When watching the anime in his past life, Kei actually quite disliked Koharu and Homura. At times, he even felt that they were just Danzō's lackeys. But after living in this world for over ten years, he gradually overturned his original impression of them.
These two were truly rare, good people among Konoha's higher-ups!
Homura was a conservative, yet he had his own principles. Although he tended to overthink things and constantly worried about whether others were handling matters properly—often questioning everything, which gave him the image of an annoying meddler—he never actually interfered directly. He only gave advice, as was his duty as a senior advisor.
Koharu had the ideology of collectivism ingrained in her very bones. She was rigid, serious, and blunt to the point of being hurtful, but she truly prioritized the village above all else.
She was the first to propose the extermination of the Uchiha clan when they became a threat to Konoha. Yet, when Danzō opposed Hiruzen's reinstatement as Hokage, she was also the first to question Danzō's whereabouts during the Nine-Tails' attack.
The fact that these two managed to live into old age while still holding positions as elders wasn't just because they were disciples of the Second Hokage.
The reason they were so disliked was simply because they didn't side with the protagonist in his reckless actions.
Early Naruto was all about "bonds" and "ninja way," often disregarding Konoha's ninja regulations.
When he said he wanted to chase after Sasuke, no one could stop him. When he insisted on seeking out Orochimaru, no one could dissuade him.
But at its core, Konoha was a military organization. A lack of discipline and structure? It would've been strange if Koharu and Homura had supported that.
Didn't you notice? Once Naruto grew up, he completely changed his attitude toward them, showing them utmost respect.
It wasn't because they had changed—it was because he finally realized that without rules, there could be no order. To protect Konoha, one must first uphold its rules. If everyone did as they pleased, Konoha would fall apart.
As for Tsunade... She lost her parents at a young age, leaving only Hashirama, Tobirama, Mito, and Nawaki.
Hashirama died before she even had a chance to grow up.
A few years later, Tobirama died while negotiating a peace treaty to protect Konoha.
Her younger brother, just after declaring his dream of becoming Hokage to protect Konoha, died.
She finally met a kind man who promised to become Hokage and protect Konoha—only for him to die in front of her on a mission.
When she returned to Konoha seeking comfort from her grandmother, Mito also died while transferring a tailed beast to protect Hashirama's legacy—Konoha.
She was basically the Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic, The Revenant, and Shutter Island combined of the Naruto world—surrounded by tragedy and loss at every turn!
If Kei were in her shoes, he would've found it unbearable. He might not hate Konoha with a burning passion, but he'd definitely develop an aversion to the phrase "protect Konoha."
Who the hell would dare mention that to him?
He'd probably drag out the clan registry and tell everyone else to go protect Konoha instead.
So when it came to the conflict between Tsunade and Koharu, he really wanted to say to Koharu: "I know you mean well for Konoha, but please, just let her be. Her family registry only has one page left!"
The commotion in the hospital room didn't last long.
With Hiruzen's well-practiced persuasion skills at play, Koharu immediately took her leave. Seeing that there was nothing left for him to do, Homura also followed suit and exited the hospital.
The two walked to the door, politely nodded at Kei, and then turned to leave Konoha Hospital.
"We can begin now."
Danzō spoke up as soon as the nuisances were gone, urging things along. He couldn't afford to wait any longer! He had undergone thorough examinations in the Root headquarters, but the medical ninjas there couldn't find the cause.
Even Orochimaru had claimed he was powerless to help.
A few days ago, the Fire Temple had sent an old monk named Chūkaku to examine him, but he too was at a loss. Even the Root ninja who went to the Land of Demons to consult the priestess didn't get to meet her; they only received a cryptic message: "The one who tied the bell must untie it."
Like hell I don't know that the user of the technique can undo it! The key issue is—which bastard used it?!
Tsunade didn't have the patience to waste time with Danzō and immediately got to business.
Tatsuma, standing beside her, respectfully handed over a stack of medical reports, more than a finger's thickness.
She quickly skimmed through the data, her brows gradually furrowing.
"A minor immune rejection response, natural cellular aging leading to decreased vitality, no abnormal chakra reactions… The problem is obviously not physical. There's nothing I can do."
After flipping through just a dozen pages, she delivered her diagnosis straight away.
"... Are you not going to conduct a more thorough examination?" Danzō's tone revealed his clear reluctance to accept this conclusion.
Meanwhile, Kei, standing by the door, glanced thoughtfully at his system interface.
He noticed that [Single-Eyed Three Tomoe] had disappeared.
Just as I thought.
Like hell Danzō would let Tsunade examine him in detail without first digging out his own Sharingan.
"Your body is fine. Further examinations will yield the same results. As for your condition, I suggest consulting an expert in Yin Release."
Tsunade's gaze casually drifted toward Kei, who had been sneakily watching from the doorway. Inside the hospital room, both Danzō and Hiruzen instinctively followed her gaze.
Danzō's face darkened even further.
Seeing this, Hiruzen had no choice but to invite Kei in.
"Kei, you should have some understanding of Danzō's situation, right?"
"Tsunade mentioned it briefly earlier."
Kei inwardly cursed Tsunade for throwing him under the bus. He was just here to laugh at Danzō's misfortune, maybe even consider slipping him some "special system goods" to exact a little revenge for the countless people he had wronged.
If Tsunade didn't want to deal with Danzō, fine—but why shove the responsibility onto him?!
"What's your take on this?" Hiruzen saw nothing inappropriate in Tsunade's words.
If Danzō's body had no issues, then the only logical path was to consider factors related to spiritual energy and Yin Release. And who better to consult than a member of the Yamanaka clan—renowned experts in Yin Release?
And Kei, in particular, was a standout among them, excelling not only in their clan's secret techniques but also in powerful genjutsu. Who else could they possibly ask?
"Hokage-sama, no matter how Yin Release techniques manifest, they all require chakra to function. In this case here…"
Kei deliberately put on a troubled expression. His hesitant, half-spoken response was too obvious to escape the sharp eyes of the three elders.
"You may speak freely."
"When I was studying forbidden seals, I came across some records from the Warring States period… Things like the Shinigami that can seal souls, Sōma that devours memories, Mōryō that harnesses dark energy…" Kei attempted to shift the blame as far away from himself as possible.
As expected, both Hiruzen and Danzō frowned deeply at this. Those kinds of forces were beyond the realm of normal ninja techniques.
"Ahem… Of course, that's not to say there's no way to resolve the condition."
Kei abruptly changed his tone. Years of experience had taught him that when redirecting blame, a light push was all that was needed.
People were far more inclined to believe conclusions they arrived at on their own rather than explanations forced upon them. If he said too much, they might start suspecting him instead.
"What solution do you propose?" A barely perceptible glimmer of expectation flickered across Danzō's dark expression.
"Your main issue is that his head keeps getting attacked, right? Learning a technique similar to the Hydrification Technique would solve that—his head could explode and still regenerate perfectly."
Kei offered what he considered the best solution.
A moment of silence fell over the room. Both Hiruzen and Danzō stared at him wordlessly.
The Hydrification Technique... Without the Hōzuki clan's bloodline, who the hell could even learn that technique?!
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