279. I’ve Slept Too Long

"Detected Kushina Uzumaki's gratitude. Skill points +1."

"Drawing skill package..."

"Congratulations! Acquired skill package [Uzumaki Constitution]!"

"Detected Minato Namikaze's gratitude. Skill points +1."

"Drawing skill package..."
"Congratulations! Acquired skill package [Space-Time Talent (S-)]."

"Detected..."

In the dimly lit Root headquarters, a series of dense notification sounds woke Danzo.

He struggled to open his eyes, his weary body feeling somewhat lighter due to the reward notifications.

"This harvest isn't bad at all," Danzo muttered, lying on the hospital bed as he gazed at the system panel before him.

There was no helping it; the losses Konoha had suffered this time were far too severe.

The legendary Madara Uchiha, two former Hokage, the Seven-Tails, and the Nine-Tails—such a terrifying lineup had plunged most of Konoha's villagers into despair.

Many even wondered if Konoha would be destroyed.

Fortunately, Danzo had emerged at the critical moment.

Through his own efforts and a little help from the system, he managed to break through during the battle and slay the reanimated Madara on the spot!

Otherwise, this disaster would have been difficult to contain.

As a result, Danzo naturally became Konoha's savior—the village's super hero!

He also reaped a large number of skill packages and skill points.

The 50,000 skill points he had just spent were replenished to around 5,000.

As for the skill packages, the ones Danzo cared about most, and which held the most value, were Kushina's [Uzumaki Constitution] and Minato's [Space-Time Ninjutsu Talent].

The former successfully elevated his constitution to S- rank, officially stepping into the realm of S-rank.

The latter deepened Danzo's understanding of space-time, giving him greater insight into his two ocular techniques, [Shatter Space] and [Divine Severance].

He believed he would now be able to wield them more effortlessly, with corresponding increases in power.

Danzo was quite satisfied with these two gains.

But then again, it was only natural.

After all, Danzo had single-handedly saved Kushina, indirectly saving Minato and their entire family.

Otherwise, with Kushina's death, Minato might have followed the original storyline and committed suicide. In that case, Naruto would have been left an orphan, enduring the cold stares of the villagers.

Fortunately, Danzo had changed all of that. From this perspective, it was only right that the couple gave Danzo a little extra.

"Still, my body isn't feeling too great..." Danzo rubbed his neck and sighed. "Was it really too much?"

First, he fought the reanimated Madara, then sealed the Nine-Tails, saved Kushina, and finally defeated the Seven-Tails with a single strike. Such intensity was indeed a bit too much for an old man like Danzo.

The excessive consumption of chakra forced him to "burn his life force," squeezing every last bit of energy from his cells. This rapid decline in his physical condition left him feeling hollow even after waking up.

Fortunately, he had drawn the [Uzumaki Constitution], which helped restore his body significantly.

Otherwise, he might not have woken up for who knows how long.

At this thought, Danzo's expression darkened, and a terrifying killing intent flashed in his eyes. This killing intent was directed at Obito and Orochimaru.

To be honest, Danzo had been somewhat careless during this attack.

Although he had started patching up the vulnerabilities in Konoha's defense system in advance, he had underestimated the chain reaction created by Orochimaru and Obito's collaboration.

The former's [Reanimation Jutsu] combined with Obito's [Kamui] was simply too overpowered—it was like a mini version of the Fourth Great Ninja War!

Fortunately, even Orochimaru couldn't use a forbidden jutsu like [Reanimation Jutsu] casually.

Otherwise, if Obito kept using [Kamui] to bring Orochimaru to Konoha to drop "zombies," it would have been a nightmare.

Regardless, since Konoha had suffered such heavy losses, Danzo, as the "Darkness of the Shinobi," couldn't just sit back and do nothing.

After handling the village's internal affairs, he would definitely retaliate against Obito Uchiha.

Just as Danzo was pondering how to take revenge, a commotion broke out outside. Danzo frowned, and the Byakugan on his forehead immediately activated.

With a visual range of over ten kilometers, he instantly grasped everything happening in the village.

"Trying to pressure Konoha by allying with other villages while I was asleep? How laughable."

Danzo snorted coldly, releasing a strong wave of killing intent.

Sensing this, Ryoma Aburame, who was guarding the door, immediately entered.

"Lord Danzo, you're awake!" He knelt on one knee, his voice trembling with excitement.

After Danzo had fallen into a coma, Ryoma hadn't taken over Root's affairs.

Instead, he handed them over to Shisui to manage, while he himself remained by Danzo's side without leaving for a moment.

If it weren't for the sake of luring out the enemy, those Cloud ninjas would have been reduced to ashes the moment they approached Danzo.

