Sand Ninja Surrender

After a period of confusion, Utatane Koharu, a woman who had always been at odds with Danzo, arrived.

This woman was the head of Konoha's medical department and the current director of the Konoha Hospital.

The previous director was Tsunade, but she ran off, as everyone understood.

Upon arriving, Utatane Koharu reached out and grabbed Danzo's arm.

Bing San, in a moment of panic, immediately unleashed an Ice Arrow Technique (Water Arrow Technique) straight at Utatane Koharu's face.

Utatane Koharu was startled.

Ever since Danzo had fallen unconscious, Bing San had been training relentlessly every day. His current combat skill was at least above Chunin level, only lacking some experience to be considered a Jonin.

With a swish, Bing San's ice arrow was shattered by the Third Hokage.

This old man's strength was indeed formidable. While calling him the strongest Hokage was an exaggeration, he was likely the most well-rounded in terms of combat power among the three Hokages.

Never mind that muscle-bound old man, Raikage, bragging. If Raikage were to fight Tachibana Muneshige one-on-one, Raikage would surely be the one to die.

The Third Hokage flicked his hand and said, "Bing San, don't be so tense. Koharu is the best medical ninja in the village right now."

Listen to how he put it: "the best in the village right now." That implied this woman's medical skills weren't all that great.

Bing San reluctantly moved aside. After all, ever since he'd known her, this woman had been badmouthing Danzo to others.

Utatane Koharu placed her hand on Danzo's chest to check, then felt his pulse. "You can all disperse now. What are you all crowding around for? His consciousness has returned, but he seems to have fallen asleep again due to extreme weakness. Give him some nutrient solution, and he'll be fine by tomorrow morning when he wakes up." With that, she twisted and left.

Soon, everyone dispersed, leaving only Sarutobi Hiruzen and Bing San.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could indeed be called a good teammate, but he wasn't a good leader.

The reason was simple: he was too indecisive.

"You don't need to be so hostile towards Koharu. We've been old teammates for years. Koharu almost became your mother back then. She..."

Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could finish, the door was pushed open again, and Utatane Koharu entered with a scowl.

This woman said with a grimace, "Monkey, you're talking about me behind my back again, aren't you? Do I look like someone who would be interested in Danzo? That was just a misunderstanding. You've been bringing it up for over a decade, aren't you tired of it?"

Then, she tossed a quilt to Bing San and left without regard for the reactions of the old man and the young man in the room.

Bing San and Sarutobi Hiruzen exchanged bewildered glances, speechless.

Sarutobi Hiruzen lost interest in chatting with Bing San and left.

The next morning, Bing San woke up by the bedside. Danzo had finally woken up.

It seemed that skill was very effective.

Utatane Koharu, along with professional personnel and equipment, gave Danzo a full examination.

Danzo was pushed out from inside with a look of utter despair, though no one knew what exactly they had examined.

Time slowly passed until four days later. Sarutobi Hiruzen returned from the Daimyo's Mansion.

Looking constipated, he sought out Danzo to discuss matters. Bing San and Tomoko were present. Bing San was massaging Danzo's atrophied muscles, while Tomoko was feeding him.

As soon as Sarutobi Hiruzen entered the room, he began to complain, "Tsunade is becoming more and more outrageous. She doesn't give me, her former teacher, any face at all."

Then he grabbed the water on the table and gulped it down.

Seeing this, Bing San figured Sarutobi Hiruzen must have had a rough time at the Land of Fire's Daimyo's Mansion.

Bing San and Tomoko tactfully left the ward together.

They vaguely heard voices inside saying things like "wishful thinking" and "you'll be the death of this old man."

It was likely that Tsunade had lost money again and was making him take the blame.

No one knew what they discussed, but when Sarutobi Hiruzen left, he still had that constipated look on his face.

Due to his prolonged coma, Danzo's speech was impaired, and he could only utter one or two words at a time.

And so, Bing San and Danzo recuperated together until a month and a half later.

During this period, Danzo was occasionally summoned to Jonin meetings, but Bing San was no longer included.

His role as the commander of the western front had become completely irrelevant because the Sand Ninja had surrendered.

Orochimaru, leading his victorious army, was soon to return to Konoha, and everyone was preparing to receive them. As for the current situation of the Sand Ninja, it was truly hard to describe.

That old hag Chiyo had gone mad, killed the Daimyo of the Land of Wind at his mansion, and then committed suicide.

Currently, the acting Kazekage of the Sand Ninja was that woman, Pakura. If nothing unexpected happened, she would be the Fourth Kazekage.

Speaking of which, Chiyo's life was truly tragic. Her teacher, Monzaemon, was killed by the Second Hokage. Her husband was killed by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Her son and daughter-in-law were killed by Hatake Sakumo. Her younger brother was killed by Bing San.

Now, only Sasori remained, and she didn't know if he was alive or dead.

Pakura's previous near-fatal attack on Danzo had made her a hero among the Sand Ninja.

Furthermore, after drifting down a river with Roshi for four to five days, her body had been eroded by Sun Wukong's Chakra. Although her skin had turned an unsightly red, her Scorch Release had become different. It was no longer water vapor, but something akin to a high-temperature sandstorm. She called this mode "Sand Release Chakra Mode."

Perhaps this was a case of "I've become stronger, but it's hard to explain."

In short, Pakura officially declared Sunagakure's surrender to Konoha on behalf of the Sand Ninja, and they were willing to join forces with Konoha to fight against the Rock Ninja and Cloud Ninja.

All Konoha needed to provide was food, as the Sand Ninja were starving.

The Daimyo had already cut off their funding and supplies, and what little they had managed to scavenge was completely buried by the landslide.

If the Daimyo were still alive, they could have appeased him, and he would have quickly gathered food to restore their strength.

However, Chiyo had wiped out the entire Daimyo's Mansion of the Land of Wind, leaving not even a chicken.

Now, the Land of Wind was in complete chaos. They couldn't possibly spare any attention for the Sand Ninja's plight.

In short, with the victory on the western front, Orochimaru was about to return. Rasa, representing the Sand Ninja, came to Konoha to submit the surrender documents.

Pakura led the Sand Ninja back to Sunagakure. There was finally a glimmer of hope for the Third Great Ninja War.

Originally, Bing San thought life would settle into a peaceful routine until Sarutobi Hiruzen, looking dejected, found Danzo and Bing San at the hospital. Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't mince words as he said, "Danzo, I need Root to deploy immediately to reinforce the Land of Water's front line. The Mist Ninja are launching a major offensive."

The Uchiha family members are strong enough individually, but they are too few in number and can't hold on much longer."

Danzo hesitated for a long time before agreeing. Although Danzo was highly self-serving, he understood the principle that "when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact."

While utterly bewildered, Bing San was assigned by Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo to lead Root in reinforcing Fugaku Uchiha.

The next morning, Bing San and Takefū Akimichi went to Root's base. The over three hundred members of Root still in Konoha, along with some disciples from Konoha's major clans, prepared to depart.

Bing San stood at the gates of Konoha, looking at the old wooden entrance, and thought: I'm only ten years old, less than five feet tall, a baby. Why do I always have to bear burdens I shouldn't? This is too hard for me.

Then, he turned to Shisui Uchiha, who was about his height with short hair and a button nose, and said, "I'll trouble you to lead the way for the rest of the journey."

Shisui smiled shyly and replied, "Then please take care of me."

He then took the lead and Flicker-Step away, and the group vanished from the gates of Konoha with a whoosh.