HTP: Ch. 71

"This is Konoha's Shadow, Itachi!"

Hiruzen, pipe in mouth and beaming with a smile, patted Itachi on the shoulder as he spoke loudly to Shikaku, who raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes scanning Itachi from head to toe, once an S-rank missing-nin, now dressed in a brand-new Konoha jonin uniform, his forehead protector neatly tied in place, his expression calm and composed.

So that's how it is…

He instantly understood. Compared to Orochimaru, who defected and later returned just to teach and do research at the Academy, this man in front of him was truly Akatsuki's "top undercover agent"!

Hiruzen was enthusiastically introducing his two most trusted aides to each other. He emphasized Itachi's experiences in the One Piece world, as well as the enormous wealth he brought back upon completing his missions, which had greatly enriched the village's treasury.

Smiling as he looked between them, he said warmly, "You two are the backbone of Konoha. You must work well together in the future."

After listening to Itachi's stories, Shikaku looked genuinely impressed and offered a respectful bow. "I pale in comparison."

But inwardly, he was screaming, This is great! Starting tomorrow, I'll spread the word that Konoha's Shadow is ten times the talent I am!

Just yesterday, the bounty on his head had surpassed even the Hokage's. Now he didn't even leave Konoha's gates, seeing every passerby as a potential assassin.

"There's no need to be modest. You're my most important chief strategist," Hiruzen said.

Shikaku made a show of being deeply moved and was about to bow formally, expressing his lifelong dedication to the Hokage and the village.

Hiruzen quickly stopped him.

The overly theatrical atmosphere made Itachi, still not used to the "new Konoha," feel somewhat uncomfortable. Unable to bear it, he broke the mood and asked, "Hokage-sama, did you summon us to discuss Akatsuki?"

Back to business. Hiruzen and Shikaku returned to a serious demeanor.

"Ahem, yes. You should've seen the latest key intel reports on Konoha, right?" Hiruzen cleared his throat and said, "Shikaku, open up that new system Orochimaru sent us."

Itachi nodded in acknowledgment.

Shikaku walked over to the Hokage's desk and pressed a button. As he did so, the office walls flipped over to reveal a massive LED screen. The moment it lit up, a blue glow shone on the three men's faces.

"Ahem, please look at the screen." He pulled out a laser pointer from who knows where.

On the screen, three-dimensional images of Akatsuki members were projected, each accompanied by detailed information beneath their portraits.

Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction. Orochimaru may not be great in a fight anymore, but when it came to tech stuff, he really had a knack for it. Ever since his return, Konoha's tech level had been rising rapidly, at this rate, they might enter the Boruto era two years early.

"Akatsuki's headquarters has now been located in Ame. And as for the identity of their leader…"

Shikaku glanced at Hiruzen, who waved his hand as if to say, "Go ahead, nothing to hide."

"Pain and Konan both have deep ties to Konoha. They're disciples of Jiraiya. The other hidden leader of Akatsuki is actually Obito, once a disciple of the Fourth Hokage. After his abilities were exposed, his threat level has significantly decreased. Not long ago, Kakashi attempted an operation to capture him, but unfortunately, it failed. It's worth noting that although there are internal power struggles within Akatsuki, both factions share the same ultimate goal: to collect the nine tailed beasts and resurrect the legendary Ten-Tails."

So basically… all the core members of Akatsuki are ex-Konoha ninjas or disciples of an important Konoha ninja?

Itachi's mouth twitched imperceptibly.

Shikaku adjusted the screen and scrolled down. A relationship chart of the Akatsuki members appeared, along with the forces they could mobilize.

Pain's faction: Konan, Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu, and Hidan. Pain and Konan command Ame, and Sasori has deeply embedded spies in many hidden villages.

Obito's faction: Zetsu and countless White Zetsu bio-weapons. If fully unleashed, they could spark another Great Ninja War.

"According to the latest intel sent back by Jiraiya-sama," he pulled up photos of the ruins of Kumo, along with a mission report from Jiraiya's last reconnaissance in Ame, "Akatsuki is now experiencing serious internal divisions. Our current main threat comes from Pain's side."

The photos showed that the once-prosperous Kumo had been reduced to rubble.

Below them were Jiraiya's investigation notes from Ame.

Shikaku said in a grave tone, "Itachi, you were once undercover in Akatsuki, you should know the extent of their destructive power. Analysis shows that they breached Kumo's defenses in an incredibly short time, and then Pain used Shinra Tensei to flatten the entire village."

Itachi nodded solemnly. "Each of them has the power to destroy a small nation singlehandedly. Except for Hidan and Kakuzu, the rest are ten times more dangerous on a large battlefield than they are in solo combat."

"The problem now," Shikaku switched to a 3D map of Konoha, "is that if the battlefield is set in Konoha, even if we win, the cost will be devastating. Pain, Konan, and Deidara all possess large-scale terrain-altering abilities, and Sasori alone is capable of fighting as an entire army."

If the battle came to Konoha, all their recent development and reconstruction would be undone.

Itachi stepped forward to look more closely at the screen, ignoring the ruins of Kumo and instead focusing on Jiraiya's experience in Ame.

He said, "The Ame ninjas have too much reverence for Pain and Konan."

Shikaku gave Itachi a deep look, then suddenly lit up with excitement: "You're incredibly perceptive. That's exactly right, they are not the lone wolves they claim to be."

The two exchanged glances and said in unison: "It would be more advantageous to set the battlefield in Ame."

Yes, Nagato and Konan still cared about Ame.

If the battle happened there, Nagato wouldn't use Shinra Tensei, he'd be afraid of destroying everything he had carefully preserved. In that case, it would be him who'd have to fight cautiously.

Sitting in his office chair, Hiruzen watched the two advisors plan and strategize, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Now this is what real advisors look like. Danzō, what were you even doing back then?