The World of the Strong! (Seeking Votes! Seeking Investment!!)

Heavy blossoms bent the branches low, the fully bloomed cherry blossoms beginning to scatter, the light in Danzo's eyes dimming along with them bit by bit, as if his soul had been drained away. If not for the eyeballs still twitching instinctively, he would have been nothing more than a desiccated corpse dried out under the sun.

The feedback of spiritual energy compensated for the consumption of activating the [Konohanasakuya] dojutsu, leaving even a small surplus, granting Sōken, who was also within the genjutsu space, an indescribable sense of pleasure!

Sōken flicked his finger at the few unopened flower buds left on the branch.

He looked at Danzo, wrapped up by the tree roots like a zongzi, laughed cheerfully, then slowly closed his eyes and deactivated the dojutsu.

The time it took for the flower tree to grow seemed long, but in reality, only an instant had passed in the real world. Sōken still stood before Danzo. He looked at Danzo's vacant eyes, then pulled back and stepped away. Because the movement was a bit too sharp, blood spurted from the wound on his thigh, then slowly stopped under the power of Yang Release.

"Tch! That hurts!"

Sōken let out a somewhat fake cry of pain.

But at this moment, few people were paying him any attention. This was ultimately not the Uchiha's home turf. Neither Shisui nor Fugaku Uchiha came over to play off Sōken's act. Everyone's attention was drawn to Danzo, who had silently crumpled to the ground like a corpse, limp and soft.

"Danzo?!"

The Third Hokage's eyes went wide as he stared in disbelief at the fallen Danzo.

"Danzo? Someone, hurry, someone! Where are the medical ninjas? Get the hell over here, what are you dawdling for?" Mitokado Homura roared.

Torifu Akimichi could no longer sit still either. Liking or disliking the annoying Danzo was one thing, but if Danzo actually died here right now... that would definitely be a huge problem. If Hiruzen chose to go to war with the Uchiha, then they too would inevitably be dragged into it!

Yamanaka Inoichi formed hand seals.

Though he wasn't a medical ninja, as a top-tier sensor ninja, he could see exactly what state Danzo was in. He pushed the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Secret Technique to its limit, almost as if he had stripped Danzo bare and taken a photograph.

"How is it, Inoichi?"

"Mmm..."

Inoichi frowned deeply, looking very troubled.

This time, not only did Torifu Akimichi scratch his face in confusion, but even Nara Shikaku stared at Inoichi with surprise. As two-thirds of the current Ino-Shika-Cho iron triangle, they were extremely close friends. Having known each other for so many years, they had rarely seen Inoichi this troubled.

Just then, the medical ninjas stationed at the Hokage Building arrived at lightning speed.

A group of experts in white coats immediately surrounded Danzo, using Medical Ninjutsu to examine his body while also treating the obvious external injuries on him. As for Sōken, who was also covered in blood and looked utterly miserable... no one paid him any attention at all!

"Tch!"

Sōken clicked his tongue.

He no longer had the energy to fake cries of pain. Instead, he walked a couple of steps away, leaned lazily against the wall, and watched the group of medical ninjas arguing around Danzo.

Clearly, it wasn't just Inoichi who was troubled. These highly skilled, well-traveled medical ninjas were also thrown into confusion. Everyone held their own opinions, unable to convince anyone else, bickering endlessly. Not far away, the Third Hokage, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and the others listened until their heads spun.

"Enough! All of you, shut up! Someone step forward and tell me first—is Danzo alive or dead?"

Elder Utatane, the old woman, was the first to lose her temper, silencing the medical ninjas who had been whipped into a frenzy by the unfamiliar symptoms.

The medical ninjas exchanged glances. Finally, the oldest among them stepped forward and said respectfully, "Elder Utatane, Advisor Danzo is still alive. Though his breathing is weak and his consciousness hasn't returned, there is no doubt—Elder Danzo is still alive..."

"Then what the hell were you all arguing about?"

"Well, this... the main issue is that I and several colleagues have some disagreements regarding the cause of Elder Danzo's coma..."

"Alright, I understand. Don't bother telling me all that technical stuff—I wouldn't understand it anyway. As long as Danzo is alive, that's enough. Hurry up and take Danzo to the hospital. Your mission is to get Danzo to wake up and return to normal as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, the medical ninjas fell silent for a few seconds. They exchanged looks, clearly no one willing to say something like "The chances of Elder Danzo waking up aren't great" at this moment. If they accidentally got caught up in unpredictable trouble, they'd have no one to cry to.

Right across from them, not far away, Uchiha Sōken, drenched in blood, was watching them!

No need to call for a nurse. Two younger medical ninjas lifted Danzo onto a stretcher, then sprinted off, carrying him straight to Konoha Hospital.

And so, Danzo, having fallen into a deep coma, was sent to Konoha Hospital.

Once the medical ninjas' figures disappeared from sight, the already wrecked corridor fell into a deathly silence again. Aburame Ryoma had already voluntarily stopped his fight with Shisui the moment Danzo collapsed, silently following the medical ninjas like Danzo's shadow to Konoha Hospital.

With one hot spot gone, everyone's attention finally shifted to another.

The culprit who had sent Elder Danzo into a coma.

"What are you all staring at me for? By the way, are there any medical ninjas left? Advisor Danzo's Wind Style Technique is really something! He nearly cut my thigh clean off." The culprit sighed, reaching out to touch the bloody wound on his thigh, immediately putting on a pained expression.

The meaning was clear—

Don't think just because Danzo ended up in the hospital that he's anything special. Sōken's injuries were no joke either!

"Uchiha Sōken... if anything happens to Danzo..." The Third Hokage stared at Sōken's feet, trying to throw out some harsh words.

But—

"That old man Danzo is nearly seventy. One day he might slip and drown in the toilet while taking a piss. Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me. And the grudge between my clan and Danzo isn't over yet!" Even the Third Hokage couldn't make Sōken speak more politely. He rudely cut off the Third's words.

With his Mangekyo Sharingan activated, Sōken could clearly sense his own power rising.

He now had enough confidence to throw harsh words right back.

"Lord Third Hokage, and all you clan heads, please remember—the Uchiha will always be Konoha's Uchiha. But... that doesn't mean we deserve to be bullied. Don't bother bringing out those lame excuses. You all know very well what's really going on."

"I can't be bothered to dig up all that old garbage, but... from now on, if you lot still think the Uchiha will swallow everything like before, feel free to test whether the Uchiha have any backbone or not!"

The clan heads all fell silent. No one was about to invite trouble for themselves at a time like this.

Until they figured out exactly how Danzo had fallen—until they uncovered Uchiha Sōken's true hand—no one was ready to risk it. Even the Third had slipped back into his usual mild expression. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu had only been concerned about Danzo's condition just now; neither of them had so much as raised their voice demanding an explanation from Sōken.

This was the world of shinobi.

A world that bowed to the strong.

Even rules, when faced with power sufficient enough, would bend their own shape and willingly adapt to the preferences of the mighty.