Chapter 43N

Chapter 43N

The heavy blossoms bent the branches low. The cherry trees, once in full bloom, had begun to wither. The light in Danzō’s eyes dimmed with them, as if his soul had been drained away. If not for the slight movement of his pupils, he would have looked no different from a sun-dried corpse.

The mental energy feedback replenished the cost of activating Konohana-Sakuya, his dojutsu, and even left Rēn with a slight surplus. Within the illusion space, it gave him a sense of inexplicable pleasure.

Rēn flicked a finger against one of the few unopened buds on the branch.

He looked at the Danzō bundled up like a rice dumpling, wrapped in thick tree roots, and laughed pleasantly. Then he slowly closed his eyes, ending the illusion.

The growth of the flower tree seemed long inside the illusion, but in the real world, it had all happened in a flash. Rēn was still standing in front of Danzō. Seeing his dull, lifeless eyes, Rēn stepped back. The force of his movement tore open the wound on his thigh, blood spurting, though it soon slowed under the effects of Yang Release.

“Ugh, that hurts.”

Rēn let out an intentionally exaggerated cry.

But no one reacted. After all, this wasn’t the Uchiha’s home ground. Neither Shisui nor Uchiha Fugaku came over to echo his act. Everyone’s attention was on Danzō, who had silently collapsed to the ground like a corpse.

“Danzō?!”

The Third Hokage’s eyes widened in disbelief at the sight.

“Danzō?! Someone, get over here! Where are the medical ninja?! Hurry up and get over here, why are you all dawdling?!” Mitokado Homura shouted.

Even Torifu Akimichi couldn’t stay seated any longer. Whether he liked Danzō or not was one thing, but if Danzō died here now, it would become a huge problem. If Sarutobi decided to go to war with the Uchiha, they would all be dragged in with no way out.

Yamanaka Inoichi quickly formed hand seals.

Though not a medical ninja, as a top-tier sensory ninja, he could assess Danzō’s current state. He pushed his clan’s spiritual techniques to their limits—just short of stripping Danzō naked for a full body scan.

“Well? Inoichi?”

“Hmm...”

Yamanaka Inoichi frowned deeply, clearly troubled.

Even Torifu scratched his head in confusion. Beside him, Nara Shikaku looked equally surprised. As two-thirds of the current Ino–Shika–Chō trio, they’d known Inoichi for years. They had rarely seen him hesitate like this.

Just then, the medical ninja stationed at the Hokage Building arrived at high speed.

A team of white-clad specialists immediately surrounded Danzō, using medical ninjutsu to examine and treat his visible injuries. As for Rēn, who was equally bloodied nearby—no one paid him the slightest attention.

“Tch.”

Rēn clicked his tongue.

Too tired to keep up his act, he simply took a few steps back and leaned lazily against the wall, watching the medical team argue over Danzō.

Apparently, Inoichi wasn’t the only one confused. These veteran medical specialists were also divided. Their opinions clashed, no one could convince the others, and the shouting match gave the Third Hokage, Homura, and Koharu a splitting headache.

“Enough! Everyone shut up! One of you—step forward and tell me: is Danzō alive or dead?”

Koharu Utatane was the first to snap, silencing the medical staff who had fallen into frenzy over an unfamiliar condition.

The senior-most medical ninja stepped forward and reported, “Elder Koharu, Advisor Danzō is still alive. His breathing is weak, and his consciousness has not returned, but there’s no doubt that he is alive...”

“Then what exactly were you all arguing about?”

“Well, it’s just that my colleagues and I have some disagreement on the cause of his unconsciousness...”

“Fine, I get it. Spare me the medical jargon, I wouldn’t understand anyway. As long as Danzō is still alive, that’s all that matters. Take him to the hospital immediately. Your job is to make sure he wakes up and returns to normal as soon as possible.”

The medical ninja went silent. They exchanged glances, clearly unwilling to say something like “Advisor Danzō has a low chance of waking” at this moment. Any slip-up could drag them into unpredictable danger—with no one to blame but themselves.

Not far away, Uchiha Rēn, still covered in blood, was watching.

No need for nurses. Two of the younger medics quickly lifted Danzō onto a stretcher and ran toward Konoha Hospital at full speed.

Just like that, the deeply comatose Danzō was taken to the hospital.

As the backs of the medical team disappeared, the devastated corridor fell silent again. Aburame Torune had already ended his fight with Shisui the moment Danzō fell, slipping away quietly like Danzō’s shadow, following the medical team to the hospital.

With one focal point removed, everyone’s attention shifted to the next one.

The cause of Danzō’s condition.

“Why are you all staring at me? Are there any medical ninja left? Danzō’s Wind Release jutsu really packed a punch! My leg was nearly sliced off.”

Rēn sighed, reaching down to touch his bloody thigh and putting on a pained expression.

The message was clear.

Just because Danzō went to the hospital didn’t mean he had it worse. Rēn was injured too.

“Uchiha Rēn... if anything happens to Danzō...”

The Third Hokage tried to deliver a stern warning, staring at Rēn’s feet.

But—

“That old man’s nearly seventy. One slip in the bathroom and he could drown in the toilet. Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me. And the grudge between my clan and Danzō isn’t over yet.”

Not even the Hokage could make Rēn polite. He bluntly cut him off.

Activating the Mangekyō Sharingan, Rēn could clearly feel his power rising.

He now had enough strength to throw the threats back.

“Third Hokage. Clan heads. Remember this: Uchiha will always be Konoha’s Uchiha. But that doesn’t mean we’re here to be pushed around. Don’t bring up those worthless excuses. You all know exactly what’s going on.”

“What’s done is done. But from now on, if you think the Uchiha will keep swallowing their anger like before.... You are welcomed to see if we still have a temper!”

None of the clan heads spoke. No one wanted to provoke trouble.

Until they understood how Danzō had been defeated, until they grasped Rēn’s actual strength, no one dared to take any risks. Even the Third Hokage had regained his usual composure. Homura and Koharu also kept their attention on Danzō’s condition and did not question Rēn further.

This was the world of shinobi.

A world where power determines status.

Rules and systems bend to the will of the strong, reshaping themselves to match the preferences of those who hold power.