Recovery

Konoha.

Hokage Office Building.

An ANBU ninja suddenly appeared and bowed. "Lord Hokage, Ryōken and the others have returned to Konoha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head from the pile of documents, a faint trace of surprise in his eyes.

The ANBU ninja continued, "Ryōken was severely poisoned and has already been sent to the medical unit."

"What?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slapped the desk and abruptly rose to his feet.

"How is he?"

Worry appeared on his face. A monstrous genius like Ryōken could never be valued too highly.

Poisoning was an especially troublesome matter. If it was some exceedingly rare poison, finding an antidote would be truly difficult.

Otherwise, Hanzo of Amegakure and Chiyo would not have earned such great renown. Both were exceptionally skilled in poisons.

Tsunade had earned the honorific Princess Tsunade because she developed antidotes for their poisons.

It was the highest recognition of her medical skill, acknowledged by both allies and enemies alike.

The ANBU ninja raised his head and added, "By chance, Lady Tsunade had returned to the village to report on her duties. With Lady Tsunade's medical skill, his condition should already have stabilized."

"That's good."

Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long breath and sat back down, his calm and composed expression returning.

"Tell me what happened."

"According to the report of the accompanying genin Nai Inuzuka, along with the ninja corpse she provided, the deceased has been identified as one of the Rain Ninja jonin who escaped from Lord White Fang last time."

"However, that jonin was killed by Ryōken."

"But Ryōken was also poisoned by the poison carried by that jonin."

The ANBU ninja paused, suppressing the disbelief in his heart. He knew that Ryōken was only ten years old, yet he already possessed the strength to kill a jonin.

His voice resumed the ANBU's usual coldness. "On the way back to the village, Kouichi Uchiha attempted to assassinate Ryōken, but was killed by Tetsuki."

"The exact circumstances remain unclear."

With that, he lowered his head and awaited instructions.

"You may go."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand, and the ANBU ninja immediately vanished.

Hiruzen Sarutobi rose and looked toward the Uchiha compound, his gaze distant as he muttered, "Has Ryōken ultimately reached the point of standing against the Uchiha?"

Kouichi Uchiha was not an important figure, but his older brother, Tsuki Uchiha, was.

As a strong contender for the next Uchiha Clan head, his strength might have already surpassed that of an elite jonin and reached Kage-level.

Moreover, Tsuki Uchiha's Sharingan had long since reached three tomoe. Its enhancement was extraordinary; even a Kage-level opponent could be held off for a while.

Even if Ryōken could kill a jonin, Tsuki Uchiha was not someone he could contend with.

Yet Ryōken was Hatake Sakumo's student and had already formed deep enough bonds with Konoha that he could not simply be abandoned.

However, war could break out at any moment. At a time like this, what Konoha needed was internal unity and stability.

Nor could they tear relations apart with the Uchiha Clan over this. Besides, no matter how one looked at it, Ryōken merely possessed the potential to reach Kage-level; he was not a true Kage.

The Uchiha carried far more weight than Ryōken.

Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh, suddenly feeling weary. At this moment, he was no longer the shinobi hero who had dominated the ninja world, but an old man diligently striving to develop Konoha.

He did not want, nor was he willing, to abandon any villager of Konoha. Yet reality was what it was, beyond his control.

Those within the system had to follow the system's rules.

"Let Ryōken go to the Land of Iron and lie low for a while."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the setting sun and murmured with a hint of loneliness.

Uchiha compound.

A group of Uchiha clan members stood gathered around a coffin placed in the center, pointing and whispering among themselves.

"That's Kouichi Uchiha, right? What a miserable death."

"His throat was slit with one sword strike."

Some spoke in low, gleeful voices. A great clan naturally had different factions, and there were many dissatisfied with Tsuki Uchiha's branch.

They merely feared Tsuki Uchiha's strength and dared not say much ordinarily.

"That murderer must be killed!"

"The Uchiha's glory must never be defiled!"

Others wore furious expressions and kept shouting.

The Uchiha, who controlled the security forces, naturally had countless informants in Konoha. They had already learned most of the details of the matter.

Had Kouichi Uchiha been killed by ninja from another country, it would have been one thing.

Ninja were warriors by profession. Death was perfectly normal.

But Kouichi Uchiha had died at Tetsuki's hands. This could not simply be left unresolved.

At the center.

Han Uchiha stood there coldly, his face so gloomy it seemed ready to drip water.

He had two sons in total. Though Kouichi Uchiha's talent had not satisfied him, he was still his biological son.

His death saddened him, though not intensely.

At that moment, a figure with an arrogant, cold expression walked over. The three tomoe in his eyes slowly spun, their crimson glow chilling to the soul.

He was Tsuki Uchiha.

Tsuki Uchiha walked to the coffin and glanced at the long-dead Kouichi Uchiha. A sneer appeared on his face as he said disdainfully, "Truly weak. To die at the hands of a female samurai—you have disgraced the Uchiha's glory."

"Someone like you is unqualified to be buried in the Uchiha compound."

His voice was icy and indifferent, devoid of even a trace of emotion.

Suddenly, his hands formed seals, leaving behind a blur of afterimages.

Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.

A scorching fireball immediately appeared, its explosive heat warping even the air.

Flames raged. The coffin and corpse engulfed by them could not last even an instant before turning directly to ash.

"What are you doing, Tsuki?!"

Only then did Han Uchiha react, but it was already too late.

His face was filled with disbelief. That had been their family, yet Tsuki Uchiha had denied him even the chance to rest in peace.

Only now did he realize that the child he had personally raised had become so unfamiliar, so heartless.

Tsuki Uchiha turned around calmly, with no intention of offering an explanation. As though he had merely done what was only natural, he walked expressionlessly toward the edge of the crowd.

Wherever he passed, everyone respectfully made way. Even those who hated and despised him only dared to bury those feelings deep within their hearts, not daring to show them in the slightest.

"Glory lies within the heart."

Tsuki Uchiha clenched his fists and muttered in an almost deranged manner, a hint of fanaticism flashing in his eyes.

How could ordinary people understand true glory?

A strange curve lifted at the corner of his mouth, seeming both mocking and disdainful.

Within his blood-red Sharingan, the three tomoe spun madly, trailing afterimages until they were nearly impossible to see clearly.

A sinister, evil sensation suddenly drifted outward, bone-chillingly cold.

Konoha Hospital.

Ryōken groggily opened his eyes, and the expanse of white nearly blinded him.

"So big, so white."

Ryōken instinctively reached out, wanting to grab it.

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