A month ago, if he'd been facing two well-trained Root shinobi, Ye Ning might have been worried.
But now, all Ye Ning could say was: That's it?
There were only two Root shinobi. Did they think so little of him?
Or did Danzo think he could take him down by sending just two lackeys?
"Attack!"
At the command, the two Root shinobi moved in unison.
They were clearly well-coordinated, attacking Ye Ning from opposite directions. Their strikes were swift, leaving him no time to react.
Still, compared to the missions they'd carried out in the past, their movements were much slower.
If they really injured Ye Ning, they'd have a hard time explaining themselves.
After all, Lord Danzo only wanted to intimidate him. He hadn't actually meant to make an enemy of the man.
But what the two Root shinobi hadn't expected was for Ye Ning to vanish in such a strange manner!
He was no longer where he'd been sitting!
Where had he gone?
The two Root shinobi's expressions turned grave, and their contempt vanished in an instant.
They scanned the courtyard, and quickly spotted Ye Ning in a tree.
Leaning against the trunk, Ye Ning lazily yawned, then smiled and beckoned to the two Root shinobi with a finger.
"Come on over!"
"Go!"
With two more swishes through the air, they attacked Ye Ning from opposite directions, just as before.
This time, however, Ye Ning didn't feel like dodging with Swift Release.
What was the fun in just dodging?
He was going to give Danzo a big present!
After all, you were the one who came looking for trouble.
Ye Ning was a petty man. He believed in settling a score on the spot, never letting a grudge linger overnight.
The Root shinobi attacking from the left reached Ye Ning first, only to be met with a powerful kick.
Caught off guard, the Root shinobi had no time to dodge and could only take the blow head-on.
But the force of the kick was far beyond his expectations. The moment it landed, the Root shinobi was sent flying and crashed heavily into the ground, leaving a sizable crater.
Seeing this, the Root shinobi attacking Ye Ning from the right was startled, but he could only grit his teeth and charge forward.
Ye Ning was clearly gentler with this one. Instead of treating him like the first shinobi, he pretended to engage him in close combat.
After trading a few punches, Ye Ning made no effort to dodge when the shinobi thrust out a palm. Instead, he moved straight toward it.
The palm struck, and Ye Ning let his shoulder dip with the blow. A mouthful of blood sprayed out, splattering evenly across the Root shinobi's face.
Through the blood, the Root shinobi's bewildered expression was just visible.
Hadn't that palm been a little weak?
It couldn't have hit hard enough to make someone cough up blood. It hadn't even been enough to break the skin, surely?
Of course the palm hadn't been that powerful.
After a month of learning Medical Ninjutsu and Taijutsu from Tsunade, and taking more than a few of her loving iron fists along the way, his ability to take a hit had improved considerably.
That palm had barely been enough to tickle him.
He'd forced the blood out himself.
Naturally, to sell the act, Ye Ning kept pretending to be gravely injured and controlled his body as it flew backward.
Then Ye Ning clutched his struck shoulder and glared:
"You Anbu shinobi! You actually came to assassinate the Daimyo's Son on Danzo's orders! I'll remember this!"
!?
Assassinate?
This was bad!
The Root shinobi's heart jolted. He realized in an instant that he'd fallen into a trap.
Damn it!
The Root shinobi was beside himself. Not only had he been stuck with this rotten job, but now he'd made a mess of things!
"Listen, let me explain... We didn't come to assassinate you. We just—"
"What? You're trying to silence me, too? Fine! Just fine! What a fine Konoha!"
The Root shinobi was dumbfounded.
First he'd been accused of assassination, and now he was being accused of silencing a witness. Even nine lives wouldn't be enough to survive this!
Worse, this would bring endless trouble down on Lord Danzo.
The noise from the courtyard had woken Tsunade a while ago. Hearing words like "assassinate" and "silence," she sobered up considerably despite her shock, and hurried out of the room.
The moment she stepped outside, she saw Ye Ning covered in blood, with a trace of it at the corner of his mouth.
Blood...
Blood!
Tsunade froze on the spot, her whole body trembling uncontrollably as if she'd been plunged into some painful memory.
Seeing Tsunade rush out and then suddenly freeze, Ye Ning was startled at first. Then his eyes lit up.
"Tsunade, help me!"
Realizing that Tsunade's Hemophobia had flared up, Ye Ning immediately called out.
He hadn't expected this incident to bring an unexpected bonus!
Maybe today would be the day Tsunade overcame the obstacle in her heart!
"Tsunade, they're Root shinobi sent by Danzo to assassinate me! Help me!"
The Root shinobi was horrified. If they let Ye Ning keep talking, they really would end up looking like they'd come to assassinate him!
They couldn't afford to bear that responsibility!
"Lady Tsunade, please, let us explain..."
But Tsunade was in no state to hear what they were saying.
At that moment, all she could see was a sea of blood.
Her body trembled more and more violently.
Her younger brother's death, her lover's death...
Scene after scene replayed in her mind.
Today, because she was weak, because she was afraid, was she going to lose another loved one?
Would he die before her eyes?
Tsunade's expression grew more and more anguished, but without realizing it, she clenched her fists.
She absolutely could not let something like this happen!
"Danzo..."
The blood-red haze before her eyes receded like the tide. To her surprise, the sight of blood, which had once terrified her, didn't seem so frightening anymore.
Her fear gradually faded, replaced by fury.
Tsunade was furious now!
"Die!"
The anguish vanished from Tsunade's face, replaced by overwhelming anger. Her body surged into motion, and in an instant, she was in front of the Root shinobi.
???
Wait, hadn't I already explained?
Why are you even angrier now?
Huh?
Ever since Ye Ning had accused him of coming to assassinate him, the Root shinobi had lost his composure. Caught off guard, he had no time to dodge and took a heavy punch to the face, already spattered with Ye Ning's blood.
The terrifying force twisted the Root shinobi's face beyond recognition.
Then his body flew backward and crashed straight into the wall, where he ended up embedded in it.
The Root shinobi Ye Ning had kicked earlier had just started to get back up. When he saw this, he quickly lay back down.
Playing dead was better than actually getting beaten to death!
Seeing this, Ye Ning smiled with satisfaction.
From today onward, Tsunade would no longer be troubled by Hemophobia!
And he'd also found something with which to make Danzo miserable!
He'd sent his subordinates to assassinate the Daimyo's Son, and even tried to silence him after being exposed. With a charge like that pinned on you, could you still hold on to your position as Hokage's advisor?
Before you continue