Lady Tsunade would ascend to the position, as you two are the only ones in Konoha who would deeply remember Hanzo of the Salamander..."

"..."

Tsunade's heart ached with a sharp pain.

This situation...

Occurred occasionally after Akihara Kagura's defection.

Every time Tsunade pondered Akihara Kagura's actions, her heart would hurt, and she felt a suffocating sensation enveloping her body.

Indeed.

This guy was right...

Only Konoha's Sannin would remember Hanzo of the Salamander...

In fact, only Konoha's Sannin throughout the entire ninja world would have a lasting impression of Hanzo of the Salamander, as their titles and their childhood memories of a powerful figure were tied to this man!

"Lady Tsunade ascended to the position of Hokage..."

"Everything is unfolding as I anticipated..."

Hanzo of the Salamander's voice gradually steadied, even carrying a sense of smug satisfaction, "At the opportune moment, I revealed my true identity. I went to the Land of Rain to attack Brother Nagato, an essential part of my plan..."

"Or rather, the most crucial part, was manipulating Hanzo to save Jiraiya-sensei, delivering Jiraiya-sensei and Brother Nagato to Konoha, reintroducing Hanzo before Lady Tsunade, and actively proposing an alliance to confront me..."

"..."

"So it was your scheme to have Hanzo save me back then..."

Jiraiya took a deep breath, recalling how he had once drifted along the river, on the verge of drowning due to his severe injuries and exhaustion, only to be saved by Hanzo of the Salamander.

Even...

If it weren't for Hanzo, neither he nor Nagato might have made it back to Konoha. Jiraiya had always respected and felt grateful towards Hanzo.

But now...

It was yet another conspiracy by his disciple.

Tsunade's heart ached increasingly.

A feeling of weightless panic made her body tremble, nearly causing her to collapse. She remembered their conversation at the Konoha hospital back then...

Hanzo had volunteered to liaise with the ninja world.

At that time, she greatly admired Hanzo's vision and magnanimity. Coupled with her past trust in his character, she suggested holding the Five Kage Summit in Rain Village...

Back then...

She had already fallen into Akihara Kagura's trap!

"Everything was so inevitable."

Hanzo's voice was old yet powerful, as Akihara Kagura, controlling the old man's body, finally got to the main point: "With the successful convening of the Five Kage Summit, the villages of the five great nations would undoubtedly fight over the position of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Ninja Forces..."

"At that moment, I appeared..."

"Bringing you a tremendous fear..."

"During that summit, I just wanted you to fully understand one thing: you are not qualified to oppose me; only Lady Tsunade or Hanzo are most suitable..."

"Unfortunately."

Akihara Kagura, controlling Hanzo, looked at the other village leaders: "You will definitely oppose Lady Tsunade because Konoha has gained too much from the ninja world..."

"I know Lady Tsunade well. She is someone who will back down. She needs a suitable person, a ninja commander willing to support her in seeking Madara's help..."

"Hanzo, while retreating strategically, analyzed the so-called pros and cons. Facing the other villages' doubts about Lady Tsunade, she had to step back and choose someone who had left a deep impression on her since her youth to become the Supreme Commander of the Allied Ninja Forces..."

"And that person..."

"Had long since become my puppet."

"Look..."

Akihara Kagura's voice, through Hanzo, contained a hint of satisfaction, seemingly very pleased with a plan he had set in motion years ago.

"The reason I chose to deliberately step back and let you become Hokage was because I knew that at a critical moment when the ninja world united, you would nominate Hanzo, who seemed very powerful in your youth, thus pushing my long-controlled puppet to become the Supreme Commander of the Allied Ninja Forces..."

"..."

Fear engulfed them like seawater.

All of this...

Once again, it fell within Akihara Kagura's calculations.

The sense of grandeur they felt after witnessing the strength of the Allied Ninja Forces vanished without a trace. They only felt their hearts sinking into the abyss of fear with Akihara Kagura's words...

Neither Tsunade, Jiraiya, nor the other leaders, not even the always-strategic Nara Shikaku, could escape the deep fear.

Even the elderly Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, was gasping for breath, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He could wipe away his sweat but not the panic in his eyes!

Clap, clap, clap...

Uchiha Madara lightly clapped his hands.

Madara had already heard Akihara Kagura admit to his two conspiracies back in Konoha and the forest where they clashed. Hearing these stories again, he had to admit that Akihara Kagura's schemes were quite brilliant...

"Truly impressive..."

Admiration appeared on Uchiha Madara's face as he sincerely praised: "When it comes to cunning and strategy, I always thought that the insidious and despicable Tobirama was quite adept, but in this aspect, he doesn't even deserve to serve you tea..."

"However..."

"You still missed one thing..."

Uchiha Madara grinned, revealing a smile: "Why do you think that when Nagato used the Rinnegan, he didn't discover that Hanzo was your puppet? How could the true owner of the Rinnegan not uncover his real identity?"

Madara chuckled softly, narrowing his eyes: "Kid, your puppet's identity is exposed now. Whatever plans you have for Hanzo can be declared over at this moment..."

"Madara."

Hanzo had already clasped his hands together and spoke softly: "Why don't you guess, which of the Six Paths is Hanzo?"

"Scatter!"

Madara immediately realized something, his expression darkening as he gritted his teeth: "Everyone, get out of here, this guy is that kid's Animal Path!"

There was no time to stop it!

Even Limbo wouldn't make it in time!

He shouldn't have flown over; he should have dealt with this puppet earlier. That silver-tongued kid always plays these tricks!

"Summoning Technique!"

Hanzo's hand slapped the railing of the high tower!

A familiar figure appeared beside Hanzo, ignoring the fearful and angry gazes of the others, looking down at the hundred thousand strong Allied Ninja Forces below, like an innocent child, sincerely spoke the first words upon appearing.

"So many people..."

~~~

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— Ending + Extra Chapters (Completed)

Read upto Chapter 348: End! + Extra Chapters of Sasuke's Rebirth where the world Akihara Kagura is not around. Thank you!