Danzo never expected Minato Namikaze to be so dishonorable, to trick and ambush an old comrade in his fifties.
Minato Namikaze's name was added to Danzo's kill list. Ahead of him, Uchiha Ling was ranked first, followed by Uchiha Chiri.
If Uchiha Ling knew about this kill list in Danzo's mind, she would surely feel extremely flattered and apprehensive.
How could a six-year-old nobody like her hold such significant weight, even surpassing two Kage-level powerhouses, Uchiha Chiri and Minato Namikaze?
In Ling's heart, Danzo was also at the top of her kill list, followed by Ōtsutsuki Black Zetsu and Uchiha Madara.
And where was Ling, who was planning to cut down Danzo at this moment? Ling had already infiltrated the unit led by the Third Hokage.
She knew Danzo's death throes would be fierce, so Ling decided to temporarily avoid the brunt of it and watch Danzo's desperate struggle.
Once Danzo was exhausted and wanted to escape again, hehe, that would be the time for Ling to go in for the kill.
At this point, Danzo was trapped, caught between two forces. Aside from his ashen face, he still stood proudly and gracefully in the center of the Root Ninja.
Upon arriving a hundred meters in front of Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi also stopped, looking at his old close friend with complex emotions.
"Monkey, do you really have to push this old man to such an extent? Let this old man leave, and I will not harm Konoha."
Danzo played the emotional card, showing no remorse for the surprise Wood Release he had given Hiruzen Sarutobi earlier.
"Danzo! Come back to the Village with me. I will let you live out your golden years in peace. Surrender!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed, showing some hesitation, but then it became firm. He would not allow Danzo to leave Konoha; the Village's intelligence could not be compromised.
"Hahaha~! Hahahaha~! Monkey! You are truly naive! Without power and strength, how can this old man achieve his dreams, how can I protect Konoha?"
Danzo laughed desolately. He knew that this was the final farewell; he would either successfully escape or die here.
Ling noticed the huge lake to her right front, as well as the statues of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, feeling a sense of destiny.
This was another Battle of the Valley of the End. The last time it was Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, a pair of sworn enemies and confidants. Now, it was Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi, a pair of good friends.
In the original work, there would later be Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. The name Valley of the End was truly fitting.
"Danzo! You don't necessarily have to become Hokage to protect Konoha. You've strayed from the path. As a close friend, today I must correct this wrong path."
The moon was bright and the stars sparse, a gentle breeze blew. Hiruzen Sarutobi reached out his hand, pinching a falling leaf between his index finger and thumb.
After gazing at it for a long time, he seemed to have made a certain decision. With a flash of fire, the leaf burned as it floated through the air.
"Hiruzen! As Hokage, you can naturally say such words so easily, but this old man cannot. This old man doesn't want to be a root either; I also want to be a branch and leaf bathed in sunlight!"
Danzo's eyes were fierce. The dark, empty socket where his Sharingan had been dug out made Danzo look like a vengeful spirit, staring intently across the night sky at the boastful Third Hokage.
"Danzo, no one made you a root. There are a hundred, even ten thousand ways to protect Konoha, but you chose the most mistaken one."
"As your close friend and teammate, this old man must awaken you, for Konoha, for our teacher, I must awaken you!"
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi's figure was not grand, at this moment, he still possessed an astonishing aura.
"I am not wrong. Isn't the path I've taken what you wished for? Your incompetence made me a root. Our teacher should not have chosen you as Hokage back then!"
Danzo's expression management failed. He only felt that Hiruzen Sarutobi would never understand his obsession with being Hokage.
"You are very right. Perhaps our teacher chose the wrong person back then, but even so, that is no reason for you to betray Konoha!"
Ling stood on a treetop, watching the two men engaged in a sharp-tongued debate, and took out some melon seeds to start cracking.
Melon seeds are also melons. Are these melons ripe? Oh no, it should be, these melons are really sweet.
She watched their debate with relish. Both wanted to persuade the other, but unfortunately, they didn't know that fists were the most effective tool of persuasion.
Didn't Uchiha Madara also yield to Senju Hashirama's hands, only then forced to passively accept Hashirama's theories?
At this moment, a flash of golden light appeared, and Minato Namikaze, holding Hyuga Hizashi, emerged. It seemed the Third Hokage carried a Flying Thunder God Kunai on him; he truly trusted him.
"Minato, what is it?" The Third Hokage, whose passionate speech was interrupted, was a bit displeased but still asked.
"Hokage-sama, Hizashi's condition is not right. It seems that forcibly breaking free from the Caged Bird Curse Mark has caused damage to his meridians. Konoha Hospital is currently treating a large number of Anbu, and they are not confident in healing him. Lady Tsunade has fallen unconscious, so I can only come to Ling for a try."
Minato Namikaze learned from Tsunade that Ling was currently studying Medical Ninjutsu, and her Medical Ninjutsu proficiency was even higher than that of the Medical Ninja at Konoha Hospital.
So he rushed back from Konoha to the Third Hokage's location to find Uchiha Ling, hoping she could heal Hizashi, whose veins were shattered, Chakra was rampant, and whose eyes were bloodshot, seemingly having triggered the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
Ling, whose enjoyment of the 'melon' was interrupted, also came over to Minato Namikaze's side to see what was happening. She felt that Hyuga's life force was weak, as if he was about to kick the bucket.
"Ling, you've come at the right time. Hizashi is dying. See if you can save him."
Minato Namikaze was also trying anything. If Hizashi died, he estimated it would be difficult to explain to the Hyuga Clan, even though it wasn't due to his fault.
"Ah? Me? Tsunade-jie jie and Konoha Hospital can't do it?"
Ling had only used Medical Ninjutsu on herself and small animals so far and didn't have much clinical experience.
"Konoha Hospital isn't confident, and they're overwhelmed. Lady Tsunade is unconscious, and she has hemophobia."
Minato Namikaze placed Hyuga Hizashi on the ground, indicating the blood all over Hyuga Hizashi's body, which was from the Exploding Tags earlier.
"Alright then, I'll try, but you should still find a way to wake Tsunade-jie jie."
If Ling could use the Reversal Technique to heal others, then she might have a chance.
Her current Yang Release attainment was merely a nascent form of regeneration, gained momentarily by borrowing the Wood Release Chakra from the Root Ninja earlier.
Perhaps she could try. Ling first used Chakra to probe Hyuga Hizashi's internal condition. Indeed, it was a mess.
His meridians were tangled and somewhat broken, with extensive internal bleeding. The most fatal issue was the bleeding in his brain, which compressed the optic nerve and nearly triggered the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
If not for the Caged Bird Curse Mark, Hyuga Hizashi's injuries would not have been fatal.
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