Those Who Know, Know

"Ye Ning... Ye Ning, are you all right?"

Tsunade hurried over and half-cradled Ye Ning in her arms. She couldn't hide the anxiety and worry in her eyes.

Having overcome her Hemophobia, Tsunade wasn't afraid of the bloodstains on Ye Ning at all. She quickly searched for the source of his bleeding.

But soon, the anxious look on Tsunade's face froze.

Where was he bleeding from?

He wasn't hurt?

Only now did Tsunade, whose concern had clouded her judgment, realize what was going on.

Those two ninjas from earlier had been elite Chunin at best. A month ago, Ye Ning had already surpassed that level, and he had improved by leaps and bounds since then under their instruction!

So Ye Ning hadn't been hurt at all?

As for the attempted assassination...

Danzo had sent his subordinates to assassinate the Daimyo's Son?

Unless Danzo had gone mad, how could something like that have happened?

Tsunade finally understood. She turned her head, looking a little stiff.

"Ye Ning, sorry, but I need an explanation."

She spoke through gritted teeth. She was clearly furious.

"Ahem..."

Ye Ning coughed twice and tugged at his clothes, which were splattered with his blood. "Well? Are you still afraid of blood?"

At his words, Tsunade froze.

A moment ago, gripped by worry and urgency, she had completely forgotten her fear of blood. And now, looking at the bloodstains again, she still felt no fear at all.

Tsunade suddenly looked up, her expression complicated.

"How did you know?"

"When you were teaching me Medical Ninjutsu, you had me treat an injured rabbit. Do you remember?"

"I... remember."

"The rabbit's hind legs were covered in blood. You stayed far away from it, and I realized something was off. Later, I asked Orochimaru about it and found out you had Hemophobia."

Ye Ning shrugged. "Look, aren't you better now?"

Of course, he hadn't asked Orochimaru.

He'd only said that to come up with a plausible excuse.

It wasn't as if Tsunade could go confront Orochimaru about it.

"Besides, Danzo started this today. It wasn't my fault."

"Guess why he wanted to take me to his place so late at night?"

Ye Ning spread his hands and scoffed. "It's not like he wanted to invite me for a midnight snack, right? He obviously wanted to take me away while you were drunk, then use some method to bring me under his control so he could control the Daimyo Mansion. Or maybe he wanted to use me to keep my father in check, or get my father to support his bid to become Hokage."

"As for the blood, I made myself bleed. Those two didn't even touch me. I planned to make myself cough up some blood to make this 'assassination' more convincing, then capture them. Who knew you'd wake up so suddenly?"

"I saw your expression and knew your Hemophobia had kicked in, so I called for help to see if you could overcome it."

Ye Ning's lips curled into a mischievous smile.

"But you've overcome your Hemophobia, and you care this much about me?"

"Who cares about you!"

Tsunade sprang up, eyes wide as she denied it.

"I was afraid you'd die! If you died, there'd be no one to buy me drinks!"

"Oh, so you were afraid you'd run out of booze..."

Ye Ning's expression was full of meaning, but he didn't call her out.

After all, those who knew, knew.

If she didn't care about him, would she have overcome her fear of blood? Would she have been so angry that she took it out on the Root ninja?

Women—always saying the opposite of what they meant.

She was just afraid he'd end up like Nawaki. What was so embarrassing about admitting it?

Tsunade looked a little uneasy. After a moment's hesitation, she sat down beside Ye Ning again.

"So what are you planning to do now?"

"Of course I'm going to make as big a fuss about this as possible. This matter won't be over so easily."

If he didn't tear a layer of skin off Danzo, he wouldn't be Ye Ning!

Throwing his weight around in Konoha was one thing, but he'd even dared to set his sights on Ye Ning.

Hah.

Tsunade had no objections to Ye Ning's plan.

If not for Ye Ning, she would already have set out to travel the Shinobi World. Her last lingering attachment to Konoha and the Third Hokage had been completely worn away by the White Fang incident.

She wouldn't just refrain from opposing Ye Ning's actions—she wholeheartedly supported them.

"Do you need me to do anything?"

"No. It's time for my old man to take the stage."

Ye Ning smiled and briefly explained. "As the Daimyo's Son, I'm not the Daimyo myself. The Third Hokage and the other senior figures are wary of my father, not me. Only my father can put pressure on the Third Hokage effectively. I'll make sure to explain everything to him through a Ninja Hawk."

"What'll happen to Danzo?" Tsunade asked curiously, blinking.

She despised the man who was always so grim and had masterminded the White Fang incident. She couldn't help feeling a little schadenfreude at the thought of Danzo getting into trouble.

"If my father puts pressure on the Third Hokage, Danzo will at least lose his position as Hokage's assistant. We might even get a pleasant surprise."

He would use the leverage he had!

As the Daimyo's Son, he had to make good use of that status and draw on his connections with his well-connected father.

It was the greatest advantage his identity gave him.

As long as giant robots weren't rampaging across the Shinobi World, Konoha would have to rely on the Daimyo's funding to develop!

If that funding dried up, Ye Ning didn't believe the Third Hokage wouldn't give in!

Besides, he really wanted to know whether Danzo, who was always claiming to act for Konoha, would actually give up his power and position for Konoha.

As time passed, the unease in Danzo's heart grew stronger.

Why hadn't the Root ninja responsible for bringing Ye Ning back returned yet?

Danzo furrowed his brow, growing increasingly anxious.

He'd made his move on the same day he'd discussed the plan to deal with Ye Ning with the Third Hokage because Tsunade had gotten completely drunk that day. It was a perfect opportunity!

If Tsunade were sober, it would be very difficult for the Root ninja to find an opening to take Ye Ning away.

In other words, there could be no mistakes tonight!

If they failed tonight, finding another opportunity like this would be much harder!

Danzo was beginning to regret sending only two elite Chunin.

What if Tsunade suddenly woke up? Then all his efforts would be wasted!

If Tsunade interfered and they failed to bring Ye Ning back, it would cause him a great deal of trouble.

That sharp-tongued brat would never pass up such an opportunity. He would definitely use it to make trouble!

As he waited anxiously, Danzo had no idea that the men he'd sent out had not only been detained, but had also brought an enormous amount of trouble down on him.