"Sorry, I refuse. There's no rule in the village that says I have to turn over any jutsu I create."
Danzo, ugly as sin and greedy on top of that. Did he really think I'd just roll over and give him what he wanted? Not a chance.
"You dare defy me?" Danzo's calm facade cracked, his voice tinged with anger. His one visible eye gleamed with menace, and he noticed the Root operatives lurking in the shadows starting to shift, preparing to surround me.
Xin smirked, not even slightly intimidated. "Refusal isn't the same as defiance, Danzo-sama. Besides, I'm working under Tsunade-sama's command right now. You don't have the authority to order me around."
Xin leaned in slightly, dropping my voice to a more dangerous tone. "So, instead of barking up the wrong tree, why don't you focus on getting better? Because if you end up bedridden for life, that'd be a real shame for the village."
"Watch your mouth!" Danzo's voice shot up, trembling with rage. He looked like he was about to leap out of bed and strangle me right there.
"Later, old man." Xin turned and walked out of the room, unbothered by the seething anger radiating from Danzo.
The Root operatives still hovered, unsure whether to act.
A few months ago, they might have had a shot. Now? Xin will send them all to the afterlife if they even thought about trying.
"Usagi Xin!" Danzo shouted after me, his voice almost breaking in fury.
But he didn't bother looking back. His high-ranking status didn't scare me, and the war was over. Tsunade was the one calling the shots now, and she outranked him on this front.
If he wanted Thunderburst so badly, why not go ask her for it? Good luck with that. Even if she said yes, he couldn't handle it anyway. That jutsu wasn't made for someone like him.
As he stepped out, Xin threw one last jab over my shoulder. "No need to scream, Danzo-sama. Yelling's bad for your health. Maybe Tsunade-sama can come by and help you calm down."
Xin couldn't help but laugh as he walked away. Danzo, threatening me?
What a joke. The Root operatives shifted again, eager for orders, but Danzo didn't give them the signal.
Even as angry as he was, he knew better. Trying to take me down right now would be a suicide mission, and with Tsunade backing me, there was no way he could pin anything on me.