Minato handed the matter over to Danzo for handling.
Naturally, Danzo didn't hold back. He immediately threw all the ANBU members involved in the incident, including Sarutobi Shinnosuke, into prison.
Over the next few days, with Danzo's assistance, Minato carried out a thorough purge of the ANBU.
As one ninja after another was arrested and imprisoned, the name of Danzo, the "Darkness of the Shinobi," once again echoed throughout Konoha.
Danzo, however, didn't care about this. His focus now was on how to handle the imprisoned ninja.
"Lord Danzo, here is the list of those involved in this incident," Aburame Ryoma quickly delivered the list of prisoners to Danzo.
"Most of these people are loyal to the Third Hokage. Should we...?" Ryoma asked in a low voice.
Without a doubt, if Danzo gave the nod, Ryoma had countless ways to ensure they never left the prison alive. Even if they did, they would never be able to serve Sarutobi Hiruzen again.
In short, Ryoma showed no mercy to his enemies. Anyone who posed a threat to Danzo should be erased from this world. That was Aburame Ryoma's ninja way.
Fortunately, the expected bloodbath didn't happen.
After reviewing the list, Danzo smiled and said, "Don't be so bloodthirsty, Ryoma. In my opinion, there are still some talented individuals on this list."
Danzo circled several names on the list and said to Ryoma, "These few have potential. Although their thinking has gone astray, they can still be useful after some re-education. Give them a chance to redeem themselves by sending them to the mines in the Land of Wind. We're short on manpower there anyway."
Then he circled a few more names and said, "These ones aren't as deeply tied to Hiruzen. Transfer them out of the ANBU and send them to the Root for retraining."
With that, he placed the list on the table and casually added, "As for the rest, handle them as you see fit."
Ryoma immediately understood Danzo's intentions and replied in a low voice, "Understood."
That night, a prison break occurred in the Root's dungeon. Several foreign spies infiltrated the Root and, in collusion with the imprisoned ANBU members, attempted to escape.
Fortunately, the on-duty Root ninja discovered the plot in time and swiftly killed all the intruders.
As for the other prisoners, those destined for the mines were sent to the mines, and those marked for retraining were sent to the Root.
After a few days of handling the situation, things finally settled down.
The final outcome was that the former ANBU Commander, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, was dismissed and sent to the mines in the Land of Wind for "re-education."
The ANBU underwent a major reshuffle, with many of Hiruzen's loyalists being removed by Danzo.
The Third Hokage's faction suffered heavy losses.
While the ANBU's strength might be temporarily affected, in the long run, this move eliminated some hidden threats. After all, the unauthorized mobilization of ANBU ninja had caused a significant scandal.
As for the Hokage and Danzo's factions, there were almost no losses.
Well, except for one loss—a certain self-proclaimed "Blue Beast of Konoha," Might Guy.
"Why were you in such a hurry?" Kakashi, dressed in casual clothes, sighed as he looked at Might Guy, who was lying in a hospital bed, his body wrapped in bandages.
To be honest, the Root's defenses were more than sufficient at the time. The Earth Branch team hadn't even needed to step in. Yet, Might Guy had recklessly opened the Sixth Gate and charged in.
While he successfully stopped Sarutobi Shinnosuke, he also suffered significant injuries from the side effects of the Eight Gates.
After all, this wasn't the same Might Guy from the original story who could open the Eighth Gate and earn Madara Uchiha's praise. Currently, opening the Sixth Gate was already pushing his limits, and such a breakthrough inevitably caused severe damage to his body.
However, the man himself didn't seem to mind.
"Don't worry, Kakashi! These minor injuries are nothing to the Blue Beast of Konoha! As long as it's for Lord Danzo's orders, I'd even burn my life to fulfill them!" Might Guy declared with determination, waving his bandaged fists.
Just as Kakashi was about to retort, he heard the sound of clapping.
Turning around, he saw Danzo himself had come to visit.
Danzo clapped softly, his tone full of admiration. "Well said! Such spirit!"
Looking at the enthusiastic Might Guy, Danzo's face was filled with appreciation. While Guy could be a bit rowdy at times, he truly stepped up when it mattered.
Seeing Danzo, Might Guy grew equally excited. He tried to sit up to salute, but Danzo stopped him.
"I order you to stay still!" Danzo said sternly.
Hearing the command, Might Guy immediately stiffened and replied, "Yes, sir!"
Danzo gently patted Guy's arm and smiled. "Alright, I'm just teasing you. Besides checking on your injuries, I'm here for one more thing."
Hearing this, Might Guy perked up and said loudly, "Please give me your orders, Lord Danzo! I'll definitely complete the mission!"
