In fact, apart from Kumogakure, Orochimaru, and Kagami, there was actually one other person who knew that something had gone wrong with Danzo’s soul during the ritual.
That person was Danzo himself!
If he ruled out the possibility of Kumogakure or Orochimaru leaking the information, Kagami had no choice but to consider whether Danzo himself had deliberately spread the news.
"But why would Danzo spread information that puts him at a disadvantage?"
As he pondered this, Kagami gradually narrowed his eyes.
A problem with one’s soul was an extremely dangerous weakness for a shinobi. Under normal circumstances, anyone in such a position would go to great lengths to conceal it, let alone voluntarily publicize it.
Moreover, as long as the various factions pieced together the intelligence that had leaked out of Kumogakure, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to discover the subtle connection between Danzo and the mysterious Susanoo that had appeared during the turmoil in the village.
Kagami even suspected that many factions had probably already concluded that Danzo had unexpectedly obtained a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan capable of manifesting Susanoo during the ritual.
In other words, having lost Konoha’s protection and become a rogue shinobi, Danzo would soon find himself the target of various factions seeking to capture him.
After all, a pair of Sharingan capable of manifesting Susanoo was simply too tempting a prize.
Whoever captured Danzo and obtained the Sharingan in his eye sockets would essentially gain a Kage-level combat asset for nothing. On top of that, they would have the opportunity to study the secrets of the Sharingan.
Even the Five Great Shinobi Villages, with all their considerable resources, would find such a temptation difficult to resist.
Furthermore, capturing Danzo, who had already become a rogue shinobi, would be perfectly justifiable. It wouldn’t provoke Konoha’s hostility and, at worst, would merely lead to a few disputes.
None of this was difficult to deduce. Given Danzo’s ruthless and cunning nature, there was no way he could have failed to anticipate it.
And yet, knowing full well that he would become the target of multiple factions, Danzo had still deliberately spread information that put him at such a disadvantage. This could only mean one thing: Danzo wanted others to know about his weakness!
"What exactly is he planning to accomplish with this?"
Kagami’s mind filled with doubts. For the moment, he couldn’t quite figure out what Danzo was up to.
Kagami had been present throughout Danzo’s entire Bloodline Fusion Ritual, so he knew perfectly well that something had genuinely gone wrong with Danzo’s soul. It wasn’t merely a smokescreen.
Furthermore, even Kagami, who possessed the Tenseigan, had only a limited understanding of the realm of souls. He therefore didn’t believe Danzo had the ability to resolve the problem on his own.
At this thought, Kagami’s expression turned solemn.
"If I were Danzo, what would my next move be?"
Putting himself in Danzo’s shoes, Kagami felt that his most urgent priority would be to seize the pair of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in Homura’s eye sockets as quickly as possible and evolve his own eyes into the Rinnegan.
Only then would he have a chance of using the Rinnegan’s power to resolve the problems with his soul.
However, Kamigami had always been shrouded in mystery. Even Akatsuki had been unable to uncover the slightest clue about the organization.
Rather than searching the entire shinobi world for Homura, wouldn’t it be easier to lure Homura into coming to him?
"Tch! He deliberately leaked information about his weakness to make himself appear vulnerable. Don’t tell me he’s trying to lure me out?"
After a brief pause, Kagami muttered in disbelief, "He’s already lost everything, been driven from his home, and is being hunted down like a dog, yet he still has the nerve to set his sights on me? I suppose that’s Danzo for you!"
After putting himself in Danzo’s position, Kagami felt he had finally figured out what the old man was thinking.
After all, knowing Danzo as well as he did, this was exactly the sort of desperate gamble the man would be willing to make.
And if Danzo dared to use himself as bait to lure Kagami into making a move, it suggested that he had most likely managed to temporarily suppress the problems with his soul.
Moreover, after having so many days to recover and adapt, he should have become familiar with the seven Kekkei Genkai fused into his body. His combat strength had likely returned to its theoretically normal level.
After all, during their previous battle in the volcanic cavern, Danzo had been far from his normal state.
This wasn’t merely because the ritual had been interrupted midway, but also because Danzo hadn’t had enough time to adapt to the multiple Kekkei Genkai he had just acquired, leaving him unable to properly utilize his newfound abilities.
Now that he’d had time to recover and prepare, it would be a mistake to judge his current combat strength based solely on his performance during the battle in the volcanic cavern.
At this thought, Kagami suddenly chuckled.
"I bet quite a few people are going to fall for that old bastard Danzo’s tricks this time!"
The secret that Kagami and Danzo needed to absorb the ocular power of each other’s Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to evolve their eyes into the Rinnegan was known only to the two of them.
Even Orochimaru, who had observed the entire ritual from the sidelines, was completely unaware of it.
Consequently, no one else could possibly guess Danzo’s true motives. In all likelihood, they would be deceived by the appearance of weakness he had deliberately cultivated and fall straight into the trap he had prepared.
However, Danzo had clearly miscalculated one thing.
He believed he understood the Uchiha. He believed he understood Homura.
In his mind, the arrogant Homura would inevitably seek an opportunity to confront him one-on-one, whether out of confidence in his own strength or to protect the secret of the Rinnegan’s evolution.
Homura would undoubtedly attempt to eliminate him personally.
And when that happened, Danzo would seize the opportunity to turn the tables, kill Homura, and take his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!
However, there was one thing Danzo could never have imagined.
Beneath that flame-patterned mask wasn’t some Uchiha who habitually thought too highly of himself.
It was Hyuga Kagami, a man personally trained by Orochimaru!
"One-on-one? Hmph! Not a chance!"
...
Land of Lightning.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!...
Amid a series of sharp whooshing sounds, several Kumogakure ANBU landed before the Fourth Raikage and reported, "Lord Raikage, our advance search team has discovered traces of the target!"
The Fourth Raikage immediately asked, "What’s the target’s current condition?"
The leading ANBU answered methodically, "According to the report from our advance search team, the target hasn’t engaged them in combat and is fleeing at full speed. Furthermore, the only Kekkei Genkai he appears to be using is Swift Release!"
The Fourth Raikage muttered to himself, "Swift Release? It seems the will currently controlling the target’s body belongs to that Swift Release shinobi!"
At that moment, an elite Kumogakure jonin standing beside him stepped forward and said, "We’ve investigated the matter. The Swift Release shinobi the target absorbed during the ritual was merely a survivor from the Land of Whirlpools. He received very little formal shinobi training, and apart from his bloodline, there’s nothing particularly threatening about him. If his will is currently controlling the target’s body, then we have an excellent chance of capturing him!"
The Fourth Raikage nodded as he issued his orders.
"Everyone, move out! Pursue the target!"
Meanwhile, just as the Fourth Raikage was leading a large force of Kumogakure’s elite shinobi into action, dozens of kilometers away, Danzo glanced back at the Kumogakure squad following closely behind him.
A faint, almost imperceptible hint of mockery flickered in his crimson eyes...