True Feelings

"Danzo! Have you lost your mind?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand onto the table and surged to his feet, his powerful aura instantly bearing down on Danzo! His face was livid, his eyes filled with unprecedented anger and disappointment. "Duanmu Ci has just rendered Konoha an unparalleled service! On his own, he crushed Kirigakure's ultimate force, saved Taoyuan Village, and intimidated every enemy coveting Konoha! He is Konoha's hero! A new pillar! Yet you want to move against him now? You even want to seize his power? You're trying to push Konoha into the abyss of division and civil war!"

"Hero? Pillar?" Danzo glared back at Sarutobi without yielding, a cold light flickering in his lone eye. "Hiruzen! You're too naïve! His power is already out of control! Such uncontrollable power is Konoha's greatest threat! Look at his Taoyuan Village! What is it? A nation within a nation! He has taken in refugees, formed a private army—the Guard—built an independent intelligence network, and now displayed destructive power rivaling the Tailed Beasts! His prestige has grown high enough to threaten the Hokage's authority! Today, he can fight the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist alone for Taoyuan Village. Tomorrow, he can oppose Konoha for his so-called ideals! If we let this continue, he will become a grave threat!"

"Enough!" Minato Namikaze's voice rang out, carrying an unquestionable righteous authority. At some point, he had appeared at the meeting room entrance and had clearly heard Danzo's dangerous remarks. His azure eyes were as cold as ice as he stared directly at Danzo. "Lord Danzo, Duanmu's power has never been used to endanger Konoha. Instead, it has protected Konoha's safety and dignity time and again! At Kannabi Bridge, he saved my students, Kakashi and Rin, and shattered Kirigakure's scheme! This time, he defeated the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist with unmatched might and dealt Kirigakure a devastating blow! His Taoyuan Village shelters war orphans, develops medicine, and strengthens Konoha's foundation and capacity for recovery! The threat you speak of is nothing more than a conjecture born of your personal ambition and desire for control!"

Minato walked to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side, his voice firm and resonant. "Lord Third Hokage! I believe Konoha should grant Duanmu the highest honors, absolute trust, and the greatest possible support! The stronger he becomes and the more prosperous Taoyuan Village grows, the more beneficial it will be to Konoha! This is not merely a reward for his achievements. It is also a demonstration to the entire Shinobi World of Konoha's unity, strength, and respect for its heroes! If we destroy our own great wall out of suspicion, that would be Konoha's greatest tragedy!"

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance, each seeing profound shock and lingering fear in the other's eyes. Minato's words had awakened them. Duanmu Ci's displayed power was indeed terrifying, but everything he had done so far had brought enormous merit to Konoha. Danzo's idea was far too extreme and dangerous. If carried out, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Minato is right." Utatane Koharu spoke slowly. "Duanmu Ci's accomplishments have shaken heaven and earth. Konoha must honor him with the highest standards, reassure him, and announce it to the world."

"As for Taoyuan Village..." Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses. "Its special status is already an established fact. Rather than forcibly suppressing it, we should grant it a high degree of autonomy and formally incorporate it into Konoha's system. It can become an important supplement to Konoha in medicine, public welfare, and even certain aspects of defense. So long as its core identifies with Konoha and obeys the greater whole, it will be Konoha's blessing."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and suppressed the complicated emotions in his heart. He looked at the furious Minato, then at the two wavering advisors, before finally turning his gaze to Danzo, whose expression was as dark as water.

"The resolution is as follows!" Sarutobi's voice regained its usual calm, carrying unquestionable resolve.

"First, Duanmu Ci shall officially be bestowed the title of 'Konoha Azure Dragon'! This title shall be equal to that of the Sannin and carry all corresponding privileges and honors! Announce it to the entire Shinobi World!"

"Second, Duanmu Ci shall be promoted to Konoha's 'Special Advisor.' His status shall be equal to that of a Hokage advisor, and he shall have the right to participate in the highest-level decisions concerning Konoha's security and Taoyuan Village affairs!"

"Third, 'Taoyuan Village' shall be formally recognized as a special administrative region under Konoha with a high degree of autonomy! Its leader shall be Duanmu Ci, and its deputy leader shall be Tsunade. Taoyuan Village shall possess independent administrative, judicial—within Konoha's legal framework—self-defense forces—the Taoyuan Guard, whose size must be reported—and economic systems. Konoha shall provide vigorous policy and resource support!"

"Fourth, the former Taoyuan Medical Station shall officially be elevated into the 'Konoha Second Medical Center' and the 'Taoyuan Branch of the Konoha Medical Ninja Academy.' Tsunade shall serve as chief director and enjoy the highest authority in medical research!"

