The Claws of Kirigakure, A Clash Under the Night

"Explain?" Duanmu Ci's voice was steady, yet carried an unyielding force. "To those with ill intent, explaining is showing weakness—it gives them more material to fabricate rumors. They'll twist every clarification into a cover-up."

"Then what do we do? Just let them slander us?" Shizune grew anxious. Taoyuan Village was something she had watched rise from nothing, built with countless efforts.

"Of course not." Duanmu Ci walked over to Tsunade and gently pressed down on her trembling shoulders, sending a stream of gentle, pure Yang Style Chakra to soothe her agitated emotions. "Anger won't solve anything, Tsunade. Danzo wants us to lose our composure or overreact, giving him an excuse to strike."

Feeling the warmth and strength from Duanmu Ci's palm, Tsunade took a deep breath and forced down her fury, though the sharpness in her eyes remained. "Then tell me, what do we do? I'll tear those rumor-mongers' mouths apart myself!"

Duanmu Ci shook his head, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his lips. "Tearing their mouths is too cheap, too low-class. We'll use facts to slap them back hard, and make the rats hiding in the shadows jump out on their own."

He turned to Shizune, his tone decisive. "Shizune, inform Nonō. Activate the 'Truth Listener' network. Go all out to trace the source of the rumors. Lock onto the loudest agitators, the ones spreading the most specific lies—I want names down to the individual. At the same time, notify the guard to step up patrols inside the village, especially around the orphanage, the herb gardens, and the research facility. Prevent anyone from causing trouble under cover. Outwardly calm, inwardly tight—keep up appearances."

"Yes!" Shizune's spirits lifted, and she immediately set off to carry out the orders.

Duanmu Ci then looked back at Tsunade, his gaze softening. "Tsunade, I need your help with something."

"Name it!"

"This afternoon, under the name of Taoyuan Village's Medical Center, host an 'Open Day.' Invite all the villagers of Konoha, especially those with doubts, to come and tour. Focus on opening up: the children's living quarters, study areas, and playground; the herb gardens and processing workshops; and the general treatment wards of the medical department." Duanmu Ci's eyes gleamed with sharp intelligence. "Let them see for themselves whether the children are locked up for experiments, or whether our medicines are made with 'forbidden' ingredients. Facts speak louder than words."

Tsunade's eyes lit up. "Great idea! I'll lead the tours myself! Let those blind bastards see clearly!"

"No," Duanmu Ci said with a faint smile. "Leave the explaining to Shizune and Nonō—they're more meticulous. You, my medical prodigy, have a more important task."

He leaned close to Tsunade's ear and whispered a few words. Tsunade's expression shifted from confusion to understanding, then to an excited grin. "Haha, good! Let's do it that way! I'll make those gossips pop their eyeballs out!"

That afternoon, the gates of Taoyuan Village swung wide open.

Despite the lingering rumors, the lure of an "Open Day" and the name of Princess Tsunade drew a large crowd of villagers. They poured in with curiosity, doubt, and even a hint of wariness.

Shizune and Yakushi Nonō greeted the crowd with warm smiles. The children studied and read in bright, spacious classrooms, and ran and played on the lush green playground, their little faces glowing with healthy, happy color. Some shyly hid from the visitors, while others boldly waved hello—not a single sign of imprisonment or abuse. The orphanage nuns were patient and meticulous, the environment clean and tidy, brimming with life. The herb processing workshops operated with skilled hands, using only verified, safe ingredients. In the medical wing, the wounded and sick received standard treatment in a peaceful atmosphere.

Everything was orderly, transparent, and bathed in sunlight. Many villagers who had arrived with suspicion saw their doubts gradually dissolve, replaced by shame and renewed trust. The facts were laid bare, and the vicious rumors crumbled on their own.

Yet, among the crowd, there were always a few with shifty eyes, whispering to each other, trying to steer the conversation—questioning whether the children had been "brainwashed," or whether the herbs were a sleight of hand.

Just then, Tsunade's booming voice rang out across the entire village:

"Seen enough? Then listen up, all of you!"

Every pair of eyes snapped to Tsunade, standing atop a high platform. Hands on her hips, her presence was overwhelming, her golden ponytail gleaming under the sun.

"I've spent my whole life healing people, and nothing disgusts me more than scumbags who use patients and children as pawns!" Tsunade's voice thundered like a clap of thunder, carrying the oppressive aura of a Sannin, making the guilty hearts tremble. "Duanmu Ci built Taoyuan Village, took in orphans, treated the wounded, improved medicine—every bit of it for Konoha! For ungrateful wretches like you to live better lives!"

Her gaze swept the crowd like lightning, locking precisely onto a few individuals marked by Nonō as the most active instigators. Those few felt their scalps crawl under her stare and instinctively tried to shrink back into the crowd.

"Hiding among the masses, shooting arrows in the dark, slandering a hero, destroying the hard-won peace of Konoha—what do you think you are?" Tsunade berated them without mercy. "You think just because you're in the shadows, no one knows who's pulling the strings? Let me tell you—Duanmu Ci is kind-hearted, too lazy to bother with scum like you! But I have a bad temper!"

She stomped her foot hard. With a thunderous crack, a chunk of the solid stone platform's edge shattered!

"If I hear one more damn word slandering Taoyuan Village or Duanmu Ci, no matter who sent you, I'll personally rip off your head and hang it at Konoha's main gate! Don't believe me? Try it!"

The domineering declaration, backed by Tsunade's monstrous strength and inviolable aura, instantly silenced the entire crowd. The rumor-mongers turned pale with fear, not daring to utter a sound. The ordinary villagers were also shaken by Tsunade's fury and protective stance, further convinced that Taoyuan Village was innocent—otherwise, Princess Tsunade would never defend it so fiercely.

Among the crowd, several figures wearing animal masks—ANBU operatives—silently withdrew, no doubt heading back to report to their master. Danzo's scheme to suppress through public opinion, countered by Duanmu Ci's calm composure, factual demonstration, and Tsunade's thunderous wrath, was utterly shattered. Instead, after a brief storm, Taoyuan Village's reputation sank even deeper into people's hearts.

Duanmu Ci stood in the shadows, watching Tsunade's back as she raged like a lioness protecting her cubs, his eyes filled with warmth and tenderness. Having her by his side—it was good. He glanced in the direction the ANBU had disappeared, his gaze turning deep and icy once more. Danzo, this is only the beginning.

Danzo's propaganda offensive had temporarily subsided, but Duanmu Ci knew that venomous snake would never let things go. At the same time, scattered intel intercepted by Nonō's "Truth Listener" network indicated that Kirigakure's activities had been unusually frequent lately, especially in the eastern coastal regions of the Land of Fire, with signs of elite squad infiltration. Combined with the grudges from repelling the AB Combo and foiling the Three-Tails plan, Kirigakure's retaliation was almost a certainty.

Night fell like ink, shrouding the fledgling Taoyuan Village. Compared to the day's bustle, the village at night was tranquil and peaceful, with only the footsteps of patrol guards and the chirping of insects weaving together. Duanmu Ci did not rest. He sat cross-legged in his room, his spirit spreading like an invisible web, leveraging the Rinnegan's extraordinary passive perception to cover Taoyuan Village and several miles of its surroundings. The Sage Body's vast vitality and affinity for Nature Energy allowed him to maintain this state for extended periods.