Kazushi, who had just secured a promise from the Hokage, suddenly changed the subject. "But my brat of a son won't agree to let Kumogakure off the hook so easily."
The Third Hokage, already feeling a familiar headache coming on, could already picture the chaos Konoha's troublemaker would bring back—nonstop mischief day and night.
"So, Lord Third," Kazushi continued with a grin, "how about giving me something in return to keep that kid under control?"
The Third Hokage caught on immediately. This guy had barely finished striking a deal when he started shamelessly demanding 'protection money'!
"Hmph, what a shameless bastard," he thought bitterly to himself. No doubt father and son were cut from the same cloth—those earlier words of loyalty must have been some kind of trick.
Kazushi blinked innocently and insisted he had no ulterior motives—it was all for Konoha's sake, really.
Rubbing his aching temples, the Third Hokage finally sighed. "Fine, I'll agree."
"Thank you so much for your generosity, Lord Third. I should go check on that brat now—I'll take my leave first," Kazushi said as he picked up his teacup and downed it in one gulp.
No sooner had he left than the Third Hokage felt another wave of that all-too-familiar pain. He had just realized he'd been played—he'd given the Uchiha not only a shield but also a golden-layered safeguard.
A safeguard that prevented him from taking any action against the Uchiha unless they staged an outright rebellion.
"My head... My poor head..." the Hokage muttered, looking utterly deflated.
He knew exactly who had orchestrated this mess—the very same Shen Uchiha currently lying in the hospital bed, unconscious for over a week now.
At Konoha Hospital…
"Achoo!"
Shen, wrapped in bandages like a salted fish on the hospital bed, suddenly sneezed.
"Hey, come quick and wipe my nose for me."
With a soft thud, Nawaki tossed an entire box of tissues onto his face. "Have you lost your mind? You actually think your big bro Nawaki would do that?"
Lying there expressionless, the patient Shen simply muttered, "I'm filing a complaint."
"!!!" The tough-as-nails 'Big Bro Nawaki' immediately shuddered in fear.
Grumbling the whole time, Nawaki grabbed the tissue box, wiped Shen's nose while suppressing his disgust, and muttered, "Ugh, when will this nightmare end?"
"You wouldn't mind if Kushina came here instead, would you?" If his face hadn't been buried under all those bandages, Shen would have been smirking in utter mockery.
After venting his frustration by smashing some boulders, Nawaki—who had been Shen's sworn rival for twelve years—immediately rushed to the hospital as soon as he heard his nemesis had been admitted—to mock him mercilessly, of course.
Then he even dragged Orochimaru—who had been conducting forbidden research into immortality at the Laboratory—along with him.
That's exactly what the mummy-obsessed fool did, according to Nawaki himself.
"You're not being honest."
Just as Shen was about to bluntly expose Nawaki's real intentions,
Mito arrived at the hospital accompanied by Shūya and Kushina, making the atmosphere unbearably awkward.
Fortunately, Mito—a woman seasoned in life's many situations—quickly diffused the tension in the ward.
And just like that, Nawaki somehow gained a little sister—and the responsibility of being a good older brother to her.
As for Nayou, she continued to be personally cared for by the head of the Hyuga clan, Meide.
Her injuries were relatively minor—just general weakness caused by electrolyte imbalance, occasional dizziness, and intermittent vomiting.
Shen's condition was far worse. His ocular power and chakra were nearly completely drained. Over 40% of his body was burned, and two of his ribs had inexplicably fractured.
Right now, he couldn't move at all. Even going to the bathroom required assistance from someone else.
Kazushi came for a day before sneaking off at night.
Aiko lasted two days before ultimately heading home, unable to endure any longer.
Fugaku held out the longest and only ran away on the third day.
Originally, Kushina had come to visit last night and said she wouldn't attend school today just to take care of Shen.
In the end, Nawaki—who wanted to maintain his "good older brother" image—showed up at the hospital with a grimace early this morning.
Unable to go wild anymore, he received a new mission: becoming Shen's dedicated caregiver until the latter recovered and left the hospital.
"Damn it Nawaki, your snot got into my eyes!"
"You think I want this? This is literally my first time taking care of anyone in my entire life!"
"I'm! Gonna! Complain!"
"Just try hitting me if you can! Haha! Can't catch me!"
"One more time, don't dodge!"
Nayou, who had already been able to get out of bed, opened the door and saw an immediately trembling Shen raising his right hand, and a bouncing Nawaki running around.
The next moment, [Frostbitten Domain – Engulfing Void!] covered the entire ward.
In Amegakure, the Rain ninja village closest to Konoha,
Hanzo, who had already obtained intelligence, stood in the heavy rain, thinking about countermeasures alone.
"Never thought airplanes would play such a significant role."
Since the Third Hokage had thoroughly sealed the information, Rain ninja spies only saw two Hagoromo ships suddenly land on the eastern side of the Land of Fire. They didn't obtain any intelligence about Shen or Nayou.
What the spy brought back was very brief: Konoha had used two planes to arrest Ji, the Kumogakure envoy capable of Lightning Release cellular activation.
When Hanzo heard this intelligence initially, he wore an expression full of disbelief.
The current Raikage's speed could actually match evenly with his own when using Body Flicker Technique at maximum capacity.
Now a ninja who also relied on speed had been caught after being chased by these two planes.
Though acknowledged as the Demigod of the shinobi world, he was proud but not arrogant.
"The Cloud ninja probably haven't learned about this yet." According to his understanding of the Third Raikage, this martial arts-oriented figure, Kumo might actually declare war against Konoha.
Now having this intelligence, the scale in Hanzo's heart had already begun tilting gradually toward Konoha.
But reality wouldn't necessarily develop as he imagined.
"No way. If we didn't inform them immediately, both sides have already become unselectable options."
As leader of Amegakure, this sense of responsibility forced Hanzo to consider matters carefully again and again.
Wanting to help Konoha only now? The other side might slap him hard immediately.
Should he support Kumogakure instead? Perhaps the blame they'd bear this time would be even greater than last time.
He did favor Konoha. They had both technology and strength—most importantly, they kept their word.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had maintained a reputation as a top-tier leader in the shinobi world for over a decade.
What about the Third Raikage? Judging from his recent betrayal of the Hidden Rain Village, he clearly held no regard for anyone else.
If he were to really help them target Konoha, there's a chance he'd suddenly destroy their own base midway through the attack.
"Konoha won't work. Kumogakure won't work either. Then we'll strike back at whoever dares to attack!" Hanzo finally saw the truth.
Since neither side trusted him, he decided to drop all ambitions for power and land. He'd protect the Hidden Rain Village and forget about any other schemes.
Soaking wet, Hanzo straightened his back, turned around with calm confidence, and vanished instantly into the rain.
Search [ReadingPal] official website: www.kanshuzhushou.com Read millions of popular books free of charge, forever ad-free!
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>