The three wounded shinobi were brought to Konoha that night. At the hospital, Tsunade saw that all three were still breathing and could only marvel at how severe their injuries were.
Some conviction must have kept them alive this long. Otherwise, they might have died before reaching Konoha.
"Lady Tsunade, all three have penetrating wounds. They survived because the wounds missed their vital organs."
Tsunade nodded. "They've lost too much blood. Whether they pull through depends on their will to live."
She turned and entered the operating room. An ANBU squad headed for the Hokage Building to report the details to the Hokage and Hatake Sakumo.
Half an hour later, after hearing their report, the atmosphere in the Hokage's Office grew even heavier.
"What does everyone make of the intelligence on Danzo?" Homura asked, breaking the silence.
"No one has seen the ninja who used Wood Release. We can't say yet whether he's one of Danzo's subordinates. We should wait until the survivors wake up and question them before deciding what to do," Elder Shinsuke said.
The Third Hokage said, "Elder Shinsuke is right. Whether or not Danzo has truly developed Wood Release, we need to wait for the survivors to wake up before making a decision."
Word of the ANBU's defeat in the Land of Rivers did not spread through the village. It circulated only among a small circle of Konoha's senior officials.
News of Wood Release's reappearance also caught some people's interest, especially Orochimaru's. To him, the situation was growing more bewildering by the day.
When Danzo first defected, Orochimaru had always believed Fugaku played some part in it. Perhaps Danzo had already died at Fugaku's hands, and the news of Danzo's presence in the Shinobi World had been deliberately spread by Fugaku.
Danzo's recent appearance in the