Danzo chuckled and said, "Don't worry, it's not a mission. I just hope you can assist me with an experiment."
"An experiment?" Might Guy tilted his head, looking confused.
He never expected to be involved in any experiments.
Danzo didn't keep him in suspense. "Here's the thing. I've recently mastered a medical ninjutsu. Since you're injured, I thought I'd test its effects on you."
Danzo smiled, seemingly looking forward to it.
Seeing Danzo's smile, Kakashi silently sighed. *Good luck, Guy.*
Unfortunately, Might Guy didn't have Kakashi's observational skills. Facing Danzo's request, he immediately said, "Lord Danzo is going to personally heal me? That's amazing!"
Seeing Might Guy's excitement, Danzo's smile widened.
The medical ninjutsu he referred to was, of course, the new skill he had acquired from Nagato—Six Paths: Hell Path.
If Nagato could use the Hell Path to repair the injured Pain bodies in the original story, then surely it could be used to heal others as well, right?
With this in mind, Danzo had conducted numerous experiments, such as using the Hell Path to chew on injured, dying animals.
The results proved his theory correct.
The Hell Path's ability to repair Pain bodies stemmed from the Yang Release chakra of the Rinnegan. Essentially, by infusing Yang Release chakra into the injured bodies, it accelerated their healing process.
Therefore, the same principle could be applied to humans.
"Since that's the case, I won't hold back," Danzo said after receiving Might Guy's consent.
A mysterious aura suddenly emanated from Danzo as a dark purple energy rose from his feet, enveloping the entire room.
Then, to Kakashi and Might Guy's disbelief, a majestic head emerged from the floor!
The head nearly filled the entire room, its face painted with purple markings and a large "King" character on its forehead, exuding an overwhelming presence.
This was a power that touched upon life and death!
Kakashi immediately sensed this.
As for Might Guy, while he didn't have the same insight as Kakashi, the sheer size of the creature made him realize that the "medical ninjutsu" Danzo mentioned was... different from what he had imagined.
"Are you ready, Guy?" Danzo asked kindly, standing in front of the massive creature.
As he spoke, the giant figure behind him opened its mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth. A purple, mucus-covered tongue with a hand-like tip shot out.
Seeing the drool dripping from the tongue, Might Guy's face turned pale.
He swallowed hard and hesitantly asked, "Um, Lord Danzo... is it too late to back out now?"
Danzo shook his head and said, "A true man keeps his word. Once you've agreed to something, you must see it through."
Hearing this, Might Guy instinctively tried to struggle.
Seeing this, the King of Hell behind Danzo didn't hesitate. Its purple tongue lashed out like lightning, wrapping around Might Guy on the hospital bed.
The hand-like tip firmly grasped his head, and with a tug, it pulled him into its mouth.
All that remained were his continuous wails and screams.
Though they sounded heart-wrenching, the King of Hell's muffling effect made them less intense.
Listening to the screams, Kakashi silently gulped.
As the King of Hell chewed, copious amounts of saliva mixed with pure Yang Release chakra were injected into Might Guy's body. The Yang Release chakra rapidly healed his injuries at an unimaginable speed.
Several minutes later, the King of Hell finally opened its mouth and spat Might Guy back out.
By now, Might Guy had completely lost his earlier vigor. His clothes and bandages were soaked in saliva, with some parts even forming sticky strands...
He lay on the ground like a lifeless dog, his eyes devoid of light.
"Uh, Guy... are you okay?" Kakashi asked hesitantly.
Because he clearly didn't look okay.
Might Guy didn't respond, but Danzo, after examining him with his Byakugan, confirmed that his injuries were fully healed and said with satisfaction, "Don't worry, his injuries are mostly healed. As for any psychological trauma... well, that's another matter."
To be honest, Danzo was quite pleased with the healing effects of the 'Hell Path'. In just a few minutes, it had completely healed Might Guy's injuries, far exceeding his expectations.
As he became more proficient with the technique, he believed the healing speed could be further increased, and the effectiveness could be improved as well.
The key, Danzo thought, lay in the application of Yang Release chakra. If he could enhance his Yang Release affinity, perhaps the healing capabilities of the 'Hell Path' could be further improved.
With this in mind, Danzo began to envision numerous possibilities.
"Kakashi, take good care of Guy. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now," Danzo said before exiting the room.
Kakashi looked at the lifeless Might Guy and silently vowed that he would never let Lord Danzo heal him, no matter what.
"Kakashi..." Suddenly, Might Guy let out a weak voice.
When Kakashi leaned in to listen, he heard Might Guy mutter:
"I'm not clean anymore."
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