For Ryoma, nothing was more important than Danzo's safety—not even the village.

Seeing Ryoma, Danzo sat up. "You've worked hard these past few days, Ryoma."

Hearing this, Ryoma immediately lowered his head and said, "It was no trouble at all. As long as Lord Danzo wakes up, anything I do is worth it!"

Ryoma's words radiated loyalty from top to bottom.

Danzo stood up and patted Ryoma's shoulder with satisfaction. "Good, very spirited!"

With a wave of his hand, Ryoma understood and brought over Danzo's coat. Danzo slowly put it on, then picked up his cane and walked outside.

"Let's go see who dares to bully my disciple while I was asleep."

Danzo's voice was low, like a lion that had just awakened from a long slumber.

Ryoma followed silently behind him, but an astonishing aura was already emanating from his body.

---

Back at Konoha Hospital.

As a senior advisor and high-ranking member of Konoha, Koharu Utatane stared at the head at her feet, feeling as though her rage was about to blow the top of her skull off.

"Shisui Uchiha, what do you think you're doing?!" She barely contained her anger as she glared at the Uchiha prodigy before her.

If he weren't Danzo's disciple but just an ordinary Uchiha, Koharu would have already ordered his arrest!

Facing her anger, Shisui remained calm. He slowly sheathed his short sword and said indifferently, "I merely eliminated a rat who tried to assassinate my teacher."

Hearing this, Koharu trembled with anger. What could have been a major opportunity to stir up trouble had been ruined by this brat!

"Do you have any idea what consequences your actions will bring to the village?" Koharu clenched her fists and continued to press.

Shisui narrowed his eyes, his expression bearing a faint resemblance to Danzo's. "War. Since the Cloud Village is so eager for war, I'll give them one! Elder Koharu, do you think Cloud ninjas can do as they please in Konoha while we dare not even resist?"

Shisui's voice suddenly rose, and his words were heard clearly by all the surrounding ninjas and villagers.

This caused Koharu's expression to shift repeatedly.

She could only grit her teeth and say, "I merely believe that Konoha should endure humiliation for now. Once this difficult period passes, we can seek revenge on the Cloud Village."

To this, Shisui retorted without hesitation, "If we compromise with the Cloud Village today, what happens when the Mist, Sand, and Stone Villages send their forces to pressure us tomorrow? Should we sign shameful treaties with all of them? Forgive me for saying so, but this isn't enduring humiliation—this is surrendering our sovereignty!"

Faced with Shisui's scathing rebuke, Koharu completely lost her composure. "Enough!" she shouted, her fists clenched so tightly they seemed about to burst into flames.

"I have only ever acted with Konoha's best interests at heart! As for you, Shisui Uchiha! You've been obstructing Konoha's negotiations with the Cloud Village, insisting on war—what are your true intentions? Don't forget, last night, the Nine-Tails' Sharingan was clearly seen by everyone! Could it be that this entire incident was orchestrated by the Uchiha clan to weaken the village and seize power?!"

Her words caused an uproar.

Although there weren't many people present—mostly members of the village's Anbu—the fact that a Konoha elder had openly made such accusations would undoubtedly have a significant impact.

Koharu wasn't just attacking Shisui; she was attacking the entire Uchiha clan.

Hearing this, Shisui's calm expression finally shifted. He narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Elder Koharu, you'd better have evidence to back up your words."

Koharu, now completely unhinged, retorted, "Evidence? The Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes is all the evidence we need!"

She glared coldly at Shisui and said, "Until we uncover the traitor, Konoha must not go to war with the Cloud Village! Moreover, the Uchiha clan must be thoroughly investigated!"

Faced with such slander, Shisui placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and said defiantly, "Do you dare?"

At this, several Anbu ninjas under the elders' direct command stepped forward to stand behind Koharu.

Simultaneously, several Root ninjas appeared and took their places beside Shisui.

The two groups faced off, creating a tense standoff. The scene was so intense that one might have wondered if Konoha was on the brink of civil war.

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had rushed to the scene, was stunned. The current Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was also surprised.

He had expected Shisui to swiftly eliminate the Cloud envoys and settle the matter. He hadn't anticipated Koharu's stubbornness, which had led to this situation.

This was troublesome. Minato frowned.

But since he had tacitly approved of Shisui's actions, he couldn't let him bear the responsibility alone.

Just as he was about to step forward as Hokage to defuse the situation, a familiar voice rang out.

"It seems I've slept too long. Someone actually dares to accuse my disciple of being a traitor."

Danzo emerged from the shadows, leaning on his cane. The entire area fell silent.