Those Who Know, Know

"Ye Ning... Ye Ning, are you alright?"

Tsunade rushed over, pulling Ye Ning into a half-embrace, her eyes unable to conceal the anxiety and worry within.

Having already overcome her Hemophobia, Tsunade felt no fear at the sight of the blood on Ye Ning, her hands moving quickly to locate the source of his bleeding.

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

Where was the wound?

Was he not injured?

Concerned to the point of confusion, Tsunade finally realized what was happening.

Those two ninjas from earlier were, at best, elite Chunin. A month ago, Ye Ning had already surpassed that level, not to mention the rapid progress he had made under their collective tutelage!

So, Ye Ning hadn't been injured at all?

As for the assassination attempt...

Danzo sent subordinates to assassinate the son of the Daimyo Mansion?

Unless Danzo had lost his mind, how could such a thing possibly happen?

Tsunade finally came to her senses, her neck stiff as she turned her head:

"Ye Ning, I'd like an explanation."

Her words were gritted through teeth; she was clearly genuinely furious.

"Cough, cough..."

Ye Ning gave a light cough and tugged at the clothing stained with blood. "How is it? Are you still afraid of blood?"

Hearing this, Tsunade was stunned.

Just moments ago, in her panic and worry, she had completely cast aside her fear of blood. And now, looking at the stains again, she felt no fear at all.

Tsunade suddenly looked up, her expression complex:

"How did you know?"

"When you were teaching me medical ninjutsu, you needed me to treat an injured rabbit. Do you remember?"

"I... remember."

"The rabbit's hind legs were covered in blood, and you stayed far away. I sensed something was wrong then, and later I asked Orochimaru, which is how I found out you suffered from Hemophobia."

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

Of course, he hadn't asked Orochimaru.

Saying that was just a convenient excuse.

Besides, it wasn't as if Tsunade would go and confront Orochimaru about it.

"Besides, this whole thing today was started by Danzo; it wasn't my fault."

"Guess what he wanted to do by taking me to his place so late at night?"

Ye Ning spread his hands and sneered: "He couldn't possibly have been inviting me for a midnight snack, could he? It was nothing more than wanting to snatch me away while you were drunk, then using some method to control me, thereby controlling the Daimyo Mansion. Or perhaps he wanted to hold me hostage to force my father into a corner, or maybe he wanted my father to support his bid to become Hokage?"

"As for this blood, I forced it out myself. Those two guys never even touched me. I intended to draw some blood to make this 'assassination' look more realistic, then capture them both, but I didn't expect you to wake up suddenly."

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

Ye Ning's lips curled into a mischievous smirk:

"But you, you've overcome your Hemophobia—do you care about me that much?"

"Who cares about you!"

Tsunade sprang up instantly, her eyes wide as she retorted:

"I was just afraid you'd die! If you died, there would be no one left to buy me wine!"

"Oh, so it was just because you were afraid of running out of wine..."

Ye Ning's expression was meaningful, though he didn't press the point.

After all, those who know, know.

If she didn't care about him, would she have been able to break through her fear of blood? Would she have been so angry that she took her frustration out on the Root ninjas?

Women, they are such contradictory creatures.

She was just afraid he would end up like Nawaki; there was no need to be embarrassed about it.

Tsunade's expression was a bit unnatural. After hesitating, she sat back down beside Ye Ning:

"So, what do you plan to do next?"

"Naturally, I intend to make this matter as big as possible. This affair won't end so easily."

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

It was one thing for Danzo to throw his weight around in Konoha, but to dare set his sights on him?

Heh.

Tsunade had no objections to the thoughts of Ye Ning.

If not for Ye Ning, she would have long since begun wandering the Shinobi World, and the last vestiges of her attachment to Konoha and the Third Hokage had been thoroughly worn away during the incident involving the White Fang.

Far from refuting Ye Ning's approach, she supported it with both hands and feet.

"Do you need me to do anything?"

"No. For a matter like this, it is time for my old man to take the stage."

Ye Ning smiled slightly and offered a brief explanation, "As the son of the Daimyo, I am, at the end of the day, not the Daimyo himself. The Third Hokage and the high-level officials like Danzo fear my father, not me. Only my father can effectively apply pressure to the Third Hokage. I will use a Ninja Hawk to explain the situation clearly to him."

"What will happen to Danzo?" Tsunade blinked, feeling a bit curious.

She loathed the man who wore a gloomy face all day and was the culprit behind the White Fang incident from the bottom of her heart, and she felt a sense of schadenfreude regarding the misfortune about to befall Danzo.

"With my father pressuring the Third Hokage, Danzo will at the very least lose his position as assistant to the Hokage. Perhaps there might even be an unexpected windfall."

Leveraging power!

As the son of the Daimyo, he naturally had to make good use of this identity and borrow influence from his convenient father.

This was the greatest advantage of his current status.

As long as giant robots did not roam the Shinobi World, Konoha would always have to rely on the funding provided by the Daimyo to develop!

Once the funding was cut, Ye Ning did not believe the Third Hokage would refuse to compromise!

Moreover, he was very curious: would Danzo, who constantly had "for the sake of Konoha" on his lips, actually sacrifice his own power and status for the sake of the village?

As time passed, the unease in the depths of Danzo's heart grew increasingly intense.

Why had the Root ninja responsible for bringing Ye Ning back not returned yet?

Danzo furrowed his brows, feeling anxious.

He had chosen to act today, right after discussing the plan to deal with Ye Ning with the Third Hokage, precisely because Tsunade was dead drunk, providing a perfect opportunity!

Once Tsunade was in a sober state, it would be very difficult for the Root ninja to find an opening to take Ye Ning away.

In other words, today's operation could not afford any mistakes!

If they failed today, finding another opportunity like this in the future would be harder than ascending to heaven!

Danzo now felt a pang of regret for having sent only two elite chunin.

If Tsunade were to suddenly wake up, everything would be for naught!

If this matter were obstructed by Tsunade and he failed to bring Ye Ning back, it would undoubtedly be a troublesome affair for him.

That sharp-tongued brat would certainly not let such an opportunity pass and would definitely use it to launch an attack!

The anxiously waiting Danzo had no idea that the men he had sent out were not only being detained but had also invited a mountain of trouble upon him.