Danzo Wakes Up

With a rustle, a group of people appeared in a jungle southwest of Konoha.

Everyone fell silent upon arrival; the scene was a mess.

Blood and minced flesh were everywhere on the ground, and trees and earth were overturned over a large area.

One could imagine the battle must have been fierce.

(In fact, Duy only needed one punch per child, but he just couldn't control his strength, making it look particularly brutal.)

After surveying the scene, they found the charred corpse of Might Duy not far away.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and said, "Everyone, go back. We will bury 'Special Jonin' Might Duy with the honors of a hero."

The Third Hokage deliberately emphasized his words before clapping his hands together. The ground churned, burying clumps of unknown substances underground.

Might Duy, the "eternal Genin," became famous overnight, nearly wiping out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Judging by the scene, two torsos were found, meaning at least three were killed.

Might Guy also caught Sarutobi Hiruzen's attention. This green-clad individual, just like his father, was likely another little monster.

At this critical juncture, Might Duy, a Genin, had effectively taken down several elite Jonin from Kirigakure.

Giving him the heroic treatment of a "Special Jonin" was more than justified. As for whether they would try to steal Might Guy's special Ninjutsu, the "Eight Inner Gates Formation," upon their return, that would depend on the Third Hokage's mood.

The next day, Sarutobi Hiruzen found Kurō once again. He explained in detail to Kurō why they hadn't continued fighting the Sand Ninja, to prevent Kurō from doing something rash.

The current situation with the Sand Ninja was complicated. The main issue was that they were desperate soldiers; if pushed too far, they could inflict considerable damage.

After all, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had completely cut off their supplies. They had already looted everything they could. Now, they were a pack of red-eyed, still-capable wolves.

They needed to wait until they were completely desperate, until they lost the will to fight. Only then could they be dealt with as desired.

The two then discussed Danzō's situation. Danzō's condition was quite troublesome. Firstly, Danzō's injuries were severe, and given his age, it would take a considerable amount of time for him to heal.

Secondly, Pakura had poisoned him. While biological toxins weren't difficult to remove, they caused significant damage to the body.

Furthermore, Danzō already had many underlying health issues, and several old battle-related hidden ailments had resurfaced.

All these factors had left Danzō comatose.

With the current strain on resources from all sides, Sarutobi Hiruzen desperately needed combat power. However, he didn't know what methods Danzō had used, as the Root only obeyed Danzō's orders.

The Third Hokage would listen if it benefited him, but refuse otherwise. Sarutobi Hiruzen was frustrated; he hoped to mobilize the Root ninja through Kurō.

They also discussed the Sealing Scroll. Sarutobi Hiruzen was filled with regret. He had only intended to trick a child, but it had backfired and led to the current situation.

Kurō also learned why the "Peerless of the West" had ended up in his possession: it was hush money agreed upon by the Third Hokage and Danzō.

Now, the Third Hokage reiterated that, without his permission, the Ninjutsu from the Sealing Scroll was not to be taught to anyone else.

After all, Kurō was now his grand-disciple, practically one of their own.

He wondered if Orochimaru would mock him, his own teacher, if he found out.

After Kurō left, Sarutobi Hiruzen rushed to the Uchiha compound. It was unclear what benefits the Third Hokage had promised, but the Uchiha clan, who had been contributing little effort, actually agreed to go to the Land of Water's front lines to defend it.

That night, Kurō returned to the Shimura residence. Shimura Tomoko, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, looked worried as she prepared a late-night meal for him.

It seemed Danzō's coma had greatly affected the Shimura family. To appease everyone, Kurō decided to gather all the Shimura family members early the next morning for a talk.

That night, bored, Kurō opened the System and began to draw. He had grown accustomed to this gacha system.

Kurō saw a pale blue orb of light and casually opened his inventory. To his surprise, he froze.

This item seemed incredibly useful.

Scroll: Body Regeneration (Passive); LV0 (Variant), damaged cells will form a special membrane, gradually repairing the body.

(From a certain sister-complex pervert. Pervert: Only she must not be involved with this filthy world.)

Kurō was so moved he teared up. Although that man had driven Hatake Sakumo to his death, ruined the Uzuki clan, constantly oppressed the survival of smaller ninja clans, and cursed his subordinates, among other despicable acts.

He had still used his own body to block Pakura's vengeful attack.

Early the next morning, Kurō gathered all the members of the Shimura family.

After offering some words of comfort, he hurried to the Konoha Medical Department, which was heavily guarded and had a higher security level than the Hokage Building.

Kurō looked at the pale man, his body wrapped in bandages.

His heart was filled with complex emotions. How many nights had he spent in fear, unable to sleep? He knew he was an experimental subject but felt powerless. He could only endure the fear alone, terrified that if he closed his eyes, he would never open them again. Even though he was tormented by intense pain every day, he dared not speak of it, silently bearing it, all while pretending to be indifferent and smiling at everyone.

Kurō always knew he was different from others. Every day, every moment, every second, he cherished them exceptionally.

He was an orphan, merely the product of an experimental accident. He lived a humble and weak existence in this world.

He lived in constant trepidation, fearing that if the man lying there suddenly deemed him useless, he would be sliced up.

He feared that if he made a mistake, this man named Shimura Danzō would kill him.

He feared that one day he would simply collapse, turning into a puddle of rotten flesh.

As he lived in fear, this man suddenly collapsed, stiffly, for Kurō, the monster accidentally created during an experiment.

The blood sprayed on his face was so hot, burning Kurō's young and scarred soul.

"Sir, I finally, finally..." Kurō murmured, then began to sob.

Hiruko, who had followed them, watched this scene. He lowered his head and quietly walked out, not knowing what he was thinking.

Byōzō took out a scroll from his item space and used a shuriken to lightly cut Danzō's finger. Blood dripped onto the scroll, which then flashed into a beam of milky white light and entered Danzō's body.

Danzō's skin tone changed for a moment before returning to normal.

Byōzō nervously looked at Danzō. The items from his System could be used by others, but the System did not display their effects.

After all, the person who had used them recently was Minato Namikaze, and he had only used blue potions.

This time, it was a scroll for a passive skill, and Byōzō didn't know what kind of changes it would bring.

Byōzō just stared blankly at Danzō. Time passed quickly, and it was evening in the blink of an eye.

Byōzō didn't know when he had fallen asleep, his head resting on the bedside. After all, Byōzō, only ten years old, was still an injured person who had not yet recovered.

In the quiet hospital room, a faint sound suddenly came. Byōzō felt something was unusual and opened his eyes. He immediately shouted with joy and surprise, "Doctor, doctor, come quickly, the adult is awake."