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The antiseptic touched his face, swollen like a pig's, and only then did Kato Dan snap back to reality. Rong Lin's slaps, one on the left, one on the right, had been relentlessly trampling on his dignity.
This had directly made Kato Dan somewhat neurotic, but now he had recovered. Yet, his first reaction upon recovering was astonishing.
"Ah!!!"
A cry filled with anger and humiliation erupted from within the hospital, immediately followed by the nurses' startled gasps.
Shouting loudly, Kato Dan's voice suddenly cut off. A mouthful of fresh blood spurted high from his mouth, creating a mist of blood throughout the hospital hall, spraying everyone around him. Kato Dan couldn't believe he had been thoroughly thrashed by Rong Lin like a stray dog. In a fit of extreme rage, Kato Dan dramatically coughed up blood.
"Lord Kato Dan!!!"
After violently spitting out several mouthfuls of blood, Kato Dan's body softly collapsed, hitting the floor with a dull thud, startling the surrounding nurses. Kato Dan's two new teammates were also quite frightened, thinking their captain had met with some misfortune. Fortunately, after the doctors' and nurses' examinations, it was merely an outburst of extreme anger, causing him to cough up blood, and he would recover without needing a long rest.
"Did you fight someone?"
But after Rong Lin returned home, Uchiha Diqin saw the bloodstains all over his hands and body. Her heart sank, and she urgently asked, "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
"It's nothing," Rong Lin replied. "This is all someone else's blood. Today, I got to enjoy giving someone a good slapping, and it felt pretty good. It looks like from now on, whoever crosses me, I'll damn well slap them to death!!!"
Rong Lin grinned, signaling to Uchiha Diqin that she could rest easy. He hadn't sustained any injuries; on the contrary, he had thoroughly thrashed someone else.
"..."
Uchiha Diqin was speechless, but her anxious heart finally settled. As for who Rong Lin had slapped, she couldn't care less; she only knew that Rong Lin hadn't been hit and wasn't injured, and that was all that mattered. If Kato Dan, who was still unconscious, knew Uchiha Diqin's thoughts, he would surely vomit another three liters of blood!!!
The news that Kato Dan had been slapped until his face resembled a pig's head, and that a handsome man from the respectable Medical Department had been beaten so badly, was impossible to conceal.
Furthermore, Kato Dan's two new teammates had no choice but to report today's events to the Third Hokage, so it couldn't be kept secret. Soon, everyone in the village knew that Rong Lin and Kato Dan had gotten into a conflict, and Rong Lin had literally slapped the other party into a pig's head, one slap after another.
And so, Kato Dan became famous. It was said his appearance frightened quite a few people, and some even felt Rong Lin had gone too far. Yet, oddly enough, besides his severely swollen face, Kato Dan hadn't sustained any other injuries, leaving these people to merely grumble that Rong Lin's actions were disrespectful to a senior.
But soon, the entire accusation was overturned. Full-blown battles were forbidden within the village, but minor skirmishes were usually ignored. Rong Lin hadn't used any ninjutsu attacks. If nothing at all was allowed to happen, then why would ninjas be encouraged to compete and fight among themselves? Wasn't that utter nonsense?
Therefore, after the Third Hokage learned of this news, he was utterly stunned. It took him a while to come back to his senses, and in the end, he could only wryly dismiss Kato Dan's two new teammates.
As for punishment, there was some, but just as Rong Lin had expected, it was inconsequential – merely covering Kato Dan's medical expenses for his hospital stay. Poor Kato Dan had only just recovered from his previous injuries, and now, tragically, he was back in the hospital once more.
Although there were no severe physical injuries on the surface of his body, the psychological damage he suffered was more than enough for Kato Dan to 'enjoy.'
Even Tsunade was dumbfounded after learning this news.
"Lord Hokage, Uncle White Fang..."
The thorough beating of Kato Dan was merely a small interlude. Besides various discussions and snickers, the matter quickly passed. However, Kato Dan was destined to become the subject of jokes wherever he went from then on. This also served as a warning to some people in the village: they absolutely must not offend this kid, otherwise getting beaten like Kato Dan simply wouldn't be worth it.
One should understand that this was even more humiliating than merely being beaten black and blue by others. Being beaten up simply indicated inferior strength, but being slapped left and right like that could only be described as enduring endless insult and humiliation, not to mention the mockery that would follow.
The rest period passed quickly. Rong Lin arrived at the Hokage's office; today was the day he would join the Anbu.
White Fang was also in the office, seemingly awaiting Rong Lin's arrival.
"Hm." The Third Hokage nodded.
White Fang said with a smile, "Kid, from now on, you'll call me Captain!"
"Uncle White Fang's position has been restored?"
Rong Lin paused, then said happily.
Previously, due to the White Fang Incident, White Fang's position as Anbu Captain had been removed. He hadn't expected the Third Hokage to reinstate him now.
Honestly speaking, Rong Lin actually hoped White Fang could recover his original position. White Fang being in the Anbu Captain position also had its benefits for Rong Lin, as it could at least save him some trouble.
For example, issues of senior members bullying or looking down on new recruits. Although most people in Anbu knew Rong Lin's strength and identity, in this day and age, everything was lacking except for dimwitted individuals who liked to use their power to suppress newcomers.
If he encountered such a situation, dealing with it would be troublesome, so having someone help him sort it out would be ideal.
"~Hm, it's restored."
White Fang was filled with emotion and helplessness at that moment. Who could have known such a thing would happen back then? Deep down, White Fang was still very grateful to Rong Lin.
If it weren't for Rong Lin's bold words to Kakashi, White Fang didn't know what he would have done. Just thinking about how he had once harbored a death wish sent a wave of lingering fear through him.
That wouldn't just mean dying with a stained reputation; it would even implicate Kakashi and the entire Hatake clan. As clan head, he hadn't considered his family or his son and had conceived such an absurd action. This made White Fang feel incredibly apprehensive every time he recalled it.
This was also why White Fang continuously helped Rong Lin later on, a form of indirect repayment, even though his help was sometimes negligible.
"From today onwards, Uchiha Rong Lin joins the Anbu. White Fang, he will be in the First Squad. Take him to collect his equipment."
The Third Hokage quickly decided Rong Lin's position, assigning him to the strongest squad within the Anbu.
The Anbu First Squad would allow Rong Lin's strength to be maximized.