Third Elder's Choice

What had happened at the hospital was just a minor incident to Uchiha Rei.

How much darkness lurked beneath the sunlight in Konoha Village?

Tsunade's reforms to Konoha's medical system and her efforts to raise the status of Medical Ninjas were good for Konoha Village itself.

But there were plenty of people in the village who had no Medical Ninjutsu skills whatsoever and still insisted on worming their way into the hospital.

That was the darkness beneath Konoha's sunlight.

Uchiha Rei had already placed an "Illusionary Mark" on Doctor Xiao Dong.

If Konoha's high-level officials couldn't offer a reasonable explanation for what had happened, he wouldn't mind giving Doctor Xiao Dong an explanation himself.

Medical Ninjas and hospital doctors held noble, sacred professions. They could not be tainted by darkness.

Rei had planned to rest in his hospital room, but he hadn't expected to encounter something like this. He sneered inwardly but said nothing. Returning to his room, he prepared to change and leave.

However, before he even pushed open the door, he sensed that someone was already waiting inside.

Uchiha Rei didn't barge into the private room. Instead, he eased the door open and carefully sensed the area, making sure there were no ambushes before opening it fully.

The person standing inside wasn't a stranger. It was the Root Squad Leader he had kicked down the day before.

He was badly injured, with broken ribs, and was clearly still recovering. Yet he stood ramrod straight.

He didn't want Uchiha Rei to see Root in such a sorry state. Root's Ninjas had their own dignity, too.

"You've seen Konoha's darkness now, haven't you?" the Root Captain said, his voice slightly hoarse. "Only Lord Danzo can put an end to it all."

Today, his words weren't a threat. They were a statement of fact.

Not everyone who joined Root had been manipulated by Danzo. Some had come with hope in their hearts. They had joined Root, hoping to use its power to reform Konoha from within and put an end to its corruption and incompetence.

In his eyes, Third Elder's weakness and willingness to compromise were what had set Konoha on the path to decline.

Uchiha Rei looked at him and shook his head. "Joining Root won't change anything."

"A rotten root is like a rotten tree. Sooner or later, it'll fall."

"If all you're here to do is persuade me to join Root, then you can leave."

Uchiha Rei didn't hesitate for even a moment.

As expected, the Will of Fire alone couldn't sway this Uchiha.

The Root Captain's expression didn't change as he continued, "Uchiha Rei, I know you were poisoned—with Salamander Poison."

"Right now, Lord Danzo is the only person in Konoha who can save you. He has the antidote."

He slowly took a letter from inside his clothes.

"If you join Root and earn Lord Danzo's approval, he'll give you the antidote."

"This isn't an order. It's a choice."

He had clearly thought his words through, carefully weighing each one. He had even brought a letter from Danzo with him.

In his eyes, this was an offer Uchiha Rei couldn't refuse.

Yet Uchiha Rei only smiled.

"You think this is enough to control me?"

Over the past few days, he had been improving his Taijutsu by using Sign-in at Konoha's Public Training Ground. His cells had grown increasingly active, and Salamander Poison was no threat to him for another month or two.

Besides, according to Might Guy's intelligence, Tsunade was already on her way back to the village. The real antidote would arrive soon.

Root's so-called "cure" was nothing more than bait to him.

And Danzo... What kind of man was he? Unless Rei brought enough benefit to Root and Danzo, would he really hand over the antidote so easily? That so-called "lifesaving antidote" was just a promise held out to lure him into becoming a tool—or even a spy within the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Rei said nothing. His silence was his answer.

The Root Captain froze for a moment, then straightened up and hobbled out of the room, enduring the pain.

Uchiha Rei stood in the room, watching his retreating back with a calm expression. He had no intention of staying at the hospital any longer. After changing back into his own clothes, he left the private room that had been assigned to him.

Before leaving, he made a point of saying goodbye to the little Nurse who had assisted with his surgery. Her eyes were full of respect and admiration. When Uchiha Rei asked her name, she answered shyly, "My surname is Nohara."

The little Nurse had also learned who he was: Uchiha Rei, a Jonin of the Uchiha Clan. But the instant she heard his name, a faint glimmer seemed to pass through her eyes, as if it had awakened a long-buried memory. In that moment, she thought of a cousin who had left long ago.

Rei noticed the change in the little Nurse's eyes but didn't give it much thought. He simply nodded and turned to leave.

To Uchiha Rei, everything that had happened at the hospital was merely a passing incident. He hadn't taken it to heart. What he didn't know was that his actions had already stirred up quite a commotion among Konoha's high-level officials.

In Konoha, Medical Ninjas held considerable status. Medical Ninjas who had reached Jonin rank were especially rare. They could greatly reduce deaths during wartime and were among the village's most precious assets.

That so-called doctor named Xiao Dong couldn't use Medical Ninjutsu at all, yet had tried to sneak into Konoha Village's medical system.

The incident had already put the high-level officials on alert. And when Uchiha Rei displayed his outstanding medical skills, the situation changed dramatically.

Before long, the village sent Anbu to the hospital specifically to investigate the Watermelon Head Boy's injuries.

The team was led by an experienced Medical Ninja.

After examining the boy, he looked visibly shocked—and envious.

"This level of medical skill... It's definitely no worse than mine," he exclaimed.

He then summoned the little Nurse surnamed Nohara and questioned her in detail about the surgery. When he learned that Uchiha Rei had performed the entire operation by himself, he fell silent for a moment, then showed a rare look of admiration.

"Update the intelligence report," he said gravely. "Uchiha Rei has Medical Ninjutsu skills at Chunin level or higher."

"Uchiha Rei's work was even cleaner and more efficient than mine. Even I might not have been able to handle it so perfectly."

The Anbu's investigation report was soon delivered to the Hokage's office.

Third Elder was handling official business. He was a man with countless matters to attend to, so much so that he often didn't have time for even his own grandson, Konohamaru. But he always made time to review every report related to Uchiha Rei.

Each time he read one, he felt a fresh jolt of surprise.

"Perhaps Uchiha Rei will become Tsunade's new apprentice when she returns," Third Elder murmured, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

If Uchiha Rei formed a master-disciple bond with Tsunade, it would not only further strengthen Konoha's medical forces but might also ease the fallout from the Uchiha coup.

He knew that this struggle over power and ideals was unavoidable.

It wasn't that Konoha couldn't accept the Uchiha Clan. It was that some members of the Uchiha Clan no longer wanted to bow to Konoha's arrangements.

But in his view, any Uchiha who meant well and was loyal to the village could be accepted and respected.

Evil Uchiha could only be eliminated by force.

Yes, the Third Hokage had done nothing. His silence was his answer; he had tacitly approved of Root's actions.

He knew what Danzo intended to do, and understood that this was a complete and irreversible political purge.

This storm was no longer a minor squabble within the village. It was a true battle to the death.