"Fifth, this resolution shall take effect immediately! Any attempt to undermine Konoha's unity or endanger Duanmu Ci and Taoyuan Village shall be treated as treason against the village! There will be severe punishment without exception!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was like a sharp sword as it finally landed on Danzo. "Danzo, put away those dangerous thoughts of yours! Root is strictly forbidden from operating within a hundred miles of Taoyuan Village! Any violator shall be treated as a traitor to the village! Do you understand?!"

Danzo's face went from livid to ashen. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms. Sarutobi's resolution, Minato's support, the advisors' defection... had completely stripped him of the means to oppose them openly. He lowered his head, resentment and unwillingness flickering in his lone eye as he forced a few words through clenched teeth. "...As you command, Lord Hokage."

Yet the wildfire in his heart had not been extinguished. Instead, it burned ever more fiercely and twistedly beneath suppression. Duanmu Ci... Taoyuan Village... If he did not avenge this, he swore he would not be human! If he could not act openly... then he would act in the shadows! So long as he found an opportunity... that coveted power... would eventually belong to him, Shimura Danzō! The decision of Konoha's higher-ups spread through the Shinobi World as swiftly as a spring breeze, reaching the still-rebuilding Taoyuan Village as well.

The official title of "Konoha Azure Dragon," the exalted position of Special Advisor, and the official recognition of Taoyuan Village's high degree of autonomy... all of it was like a powerful stimulant injected into Taoyuan Village, filling every resident with unprecedented peace of mind and pride. Their protector had received the village's highest recognition! Their home had gained official protection!

Duanmu Ci did not care much for such empty titles or authority, but the official endorsement did resolve the issue of Taoyuan Village's legitimacy and room for future development, allowing him to devote himself to construction with greater peace of mind. Tsunade, meanwhile, was delighted. It meant that her medical reforms and academy plans would receive Konoha's full official support and could be implemented faster and better.

However, on the night the resolution arrived, Duanmu Ci's body finally sounded its warning. He had endured consecutive high-intensity battles, extreme mental exhaustion, and the full-force reconstruction of their home. Though the Sage Body possessed formidable recovery abilities, the accumulated overexertion and subtle internal damage erupted the instant his mind relaxed.

He developed a high fever and fell into a deep sleep. It was a sign that his body was forcibly repairing and readjusting itself.

Tsunade remained at his bedside without leaving for even a step. This was the quietest and best-equipped ward in Taoyuan Village's core district. She personally prepared the gentlest yet most effective restorative medicine and used the most exquisite Medical Ninjutsu to soothe the Chakra pathways and meridians in his body, which had become somewhat disordered from excessive exertion.

Seeing Duanmu Ci's faintly furrowed brow and slightly pale face even in sleep, Tsunade felt as though an invisible hand had clenched her heart. His invincible figure, like a god of war during the day, was still vivid in her mind. Yet now he lay here so weakly... The stark contrast broke her heart. She gently took his cool hand and slowly channeled her warm Chakra into him, trying to drive away that sense of weakness.

The night was deep and still. Only the soft ticking of instruments and Duanmu Ci's steady breathing remained in the ward. Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, falling across his sleeping profile and outlining his resolute features. Tsunade sat beside the bed, watching him sleep as the worries, lingering fear, and deep love of recent days surged into her heart like a tide.

"Idiot..." she murmured softly, her fingertips brushing lightly over his tightly furrowed brow with unbelievable tenderness. "You clearly didn't have to push yourself this hard... You could have let everyone share the burden... Why did you insist on carrying everything alone?"

She remembered his towering back as he stood before her against the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist; she remembered the reckless determination with which he saved her from afar; she remembered his godlike power of creation as he rebuilt their home atop the ruins; and even more, she remembered the brilliant light in his eyes as he described the blueprint for "Taoyuan" at the Hometown-Gazing Pavilion beneath the moon...

"Duanmu..." Tsunade's voice choked slightly, though what filled it even more was tenderness too deep to dissolve. "Do you know? Before I met you... I felt like a broken ship adrift in a storm, without direction and without the courage to dock anywhere... You pulled me back when I was at my most desperate. You cured my 'illness,' gave me a harbor where I could rest, gave me... a home."

She pressed Duanmu Ci's hand against her cheek, feeling the warmth of his palm as tears silently slid down her face and fell onto the back of his hand.

"When you said you wanted to build Taoyuan Village... I didn't completely believe you at first. The Shinobi World is so chaotic, and hatred runs so deep... How could there possibly be a true 'Taoyuan'? But... watching you build it piece by piece, watching homeless children regain their smiles, watching the wounded receive treatment, watching everyone settle down and live in peace here... I came to believe. I believe in you, and I believe in the future we are creating together."

"This time... seeing you collapse like this... I realized that I care about you... even more than I imagined." Her voice was soft yet firm. "Not because of how strong you are, not because of how many miracles you have created... but simply because you are Duanmu Ci. The one who awkwardly comforts me, secretly uses Wood Release to rebuild my casino, listens seriously to my nagging, and risks his life to protect me and our home... you fool."