Heavy blossoms weighed down the branches, as the once fully-bloomed cherry blossoms began to wither. Danzo's gaze dimmed little by little, as if his soul was being sucked away. If not for the slight twitching of his eyes, he would have resembled a dried-out corpse.
The mental energy fed back to Sougen replenished the consumption of his eye technique, **Mokuhanasakuya**, and even left a small surplus, filling him with an indescribable sense of pleasure within the illusionary space. He lightly flicked the few remaining unopened buds on the branch.
Looking at Danzo, wrapped tightly like a cocoon by the tree roots, he smiled and slowly closed his eyes, releasing the eye technique.
Though the growth of the flower tree seemed slow, in the real world, only a moment had passed. Sougen was still standing in front of Danzo. As he looked at Danzo's empty gaze, he stepped back. The sudden movement caused blood to spurt from the wound on his thigh, only to be slowly stopped by the power of Yang Release.
Sougen let out a somewhat exaggerated scream.
However, there weren't many people paying attention to him. After all, this wasn't the Uchiha's stage. Neither Shisui nor Fugaku came to play along. Everyone's focus was on Danzo, who had silently collapsed to the ground, limp as a corpse.
The Third Hokage's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the fallen Danzo.
"Danzo? Someone! Quickly! Where are the medical ninjas? Hurry up!" Mitokado Homura shouted in rage.
Even Choza Akimichi couldn't sit still anymore. Whether they liked Danzo or not was one thing, but if Danzo died here... it would definitely be a huge problem. If Sarutobi chose to go to war with the Uchiha, they would inevitably be dragged into it!
Inoichi Yamanaka formed a hand seal.
Although not a medical ninja, as a top-tier sensory ninja, he could assess Danzo's current state. Using the Yamanaka clan's mental techniques, he almost thoroughly examined Danzo.
"How is he, Inoichi?"
Inoichi furrowed his brows, clearly troubled.
Now it wasn't just Choza who was puzzled, even Shikaku Nara looked at him in surprise. As lifelong friends and members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Shikaku had rarely seen Inoichi so conflicted.
At that moment, the medical ninjas stationed in the Hokage building arrived at an incredible speed.
A group of white-robed specialists immediately surrounded Danzo, using medical ninjutsu to check his body and heal his visible injuries. As for Sougen, who was equally covered in blood, nobody cared.
Sougen clicked his tongue.
Having no more energy to pretend to be in pain, he lazily leaned against the wall, watching the medical ninjas argue around Danzo.
Clearly, Inoichi wasn't the only one conflicted. These highly skilled, well-traveled medical ninjas were also confused, each holding a different opinion, leading to a heated argument. Not far away, the Third Hokage, Mitokado Homura, and Koharu Utatane were getting dizzy from all the shouting.
"Enough! All of you, shut up! Someone just tell me if Danzo is alive or dead!"
Koharu was the first to snap, silencing the frenzied medical ninjas.
The oldest among the medical team finally stepped forward and respectfully said, "Elder Koharu, Advisor Danzo is still alive. Although his breathing is weak and he hasn't regained consciousness, without a doubt, he is alive…"
"Then what were you arguing about?"
"Well, we had some disagreements about the cause of his coma…"
"Fine, I don't need to know the technical details. Just get Danzo to the hospital. Your job is to wake him up and restore him to normal."
The medical ninjas fell silent for a few seconds. None of them dared to mention that the chances of Danzo waking up were slim, not wanting to risk the potential dangers of being involved. The rightful source is novｅlfire.net
Meanwhile, not far away, Uchiha Sougen, covered in blood, was still watching them.
Without even calling for a nurse, two younger medical ninjas hoisted Danzo onto a stretcher and sprinted toward Konoha Hospital.
Just like that, Danzo, who had fallen into a deep coma, was taken to Konoha Hospital.
As the medical team disappeared from view, the destroyed corridor fell into an eerie silence. Aburame Ryoma, who had previously stopped fighting Shisui when Danzo collapsed, silently followed the medical ninjas, like Danzo's shadow.
With one focal point gone, everyone's attention shifted to another.
The culprit who had put Danzo in a coma.
"Why are you all looking at me? By the way, are there any medical ninjas left? Danzo's Wind Release technique is no joke! My thigh was almost sliced off." The culprit sighed, patting his bloody leg with a pained expression.
The message was clear: don't think that Danzo being sent to the hospital was a big deal. His injuries weren't light either!
"Uchiha Sougen... if anything happens to Danzo…" The Third Hokage began to speak harshly, glaring at Sougen's feet.
"Danzo's almost seventy years old. For all we know, he might slip and drown in a toilet one day. Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me. Besides, the grudge between my clan and Danzo isn't over yet!" Even before the Third could finish, Sougen rudely interrupted him.
Activating his Mangekyo Sharingan, Sougen could feel his power soaring.
He now had the confidence to throw his own harsh words back.
"Third Hokage, clan leaders, remember this: the Uchiha will always be Konoha's Uchiha. But that doesn't mean we'll just roll over and be bullied. Don't bother throwing excuses at me. You all know the truth. I won't dig into the past, but from now on, if you think the Uchiha will be as tolerant as before... feel free to test us and see if the Uchiha have a temper!"
The clan leaders remained silent. No one was willing to provoke Sougen at this moment. Until they figured out how Danzo had been defeated, and learned the full extent of Sougen's power, no one wanted to take any risks. Even the Third Hokage regained his usual gentle expression, while Homura and Koharu were solely focused on Danzo's condition, without demanding an explanation from Sougen.
This is the ninja world.
A world where the strong reign supreme.
Rules and customs bend under the will of those with overwhelming power, adapting to suit their preferences.